The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 56

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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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#56. An Annoying Bodyguard Has Arrived

“Haha! Princess, what do you carry in that pouch? There seems to be quite a solid object inside. Can you show it to Mother?”

The Queen Mother fondled one of the pouches hanging from Eunhye’s waist string and laughed as if finding it adorable.

“Ah… that is… hehe.”

Eunhye looked at the pouch lightly grasped in the Queen Mother’s hand and breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Yes, Mother. Then I shall show you just one.”

She then took the pink pouch that was rustling in the Queen Mother’s hand with both hands and untied the string.

“These are gifts that Crown Prince gave me, saying they would protect me.”

“Oh my, the Crown Prince did?”

The Queen Mother’s pleased gaze reached Lee-hwan.

“Yes! Among the common people, the nandina tree is said to drive away evil spirits and bring good fortune. So Crown Prince dried and put in nandina flowers and leaves for me.”

“I see. Now that I think about it, I believe I heard such stories when I was at Saga. Then what is this?”

When the Queen Mother pointed to a cute-sized piece of wood among the nandina petals, Eunhye turned to look at Lee-hwan and smiled brightly.

“It’s a Sapsali dog.”

“A Sapsali?”

Eunhye took out the wooden Sapsali dog that Lee-hwan had personally carved and gifted her from the pouch and held it up proudly.

“Hehe, yes. Crown Prince gave me this too. Sapsali dogs are very loyal to their masters and drive away evil spirits and wicked things.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes! So I have been carrying this Sapsali. Then it feels as if Crown Prince is with me, making me feel secure.”

The Queen Mother’s eyes grew moist as she looked alternately at Eunhye showing off the wooden Sapsali with a proud expression and Lee-hwan watching her contentedly.

While this inadequate mother was only burning with worry over the Princess’s illness, her brother the Crown Prince had been making such efforts.

I’m sorry, Mother was very lacking.

“Crown Prince, thank you.”

At the Queen Mother’s tearful greeting, Lee-hwan bowed his head with a bewildered look.

“It is nothing, Mother. I just made it because I felt sorry for not being able to see the Princess often.”

The Queen Mother gently embraced Eunhye, who was holding the wooden Sapsali preciously in her arms, and shook her head.

“The Princess’s recovery is all thanks to the Crown Prince’s virtue. I will surely tell His Majesty the King of the Crown Prince’s devotion. Thank you for caring for the Princess in place of this inadequate mother. You are truly admirable and appreciated, Crown Prince.”

At the Queen Mother’s tearful voice, Lee-hwan bowed his head even lower.

“I am most unworthy, Mother. I am so overwhelmed by Mother’s gracious words that I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Eunhye looked up at Lee-hwan and the Queen Mother alternately, then quietly put the wooden Sapsali she was holding back into the pouch and tightened the string at the pouch’s opening.

It would be troublesome if Mother and Crown Prince showed interest in the other pouches.

The Queen Mother looked down fondly once more at Eunhye, who seemed to be playing with the pouch in her arms, then called out toward the outside.

“You there, have Lady An come in for a moment.”

Then the door opened gently and Lady An, the Queen Mother’s personal court lady, entered with quick steps.

“You called for me.”

The Queen Mother looked at Lady An, who approached and bowed her head, and nodded.

“Lady An, go and summon Park Jeong-bin as I mentioned earlier.”

“Yes, Queen Mother.”

As Lady An quickly left the room walking backwards, Lee-hwan looked at the Queen Mother with curious eyes.

“Mother, Park Jeong-bin… isn’t he our uncle?”

The Queen Mother nodded as if that was correct and looked at Eunhye as she spoke.

“With His Majesty the King’s permission, I have entrusted your uncle, who serves as a training officer at Yongho-yeong, with the Princess’s protection.”

“Whaaaat?!!!”

Eunhye, who had been tying the pouch opening securely, suddenly raised her head.

Park Jeong-bin – wasn’t he that mischievous uncle whom grandfather had adopted as his son?

Eunhye recalled her uncle Park Jeong-bin, full of mischief, who would appear here and there before she fell ill with smallpox, sometimes playing with her and sometimes teasing her, and wrinkled her small forehead.

Come to think of it, it had been about two years since she last saw her uncle? Even though he seemed like a frivolous person full of mischief and pretense, his martial arts and scholarship were quite outstanding, and now he had become a Yongho-yeong training officer.

But for such a high-ranking uncle to serve as bodyguard for a small princess like herself?

Eunhye looked up at the Queen Mother with her mouth half-open, unable to close it.

“Mother, why do I need a bodyguard? I only stay within the Palace. And I think Uncle wouldn’t want to come from Yongho-yeong either.”

At Eunhye’s round-eyed words, the Queen Mother shook her head with an amused expression.

“No. I met your uncle yesterday and he was very pleased. He said if His Majesty the King would just give permission, he would come immediately as the Princess’s bodyguard.”

“What…!”

Eunhye shuddered as she recalled Park Jeong-bin rubbing his black, coarse beard roughly against her cheeks.

In the year Mother turned fifteen, grandfather adopted a son from a distant relative’s family to continue the family line.

He was four years younger than Mother and was said to be very intelligent and talented in martial arts…

Perhaps that’s why he passed the military examination with top honors at the young age of eighteen and was selected for the royal guard, and now he had become a Yongho-yeong training officer!

But did it make sense for an uncle who had been in the prestigious Geumgun-cheong serving Father closely to come as a mere bodyguard for the Princess’s Quarters?

Lee-hwan, who felt just as puzzled as Eunhye, also opened his eyes wide and looked up at the Queen Mother.

Just then, loud clanging sounds came from outside, and the door burst wide open with a crash.

“Niece!! Did you miss this uncle?”

Ahhh!

Park Jeong-bin, wearing a military cap and belt in red military uniform as if he had come straight from training, with a sword at his waist, rushed toward Eunhye with both arms spread wide.

“Ahh! Mother!”

Startled, Eunhye called out “Mother” instead of the formal address and buried her face in the Queen Mother’s chest, while Lee-hwan also leaned back with both arms behind him and opened his eyes wide.

“Jeong-bin!”

Even the surprised Queen Mother called out Officer Park’s name loudly.

Then Park Jeong-bin, looking embarrassed, flared his nostrils widely and scratched his temple before sitting down. He then took off his military cap, placed it on the floor, and grinned sheepishly.

“Niece and nephew, it’s really been so long. This uncle was so happy and glad to see our cute niece and nephew after such a long time that I acted this way. Hehe.”

The Queen Mother, with wrinkles covering her fair forehead and brow, looked down at Eunhye clinging to her chest and asked.

“Were you very startled, Princess?”

But had Uncle always been such a handsome man?

Where did all that black beard go?

Eunhye slowly blinked her eyes, released her hands from around the Queen Mother’s neck, sat down, and tilted her head.

“Are you really Uncle?”

Nod nod nod.

Kind, large eyes that looked like those of a gentle, big dog looked straight at Eunhye and nodded.

“But your face has changed. Here.”

Eunhye pointed to under her small nose and then her chin with her short little index finger, looking at Park Jeong-bin as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Ah, you’re talking about this uncle’s missing beard.”

“Officer Park, watch your words.”

At the Queen Mother’s stern voice, Park Jeong-bin straightened his posture with an “oops” expression.

Then he smiled awkwardly and bowed his head toward Eunhye.

“Ah, forgive me, Princess Eunhye. This uncle is seeing you for the first time since you were this small. So I was so happy that I committed a breach of etiquette. Please forgive me.”

Eunhye stared intently at her uncle’s face, which had changed dramatically from two years ago, and shook her head quickly.

“No, Uncle. I was more rude, wasn’t I? But is it perhaps because of Mother?”

At Eunhye’s unexpected question, both Park Jeong-bin and the Queen Mother’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean, Princess?”

“About becoming my bodyguard when you’re a Yongho-yeong training officer at Geumgun-cheong…”

Then a mischievous smile bloomed on Park Jeong-bin’s handsome face.

“That’s right. Queen Mother used her influence with His Majesty the King so that this humble uncle couldn’t even make a peep of protest.”

“Jeong-bin!”

Even at the Queen Mother’s sharp rebuke, Park Jeong-bin smiled cheerfully and looked at Eunhye.

“So now Princess Eunhye must take responsibility for this uncle. Understood? If you dismiss me, I’ll truly become an unemployed idler.”

“Ah…”

Eunhye, looking troubled with wrinkles covering her small brow, fidgeted with her fingers and looked up at the Queen Mother.

At such an adorable sight, Park Jeong-bin, the Queen Mother, and even Lee-hwan couldn’t help but bloom with smiles.

At the inexplicable laughter from the Queen Mother, Park Jeong-bin, and the Crown Prince, Eunhye moved her lips and rolled her eyes here and there.

Then Lee-hwan, unable to bear watching her, spoke to Park Jeong-bin.

“Then when would Uncle start staying at Hyesin Palace instead of the Yongho Guard Command?”

At this, Park Jeong-bin made a comical expression toward Eunhye, crossing his eyes toward the center, then smiled brightly and said.

“If our Princess Eunhye would only permit it, I could serve at Hyesin Palace starting right now, Crown Prince.”

“No!”

At the sound close to a shout, Park Jeong-bin and the Queen Mother looked at Eunhye with surprised faces.

Her small face was completely hardened with a serious expression. Seeing this, Park Jeong-bin made a tearful face and spoke to Eunhye in a voice like he was dying.

“Then, does this uncle become unemployed as of today, Princess Eunhye?”

Eunhye shook her head vigorously from side to side, then lowered her head and continued speaking as if muttering to herself.

“That is not it, today you should return home and rest comfortably… tomorrow… change into less frightening clothes… but truly I do not need a bodyguard…”

Having finished her incoherent words without context, Eunhye craned her slender neck upward and looked at the Queen Mother.

“Mother, is Uncle truly going to become my bodyguard? That would be far too troublesome for him.”

Then the Queen Mother, smiling gently with a kind expression, firmly grasped Eunhye’s small hand that was fidgeting with her fingers.

“I will never again leave you alone to experience difficult and frightening things.”

“Mother…”

Looking at the clear eyes gazing up at her, the Queen Mother slowly nodded her head.

“So, I asked your uncle to recommend someone trustworthy as a bodyguard.”

At the Queen Mother’s story, Eunhye turned her head to look at Park Jeong-bin.

She asked him to recommend a bodyguard, so why did Uncle come directly himself?

Lee-hwan also looked at his uncle with a puzzled expression.

Then Park Jeong-bin, showing a mischievous smile, bowed his head slightly toward the Queen Mother, then brought his face close to Eunhye.

“Like this! Who could I entrust our pretty and adorable Princess Eunhye to? Besides, I was getting sick and tired of Yongho-yeong being full of nothing but dark-skinned males.”

When startled Eunhye burrowed back into the Queen Mother’s embrace, Park Jeong-bin laughed heartily again, then opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“Therefore, I, Park Jeong-bin, have volunteered to become our Princess Eunhye’s bodyguard. From now on, I will stick by the Princess’s side like a shadow, so please do not worry about anything.”

Contrary to her uncle’s loyal oath to not worry about anything, Eunhye’s small heart began to pound with worry.

He would stick around like a shadow?

The faces of Queen Dowager Gwangjo, Domu Makgae, and the ghost servant Ok-i from Miseondo were flashing back and forth before Eunhye’s eyes.

Nanny and Lady Han now know that I can see ghosts and talk with them, but what about Uncle?

A truly difficult and troublesome bodyguard had been created.

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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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