The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 54

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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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#54. Should I only tell big brother?

 

The Crown Prince’s Palace, which had been filled with heavy air for several years, was now filled with bright laughter for the first time in a long while.

 

The faces of the palace servants who had been in the Crown Prince’s Palace for a long time bloomed with smiles at Princess Eunhye’s adorable laughter and clear voice that had returned, while the faces of palace servants who had been assigned not long ago showed bewilderment at this different side of Princess Eunhye, who had been rumored to be a half-wit.

 

Though the palace servants moved busily while whispering with different expressions, they were all nearly mesmerized by the Crown Prince’s dazzling smile that they were seeing for the first time.

 

Had His Highness always been such a handsome man?

 

The image of His Highness, who had always looked expressionless and tired from his busy daily schedule, was nowhere to be found no matter how hard they looked.

 

Though he was still young, he was someone whose dignity naturally made people bow their heads when they met him, and His Highness’s eyes, which were deep and quiet as if they held the ink-black color of the night sky, sparkled like bright stars today.

 

Moreover, who would have known that his clear eyebrows above his face, as clear and soft as peach blossoms, would be so beautiful!

 

When he smiled while looking at Princess Eunhye, his long curved eyes seemed as if he were not of this world.

 

“Ah…!”

 

The nains who had carried the stone table feast to the pavilion built at Cheonyeonji, the pond located behind Jagyeong Palace, made groaning sounds as they descended below the stairs.

 

“How much more handsome will His Highness become in the future!”

 

One nain who let out an exclamation mixed with a moan to her colleague walking beside her carefully looked back.

 

Under the signboard that read Yangwha Pavilion, siblings who seemed to have come out of a storybook sat facing each other affectionately.

 

The Crown Prince with his beauty that couldn’t be hidden even by his black dragon robe and ceremonial cap, and Princess Eunhye who was more lovely and pretty than any doll in the world.

 

The two of them sat facing each other with affectionate expressions, having a very enjoyable meal.

 

“Ah! This life is ruined, so in my next life, I want to be born as His Highness’s consort, no, even as a concubine!”

 

The nains giggled quietly at someone’s sigh.

 

In the late afternoon when the dim sun was glancing at the two siblings from the edge of the western sky, Lee-hwan shook his head as if defeated and smiled at Eunhye, who was grinning while holding her rice spoon tightly with her small hands.

 

“Fine. I’ll eat too. Since you like meat dishes more than I do, I specially yielded to you first.”

 

Lee-hwan picked up a chicken leg from the steamed young chicken on the table and placed it on top of his rice bowl.

 

“Is this enough? Now you eat quickly too.”

 

“Yes! Big brother!”

 

As if he didn’t care about dignity, Lee-hwan held the chicken leg in one hand and opened his mouth wide to take a big bite, and Eunhye also smiled brightly and firmly pushed the chicken leg meat on her spoon into her mouth.

 

“Hehehe, it’s delicious.”

 

Though her pronunciation was all muffled from chewing the chicken meat that filled her mouth, her innocent expression was so good that Lee-hwan couldn’t help but grin foolishly again.

 

“Here, try this too.”

 

Lee-hwan, who had swallowed the chicken meat in his mouth, now pushed the meatball soup placed in the center of the table toward Eunhye, his eyes sparkling.

 

“These are meatballs made with the meat you like.”

 

“Yes! Eunhye likes meatball soup too.”

 

Eunhye, who put the meatball soup that Lady Park had quickly served in front of her into her mouth with a spoon, smiled beautifully at Lee-hwan.

 

“That’s right. You must eat a lot and become even stronger. Do you understand?”

 

“Yes! Big brother, please eat a lot too. Eating stone table meals together with big brother like this makes it even more delicious.”

 

“Yes, let’s eat together often from now on.”

 

Eunhye, who was putting the pan-fried fish that Lady Park had placed on her spoon into her mouth, nodded vigorously.

 

“That sounds good!”

 

Lee-hwan was watching that scene with satisfaction.

 

This was the first meal just between the two of them since Eunhye had recovered from smallpox, and Lee-hwan felt as if this moment was like a dream.

 

“But weren’t you scared earlier?”

 

Eunhye, who had been picking out the vegetable side dishes that Lady Park had served her with her fingers, suddenly lifted her head and tilted it curiously.

 

“When do you mean?”

 

“That… earlier when Prince Chung-in…”

 

Lee-hwan, who glanced at Lady Park once, continued with a bitter smile.

 

“When Prince Chung-in struck Lady Park. You must have been very surprised.”

 

At Lee-hwan’s hidden comfort, Lady Park quietly lowered her head and Eunhye clenched her molars and put down the spoon she was holding on the table.

 

“I was surprised! How dare he hit my nanny! Prince Chung-in is really bad!”

 

Then she looked at Lady Park.

 

“Should I tell the Queen Dowager so he can’t do that again?”

 

“Huh!”

 

At the story of the Queen Dowager that suddenly came out of Eunhye’s mouth, Lee-hwan unconsciously let out a short exclamation.

 

“Princess, this servant is fine, so please don’t worry about it.”

 

Lady Park, who was also surprised, put down the chopsticks she was holding on the table and bowed her head.

 

“What do you mean you’re fine? Your face is still red even now. Prince Chung-in is like a ruffian!”

 

Why was the sight of his young sister getting angry with even her nostrils flaring so cute?

 

Lee-hwan barely managed to suppress the laughter that was unconsciously coming out through his teeth and nodded.

 

“That’s right. Prince Chung-in definitely did wrong. However, since you thoroughly embarrassed him today, he probably won’t act like that again.”

 

“Me?”

 

Eunhye rolled her black eyes round and round and tilted her head as if she didn’t understand what Lee-hwan’s words meant.

 

“Haha! Didn’t you know? The passage from the Analects that you, who is much younger than anyone else’s scolding, recited must have been very embarrassing for him.”

 

“Ah…!”

 

Eunhye, who wrinkled her nose bridge as if she just remembered, picked up her spoon again with a strange expression.

 

“I was scared of the ghosts all this time, so I couldn’t come outside, right? So I read a lot of books. I read a lot of Confucius’s words and Mencius’s words too… and I also read the storybooks that Teacher copied for me!”

 

“Is that so?”

 

It was Lee-hwan’s answer, full of sorry feelings for not being able to play with her.

 

“Yes! Elementary Learning, the Analects, and Biographies of Exemplary Women were all interesting, but! The history books and folklore stories of Taeshin Kingdom were really interesting!”

 

Eunhye, whose cheeks had become plump from putting only the meatballs from the meatball soup into her mouth, smiled cutely.

 

“Hahaha! Is that so? I should read them once too. That aside, how did you memorize all those difficult words of Confucius from the Analects? You seem much more intelligent than this big brother, so I think I need to pull myself together.”

 

“Pfft, that’s a lie. Big brother reads much more books than me, right? You’ve read all the books in the Library of the Crown Prince’s Palace, so new books come in once a week, don’t they? Hehe.”

 

Perhaps finding chopsticks frustrating, Eunhye picked up the pan-fried fish with her fingers, popped it into her mouth, and grinned.

 

“Huh, how did you know that books come in once a week?”

 

Looking at Lee-hwan who asked with a truly surprised expression, Eunhye raised her short, stubby index finger, pressed it firmly against her lips, and said quietly.

 

“It’s a secret, but the Scholar Ghosts in the library told me.”

 

Lee-hwan and Lady Park’s expressions hardened instantly.

 

What kind of unbelievable words were these? Scholar Ghosts in the library?

 

Unlike Lee-hwan, who narrowed the space between his eyebrows with a surprised face, Lady Park, who couldn’t say anything, unconsciously lowered her head. Didn’t she already know about the ghost of the late Emperor who was protecting Princess Eunhye?

 

But Eunhye, regardless of the two people’s reactions, popped a delicious-looking piece of roasted chicken that Lady Park had placed on her spoon into her mouth.

 

“Hehe, it’s delicious. Big brother, please eat quickly too.”

 

“Oh, y-yes.”

 

Lee-hwan, who was puzzled about how much of Eunhye’s words to believe, looked intently at Lady Park, who had been keeping her head down and only attending to Eunhye’s meal.

 

She definitely seemed to know something…

 

But feeling sorry to press Lady Park, whose cheek was still red and swollen from being hit by Prince Chung-in earlier, Lee-hwan cleared his throat unnecessarily and spoke.

 

“Lady Park.”

 

“Yes, yes?”

 

“If you ever have anything to tell me, don’t hesitate to come and report it anytime. Do you understand?”

 

“Ah… yes. Yes, Crown Prince, how could there be any objection?”

 

Lady Park’s earlobes turned red as she answered while unnecessarily swallowing hard.

 

Lady Park thought that someday there would be a day when Princess Eunhye would tell His Highness everything, so it was right for her to just serve the Princess well.

 

After the hectic yet enjoyable dinner time was all over, a dessert table filled with sweet treats was brought before Eunhye and Lee-hwan, who had moved inside Jaseondang.

 

Lee-hwan, who had sent away Lady Park who had been attending to Eunhye’s meal, telling her to go clear the stone table, was once again smiling contentedly at the sight of his sister gulping down a bowl of sweet rice drink.

 

“Ahh, it’s sweet.”

 

Eunhye, who put down the rice drink bowl and licked her lips with her tongue, licked her lips while looking at the apple preserve dyed in beautiful colors.

 

“Haha, isn’t it sweet enough? How can you drink that sweet rice drink all at once and still eat preserves?”

 

Then Eunhye nodded and quickly picked up the silver skewer on the table and stuck it into the apple preserve.

 

“Yes, I can eat a hundred apple preserves. Hehe.”

 

At the sight of Eunhye closing her eyes gently while putting the chewy and sweet-and-sour apple preserve into her mouth, Lee-hwan, whose eyes were full of laughter, opened his mouth with a gentle voice.

 

“Eunhye, will you tell big brother what happened these past few days?”

 

Then Eunhye stopped chewing the apple preserve and looked up at Lee-hwan.

 

“And Scholar Ghosts in the Library of the Crown Prince’s Palace… are there really Scholar Ghosts in the library?”

 

Nod nod nod.

 

Eunhye, who had swallowed the candied apple in her mouth, nodded her head up and down repeatedly.

 

“Yes, but those spirits don’t frighten Eunhye and just keep reading books. And now I no longer see the spirits that used to frighten me.”

 

They say when you’re too shocked, no sound comes out. Lee-hwan could only stare with widened eyes at Eunhye, who was calmly talking about ghosts while picking up a small rice cake.

 

“Is that true? Then you can’t see any ghosts at all now?”

 

At Lee-hwan’s question, Eunhye swallowed the rice cake she had been chewing and shook her head side to side.

 

“That’s not it, um… I just can’t see the spirits that frighten me or the bad ones. I have a Guardian Talisman now, you see. Hehe.”

 

“Guardian Talisman?”

 

Lee-hwan furrowed his brow deeply at his young sister’s story that he couldn’t understand at all.

 

“And this is a really, really big secret, but shall I tell only you, brother?”

 

Eunhye, who had cutely licked the honey dripping between her fingers from the skewer, bit her lower lip and smiled mysteriously.

 

“Tell me.”

 

Lee-hwan unconsciously swallowed dry saliva and leaned toward Eunhye. Then from somewhere, an indescribably fragrant flower scent suddenly wafted over.

 

“Well, this is a secret I’m only telling you, brother. Um… well… she’s stepped away for a moment right now, but actually, an incredibly, incredibly powerful Queen Dowager is always by my side.”

 

Lee-hwan’s eyes widened as if they might tear, and he stared at Eunhye while even gasping for breath.

 

“Wh-what? Who… is there? Queen Dowager?”

 

What on earth was this child saying? First she says there are Scholar Ghosts in the library, then she says there’s a Queen Dowager ghost beside her, then she says she can’t see ghosts anymore.

 

What words were actually true?

 

Lee-hwan pressed one hand to his spinning head and swallowed dry saliva.

 

Seeing Lee-hwan’s shocked reaction to her words, Eunhye smiled awkwardly and tilted her small body slightly.

 

“Um… don’t be surprised. It’s a really, really big secret, but who that person is… it’s none other than Daeshinuk’s.”

 

“Your Highness! The Queen Mother has arrived!”

 

Mother?

 

At the sudden sound announcing the Queen Mother’s arrival, both Eunhye and Lee-hwan’s heads turned toward the door simultaneously.

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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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