The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 69

* * *

After that, I talked about this and that with Mom.

And before returning to my palace, I muttered softly.

‘…And don’t give birth for that reason.’

When I criticized her like that, Mom’s face turned pale. She seemed to have finally realized what was wrong. Mom tried to say something to explain herself but gave up.

However, she became a bit discouraged for showing me an unpleasant side, and told me that all life is precious and that she loves me too.

I know what Mom was thinking, but I actually liked that a bit.

Should I say it felt like I confirmed that I monopolized Yehwa’s affection and that it won’t change in the future? While I was inwardly pleased with that, I became embarrassed after some time passed.

I’ve heard that sometimes children get jealous when a second child is born and the parents’ attention shifts to that child.

The problem is that the first digit of my age is different from those kids.

‘When was I ever lacking affection, really.’

As I left the Flower Dragon Palace, I clicked my tongue softly. This is all because they pamper me too much.

Like a spoiled child, I blamed the adults for it, and before boarding the palanquin, I glanced at the main gate for a moment.

I was completely drained from dealing with Giyun, and since it was already evening, I stayed in the Flower Dragon Palace for quite a long time. Thanks to that, the sun that was high in the sky when I entered had already begun to set.

I think that child left.

The child’s figure was not visible beyond the main gate, but I still felt a bit uneasy in case he remained. Does that kid not have a guardian?

If he accompanied the envoys, he must have a quite high status in his home country. Or maybe they neglected him in his home country too, telling him to seduce the clumsy princess.

‘Whatever it is, it’s not my business to intervene.’

Erasing that thought from my mind, I boarded the palanquin. The palanquin swayed slightly and slowly started to move.

Should I stop by Sanwha Pavilion before returning to the palace? I remembered Heesa saying how pretty the fireflies are at night some time ago. It’s a bit of a waste to just go back like this.

“Let’s stop by Sanwha Pavilion for a bit.”

* * *

As much as Seora loved flowers, Sanwha Pavilion was the largest of the gardens.

According to the legends handed down, it was a garden given to the first emperor, who was the companion of the first dragon, so flowers could be seen all year round. Of course, that doesn’t seem to be the case though.

‘Still, it’s pretty.’

This time too, I leisurely strolled with only Gowun, sending away all the other palace people.

Taking a walk was a hobby of mine that I didn’t even know about. It was unexpectedly nice to leisurely look at pretty scenery without any thoughts. Of course, I don’t walk too much either.

After walking for a while, I casually sat on a large, flat rock.

“The weather is nice today. Right, Gowun?”

Although we wear clothes that cover our entire body, the summer here is bearable.

A world without global warming or pollution. The sky was always blue, and in the summer, it was cool in the shade. The sky dyed with twilight, the slightly cool breeze, the sound of insects, and the smell of summer lingering on the tip of my nose.

‘When did my life become so colorful?’

My life in my previous life wasn’t bad either. I lived fiercely in my own way, had goals, and maintained amicable relationships with people. A life that wasn’t bad but not good either. Still, that was my life, and I was used to it.

So actually, when I first entered this body, it was scary and uncomfortable.

‘It couldn’t be helped.’

Even if I read it in a book, they were all strangers, and even hostile to me. Unfamiliar culture and way of life. Looking back after going through it, I was quite dry back then.

Still, slowly, very quietly. Like clothes getting wet in a light rain, I seeped into this life.

It’s not that there are no hardships, but still, this is really…

‘I’m happy.’

Ugh, how cheesy.

Immediately refuting the thought that suddenly came to mind, I got up from my seat. Putting aside the thought of being embarrassed later, I was going to walk a bit more.

“Gowun, let’s go.”

At my call, Gowun turned his head. His face looked quite serious, making me curious.

“What’s wrong?”

“Over there, behind the bushes, there’s someone.”

Ah, please. Don’t break the peaceful atmosphere that was just here until now.

But maybe I’m a bit used to it now, as annoyance preceded surprise and fear. I quietly asked Gowun.

“An assassin?”

“…It doesn’t seem like it. The body is small, and above all…”

Gowun hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“They’re crying.”

Oh…

“I see. As you said, it doesn’t seem to be an assassin.”

It was common for young eunuchs or thought children to hide and cry, unable to bear the bullying of their seniors. But it’s also refreshing that the place is Sanwha Pavilion.

The gardens were the exclusive property of the imperial family. It wasn’t a place where palace people could come and go as they pleased. I don’t care, but many people would visit Sanwha Pavilion in the summer.

“If their superior finds out, they’ll be scolded badly, so we should let them know.”

As I approached the bushes Gowun mentioned, the sound of crying gradually became louder.

“…Ugh, hic! Hic, Hnn. Hic.”

It was a childish voice. They were trying hard to hold back the sound, but the crying leaked out. What is a young child so sad about to cry so miserably?

With the intention of comforting them, I took another step closer and spotted a round, golden head of hair. And I became a bit puzzled.

Those clothes aren’t what the palace people wear?

‘It’s that child from earlier.’

The boy who was gazing at me longingly at the Flower Dragon Palace, somehow following me.

“Mom, I… hic. I’m doomed. I’ve become thoroughly disliked, she won’t even see me now. What do I do…”

Oh my. I almost exclaimed out loud. It was the first dialect I heard in this world.

I don’t mean to disparage the dialect, but a child who seems to use British English saying such things is really…

Not noticing my subtle frozen face, the child’s mouth opened and he continued to mutter and cry.

“I don’t even have the qualifications to be a prince. Mom, what do I do…”

Seora is a large country, so each region has a different dialect. The palace people in the imperial palace came from various regions, so their way of speaking must be different, but I had never heard a dialect until now.

If all the words sound like Korean to me and all the writing looks like Hangul, is dialect a kind of expression of a foreign language?

‘Although that’s not the important thing.’

Just now, clearly…

“Prince?”

“Oh, Mom and Dad!”

Oops, my mistake. I was trying to listen quietly, but I unknowingly muttered. Teary, wide blue eyes stared at me.

I subtly avoided his gaze. A suffocating silence passed for a moment, and tears burst out again from the child’s eyes that seemed to have dried up.

Moving my lips, I eventually knelt on one knee and wiped the child’s tears with my sleeve.

‘I feel a bit sorry.’

Was he hiding here and crying because I didn’t respond to him?

He seemed a bit smart on the first day of Arun, but he was just a baby. I want to hear what he meant by prince qualifications and such, but it seemed comforting him was the priority for now.

Baby, don’t cry. No matter how much you cry, this auntie can’t accept your heart.

“Sob, hic, my lady, hic!”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but I’ll listen, so finish crying and speak.”

As I comforted the child by patting him, his crying gradually subsided. Seeing him hiccuping with his tears stopped, I let out a small sigh.

‘Where is this kid’s guardian…’

After comforting the child, I made a mental note to send a letter to the Hwanhui Hall where the envoys were staying, and I turned my attention to the child. The child had now completely stopped crying.

What was his name again? Yuri?

“So, what did you want to say to me so badly?”

I take pride in asking in a very flat, monotonous tone. But what was the problem with that again?

“Ugh, hic…”

This is driving me crazy. He’s crying again.

“I, I am Yuri, the first prince of the Kingdom of Sylvanus.”

I was pondering whether to comfort him or urge him, but Yuri continued to speak while crying. He really was a prince, as he mentioned something about being a prince earlier.

A self-introduction. And the next is a confession, right?

“Our kingdom is, hic. In great danger…”

…Confession.

“Please help us…!”

At that out-of-the-blue request for help, I bit my lower lip for a moment.

Ah, it wasn’t.

Thank goodness it wasn’t. Really. …In many ways.

‘I’m glad I didn’t speak first.’

A big compliment to my usual taciturn habit.

Even in this situation where I didn’t speak first, I wanted to run away immediately.

Ah.

It’s so embarrassing, I don’t even want to put it into words. I totally jumped to conclusions.