Royal Coup d'État - Chapter 51

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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 51
* * *
Silence hung over the courtyard before Deokyou Hall.
Inside the residence, the sounds of packing Seon’s belongings and moving the luggage of Uijeong Daegun and his wife alternated, yet they failed to disturb the quiet that enveloped the family.
The family members simply gazed at one another in stillness. Even her mother, whose eyes had always glistened with moisture, now fixed Seon with a tense, watchful gaze.
What had I actually known all this time?
Seon found it impossible to read her parents’ expressions. They had never worn such faces before, so it was only natural. A hollow sense of emptiness washed over her.
The questions that went unasked died in her throat before ever reaching her lips.
“Seon.”
Her father spoke first. He stared at her with eyes turbid with confusion and tangled thoughts. Among the emotions swirling within them, fear was one she knew all too well.
Seon gazed steadily back at her father.
She had often thought him unworthy of a Royal Family Member, yet as a husband and father, he was beyond reproach. Even when she resented him for his fearfulness, she had never failed to understand him.
But now she could understand nothing. Perhaps because she loved him and her mother so deeply.
“Listen to what your father has to say.”
Uijeong Daegun’s voice held a note of genuine desperation.
Seon’s lips, already drawn tight, twisted into a slight smile. Her eyes, grown cold, never strayed a millimeter from his dark gaze.
He had been given countless opportunities. Seon was twenty-seven years old. Not seven, not seventeen—twenty-seven.
How long had they intended to deceive her? How long did these people called family mean to keep lying to her?
Gradually, color rose in Seon’s face and neck. Seeing this, Uijeong Daegun’s eyelids fluttered, and he gathered his courage to speak.
“Seon. I understand your feelings. You must resent me.”
“Now I finally understand why you told me not to harbor empty dreams. I was meant to protect your weakness, and I’m truly sorry that things have come to this.”
Seon answered with her arms folded across her chest. The fingers gripping her forearms went white with the force of her grip.
“What am I supposed to listen to? Surely not some grand love story of yours?”
Living as a Royal Family Member had taught her above all else the art of sarcasm. Her father could not even muster a reply to her caustic tone.
He had committed a crime, after all. It was only natural.
Seon turned away with a bitter laugh. At the end of her gaze stood her mother, who had stood in silence until now without uttering a single word.
‘What could Mother possibly be thinking?’
She wasn’t even curious about stories of her father’s past love. A great love story wasn’t worth hearing. It was a waste of time.
But her mother—why had she done it? No matter how poor the household was or how much they needed the Imperial House’s support, how could she have deceived her own child all this time? For what purpose?
Seon’s questions reached Yeosan Bubuin. The mother who was always frail now stood as straight as Seon herself, if not straighter.
“…Seon.”
At last, her mother spoke.
“I’m truly sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Strangely, she found it difficult to resent her mother, her accomplice in the deception. Even though every gesture of affection her parents had shown her now seemed tainted with suspicion, she could not bring herself to turn her accusations toward her mother.
“I only learned about the illegitimate child issue myself this time. But at minimum, we should have told you about our marriage beforehand. I’m truly sorry.”
Her mother took a step toward her. When Seon instinctively stepped back, her mother’s expression crumpled.
Her mother’s eyes glistened as though tears might spill at any moment. Only then did she resemble the woman Seon had known.
Yet she couldn’t tell whether those glistening eyes were real or whether her mother’s earlier composure and rigid bearing had been the truth.
“I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“…But I was hurt anyway.”
Seon’s voice turned glacial as she cut short the conversation.
Uijeong Daegun and Yeosan Bubuin exchanged glances, as if searching for the right words.
But Seon gave them no opportunity. When her insides churned and her thoughts turned white with rage, silence was the better choice.
Any further words would only make her want to wound them in return.
Seon exhaled a long breath and looked up at the sky. Beneath that cloudless, crystalline expanse, it was impossible to hide one’s heart.
“I’m going to the Imperial Palace. Halba Mama has prepared quarters for me there.”
“That is to say—”
Uijeong Daegun made to stop her out of habit, then faltered. He realized that in the face of Seon’s frozen gaze, he was powerless to go further.
“Father. Mother. I will become Emperor.”
Seon declared this in the courtyard before Deokyou Hall.
The words she had never dared speak aloud because of her father’s cowardice and her mother’s concealment—she finally uttered them before her family.
“Ha.”
Seon gave a small, solitary laugh. She had spoken these words to Jo Jeonwi before, to Tae-o before, and only now to her parents.
Perhaps because she had wrenched the words out with such difficulty, her heart felt light. It was as though she had set down an enormous stone.
Seon gazed at Uijeong Daegun and his wife, a smile playing at her lips.
Perhaps because she resembled her mother—Seon could perform the act of smiling perfectly, whether sorrowing or grieving.
“Do not hinder my path any longer, nor obstruct it.”
This was the first command she issued as the one destined to become Emperor.
* * *
Changed into fresh clothes and seated in the limousine, Seon examined her face in the car’s mirror first.
The other royal family members mocked her, saying that Hyeon, who inherited her actress mother’s delicate beauty, knew how to carry herself like an entertainer. Yet in the end, it was Hyeon’s pretty face that the people remembered most clearly.
Why wouldn’t she use a good tool when it was available? Besides, Hyeon’s resolve had hardened into steel.
“Drive as slowly as you can.”
“Yes, Madam.”
The driver answered respectfully without objection. It was the best moment he’d had all day.
“Sigh.”
Hyeon exhaled softly and pulled out her smartphone.
For a moment she considered calling Jo Jeonwi first, but these things had to be done when the decision was made. One person’s objection would shake her resolve.
The press had moved in a direction favorable to Joongbaek-bu. But something inside the Imperial House moved too slowly when it came to making decisions and responding. Hyeon needed to act preemptively.
A way to move fast, without anyone stopping her. Fortunately, she had something in mind.
Hyeon turned on Do Not Disturb and opened her SNS app on the smartphone. It was her SNS account, created by the Imperial Household Public Relations Team.
A strange account, used only when the Public Relations Team occasionally asked her to post something—just words from a script. Yet in this moment, it was exactly what she needed.
Hyeon’s fingertips moved to the tab showing her follower count. Three million. She’d heard it was the highest follower count among the royal family members in the nation, excluding the official Royal Household Administration account.
This was precisely what Hyeon needed right now.
The influence of good people that even Joongbaek-bu couldn’t touch. Or would Joongbaek-bu even understand the importance of SNS? He was the type to mock whatever world he didn’t know.
Hyeon fumbled to find the Live Broadcast button and pressed it. After a brief loading, her face filled the screen.
“……Is it working?”
Hyeon murmured quietly, examining the screen. Nothing seemed different.
Her expression was grave as she held the phone close to her face and studied it intently. She should have learned this from the Public Relations Team beforehand. She tapped the phone hesitantly, checking for any response.
That was when it happened. Comments poured in rapidly from the bottom of the screen.
[Wow. Hyeon is live?]
[What do I do ㅠㅠ Your face is swollen on one side ㅠㅠ]
[Hyeon, hang in there!]
Squinting to read the rapidly scrolling text, Hyeon realized it was the comment section. At the same time, the constantly updating number seemed to show how many people were watching the live broadcast.
Surprised by the growing number, Hyeon’s eyes widened in circles, then she smiled faintly.
Smiling in front of the people came naturally—she’d done it countless times. Adding a touch of sorrow to that smile was no harder.
“I thought there might be people worried about me, so I turned on this live broadcast. To be honest, it’s my first time doing this so I’m not sure if it came through. Is my face coming across okay?”
Hyeon awkwardly cast the question into the void, trying to hide her discomfort. Comments soared rapidly on the screen. She glanced at them sideways and smiled weakly. The faint smile at her lips drew the people’s concern, and countless messages of comfort flooded in.
“Good to hear it’s coming through. I’m fine. The sudden scandal hurts a bit, but there are so many more people cheering me on, aren’t there?”
The comment section burned with her steady words. Hyeon stared directly at the camera. Her eyes, devoid of laughter, would reach the people just as they were.
Hyeon spoke with sincerity.
“But still, I can’t help thinking how oddly timed this scandal is. It felt like someone wanted the investigation to go in a different direction.”
Hyeon lowered her eyelids for a moment. She had merely hinted that this revelation was not simply to expose Uijeong Daegun’s wrongdoing, but to block her actions—yet the comment section exploded.
“But what’s important now isn’t gossip, don’t you think? It’s the investigation. For any reason whatsoever, this investigation cannot be delayed.”
No matter how impressive Joongbaek-bu’s connections were, he would never be able to play a hand like this.
“I won’t stop. Even if they attack me directly next time, I’ll keep fighting and winning to protect the honor of the Crown Prince and the Imperial House. I won’t run away, and those who try to shake the Imperial House will face consequences.”
Yes. This was a declaration of war.
“So please, people of the nation, keep watching over me. I won’t give up, and I won’t fall.”
Hyeon cried out, her eyes flashing.

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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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