RC 01

Chapter 1

Some people called Seon foolishly stubborn, while others said she was hard-hearted. It was difficult to say which judgment was correct, but even Seon herself thought they were both right.

It was not as though Seon had been preaching principles since the day she was born. The little girl who had been born weighing only 2.6 kilograms to Uigudaegun and Lady Yeosan had plenty of dreams and hopes.

She had dreams like going to an amusement park without any bodyguards or running around outside until her knees were scraped and bruised.

And then there were the grander dreams she had now, dreams so excessive that they almost seemed absurd.

Whenever she went to the hospital, she said she wanted to become a nurse. Whenever she turned on the TV, she said she wanted to become an announcer.

There had certainly been a time when she was happy simply because the adults around her warmly smiled as they watched her dreams change several times a day.

But everything changed when she was seven.

After that day, she realized that she could not survive in the Imperial family by remaining innocent and carefree. She could not protect anything while holding on only to fanciful dreams.

“Never forget that you are a member of the Imperial family, Seon. Your choices, your actions. There are eyes watching all of them, and you must always remember what consequences can follow from even a single move you make.”

Seon had been innocent, but she had also been clever.

Yet from the age of seven onward, Seon became a completely different person.

To protect the people she loved, and to protect herself.

She had no choice but to temper her resolve again and again until she became someone strong and unyielding.

That was why, no matter how unbearably busy that autumn became, and no matter how much her own body suffered because of the irresponsibility of the other Imperial family members, Seon quietly did her share without complaint.

“Are you all right?”

“Ha…”

Even so, too much was simply too much.

Having a heavy schedule of official duties was nothing unusual for her, but there were bound to be days that were especially exhausting.

Seon checked her face in a hand mirror from the back seat of the limousine. Every time she saw the bloodshot veins in her eyes, she let out another sigh.

Her morning had begun with a visit to the pediatric ward of the affiliated hospital of Suhakwon University, where she read storybooks to the children. After that, her schedule was packed all the way through a dinner with several ambassadors.

No matter how famous and popular she was as a member of the Imperial family, there was no reason she had to run around this busily.

The reason Seon was suffering like this was all because of those damn idiots.

“Has Prince Gyeongan still not contacted us?”

A stupid cousin with nothing in his head and a special talent for making people angry.

Her middle uncle, who did nothing but watch over his son’s room as though that were his only accomplishment, casually neglecting his duties.

And the fifth and sixth cousins who followed him around, shamelessly ignoring their official duties while faithfully collecting the allowances given to Imperial family members with titles.

There was no shortage of people who made Seon angry, but today, her irritation was focused particularly on Prince Gyeongan, who had been out of contact for several days.

He had wasted years preparing for the Ivy League despite having no business aiming for it in the first place. Then, after finally enrolling in a college in some state, he had somehow spent four years attending a two-year college.

The graduate school he had barely managed to enter, thanks to his connections, was something he still had not graduated from…

Recently, after returning home, he had claimed that he was taking a leave of absence because he was worried about the Emperor’s health.

But rumors were already spreading that he had actually been kicked out by his academic adviser.

Still, now that he was back in the country, shouldn’t he at least have the conscience to participate in his official duties?

“The sun’s already high in the sky. Even if he drank himself senseless, isn’t it about time his eyes were open?”

“There is no chance of that. Were you actually expecting him to?”

Jo Seok-cheol, the Imperial Guard officer sitting in the passenger seat, glanced back at her and answered coldly.

Seon gritted her teeth, unable to contain her rising anger.

She had become accustomed to keeping her emotions hidden while living as a member of the Imperial family, but whenever she thought about Prince Gyeongan, her anger kept bubbling up.

For the most part, Seon despised people who ignored their duties as members of the Imperial family while taking full advantage of their rights.

She had just finished her solo visit to the pediatric ward to read storybooks to the children. Now it was time to move on to a scheduled visit to a traditional market to encourage the merchants.

Originally, it was supposed to be an event she shared with Prince Gyeongan.

“He appears to still be at Grand Prince Uigu’s palace in Changwon. There hasn’t been any other news.”

Guard Officer Jo explained casually as he scrolled through his tablet.

Seon clenched her fist and, for no particular reason, slapped her thigh.

The soft flesh beneath the thin dress she was wearing for autumn was crushed beneath her fist.

The Imperial Household Office kept assigning official duties, but her shameless and pathetic cousin had not stepped outside his home even once since returning to the country.

Well, considering that women were constantly coming and going from Grand Prince Uigu’s palace, which was supposedly even more impressive than the Imperial Palace, there was no doubt that he was at least staying there.

All the official duties he skipped were reassigned to Seon.

The reasoning was that the most popular and famous member of the Imperial family was the easiest person to send in and smooth things over.

Seon believed that stepping forward as the public face of the Imperial family to reduce public resentment was also part of her duty.

But having to take over his responsibilities every day was getting tiresome.

“If he’s going to keep acting like this, he should give up that pathetic title and live however he wants without the pressure of official duties!”

Seon growled.

“That whole household doesn’t fulfill a single duty expected of an Imperial family member. Shouldn’t the Imperial Censorate step in and discipline them by now?”

“If you file a complaint, do you think they’ll actually investigate? The Censorate is Grand Prince Uigu’s territory too.”

“That snake has his hands in everything, doesn’t he?”

Seon shook her head in disgust.

Grand Prince Uigu was Seon’s second eldest uncle.

As the Emperor’s second son, he was not particularly well known among the people, but strangely enough, he wielded considerable influence within the Imperial family.

Instead of spending his time on official duties, he had devoted far more effort to building his own faction.

Perhaps because of that, even though the Crown Prince, the legitimate firstborn, clearly existed, the faction supporting his second son, Grand Prince Uigu, continued to grow larger by the day.

The Grand Prince was known for having a good personality and being generous with his wealth. He openly drew people toward himself.

Some people even went so far as to shamelessly claim that he was better suited to become Emperor.

Whenever that happened, he would discourage them with vague words that were neither an affirmation nor a denial.

Then he would be praised even more as a humble Grand Prince.

As if that changed the fact that he was nothing more than a filthy bastard coveting someone else’s position.

“If he’s going to pretend to be such a good person, he should at least do his own job!”

The great Grand Prince Uigu dumped the Imperial family’s minor duties onto his younger brothers and nieces.

At the same time, whenever there was an event where he could get his picture taken in a favorable location, meet the head of a major corporation, or receive treatment as a state guest, he would show his face even if the event was not under his jurisdiction.

Neglecting one’s duties while taking advantage of one’s privileges.

That was exactly the kind of behavior Seon hated.

The Republic of Korea was a constitutional monarchy.

The Emperor was the symbol of the Republic of Korea, a symbol of national unity, the head of state, and the nation’s representative in foreign affairs.

The Emperor recognized and obeyed the Constitution, the highest law of the country, and acted according to the collective will of the people, who held sovereignty.

When the country was thrown into chaos, and when it fought its wars of independence, the Imperial family had stood at the forefront alongside the people.

That was why the country’s name had also been established as the Republic of Korea, as a reminder that the Imperial family had fought at the front and the people had stood behind them.

Therefore, the people and the Imperial family were always supposed to walk the same path, and Imperial family members were expected to contribute to social stability and national prosperity as part of their rightful duties…

It was a simple and clear lesson Seon had learned before she was even five years old.

Yet people who ranked higher than Seon in the line of succession were shutting themselves away and ignoring the duties that even a five-year-old Imperial child could understand were the very reason for the Imperial family’s existence.

Wasn’t this even more pathetic than a little-known collateral member quietly skipping their official duties?

Bzzzt—

Just then, the phone in Seok-cheol’s hand vibrated.

Seon picked up the cold water that had been prepared for her and twisted open the cap.

As she gulped down the cold water, feeling it run down her throat, she could only hope that the call was from Prince Gyeongan, finally emerging from his alcohol-soaked stupor to make an apologetic phone call.

“Yes? Yes. Yes.”

Seok-cheol’s voice quickly darkened as he answered the phone.

If it had been a call from Prince Gyeongan, his mood would have become more heated rather than darker, so this clearly was not the call Seon had been hoping for.

“Yes. Then… I see. Yes. Then we’ll take him there. Yes.”

When he finally hung up, his expression was unusually serious.

Having lived this life for so long, Seon immediately sensed that something was wrong.

This was not about the likes of Prince Gyeongan or Grand Prince Uigu.

Seon took a deep breath.

Whenever things turned out like this, some major shock was usually about to hit.

She hoped the fresh air filling her lungs would lessen the blow.

After taking a moment to steady his breathing, Seok-cheol reported to Seon.

“Today’s schedule has been canceled. His Majesty has ordered all members of the Imperial family to remain at home.”

“What?”

Seon’s expression hardened.

The smile that had been resting at the corners of her lips disappeared without a trace.

No matter how much she thought about it, there was no event serious enough to warrant suspending all of the Imperial family’s official duties.

Even if Prince Gyeongan, the walking disaster machine, had caused some enormous trouble, and even if Grand Prince Uigu had failed to clean up after his son’s mess, there was no reason to stop every Imperial family member who was working for the people.

Besides, the dinner scheduled for that evening was a state event.

As an ominous feeling sent chills running over Seon’s entire body, Seok-cheol finally managed to speak.

“…His Highness the Crown Prince has been in an accident.”

The water bottle in Seon’s hand slipped from her grasp.

Bang!

The half-full bottle bounced against the floor and rolled away.

But Seon did not even notice the cold water soaking the limousine floor and her shoes.

She simply stared blankly ahead before asking again.

“Guard Officer Jo. What did you just say?”

“Your Highness. Please remain calm.”

Seok-cheol’s voice was stiff, his emotions tightly restrained.

At times like this, he had to remain calm.

Seon tightly clasped her trembling hands and nodded.

Once he saw that she had regained a little composure, Seok-cheol continued.

“His Highness the Crown Prince was involved in a serious accident while traveling to Suwon. His heart stopped once while he was being transported to the hospital. Fortunately, they managed to revive him, but his condition is not good.”

“What does that mean?”

“They say there is no chance of recovery.”

No chance of recovery?

For a moment, Seon felt as though everything before her had gone dark.

Her uncle—the person she had been closest to and respected more than anyone—was going to die?

And in that instant, when darkness swallowed her vision, Seon realized something else.

She had been thrown into a vast storm she had never once dared to dream of entering.