Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 63

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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.
Chapter 63
I’d thought he was pressuring the officials—both high and low—with some political intent, like asking ‘what exactly are you all doing?’
I realized I’d been viewing my father as far too cold and calculating.
“I’m not entirely certain that marrying early is such a good thing.”
In truth, any Prince Consort candidate at this point would still be children.
If I married early, they’d…… would they even look like men?
I felt like an accidental criminal.
‘When I think about it, what’s the difference between an eight-year-old and a four-year-old to me?’
In the interests of (questionable) conscience, I excluded newborns.
If I married now, it wouldn’t feel like marriage—it would feel like adopting a nephew.
“A sapling destined to flourish shows promise from its very first leaves, so other families would surely covet him as a son-in-law as well. Of course, if he marries you as a Princess, his future success would naturally be assured, and there are no shortage of families who desire this.”
“Hmm.”
They eye the Crown Princess position like it’s a hot potato being passed around—so why would I be different? Would it really be so?
Well, of course the Prince Consort wouldn’t face life-threatening danger or hardship the way the Crown Princess does.
“Ah.”
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing.”
I remembered something.
The reason the Crown Prince had no Crown Princess.
Even though the current situation had changed considerably, in the original work the Crown Prince should naturally have taken a Crown Princess after the heroine’s escape—there had been candidates.
But the Crown Prince never ended up taking a Crown Princess until he met the heroine.
Part of it was due to the postponement caused by the Queen’s death—which hadn’t happened yet—and the appearance of a new Queen, but that wasn’t the real reason.
The new Crown Princess candidate collapses after eating poisoned food during a meal at her family home, her life in danger.
And after that, it seems no family came forward willing to become Crown Princess.
As I recalled up to that point, I also remembered a fact I’d forgotten.
‘Wait, then wouldn’t the next Crown Princess candidate also be in danger……?’
She would be in danger…… wouldn’t she? Probably.
‘Who was the daughter of the next Crown Princess candidate family again?’
All I could vaguely recall was that the next Crown Princess candidate was the Daughter of Minister of War.
Beyond that…… perhaps there was a possibility that innocent young lady and I might end up in similar circumstances?
‘The poison that girl ate as a Crown Princess candidate was sent by the Gyeongeon Prince.’
The poison she consumed in the novel might very well have been the same poison the Gyeongeon Prince sent for the Crown Prince.
But if the same thing happens as in the novel, would I even be able to stop it?
I looked down at my own small hands.
‘And I don’t even know who she is.’
In truth, I could barely remember the main characters’ names, let alone those of supporting cast.
I could scarcely recall the familiar position of Minister of War, and the court’s current structure has shifted so far from the original novel that even that couldn’t be trusted.
In the novel, the Gyeongeon Prince and his faction had still been a force to be reckoned with at that time.
At least the rebellion happened exactly as in the novel, so I’d probably find out naturally once the Crown Princess matter came up again.
‘That girl will collapse from poison just like I did. If the next Crown Princess candidate’s identity becomes clearer, I should arrange to protect her.’
Since I have experience being poisoned, surely I could convince her somehow.
In any case, the Crown Princess matter would have to be postponed.
In fact, setting aside everything else, with the Grand Queen Dowager sulking so much over the Gyeongeon Prince affair, it would be difficult to push forward with Crown Princess selection now. If I carelessly brought it up, she might grow irate, asking whether we had no pity for the Gyeongeon Prince, stuck in House Confinement without even marriage.
House Confinement is what it’s called, but I heard that when a prince is exiled, most families typically arrange marriages for them when the time comes, and many houses had hastily made marriage arrangements when the Gyeongeon Prince fell.
‘At least I might be able to keep things quiet for a while.’
When the royal household isn’t at peace, it makes me uneasy, but more than anything, it’s hard to slip out secretly.
I felt like a delinquent youth, though the frustration was real.
***
Just as the turbulent summer ended and autumn began, news came that a new shelter for beggars had been established.
It seems the officials who had been criticized for my private funding of the beggar shelter decided to create similar poverty relief facilities and provide support.
‘Well. I hope it goes well.’
Regardless of the reason, if help can be given, that’s a good thing.
I heard that one had different, complicated conditions than mine, so it was unclear whether it would succeed. I could barely manage to care about that anyway.
I was planning to go in a somewhat different direction.
“Princess, is it truly necessary that you go yourself?”
“Yes. I think it’s better if I go see it in person.”
“Would it not be suitable for this servant to go in your stead and convey your wishes?”
“No. It’s been a while since I saw them.”
Besides, they’d probably find it harder to refuse a request I made in person than one delivered by Ga-i or Song Bi.
‘If I call her to the palace, there are too many eyes watching.’
It had been a long time since I rode Jeok-a out beyond the palace gates with Ga-i, and unlike my previous excursion, the weather had grown crisp enough to make traveling outside far more pleasant.
Autumn here felt far longer than in my past life, where it had rushed past like wind itself.
“But why did Seong Gyemsabok come along?”
Wasn’t he supposed to be working?
At my question, Seong Gyemsabok laughed good-naturedly and replied.
“His Majesty issued a royal decree to prioritize matters concerning the Princess.”
When?
It must have been when I reported on building quarters for the children earlier, but he hadn’t even told me about it.
I pouted slightly and shot Seong Gyemsabok a look.
“So you’re reporting everywhere I go outside as well?”
“How could that be? I merely came out on the Princess’s orders to handle some business.”
“Hmm.”
Having Gyemsabok around did make things more convenient in several ways.
The only issue was that Jeok-a kept maintaining her distance from him.
Seong Gyemsabok seemed bothered by being rejected repeatedly and asked me.
“Do you happen to know why Jeok-a dislikes me so much?”
“She naturally dislikes large men and strangers.”
In truth, this was a common trait among many animals.
Still, she was docile enough with the Crown Prince, whom she’d known since childhood, and with the young grooms from Safok-si.
At first there were suspicions of past abuse, but nothing had ever been confirmed.
While it would be nice if we could fix it, fortunately Jeok-a followed me well, and since she was the Princess’s horse, everyone—including the King and the Crown Prince—seemed content that she was selective about her riders.
Looking back at the time when followers of the last rebellion unknowingly mounted Jeok-a and were thrown from the saddle, it was certainly not without its advantages.
Our destination was a small village just outside Dongdaemun.
We arrived at our intended place by asking directions from people we met along the way, but no one was visible.
“Strange. This is the right place, isn’t it? It seems empty.”
“This must be it. Perhaps they’ve stepped out somewhere.”
“Well, we came without notice, so that’s possible.”
While we examined the surroundings of the house, Seong Gyemsabok volunteered to search the area.
“I’ll go ask around the neighboring houses and return, so please wait here for a moment.”
“All right.”
The place where we stood was a small thatched cottage where commoners lived.
Small as it was, it had a small vegetable garden and a yard. From the distance, I could see a fairly large chicken coop, suggesting they kept several chickens.
And beyond that, a well was visible.
‘If someone from the palace had to adapt to a place like this, it would be difficult, wouldn’t it?’
Still, seeing a well not far from the house made it seem at least somewhat manageable to live here.
Curious, I walked toward the well and found a path beyond it, from which another building appeared through the trees.
Wondering if someone might be living there who could tell me where the house’s owner had gone, I approached and heard an unfamiliar voice.
“This much wouldn’t hurt to give her. Where does a woman living alone have to spend money?”
“Please stop this now.”
“I thought once you entered the palace as a Chief Court Lady, you’d never have money troubles again—how was I to know you’d be discharged so soon?”
“Haven’t the funds I’ve already brought out during my time in the palace been enough? Ugh!”
It sounded like a quarrel, and I hesitated about whether to pass by without acknowledgment, but when I heard the sound of the woman falling, I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t heard.
Besides, the voice felt familiar to me.
And it seemed Ga-i felt the same.
“Min Sanggung?”
“……!”
It was a reunion after a long time with Min Sanggung, who had been the Chief Court Lady of Yoon Soi, my birth mother, but unfortunately the atmosphere was far from pleasant.
The man flinched at the suddenly heard voices, but seeing that we were only women, he soon looked reassured.
“W-what are you doing here……? Huh?!”
Min Sanggung recognized Ga-i and was startled, but upon discovering me standing behind Ga-i, she was horrified.
By the way her mouth was gaping, she clearly didn’t want the man beside her to learn my identity.
“Oh my. How careless. Heh heh, seeing that you know our Min Sanggung, you ladies must be from the palace.”
“……?”
The man, seeming conscious of us, hastily helped Min Sanggung to her feet and smiled affably.
“I’m her older brother, and lately my circumstances have been difficult, so I was just making some difficult requests of my sister. There’s nothing to fear—I’m not a dangerous person.”
Though he wore a smiling face, his sagging, flabby flesh hung loose, his swollen face bore the markings of his smile, and his bloodshot eyes were glazed and murky—the unmistakable visage of someone deep in drinking and gambling.
On Min Sanggung’s face, barely recovered, shame and contempt rose together. She must not have wanted anyone to know she had such a family.
“That’s enough—please leave!”
“No, I should at least greet them properly. Surely you didn’t come empty-handed to visit our Min Sanggung?”
I came empty-handed.
Min Sanggung tried desperately to pull back the arm of the man who was advancing toward us threateningly, but it was no use.
“Ah, I understand now—please, that’s enough…….”
“Is there some business you ladies have with us?”
The man froze at the sound of that heavy voice, its owner suddenly before him.
Seong Gyemsabok had returned without my noticing and come looking for us. When a figure even more imposing than himself appeared, the man’s demeanor shifted at once, and he hastily made his retreat.
“Ah, no—I was merely coming to pay my respects. Ahem. Well then, I shall take my leave. I’ll come back to pay my respects again next time, ladies.”
Yes, let’s hope that never happens.
Min Sanggung, watching the man disappear with a furrowed brow, released a long sigh.
Without needing to ask, I could guess well enough what it was about, and that made it a little sad.
Only once I confirmed the man was gone did I greet her first.
“It’s been a long time, Min Sanggung.”
“Miss…… No, Your Highness the Princess—what brings you here?”
The familiar-faced attendants that Seong Gyemsabok had brought with him recognized me and bowed their heads.
I had come today to see the court ladies who had served the late Yoon Soi.
Even though it was the first time I’d seen them since being elevated to Princess, they adapted their forms of address so quickly that they truly lived up to their reputation as Chief Court Ladies.
When a court lady’s mistress dies, they are sent outside the palace for a period of time.
I knew that members of the royal family, including the Queen and the Grand Queen Dowager, observed three years of mourning, but because Yoon Soi had been a Concubine, her attendants had to endure a year of service outside the palace.
‘I’m not certain if it was always this way even during the Joseon era. Besides, legally speaking, I am the Queen’s child, so I didn’t have to observe such an extended period of mourning. I was quite ill at the time, after all.’
Court ladies of Sanggung rank were specialized personnel, trained through long education, so many were called back to the palace after their mourning period ended. But I heard that because there weren’t many royal family members in the palace now and court ladies weren’t especially needed, they hadn’t been recalled yet.
Moreover, the Chief Court Ladies from Yoon Soi’s residence bore the stigma of having failed to protect their mistress, so it seemed unlikely they would be allowed back into the palace anytime soon.
Even from my perspective as one of the victims, I didn’t think the court ladies were truly at fault, but there were many who shunned them nonetheless.
It seemed the problem was that they hadn’t sacrificed their lives to serve their mistress.
When I thought about how it contrasted with the way Ga-i and my other court ladies had protected me with their own bodies, it felt rather bitter.
“Shall we go inside and talk for a moment?”
Though the roles felt somehow inverted, I suggested it all the same.

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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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