The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 71

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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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#71. First Time Outside the Palace

Just before stepping out of the shop, Lady Han gently released Eunhye’s hand and winked with one eye while smiling gracefully.

Understanding the gesture, Eunhye nodded and walked out of the store with dignified steps.

Wow…!

It should be the same sunlight that illuminated the palace, yet how could it be so different!

Standing in front of the paper shop, Eunhye gazed with wide eyes at the people hurrying through the alley and the merchants raising their voices to attract customers to their shops.

If the sunlight that illuminated the palace was like fine silk, the sunlight illuminating the market was vibrant like the splendid movements of dancers at palace banquets.

Under the bright sunlight, Eunhye watched with an entranced expression as people moved through the streets with different expressions, speech, and gestures.

“…Princess? Princess?”

Unable to hear Lady Han calling her from behind, Eunhye was absorbed in watching the market scene for the first time when Park Jeong-bin, unable to bear it any longer, tapped her shoulder, startling her back to her senses.

“You must not delay here.”

At the sight of Park Jeong-bin speaking in a low voice and heading outside first, Eunhye hurriedly began moving toward Wonsongga in the market.

“Princess, go straight this way and then turn right to reach Wonsongga where Man-bok Store is located.”

At Lady Han’s advice, Eunhye nodded and walked forward spiritedly.

Now that she knew about the secret underground passage in the palace, she could explore the market another time.

Today she had come on orders from the Queen Dowagers, so she needed to find that terrible poisonous mushroom and return to the palace.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Unlike the palace, the coarse and rough dirt and stones rolled under the soles of her flower shoes, making interesting sounds.

Eunhye, with the corners of her mouth turned up, glanced sideways at Park Jeong-bin who had somehow moved to a position behind her as she walked diligently forward.

Even without Lady Han telling her, Eunhye could immediately tell this was Wonsongga.

The sounds, smells, and people’s attire were completely different from the atmosphere of Yukuijeon Alley she had felt just moments before, causing Eunhye to widen her eyes once again.

“Han, no, Song-i, have you ever been to this place?”

Eunhye’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at Lady Han and asked.

“Of course, Miss. When I receive my monthly wages, I often come to the market.”

“Wow… But why didn’t I know about this all this time?”

At Eunhye’s question, which seemed to express disappointment, Lady Han smiled sheepishly with an embarrassed face.

“I apologize.”

From now on, I should come out often too.

Making a firm resolution to herself that couldn’t be heard outside, Eunhye once again opened her mouth wide at the sight of gisaengs walking toward them from up ahead.

“Han, no, Song-i, who are those people wearing such splendid clothes and fancy hats? They look like fairies descended from heaven.”

Lady Han suppressed her laughter and answered Eunhye.

“Miss, those women are gisaengs who work at the large juru in Wonsongga.”

“Ah, I see.”

Eunhye stopped walking and wrinkled her nose at the unique fragrance coming from the gisaengs passing by, then nodded.

Was it because she looked cute?

One gisaeng wearing a very thin and loose silk jacket that revealed her entire arms bent down toward Eunhye and smiled.

“What noble family’s young lady has come to see Wonsongga? Take good care of the money pouch at your skirt waist. There are many pickpockets in the market. Hehehe.”

The thin silk covering the gisaeng’s hat fluttered in front of Eunhye’s nose. Then she suddenly reached her white hand toward Eunhye’s skirt.

Startled, Eunhye quickly grabbed the money pouch hanging from her underskirt waistband, while Lady Han, with pursed lips, roughly grabbed the gisaeng’s wrist.

“Kyaaaa!”

At the thin scream dripping with coquetry, all the passersby’s gazes focused on Eunhye.

“Where does a lowly gisaeng dare to mess with our Princess! Do you want to die?”

Lady Han tightened her grip on the gisaeng’s arm and spoke as if chewing each word, while using her other hand to lift the cloth covering the gisaeng’s face under her hat.

“You, I’ve memorized your face clearly. If I run into you on the street again, I’ll snap that thin neck of yours, so watch out!”

Then she roughly released the arm she was holding as if throwing it away.

“Kyaaaak!”

The gisaeng who fell disgracefully to the ground glared at Eunhye and Lady Han while panting with indignation.

“Whether gisaeng or lowly servant girl, your lowly status is the same, so where do you get off threatening me? Do you know who I am! Soon I will be!”

Unable to finish what she was about to say, the gisaeng shut her mouth tightly and sent a resentful look toward Eunhye, who was watching her with surprised eyes.

“Though it was wrong of me to play a prank because I caught the scent of quite expensive incense from the money pouch hidden in your underskirt, take good care of your servant. If she keeps acting up like that, she won’t die a natural death.”

“Damn it, hasn’t she learned her lesson yet!”

At the sight of Lady Han raising one foot as if to stomp on her, the other gisaengs hurriedly helped their companion up.

The gisaeng, who stood up with dirt all over her expensive silk skirt, glared fiercely at Lady Han, then came before Eunhye and bowed her head.

“Though I don’t know which family’s young lady you are, please forgive this lowly woman’s excessive prank. And it would be best not to carry a money pouch containing such valuable items.”

Eunhye, who had struggled to regain her composure after the brief chaos, straightened her back with considerable dignity and spoke.

“Since you acknowledge that your prank was excessive and beg forgiveness, I will forgive you today. However, no matter how young your opponent may be, never again play such threatening pranks by reaching out your hands carelessly. Those pretty wrists of yours might not remain intact next time.”

“…?”

A strange light flickered in the eyes of the bowing gisaeng.

The child in colorful jacket who appeared to be only three or four years old was displaying far too much dignity for a daughter of a noble family.

Who could she be? Which family in the capital has such a young lady?

The gisaeng raised her head and looked at Eunhye with a quite different, more respectful smile than before.

“This lowly woman will keep in mind the words of bone and flesh you have bestowed upon me. I am Seolhyang, a gisaeng from Eunwolgwan. If it would not be discourteous, may I ask which family’s young lady you are?”

Eunhye shook her head with a haughty expression.

“As you said, it is indeed discourteous for a lowly gisaeng to dare ask about a noble woman’s identity. I will pretend not to have heard it, so go on your way.”

Eunhye, who had only given a long smile to the gisaeng who had revealed her name as Seolhyang, looked back at Lady Han, whose eyes had grown wide.

“Song-i, let’s go now. We’ve been delayed quite a bit.”

“Ah, yes! Yes, Princess. Let’s hurry along.”

Lady Han quickly turned her head toward Seolhyang from behind Eunhye, who was walking majestically through the center where the gathered people had stepped aside. Then she stuck out her tongue at Seolhyang, who was watching Eunhye with surprised eyes, and pointed alternately at her own eyes and Seolhyang with her index and middle fingers.

Just try to catch my eye one more time! I’ll stomp on your waist until it breaks!

“Oh my, when did our Princess grow up so much? Your words just flow like a clear stream! Where on earth did you learn to speak so magnificently?”

Eunhye, who had been walking while tightly gripping all three strings of the money pouches hidden under her skirt, smiled brightly at Lady Han.

“Was I really that cool?”

“Of course. You were the coolest person I’ve ever seen. ‘As you said, it is indeed discourteous for a lowly gisaeng to ask about a noble woman’s identity.’ Wow!!! That was absolutely magnificent.”

Lady Han imitated what Eunhye had said earlier with a face full of delight.

“For our Princess to be so clever and bold, I am so happy that I have no more wishes.”

“Haha, was it really that good?”

“Yes, it was absolutely the best.”

Then she slyly turned her head to look at Park Jeong-bin, who had been following about three steps behind Eunhye.

Did you see that? Our Princess is only five years old but she’s already this amazing!

As if understanding Lady Han’s inner thoughts, Park Jeong-bin in his peddler’s outfit chuckled softly.

Just then, Eunhye’s eyes grew wide as she raised her chubby finger to point at the air.

“Wow! Han, no, Song-i, that place must be the general store called Man-bok Store that the Queen Dowager mentioned!”

Lady Han, looking at where Eunhye was pointing, opened her mouth wide at the sight of the splendid two-story building built in pavilion style.

In the center of the roof of the attic building, which had the entire second floor built high without doors or walls, hung a golden signboard reading “Man-bok Store .” Moreover, on the second floor, handsome men and beautiful women were gathered in small groups, laughing happily while holding refreshments.

On the first floor, rare items that Eunhye and Lady Han had never seen before were piled high on display, and there were quite a few blue-eyed foreigners and people from the Western Regions in strange clothing.

Lady Han, who was also seeing Man-bok Store for the first time, was as busy scanning here and there with wide eyes as Eunhye.

“My goodness, for a general store, it’s quite grand. They must have everything except what doesn’t exist in this world!”

Eunhye’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at the colorful items displayed from the first-floor entrance.

From beautiful jewelry and accessories to flower shoes and incense, and even cages with birds she’d never seen before—just as Lady Han said, it was a wondrous general store that seemed to have everything except what didn’t exist in this world.

Listening to Lady Han’s muttering as if entranced, Eunhye also stared intently at Man-bok Store with wide eyes and spoke.

“Though I desperately want to go in and look around, we have work to do today… so we should go, right?”

“Yes, we should.”

Even after saying they should go, both Eunhye and Lady Han were still staring at Man-bok Store.

Behind them, Park Jeong-bin was chewing his lower lip with an expression as if his guts were on fire.

Ah, no matter how much she threw tantrums and was stubborn, he shouldn’t have brought his niece out on such an important day!

Since this was her first time outside the palace, how many fascinating things there must be for her to see. At this rate, they might not even return to the palace today.

Just as Park Jeong-bin let out a groan through his lips and reluctantly began walking toward Eunhye and Lady Han!

He saw some young lord with wide eyes approaching Eunhye!

Just as Park Jeong-bin instinctively gripped the handle of the hidden dagger at his waist and was about to rush toward the Young Lord, Eunhye, who had been touring Man-bok Store with her mouth half-open in wonder, turned her head and widened her eyes!

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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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