I Was Born as the King’s Daughter – Chapter 4

Ch 4

He says he is my fiancé.

◈◈◈

It wasn’t that I liked or loved Jin-soo from the beginning. In fact, I thought we had a lukewarm relationship, not a passionate one. To be more honest, I thought Jin-soo liked me much more than I liked Jin-soo. When I was stabbed by that psycho’s knife, I realized that was wrong. I think I liked Jin-soo very much and really loved him without even realizing it. More than any other pain, the emptiness of thinking I might lose Jin-soo tormented me relentlessly. In that short moment, I shouted in my heart that I wanted to see Jin-soo thousands of times. The desire to think of Jin-soo was so great that there was no room for other words or thoughts.

‘It’s definitely him. It’s Jin-soo.’

There’s no mistake. It’s really Jin-soo. He was much younger than the Jin-soo in my memory. He looks about 17 years old. He looked about the same age as my beloved first older brother, Kim Hyeong-seok. So, he looks about 13 years older than me.

“This child is my fiancée.”

However, the way Jin-soo looked at me in my memory and the way this man in front of me looked at me were so different. That’s why my heart ached. His face is exactly the same as Jin-soo’s.

‘Jin-soo…’

Gang Seo-yeong ssi whispered to me.

“Sang-hui, why aren’t you greeting him? He’s going to be your husband.”

I bowed my head in a daze.

“Hello? I’m Kim Sang-hui. I’m four years old.”

I started speaking very quickly. Among the girls of this era, I am said to be the fastest. I started speaking as soon as my vocal organs and oral structure were developed, so it can be said that I am very fast. The vocabulary I use also doesn’t match a four-year-old. Even though my appearance is like this, my inner self is now approaching 30 years old. That’s why even my father is sometimes surprised when he looks at me. I’ve even heard him say that I’m quite something for a girl. Ahem.

“Oppa. You’re so cool. （Oppa. You’re so cool.）”

But I still can’t pronounce things well. D*mn it. If I pronounce it comfortably, my pronunciation is slurred. Han Jin-soo said.

“I am Han Jin-soo.”

His name is… Han Jin-soo. Han Jin-soo. The name I loved so much. But he is not that Jin-soo. If it were Jin-soo, there is no way he wouldn’t recognize me.

“But I have someone I love.”

“……..”

Thump. I heard a strange sound. It felt like it was coming from my heart. Gang Seo-yeong ssi seemed to have guessed it and waited quietly without saying anything.

‘I’m young. It’s okay to ask because I’m young.’

“Someone you love?”

Pretending not to know anything, I tilted my head and asked as cutely as possible. I don’t know why, but I felt a strange feeling like I was going to cry. I clenched my fist tightly. I clenched it painfully to stop the tears from coming out.

“Of course, I will marry you. The engagement has already been finalized. But you’d better give up on the idea of being loved by me.”

Even though Gang Seo-yeong ssi was next to him, Han Jin-soo here spoke carelessly. This is not a strange or rude thing. Even if my father were here, he could say these words. Polygamy is common here, and the concept of cheating doesn’t exist in this world. So, from Han Jin-soo’s perspective, this statement is no different from saying, ‘I’m going to eat kimchi stew tomorrow.’ From my perspective, I should be grateful that he’s saying he’ll marry me. It doesn’t make sense, but that’s the way this world is.

I smiled brightly.

“Hehe, am I getting married to that oppa? （Hehe, am I getting married to that oppa?）”

I know my situation. I have to look good to men. I don’t want to live just as a plaything for men. I don’t know why I ended up here, but if there is a reason, I think someone took pity on me and made me a king’s daughter so that I could change this place. But I can’t do anything yet. After all, I’m just a four-year-old. I can’t even pronounce things properly.

“I’m happy!”

I’m not happy.

“Thank you!”

I bowed deeply. It’s the deep bow that adults talk about. Han Jin-soo stared at me for a while, then greeted Gang Seo-yeong and went outside.

I was able to hear more about Han Jin-soo from Gang Seo-yeong ssi. She said Han Jin-soo was an outstanding man. In this world, being outstanding meant being born with a lot of magic power. In other words, it was talent. She said Han Jin-soo was a genius. His absolute amount of magic power is high, his purity is high, and his recovery rate is extremely high, making him a genius who appears once or twice in a hundred years and can contribute to the development of this world.

He was very different from the Jin-soo in the other world. The Jin-soo in the other world was a bit lacking somewhere. He chased me for over eight years. First as a friend, then as a lover, and later as a husband. He was really naive. It’s a bit much for me to say this, but anyway, he was a fool who only knew me.

‘My heart feels strange.’

It’s just a coincidence that his name is the same and his face is the same. It doesn’t make sense, but I’m already experiencing something that doesn’t make sense. Even if one more thing that doesn’t make sense happens, I wouldn’t be able to disbelieve it.

‘It’s strange.’

I turned off the light. It’s time to sleep. I wanted to cry quietly… but this four-year-old body was a bit difficult to control as I wanted. The sound of sobbing kept leaking out, and since it had come to this, I decided to just cry openly. I emphasize that I am a young baby.

Our Song Su-jin ssi, who is still being tormented by the princes, ran to me.

“What’s wrong, Princess nim!”

“I saw a ghost! A ghost was chasing me! （I saw a ghost! A ghost was chasing me!） Waaah!”

I’m not ashamed. I’m not ashamed. I’m absolutely not ashamed. This is really, absolutely, unconditionally not shameful. Yes. I’m not ashamed. Because I’m a baby. Because I’m a baby!

…Waaah. I’m ruined. I’m so embarrassed.

◈◈◈

Song Su-jin ssi said that she thought of me as a very precocious child. Oh my, our Princess nim. I thought you were always like an adult, but now I see you’re a baby again. You’re so cute, she said, and hugged me tightly. Since then, I’ve started my full-fledged operation.

“Chocolet! Give me chocolet! （Chocolate! Please give me chocolate!）”

When I do that, the kind-hearted Song Su-jin ssi would give me a chocolate bar or chocolate. And I hid it away carefully. It’s a very excellent tool to train my second older brother, Kim Hwan-seong. Kim Hwan-seong is already seven years old, but he lives and dies for chocolate. I don’t know if it’s because that gaecha-ban forced him, but anyway, he’s a new life form that shows a strong obsession with chocolate bars.

“Older brother. I’m like a puppy. （Older brother. I’m like a puppy.）”

Kim Hwan-seong corrected me with a serious face.

“You’re like a dog.”

Hey, you, my brother. Don’t get serious about this.

“If older brother treats me like a cute puppy, then I’ll give older brother chocolate! （If older brother treats me like a cute puppy, then I’ll give older brother chocolate!）”

Ah. My hands and feet. Where did my hands and feet go? I’m cringing just saying it. It feels like I’ve become a dried squid thrown onto a hot, heated rock. But again, I’m a four-year-old. Our Song Su-jin ssi was looking at me with a pleased expression, and Kim Hwan-seong, who had been looking solemn, suddenly loosened up with a he-!

“Chocolate? Is that real?”

“Yes! I have this~much chocolate.”

“My younger sister is as cute as a puppy!”

“As cute as a puppy?”

When I tilted my head, Kim Hwan-seong, who only becomes quick-witted when a chocolate bar is involved, quickly changed his words.

“Much~ more cuter than a puppy.”

“Hehe. My older brother is much cooler.”

Ah. My pride. I’m ruined. I’m ruined. I’m really going to great lengths to please a seven-year-old. I’m so embarrassed I could die. What should I do?

Several days passed. I was able to hear new news from Song Su-jin ssi. My designated fiancé, Han Jin-soo, was leaving for the Empire to train in magic. In Earth terms, it was close to studying abroad. My first older brother, Kim Hyeong-seok, was taken hostage in the Empire, but Han Jin-soo was leaving to study.

“Our Princess nim’s fiancé has been accepted into the Imperial Magic Academy with top marks.”

“Magic Academy?”

“Yes. Princess nim may not know yet, but the Magic Academy in the Empire is the best elite training institution in the world.”

I know. I know too. I’ve read a lot of books. Even though I have the lowly status of a woman, I am a princess, so I can read books as I please. In this era, all women could do was watch TV or read books, and I was able to get a lot of books by asking Gang Seo-yeong ssi. Most of them were children’s fairy tales or world classics for children, which was a bit annoying though.

“Our Princess nim. You have to dress up beautifully tomorrow.”

“Beautifully? Are you going to make me beautiful?”

“Of course! There’s a farewell party for the person who will become our Princess nim’s husband, so our Princess nim has to be the prettiest, right?”

I shouted, “Wow! That’s exciting!” When I do this, Song Su-jin ssi is very happy. Well, how pretty must I be in Song Su-jin ssi’s eyes? I listen well and act cute. And I have my second older brother, Kim Hwan-seong, wrapped around my finger. In Song Su-jin ssi’s eyes, I’m probably a treasure.

Oh, right. I have a lot of half-sisters above me. I haven’t seen them even once in four years.

Thinking about it, it’s also annoying that there are only two older brothers above me, but why do they always come to my room and make me “Mureo-wat!” instead of going to those many older sisters? D*mn it. It’s annoying. Let’s talk about something else for a moment, they say it’s fun to play with me. Of course, it is. How much do I suffer to please you guys? Kim Hwan-seok pretends to be cool and chic, but he’s just a kid. Even if he doesn’t show it, he definitely has a liking for me. Of course, not as a man and woman, but a liking as it is.

The door opened. It’s that damn second older brother, Kim Hwan-seong.

“Mureo-wat!”

“Oppa!”

I frowned openly.

“Not oppa, but older brother!”

Kim Hwan-seong grinned. No, it’s too good to even call it a grin. He was splitting his face open. Suddenly opening the door and throwing a cloth doll and saying “Mureo-wat,” does he really want to die? You bad bastard. Waaah. Kim Hwan-seong grinned and said.

“It’s okay to call me oppa too, right?”

“You also have decorum and dignity!”

“You don’t sound like you have any decorum or dignity when you speak with that pronunciation? Can’t you pronounce it right?”

“It’s too much. I won’t play with oppa.”

Kim Hwan-seong, being my older brother, stroked my head and laughed. He says it’s fun to watch my reaction. Of course, it is. I’m showing you the reaction you like.

“The other kids aren’t fun. When I say something, they get all scared and just watch my every move, you know?”

That’s natural, you little brat. This is that kind of world. I also try hard to make you guys happy, but how much do I try not to cross the line? You little brat. Do you know my desperate heart? No. You probably don’t know. D*mn it.

“Then I’m going!”

No. Why did you even come? You bastard. You’re busy doing swordsmanship or whatever, right? Are you really that busy?

But I bowed politely.

“Goodbye.”

The door burst open again.

“Then are you really coming back?”

“……..”

The door closed. And then it opened again.

“Mureo-wat!”

He threw the cloth doll. Aish. That bastard. I just want to kill him… hmm. No, I want to beat him up. Really. Kim Hwan-seong laughed and left. I looked at Song Su-jin ssi. We were having an important conversation. About my fiancé’s farewell party. So, shall we start that conversation?

Song Su-jin ssi looked at me. She was looking at me with a loving face, which makes me feel uneasy. Uh. Uh. Don’t come closer. Don’t come! Song Su-jin hugged me. She rubbed her face all over mine.

“Princess nim. You’re so cute.”

Go away. D*mn it. I can’t breathe. We have an important conversation left!

◈◈◈

Han Jin-soo is a promising talent of the Goryeo Kingdom. Han Jin-soo himself knows that. He has also achieved the feat of entering the Imperial Magic Academy with top marks. He will be leaving for the Empire in a week. It’s something he’s been hoping for. But there’s something that bothers him.

‘That little kid…’

It was strange. The feeling was really strange.

‘Why on earth did I say those words?’

He lay in bed, tossing and turning. There’s no way he would have a woman he loves. His fiancée has already been decided, and he has been educated and raised as an elite of the kingdom, so he couldn’t even think about women. He didn’t have time for that, and he has hardly ever met a woman in his life. He had no interest in women at all.

‘But why on earth did I…’

He had said, “I have a woman I love.” He couldn’t understand why. It just felt like he had to say it.

‘Why does she look familiar?’

And she looked familiar. He didn’t know. His head was complicated. He hadn’t been able to sleep properly for days since he saw that little kid.

‘Tomorrow… she’ll come to the farewell party. After all, she’s my fiancée.’

Only then did Han Jin-soo feel a strange feeling like his mind was calming down.

‘D*mn it. I feel really strange.’

He forced himself to sleep. Tomorrow is the day of the farewell party. If he doesn’t sleep well, he won’t be able to show a good image in front of the many elders of the kingdom.

But he couldn’t fall asleep. It was really strange. He stayed up all night with his eyes open.

And the farewell party began.

━————————–= Afterword —————————=

This story will probably be updated once a day, or at the latest once every two days.