The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 81

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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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#81. Handsome Jihoo

“So Lady Han kicked the awakened spy’s head with all her might, making him faint again!”

[Hahahahaha! That child did such a thing? She’s a true heroine among heroines.]

Gwangjo laughed heartily, finding Eunhye’s excited explanation of Lady Han’s exploits utterly amusing.

On the other hand, Yeonjo wrinkled his eyes and shook his head, muttering with displeasure.

[I told you not to act conspicuously, yet how is it good that a woman kicked a man’s head in broad daylight?]

[Still, isn’t it amusing that a spy of all people fainted again from a woman’s kick? Hahahaha.]

[I’m saying nothing good comes from drawing such attention. You could have simply bound his hands and feet and gagged him, wasn’t that too conspicuous an action?]

At Yeonjo’s continued scolding, Eunhye pursed her lips and lowered her head.

Seeing this, Gwangjo frowned at Yeonjo as if telling him to stop, then asked Eunhye again in a nonchalant voice.

[So did you decide to help find that herbalist Master Choi’s body?]

“Ah… Yes, Queen Dowager. Uncle promised with his subordinates to find it and even hold a proper funeral.”

[Of course, that’s right. That’s how it should be. That fellow is quite fortunate. Meeting our child, he’ll achieve enlightenment…]

Gwangjo muttered to himself while stroking his thick beard, then suddenly looked at Eunhye with curious eyes.

[By the way, child, what were you curious about when you called this old man earlier? Didn’t you say you had something to ask?]

Seeing Eunhye’s eyes widen as if just remembering, Yeonjo slowly closed his eyes.

What was bound to come has come…

“Um, the thing is… Strange people keep appearing in my dreams for the past few days.”

[In dreams?]

“Yes. Places I’ve never seen before, strange people, and… scary things keep appearing in my dreams.”

[Hmm… How peculiar. There shouldn’t be any more wicked and evil beings around you who received Sinmul’s blessing, yet something appears in your dreams?]

Gwangjo narrowed his brow as if finding it strange, then glanced at Yeonjo who had been keeping his eyes closed with a serious expression.

[Do you know something? Why are you making such a serious face alone?]

Then Yeonjo opened his closed eyes and nodded to Eunhye.

[Tell the Great King everything you told me.]

Eunhye swallowed hard and looked up at Gwangjo, struggling to part her lips.

“In the first dream, I saw something like the altar I saw when we went to the shrine last time.”

[An altar?]

Seeing Gwangjo ask with a surprised expression, Eunhye blinked once and nodded as if confirming, then continued.

“Yes. On barren land by the sea, there was an altar that seemed carved from rock. And on that altar, dozens of corpses wrapped tightly in white cloth were laid side by side, with a woman crying.”

Gwangjo’s eyes grew larger as he listened to the story.

[Did you see who that woman was?]

“I saw her but don’t know who she was. Where her eyes should have been, there was a band soaked with blood, and she was crying toward the sky with a terribly sad voice.”

Gwangjo’s thick gray eyebrows twitched heavily. How could such a scene appear in this child’s dreams after all those long years?

At Gwangjo’s reaction, Eunhye bit her lower lip with a hesitant expression and glanced up at Yeonjo.

“And there was a long rod embedded with red gems like dragon’s eyes from stories. That woman screamed at me and thrust the long rod… like this.”

Gwangjo was startled as if terrified by Eunhye’s imitation of the woman from her dream.

[What?]

After a moment, Gwangjo let out a loud groan and shook his head, his thick eyebrows twitching.

[It’s karma. This old man’s karma.]

Yeonjo, who had been quietly watching Gwangjo, turned his head toward Eunhye.

[Do you keep having that dream?]

Eunhye shook her head as if to say no, then looked with fear-filled eyes and moved her lips.

“In today’s dream… someone I don’t know appeared and told me.”

Stopping mid-sentence, Eunhye looked up at Yeonjo and Gwangjo once each, then gripped her skirt tightly and opened her mouth.

“That bitter resentment and bloody grudges dwell in my blood.”

Remembering the terrifying bloody hands from her dream, Eunhye squeezed her eyes shut while Yeonjo’s wrinkled, intangible hand roughly patted her small back.

[Huh… What kind of bizarre thing is this? Why would such things be shown to a young child like you!]

Gwangjo’s lament to someone unknown echoed in the room, and clear eyes filled with fear looked up at the two elderly former kings and asked.

“Queen Dowager Gwangjo, Queen Dowager Yeonjo, is our royal family perhaps… cursed?”

Just then, Lady Park’s voice came from outside the door, announcing that the bath water was ready.

“Princess, the bath water is coming in.”

Through the gently opened door came Lady Park with several nain, carrying a large wooden tub and several containers of warm water.

“Have you waited long, Princess? Please wait just a moment. I’ll quickly bathe you and then have dinner brought in.”

Lady Park, who couldn’t see Gwangjo and Yeonjo in the room, smiled warmly at Eunhye sitting obediently on the bedding.

As palace servants rushed in, Yeonjo rose from his seat and urged Gwangjo, who was keeping his eyes tightly shut with a gloomy expression.

[Let’s go now, Great King. And child, ‘curse’ is not a word to be used carelessly. It frightens people, so nod if you understand.]

At Yeonjo’s words, Eunhye nodded as if she understood.

Gwangjo slowly opened his eyes and smiled sadly at Eunhye as he stood up.

[Don’t worry. This is all karma for this old man to bear, so our child needn’t worry about anything and should just wash up, eat a delicious dinner, and sleep well.]

“But…”

Toward Eunhye who was trying to say something, Yeonjo slowly shook his head.

[It’s just that someone full of resentment showed evil things in your dreams because you’re of royal blood with divine power. So don’t worry too much.]

Seeing Eunhye reluctantly nod, Yeonjo and Gwangjo disappeared through the window, and Lady Park, unaware of anything, approached saying the bath was ready.

“Princess, you must be very hungry? Please drink this first and then wash up.”

Eunhye hadn’t noticed while looking at Gwangjo and Yeonjo, but beside the large wooden tub, cool sweet rice drink had been prepared on a wooden tray.

“Thank you, Nanny. I was indeed thirsty.”

After taking a few sweet sips of the sweet rice drink Lady Park held to her lips, Eunhye briefly looked toward the western window where Gwangjo and Yeonjo had disappeared.

Queen Dowager, is everything truly alright?

During the evening hours when the dimming sun stretched its warm light long

Eunhye sat before her dinner table, lost in deep thought.

If Haeyong Kingdom was indeed a nation of priests as Uncle told me this morning, could the woman in my dream have been a surviving royal family member rather than a shrine maiden?

Did she survive by luck and vow revenge against Queen Dowager Gwangjo and Taeshin Kingdom for killing all her parents and siblings?

But why were her eyes injured?

“…cess, Princess?”

It was Lady Park’s voice calling Eunhye, who sat lost in thought with steamed beef meatballs still on her spoon.

“Oh, yes, Nanny, what is it?”

“What are you thinking about so deeply? Did something big happen outside the palace today?”

Lady Park asked freely since all the nain had been dismissed and only the two of them were in the room.

“Outside? Um, well… It’s probably just the stories Lady Han told you?”

“But why does it look to me like our Princess has a complicated mind? Hohoho, could it be because of that Young Lord named Jihoo?”

“Jihoo?”

Eunhye’s cheek bulged as she put the meatball stew in her mouth with rice.

“Yes, I heard you met him at the market today. Also that you praised his hard work and bestowed meat pancakes bought from the commoners’ restaurant.”

Seeing Lady Park’s face trying hard to suppress laughter that kept wanting to escape, Eunhye frowned, swallowed the food in her mouth, and shook her head.

“Hey, that’s too exaggerated. It’s not like that, the meat pancakes were…”

Why did I give that guy meat pancakes anyway?

As Eunhye tilted her head to one side, Lady Park gently pushed soft steamed egg into her mouth.

“You did well. I heard Young Lord Jihoo played a role in helping Lady Park catch that spy fellow.”

“Mm, that’s true. But that’s not why I gave them to him. Just…”

As Eunhye chewed the fish pancake that entered her mouth right after swallowing the steamed egg, her eyes widened as if remembering something.

“Ah! That guy Jihoo found out.”

“Found out what?”

“Well… that I can see spirits.”

“What? How did he find out?”

Lady Park’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she fed Eunhye a spoonful of clear beef soup.

“That guy was right there when I asked Uncle to find herbalist Master Choi’s body. His eyes went wide with surprise.”

“Oh my… So did you tell him everything?”

“No. He said it was a secret. Actually, that Jihoo fellow also has a secret. So he told me to ask Teacher, who is your father, about your secret, and as for my secret… he said he’d tell me next time we meet.”

“Next time… you say…?”

Lady Park, who had been placing steamed meatballs on Eunhye’s rice spoon, tilted her head curiously.

“Yes. Next time we meet… he said he’d tell me.”

Lady Park, unable to bring herself to ask how they would meet next time, lowered her head and smiled softly.

Our Princess seems to have taken quite a liking to Lord Jipyeong’s son.

Though she had never seen him directly, Lord Jipyeong’s son, as described through Lady Han’s words, apparently had exceptionally handsome features—she had been jumping up and down insisting he was definitely a male Kumiho—and seemed to have eloquent speech as well. Moreover, hadn’t she said that when it came to our Princess’s matters, he appeared to spare no effort?

Though she is still young in years, our Princess is also a woman, so wouldn’t it be natural for her eyes to be drawn to an accomplished young man?

Watching Eunhye’s adorable appearance as she swallowed the steamed meatballs and then scooped up the clear broth herself, Lady Park smiled with crinkled eyes.

“Princess, I heard that Young Lord Jihoo’s appearance is quite handsome—is that true?”

Eunhye, who had been reaching her spoon toward the steamed eggs, immediately nodded at Lady Park’s question and answered.

“Yes. He is handsome, like Crown Prince.”

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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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