Chapter 5
What kind of childhood did he have to accept this situation so quickly?
Is he really going to let this slide?
"?!"
What happened next occurred in an instant.
Thud-!
The king suddenly closed the distance between us and slipped his hand under my armpits, lifting me high into the air.
What, what’s happening?!
I was so shocked I didn't even have time to make a sound. The king scrutinized me from head to toe with his sharp gaze and spoke.
"You're light."
He lifted me up and down as if to gauge my weight like a piece of baggage.
"Too light."
Amidst the silence, the king's expression grew subtly complex.
"Ah, now I remember."
"......"
"You used to look like an ugly blob of flesh... but you've grown to be quite presentable."
He stared at me as if challenging me to a duel, his eyes burning with intensity.
‘Huh? Did I see that wrong?’
For a moment, I thought I saw a faint warmth in his sharply honed eyes.
"Your Highness. Surely...!"
The anxious senior servant urgently called out to the king.
And just like that, the warmth I thought I saw was replaced by a chilling coldness in his gaze.
"They say you’re my daughter."
I looked at him blankly, not understanding his intent, and tilted my head.
"Do you have anything to say?"
"……?"
What does he expect me to say?
I began to rack my brain.
There weren’t many things I could say in this situation.
‘Then...’
I resolved myself and opened my eyes wide.
It was time to use the desperate survival skills I had honed over the years!
"Daddy...?"
Calling my father "daddy"!
"Daddy...!"
But doing it in the most adorable way possible so he couldn’t possibly think of killing me!
"Hehehe!"
I gave him the most endearing smile, perfected over five years of practice.
‘This is humiliating.’
Even the best assassin once known is now reduced to fawning over the very person who abandoned me.
I suppressed the urge to throw a weapon at him and continued to smile.
"……."
The king was silent for a moment.
Then his expression began to crumple.
His already fierce eyes narrowed even further, and his lips twitched.
"It seems the princess has a problem with her speech abilities."
Did that not work?
If endearing him didn’t work, perhaps a more human approach might.
‘Change of tactics.’
I put aside the cutesy act and spoke more clearly.
"Father, are you... alright?"
"What do you mean."
"I didn't recognize the weapon and accidentally handled it. You could have been... harmed."
"That thing wouldn’t have harmed me, even if it was aimed at my head."
"Even so, I’m glad you're not hurt. It was really an accident. I’m so sorry."
"……."
At my words, the king's temples twitched, and I saw a green vein pop up.
‘This isn’t working either?’
If admitting my mistake and apologizing didn't work, there was only one method left!
"Daddy, I’m so happy to see you today. It’s truly wonderful. I’ve always been curious about you and wanted to see you."
Expressing infinite affection to show how harmless I am!
Tightly.
Suddenly, the king's large hand gripping my armpits tightened.
"Ugh."
He was so strong that even a slight squeeze sent a chilling pain through me.
"Your Highness...!"
Unable to bear the terrifying scene any longer, the senior servant intervened again.
"Shall I send someone to thoroughly investigate this matter and escort the princess back to her quarters...?"
"Enough."
The king immediately stopped him and released his grip on me.
"The mere sight of me."
Then the king quietly asked me.
"Does that make you happy?"
His black eyes, swirling with unfathomable emotions, seemed to pierce through me.
"Yes! It makes me so happy!"
Nod, nod!
Seizing the moment, I nodded my head cutely.
The king made a sound of contemplation and then spoke again.
"I didn’t plan to see you for long."
"Yes!"
"Even if I’m a heartless and cruel father who hasn’t given you a name?"
"Yes!"
"Why?"
"Because you’re my daddy!"
For a split second, the king's pupils shook ever so slightly.
It was a brief moment, but I was certain this small change was a positive sign.
"No matter what you look like or what you do, I like you, Daddy!"
Not missing the opportunity, I continued to express my 'Daddy, I love you' strategy to emphasize my harmlessness.
"Hehehe."
I didn’t forget to flash a winning smile, hiding my true intentions.
"……."
Unbeknownst to me, the king’s expression was subtly changing as he watched me.
Fortunately, the king didn’t say much more after that and put me down, allowing me to return to the secondary palace.
"Ugh, bleh! Ugh!"
I rinsed my mouth with water to cleanse the taste of the lies I had told to survive.
‘That was truly awful...’
Trying to charm the father who had abandoned me was a harrowing experience.
I felt uncomfortably uneasy.
‘But at least I got some information.’
An assassin needs to gather information about their target.
There were plenty of indirect sources, but I needed to directly assess his capabilities and state.
‘He’s incredibly skilled.’
One thing was clear: I wasn’t yet strong enough to face my biological father and needed more training.
‘The problem is, training without the attendants noticing isn’t easy.’
It would be helpful to have a loyal, dimwitted henchman who knew the palace inside out.
‘Anyway, after today’s ordeal, I deserve to unwind with my treasures.’
Shaking off my thoughts, I retrieved my treasure box from its hiding spot in the floorboards.
"Oh, my precious treasures...!"
Hairpins, chopsticks, needles...
These were my collection of throwing weapons.
They might seem worthless to others, but I had gone through great efforts to gather each one.
‘For an abandoned princess in a neglected palace, these are precious...’
I took one out and swung it a couple of times before giving up.
‘I can’t train here.’
Chief Lady Choi was very perceptive.
If I broke anything while practicing with these weapons, it would be discovered immediately.
"Princess! Where are you?"
Speak of the devil!
My peaceful time was short-lived.
Chief Lady Choi burst in with a commotion.
Hastily hiding my treasure box, I lifted my head.
"Huh...?"
However, she wasn’t wearing her usual annoyed and exasperated expression. Instead, she looked flustered.
"The concubine commands you to come immediately!"
‘Why on earth is she calling for me?!’
Anxiety made my eyes dart around.
‘Has it been almost three and a half years?’
It had been a long time since I last stood before Jipbokheon. [1]
This was the residence of Lady Go, where I had stayed as a newborn.
Ever since she ordered me to be moved to the secondary palace like a discarded tool, I hadn’t set foot here.
Even after learning how to sneak out of the secondary palace, I avoided places where I might encounter Lady Go.
To me, she was an even greater danger than the king!
‘Is she planning to get rid of me before she becomes queen...?’
"Hey, you!"
"?"
Following Chief Lady Choi into Jipbokheon, I stopped in my tracks.
"Hold it right there!"
Turning my head, I saw a familiar face.
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