I was Born as The King’s Daughter

CHAPTER 25: PRIVILEGED TREATMENT.

Seoyeong Kang had been seventeen when she gave birth to me, and she was now twenty-six. She was very beautiful and you would never guess that she was a mother. She did not seem to exercise, so she must have been naturally blessed. In this world, women over twenty-five were considered to be over the hill. In this world, neither a women’s right nor her reputation as a beauty had any value at all. When women were no longer young they were considered completely worthless. This made me angrier and more confused, the longer I considered it.

I thought she was very pretty though even at the “advanced” age of twenty-six.

Seoyeong had given birth this time to fraternal twins; a girl and a boy which obviously cause for celebration. Of course, the girl was considered unremarkable, but a boy had also been born. My excursion had been abruptly interrupted because a prince had been born.

As I looked at the twins who stared up at me gurgling, I felt a sense of peace and a new type of determination bubbled up inside me. I-I must start my brother’s training right away!

I was almost completely segregated from my sisters. I was looking forward to playing a part in shaping my brother, ufufufu~

A few days later, I was sitting by Seoyeong, playing.

“He’s such a beautiful baby, Mother!”

“You too, should get married soon and have a baby. It’s the duty of girls to give birth to boys.”

Well, actually, I’d prefer a girl. Of course, she was right. A princess who gave birth to a boy could expect privileged treatment. Then Jinsu’s face came to mind. Why had he asked me that? I remembered his words, “What have you done to me?” As if I could have done harm to one of the prized geniuses of the Empire. Every time that memory came to me I was thrown into confusion.

My doubts are still gnawing at me, and I would wait three years before I learned more. I was now twelve years old. Another injustice was that while boys develop faster, they faster which was absurd.

Another injustice was that if a boy was born, the King was given credit for the achievement. If a girl was born, the Queen was blamed. Do you see how absurd it all is?

But there was something different about the twins, Hwan-Hyeok and Sang-Ah Kim. They seemed to be growing at the same rate!

“Sister! Sister! I caught a cicada!” Hwan-Hyeok ran toward me in excitement.

“Sister! Sister! I caught a praying mantis!” Sang-Ah who just right beside him excitedly said.

Kids in this world were different from the ones on Earth. At only three years of age, they were strong enough to race through the gardens and daringly scamper up trees to catch cicadas. Their eyes seemed to say, “Look at me!” I was secretly proud, but I feigned anger, swatting their bottoms, “Didn’t I tell you it’s dangerous to climb trees?”

They probably were not even hurt by my swats, but they still looked angry. I stood with my hands on my hips in mock reproach. Pouting, they complained in unison, “Ouch, that hurt!”

I burst out laughing in spite of myself. Somebody applauded then and approached us.

“Princess Sang-Hee, you really dare to hit a prince in broad daylight?”

“Nobody’s around except you, Alex”

I would have been nervous if another person had scolded me, but I was not afraid of Alex. Hwan-Hyeok defended me, “I don’t care at all if Princess Sang-Hee scolds me! I like it” Alex treated me like I was his granddaughter. There certainly was something special about him if he were tolerant of a princess reprimanding a prince. He was quite far from normal, in any case.

“Princess Sang-Hee, I have some surprising news.”

“Surprising news?”

“Yes, something very unusual has happened. This is the first time in the Kingdom’s history that anything like this has happened.”

Alex was about to continue when someone approached then.

“Can you wait a while to tell her this news?”

I was thunderstruck. It was my eldest brother, the firstborn prince who had represented practically my sole hope for survival. Oh! How handsome he looked! My heart warmed just looking at that handsome face. Come here let me give you a hug! I ran over to him and leaped up and down before him. Because I could not jump high enough, he used his magic to raise me and embrace me with ease.

“Has it only been a year? You’re a young lady now!”

“Your Majesty! I missed you so much that I’ve had dreams about you!”

“You too? You were in my dreams too!” (T/n: DAMN. smooth af)

He stroked my head as he stands in front of Hwan-Hyeok and Sang-Ah.

“I don’t like you!” Hwan-Hyeok yelled

Hwan-Hyeok puffed out his cheeks and threw the cicadas took flight toward the treetops upon release.

I scolded Hwan-Hyeok, “That’s your older brother. Don’t say that.”

Hyeong-Seok stroked my head again and said, “You really have grown up. Maybe I shouldn’t hold you like a baby.” He was about to set me on the ground. I refused though and clutched at his neck. Alex smiled as he looked on.

Sang-Ah walked over shyly and bowed, saying “Hello, Your Majesty.”

Hyeong-Seok held me with his left arm and Sang-Ah with his right arm. Hwan-Hyeok just kicked at the ground in anger. Still cradling us, Hyeon-Seok knelt down and looked at him at eye-level.

“I’m so happy to see you, Hwan-Hyeok!”

I was so lucky to have such a kind brother, who was so different from the younger ones

Hwan-Hyeok and Sang-Ah were twins, but there was something different about them. Both of them were able to use magic. Neither was a brilliant magician, like Hwan-Seong, but their magic abilities made them remarkable.

Sang-Ah also had developed at the same rate as Hwan-Hyeok.

“May I tell Sang-Hee the great news?”

“Of course  do as Your Majesty pleases.”

Scumbag, our King, had recognized me as providing the highest national service, by decoding the ancient script. Our King, otherwise known as Scumbag, had recognized my meritorious service and given me the name “Treasure.” I almost burst out laughing at receiving news of this honor.

Hyeong-Seok, whose generosity seemed limitless, smiled at me.

He continued, “So you can call her ‘Treasure’ now, not Princess Sang-Hee.”

Alex interjected, “There will be a party tomorrow, and all the princesses and princess will be in attendance.

In all my twelve years, there had never been an occasion when all my family members gathered in one spot. I had only one occasion when I met my older sister, but I had not seen them since Suyeong’s assassination.

What could Scumbag be planning?

However much I scoured the history books, I could not find a single instance when the King summoned the queens and princes for a feast. Or rather, if there had been such an occasion, it was so insignificant that there was no record of it.

Hwan-Hyeok pouted. By Earth’s standards, he had the physique of a six or seven-year-old, but his mental age was definitely still three. These days, watching the twins grow was my sole joy.

“I like Hyeong-Seok. No, I hate him!”

“What does that mean?”

“You only like Hyeon-Seok, Sang-Hee! I want you to hug me too.”

The kid had started understanding speech at six months old. After that, I was practically a surrogate mother. Scumbag was tolerant of my taking on a caretaking role for some reason. Both Hwan-Hyeok and Sang-Ah took to me immediately. I still looked like a kid, but I was old enough to be a mother on the inside.

“Oh, no. I love you more than anyone else in the world, Hwan-Hyeok.”

Sang-Ah came running as if she had heard that from a distance.

“You said you loved me best!”

I love you both—you’re both darlings, and you both drive me crazy.

“I love you both equally.”

Just then, the door to the room started trembling. It had begun trembling at the utterance of the words “I love you more than anyone else in the world.”

STOP!

My plea was futile, as the three ragdolls sliced through the air.

“Fetch!”

I would be an adult in three years, and that rascal was still at it. He was fifteen—the age of majority! The illustrious commander of the ninth division was a mischief-making brat. May I proudly present, Hwan-Seong, Second-Born Brat!!!!!

Hwan-Hyeok and Sang-Ah were able to use magic, but they were not yet very skilled. Just like I had in the past, they ran diligently after the dolls in the game of fetch. What a terrible influence I’d had on them! They had observed my running after ragdolls with a smile on my face. They had observed my running after ragdolls with a smile on my face. They were unable to distinguish good from bad!

But there had been a change in the preceding three years. I refused to retrieve the doll and stood my ground.

“Your Majesty!

“What? Are you on your period?”

I longed to throw a punch in his smug face. You said that in front of the little ones? I pondered how to answer this.

“Oh, no. Your Majesty.”

“Fine, I’ll let you go.”

This was the second time he had let me get away with a refusal. It had taken twelve years to get to this point. Sang-Hee, press on! You’ll get a third, fourth and fifth!

“What is going on?”

“I came to play with Mutt.”

You have responsibilities now! You’re supposed to be the battalion commander of the Knights, and you’re skipping your training?

“I don’t feel like training. I want to play my Mutt.”

Hwan-Hyeok and Sang-Ah asked simultaneously, “Look at me, Your Majesty! Did I do a good job fetching?”

The twins smiled eagerly. Adopting an imposing stance, Hwan-Seong raised his chin and stuck his chest out. I wanted to give him a good rap on the head with my knuckles.

“Your Majesty, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“If you’re the commander  of the ninth battalion of Knights, so it wouldn’t hurt at all if I punched you, would it?”

“Of course not!”

At Hwan-Seong’s level, magic was behind any show of force he made, even if he did not intend to use it. This was because if he encountered potential harm, the magic was summoned automatically in its owner’s defense. Men had it this easy. However, I had also heard that they could suppress magic at will, even under physical threat. He was flesh and blood, so naturally, he would feel pain, especially from a blow to solar plexus.

I continued, “Your Majesty is a brilliant knight whom I admire, and I am certain a little girl like me could not possibly cause you any pain. But if there is any doubt, I wouldn’t want…”

This was a lie of course. I would like nothing better than to sock him in the gut. He was walking right into my trap. Come closer, little boy. I’ve been waiting for this day for twelve years…ke.ke.ke.” 

“Hit me!” Hwan-Seong swaggered.

“How could I, lowly as I am, dare to lay a hand on Your Majesty? I would never do something so terrible.”

No, I was aching to do it. I would have liked nothing more than to sock him in the gut. Just say the word! Hurry! NOW!

He exploded, “I’m ordering you! Hit me! Hit me, or you’re dead!”

Hwan-Seong couldn’t escape fast enough. Using magic, he opened the window and leaped out. Sang-Hee’s room was on the eleventh floor, so it was quite a tumble. He ran to the garden. He looked around furtively before casting a spell.

Wow, that was painful. He couldn’t admit how excruciating it had been in front of his little sister. He had a temporary of his little sister. He had a temporary pang of compassion for girls who could not use magic at all

He noticed something funny though. He tried to puzzle over it. He felt for a moment as if his magic had been purified a small amount. He was still in pain, but he felt as if he had become momentarily stronger.

“It’s nothing. It’s just my mood playing tricks on me.”

From the eleventh-floor window, he heard Sang-Hee saying: “Your Majesty! We never said farewell properly! I am so sad!”

There would be a family gathering the next day in the palace. The King would preside, and everyone –princes, queens, and princesses would be there.

Hwan-Seong shot into the air. With one leap, he ascended to the eleventh floor. It was eleven at night. Sang-Hee looked quite pretty in the window with the moonlight streaming in. Hwan-Seong grinned broadly, showing all his teeth.

Hwan-Seong flew forward as though he had wings. Sang-Hee shut her eyes. Floating in midair, he kissed her forehead. Hwan-Hyeok and Sang-Ah, floating at her side kissed her forehead lightly too.

“Good night, all of you. See you at the party!”

Hwan-Hyeok beamed, “Yes, Hwan-Seong.” Next, he pretended to sulk again, to disguise his affection. Even under the cover of darkness, he had gone ruddy.

Hwan-Seong descended and thought to himself, “I feel like I can use magic easier now. I’m definitely not imagining it”.

He could give this more thought later. He had to focus on the party the next day.