I was Born as The King’s Daughter

CHAPTER 22: Your Father or Your Fiancée

The second destination was the Museum of Ancient Scrolls. Unlike the previous destination, the cotton plantation, the director came out to greet us personally. Of course, he paid no attention to me.

“Your Majesty, we are tremendously honored by your visit.”

From what I’d heard, the Director of the Museum of Ancient Scrolls held a position of high rank socially. I did not know how old he was, but that was because men generally did not show much signs of aging after thirty. I’m only slightly exaggerating by noting that they retained their youthful appearance until they died. There was the individual difference, of course. Hwan-Seong, for example, appeared much younger than the others, in the reflection of his magical brilliance. The caretaker of the cotton plantation had a very aged appearance, which revealed how terrible his magical powers were.

The three of us, Hwan-Seok, Gitae and I entered the museum.

“What a surprise that you are accompanying a princess on her excursion, Your Majesty.”

“She’s not a princess.”

“Excuse me?”

I cringed. Oh no!!! He wouldn’t!

“She’s a Mutt”

I would expect the director of the museum to be a very learned person. To my surprise, he nodded as if taking the comment literally. I’m a person, a princess!

I went to the museum, which was a repository for ancient documents. There were many scrolls written in an archaic language on display. Tourists turned to look at me. Go ahead and stare. Never seen a girl in a museum before? They were able to glean from my entourage of two—no, three—males that I was nobility.

I was given a guided tour from the director.

He said, “We have been unable to decode these,” indicating some documents.

So they had failed to decode…Which ones? These? I took a closer look, and the script was familiar to me.

It was Korean! Yes, indeed it was. The script they had been unable to decode was Korean.

The script they had been unable to decode was Korean. “We believe that it must contain some important information about the origin of magic.” He explained.

Gitae seemed interested and asked, “And how were you able to deduce this?”

“We are completely unable to restore it or interpret it using magic. It is highly likely that this document is guarded by some higher form of magic than the magic we currently use, which is why scholars deduce that it must contain information about the source of magic or some higher order of magic.”

That’s absolutely correct museum Director!

Hwan-Seong nodded with a serious look.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“I’m hungry.”

Hwan-Seong did not seem to have the did not seem to have the faintest interest in the source of magic or this advanced order of magic. He looked at me with a grin. “Aren’t you hungry, Mutt?”

No, I’m not. Didn’t you just stuff yourself senseless? And can’t you drop that nickname? I’m still waiting for you to start calling me by my name, Sang-Hee!

“Your Majesty,” I said.

“What?”

“Can I say something to you?”

“What is it?”

“I…I think I can read this.”

A higher order of magic? The origin of magic? Bollocks. This document was in Korean.

It said: “What I did today: The weather was clear. I fought with Dad today. But I didn’t lose my temper because I’m such a good kid.”

This wasn’t even worth being in a museum exhibit. It was just a little kid’s journal. It was written by a little kid who lived in the olden days.

“Kids these days…They weren’t how they used to be.”

It had to be three thousand years old at least. So, if this were three thousand years old, it seemed kids three thousand years ago had no manner. My private tutor, Alex, upon hearing this news, rushed to the scene in a helicopter.”

He was accompanied by three palace scholars. “Is this true, Princess Sang-Hee?”

I had to be cautious and avoid showing off too much. It was risky for a princess to appear too exceptional because she might look like she was challenging the boys.

I said, “I think I’ve lost my head a little. Why am I able to read? I’m so frightened—maybe I’ve been possessed by a demon!”

Well, the truth was that it wasn’t a demon but a full grown woman.

“Princess Sang-hee, you’ve already proven your genius. If you can really read it, please tell us what it says.”

I read it line by line. Alex turned crimson and he seemed quite taken back.

“How can this be?”

The three palace scholars were all shocked.

“How can she decode it just like that?”

“It looks like we’ve finally found a means to decoding this.”

“It’ll take some time, but it’s possible now! This is the discovery of the century.”

It was truly very mysterious that they, with prodigious magical skills, were unable to read Korean. But they also gained the ability to decode it as I read off the lines. They learned to decode as I read it to them. In a manner of speaking, I had awakened them to Korean.

“Princess Sang-Hee, you really are the Kingdom’s treasure.”

The museum director’s jaw dropped open. Gitae was equally awestruck. To call any girl the Kingdom’s treasure was absurd.

Hwan-Seong seemed to be quite tickled by this. “A treasure? No, she’s a filthy mutt!”

Quiet, you! One of the royal scholars looked quizzical and began, “Why does…?”

No, don’t ask! Do NOT ask! Hwan-Seong snickered. I hated his grinning face. Now I’d be called to prove to everyone why I deserved that name.

He shouted, “I’ll show you why!”

Oh, avert your eyes, please! No, please don’t! Doesn’t being in a museum mean anything to you?

“Fetch!”

In a museum, of all places. The sound of ‘fetch” echoed in the stately halls. The doll went flying. I scampered after it cheerfully.

I vowed to kill him someday. I was unsure of whether I would gain some benefit from having decoded this ancient script.

***

Gihyeon Kwock, the youngest child of Duke Kwock, was in a good mood. He was returning to the Goryeo Kingdom for summer vacation. He was in the backseat of the magic-powered sedan. Gihyeon nudged Jinsu.

“We’re finally going back to the Kingdom. But what’s up? Why aren’t you going straight home?”

“I want to stop by somewhere.”

“Where?”

“The Museum of Ancient Scrolls.”

“Oh, geez, it’s vacation. I know what a workaholic you are, but you should take a day off.”

Gihyeon shook his head. Jinsu was a genius and a hard worker? Geez. Cut me some slack. Doesn’t being a genius exempt you from working hard.

“Jinsu, I like everything about you, but I want you to change something.”

“What is that?”

“Stop studying so hard.”

The car door opened then. It was not Gihyeon who had opened it. The wind rushed by. They were on a 100 km pero hour-high speed freeway on a prairie. Gihyeon was terrorized.

“You wouldn’t!”

Indeed he would. Jinsu booted him out the door with his foot. The boy flew out of a car as it raced at 100km per hour.

“JIIIIIIIIII-SUUUUUUUU!” But his voice was drowned out.

Now he was barely audible. The driver stared back.

Jinsu said, “Just keep driving.”

“But…”

“He won’t die. We’re going to the Museum of Ancient Scrolls.”

“As you wish.”

They were in the Goryeo Kingdom, arriving at the Museum of Ancient Scrolls. The luxury sedan, with a market price of 300 million won, pulled up in front, and Jinsu got off and told the driver, “Wait here.”

“As you command.”

The driver was puzzled. He couldn’t quite figure out why, but Jinsu seemed a little bashful. Couldn’t be.

He was a peerless magician in the Empire. He must be interested in ancient documents because he was so incomparably brilliant. Jinsu walked toward the museum.

****

“Fetch!” echoed the familiar cry. You twit. You just used magic. How unfair! The ragdoll cut like a cannonball through the air. I wouldn’t be so upset if it simply vaulted high, but under his spell, the ragdoll zigzagged wildly back and forth, eluding me. The ragdoll was a blur then, a disaster struck.

As I chased after the doll, I crashed into someone. It was all that Hwan-Seong’s fault! Here was another reminder of how powerless I was. I had just won some favor through my ability to decode an ancient script but I was immediately reduced to a nobody again.

“Hey little missy, watch where you’re going! You’ve rubbed your filth on me.”

A girl who was a member of a royal family without the protection of a man was as defenseless as a commoner woman.

I apologized immediately. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

“I was picking up something the prince threw.”

Maybe mentioning the prince would avert this crisis. Hopfully the prince would avert this crisis. Hopefully, my excuse would be my salvation.

“So that’s your excuse? Are you an idiot? Why don’t you watch where you’re going? The impudence of this little wench! Daring to hit a man!”

What are you talking about? Aren’t you the one who bumped into a nine-year-old girl with you massive body? I concealed my thoughts and bowed meekly.

“I’m truly sorry,” I offered humbly.

This man seemed to be using his anger toward me as an excuse for something sinister. I felt that all-too-familiar queasy sensation. I had felt it on Earth too. Those hostile stares I had gotten when I wore body conscious clothing or a skirt that showed a bit of leg.

“Well, you’ll have to pay the price for it, won’t you?”

He came close to me and put his hand on my shoulder. He was huge. Or maybe it just seemed this way because I was so small. I didn’t dare scream.

“She looks like a virgin.” (T/n: OMG THIS PEDO!!! )

He smacks his lips and I shivered in fear but I couldn’t scream. I knew how little value I had as a girl. “Please pardon me, sir,” I said loudly. In hopes that the others would overhear me and come to my rescue.

I was hoping that Hwan-Seong heard me and I was trembling uncontrollably. Somehow I felt sure that Hwan-Seong would come, but I was still scared. I was defenseless on my own.

But he did not come. Gitae was nowhere to be seen either. Gitae was supposed to have retrieved the ragdoll according to the plan when suddenly….

A voice then said, “Does she?”

Then I heard the last person I would expect to find here. It was the cool voice of Scumbag! Which is why I immediately recognized it.

Scumbag? What are you doing here?

The blob wrinkled his forehead, “Who do you think you are to interfere?”