Royal Coup d'État - Chapter 60

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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 60
After the Emperor descended from the podium with the help of his cane, following that bombshell announcement, the commotion showed no sign of abating.
Behind the Emperor, camera shutters clicked relentlessly, capturing her as she stood alone between the Crown Princess and the Empress.
A statement from the Royal Household Administration, a funeral oration from the National Assembly, and a eulogy from a citizen representative.
The endless funeral ceremonies only began to settle once the Wooden Coffin containing the Crown Prince’s remains had been loaded onto the Limousine with the Bier attached.
The Limousine, which had begun to roll slowly along the cleared path, soon adjusted its pace to the funeral procession line heading toward the burial ground.
Sun lowered her head quietly.
Members of the royal family, including Uijeong Daegun, who had taken on the role of chief director of the Funeral Administration Office, followed in the procession. She could sense glances turning back repeatedly, as if their steps were heavy with grief.
‘I’ve somehow become the main attraction.’
Feeling the sharp gazes upon her, Sun twisted her lips into a faint smile. She could well imagine what lay behind Uijeong Daegun’s eyes as he walked ahead of her, forced to follow along.
The noise that had filled the space before Donhwamun Gate began to fade gradually. The crowd did not disperse easily, whether out of a desire to see Sun or some other impulse. Even the journalists were too busy positioning their cameras toward Sun rather than the funeral procession line.
The Crown Princess noticed what Sun was feeling.
“Let’s go inside.”
At words that sounded like salvation, Sun quickly grasped the hand the Crown Princess offered. Each of her movements prompted a fresh volley of shutter clicks.
A member of the royal family who had once conducted her duties quietly outside the spotlight had been thrust into the very center of a maelstrom of power.
Before stepping inside with the Crown Princess, Sun turned her head.
The Emperor and Empress at the front of the procession were preparing to depart, each supported by their attendants. Their faces bore such evident exhaustion that it seemed difficult to approach them with words carelessly.
Sun’s gaze shifted in another direction—toward where the royal family members were gathered.
“What in the world is…”
“So what happens now…”
The royal family members, speaking in hushed tones with their hands covering their mouths as they kept their voices low, did not notice Sun’s gaze upon them. It was plainly visible how they were calculating which side to align with.
Sun’s indifferent eyes shifted direction. Even as her pupils moved, a chill already emanated from them.
‘How amusing.’
One corner of Sun’s mouth curved upward slightly.
Uigu Daegun was glaring at her with an intensity that never faltered, not even for a blink. His clenched jaw and grinding teeth spoke of a fury so consuming he might devour her where she stood.
Sun deliberately caught Uigu Daegun’s eye, tilted her head with deliberate innocence, and smiled brightly.
Perhaps that radiant expression only inflamed his anger further. The veins in his eyes seemed to burst and fill with blood before her very gaze.
And yet, what could he do about it? What was done was done.
Sun turned her head lightly. Here, with so many cameras and people watching—there was no way Uigu Daegun, for all his concern with the gaze of others, could make any move against her now.
“Come with me to my quarters. There’s much to discuss, much I imagine you’re curious about.”
The Crown Princess spoke in a hushed voice. Sun nodded and followed her.
As soon as the Crown Princess and Sun turned away, the royal family members who had been standing in formation split to either side. They bent their waists naturally and cleared a path.
For the Crown Princess, such a thing would have been ordinary routine, but for Sun, it was different. There was something in the attitude and gaze of these people that had changed from before.
Respect, caution, and fear.
Could a single fact—that she had become the adopted heir of the Crown Prince—change so many things?
Sun let out a quiet laugh. No one read the atmosphere as keenly as the royal family. She could not fail to see how they were fiercely weighing her and Uigu Daegun against each other, taking their measure.
“Sun.”
It was at that moment.
A familiar voice reached her. The owner of that trembling voice was Yeosan Bubuin.
Yeosan Bubuin’s expression was far from pleasant. Rather, her complexion was as pale as if she had met with some accident, and her body trembled so severely she seemed barely able to stand.
Gu Chanwi, her attendant, kept a hand on the Bubuin’s shoulder, looking down at Sun with imploring eyes. Even as Sun felt the Crown Princess’s grip tighten, she could not help but pause her steps.
“Mother.”
Sun addressed her in a measured voice. Yeosan Bubuin’s face was consumed by shock and confusion, as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
Her emotions were far too easy to read. She lacked the composure befitting the royal family and was vulnerable to attack. Especially now, with Uigu Daegun watching, her manner was deeply problematic.
As Sun hesitated over what to say, a gentle voice came from beside her. It was the Crown Princess.
“Gu Chanwi, see that the Bubuin rests at Junghuidang Hall and Seunghwaru. She seems to need some recovery.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“For now, Sun, come with me to Junghuidang.”
The Crown Princess pulled her hand again.
It was not easy to leave behind Yeosan Bubuin’s earnest gaze.
Yet Sun made her resolve firm. There was no time now to cling to any single person.
As Sun and the Crown Princess made their way to the East Palace’s Junghuidang Hall, a scene similar to before repeated itself along every corridor.
Palace attendants they encountered bowed deeply, and Royal Household Administration staff busy with event dismantling also cleared a path and lowered their heads upon seeing Sun.
By the moment they arrived at Junghuidang, Sun realized once again that her circumstances had been completely transformed.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
The attendants of the East Palace seemed remarkably composed. Unlike others who, no matter their courtesy, could not hide their confusion, their manner toward Sun seemed as though they were addressing an ordinary member of the East Palace household.
Was the East Palace, as the center of the Imperial Palace, truly different?
Whether the attendants had known of this beforehand or remained ignorant seemed not to concern them greatly. What appeared to matter more was how their master conducted herself.
Sun sat upon a cushion and idly scraped her fingernail against the floor.
The Emperor and Crown Princess must have orchestrated this arrangement with considerable caution, even putting her through tests, yet when she was determined to uncover the truth of the Crown Prince’s death, when she was troubled over how to somehow stop Uigu Daegun—they had kept this method hidden in reserve. It left her feeling strangely hollow.
The Crown Princess took her seat, and once the door closed completely, Seon regarded her carefully.
Her exhausted face bore no difference from the expressions of the Emperor and Empress she’d seen moments before. Whether it was the sorrow of losing a son, the grief of losing a husband, or some weight that couldn’t be measured against the other—there was no way to say.
Yet the fact that she had adapted so fluidly to such a chaotic situation today also meant she had made some manner of preparation beforehand.
The contrast between the frail figure Seon had last glimpsed at the Royal Mortuary and her present composure struck her as discordant, and she thrust out her lip in protest.
“It was already decided by then, wasn’t it?”
Despite the disjointed question, the Crown Princess nodded.
“I’m not hearing about adoption into the royal register for the first time. But the Empress spoke as though the matter of an adopted heir was already settled, and I received no hint of it afterward. I thought the only way forward was to become heir through some other means—how did this come about?”
The Crown Princess fell silent at Seon’s question.
Like someone pondering where to begin an explanation, she lowered her gaze.
Seon did not miss the opening.
“Was this a collaboration between the Empress and my mother?”
When the Crown Princess nodded again, Seon let out a dry laugh.
“And my parents knew nothing of it?”
“It had to be done quietly.”
“While keeping it from me as well?”
“Yes.”
Sigh.
Seon dragged her hand across her face. Her dry palm brushed away the last traces of cosmetics.
It was truly the work of royalty.
“You wanted to watch me run about in ignorance?”
The Crown Princess’s lips moved ever so faintly—neither quite a smile nor quite a negation. Seeing this expression, Seon’s mouth curved upward slightly as well.
“There was a need to confirm it.”
In moments like this, Seon too remembered she was of royal blood. She could grasp at once what the Crown Princess meant to convey. She could readily anticipate why they had acted as they did. The Crown Princess’s words were the same.
“You wanted to know whether I was truly sincere.”
The Crown Princess regarded Seon silently, then slowly nodded.
“The title of Crown Prince is not a thing to be granted lightly.”
Was Uigu Daegun alone deserving of royal blood? The Emperor, the Crown Princess—they too were people who had eaten at the imperial table their whole lives, dwelling always within the Imperial Palace.
Separate from questions of enemy or ally, important cards are hidden until the very last. Even from the one who will hold them.
It was a truly royal approach.
“I understand if you resent me. I handled the matter of adoption into the royal register without your consent.”
“I won’t speak of what’s already passed.”
As long as Seon belonged to the Imperial Household as a member of the royal family, there were countless ways to exploit her personal information. To dwell further on such things would only hurt more.
“It had to be settled before the Crown Prince left this world. So I struggled to keep him breathing a little longer, even by force.”
“……I don’t resent you. It’s not as though I don’t understand why you did it.”
Seon’s reply was somewhat curt. The Crown Princess’s rigid expression softened slightly.
“It’s only that I might feel a little wronged by it. Regardless of what my mother and the Empress undertook.”
“Yes. Nurse that disappointment in your heart. You will not have such an opportunity again.”
The Crown Princess’s voice sounded genuinely warm.
But before long, her tone grew heavy and grave.
“Yet know this, Seon. As of today, Uigu Daegun has gained reason to have you removed.”
Her warning was the signal flare that pulled Seon back to reality.

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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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