Royal Coup d'État - Chapter 13

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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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Chapter 13
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The Royal Family Council had ended, but the Royal Family Members did not simply scatter and vanish.
The reason they had gone to such lengths to enter the Imperial Palace was abundantly clear. Their concern was not with the Crown Prince’s recovery.
It lay in quickly finding the next heir to the throne and swearing new loyalty.
When would the next Crown Prince be designated? The face darkened with sinister smiles. No one doubted that Uigudaegun would be the successor.
“Since the Crown Prince has no heir, things will be turbulent for a while, Your Majesty.”
“No matter how legitimate Uigudaegun’s succession may be, the public will chatter endlessly about it. It’s a troublesome matter indeed. Since the Crown Prince had no heir anyway, shouldn’t Uigudaegun have been designated as heir from the start?”
“If the Crown Prince cannot recover, wouldn’t it be better to depose him from the position and pass it to Uigudaegun instead?”
The Royal Family Members began attaching themselves to Uigudaegun’s side, eager to fill the vacuum. Smugness crept across Uigudaegun’s benevolent face as he laughed. He must be delighted. Sun let out a derisive snort and rose from her seat.
Outside Gyeongchun Hall, a small number of Royal Family Members who had chosen to leave were gathered in conversation. Sun surveyed them from the top of the hall’s steps.
Elder Royal Family Members like Gongchin Wang and their children. Even in a rotting royal household, there were always those who upheld the essential principle of loyalty to the Emperor.
Sun looked down at their serious faces. The worry etched into those grave expressions did not seem so different from her own.
So Uigudaegun would be the next heir. Though she had anticipated this day’s eventual arrival, the feeling of it looming before her now was far more dreadful than expected.
“Will you be returning to Byeolgung?”
“Yes.”
Dong, who had followed her out, tapped Sun’s shoulder gently. Sun nodded, having just swept her gaze over the interior and exterior of Gyeongchun Hall. Seeing the dozens of Royal Family Members clustering around Uigudaegun only drained her further.
“It seems the Royal Family Members attached to that side have grown even more numerous.”
Watching Uigudaegun laugh with such satisfaction made her appetite vanish entirely. Sun withdrew her gaze completely and smirked.
“When the Crown Prince was alive, all those people who stood in his camp are now completely attached to Uigudaegun.”
“That’s right. When did Yeongcheon Jung join that group? He seemed to be taking a different path from his father.”
“Because the Crown Prince is no longer here. The method of bringing in his son as an adopted heir failed, so it looks like he’s trying a different approach.”
Sun spoke coldly.
To ordinary people, being a Royal Family Member might seem impressive, but in reality, the status was no different from a limited sentence.
No matter how much a person was descended from the Emperor, all privileges ceased the moment they reached the fourth generation. In other words, anyone who called a preceding emperor their “great-great-grandfather” was no longer considered a Royal Family Member.
Until now, such cases had been rare, but as time passed, more and more children born to Royal Family Member parents were finding themselves outside the Royal Family.
Especially children born to collateral royalty like Dong or others of similar standing.
So it was difficult to fault those who grew anxious about it. The hope that their grandson or child would fall within the secure bounds of Royal Family status was nothing more than fundamental human desire.
“And yet here they are, skulking around and fawning like this.”
“Why would the Crown Prince’s accident matter to them now? They’re just hoping for scraps that might fall their way.”
Dong sighed and replied.
“I hear Uigudaegun’s temptations are becoming increasingly sweet.”
“Have you heard something specific?”
“He’s said he’ll push for a revision to the Royal Family Law. It sounds like he wants to maintain Royal Family status for descendants down to the Emperor’s great-grandchildren, and create a separate class after that.”
“Really? How could Uigudaegun manage such a thing?”
Sun laughed hollowly as she asked.
“Uigudaegun’s most cultivated connections are among members of the National Assembly—he’s opened doors with both ruling and opposition parties alike. The fact that he’s even brought up Royal Family Law revision, which would be the greatest temptation for my cousins, suggests some groundwork may already be laid.”
“Ah. I suddenly feel reality crashing down on me.”
Sun murmured, twisting her hair between her fingers.
“What does it matter if I’m the only one covering official duties? Uigudaegun gets to run around making requests everywhere, and meanwhile everyone just follows him around flattering him while complaining that I’m too particular and inflexible, badmouthing me publicly.”
Even Dong couldn’t offer comfort this time. Because every word was true.
And with the throne now within Uigudaegun’s grasp, there was no scenario where things would improve.
“If that man becomes Crown Prince, I’m just going to study abroad.”
“What’s the difference? Unless you get a full scholarship like me, you end up spending royal funds anyway.”
“Ah, right.”
Sun laughed hollowly.
The royal household had dozens of people studying abroad. Even Dong was one of them. Of course, few like Dong had left for early studies because of genuine talent and brilliance; most, like Gyeongan Gun, had gone to enjoy a life of leisure.
“Then how about defection instead? Or maybe meeting a foreign man, marrying him, and taking his country’s citizenship?”
“I understand the desire to leave, but for now, shouldn’t we first fulfill the duties that have been given to us?”
Dong patted Sun’s shoulder as she spoke. Her voice, heavy with exhaustion, resembled Sun’s own.
Unlike Sun, who took on various official duties without formal title, Dong was the director of the Royal Cultural Foundation. In terms of workload, she lagged behind Sun in nothing. Of course, this too was thanks to irresponsible Royal Family Members foisting tasks upon her or adding to her burden.
“You need to resolve what’s been assigned to you right away too.”
“The investigation, you mean.”
As that day’s atmosphere resurfaced in her mind, Sun bit her lip in pain.
“At least the Crown Prince should not leave this world with regrets.”
“If you need my help, tell me anytime. I feel responsible too.”
Guilt washed over Dong’s face. The Crown Prince had been scheduled to visit Suwon Hwaseong that day. Since the Royal Cultural Foundation managed the fortress, she felt a sense of responsibility.
Sun made a small clicking sound with her tongue.
“Sun!”
A voice called to them before melancholy could fully settle in. It was Seok Chul, rushing from the direction of the waiting room prepared for aides.
Sun glanced at Dong, then descended the stairs to meet Seok Chul. He was always composed, so his hurried approach struck her as unusual.
“What is it?”
Seok Chul caught his breath for a moment, glanced around, and lowered his voice. Sun instinctively leaned closer, tilting her head to listen.
“His Majesty is asking for you.”
“Now?”
At his words, Sun turned slowly to gaze into Gyeongchun Hall. From the foot of the stairs, she couldn’t see far inside.
If Uigudaegun found out, he’d have a fit. The moment Sun’s gaze left Gyeongchun Hall, Seok Chul pressed the point again.
“The imperial chamberlain came from the inner palace and delivered the message. You should go now.”
“All right, Sun. Go quickly.”
Dong, who had come down the stairs behind Sun at some point, spoke. The meeting had emphasized restraint regarding Royal Family Member access to the inner palace, so the Emperor summoning Sun was clearly no ordinary matter.
Sun nodded and, as if by instinct, glanced about once more.
That was when their eyes met—Uigudaegun emerging from Gyeongchun Hall.
Sun tried to look away indifferently, but it was already too late; she had caught Uigudaegun’s attention.
“Yeongcheon Jung. Haven’t you left yet?”
The question bristled with barbs. Sun placed both hands near her navel, smiled faintly, and bowed her head.
“I was just about to depart.”
“You should come and go at proper hours. There’s no point poking about in all manner of places unnecessarily.”
Uigudaegun’s eyes swept across Sun, Dong, and Seok Chul in turn, then he let out a thin laugh—a transparent gesture comparing them to the throng of Royal Family Members clustered at his side.
Still, Sun smiled. She was a woman who had lived her whole life waiting for the moment.
Since she was seven—since those Black Shoes had slipped away from her—she had done nothing but wait. For someone like her, this brief moment could not be difficult.
“Actually, I’ve been concerned about you. I hear your grandmother asked you to join the Royal Special Investigation Task Force? Mother truly is something—entrusting such rough work to a girl.”
Uigudaegun shook his head slowly. Though it seemed like concern, it was ultimately a remark meant to diminish her. How contemptible.
“I am merely fulfilling the duty my grandmother entrusted to me.”
“Still. How could such work be easy? Nothing goes your way, I imagine.”
Ah. The anger she had been swallowing caught in her throat. Uigudaegun spoke with such confidence, as though he knew everything that had happened in the Police Bureau conference room.
As though every matter lay in the palm of his hand. As though there was nothing she could do.
“Perhaps this uncle of yours might offer some help?”
“What do you mean, sir?”
At Sun’s somewhat rigid question, Uigudaegun laughed brightly.
“Those team members thwarting your efforts. I can replace them for you. Shall I change the Saheonbu nominee? Or swap out someone from the police side instead?”
Ha! She barely maintained her smile, pressing her lips harder to keep the corners from trembling.
The arrogance of thinking he could replace members of the Royal Special Investigation Task Force. Where did such confidence come from? Likely because he truly could do it, which was precisely why he boasted so freely.
Sun was powerless before Uigudaegun. She had no authority to restructure the Task Force membership, no right to seize control of the investigation.
But she had at least this much: stubbornness. The sheer obstinacy and tenacity to see that things did not unfold as Uigudaegun wished, even if she had to clutch at his trouser legs to do it.
“That won’t be necessary. I need only fulfill the work entrusted to me.”
She answered thus and met Uigudaegun’s gaze directly. His eyes—smaller than hers by half and slanted to the sides—fixed upon her like a serpent’s, as if ready to swallow her whole. Sun opened her eyes wide in return, refusing to yield.
“Since my grandmother is waiting, I shall take my leave now.”
In that instant, a crack appeared across Uigudaegun’s face. When there was nothing to gain, silence was preferable to exposure, but when he could wield words as a weapon, there was no need to hold back.
“Your grandmother summoned you? Why?”
“How should I know the Emperor’s intentions?”
Sun smiled deliberately and bowed once more. Uigudaegun clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, but in the end he did not try to stop her.

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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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