The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 72

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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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#72. The Missing Princess Eunhye

“Huh? You are?”

Hearing the short exclamation uttered quietly, Park Jeong-bin stopped moving, and the surprised young lord approached and quickly bowed his head.

What? Do they know each other?

How could my niece, who has only lived in the palace, know an outside man?

As Park Jeong-bin blinked his eyes in surprise, Eunhye’s cute voice reached his ears.

“Huh? You… you are.”

Isn’t that Jihoo?

Why are you coming out from here?

Just as she swallowed the remaining words and couldn’t close her gaping mouth, Jihoo approached with a pleased face, clasped both hands together, and quickly bowed his head.

“Prin-, hup!”

However, Lady Han instantly covered Jihoo’s mouth, shook her head quickly, and whispered in a secretive voice.

“If you reveal the Princess’s identity here, someone might slit your throat. You understand, don’t you?”

Nod nod nod.

At Jihoo’s frantic nodding, Lady Han removed the hand that had covered his mouth and smiled as if nothing had happened.

Just like last time at the palace, this lady is too scary.

His heart pounding madly from surprise and fear as if it would burst through his clothes, Jihoo heaved his chest greatly and swallowed dry saliva.

But then, Princess Eunhye’s gentle yet more frightening voice pierced Jihoo’s ears!

“Oh my! Who could this be? Isn’t this Young Lord Jihoo?”

Jihoo, so startled he nearly wet himself, widened his nostrils as big as coins and began moving stiffly like a wooden puppet.

“Yes. What. brings. the. young. lady. to. Wonsongga?”

Then Eunhye smiled sweetly, pointing to Man-bok Store with her short fingers.

“I came to see the general store that has everything except what doesn’t exist in this world.”

“Ah… I, I see.”

Why is Princess Eunhye, who should be at the palace, in the middle of the marketplace at Wonsongga?

And wearing such an impossibly cute colorful jacket.

Jihoo shook his head and closed and opened his eyes at the surreal sight of Eunhye standing before him, smiling brightly.

It’s definitely not a dream… but it’s definitely Princess Eunhye…

Jihoo looked around, turning his head this way and that. He couldn’t see any guards who should have been there.

“Young lady, surely you didn’t come to the market so simply dressed?”

Then Lady Han, standing beside Eunhye who nodded as if that were the case, clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly while smiling sweetly.

“No, but still, how can you wander around the pal… around so fearlessly alone?”

Jihoo, who had scanned the surroundings again with anxious eyes, took a big step forward and said to Eunhye.

“I shall escort you to the palace, no, to your residence. Please go quickly.”

“What a damn fool.”

At Lady Han’s crude remark directed at Jihoo who had turned toward the palace, Park Jeong-bin, who was two steps behind Eunhye, burst into quiet laughter.

As Park Jeong-bin, disguised as a peddler, hurriedly covered his mouth and stepped aside from Eunhye’s group, Jihoo looked at Lady Han with a very displeased expression and asked.

“What did you say?”

Even if she’s a nain who serves Princess Eunhye closely, isn’t her rudeness too excessive?

But Lady Han, as if she couldn’t hear Jihoo’s question, quickly bowed to Eunhye and spoke.

“Princess, too much time has been delayed. I’m worried the apothecary might close at this rate, so please hurry.”

“Sh… all we?”

Eunhye smiled awkwardly, recalling Park Jeong-bin’s words who had passed by her side earlier, muttering to hurry.

“Um… Young Lord Jihoo? You must keep it secret that you saw me here today. You understand, right? I mean, you know, right?”

“No, what is this…!”

Lady Han took a step toward Jihoo who frowned as if it was ridiculous. Then, as Jihoo hesitated and tried to step back, a low growling voice reached his ears.

“If you came out on business, just do your business and go back. We’ll take good care of our Princess ourselves. Okay?”

Then, as if nothing had happened, Lady Han smiled sweetly at Eunhye.

“Princess, let’s go quickly.”

“Alr… ight. Haha! Let’s meet again later, Young Lord Jihoo.”

Eunhye smiled awkwardly at Jihoo, took Lady Han’s hand, and started walking. Then, after not going far, she looked back and said this to Jihoo who stood there looking dazed.

“I see you’re keeping that cotton well? Always carry it preciously with you like now.”

Then, as if she had said everything she needed to say, she turned her head and began walking forward.

Watching Eunhye walking away in the distance, Jihoo felt dizzy as if a great storm had swept through, even swaying slightly.

Does she seem to have grown a little taller than when I saw her at the palace because of her different clothes? Moreover, Princess Eunhye has become even more beautiful with an indescribable fragrance. And how does she know about my mother’s keepsake in my chest?

Jihoo gently pressed his left chest where he kept the cotton with one hand and watched Eunhye walking away with cute steps.

What reason could Princess Eunhye have for leaving the palace with only her personal nain?

“You must keep it secret that you saw me here today. You understand?”

As Jihoo pondered while recalling Eunhye’s earnest words and watched her retreating figure, he noticed some man dressed as a peddler secretly following Princess Eunhye.

Ah, who is that?

He was the one who had been hovering around Princess Eunhye earlier too.

No matter how one disguises oneself, noble status cannot be hidden – that man must have noticed Princess Eunhye’s noble status and harbored ill intentions.

Jihoo’s heart grew urgent as he quickly looked around.

Should he go to the authorities for help? No, what if something untoward happens while he’s going to find the authorities?

After clenching and unclenching his fists uselessly, Jihoo made up his mind and began following the peddler who had already gone quite far.

By the way, didn’t that nain mention an apothecary earlier?

Jihoo tilted his head as he recalled that the place Lady Han had urged Eunhye to go to quickly was an apothecary.

Why would she visit an apothecary when there’s the Royal Medical Office right inside the palace?

Jihoo’s mind began to grow complicated as he chased the suspicious man with quick steps.

“Oh my, there are so many apothecaries, Princess. How are we supposed to find an apothecary owner with the surname Eom here?”

Upon entering Herbal Medicine Alley located at the end of Wonsongga, Lady Han frowned with difficulty at the sight of the long row of apothecaries.

“Hehe, don’t worry. I already asked around. The owner of that fourth apothecary over there is surnamed Eom.”

“What? Who did you ask and when?”

Eunhye smiled sweetly at the startled Lady Han and raised her index finger to point beside herself.

“Right here, Master Choi, an herb gatherer who used to supply herbs to the palace when he was alive.”

“What?!!!”

Lady Han jumped back a full length at Eunhye’s words.

How many people wouldn’t be startled by the sudden mention of a ghost being nearby?

But having shown too much surprise in front of Princess Eunhye, what should she do about this transgression?

Lady Han bowed her head with an embarrassed and apologetic face.

“I apologize, Princess. Your sudden words made me…”

Then Eunhye nodded as if it was fine and smiled sweetly.

“It’s okay. I was also terribly scared before I met Queen Dowager Gwangjo. And now I have a guardian talisman, so bad spirits can’t come near me.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s amazing. Haha. Then I should greet him too, shouldn’t I?”

Lady Han quietly came to stand beside Eunhye and bowed her head toward Eunhye’s side.

“Th-thank you, Master Choi.”

Then clear laughter like silver bells rolling on a tray rang out.

“Hahahaha! Han, no, Song-i, the old man went to that apothecary over there when you jumped in fright earlier.”

Eunhye extended her hand toward Lady Han who was scratching her temple with an embarrassed face.

“Let’s go quickly, Song-i. It feels so good to call you by your name.”

“Yes, Princess, I also feel very good when you call my name.”

Park Jeong-bin’s lips curved up slightly as he watched the two from behind, who seemed like sisters yet not quite sisters.

That lady is like an angel only in front of my niece. By the way, was that white spirit beside my niece the ghost of an herb gatherer named Master Choi?

Thinking that things were going smoothly thanks to this, Park Jeong-bin was walking behind Eunhye and Lady Han when he suddenly felt something blunt poking his waist and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Why are you following those two women? You’ll have to come to the authorities with me. If you follow quietly, nothing will happen to your body.”

Park Jeong-bin turned his head with an incredulous expression at the youthful voice that carried not even a speck of killing intent and posed no threat whatsoever.

“Ha!”

Wasn’t this the very fellow who had nearly died without knowing why from his own hidden blade in front of the general store just a moment ago?

Park Jeong-bin let out a scoff of disbelief as he grabbed and twisted the arm of Jihoo, who had poked something at his lower back, pinning it behind him.

“Ahhhhh!”

After the agonized cry, what fell to the ground with a thud was a small folding fan. Seeing this, Park Jeong-bin burst into another incredulous laugh.

“This young fool, how fearless. Hm? You thought you could do something to me with a folding fan?”

Then Jihoo, caught with his right arm twisted behind his back, grimaced as if dying from pain and writhed his body.

“Ahhh! Agh! It hurts, you bastard! Won’t you let go of this arm? You’re nothing but a kidnapper who dared to try abducting a noble family’s daughter!”

“What? Kid, kidnapping?”

“That’s right! Aren’t you the kidnapper who was trying to abduct that young lady walking ahead!”

At Jihoo’s loud shouts about a kidnapper, passersby on the street began gathering one by one.

“What? Me? Kidnap whom?”

Jihoo looked up at Park Jeong-bin, who was frowning incredulously as he asked, and gestured with his chin toward where Eunhye and Lady Han had been just moments before.

“Don’t you know better than anyone who it was! Hurry up and let go of this arm. Do you even know who I am!”

Then Park Jeong-bin frowned and released Jihoo’s arm that he had been holding twisted behind his back, laughing as if astounded.

“Hehe, good grief, ah, I really am dealing with all sorts of…”

Then, rubbing his freed arm with his other hand, he lowered himself to look straight into the eyes of Jihoo, who was glaring at him as if ready to kill.

“Listen here, Young Lord, I’m only letting this slide because our niece seemed to know you earlier. So stop talking nonsense and go read more books. Shoo.”

Park Jeong-bin waved one hand back and forth dismissively to shoo Jihoo away, but couldn’t help grinning at those remarkably spirited, clear black eyes.

That fellow certainly looks quite sharp.

But Jihoo’s eyes widened as he mulled over what Park Jeong-bin had just said to him.

“Wh, what? Niece? What do you mean by that? Prin, no, do you know that young lady from before?”

Park Jeong-bin was waving his hand dismissively and turning his head as if too bothered to answer, when suddenly his eyes widened and he frantically looked around like a madman.

She’s gone!

His niece, who had just been right there talking to Lady Han about Ghost of Master Choi or something, had vanished without a trace!

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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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