Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 48

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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 as the daughter of a minor concubine.
Episode 48
“……Your Highness is quite right.”
Seong Yun, who had been fingering his scar with a hollow laugh, soon returned to the main point.
“But how is it that someone of your station finds themselves in such a place?”
“I lost something that day, and I thought I might find it if I looked.”
“Even so, it’s dangerous for you to venture outside the palace like this.”
“But it’s the last thing the Crown Prince asked me to keep…….”
At those words, he let his brows droop with such melancholy that Seong Yun, just like Gai and Song Bi, found himself at a loss for words.
“…….”
Unintended though it was, at this point it felt like some sort of magic incantation.
Seong Yun, who had been swallowing quietly for a moment, seemed to come to some resolve and pushed himself to his feet.
“Then I shall accompany you.”
“You’ll help me?”
“It pains me to let you and your lady’s maid go alone, my lady. I fear my heart would not allow it.”
“Thank you!”
As I hung myself around his neck, Seong Yun neither pulled away nor lifted me up, but hesitated awkwardly for a while before slowly patting my shoulder.
‘I’ve forgotten my station again.’
My close family and the palace attendants enjoyed it when I acted this way, so it had become habit.
I should exercise more restraint from now on.
Song Bi seemed flustered by this unexpected addition to their party, but appeared notably reassured at the prospect of having one more pair of hands to attend to me.
Perhaps because Song Bi had not originally been part of Jipmil, she tended to lack confidence.
Gai, sharp-minded and quick-witted, stood right beside me, so comparison was inevitable—yet it was a relief that the two of them seemed to get along well enough.
‘Perhaps they understand each other because they’re both, in a sense, estranged.’
Song Bi had never belonged to Jipmil originally, and Gai, once a lady’s maid serving Yeongbin and Hong Suk-won in their Jipmil quarters, had betrayed her mistresses and come into my service—so both occupied an awkward place among the other palace attendants.
Now that Gai kept strict discipline and Song Bi offered gentle comfort, the atmosphere seemed to have settled reasonably well.
Along the way, I explained the Jade Ring to Seong Yun as well. The troubled look on his face suggested he found it equally difficult, but he said nothing more.
The road to Namdaemun was considerable, so today too I was riding in the palanquin.
The Capital City, which I was entering for the first time since the Lantern Festival, still bustled with energy, yet I noticed things I had not seen that day.
‘That day there were so many people out celebrating that nothing stood out, but now I can plainly see how many struggle.’
With June already upon us, the Barley Hump could not be far off.
Staying cooped up in the palace, it hardly feels real. Yet this world is not the comfortable one I might imagine it to be.
‘Even in modern Korea, affluent as it was, there were homeless people and beggars.’
I think I once saw a vagrant near Namdaemun, or perhaps Seoul Station.
While I lost myself in such idle thoughts, Seong Yun returned from speaking with the Namdaemun sentries and shook his head.
“No one has seen the Jade Ring, they say.”
“I suspected as much.”
There was no choice but to abandon the idea of returning to the commoner’s house where I had been with Su Cheon that day.
‘Hmm.’
That household may well be suffering considerably from their entanglement in this affair.
Yet if I interfered without cause, matters would only grow more complicated—better to pretend ignorance.
“Then, what about the place where I encountered the Inspector that day?”
“Rather than my lady venturing there herself, it would be better if I went alone to search later. However, as time has already passed, if it is lost, it will be difficult to find.”
“That’s true.”
“Moreover, if we should encounter those strange fellows again, it could prove troublesome.”
Lamentable though it was, he spoke sense.
With Seong Yun present, I doubted those sorts would approach us as they had before.
“I’ve led you on a pointless errand. I’m sorry. Perhaps we should rest a moment and head back? Song Bi, your legs aren’t aching, are they?”
“I’m quite fine.”
“There isn’t much of anywhere for my lady to rest in this vicinity…….”
What was I thinking, looking for rest on a Princess’s terms?
I pointed to a tavern that caught my eye.
“There’s a tavern over there. Song Bi, you brought money, didn’t you?”
“I have money, but my lady, are you certain this is wise?”
Song Bi’s face grew troubled.
There was good reason for her concern.
Ever since the medlar incident, those around me had been extraordinarily particular about what entered my mouth.
Moreover, I myself was scrupulous—by this era’s standards, excessively so—about cleanliness and hygiene, so a wayside tavern like this could hardly meet my criteria.
Song Bi, who had become equally fastidious about cleanliness because of me, was likely the first to understand this fact.
‘The taste may be uncertain, but cleanliness is surely something I cannot hope for.’
But this isn’t the actual Joseon era—it’s a fictional world that’s been tidied up somewhat, so it should be fine, shouldn’t it?
“Just resting for a bit should be all right.”
“Then… would you consider going to a place I know of? It’s not exactly fitting for a young lady, but it’s better than the alternatives.”
“Let’s do that, then.”
At Seong Yun’s sympathetic gaze toward the restless Song Bi, she nodded quickly.
Fortunately, the tavern Seong Yun mentioned wasn’t far away.
I decided to adopt a suitably vacant expression and stepped inside.
As I entered, the tavern was filled with an unexpectedly appetizing aroma.
Hungry as I was, I placed an order the moment I sat down.
“Three bowls of rice soup here, with the good stuff, please.”
“Yes, yes, understood!”
In historical dramas, tavern fare actually appears more often than royal cuisine. Whether it’s a matter of production logistics or not, boiled chicken with vegetable side dishes tend to show up more than soup-based dishes.
Still, when you think tavern, you think rice soup.
“Pardon? Rice soup…?”
“What? Can’t I eat it?”
“No, but…”
Before Seong Yun, whose pupils had begun to dilate with anxiety, a steaming bowl of rice soup arrived.
Thunk!
Along with a sharp glare.
“Is there a problem with my establishment’s rice soup?”
“No, ma’am…”
The Tavern Owner’s icy gaze, directed at this hindrance to business, was enough to silence even someone as used to crossing borders and walking the line as Seong Yun.
“Will you be taking alcohol?”
“No.”
Clearly dissatisfied with a customer who wouldn’t even buy drinks, the Tavern Owner shot Seong Yun a sideways look before turning to me with a slight smile and withdrawing.
She must have instinctively sensed who the real money was—though really, I’d ridden in on horseback wearing fine clothes, so it wasn’t that hard to tell.
“You’re supposed to be off today. I’m not keeping you from your rest, am I?”
“I’m still getting used to the idea of taking time off. In fact, this feels easier.”
“Hmm.”
Well, it was a profession that didn’t allow for rest.
This wasn’t an era where you could take a day or two off each week. Even officials only rested once every two weeks or so.
For someone who’d lived in the five-day work week era, this was an impossible age to adapt to.
I clicked my tongue and spooned the rice soup into my mouth.
“Oh? This is delicious.”
Oh wow. This is the real thing—authentic local flavor!
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Mm-hmm.”
The Tavern Owner’s skill showed—the rice soup was surprisingly well-made.
I’d actually been mentally prepared for a bit of a gamey taste.
And whether it was my imagination or not, my bowl seemed to have more meat than the others. Is this class discrimination?
“Song Bi, do you want more meat?”
When Seong Yun saw me giving some of my meat to Song Bi, his expression grew peculiar.
“Young lady, you’re… quite unusual.”
“Am I?”
I ate my rice soup while making casual conversation and surreptitiously examining the area, when I noticed begging children around the tavern.
I’d heard that even begging had its designated territories, so these children likely worked this neighborhood. Since Namdaemun wasn’t far from here, it occurred to me that if I’d dropped my Jade Ring, perhaps these children might have seen it.
“Those children move around the area quite a bit—do you think they might have seen the ring?”
“I’d advise against that, miss. There’s no guarantee the children will tell you the truth.”
“You won’t know unless you try.”
“They may deceive you.”
“I won’t lose much even if they do. Those children probably need the money.”
“What if those ruffians we saw last time show up again?”
“Wow, I’ve got a dependable companion here.”
“Young lady…”
Seong Yun, who’d already shown off his strength once before me, couldn’t quite bring himself to deny it.
I finished eating and approached the children.
“Hey, kids. I’ve got something I want to ask you—got a minute?”
“What is it? If it’s charity, we’re all ears.”
“I lost a jade ring near Namdaemun on Lantern Festival day…”
“You think we stole it?!”
Why did they suddenly bolt…….
I noticed some of the younger children in their group shrink back in fright.
And on my side, a boy who looked a hand’s span taller than me was getting angry, and Seong Yun was starting toward him.
I jumped in to keep things from escalating, calming the shouting child before asking again.
“No, no. I was just wondering if you’d seen something before.”
“We don’t know anything about that kind of stuff, so just go on your way. Hey, let’s go.”
“What? But…….”
“Let’s go.”
The boy who seemed to be their leader tried to drag the younger children away, as if something about this had gotten under his skin.
The younger ones hesitated, not understanding what was happening—especially the one who’d hidden earlier, who now turned toward me with a smile and waved.
If children this young were already begging alongside older siblings with barely a year’s difference between them, their parents must have abandoned them.
I’d been about to let them go when I saw the smallest one toddling along after the others, and I decided to resort to the most straightforward tactic.
Clink—
The children froze, their heads snapping toward me as one.
“You really don’t know anything?”
At the crisp, metallic sound of the bundle of coins I’d drawn out, their heads grew heavy and their mouths light.
The boy who’d been so dismissive suddenly reappeared before me with a changed tone.
“We didn’t see it ourselves, but we could help you search.”
“How long would it take?”
“We keep things worth money that we’ve found, so we can check right away.”
I handed over exactly half the bundle of coins and spoke.
“Good. Confirm it for me and you’ll get the rest. And if you find my Jade Ring, you’ll get one more bundle besides. Just so you know, my ring has a mark on it, so you can tell if it’s mine by touch—there’s no point bringing me something else.”
“Understood. We just need to search for it, right?”
“Yes. I’m counting on you. If I’m not here, just leave word with the Tavern Owner.”
The children asked me a few more questions, then scattered like sparrows. Behind me, Seong Yun clicked his tongue.
“Those children won’t come back.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be done about that.”
For now, let me finish the soup I was eating.
And just as Seong Yun predicted, quite some time passed with no sign of the children.
“Still, leave the money with the Tavern Owner.”
“Young lady.”
“If those children break their promise, I can’t very well break mine in turn, can I?”
Some time later, after the Tavern Owner saw me handing bundles of coins to various beggars and brought out all manner of things to eat—fried cakes, rice cakes, and more—I felt pleasantly full and rose to my feet with leisure.
‘I feel like a rich girl indulging in the simple fare of common folk as a delicacy.’
I think I’ve seen something like this in a drama before.
“Are you certain you’re all right, young lady?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t really expect to find it anyway.”
I wasn’t a fool—I knew well enough by now that searching would be difficult.
Then why had I come out like this?
The Jade Ring was special, certainly, but there were already plenty of mementos of Crown Prince Seong Won in the palace.
Yet somehow, there lingered this strange guilt over having lost something entrusted to my care.
“You must return before it grows dark.”
At Song Bi’s worried whisper, I nodded without resistance.
But the journey back to the palace proved anything but smooth.
“We didn’t do it!!”
I could see the beggar child from before crouched down, shielding a smaller child.
It was a sight I’d never witnessed in my past life or this one—something the real world had never shown me—and my body went rigid.

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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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