Royal Coup d'État - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1
Some said she was stubborn, others that she lacked flexibility. It was hard to judge which assessment was right, but she herself thought both had merit.
She hadn’t been born shouting principles. The child born between Uijeong Daegun and Yeosan Bubuin—a mere 2.6 kilograms—had once harbored plenty of dreams and hopes.
Going to the Amusement Park without any bodyguards, or playing outside until her body was covered in scrapes. Such small dreams existed, and alongside them were ambitions so grand they seemed absurd by now.
Whenever she visited the Hospital, she wanted to be a nurse. Whenever the TV came on, she wanted to be a newscaster.
There was a time when adults smiled warmly at dreams that changed several times a day, and that alone was enough to make her happy.
But after that day at seven years old, everything changed. A guileless nature wouldn’t let her survive in the Imperial Household. Idle dreams alone couldn’t protect anything.
“Don’t forget that you are of the Imperial Family, Seon. Your choices, your actions—there are eyes watching all of it, and you must always remember what consequences follow from even the smallest of your movements.”
Seon was innocent, but at the same time shrewd.
Yet from that seventh year onward, she became an entirely different person.
To protect those she loved, and to shield herself.
Seon had no choice but to temper her resolve again and again, hardening into someone of steel.
So even when that autumn proved unusually hectic, even when her body suffered from the irresponsibility of other Imperial Family members, Seon carried out her share without complaint.
“Are you all right?”
“Sigh…”
Still, this was too much.
While it was routine for her to be assigned official duties, there were always days that tested her limits.
Seon examined her face in a handheld mirror from the back seat of the limousine. At the sight of the broken blood vessels in her eyes, she couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly.
The morning began with a visit to the pediatric ward of Suhak University Hospital, and her schedule was packed all the way through to dinner with several ambassadors.
No matter how famous and beloved an Imperial Family member she was, she shouldn’t have been obligated to move about so relentlessly.
All of Seon’s hardship right now was because of those damnable fools.
“Has Gyeongan Kun still not made contact?”
That fool of a cousin—vacant-minded, utterly brainless, with a gift only for infuriating people.
And Jung Baebu, guarding his son’s reputation as though it were his only source of pride while casually neglecting his duties.
Then there were the distant cousins and other relatives trailing after him, brazenly ignoring official duties while dutifully collecting the allowances provided to titled Imperial Family members.
More than one person stirred Seon’s anger, but today her fury was especially directed at Gyeongan Kun, who’d been out of contact for days.
He’d wasted years chasing an Ivy League dream that never suited him, managed to get into some college in some state, and spent four years on a two-year program. Barely scraping his way into graduate school with a lawn-quality GPA, he hadn’t even graduated yet.
When he’d returned recently, he claimed to have taken a leave of absence due to concern for the Emperor’s health, but rumors spread that he’d actually been expelled by his thesis advisor.
Regardless, now that he’d returned home, shouldn’t he at least be conscientious enough to participate in official duties?
“The sun is high in the sky. Even if he drank himself to sleep, shouldn’t he be awake by now?”
“I doubt that very much. Did you perhaps expect him to be?”
Jo Seokchul, sitting in the passenger seat and glancing at her, answered coolly.
Seon clenched her teeth, unable to hold back her rising anger.
She’d grown accustomed to restraining her emotions as an Imperial Family member, but the mere thought of Gyeongan Kun made her blood boil.
On the whole, she despised those who shirked their Imperial duties while greedily claiming their privileges.
Since she’d finished the visit to the pediatric ward reading fairy tales to the children, it was now time to head to the Traditional Market for the scheduled encouragement visit. It was a schedule that should have been shared with Gyeongan Kun.
“He appears to still be at Uigu Daegun Palace in Changwon. Nothing unusual has been reported,” Jo Seokchul replied matter-of-factly, swiping through his tablet screen. Seon’s fists tightened, and she absently struck her own thigh. The soft flesh beneath the thin autumn dress pressed against her fist.
The Office of the Imperial Household continued assigning her duties, yet her shameless and pathetic cousin hadn’t stepped outside the house even once since his return.
Well, judging by the endless stream of women coming and going from Uigu Daegun Palace, which he apparently thought grander than the Imperial Palace itself, he was certainly at home.
The official duties that had fallen through were reassigned to her—to the most popular and famous Imperial Family member, the best candidate to clean up the mess.
She understood that public figures stepped forward to reduce backlash from the people, and that this too was part of her duty as an Imperial Family member. But she was growing weary of a daily existence that meant carrying his responsibilities as well.
“If he’s going to keep acting this way, he should just renounce his meager title and live freely without the pressure of official duties!”
Seon growled as she spoke.
“Those useless relatives—shouldn’t the Imperial Censorate step in now and discipline them?”
“Even if we reported them, would the Censorate actually investigate? They’re already in Uigu Daegun’s pocket.”
“Is there anywhere that snake of a man hasn’t reached his hands into?”
Seon shook her head in disgust.
Uigu Daegun was her second uncle.
As the second son of the Emperor, his public recognition wasn’t particularly high, but absurdly, his influence within the Imperial Household was considerable. He’d devoted far greater effort to building his own power base than to spending his time on official duties.
As a result, despite the legitimate existence of the Crown Prince as the elder son, support for Uigu Daegun as the second son grew with each passing day.
Known for his good nature and generous spirit, he openly drew people to his side.
Some people, with shameless audacity, even spoke of him as being fit for the throne. Whenever that happened, he would deflect with ambiguous words, neither affirming nor denying, and he would receive even greater praise as a humble prince.
As if he were anything more than a filthy creature coveting another’s seat.
“If he’s going to play the likable gentleman, he should at least fulfill his own role—at minimum!”
That great Uigu Daegun handed the tedious duties of the Imperial Household to his younger siblings and nephews.
Yet for events where photos would be well taken—meetings with CEOs of major corporations, state dinners and formal receptions—he showed his face even when they weren’t his responsibility.
Neglecting duty while claiming privilege. It was precisely the behavior Seon loathed most.
The Republic of Korea was a constitutional monarchy.
The Emperor was the symbol of the nation, the embodiment of national unity, the head of state, and the representative of the country to foreign nations.

She recognized and followed the nation’s supreme law, the constitution, and acted in accordance with the sovereign will of the people.
When the country had faced chaos and fought its war of independence, the nation had taken the name Korea to honor the Imperial Household that had stood at the forefront and the people who had walked alongside it.
Therefore, the people and the Imperial Household always walked the same path, and the Imperial Family Members bore the duty to contribute to social stability and national prosperity…….
It was certainly a simple and lucid lesson that even a five-year-old royal had learned.
Those whose place in the succession order ranked higher than her own were shuttering themselves away, ignoring duties that even a five-year-old Imperial Family Member could grasp.
Was this not more contemptible than a minor collateral branch quietly slipping into state functions out of public view?
Buzz—
Seokchul’s mobile phone vibrated in his hand. She reached for the prepared water and twisted off the cap. As the cool liquid traced her throat, she found herself hoping the call was a penitent one from Gyeongan Kun, finally emerging from whatever scandal had ensnared him.
“Yes? Yes. Yes.”
Seokchul’s voice darkened rapidly as he took the call. If it had been Gyeongan Kun, his tone would have risen with indignation rather than dimmed—so this was not the conversation she’d been hoping for.
“Yes. Then……. I’m afraid, yes. Then I shall escort you there at once. Yes.”
When he finally lowered the phone, his expression had grown grave.
From years of living this life, she sensed instinctively that something was gravely amiss—not merely some scandal involving Gyeongan Kun or Uigu Daegun.
She drew in a long breath. It was always this way: a great shock came crashing down. Perhaps the fresh air filling her lungs would soften what was to come.
After steadying his breathing, Seokchul reported to her.
“Today’s schedule is cancelled. An imperial decree has been issued that all Imperial Family Members are to remain at their residences on standby.”
“What?”
Her expression hardened. The faint smile that had lingered at her lips vanished entirely.
No matter how she considered it, there was no incident grave enough to halt the Imperial Household’s state functions.
Even if Gyeongan Kun, that walking scandal, had caused some great uproar, even if Uigu Daegun had failed to contain his son’s transgression, there would be no reason for the feet of every Imperial Family Member working for the nation to stop moving.
And besides—was the banquet scheduled for this evening not a state function?
As an ill foreboding crept across her skin, Seokchul barely managed to speak.
“……The Crown Prince has met with an accident.”
The water bottle she had been holding slipped from her grasp.
Thud!
The half-full bottle bounced against the floor of the limousine and rolled away. But neither the cold water soaking the car’s floor nor her own shoes registered as she stared blankly ahead.
“Jo. What did you just say?”
“My lady. Compose yourself.”
Seokchul’s voice came clipped and controlled, emotion firmly restrained.
In moments like this, one had to remain steady. She gripped her trembling hands tightly and nodded.
Seeing her regain some measure of composure, Seokchul continued.
“The Crown Prince suffered a severe accident while traveling to Suwon. His heart stopped once during transport to the hospital. He was revived, but the situation is grave.”
“What does that mean?”
“There is no possibility of recovery, they say.”
No possibility of recovery?
The world tilted beneath her in that instant.
The uncle closest to her, the one she had revered most—he was dying?
In that darkness, she felt something else bloom.
She had been thrust into a tempest so vast, so terrible, that she had never once dared to dream of it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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