The Morning Star Baby Wants a Family - Chapter 87

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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 87
His face hardened briefly.
But it was only for a moment—Hyun-o let out a soft laugh.
Hwa Yeon-bi was a woman consumed by desires beyond her station.
She had merely failed to kill, yet in her greed for that power, she had ultimately seized it—no different from anyone else.
She was no paragon of virtue who would suddenly regret the past and return that power to her sister.
Unless her sister, who had been imprisoned, managed to escape and reclaim the power that had originally been hers.
At this ominous thought that surfaced once more, Hyun-o’s eyes narrowed.
‘It cannot be.’
The Underground Facility where Hwa-yeon-ri was confined was a secret place even the servants working in the Residence scarcely knew of.
A binding spell held her captive, so she would be unable to use her spiritual power—and was Hwa Yeon-bi not the one who possessed Pagun Seongggun’s power, however imperfectly?
Hyun-o tried to cast off the unpleasant conjecture.
But once a thought took root in the mind, it would not fade—it only continued to spiral.
What if the security of the Underground Facility had grown lax for even a moment?
Hwa-yeon-ri was far more astute than her younger sister.
After so long confined, her resentment would have festered thoroughly—a brief opening would be all she needed.
‘No, but that spell….’
Hyun-o’s face, which had begun to shake his head lightly, suddenly turned rigid.
‘Gaeyang.’
To maintain her power, Hwa Yeon-bi had to drink her sister’s blood once every two days.
Naturally, she would have brought her sister to Gaeyang for this purpose.
Bound hand and foot, gagged—but that was all. The sacrifice would be removed from the binding spell of the Underground Facility.
Moreover, Tamlang Seongggun and Geomun were in Gaeyang.
If, with their aid, Hwa-yeon-ri had been freed and ascended to the Capital as Pagun Seongggun….
The conjecture was hardening into certainty.
Hyun-o paced the room with anxious steps.
‘This cannot happen.’
Among the Seven Star Army, Hwa Yeon-bi was the only one who had risen to her position with Hyun-o’s aid.
Moreover, Hwa-yeon-ri would undoubtedly know precisely why her power had been stolen.
He would lose one ally and gain an enemy of equal measure.
The scales were already tilted somewhat in one direction, with Tamlang Seongggun now supporting the First Prince.
If he were to lose Pagun Seongggun as well….
Anxiety coiled up his spine like a serpent.
It was just as unease began to settle into Hyun-o’s features.
A sound came from beyond the door.
His bloodshot eyes snapped toward it.
Just as he was about to cry out, a calm voice reached him.
“Your Highness. The First Queen Consort has arrived.”
His demonic expression crumbled in an instant. He strode toward the door and called out.
“Bring her in!”
Before the words had even finished, the sliding door opened, and a woman with deep crimson hair stepped inside.
She adorned her head with a golden ornamental hairpin decorated with peonies and butterflies, and wore a violet robe embroidered with phoenixes.
Even among the women of the Royal Family, few dared wear such regalia, yet her face bore a striking resemblance to Tae Hyeon-o.
The sharp eyes, thin lips, and dark irises devoid of light—all were identical, yet the aura she emanated was entirely different.
An untouchable dignity radiated from her presence.
It was the bearing of one born to rule and command.
“I pay my respects to the Second Prince, Your Highness.”
The First Queen Consort, Go Hwa-young, bowed her head gently toward her son.
“What brings you here, Mother?”
Hyun-o approached her warmly, his tone affectionate.
The First Queen Consort, rather than answering, shifted her gaze to glance at the disheveled state of the room.
Hyun-o quickly caught the chill in her eyes and flinched.
“Forgive me, Mother. I could not contain my anger and allowed myself to be seen in such a state.”
The man who had been thrashing about moments before was now as helpless as a cat with its claws drawn before his mother.
Hwa-young smiled faintly, as if she had never worn that cold expression at all.
“How could you speak such words? This mother merely worried that such fury might harm Your Highness’s body and spirit.”
Having spoken with such tenderness, she commanded the Palace Attendants standing outside the door.
“Tidy this place and escort His Highness to a clean, orderly chamber.”
Before the words had even finished, the Palace Attendants moved with swift efficiency.
Their movements were as if they had received orders from the Palace Mistress herself.
After the Court Lady guided the two of them to a neat room and set down fragrant tea and small cakes, she withdrew.
“Your Highness, please give me the cup.”
Hwa-young reached out and took the tea bowl placed before Hyun-o, then poured the tea herself and set it before her son.
It was only that simple gesture, yet Hyun-o laughed as if he had received the greatest honor—a childlike, innocent expression.
“Thank you, Mother.”
He immediately brought the bowl to his lips.
The fragrant white tea was not to his taste, but since it came from his mother, it mattered little.
Hwa-young watched quietly as he drank the entire cup with proper posture.
When the empty bowl settled on the table, she tilted the teapot again and spoke.
“I hear a guest has arrived at Nokchung Palace today.”
Hyun-o’s hand, which had been reaching for the bowl, froze abruptly.
Had it been anyone else, he would have hurled the cup away at once, but Hyun-o merely clenched his fist until the tendons stood out on the back of his hand.
“Yes. However, it is of no concern. Pagun Seongggun will soon turn back, and Tamlang Seongggun as well….”
Screech.
At that moment, an unpleasant sound, as if something were being scraped, rang out softly.
Hyun-o startled and looked up.
Hwa-young, her fingertip resting on the rim of the cup, stared at him with an expressionless face.
“And if that does not come to pass?”
“….”
“What do you intend to do then?”
At her blunt question, Hyun-o’s face drained of all color.
“Your Majesty. I despise those who break their promises.”
Hwa-young continued speaking. Her expression was utterly devoid of warmth.
“And even more so, those who boast of accomplishing what they cannot.”
My mother’s dark eyes remained fixed upon him throughout.
Anxiety and fear rippled through Hyun-o’s entire being.
My mother was a kind woman.
Yet at the same time, I knew all too well how merciless she became when disappointed in me.
“Mother, I—”
Hyun-o’s lips parted in haste, but the words died before they could form, and he bit down hard.
He wanted to apologize and beg forgiveness, but Hwa-young despised nothing more than seeing him bow his head.
‘A sovereign lacks shame. How could the future king of this realm ask for forgiveness?’
The cold gleam in my mother’s eyes as she had lectured me thus remained vivid still.
My half-brothers were merely rivals to be eliminated, and my father did not even regard me as a proper son.
Hwa-young was my only family. Therefore, I had to be an impeccable son.
My clenched fist grew damp with sweat. It seemed as though Hwa-young would rise in silence and return to her palace.
A heavy silence descended. The rustle of fabric whispered through the air.
“…!”
Hyun-o lifted his head with desperate urgency.
Yet instead of rising from her seat, Hwa-young reached out and covered his hand resting upon the table.
Though she had passed forty, her hands remained unblemished and smooth.
Her slightly cool fingers gently unfurled his tightly clenched fist.
“You’ve left marks.”
Hwa-young’s brow furrowed slightly as she withdrew a small jar from her sleeve.
Healing salve was applied thinly over the red crescents left by his nails.
Hyun-o accepted her ministrations with a bewildered expression, sitting quietly.
Once Hwa-young had finished applying the medicine and closed the jar, she lifted her gaze.
“Do not grieve so deeply, Your Majesty. Though this is surely a great loss, many still stand at your side.”
Her soothing words were tender.
With them, Hyun-o’s anxious heart gradually began to settle.
“Yet does His Majesty not favor your elder brother? If this incident hardens his resolve….”
Hyun-o murmured without thinking, then started and fell silent.
But instead of hardening her expression, Hwa-young gazed at her son and smiled.
“What truly matters is the capability of he who ascends the throne.”
Even in that regard, I possessed only a narrow advantage; there was no great disparity.
To Hyun-o, who could offer no response, Hwa-young spoke with eyes that gleamed all the brighter.
“And such capability can always be cultivated further, can it not?”

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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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