Royal Coup d'État - Chapter 43

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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 43
Marble flooring beneath a soaring ceiling hung with chandeliers. Beyond the expansive windows, open on all sides as if to penetrate the world itself, Seoul’s nighttime glow refused to fade.
Yet this grandeur stood at odds with the dim interior. Only a handful of wall lamps burned to match the mood, barely enough to make out the expression of the person across from you.
Even the lighting bent to the master of this place and his temperament.
Clink.
Prince Ui-gu turned his wrist, swirling the glass in his hand. The large, perfectly formed ice that had been there moments before had already begun to melt, striking the sides of the glass without mercy.
Condensation from the melting ice pooled in his palm, but he didn’t mind. His eyes—the eyes of a man in focus—didn’t waver in the slightest.
Countless automobiles racing along the streets below. The endless parade of buildings that had climbed so high you could no longer count the floors. All of this had been built by the Royal Family, had it not?
He took more pride in being born royal than anyone else. His father used to say that the Royal Family was no different from ordinary citizens, but he knew better than anyone that this wasn’t true.
‘Of course the most royal of royals ascends to the throne.’
He withdrew his indifferent gaze from beyond the window and turned it to the glass. It was fine whiskey, but with the ice already half-melted, it was inevitable that the taste would be ruined.
Prince Ui-gu clicked his tongue once and tilted the glass toward the floor without hesitation.
“Oops.”
The liquid splashed onto Prince An-heung, who was sitting beside him, but that was hardly a concern for Prince Ui-gu. Watching the ice shard fall to its swift demise on the floor, he decided that whoever couldn’t dodge the splash had only themselves to blame.
“Brother, shall I have someone bring new whiskey?”
Prince An-heung showed no sign of displeasure, immediately fawning over him with an ingratiating smile. The way he clung to him with that earnest grin was tolerable enough.
“Never mind. The liquor tastes like nothing anyway.”
“What? Brother, you say the whiskey tastes like nothing? It seems you’ve been dealing with too many difficult matters lately. It’s been a while since you’ve come here, hasn’t it?”
“When there’s an important matter looming, I can’t afford to fuss over trivialities.”
This bar was owned by Prince Ui-gu. Of course, the deed was under his late wife’s family name, but he was the true proprietor.
People who wanted to build connections gathered here.
Wealthy industrialists who felt they lacked prestige. Politicians who openly displayed their ambitions to climb higher. Even members of the Royal Family who held no executive power but whose bloodline was second to none.
What Prince Ui-gu did was merely to arrange the venue and offer a few words of facilitation. That alone was enough to secure considerable advantage in this social world.
“I suppose it’s time to wind down this operation.”
“What? Won’t you find it a pity?”
Prince An-heung looked around, greed dripping from his eyes without his even noticing.
Of course, Prince Ui-gu wasn’t entirely unmoved by the thought. But a man destined to become emperor couldn’t waste his time on such trifles.
“If you wish, you’re welcome to take over the place for now, younger brother.”
Prince Ui-gu spoke as he glanced at Prince An-heung. A creature that wagged its tail and came running whenever you tossed it scraps and showed it a little affection was truly simple to handle. Prince An-heung’s eyes lit up as he quickly replied.
“Truly, I may take it over?”
“There’s no harm in it. Besides, you’ve watched closely from my side often enough to understand how things operate here.”
Prince Ui-gu shrugged and withdrew a handkerchief from inside his jacket. The dampness on his hand was becoming bothersome at last. He wiped the moisture from his palm and cast an indifferent gaze forward.
“Prince Gyeong-an is hopelessly dull at these matters. I’d be grateful if you helped him well.”
“Help……him?”
“After all, the deed is under Prince Gyeong-an’s maternal uncle, isn’t it? Naturally, he too must have some say in things.”
Watching disappointment flicker across Prince An-heung’s face, Prince Ui-gu let out a hollow laugh.
Born under the same grandfather, yet how could they differ so greatly? Stupid and inferior. Not unwelcome to keep by one’s side and use, but inadequate for anything truly grand.
“Prince Gyeong-an will be the child who becomes emperor after me.”
Still, he couldn’t deny that he was useful enough for now. Training a hunting dog that followed him with such unwavering loyalty required considerable time and money, after all.
Prince Ui-gu spoke gently, placating Prince An-heung.
“I can’t remain attached to this place forever. When the time comes, it will pass into the hands of someone truly capable of running it well.”
“……I understand your meaning, brother.”
There. See how docile he becomes? Prince Ui-gu checked the corners of his mouth threatening to turn upward and patted him gently.
“Let’s focus on what’s urgent for now.”
“The British Crown Prince’s farewell address, yes?”
“No, no, Prince An-heung.”
But when he acted so foolishly, heat boiled up in him. The pulse that had beat valiantly through his blood suddenly ran cold.
His entire body, chilled and numb, instinctively sought to pour out its rage. Only by gritting his teeth did he manage to quiet the cage that threatened to rattle loose.
“Why is my cousin so incapable of thinking deeply?”
Prince Ui-gu respected his grandfather more than anyone.
A national hero who had led the Independence War, orchestrated a successful domestic campaign, and taken on the role of provisional leader to stabilize the chaos following Liberation.
Moreover, he had spearheaded the establishment of Constitutional Monarchy through a National Referendum, willing to relinquish the throne, thereby creating the modern Imperial Institution itself.
To be like that grandfather had been a lifelong dream. The joy of knowing that his grandfather’s blood flowed through his own veins was immense. Yet that some portion of that same blood also flowed through the veins of that pitiful fool was, as always, something that grated on him.
I am different from them. More royal than anyone, the bearer of my grandfather’s bloodline more richly than any other. That truth is immutable.
“The Crown Prince will board his plane at the appointed time and find his own way home without a second thought. Why would that be so important?”
Prince Ui-gu clicked his tongue lightly.
“What I need to concern myself with lies elsewhere, wouldn’t you say?”
“So that means…….”
“My father.”
As if irritated at having to spell everything out, Prince Ui-gu tossed the handkerchief irritably. It fluttered briefly across the table before growing limp and falling with a soft pat.
“You keep getting distracted, it seems.”
“How could I be thinking of anything else right now? Apart from you and Prince Gyeong-an, there’s only Prince Gyeong-cheon or Prince Ui-jeong.”
Prince An-heung let out a derisive snort as their faces crossed his mind.
“I haven’t seen Prince Gyeong-cheon in far too long—his face is already fading from memory. As for Prince Ui-jeong… surely His Majesty wouldn’t go that far?”
“It doesn’t seem like either of them.”
“Pardon? You don’t mean Princess Cheongyanghy Hyeonju?”
Prince An-heung’s expression twisted slightly.
“She’s the lowest-ranked among the direct Imperial Clan, and she’s a woman at that.”
“But the Emperor has favored that girl more than anyone else since the old days.”
“Well, she did live through what should have killed her, so… Ah, I didn’t mean it that way.”
Prince An-heung spoke the thought that had consumed Prince Ui-yeong, then hastily watched for Prince Ui-gu’s reaction.
As expected, Prince Ui-gu’s face had gone rigid. He began tapping his knuckles against one another—a meaningless gesture that produced no clear sound, yet persisted. Prince An-heung, who knew this was his habit when collecting his thoughts, fell silent and kept his mouth shut.
Princess Cheongyanghy Hyeonju. She had grated on him from the start—ever since she was caught up in Prince Ui-yeong’s accident and yet, alone among them, survived. From that moment forward, she had become the Emperor’s most beloved granddaughter, and simultaneously, a thorn in Prince Ui-gu’s eye.
Yet she was hardly worth the effort to remove. He had heard her criticized for pouring energy into meaningless state affairs, spouting nonsense about the value of the Royal Family—but she struck him as merely the daughter of Prince Ui-jeong, someone who wouldn’t dare confront him directly. Beneath his notice.
So when had she begun to make such a show of herself? Had the Emperor deliberately singled her out for a press conference, raising her profile so dramatically?
“Do not worry yourself too much.”
Prince An-heung spoke in honeyed tones, carefully watching Prince Ui-gu’s mood to see if his earlier slip of the tongue had offended him—a flattery no different from that of a court sycophant.
“There is no member of the Royal Family left in this world who could stand against you.”
“That much is true.”
And this, at least, was not wrong. Among all the Royal Family drawing breath on this land of the Republic of Korea, none remained who could be his equal. He had made certain of it.
“And yet… if you leave something irksome unattended, it festers into a great scar.”
But Prince Ui-gu was more cautious than one might think. He had devoted his life to more money, higher honors, and the throne itself. Now that the summit was within reach, he wanted no room for even the smallest misstep.
He leaned back against the sofa, crossing his legs comfortably, and allowed one corner of his mouth to curl upward. It was time to play the card he had kept hidden for so long.

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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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