Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 62

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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 lowborn concubine.
Episode 62
“Your Highness, what brings you here?”
“Does a brother need a reason to seek out his only sister?”
“Yet lately you’ve been so occupied that you only visit when there’s something you want.”
“Ah, so my coming displeases you?”
“It gives one pause.”
To listen to the exchange alone, one might not notice, but both the Crown Prince and I were smiling—so the court ladies standing nearby and the attendants who had followed him relaxed their expressions accordingly.
The Crown Prince glanced down at the pastries that Seong Yoon and I were eating, grumbling as he did.
“You haven’t come to see me in ages, yet here you are giving such delicious things only to Seong Yoon.”
“What’s to be done? My brother lacks entertainment value.”
“So Seong Yoon’s stories are entertaining, then.”
“Indeed. As it happens, this works out perfectly—since Seong Yoon seems unwilling to work, why don’t you take him with you?”
“And no pastries for your brother?”
“How could I offer His Highness something that’s already gone cold?”
I spoke thus and rose from my seat.
The moment the Crown Prince’s voice had sounded, Seong Yoon had started to his feet in alarm, intending to follow me away, but I glanced back and shook my head slightly.
“Since he’s here, do have your attendants rest a while. Song Bi, prepare some light refreshments.”
“Yes, my lady.”
I poured out words without giving anyone a chance to speak.
“I’ll have something made for my brother shortly—just wait a moment. Seong Yoon, do keep His Highness company.”
“Yes, yes, my lady.”
As I left and ushered out even the Crown Prince’s attendants, the surroundings fell quiet all at once.
Only Song Administrator, who always followed the Crown Prince, remained.
Once I’d confirmed that no one else was about, I summoned the maids and made sure no one would come in.
I myself stood around the corner of a nearby building—hidden from the Crown Prince and Seong Yoon’s sight.
The court ladies would be attending to the refreshments I’d had them prepare, and until Song Bi brought the toast, no one would enter this place.
Soon the Crown Prince’s voice came through.
“Does my sister happen to trouble you?”
“My lady would never do such a thing.”
“Speak honestly.”
Even at the Crown Prince’s teasing, pointed tone, Seong Yoon never let his guard slip.
“Every time my lady calls for me, she never receives me with empty hands—so what man with a functioning tongue would not be pleased by my lady’s summons?”
“I see now where that ease comes from. Half the Palace is besotted with my sister’s cooking, so you’ve fallen under the same spell. But if she ever mistreats you, tell me at once.”
Brother, do you have complaints about me…
Should I feed you nothing but half-charred toast crumbs from now on?
Remarkably, Seong Yoon—unlike certain others—had proven himself worth feeding well.
“My lady possesses an upright heart and a generous spirit.”
“She’s curious and fearless. See that you watch over her carefully, lest she do something foolish.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
After the small talk centered on me as common ground had ended, the conversation turned to its true subject.
“Do you happen to know anything about Kim Seon-ik?”
At the Crown Prince’s words, Seong Yoon showed no disturbance.
“I merely cross the Border in my duties; I have no deep connection with the Minister.”
“No, I asked the question poorly. I shouldn’t have asked if you know anything of a man already accused of treason.”
Seong Yoon, who knew well enough why the Crown Prince was asking, answered directly.
“I have heard rumors that the Minister’s daughter was put forward as a candidate for Crown Prince’s Consort.”
“Has the news already spread all the way to Hamgyeong Province?”
“It’s simply that information gathering was part of my duties, so I’ve heard fragments here and there.”
“What manner of man was Kim Seon-ik? I’m merely curious whether what’s said secondhand in Hanyang matches what those who dealt with him directly believe.”
“From what I understand, the soldiers in the Military Camp held the Minister in high regard. But I know nothing of any treason.”
“Is that so…”
The Crown Prince’s voice carried a note of disappointment.
It would not be unknown to him. The one least willing to believe in Kim Seon-ik’s involvement in treason would have been the King himself rather than the Crown Prince—so there was no chance he hadn’t investigated the matter.
“Those under Kim Seon-ik have brought forward evidence that he took part in the treason.”
“I see no reason for them to slander the Minister. That, Your Highness, you would know better than anyone.”
“So it seems.”
“Would you permit me to speak presumptuously?”
“Speak freely.”
“Even if the Minister’s involvement in treason were true, he would not have made such a choice for the sake of unsavory rumors that have attached themselves to Your Highness.”
“……Thank you.”
As the conversation wound down, I spotted Song Bi approaching with a serving table in her hands, hesitating a few steps away. I nodded to signal that all was well.
‘So that’s why he wanted to meet Seong Yoon.’
It would have been better to ask through me, but he wanted to see it himself.
Or perhaps—since it concerned the rebel faction—he was deliberately keeping me out.
‘But isn’t that more bothersome?’
He insists on handling it himself, so what can I do? Still, putting people through such trouble for it…
Though novels do skip over such details, a male lead who does nothing for the female lead hardly wins readers’ hearts.
I moved forward as if I’d personally brought the food, stepping toward the two of them.
“I hope you haven’t been tormenting Seong Yoon while I was away?”
“Not at all. Princess.”
“If the Crown Prince troubles you, you must tell me at once.”
“Yes, Princess. I trust only you, Princess.”
At Seong Yoon’s glib response, the Crown Prince’s face turned sulky.
“I was only saying that the food you prepare is the most delicious, yet here you are, cold as ice to your own brother.”
He was being absurd.
Song Bi set the serving table before the Crown Prince and withdrew.
“Do eat, Your Highness.”
“Ah. So this is that new pastry you’ve made. Only the Consort and the Queen Dowager are worthy of it, while I come last.”
“Both the Consort and the Queen Dowager prefer softer foods.”
You barely eat proper meals, always working instead. I wonder if I should be feeding you soft foods…… but you’re still young, so it should be fine.
“Has the Queen Dowager tried it?”
“When I visited her this morning, I saw one at her bedside. I suspect she’s been eating them in secret.”
Ah, so that’s how it is.
“I hear she still refuses to see you. I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s better than the Crown Prince being at odds with the Queen Dowager.”
The Queen Dowager remained unforgiving.
The Crown Prince, knowing the true origin of this affair, looked quite contrite toward me.
‘As always—whoever committed the wrong is in the higher position, so the lower person is automatically in the wrong.’
I’d actually considered spreading a straw mat before the Queen Dowager’s Residence and performing a formal apology ritual, begging forgiveness. Of course, word had already reached the King and Crown Prince before preparations were even complete, and I’d nearly been confined to my quarters instead of doing any such ritual.
In the end, the Consort scolded me thoroughly, and since the Queen Dowager still refused my visits, I was technically still committing filial impiety.
‘Am I really living this carelessly……’
In a Confucian state, I wondered if this was acceptable—but then again, weren’t children who were ailing treated with indulgence everywhere?
If someone asked which of us was truly at fault, those scholarly fellows would probably all say it was me, but they surely wouldn’t demand that I perform a formal apology.
Still, the fact that the Queen Dowager was secretly eating the snacks I sent was a good sign.
“This tastes fine. What did you call it?”
“Toast Bread.”
“……I beg your pardon?”
“Toast Bread, Your Highness.”
“……Are you by any chance cursing me?”
“What?”
How on earth did he arrive at that thought?
‘Who in the world taught our Crown Prince—raised in pure isolation within the Palace—such vulgar language?’
I shook my head, concealing my alarm beneath a mask of ignorance.
“I’m not certain what you mean, but it’s called Toast Bread because it’s made with the character for food, and it puffs up nicely and fluffy like bread.”
I’d improvised well enough that even I found the explanation plausible.
The Crown Prince looked skeptical but nodded as if accepting it.
“I see…… it’s better than calling it ‘Tangled,’ anyway.”
“If it doesn’t please you, Your Highness, you needn’t eat it.”
“No. I’ll eat it.”
Watching him grimly guard his plate, it seemed he found it quite tasty.
“Speaking of which, it looks as though the Selection of the Crown Prince’s Consort has been postponed because of all this trouble.”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
There had been considerable bloodshed because of the treason, and with so many implicated, they’d likely need to revisit even the candidate list. Besides, selecting someone now didn’t seem good for the Crown Prince.
But then the Crown Prince said something unexpected to me.
“I’m sorry that your own marriage negotiations have been delayed as well because of this.”
“I don’t particularly wish to hasten things.”
“But surely good families and suitable young men don’t delay their betrothals indefinitely, do they?”
You’re hardly in a position to lecture me about that.
Typically, the Crown Prince’s Consort was slightly older than the Crown Prince himself—this was to ensure the birth of royal heirs sooner.
But if the Crown Prince made a misstep, he might end up marrying a Crown Prince’s Consort younger than himself.
‘But wait—what happens to the female lead then?’
I understood the story had already diverged significantly from the original, but surely the two of them would still end up together?
Yet if they did, what would become of the Crown Prince’s Consort?
Even if it was accepted that a king took concubines, the emotional resonance wouldn’t quite sit right with readers, would it?
In the original story, the male lead remained unmarried until his reunion with the female lead—I was certain the Crown Prince’s Consort didn’t exist then.
I reached back into my memory and answered offhandedly.
“There would be younger sons remaining at that time, surely.”
…….
The Crown Prince fixed me with a dissatisfied gaze.
What could he possibly be thinking, looking at me—an eight-year-old—like that?
Ah, right. In the original Joseon era, when families had to match ranks through factional ties, women often ended up substantially older than their husbands.
When I sent an irritated look back at the Crown Prince’s uneasy stare, he—suddenly avoiding my eyes—opened his mouth with an unexpected remark.
“In fact, the reason Father mentioned your deeds in court the other day was for that very purpose.”
“……?”
Was he referring to the shelter I’d had built for beggars? Why would that matter?
Finding my bewilderment amusing, the Crown Prince chuckled and answered my unspoken question.
“Since you are so bright and stand in the King’s favor, he was telling families considering you as a marriage prospect to mind their manners.”
“……?!”
“Until I take my own Crown Prince’s Consort, you may find it difficult to marry—so he was giving you a hint.”
I widened my eyes at this unexpected revelation.
‘That was the intention behind 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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