Chapter 6
The man’s face tried to fill Seon’s mind, spreading like a mass of clouds.
Sometimes he was like a rat, and other times like a tiger. He was a frightening opponent, yet somehow ridiculous at the same time.
Seon shook her head again, pushing the image away.
“There may be external forces trying to abolish the Imperial Family itself, but there are also fools within the Imperial Family who believe that if the Crown Prince simply disappears, they could become Emperor.”
The structure of the Imperial Family was somewhat complicated.
The former Emperor had two sons and one daughter.
However, his eldest son was an illegitimate child, while his second son and daughter were born to Empress Jinseong, who had risen from the position of a concubine to become Empress.
When the Imperial Family Law was enacted, the right of succession passed to the legitimate second son. However, Empress Jinseong, who had taken in and raised the former Emperor’s eldest son from a young age, made him a Prince and formally registered him as her adopted son.
That gave him grounds to claim the throne as well.
Legally, he had become the eldest son of the Empress, giving him a legitimate basis for succession.
“Of course, Prince Yeonchin and Princess Jeonghoe never coveted the throne, but there are still Imperial Family members who regret that they lost their place in the line of succession.”
“If we’re being precise, that means both of them originally had a higher claim to the throne than His Majesty does now.”
“There will always be small fry muddying the waters. Though I suppose we can’t exactly blame those two for it.”
From the outside, the Imperial Family appeared harmonious and peaceful.
But within its walls, there were factions that slandered one another and sought to gain even the slightest advantage.
Perhaps the origins of those factions could be traced back to the descendants of Prince Yeonchin or Princess Jeonghoe.
But Seon didn’t even need to look that far.
Wasn’t there already her sly, snake-like Second Uncle right beside them?
Seok-cheol nodded in agreement, his face stiff.
“Then do you believe someone among the Imperial Family was involved in His Highness the Crown Prince’s accident?”
“Who knows? What do you think, Jo Jeonwi?”
“I understand Your Highness’s reasoning. But I wonder if they would really go so far as to take such a reckless gamble.”
“That’s true. Members of the Imperial Family have a lot to lose, after all.”
Members of the Imperial Family were given plenty simply for breathing.
It started with personal allowances paid from the moment they were born. Once they received a title, additional stipends were provided according to their rank, and the budgets allocated to their respective palaces were substantial as well.
Moreover, once they married and became independent from their parents, they were even granted mansions in the provinces.
There was no denying that they lived luxurious lives.
It was the twenty-first century. Being a member of the Imperial Family wasn’t supposed to mean that much.
Seon had been born as the Emperor’s youngest granddaughter, but she had never been dissatisfied with her position.
But wasn’t human nature fundamentally driven by greed?
The line of succession wasn’t merely a numbered ranking for determining who would become Emperor.
Even the allowances for maintaining one’s dignity were paid differently according to one’s place in the succession. The higher one’s position, the more often one had to appear before the public.
“You know that too, don’t you, Jo Jeonwi? Grand Prince Uigoo has been continuously demanding that he be elevated to the rank of Prince.”
“Yes. He has been insisting on it tirelessly for a very long time.”
The Emperor was exceptionally strict when it came to spending taxpayer money.
After deciding that stipends would be paid differently according to rank, he had even given his sons the title of Grand Prince rather than Prince in an effort to prevent unnecessary expenditures.
Despite having such a father, Grand Prince Uigoo stubbornly insisted on becoming a Prince.
In the end, that stubbornness also stemmed from greed for money.
“Having a lot to lose also means having a lot in your hands. And doesn’t that mean you also have the desire to possess even more?”
Seon murmured.
It was common knowledge that Grand Prince Uigoo maintained close relationships with prominent figures in politics and business, arranged marriages for collateral members of the Imperial Family, and maintained friendships with high-ranking government officials.
Everyone who knew anything about the matter also knew that he received under-the-table money in the form of political donations in the process.
If the Emperor had been a little younger and still possessed the vigor of his younger years—or if he had at least completely controlled the Office of the Inspector-General, which was supposed to serve as a check on such power—he would certainly have dealt with him.
But the Emperor was ill now, and the Office of the Inspector-General, which should have served as a check, was filled with people loyal to Grand Prince Uigoo.
There was nothing he could do.
“Is he the person you’re suspicious of?”
Seok-cheol asked with a frown.
“Could Grand Prince Uigoo really have gone so far as to do something like that?”
“Who knows? We’ll find out once we investigate.”
Seon smiled bitterly and interlaced her fingers, clasping both hands together so tightly that her knuckles pressed against one another.
“But isn’t the timing rather suspicious? Everyone who could be considered a political rival is dead.”
“Your Highness.”
Jo Jeonwi appeared to fall into thought for a moment before running a hand through his hair and letting out a short sigh.
“You must never voice your current suspicions outside.”
“I know.”
I know that I still don’t have any power.
Swallowing those final words, Seon brought her interlaced hands up beneath her chin.
Her protruding knuckles dug into her jawbone.
She had clasped her hands so tightly that the knuckles had turned white.
After watching Seon for a moment, Jo Jeonwi calmly conveyed the latest information.
“His Majesty is summoning the Council of Imperial Relatives the day after tomorrow. I’ve heard that the order restricting the Imperial Family members to their residences will be lifted tomorrow night.”
“What will be discussed at the council?”
“By then, the media embargo will probably have been lifted. They’ll likely discuss measures regarding the situation.”
They had barely managed to keep the Crown Prince’s current condition out of the press, but the accident had been far too serious to hide completely.
Since the Crown Prince’s exact condition had not been reported, there were certainly people who had noticed that something was suspicious.
The scale of the accident was considerable as well.
Seok-cheol had said that posts asking what was going on had already begun appearing occasionally on online communities.
If they had managed to keep things under control for four days, then the Imperial Household Department had mobilized virtually every ounce of its authority to suppress the information.
Of course, there was no way the Council of Imperial Relatives could play such an important role.
Imperial Family members were, for the most part, stupid and greedy.
Still, it was the perfect time for the Emperor to keep an eye on them as he wished.
“And there is somewhere you need to go before the order restricting the Imperial Family is officially lifted tomorrow and they begin moving around again.”
“By myself?”
“It is an Imperial command.”
At the words Imperial command, Seon instantly snapped to attention.
She remembered the proposal she had received from the Emperor when they met the previous day.
It hadn’t been a request.
It had been an order to join the Special Investigation Team for Imperial Family Cases and assist with the investigation.
“Will I really be of any help?”
Seon asked uncertainly.
This time, even Seok-cheol couldn’t answer with confidence.
“Since that is His Majesty’s will, what else can we do?”
Seon sighed.
She had spoken confidently in front of her father, but there was no helping the fact that she felt lost.
What could she possibly gain by participating in an investigation that was likely to proceed as a mere formality?
What exactly was Grandfather expecting from her?
Her vision seemed to grow darker, but unfortunately, time continued to pass.
Today wasn’t a public engagement where cameras would follow her, but Seon began preparing early in the morning.
The fact that she carefully paid attention to every detail, from her makeup to her clothes, even for private engagements like this, was the result of years of conditioning.
That was simply what life as a member of the Imperial Family was like.
Even wearing clothes in a slightly different color or putting on gloves of a different length could result in people tearing you apart.
Even though she would only be meeting government officials who would be accompanying her during the investigation, she couldn’t afford to show the slightest weakness.
Besides, there were the materials Seok-cheol had brought her the previous night.
I knew the Office of the Inspector-General had been taken over by Grand Prince Uigoo, but he has people in the police, too?
Seon bit down gently on her lip.
Ever since she had received the list of members of the Special Investigation TF for Imperial Family Cases, along with notes on anything unusual about them, she had been so angry that she could barely sleep.
She was already facing a major setback before the investigation had even begun.
“Oh my! Your Highness! Your lipstick is coming off.”
Only after hearing the court lady scold her did Seon return to her calm expression.
She closed her eyes as she felt the ticklish sensation of the brush moving back and forth over her lips.
The vehicle carrying Seon quietly entered the underground parking lot of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
Since the Crown Prince’s accident was classified as top secret, Seon’s visit had to be kept strictly confidential as well.
Seon deliberately dressed entirely in black, pairing a tweed jacket with trousers and shoes of the same color.
After getting out of the vehicle, she gave a slight nod to Jo Jeonwi, who had gotten out of the passenger seat first and opened the door for her.
Then she stepped forward—
—and was greeted by an unfamiliar voice.
“Good morning.”
A man’s voice, low and stiff.
Seon slowly raised her head.
The man was dressed in a casual black T-shirt, a thin dark-brown leather jacket, and dark-colored jeans.
He greeted Seon with an expressionless face.
The short hair revealed as he bowed his head looked almost like the quills of a hedgehog, sharp enough to prick her.
Apparently, his hair wasn’t the only sharp thing about him.
His voice that followed was equally pointed.
“I am Inspector Kwon Tae-oh. I’ve been assigned to escort you.”
When the man straightened, Seon noticed a necklace dangling near his broad chest.
A photograph was attached to it.
It showed him with a face that looked slightly younger than the one before her now.
Seon cleared her throat briefly and gave him a light bow.
“Thank you for guiding me. I am Lady Cheongyang.”
That was all.
It had been nothing more than a simple greeting.
Yet the man’s brow immediately furrowed with the utmost displeasure.
For Seon, who had always been confident in at least her popularity with the public, this was the first time she had ever experienced such blatant rejection.
