The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 79

* * *

Of course, I didn’t think Giyun would praise me for thoughtlessly running to the Empress and making a scene. But to tell me not to do anything at all?

“Why…?”

“Your father is in a position where he was sentenced to death for offending Her Majesty, so if you keep mentioning me to Her Majesty, do you think she will look upon you favorably?”

Giyun looked at me as if pitying me. He really seemed like a father genuinely worried about me. As I was choosing my words with a sad face, Giyun continued as if he thought I was very upset.

“Even if you miss your father, please endure it for a little while, Sanya.”

He placed a candied apple on my plate. It was something Mother often did for me.

“Although you have the blood of the Yeoran family, Her Majesty cherishes you, and you are the only descendant of the imperial family, so you will become the empress.”

Amidst the confusion, those words were clearly heard.

“If you ascend to the throne later, then please resolve your father’s grievances at that time.”

It was said as if it was natural and obvious that I would become the empress.

Those words were strange in some way.

Mother, the current reigning Empress, was young and healthy. Since I’m still very young, even if I’m appointed as the Crown Princess, unless it’s an unavoidable situation, I would become the empress at least ten years later, after I come of age.

But within those ten years, a legitimate prince could be born, or I could be dethroned, so variables are bound to arise.

No, more than anything, is Giyun the type to wait for something uncertain for ten years?

‘There’s no way.’

Not only the period, but it would be close to impossible for me to become the empress. However, there was a way for me to become the empress in a short time.

The death of the Empress.

In a situation where there are no close relatives or legitimate children, the one to inherit the throne would naturally be me, the princess.

My fingertips turned ice cold.

The reason he tried to make the nobles addicted to the point they couldn’t think normally. The words he told me not to fall out of the Emperor’s favor.

‘So this was it.’

Giyun seemed to be thinking of making me the empress. After killing Mother.

My head was filled with various thoughts. But since I couldn’t show it, I smiled brightly.

“I will definitely do that!”

“Yes, good girl.”

I can’t be suspected.

Giyun’s plan is based on the premise that I follow him. I need to know what he’s planning in order to stop it.

For now, I can’t let the plan be modified.

Giyun, who stroked me as if proud of my bright smile, spoke softly.

“Are you there?”

“…Yes. Sir.”

A familiar voice was heard from outside the door.

“Who is that person, Father?”

“He’s the servant I sent to you last time as an errand boy. I called him because I have something to order him for a moment.”

Soon the sliding door opened and a man walked in. As expected, it was Jisu.

As he entered, Giyun got up from his seat without a word, ordered something to Jisu, and left the room.

“Father, where are you going?”

Without answering my question, the sound of footsteps faded away, and when it became quiet, I let out a deep sigh.

Inwardly, I felt relieved. If it had been someone other than Jisu, what would I have done?

“Uh, Your Highness.”

Jisu glanced at me. It seemed to be a situation where he had to do what Giyun ordered to me, which was obvious to anyone.

“…It seems you have two masters.”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

Jisu jumped at my muttered words. I smiled brightly at that. He wouldn’t try to listen to Giyun’s words, right?

“Explain. From how you’re here to what he told you as he left just now.”

Then while you’re here, let’s have a little chat since I’m bored.

* * *

The contents Jisu answered almost tearfully were not very remarkable.

Since he had falsely claimed to be a servant of the Yeoran family when he first visited me, he had been staying at the Yeoran family for a while to create an alibi and had never colluded with them.

This time, when he went to see Giyun after being told he had another request, it just happened that I was there. And what Giyun told him to brainwash me with was the thought that ‘I must become the crown princess’.

It was simple and clear facts. And after hearing that, I wanted to grab my hair for a moment.

Ah, right. Of course. It makes sense.

When I thought Giyun’s goal was to make me the empress and use that power, the things he had done were pieced together like a puzzle.

If he says he will make me the crown prince, naturally there will be strong opposition from the nobles, so he feeds them drugs to make them lose their minds.

He must have told me not to defy the Empress because I shouldn’t fall out of her favor.

How did this person come to have such a meticulous dream? After returning to my palace, changing into comfortable clothes, and rolling around on the bed, I fiercely kicked the blanket.

Ah, it seems to have gotten more twisted. Or rather, it seems I twisted it even more.

Now it seems to be a certainty that the Empress’s ability has weakened. But no matter what, Giyun probably didn’t have a plan to kill Mother from the beginning.

The reason he changed his mind was probably because he was caught selling opium.

I overturned what he had intended to do by placing me on the crown prince’s seat and being satisfied with that, so Giyun is trying something bigger and bolder.

There are no elders in the imperial family. There was no Empress Dowager or Empress Consort. He intends to seat me on the throne, and after being reinstated, he plans to act as regent using the fact that he is my father and that I am young.

I need to stop it, but how again…?

I let out a deep sigh. Abilities. In the end, that’s the problem again.

No matter how much political or economic pressure is applied, physical power cannot be ignored. If you don’t have power, you have no choice but to suffer disadvantages.

Like Mother, who had to get the consent of the nobles to punish Giyun despite being the Empress ruling the country, and like me, who had to smile even at the implication that he would kill my mother.

Rolling on top of the blanket, I let out a groan and buried my face in the blanket.

‘I need to have power.’

Yes. That’s right.

People, power, and money are good, but the most important thing is power after all. Among abilities, I need a power that can match Giyun.

‘Can abilities be acquired later in life?’

The case of receiving blessings from a specific divine beast and sharing their power should be excluded.

I heard that the important families of Seora have maintained their positions for quite a long time. That means a strong divine beast does not bless humans that much.

If I had to pick one, I do know of one dragon, but its ability is healing, so it’s useless.

The methods seemed to be largely narrowed down to two.

Either obtain an artifact that Yuri mentioned can use abilities or magic, or find a way to awaken abilities later in life.

Quietly blinking my eyes, I shifted my gaze to the dressing table. Inside the luxurious mother-of-pearl jewelry box were two dragon hairpins.

Since he did his assigned job well, I should give him a reward.

While I’m at it, I’ll also ask if that black wish-granting jewel is an artifact.

Ah, but for now, I want to sleep. I’m so sleepy. So many things happened today…

I let out a big yawn and fell asleep like that.

* * *

Late at night.

Giyun burned the note brought by the carrier pigeon that flew to him. The note said to pay the price for the goods. It was nonsense.

Just keeping alive the idiot who got caught because he couldn’t even write was already an act of mercy on Giyun’s part. Still, the aftertaste was bitter, and Giyun clicked his tongue softly.

‘I shouldn’t have entrusted the task to him.’

The time when the opium was discovered was earlier than expected, so most of the nobles were not deeply addicted. Because of that, Giyun suffered a loss for the first time in his life.

Being in a position to be judged by someone below him was very insulting to him. What he suffered must be repaid.

He had no intention of forgetting the humiliation he received. So it was favorable for Giyun that the Empress cast him out but cherished her daughter.

Young and stupid. A child who doesn’t know what her father is thinking and just smiles, saying it’s good.

He could easily manipulate someone like Sanya in the palm of his hand. Her inner thoughts were obvious, and if he just treated her well a little, the child followed her father devotedly.

Sanya’s appearance today was also clearly like that, just like how she had been so far, but… something bothered him.

He couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but it was a kind of feeling.

Since she’s a child without a shred of ability, the brainwashing should have worked properly, so what created this strange feeling?

While thinking quietly, Giyun recalled one fact. Sanya never touched the food even once. Not even a sip of tea.

As if she was suspecting something.