Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 131

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Born the daughter of a minor concubine.
131
My gaze fixed on a tree near the pavilion.
A small kitten still perched in the branches, harassed by the crow that had been causing a commotion since earlier.
“The creature shows no fear, even with a person standing this close.”
“Well… there’s only me in the pavilion, so I hardly seem threatening. Besides, everyone in the palace knows how to put on airs—what would it have to be afraid of?”
You’re lucky to live in such times. Years ago, there was a madman prowling these halls.
Still, being looked down upon by a dumb animal left a bitter taste. Perhaps it was time to teach it a lesson.
“That kitten, though…”
The sight of the small thing being attacked by the crow did look precarious. But what troubled me more was that I recognized it.
Especially the little necklace glinting around that tiny neck.
“Oh no, this can’t happen. If it gets hurt, my brother will lose his mind.”
“Pardon? Is that the Crown Prince’s kitten?”
“Yes. Officially, he doesn’t have that many, but among the ones that roam freely in the palace, there are quite a few. I put necklaces on them to tell them apart.”
“Ah. You mean that tiny glimmering thing?”
“Mm-hmm. And it looks like the crow’s after it.”
How on earth did this little one wander all the way out here alone?
The Crown Prince was an indifferent owner—he had palace servants feed his cats, but otherwise let them roam freely.
“Oh, ah…”
Watching the crow peck at the kitten, I let out an involuntary cry.
Cheon-ho, who had been observing the situation with cool detachment, asked for permission.
“Should I drive the crow away?”
“How?”
“I could throw a stone at it.”
This boy. Such half-hearted effort.
Cheon-ho picked up a nearby stone and tossed it without enthusiasm.
But his careless throw struck the crow squarely.
Thwack—
Caw—!
“Oh…”
Nice shot.
Startled by the sudden stone, the crow flew off in alarm.
“Wow. Good aim.”
“Cheon-ho’s a hunter at heart, after all. He learned these things from childhood.”
“Well done. Well done.”
After praising Cheon-ho, I waved my arm toward the kitten and called out.
“Come down here, little one.”
Mew—
“Is its name ‘Little One’?”
“Well, there are so many cats I can barely remember all their names, but this one’s the offspring of a kitten my brother cherished, so I’ve just been calling it Little One.”
Besides, I’ve been cooped up inside lately and haven’t been able to go out, so I’d sometimes visit to play with the cats, and this small creature followed me quite well—I’d grown fond of it and kept calling it Little One.
Normally it would come when called, as it followed people readily, but it seemed frightened by the crow and wouldn’t move, which worried me.
Could it be hurt somewhere and unable to move?
“Cheon-ho, you can’t reach up there, can you?”
“It’s impossible. And if I startle it, it might just climb higher.”
“Mm. Then there’s no choice.”
Assessing the height of the branch where the kitten perched, I made a request of Cheon-ho.
“Lift me up to the kitten.”
“What?”
“Hurry.”
“But… I couldn’t possibly lay hands on royalty…”
“Seong Gyeom-sabok said the same thing eight years ago.”
At my question of how many more years he’d need, Cheon-ho turned to So-i and the other ladies-in-waiting for help, but finding them shaking their heads silently in response, he sighed and let his shoulders sag.
Give it up, boy. Surrender makes life easier.
“Very well.”
“Quickly, now.”
Still anxious, Cheon-ho carefully grasped my waist and lifted me upward.
As our eyes drew level with the branch, I saw the little one trembling.
Frightened, poor thing. Well, it has reason to be.
“Come here, now.”
Meow—
The hesitant kitten leaped onto my hand with careful deliberation.
“That’s right.”
“Did you catch her?”
Whether or not such a tiny creature jumping up should register as weight, Cheon-ho had already noticed that I’d scooped up the kitten.
I gently patted the trembling baby cat, steadying her in my arms.
“Yeah. Um, but—”
“Yes?”
“This is fun.”
“It is?”
The view from up here is nice because I’m so much higher.
Even higher than when the Crown Prince lifted me before, it seems.
“Um, Princess? Should I set you down now?”
“Oh—wait, turn a bit to the left, would you?”
At my words, Cheon-ho grumbled but carefully pivoted leftward.
The view from this angle wasn’t bad either.
“Phew.”
“Oh, sorry. Am I too heavy?”
“If I complained that the Princess was heavy, my uncle would have beaten me to death long ago.”
“Haha!”
Feeling guilty for putting an innocent person to work, I was about to tell him to let me down when an unexpected dark shadow swooped down over my head.
Screech—
“Eek?”
A crow. And the next moment, my vision pitched violently up and down.
“Ah……?”
“Steady now. My apologies. Are you all right?”
“Um…… what?”
Flutter. Flap-flap.
A crow was clutched in Cheon-ho’s opposite hand.
He’d leaped up with one arm still holding me, snatching the crow with his free hand.
‘Whoa, what? That’s kind of amazing.’
I found it oddly amusing.
Like an uncle who entertains you with his body instead of toys.
For a moment, I thought of Sucheon catching a crow for me once.
Back then, Sucheon had used both hands because he was younger, but Cheon-ho subdues it with just one?
‘Well, his frame is bigger than a grown man’s anyway.’
Now that I think about it, they do seem similar in some ways.
When I consider it, their ages seem close too.
Sucheon had a bright, promising face, and Cheon-ho wasn’t bad either. Perhaps that’s why the palace women seemed quietly pleased whenever Cheon-ho came around.
“My apologies. I didn’t startle you, did I?”
“No. It was kind of fun, actually.”
“Please, don’t find it amusing……”
As Cheon-ho set me down gently while holding the crow, I checked on the tiny kitten in my arms, who let out a small meow to assert her presence.
“Let me see—are you hurt?”
Meow—
The kitten struggled not to leave my side, so I let her stay. There didn’t seem to be any bleeding when I felt her over. First, I needed to calm her down.
‘The poor thing must have been terrified, being attacked by something so much bigger.’
She should’ve been playing safely at the Crown Prince Residence—what brought her all the way here?
Watching the crow flutter in Cheon-ho’s large grip, some unpleasant memory tried to surface.
‘My life…… is really something.’
Though if Se Hwa really is the heroine, at least things should get easier for me now.
Once I’m out of this child’s body, I won’t have to fear crows anymore, at least.
‘Besides, hardship and overcoming it are the protagonist’s job.’
I can just step out of the main narrative, earn some money, and live a peaceful life as a background character.
Let’s just live an averagely peaceful life as a princess!!
“Princess?”
“Hm?”
Lost in thought for a moment, I snapped back to reality at Cheon-ho’s voice.
“My apologies. You seemed quite lost in thought.”
“Oh, I was just thinking about something for a moment. Why?”
“What should we do with this creature?”
The crow, still struggling in Cheon-ho’s grip, seemed as intent on the cat as ever, and without thinking I hid the kitten deeper into my arms.
But what to do with it? If I let it go as is, it’ll only cause more trouble.
“Hmm. Even if we release it far from here, it’ll just come back eventually, won’t it?”
“Birds have wide ranging territories, so it’s possible.”
“Perhaps we should keep it in a cage for now, then let it go later.”
I’m uneasy with such a young kitten around.
“It would be best if we could keep it caged at least until the kitten grows a bit.”
There are certainly other crows, but one bold enough to charge at people like this didn’t seem common. I sifted through my memories, recalling the crows I’d seen in my past life.
“Is there a bird cage large enough for a crow somewhere in the palace?”
“I’ve heard that the Previous King kept hawks, so there should be one somewhere.”
“I’ll search for it.”
“Well, there’s no need to have one made if we can’t find it. Just keep it caged for now, then let it go later.”
But if the Previous King had been someone with a hobby of keeping hawks, I was fairly certain such a cage would exist somewhere.
In any case, what to do with it right now? The crow was stronger than it looked, so it would be difficult to carry it.
“For now, let’s put it in a sack or something.”
“Ha. I can’t keep holding it forever. If I let go, something tells me it’ll lunge straight at the Princess.”
“That’s true.”
I answered with a laugh, my gaze fixed on the crow.
“……Why are you looking at it that way?”
“Oh, I just want to give it a good whack.”
Caw—
“……Please refrain.”
The crow screeched as if it understood the words.
Heh, but you can’t resist right now. This is the power of authority, my friend.
“Come to think of it, I’ve always wanted to touch a bird…….”
Having lived without ever really touching a bird, I was about to indulge this small selfish desire when an unwelcome voice interrupted.
“What is all this commotion?”
“Your Highness.”
Cheon-ho bowed to the Crown Prince while maintaining his hold on the crow.
Since I’d begun moving about the palace, I’d noticed that this fellow seemed surprisingly familiar with etiquette.
‘From the way he speaks, it seems like he spent his childhood in the mountains with his uncle, but where did he learn such things?’
Could it be that his uncle, the one from the Chack-ho Army, was originally from some fallen yangban family?
Suddenly I was reminded of Yeon-seon-o, who used to follow closely beside Seongwon.
‘Could they possibly know each other? ……No, that’s unlikely.’
Tigers were common throughout the eight provinces of Joseon, so it would be a stretch to assume all men called “Chack-ho” knew each other.
I’d wanted to exchange greetings with the Crown Prince before he left, but…….
While I was poisoned and hovering at death’s door, the man simply vanished without a trace.
He may have remained in the Capital City until I woke, but when I first regained consciousness I was in no state to notice anything.
I never saw him again, but it didn’t seem like he’d simply returned to the Chack-ho Army as before.
No one would be happy to go back to their old post after a promotion.
Still, he’d worked at the Ikwisa long enough that he likely had accumulated some wealth, and I imagined he was living comfortably somewhere. Given Seongwon’s nature, I doubted he would have been stingy with his closest aide.
Whether having money meant he was living peacefully, I couldn’t say, but it was better than having nothing.
“A crow attacked the kitten, so Cheon-ho caught it for us.”
“A crow? Ah……the Princess has been attacked by crows before, hasn’t she?”
“It was an attempt.”
The Crown Prince wore a subtly wistful expression, as if he’d thought of something similar regarding the crow.
Hmm. It’s possible that young lady and I have already crossed paths.
‘Eight years have passed—it’s not easy to recognize someone you’ve only met twice.’
Surely Ji Hwa wouldn’t recognize the Crown Prince if they met on the street.
“This young kitten is threatened by crows, so you should keep it well-protected indoors.”
“But a cat should be outside playing and roaming, shouldn’t it? And you’re being cold—the little one must have come looking for you.”
“I’ve seen it several times already.”
“It seems to have taken a liking to you.”
We chatted casually while the kitten was with us before moving to the main topic.
Part of the reason I’d taken to receiving correspondence here was to meet with the Crown Prince.
He was a busy man, so it didn’t feel right to ask him to come to my residence.
“So, what came of it?”
“As expected, it seems. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Then I’m relieved.”
I thought the Saganwon would find plenty of fault with it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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