The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 52

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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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#52. Too Young to Send to War

 

“Prince Chung-in, please just go back today.”

 

Behind Prince Chung-in walking angrily toward Byeolchuk, a eunuch spoke in a voice on the verge of tears.

 

“Quiet! If you say ‘no’ one more time, I’ll rip out your tongue.”

 

“Oh my, Your Highness…”…”

 

The tearful eunuch turned his head to look at Prince Ju-an.

 

Please, stop my master. Please help our master to stop – his eyes were filled with desperate pleading.

 

But Prince Chung-in only grew angrier and walked even faster with long strides.

 

“Prince Chung-in… At this rate, something terrible might really happen.”

 

Thud!

 

“Ahhh!”

 

“Quiet! Just! Just! Just! Shut that mouth of yours. Do you also find me ridiculous!”

 

Prince Chung-in, who had been walking angrily, suddenly turned around and kicked, sending the pleading eunuch tumbling.

 

“Brother!”

 

Prince Ju-an, horrified by the sight, called out to his brother with frightened eyes, and the eunuch who had quickly gotten up bowed before Prince Chung-in and spoke with determination.

 

“Perhaps the matter of meeting Crown Prince and Princess Eunhye earlier has already reached Lady Gyeongbin’s ears. Therefore, you must turn back today.”

 

It was Lady Ma, who had served by his side since Prince Chung-in began toddling.

 

Though she didn’t know what had happened, Lady Ma’s heart ached terribly at the sight of her young master who had suddenly changed two years ago.

 

After smallpox swept through the Palace, it wasn’t only Princess Eunhye who had become strange. Prince Chung-in, whom she served, had also become a completely different person.

 

Though he had a shy nature, he had been a prince who carefully looked after Crown Prince, the foundation of this nation, and was diligent in his studies.

 

He had never once coveted the position of heir apparent, had accepted his status as a prince and royal clan member of this nation, and had sworn loyalty to Crown Prince, his half-brother.

 

But Prince Chung-in had changed drastically.

 

It happened when smallpox swept through the Palace and three-year-old Princess Eunhye’s life was in danger.

 

After visiting Lady Gyeongbin’s quarters to inquire about Princess Eunhye’s condition, Prince Chung-in suddenly stopped eating and stayed alone in his room for three straight days.

 

After Lady Gyeongbin, who had heard the news, visited his quarters for a private meeting, Prince Chung-in became a completely different person.

 

His gentle nature became violent, he neglected the Royal Academy he had attended diligently, and frequently went to the Military Training Center to learn martial arts instead.

 

Not only that, he constantly showed hostility toward Crown Prince, making her heart burn with anxiety each time.

 

What on earth had happened on the day Lady Gyeongbin came?

 

Lady Ma’s insides were burning with worry at the sight of her young master, completely changed since that day which no one could know about.

 

“Get out of the way! Do you want to die!”

 

Prince Chung-in glared and shouted loudly at Lady Ma, who stubbornly blocked his path.

 

“Lady Ma, didn’t you see it too! How that young girl, not even dry behind the ears, humiliated me! A gentleman’s duty? Ha! And Crown Prince even warned me to know my place!”

 

At Prince Chung-in’s outcry, Lady Ma bowed her head and tightly shut her eyes.

 

Didn’t Your Highness cross the line first?

 

Unable to voice her inner thoughts, Lady Ma heard Prince Chung-in’s voice, unable to contain his indignation, pierce her ears.

 

“I! I am Father’s first son! Just because my mother couldn’t sit on the Queen’s throne, I couldn’t become Crown Prince, but this nation’s legitimate eldest son is…”

 

“Brother!”

 

Prince Ju-an loudly interrupted Prince Chung-in’s heated words.

 

These were words that shouldn’t go any further.

 

No matter what anyone said, this nation’s legitimate prince was Lee-hwan, Crown Prince, and they were princes born not of Queen Mother but of a first-rank consort.

 

Even to eight-year-old Prince Ju-an’s ears, Prince Chung-in’s words were dangerous statements that could be considered treason.

 

Prince Chung-in looked down with bulging eyes at Prince Ju-an, who was gripping his waist tightly and shaking his head, flaring his nostrils and grinding his teeth.

 

“Today especially! Don’t block my path. To release this anger, I must see blood.”

 

Prince Chung-in pulled down Prince Ju-an’s hands that were gripping his clothes and turned around sharply.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“La-Lady Gyeongbin!”

 

With Lady Ma’s startled voice, Prince Chung-in’s head slowly turned.

 

Was Lady Ma making a desperate move to block his steps toward Byeolchuk?

 

There was no way Mother, who should be at Yeonghun Hall, would come all the way here on the path to Queen’s Palace.

 

Prince Chung-in’s angry eyes began to grow larger and larger as he turned his head.

 

Indeed, Lady Gyeongbin, his mother, was approaching with a cold expression.

 

“Mo-Mother…!”

 

Prince Ju-an also looked surprised and hurriedly bowed his head.

 

Prince Chung-in sneered at Lady Gyeongbin, who was looking straight at him from afar and approaching with upright steps.

 

Bright red lips and long, beautiful eyes were looking straight at him.

 

A person like a plum blossom that blooms even in the cold snow of midwinter.

 

A person who tries to achieve through her son the resentment over the position of Queen Mother that she couldn’t obtain.

 

Prince Chung-in recalled Lady Gyeongbin’s voice from two years ago, gripping his shoulders tightly and speaking each word with emphasis, and ground his molars.

 

“Where are you showing such a pathetic sight? You are His Majesty the King’s eldest son, no matter what anyone says. Don’t you feel wronged seeing that boy who became Crown Prince just because he has a mother who luckily became Queen? You are His Majesty the King’s eldest son.”

 

“Trust this mother. I will definitely reclaim the Crown Prince position that was stolen from you. So you must come to your senses and definitely surpass Crown Prince. Do you understand!”

 

Prince Chung-in took a deep breath into his pounding chest again.

 

That day, he shouldn’t have gone to Mother’s quarters. When news came that Princess had contracted smallpox and was near death, he should have just stayed with his six-year-old brother, comforting him as he wailed.

 

Then he wouldn’t have known that the young Princess contracting smallpox was something Mother and grandfather had done to assassinate Crown Prince.

 

And he wouldn’t have seen Mother’s terrifyingly murderous face.

 

Prince Chung-in sneered and slightly bowed his head to Lady Gyeongbin, who was approaching him with a face that seemed to scatter cold frost.

 

“What are Prince Chung-in and Prince Ju-an, who should be at Royal Academy, doing here?”

 

Lady Gyeongbin, who had finally reached the two brothers, asked in a cold voice.

 

“Mo-Mother, that is…”

 

Prince Ju-an licked his dry lips and opened his mouth, swallowing dry saliva.

 

“On-on the way to Royal Academy, we met Crown Prince’s dog and, and that…”

 

“Let Prince Chung-in answer, not Prince Ju-an.”

 

Lady Gyeongbin’s sharp rebuke cut off her younger son’s stammering words.

 

Prince Chung-in raised his head, receiving Lady Gyeongbin’s cold gaze directly.

 

“I was going to Byeolchuk.”

 

As Lady Gyeongbin’s white forehead and fine eyebrows twitched and frowned, Lady Ma hurriedly stepped forward and spoke.

 

“Your Highness, Prince Chung-in was going to briefly see the small animals newly brought to Byeolchuk.”

 

At Lady Ma’s answer as she bowed deeply, Lady Gyeongbin, who had clenched both fists under her robe, exhaled a long breath through her nose.

 

“Prince Chung-in, stop disturbing the Palace and return to Royal Academy immediately. How can you skip Royal Academy so often…”

 

Snicker.

 

Before Lady Gyeongbin could finish her words, Prince Chung-in’s mocking sound made Lady Ma lift her head in horror.

 

Prince Ju-an, also very surprised, looked at his brother with wide eyes while swallowing nervously.

 

“Mother, what would I do at Royal Academy? I am neither royal clan nor Crown Prince. Please tell me what I must learn to become Crown Prince.”

 

“Prince Chung-in! Shut your mouth!”

 

Lady Gyeongbin, who had turned pale, shouted loudly to stop Prince Chung-in’s words, and Lady Seo, Lady Ma, and other eunuchs bowed their heads as if they had heard nothing.

 

But Prince Chung-in still looked at Lady Gyeongbin with a sarcastic expression.

 

“I truly don’t know, so I ask. Who am I? As Mother says, I am His Majesty the King’s eldest son, so why must I endure being so miserably ignored by the siblings born from Queen Mother’s womb? Please tell me, Mother, who am I truly?”

 

Lady Gyeongbin’s chest heaved greatly as she stared at Prince Chung-in with bulging eyes.

 

After a moment of silence, Lady Gyeongbin closed her eyes tightly, opened them, and slowly spoke.

 

“Prince Chung-in, watch your words. And go to Royal Academy right now to finish today’s studies, then come to Mother’s quarters.”

 

“I refuse.”

 

“What?”

 

“I can’t stand listening to the old royal clan members babbling about basic cultivation and conduct, and I can’t bear the low-level lectures. Wouldn’t it be much better to go to the Military Training Center to learn military skills to gain Father’s trust?”

 

“Hah!”

 

As Lady Gyeongbin sighed in exasperation, covering her forehead with one hand, a cold voice suddenly reached her ears.

 

“That doesn’t seem like a bad idea, Lady Gyeongbin.”

 

Lady Gyeongbin’s face turned deathly pale as she quickly turned her head toward the voice with wide, disbelieving eyes.

 

Queen Consort Park’s cold voice reached Lady Gyeongbin’s ears clearly.

 

“How dare you forget your status as royal clan and behave so rudely toward this nation’s legitimate Princess and Crown Prince! To wash away your crimes and gain His Majesty the King’s trust!”

 

Queen Consort Park Ji-hee approached the pale-faced Lady Gyeongbin and the shocked, frozen Prince Chung-in, continuing her interrupted words.

 

“After Prince Chung-in completes the military training course he so loves, going to the battlefield would also be one method.”

 

“Q-Queen Mother!”

 

Prince Ju-an, along with Lady Ma and Lady Seo, bowed so low their bodies nearly touched the ground, and Prince Chung-in, who had been gaping in shock, also hastily lowered his body.

 

Meanwhile, Queen Consort Park Ji-hee slowly turned her head to look at Lady Gyeongbin, her eyes radiating a fierce intensity like a northern winter storm.

 

“How is it that all three of you, mother and sons, are within the gates of the Queen’s Palace without even notifying me?”

 

You should definitely be attending to that old fox’s medicine at Jagyeong Palace.

 

But why are you here now!

 

Lady Gyeongbin clenched her molars and stared at Queen Consort Park Ji-hee with eyes turned pale blue.

 

“Lady Gyeongbin, please show proper respect to the Queen Mother.”

 

At the low reproachful voice of Lady Han, the Queen’s trusted court lady, Lady Gyeongbin took a deep breath as if indignant and bowed her head.

 

“I am deeply sorry, Queen Mother.”

 

The Queen then passed by Lady Gyeongbin as if ignoring her and stood before Prince Chung-in with a stern expression.

 

“Prince Chung-in, listen well.”

 

“Yes…!”

 

Prince Chung-in answered with trembling lips, shrinking his body and bowing his head.

 

“No matter how young the Princess may be, she is this nation’s legitimate Princess. And Prince Chung-in, you are His Majesty the King’s son and this nation’s first prince.”

 

Pausing her words briefly, the Queen swept her cold gaze over the three mother and sons bowing before her, then looked down at Prince Chung-in with stern eyes.

 

“However, unlike you, the Princess has no court rank. She is a legitimate Princess born between this nation’s King and Queen, receiving treatment equivalent to the 1st court rank, but her status is so noble that no rank can even be assigned to her. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes?”

 

Prince Chung-in looked up with surprised eyes, inadvertently gazing up at the Queen before startling and lowering his head.

 

“But you, though called a prince of this nation, are of gun status, born through the body of a 1st rank consort. Because you are His Majesty the King’s child, though you have no court rank, you are merely royal clan, and you must remember that you are a subject of the Crown Prince who will become this nation’s future king. Do you understand?”

 

Queen Consort Park Ji-hee’s eyes twitched slightly at the sight of Prince Chung-in’s cap trembling finely as he bowed his head.

 

“Prince Chung-in, answer me.”

 

At the Queen’s sternly spoken tone, Prince Chung-in finally raised his head, his eyes reddening.

 

“Yes, I will engrave these words in my bones and never again behave carelessly in word or deed toward the Princess and His Highness the Crown Prince.”

 

The Queen looked down at Prince Chung-in, who seemed to speak through clenched teeth, with a serene expression, then slowly turned her head toward Lady Gyeongbin.

 

“Also, Lady Gyeongbin, please refrain from privately entering and leaving my quarters. No matter that Byeolchuk is behind the Queen’s Palace, wandering about so carelessly does not conform to proper protocol.”

 

Like Prince Chung-in, Lady Gyeongbin clenched her molars tightly, trembling with her fists clenched inside her robe as she bowed her head.

 

“Yes, Queen Mother. I am deeply sorry. It was a mistake made in a mother’s urgent heart to find the princes and send them back to the Royal Academy, so please forgive me generously.”

 

At Lady Gyeongbin’s insincere apology, the Queen twisted up only one corner of her mouth and turned toward Prince Ju-an, who was trembling like an aspen leaf, smiling gently.

 

“Prince Ju-an, quickly escort your elder brother to the Royal Academy. Your brother is still too young to go to the battlefield, is he not?”

 

“Yes, yes, Queen Mother.”

 

The cap placed atop Prince Ju-an’s small head was also trembling pitifully.

 

“Now then, everyone return to where you should go. Though I’m sorry to Lady Gyeongbin who has stepped foot in the Queen’s Palace after so long, let us have refreshments another time. Lady Han, let us go.”

 

The Queen spoke coldly to Lady Gyeongbin’s party and began walking majestically along the stone path leading into the Queen’s Palace. Lady Gyeongbin’s face turned bright red as she watched the Queen’s procession.

 

Crack-

 

At the fierce grinding sound of molars, the frightened eyes of the timid Prince Ju-an and the contemptuous eyes of the twisted Prince Chung-in were simultaneously directed toward Lady Gyeongbin.

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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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