The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 31
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#31. Resolute Determination
“Princess, this servant Lady Park is here. May I come in?”
Eunhye, who had been sitting and looking up at Gwangjo, turned her head toward the outside.
Come to think of it, nearly a full watch had passed since she sent This Servant away, so Lady Park had reason to be curious.
However, Eunhye, who still had more to hear from Gwangjo about the divine object, pouted with a disappointed expression.
[Hahaha! Why are you pouting? You should think about the people who serve you too.]
Gwangjo, who stood up from his seat while chuckling, gave Eunhye’s puffed cheeks a wistful look before fading away dimly.
[Don’t be afraid or frightened when this old man isn’t visible. Now no evil spirits will be able to come near you, child.]
“Princess, may this servant come in?”
At Lady Park’s voice filled with worry, a kind smile appeared on Gwangjo’s face as he looked at Eunhye while fading away.
“Yes. You can come in.”
At Eunhye’s answer toward the door, Gwangjo smiled broadly and disappeared, and soon the door opened and Lady Park entered with an anxious expression.
Then she approached with hurried steps and sat close to Eunhye’s left, examining her here and there with careful hands and eyes as she asked.
“Princess, are you feeling unwell anywhere? You suddenly dismissed everyone around you and only called for This Servant…”
Lady Park, who couldn’t even finish her words, blinked with curious eyes.
“Yes. I’m perfectly fine. And This Servant will be okay now too.”
“Huh?”
At these even more incomprehensible words about what would be okay with This Servant, Lady Park’s eyes blinked once more.
“Ah…! No, it’s just something like that. I’ll tell you everything later. But today, isn’t Jipyeong—I mean, Master—coming?”
Though she didn’t know what it was about, Lady Park simply nodded at her mistress’s words that she would tell her everything later and answered.
“Yes, Lord Jipyeong came earlier and left two books. He said he would come tomorrow at half past the fourth hour (10 AM).”
“Oh… I see.”
At the news that Jipyeong had come and gone, Eunhye naturally thought of Jihoo and pouted her lower lip.
How much had Jipyeong heard from that boy Jihoo?
Though she had told that boy she would forgive him, upon reflection, her resentful feelings didn’t easily fade.
Lady Park, who observed Eunhye’s face and smiled slightly, nodded as if understanding.
“Are you troubled by the thought of reading both books today?”
“Huh? It’s not that.”
At Lady Park’s words, Eunhye shook her head as if to say no.
“What? Then… why do you have such a worried expression?”
Did my face look full of worry?
Looking at Lady Park’s face, which seemed more worried than her own, Eunhye smiled brightly.
“I’m not worried about anything. But nanny, there’s still some time until the evening meal, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
When Lady Park nodded at the sudden question, Eunhye’s eyes sparkled as she sat close to the writing desk.
“I’m curious about something. Lady Park, have you ever been to Seongsucheong?”
“What? You mean Seongsucheong?”
Lady Park’s eyes, more surprised than before, became as wide as lanterns.
“Yes! I’m planning to go to Seongsucheong around the seventh hour tomorrow. Do you know the way, nanny?”
“Whaaaat?”
Lady Park was so shocked that she made her eyes and mouth equally round.
Seongsucheong all of a sudden?
Could our Princess be trying to become a Shinyeo?
That must not happen!
Lady Park, whose eyes instantly filled with tears as she looked at Eunhye, shook her head vigorously.
“I don’t know! This servant doesn’t know the way to Seongsucheong!”
Then Eunhye tilted her head as if finding it strange.
“Are you crying because you don’t know the way to Seongsucheong? It’s okay if you don’t know. We can find it together.”
Eunhye patted Lady Park’s hand with her tiny hand.
“Sob, Princess!”
Ah, she really intends to go to Seongsucheong.
That must not happen. Even if dirt enters these eyes, this servant cannot bear to see the Princess become a Shinyeo!
Lady Park firmly grasped Eunhye’s hand that was patting hers, brought it to her chest, and burst into tears.
At Lady Park’s strange behavior, Eunhye slightly frowned her pretty face and shouted toward the door.
“Lady Han! If you’re outside, come in!”
With Eunhye’s call and a loud noise, Lady Han rolled into the room through the opened door.
“Yes! Princess, this servant is here!”
Lady Han’s heart had been pounding ever since she heard Lady Park’s cry of “That must not happen!” just moments before.
But when she came in, wasn’t Lady Park holding the Princess’s hand tightly and crying?
Lady Han looked at Eunhye with wide eyes at the scene unfolding before her.
“Prin… cess, did you call for me?”
It was a shortened version of ‘Lady Park, why are you doing that?’
At Lady Han’s question, Eunhye smoothly pulled her hand free from Lady Park’s grasp and asked with a frown.
“Lady Han, do you happen to know the way to Seongsucheong? Nanny says she doesn’t know.”
“Seongsucheong? You mean that place in Byeolgung?”
“Lady Han!”
As soon as Lady Han finished speaking, Lady Park shouted angrily.
Would she have said she didn’t know if she really didn’t know?
She had said she didn’t know out of hope that the Princess wouldn’t go to that place, but that foolish girl was causing trouble.
“Ah, what a surprise! Why are you shouting, nanny!”
When startled Eunhye frowned and complained, Lady Park quickly bowed.
“Forgive me, Princess! This servant was too surprised…”
“I was more surprised by Lady Park’s shouting!”
Me too.
Lady Han said to herself while her startled heart pounded, unable to sit or stand before Princess Eunhye and Lady Park.
Eunhye, who had scolded Lady Park, looked up at Lady Han.
“Sit down, Lady Han.”
“Yes, Princess.”
Only then did Lady Han sit awkwardly next to Lady Park, alternately watching both of their expressions.
Did I say something wrong?
Lady Park was glaring at her as if she would devour her, while Princess Eunhye’s eyes were sparkling brightly.
Lady Han glanced at both of them once, then bowed toward Eunhye and asked.
“Princess, may this servant dare ask why you inquire about the way to Seongsucheong?”
At Lady Park’s groaning sound, Lady Han barely straightened her shoulders that had unconsciously hunched and looked at Eunhye.
“Yes. Well, I have some business to attend to at Seongsucheong tomorrow. That’s why.”
“What? The Princess is going to Seongsucheong? Why?”
Smack!
Lady Park’s sharp hand immediately struck Lady Han’s back for her impertinent words that popped out without proper etiquette.
“Ow! That hurts.”
Lady Han, who twisted her body like a squid and grimaced, immediately bowed her head.
“Forgive me, Princess. This servant was so surprised by your sudden words that I committed a breach of etiquette.”
Watching this, Eunhye couldn’t help but burst into laughter, then looked reproachfully at Lady Park who had hit Lady Han before speaking.
“Yes, I need to go to Seongsucheong to look for something.”
“What? What do you mean to look for?”
This time it was Lady Park who asked loudly with wide eyes.
Pinch.
“Ouch!”
In reverse of before, Lady Park, who was pinched in the side by Lady Han, grimaced and bowed her head.
“Forgive me, Princess. This servant was too surprised…”
“Kuk kuk kuk kuk. What are you two doing?”
Perhaps the atmosphere had shifted due to Eunhye’s adorable laughter. Lady Park, who had been unable to erase her serious expression until now, and Lady Han, who had been confused about the situation, looked at each other and let out awkward laughs before bowing their heads.
“We apologize, Princess.”
Eunhye looked at the two of them as if finding them amusing, then asked Lady Han again.
“It would take quite a while to walk to Byeolgung, wouldn’t it?”
Nod nod nod.
Lady Han’s nostrils flared as she vigorously nodded her head.
To go from the Princess’s Quarters in the Inner Palace to Byeolgung in the outer palace would take at least half a sikgyeong (about 30 minutes) at an adult’s pace.
“Hmm… Then should I take the deung…?”
The deung, which was the young princess’s means of transportation, was small and compact compared to the palanquins that adults rode. However, since it was for a princess of the nation, it was designed to be pretty and splendid.
So if she traveled toward Byeolgung in the deung, it would become too grand a procession and Mother and Father might find out.
Moreover, the deung was… scary.
Even though Queen Dowager said she would protect her, being inside that small box that was completely enclosed front and back was terrifying, not knowing where a ghost’s face might pop out from.
At Eunhye’s expression becoming serious as she created wrinkles on her fair forehead and brow, Lady Han and Lady Park looked at each other and gulped nervously.
Then, Eunhye’s voice came as if she had made a decision.
“Lady Han, could you carry me on your back to Byeolgung?”
“Pardon? Do you truly intend to go to Seongsucheong?”
At Eunhye’s sudden question, Lady Han asked back with surprised eyes.
“Yes! I absolutely must go. There’s something I need to get from there.”
“Whatever it may be, couldn’t this servant retrieve it for you?”
Lady Park, who had been blinking her eyes like a startled cow, quickly picked up on Eunhye’s words.
“Kuk kuk, Lady Park? They absolutely won’t give it to you! They said they’d only give it if I go myself.”
“What are you speaking of?”
Lady Park looked directly at Eunhye’s round face with genuinely curious eyes.
“My Guardian Talisman!”
“Pardon?”
At Eunhye’s words that were incomprehensible from beginning to end, Lady Park now had a tearful expression.
She’s not someone who won’t go just because we try to stop her.
Princess is not someone who would change her mind just because we object. Moreover, seeing that she’s giving the absurd reason of a Guardian Talisman, she’ll definitely go to Seongsucheong tomorrow.
Lady Park looked at her young mistress with a resigned, tearful expression.
“Please promise me just one thing.”
“What?”
“Since we servants will escort you to Seongsucheong, you absolutely must not go alone tomorrow.”
At Lady Park’s plea, Eunhye nodded as if it were obvious.
“Yes! Thank you. And I don’t even know the way to Seongsucheong. That’s why I absolutely need my wet nurse and Lady Han.”
“However, Princess…”
Lady Han carefully opened her mouth toward Eunhye, who now seemed relieved and comfortable.
“What is it?”
Lady Han glanced at Lady Park briefly, then gulped nervously.
“Well… about Seongsucheong. It’s truly fierce and frightening from the very entrance. But you say you’re going there to get a Guardian Talisman… what exactly is that?”
At Lady Han’s question, Lady Park also leaned toward Eunhye with curious eyes, blinking.
“Ah, um… that is, well. Uh, so you see. It’s a shin… mul.”
“A shin… mul? What is that?”
Lady Han’s eyes, as she hesitantly asked back about Eunhye’s hesitant words, were filled with even greater curiosity than before.
“That is, well… it’s a Guardian Talisman that will protect me, and it’s a treasure left by the Divine King of this nation.”
“Whaaaaaaat?!!!”
Two pairs of eyes that seemed about to pop out and mouths opened so wide their breath seemed to stop turned toward Eunhye.
Our Princess is about to create an enormous incident. To dare say she’ll bring the sacred relic of this nation!
Eunhye smiled brightly at the two shocked people and raised her short, stubby index finger to her lips.
“Shh, this must absolutely be kept secret. Do you understand? I’m the owner of that sacred relic. So I must go get it tomorrow.”
At their young mistress’s tremendous bombshell declaration, Lady Park and Lady Han’s hearts began to pound wildly.
To dare say that the sacred relic of Taeshin Kingdom is your Guardian Talisman.
Should they keep tomorrow’s plan to go to Seongsucheong to get it as a secret, or should they report it to the Queen’s Palace?
Not knowing what to say to their young mistress, the two people with only their hearts fluttering heard a small, clear voice that penetrated deep into their ears.
“I told you because my wet nurse and Lady Han are my people. You must keep the secret.”
Gulp.
The sound of simultaneously swallowed saliva echoed loudly in their ears like an echo reverberating in a cave.
Sigh… what should we do about this?
If Princess actually brings the sacred relic from Seongsucheong tomorrow and that fact becomes known to His Majesty the King and Queen Mother, they would be as good as dead.
For daring to steal away the sacred relic guarded by the Seongsucheong Domu and Shinyeo.
Then, Eunhye’s voice reached Lady Park and Lady Han’s ears again.
“I need that sacred relic to be protected by the guardian spirits. That’s why Queen Dowager told me it belongs to me.”
“Queen Dowager?”
“Yes! Queen Dowager said that since it’s mine, if I go to Seongsucheong, the Domu will know to give it to me.”
The two women simultaneously looked at each other.
Hadn’t they resolved to protect Princess even at the cost of their lives?
They didn’t know who or what this Queen Dowager who told Princess those words was, but if she could obtain that sacred relic and return to how she was before!
Lady Park and Lady Han, who had nodded to each other, turned their determined gazes toward Eunhye.
“Yes! Princess. We will escort you to Seongsucheong tomorrow. We are your people, after all!”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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