The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 79

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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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#79. Jihoo’s Dilemma

“Look at me losing my mind, I should quickly lay Princess down comfortably!”

Lady Park, who was preciously holding the drowsily snoring Eunhye in her arms, carefully stood up and walked toward the screen, while Park Jeong-bin, who had climbed the stairs while swallowing his groans, quietly closed the door to the underground passage.

“You’ve worked hard. Is your back alright?”

Looking at Lady Han who was asking after his well-being with gratitude for his efforts, Park Jeong-bin barely swallowed the moans that were about to burst from his joints and put on an expression as if nothing was wrong.

“I only carried my niece who is as light as a feather, so what hardship could there be for a grown man.”

Then Park Jeong-bin stretched his arms unnecessarily and rotated his waist in circles.

“Yes, then that’s fortunate. But did you bring the poisonous mushrooms that spy had taken?”

At Lady Han’s question as if she had just remembered, Park Jeong-bin nodded with a quite serious expression.

“Yes, I brought them. And… I’m telling you this out of excessive concern, but you must also absolutely keep silent about today’s events.”

Then Lady Han laughed as if it were ridiculous and stretched her lips with one hand while pretending to sew them shut with the other.

Park Jeong-bin shook his head once more at that foolish behavior and passed by Lady Han, going around the screen.

Then Lady Park, who had laid the deeply sleeping Eunhye on the bedding and was gently patting her, carefully stood up.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll go outside and control the palace servants.”

But Park Jeong-bin quietly shook his head and stopped Lady Park.

“No. I have something to do and will leave again this way, so please take care of this for a moment, Your Ladyship.”

Park Jeong-bin looked at Lady Han who had just come out from behind the screen, then handed the bundle he was carrying to Lady Park.

“This is…”

Park Jeong-bin silently nodded toward Lady Park who was receiving the bundle with trembling hands.

“Perhaps by now they too may have noticed that things went wrong. But they wouldn’t even guess that this would be in Princess Eunhye’s quarters, would they.”

Lady Park blinked her frightened eyes at the fact that what was now in her hands was the vicious poisonous mushroom she had learned about yesterday in the Crown Prince’s Library.

“Will you return soon? We cannot keep this ominous thing in our Princess’s quarters for long.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship, please don’t worry. I’ll return before the evening meal, so please just take care of it until then.”

Unlike before, Lady Park nodded with a face that had firmly resolved itself.

Having finished his conversation, Park Jeong-bin went behind the screen and changed into the martial uniform he had taken off when leaving. Meanwhile, Lady Park entrusted Eunhye to Lady Han and tied the bundle Park Jeong-bin had entrusted to her around the waist of her undergarment beneath her skirt.

Who could possibly imagine that such an object would be at the waist of the head nanny of the Princess’s Quarters.

Lady Han seemed impressed by Lady Park’s quick wit and gave her a thumbs up.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Park Jeong-bin announced his departure in a low voice without showing himself, then went down the secret passage stairs and closed the door, and Lady Han also seemed to relax as she flopped down on the floor.

“What kind of behavior is this? Can’t you get up immediately?”

At Lady Park’s scolding of Lady Han’s thunderbolt-like behavior, Eunhye let out a soft moan and turned over.

“Shh!”

Then Lady Han opened her eyes wide, put her index finger to her lips, and sat up abruptly.

“Your Ladyship, let’s go outside and talk so our Princess can sleep peacefully.”

Lady Park nodded at Lady Han’s whispered words, looked once more at Eunhye who was sleeping soundly with gentle breathing, then walked toward the door.

Lady Park, who came out the gently opened door with Lady Han, looked at the standing nains with stern eyes and spoke.

“You all know that Princess Eunhye had many books to read today and stayed in her room all day.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.”

“Princess has just fallen asleep after reading books following her midday meal, so you go to the Royal Kitchen to have your meals and return with refreshments for Princess after about one hour.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.”

Lady Park watched until the end as the nains outside the door left the bedroom with quiet steps, then finally turned around and slapped Lady Han’s back with a smacking sound.

“Oh my, do you know how worried I was, pacing back and forth!”

“Ouch! That really hurts.”

“Of course it should hurt when I hit you, should I hit you to make you comfortable? Princess is just deeply asleep, and you’re certain there are no injuries anywhere?”

“Yes, my back is injured from running while carrying Princess. Oh, my back.”

At Lady Han’s cheeky smile as she held her lower back, Lady Park finally laughed helplessly as if dumbfounded.

“But was it really true that there was such an apothecary there as the Late King said, and there was also a spy?”

At Lady Park’s question with her voice lowered as much as possible, Lady Han moistened her dry lips with her tongue and nodded greatly.

“Oh my goodness, goodness, truly our Princess is certainly this country’s great fortune. What would have happened if Princess couldn’t speak with the Late Kings.”

“Do you think that’s all? We almost missed that spy too, but the ghost called Master Choi, who was an herb gatherer we met at the market, helped Princess and all of us, you know?”

At the unbelievable story that came from Lady Han’s mouth, Lady Park’s nostrils and eyes grew large simultaneously.

“So that’s what happened.”

Lady Han began to unfold the events that happened at the market today one by one to Lady Park, who was Eunhye’s soulmate who had never been apart from her for even a moment since she was born.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jihoo, who was heading home in completely dust-covered clothes while tightly clutching the paper wrapping the meat pancakes, stopped walking at the sight of Deoksan who suddenly appeared from somewhere.

“Young Master!”

“No, you… where on earth are you coming from? And what’s with that appearance?”

Jihoo frowned at seeing Deoksan, whose disheveled hair was sticking to his face that was completely covered in sweat.

Then Deoksan let out a short sigh as if dumbfounded.

“No, is that something to say from someone who suddenly disappeared while choosing a birthday gift for Master at Man-bok Store?”

Then Jihoo made a short sound with a face as if he just remembered.

“Ah…!”

“Ah? Ahh? No, where on earth have you been wandering? I searched the entire Insadong Market looking for you, Young Master!”

Deoksan made a spine-chilling expression at the sight of Jihoo, who was not only covered in dust but also tightly holding an oily paper bundle that smelled of food against his chest.

“No, goodness… why has Young Master’s appearance become like this? And what is that thing? Oil is getting all over your clothes!”

Not only were his clothes a mess, but his handsome face was also stained all over with dust and sweat.

Deoksan frowned and reached out his hand at the sight of Jihoo tightly holding what seemed to be an oily paper package of food instead of a gift for Master.

“No, if you want to eat something, you should tell the kitchen lady or Lady Seo, why are you directly buying and carrying around such things? Give it here!”

Then Jihoo shouted angrily and struck away Deoksan’s arm.

“Get away! How dare you lay hands on it! Do you know what this is!”

Why is Young Master suddenly acting like this!

Deoksan, startled by his master’s unexpected anger, scratched his temple and sighed.

“No, I need to see what it is to know, don’t I? It obviously looks like meat pancakes or mung bean pancakes, so why are you holding it like that, so embarrassingly. Give it to me. I’ll take it to the kitchen.”

“Forget it! This is not such common food. This is!”

Jihoo swallowed the words “meat pancakes that Princess Eunhye personally gave to me!” inside.

“This is? So what is this thing?”

Jihoo glared fiercely at Deoksan who was frowning as if frustrated, then began walking ahead with a face that said not to ask anymore.

“Young Master! Let’s go together. I’ve been starving while looking for you! Whatever it is, you’ll give me some too, right?”

Deoksan, who came to Jihoo’s side bouncing like a big mutt, flared his nostrils and lowered his head.

“Get away from me. This is not something you can dare to eat!”

“No, why are you discriminating over food! How long have Young Master and I been together! I’ve been with you since you were this small.”

“Hey, be quiet!”

Jihoo readjusted his grip on the meat pancakes that Princess Eunhye had personally given him and forcefully pushed away Deoksan’s face.

Returning home, Jihoo gave Deoksan a stern order not to follow him anymore as he kept bothering him, then hurriedly entered his room.

Then he carefully placed the meat pancakes he had been holding like a treasure on his writing desk and hurriedly changed out of his dirty clothes.

Jihoo, who sat in front of the writing desk wearing a jade-colored jacket and single-layer pants, loosely tied his ankle bands while recalling Eunhye whom he had met earlier.

Why did Princess Eunhye leave the palace with only one nain accompanying her?

And without even receiving escort from Ikwisa or Geumgun, with only someone called Uncle as her guard.

Moreover, that person called Uncle was called Daeju by those suspicious people with red tassels on their sword sheaths, so his status and position were completely unknown.

What kind of group’s leader could he be?

Jihoo, who was frowning his handsome face slightly while lost in deep thought, had been smelling a savory aroma continuously.

Jihoo, who sniffed and unconsciously smacked his lips, gently pulled at the paper wrapping the meat pancakes on his writing desk.

Like the savory aroma rising up, Princess Eunhye’s voice came to him like a whisper.

“It seems you also skipped your midday meal, so go home and eat this. I tried a piece earlier and it was quite good.”

Jihoo’s lips couldn’t help but twitch.

He slyly reached out his hand and lightly touched the oil paper wrapping the meat pancakes when suddenly another voice was heard.

“You didn’t know, I see. Your cotton string is a Guardian Talisman left by your mother. Ask Teacher for the details, and my secret… I’ll tell you next time we meet.”

Jihoo slowly withdrew his hand that had been reaching for the meat pancakes, his brow furrowing as if in deep thought.

Certainly, Princess Eunhye had said she would tell him her secret the next time they met. But the cotton string that Mother left me as a keepsake is my Guardian Talisman? Moreover, she said that Father already knows about it…

Before he knew it, all the appetite that had been stirred by the aroma wafting from the meat pancakes had completely cooled, and Jihoo’s eyes began to grow serious beyond his years.

Then he got up from his seat and opened the door.

“Deoksan!”

At his call, Deoksan quickly appeared from somewhere and peered into the room, looking around.

“Shall I take your clothes to be changed and prepare bath water?”

Really, how does he read my mind so well without me even saying anything?

Jihoo subtly pulled down the corners of his mouth that had unconsciously curved upward and gestured toward the room with his chin.

“I’ll say it again, you must not carelessly touch those meat pancakes. Keep that firmly in mind and take them to Lady Seo, telling her to prepare them so we can eat together when Father returns from court.”

“Yes, young master.”

Seeing Deoksan bow and try to enter the room, Jihoo suddenly strode to the writing desk and picked up the paper-wrapped meat pancakes with both hands.

“No, why… what?”

Jihoo narrowed his eyes at Deoksan, who had an expression asking why he was doing this.

“I can’t trust your gluttony. I’m going to take them to Lady Seo myself.”

Jihoo walked outside carrying the precious meat pancakes as if to show off to Deoksan, who looked utterly disappointed at his words.

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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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