Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 99

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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 concubine of the lowest rank.
Episode 99
“There! That celadon!”
“How much is that celadon?”
As Yeongson and I cried out almost simultaneously, the man guiding us broke into a satisfied grin.
“Ah, you both have a discerning eye, I see. That celadon was supplied to the royal court during the Goryeo period. It’s a genuine article, brought by a descendant of a man who served as Minister of State in those days.”
He then wiped the ceramic gently with a cloth, bringing out its luster.
“However, you cannot purchase that ceramic right now.”
“Has it already been sold to someone else?”
At So-i’s words, the man shook his head.
“It’s not only that there isn’t yet anyone with the means to pay its price, though that is part of it. The celadon’s owner took out a loan using it as collateral, and the deadline has not yet passed. It’s simply being kept here for safekeeping.”
The man added that if the celadon’s owner failed to repay the borrowed money within five days, he would then put it up for sale.
“So you’re saying it will be for sale in five days?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then we’ll come to purchase it in five days. Don’t sell it to anyone else—set it aside for us.”
“But there are many people who desire this item.”
“Didn’t you just say there aren’t yet people with the means to pay its price?”
At So-i’s words, the man fumbled and changed his tune.
“Ah, haha. There are still more people coming to view it.”
“Then those who want the celadon can simply negotiate the price amongst themselves that day.”
“But they’re all from rather distinguished families, so the price will be quite steep…….”
“The person purchasing this ceramic is also from a distinguished family, so you needn’t worry yourself with such concerns.”
“If you say they’re distinguished…….”
“What business is it of yours to know who they are?”
There was no need to let on what I was purchasing, so So-i cut the man short coldly as he continued to drag on the conversation.
So-i was careless in front of me, but not careless in front of others.
The man flinched at the Iron Wall Technique, the passive skill of palace attendants, and soon nodded, stating the price.
“Yes?? Ah, very well, sir. Then I’ll show it to the other interested parties over the next seven days, and if no one else wishes to purchase it by then, I’ll hand it over to you immediately.”
“Very good.”
We drew up a detailed contract and returned to the Private Residence.
“Young lady, I shall return in seven days with household members to purchase that ceramic.”
“I’ll come out myself in seven days to verify it. Have an appraiser standing by.”
“No, young lady—are you going out again? Are you certain that’s wise?”
“It’s fine. Since it’s such a rare piece, I need to verify and purchase it myself. The price isn’t low, either.”
I had selected a few other things that pleased me besides the ceramic, but nothing caught my eye as much as that piece.
“Princess, has something good happened to you?”
“No, nothing in particular.”
As a result, even after returning to the palace, I heard such remarks from the palace attendants for some time.
But seven days later, when we returned with the same group, something felt off.
The man cheerfully remarked that fortunately no one had come to purchase it, so he could hand over the item right away—we were lucky, he said.
But Yeongson and I both frowned.
“……Something doesn’t feel right, does it?”
“Yes. It looks somewhat different from what I saw that day.”
We didn’t even need to call in an expert to tell. It was clearly different from what we’d seen before.
“Shall I wrap it up for you now?”
“……Yes. Wrap it for us. You’re certain this is a genuine artifact from the Goryeo period, as you said?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“And if it isn’t?”
Hearing the exchange between Yeongson and me, So-i mentioned an appraiser she knew and introduced an elderly-looking man he’d brought in.
But how could I trust an appraiser that someone else had brought? I recalled the regular appraiser I’d relied on, who hadn’t been able to come because of a sudden urgent matter.
“There’s an appraiser…….”
“Yes. Then you—put your seal on this and certify it as genuine.”
“No, why are you doing this? This puts me in a difficult position.”
The man tried to feign indignation and refuse, but his sincerity was far too lacking.
“This isn’t a pittance—it’s only natural, isn’t it?”
“If you put your seal certifying this is genuine, I can go pay the full amount right now. What do you say?”
“Well, if that’s the case…….”
The man affixed his seal.
We told him to wait a moment while we arranged to pay, then stepped out of his sight.
“Let’s go report this to the Podochung.”
“What?”
Any other day, I might’ve simply skipped the purchase and moved on without fuss. The bother of it all…….
But today, perhaps because I’d been anticipating a reaction, I was in a decidedly foul mood.
So I handed my Identity Badge to Sung Gyeom-sabok and reported the counterfeit dealers to the Podochung.
“A report from royalty. How rare.”
“We’ll make the arrest immediately.”
The people’s instrument of justice moved with impressive swiftness.
‘So this is how good power feels.’
If only I could wield this kind of authority for the public good on ordinary days too.
Through the Podochung, we summoned the most credible appraiser, and the examination confirmed what I’d suspected—the pieces were indeed counterfeits.
‘They could’ve called them reproductions and still fetched a decent price.’
Human greed knows no bounds, and people repeat the same mistakes endlessly.
Some of the culprits had apparently caught wind and fled, but several were apprehended. Sung Gyeom-sabok helped the officers subdue those who resisted.
Word was that these were repeat offenders—they’d been caught doing similar work before—and one of the functionaries shouted with zealous confidence that this time they’d root out the entire operation.
Counterfeit sales like this were rarely the work of individuals; they were organized affairs.
“But surely someone told them a person of considerable means was buying. Why resort to such a crude deception?”
“Collectors aren’t all connoisseurs. They likely assumed the buyer wouldn’t know a genuine article’s true value.”
“But wouldn’t the buyer naturally call in an appraiser once they took possession?”
“Indeed. There are those who, upon discovering the truth, are too ashamed of being duped to file a report.”
“Ah.”
Of course—if a self-styled collector couldn’t spot a forgery, their reputation would be ruined. Besides, anyone with enough means to collect expensive ceramics and antiquities was almost certainly from a family of considerable wealth.
“Well then, what became of that celadon the young lady intended to purchase?”
“It’s possible they deliberately planted a genuine piece to lend credibility to the fraud, but more likely it was fake from the start.”
The officers, with help from the appraisers, began cataloging the counterfeits, but no genuine pieces were found.
“Yet that celadon I saw truly seemed authentic.”
“What makes you say so?”
“Well…….”
At So-i’s question, I hesitated. It was difficult to explain what differed, but there was something——
“It had a different look to it. A different presence.”
“……I see.”
“The moment you lay eyes on it, you just know. This is it! Of course there are subtle proportional differences, the color is slightly different, the gloss is different.”
“I wouldn’t know the difference myself.”
“But they might’ve hidden it somewhere. After all, anyone could see it was valuable and rare.”
“It did look expensive…….”
Sadly, even the finest celadon once supplied to the royal court becomes mere pottery to someone who takes no interest in such things.
‘In movies you always see a secret passage or hidden compartment at the back, with treasures stashed inside.’
I watched the counterfeiters’ shop being methodically dismantled, then quietly slipped into the warehouse that the officers had already searched once.
“Oh, young lady! You mustn’t go in there.”
“It’s the sort of place something could be hidden, wouldn’t you say?”
There were so many items that I doubted anyone had properly accounted for them all.
Inside were numerous large jars—some packed in boxes, others scattered about. It seemed they’d sealed off the entire structure pending later disposal of the goods.
I peered into one of the enormous jars, large enough that a full-grown adult could stand inside, then smiled toward So-i.
“Such a jar couldn’t actually have a hollow bottom leading somewhere else, and someone hiding and then slipping out. That only happens in stories, doesn’t it?”
“My. Young lady really does……?”
And in the next instant, something seized my neck from behind and jerked me hard.
“Huh?”
“Stay quiet. Do as you’re told, or don’t say I didn’t warn you what happens to this little one.”
“Gasp……?”
An actual person had just sprung out of the jar!
“Oh, young lady!”
“Get back!”
Good grief, why does my life have to be this dramatic…….
Whatever my actual age, my outward appearance—barely seven years old—dangled helplessly in the grasp of a counterfeiter.
So-i seemed to be probing for any opening, but the man’s hand held a weapon.
For now, he was merely gripping it, but still.
“If you release the young lady, I’ll help you escape.”
“By the way you speak, you’re clearly from a good family. Yes, judging by how you two came to buy ceramics, you must be children of wealth, mustn’t you? Bring a ransom for this child’s life.”
“What?”
In that moment, the counterfeiter became a kidnapper.
As the man shouted out an amount, a deadline, and a location, then bolted, So-i let out a scream.
“No, no, no!!”
And this idiot of a con artist—well, he was simply an idiot.
Sword in one hand, me tucked under the other, he bolted straight into the crowded alley where people were still milling about.
Most of the constables had left, but the commotion had drawn onlookers from their curiosity, and now the shocking sight sent them screaming.
“Ahhhhh!”
“A kidnapper!”
“A thief!”
“Damn it!”
The man realized his mistake and finally sheathed his blade, gripping me against his ribs as he ran.
“Young lady!”
So-i’s voice reached me from a distance.
God. I wanted to faint.
“……!!”
Someone seemed to be calling my name.
***
Unfortunately, the ride had been anything but smooth, so the second the con artist—or rather, the kidnapper—set me down on the ground, I simply collapsed in a heap.
“Uhhh…… I’m dizzy.”
“Little one, stay quiet and I won’t hurt you. Do you understand?”
I nodded obediently.
We were already deep in the mountains with no one around, so there was no help coming. Besides, I’d heard that complying quietly was the best strategy for survival when kidnapped.
‘No point provoking him now.’
Resist too hastily and an incompetent kidnapper might accidentally become a murderer.
The kidnapper kept my eyes covered as he carried me up the mountain path until we reached what seemed to be a house, and he dragged me inside.
“What the hell is this, you lunatic.”
“It couldn’t be helped if we wanted to escape.”
“But still, a child this young…….”
“Lock her in the storage shed. She’s just a small child anyway—we can let her go later and she won’t remember anything.”
From the tone of the conversation, it seemed they really had no intention of hurting me.
They apparently thought a young child wouldn’t pose much of a threat, so they took no other precautions.
‘They probably think I’m in here crying to myself.’
Locked in the storage shed, I unwrapped the cloth from my eyes and, staying as still and quiet as possible, surveyed my surroundings. There was a small window—it looked like I might be able to escape. I carefully stacked the objects inside without making a sound.
Even if they said they wouldn’t hurt me, anything could happen.
Moving with careful silence, I could faintly hear voices speaking in the adjacent room.
“…… if someone…… then…… isn’t it……?”
“Quiet……! If that person…… how much would…… ?”
“…… but soon…… and at the Kisaeng House in Dabang-gol…….”
A Kisaeng House?
“Then…… seventeen days…… the talk…… that place…… for the money…….”
“…… but, the Crown Prince…….”
The Crown Prince?
At that familiar word, I stiffened, and then I heard the sound of a door opening.
Creak—
“What are you doing?”
“Brother.”
“The truth is…… we got caught selling counterfeit goods, and several people were arrested. I barely escaped.”
“Damn. There are no witnesses, right?”
“Well…… there was one child.”
“No exceptions. If it could interfere with our grand scheme, we must eliminate all loose ends.”
“……!”
Just then my hand reached the window frame. It was a small window, but I was still a small child.
‘Never thought I’d be grateful for not growing.’
Besides, years of Archery and Horsemanship training had given me relatively strong limbs.
I hoisted myself up and over the frame in one motion, confirmed the area was empty, and jumped straight out the window.
At the exact same moment, I heard the shed door open behind me.
“Little one, where did you hide?”
I ran without looking back.
‘I’ll be found soon enough, but every second counts…….’
If I got lost on the mountain path, there was no telling what would happen.
“Found her!”
“Ahhhhh!”
The man lunged toward me, and something struck him hard.
“Ugh! What are you—wait, no?!”
I didn’t know what had happened, but I was alive.
Without a backward glance, I ran like a madman.
Then my foot caught on something, I stumbled, and everything went black.

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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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