Chapter 1
Some people called Seon foolish, while others said she was stubborn to the point of obsession. It was difficult to judge which assessment was correct, but even Seon herself thought both descriptions were accurate.
It wasn’t as though Seon had been born preaching principles from the moment she came into the world.
The little girl born between Grand Prince Uigyeong and Grand Princess Consort Yeosan, weighing a mere 2.6 kilograms, had had plenty of dreams and hopes.
She had dreamed of going to an amusement park without any guards, or running around outside until her knees were scraped and bruised.
Those had been her small dreams, but she had also once had grander ambitions that would seem almost laughably excessive by today’s standards.
Whenever she went to a hospital, she would say she wanted to become a nurse. Whenever she turned on the television, she would say she wanted to become a news anchor.
There had certainly been a time when she felt happy simply watching the adults smile warmly at her ever-changing dreams, which changed several times a day.
But when she was seven years old, everything changed after that day.
One could not survive in the Imperial Family by remaining innocent and carefree.
Nothing could be protected by clinging to nothing but fanciful dreams.
“Never forget that you are a member of the Imperial Family, Seon. Your choices, your actions. There are eyes watching all of them, and you must always remember what kind of consequences can follow from even a single movement you make.”
Seon had been innocent, but she had also been clever.
Yet from the age of seven onward, Seon became an entirely different person.
To protect the people she loved, and to protect herself.
She had no choice but to temper her resolve over and over again until she became someone strong and unyielding.
That was why, even when that autumn became unbearably busy, and even when the irresponsibility of other members of the Imperial Family caused her to suffer physically, Seon carried out her share of the work without a single complaint.
“Are you all right?”
“Ha…….”
Even so, there were limits.
Having a great deal of official work assigned to her was part of Seon’s daily life, but there were bound to be particularly hectic days.
Seon examined her face in a hand mirror from the back seat of the limousine. Every time she saw the bloodshot veins in her eyes, she let out another sigh.
Her schedule had been packed from the morning, beginning with a visit to the pediatric ward of the affiliated hospital of Suhakwon University, followed by a dinner with several ambassadors.
No matter how famous and popular an imperial family member she was, she was not actually obligated to run around this busily.
The reason Seon was suffering like this was all because of those damn bastards.
“Has Prince Gyeongan still not contacted us?”
A stupid cousin whose head was empty and whose only real talent was getting on people’s nerves.
A paternal uncle who seemed to regard his son’s palace as his only source of pride and shamelessly neglected his duties without a care.
And the fifth and sixth cousins who trailed after him while brazenly ignoring their official duties, all the while dutifully spending the allowances provided to imperial family members with noble titles.
There was no shortage of people who could make Seon angry, but today, she was particularly furious with Prince Gyeongan, who had been out of contact for several days.
He had wasted years preparing for an Ivy League education that was completely beyond his abilities, then finally enrolled in a college in one state, where he somehow managed to spend four years on a two-year program.
The graduate school he had barely managed to get into by the skin of his teeth was still waiting for him to graduate, too…….
When he returned to Korea recently, he had claimed that he was taking a leave of absence because he was worried about the Emperor’s health.
But rumors were already rampant that his advisor had finally kicked him out.
No.
Regardless, now that he was back in the country, shouldn’t he at least have the conscience to participate in his official duties?
“The sun’s already high in the sky. Even if he’s been guzzling alcohol, shouldn’t he at least be awake enough to focus his eyes by now?”
“Wouldn’t happen. Were you actually expecting him to?”
Chief Guard Jo Seok-cheol, seated in the passenger seat, glanced at her and answered coldly.
Unable to contain her rising anger, Seon clenched her teeth.
She had grown accustomed to suppressing her emotions while living as a member of the Imperial Family, but whenever she thought of Prince Gyeongan, her anger kept bubbling up.
In general, Seon despised the sort of people who neglected their duties as members of the Imperial Family while taking full advantage of their rights.
She had just finished her solo visit to the pediatric ward, where she had read storybooks to the children.
Now it was time to move on to the scheduled visit to a traditional market to encourage the merchants.
Originally, that had been an event she was supposed to attend with Prince Gyeongan.
“He seems to still be at Grand Prince Uigoo’s Palace in Changwon. We haven’t heard anything unusual.”
Chief Guard Jo explained casually as he scrolled through the tablet screen.
Seon felt her fist tighten and, for no particular reason, slapped her thigh.
Through the thin fabric of her dress, still light enough for autumn weather, the soft flesh beneath was pressed by her fist.
The Imperial Household Department kept assigning her official duties, while her shameless and pathetic cousin had not stepped outside his residence even once since returning to Korea.
Well.
Judging by the endless stream of women entering and leaving that supposedly magnificent Grand Prince Uigoo’s Palace, which was said to be even more impressive than the Imperial Palace, it was clear that he was at least staying at home.
And so, all the official duties he skipped were reassigned to Seon.
Because the most popular and famous imperial family member was considered the easiest person to use for damage control.
Seon believed that stepping forward as the public face of the Imperial Family to reduce the people’s resentment was also part of her duty.
But she was sick of having to shoulder his responsibilities as part of her everyday life.
“If he’s going to keep acting like this, he should just give up his pathetic title and live comfortably without all the pressure of official duties!”
Seon growled.
“That household doesn’t fulfill its duties as members of the Imperial Family. Shouldn’t the Imperial Censorate step in and discipline them already?”
“If you file a complaint, do you think they’ll actually investigate? The Censorate is Prince Uigoo’s territory too.”
“Where in the world hasn’t that snake of a man reached his hands into?”
Seon shook her head as though she had grown thoroughly sick of it all.
Grand Prince Uigoo was Seon’s second paternal uncle.
As the Emperor’s second son, he wasn’t particularly well known among the public, but, absurdly enough, his influence within the Imperial Family was considerable.
Instead of spending his time on official duties, he had devoted far more effort to building his own faction.
Perhaps because of that, despite the Crown Prince being the undisputed legitimate heir, the faction supporting the Emperor’s second son, Grand Prince Uigoo, continued to grow.
The Grand Prince was known for having a good personality and being generous and fond of giving to others, and he openly drew people to his side.
Some people even went so far as to shamelessly say that the Grand Prince was the right man to become Emperor.
Whenever that happened, he would discourage them with vague words that were neither an affirmation nor a denial, earning even more praise as a humble Grand Prince.
But all that amounted to was a filthy wretch coveting someone else’s position.
“If you’re going to pretend to be such a nice person, you should at least do your own damn job!”
The great Grand Prince Uigoo dumped the Imperial Family’s minor duties onto his younger brother and niece.
At the same time, he made sure to show his face at events that offered good photo opportunities, meetings with the chairmen of major corporations, state banquets, and the like—even when they weren’t his assigned responsibilities.
Neglecting one’s duties while taking advantage of one’s rights.
It was exactly the sort of behavior Seon despised.
The Republic of Korea was a constitutional monarchy.
The Emperor was the symbol of the Republic of Korea and national unity, the head of state, and the representative of the nation in foreign affairs.
The Emperor acknowledged and obeyed the Constitution, the country’s highest law, and acted based on the collective will of the people, who held sovereignty.
When the country was thrown into chaos, and when it fought its war of independence, the Imperial Family had stood at the forefront alongside the people.
The country’s name had therefore been established as the Republic of Korea as a reminder never to forget the Imperial Family that had led the way and the people who had stood behind it.
For that reason, the people and the Imperial Family were always supposed to walk the same path, and members of the Imperial Family had a duty to contribute to social stability and national prosperity……
It was a simple and straightforward principle Seon had learned before she was even five years old.
Yet members of the Imperial Family who ranked higher than Seon in the line of succession were shutting themselves away and ignoring the very duties that even a five-year-old imperial child could understand.
Wasn’t this even more disgraceful than some obscure collateral branch quietly skipping its official duties because nobody knew their faces well enough to notice?
Bzzzt—
Just then, the phone in Seok-cheol’s hand vibrated.
Seon picked up the cold water that had been prepared for her and twisted off the cap.
As she gulped down the water, feeling the cold liquid slide down her throat, she hoped that the call would be from Prince Gyeongan, finally emerging from his alcohol-soaked stupor to make a repentant apology.
“Yes? Yes. Yes.”
Seok-cheol’s voice rapidly darkened as he answered the phone.
If it had been a call from Prince Gyeongan, his voice would probably have grown hotter rather than darker, so this apparently wasn’t the call Seon had been hoping for.
“Yes. Then…… I see. Yes. Then I’ll take her there. Yes.”
At last, he hung up.
His expression had become remarkably serious.
After spending so many years living this life, Seon could instinctively tell when something was wrong.
This had nothing to do with some trivial problem involving Prince Gyeongan or Grand Prince Uigoo.
Seon drew in a deep breath.
Whenever something like this happened, a major shock usually followed.
She hoped that the fresh air filling her lungs would lessen the impact somewhat.
After taking a moment to steady his breathing, Seok-cheol reported to Seon.
“Today’s schedule is canceled. His Majesty has ordered all members of the Imperial Family to remain on standby at home.”
“What?”
Seon’s expression gradually hardened.
The smile that had been lingering at the corners of her lips disappeared without a trace.
No matter how she thought about it, there was no event significant enough to warrant halting the Imperial Family’s official schedule.
Even if Prince Gyeongan, the walking embodiment of trouble, had caused some enormous incident, even if Grand Prince Uigoo had failed to clean up after his son’s accident, there was no reason for every imperial family member working for the people to stop all their activities.
Moreover, wasn’t the dinner scheduled for that evening a state event?
A foreboding feeling spread through Seon’s entire body, raising goosebumps across her skin.
Seok-cheol finally managed to open his mouth.
“……His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince has been in an accident.”
The water bottle Seon was holding slipped from her hand.
Bang!
The half-full bottle bounced off the floor and rolled away.
But Seon didn’t even notice the limousine floor or the soles of her shoes becoming soaked with cold water.
She simply stared blankly ahead before asking again.
“Chief Guard Jo. What did you just say?”
“Your Highness. Please remain calm.”
Seok-cheol spoke in a rigid tone, keeping his emotions firmly in check.
At times like this, they had to remain calm above all else.
Seon tightly clasped her trembling hands and nodded.
Once he saw that she had regained some composure, Seok-cheol continued.
“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince was involved in a serious accident while traveling down to Suwon. His heart stopped once while he was being transported to the hospital. Fortunately, it started beating again, but his condition isn’t good.”
“What does that mean?”
“They say there is no chance of resuscitation.”
No chance of resuscitation?
For a moment, Seon felt as though everything before her eyes had grown distant.
Her uncle—the person closest to her and the man she respected most—was going to die?
In that instant, when darkness seemed to swallow her vision, Seon felt something else as well.
She had been thrown into a tremendous storm, one she had never once dared to dream she would ever face.
