In a chamber nestled within the grand royal castle, the sight of absolute luxury and elegance was open to only a singular person. There, you'd find display after display of royal gowns hand sewn by only the best tailors and seamstresses in the empire, the individual strands of each dress inspected to be of utmost quality. Unfortunately, such magnificent clothing could not be adorn all at once, so the dresses were instead being shown off on mannequins, their immaculate forms accentuating the beauty of the gowns. Standing at the center of all this luxury was the queen herself.
With a joyful smile on her face, the queen, a symbol of noble authority, shared her wish in the midst of these gorgeous fabrics. "I want my gown to be more than just beautiful; it should show elegance and sophistication when I become the new empress," she declared, her words holding the same giddiness a child would show when given a handful of candy.
She was filled with immense joy as the very moment she had strived so hard toward for the past decades of her life were finally imminent. In just three days, Yoo Joonghyuk would be stripped of his position as the crown prince, and the title would be bestowed upon her son. The transition would mean her forthcoming ascension to the esteemed title of empress, as only the mother of the crown prince can claim such a prestigious role.
With anticipation coursing through her veins, the queen eagerly awaited the day when she could, in her rightful place as the new empress, gaze down at the floor to find Yoo Joonghyuk, a worthless commoner, groveling at her feet. Barely being able to contain her excitement these past few days, her lips stretched across her face in a smile as she contemplated what she wanted from a future with Yoo Joonghyuk out of her way. However, her son's innocent question brought her back to reality.
"Mother, do I really have to dress like this…?"
The queen shifted her gaze to her son turning around with the graceful turn of her heel-clad feet, her gown softly seeping against the floor as if making way for her presence. Before her stood the epitome of a regal lineage, standing tall amidst the flurry of measurements and fittings. With a gentle smile gracing her lips, she approached him,
Her delicate hands came up to cradle his cheeks, and she spoke with a tone both firm and tender, "My son," she whispered, her voice echoing through the chamber "you are destined to ascend to the throne as the new crown prince. But remember, with this honor comes great responsibility. You must not only embody the ideals of our empire but also present yourself in a manner befitting your station."
The prince's gaze met his mother's, a subtle flicker of malice beneath his smile as he responded with a touch of mockery, "Of course, mother... I can't wait for the day I become the crown prince and bring honor back to the throne..."
Although many perceived the second prince as a crybaby and a man too innocent to take on the grueling tasks of being emperor, his goal had always been the same – to garner sympathy for himself and paint his older brother as a brutish tyrant. Years of careful deception on his part led many to believe the unfavorable portrayal of the older brother, hence despite considerable support for Joonghyuk, animosity towards him amongst the nobles persisted. Only those present in the chamber, privy to the intricacies of the prince's personality and the dynamics of court life, truly understood the underlying motives behind his words.
The queen smiled with pride at her son's declaration, her eyes glinting with satisfaction. She then shifted her attention to the meticulously crafted clothes before her, simpler gowns from before now being tossed away for a wardrobe befitting the one and only empress. Turning back to her son, she remarked, " You must compose yourself with utmost refinement when you cast your gaze upon your brother," she spat out the last two words with spite.
They turned their attention as the archduke spoke, his words echoing through the grand hall with a solemnity becoming of his station. "Your mother is right, Your Highness," he began, his tone measured yet resolute. Stepping forward, he placed a reassuring hand on the prince's shoulder, a gesture laden with both camaraderie and authority.
"You will be the true crown prince, make Yoo Joonghyuk realize he's no longer a member of the royal family, one way or another" he continued, his smile tinged with triumph.
The trio exchanged knowing looks, their minds conspiring on the impending actions to be taken once Joonghyuk was stripped of his position. Yet, in the midst of their strategic deliberations, uncertainty lingered. The true intentions and plans of Joonghyuk remained veiled in mystery,
-----
Dokja and Joonghyuk stood outside of the Saintess's residence, "What are we doing here, Joonghyuk~ah?" he asked. Earlier Joonghyuk had simply requested that Dokja accompany him to go somewhere important. His urgent tone made no room for argument, not that Dokja would've done so, but Joonghyuk still had to promise the duke and duchess that their dear son wouldn't go missing again (hopefully). They didn't seem to believe him, only agreeing when Dokja shot them a pleading stare.
"We need to speak with the Saintess," Joonghyuk replied, his expression serious as he glanced towards the imposing manor before them. "There's something important we need to do."
Dokja raised an inquiring eyebrow, "I thought you talked to her the other day, what am I doing here?"
"You'll find out soon," Joonghyuk replied cryptically, his gaze fixed ahead. Once again it was Ariadne who guided them through the manor, each new hallway increasing Dokja's anticipation of the revelation that awaited them.
Together they arrived at a smaller common room, where they found Yoo Sangah seated on a sofa, with Han Sooyoung occupying the sofa opposite her. Both women stopped their hushed conversation to turn their attention towards their guests. Sangah nodded at them, "Greetings, Your Highness... Sir Dokja..."
Dokja smiled back at Sangah and returned the greeting, but then turned his attention to Sooyoung with a questioning narrow of his eyes. Sooyoung, on the other hand, merely returned a playful grin in response.
Joonghyuk nodded back in acknowledgment at both women. "Please, have a seat," Sangah said, gesturing towards the sofa, her hand extended in invitation.
Dokja and Joonghyuk approached where Sooyoung was sitting, and without a word, Dokja not so subtly bumped her from her spot, making her stumble from the sofa. She shot him a glare.
"The hell?"
However, Dokja remained silent, unbothered, and took his seat on the vacated spot. Joonghyuk, meanwhile, played oblivious to the unfolding scene, choosing not to acknowledge Sooyoung's predicament.
Dokja turned his attention towards Sooyoung, giving her a meaningful look before glancing at the vacant spot to Sangah's right. Understanding his silent cue, Sooyoung grumpily stood up from the ground and took the seat, muttering complaints to herself all the while.
When everyone had become properly situated, Lady Sangha spoke up once more.
"I will get straight to the point," with her gaze shifting between Sooyoung and Dokja, she continued, "In three days, His Highness will be stripped of his title as the crown prince," she announced, her words hanging heavily in the air, laden with the weight of impending change. The revelation sent shockwaves through the two who were previously not privy to the fact. Sooyoung and Dokja fixed their widened eyes on Joonghyuk, whose demeanor remained stoic despite the gravity of the situation.
"What the hell?" Sooyoung yelled out as she stood hastily from her seat, her brows furrowing as she fixed a piercing stare on Joonghyuk. The abruptness of Sangah's announcement had caught them all off guard.
Dokja voiced the skepticism that lingered in the room, his eyes fixed on Joonghyuk. "Is Saintess Sangah telling the truth, Joonghyuk-ah?" The unfolding events seemed to defy the logic of the novel he was familiar with, where Yoo Joonghyuk had reclaimed the throne from his stepmother after killing off 'Kim Dokja' and his allies. Had he been too complacent in assisting Joonghyuk? Or was this already the inevitable path of the story?
"Yes," he confirmed, his voice measured. "It's the decision the emperor has come to." As the reality of their predicament sank in, Dokja's mind started racing with questions and unsettling possibilities.
The room fell into a heavy silence, leaving Dokja and Sooyoung grappling with the implications of Joonghyuk's current predicament. As Yoo Sangha gently urged Sooyoung to sit back down on the sofa, Dokja finally broke the silence.
"So, does this mean the second prince will be the new crown prince?"
Joonghyuk nodded solemnly. Sooyoung couldn't contain her disbelief, her frown deepening. "That crybaby?" she exclaimed; her tone laced with incredulity. "What the hell? Is the emperor losing his mind?"
Joonghyuk glanced at her, his expression grave as he voiced his thoughts. "Hmph, he lost his mind a long time ago," he affirmed, his tone tinged with a hint of frustration born from years of bearing the burden of his father's neglect by himself. Even if he'd officially be cast out in a few days, his father had long abandoned him before that. "The way he is now, he's no longer fit to be the emperor. Maybe he never was..." His words settled over the room like a thick blanket, dampening out any sound as everyone regarded them carefully.
Dokja hummed as he couldn't bring himself to disagree with Joonghyuk, knowing all too well the truth behind the emperor's shortcomings. It was an open secret amongst the public that they deemed Joonghyuk as the most capable heir to the throne. Yet the emperor was either oblivious or willingly ignorant of this fact while perpetually relying on Joonghyuk to shoulder the burdens of governance. Perhaps he didn't want to acknowledge his own failings, so he chose to oust Joonghyuk, the very proof of his incompetence.
As he contemplated the situation further, Dokja couldn't help but see where Sooyoung and Joonghyuk were coming from. The emperor's erratic behavior and neglect of his duties had created a power vacuum within the palace, one that was already threatening to destabilize the empire. All this time he'd focused on the queen being the primary obstacle to Joonghyuk's future, but perhaps the emperor was the root of the problem all along.
Dokja's voice was heavy with urgency as his voice cut through the room. "So, what are you going to do about all this?"
At his words Sangah cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention again, "I'll be the one answering that, if you'll allow me, Your Highness" Joonghyuk nodded at her to continue, "After months of prior preparation and given my recent conversation with Yoo Joonghyuk, we've come to the agreement that the best course of action would be to give him the title of duke." Consequently, Sooyoung and Dokja looked between the two of them with bewildered eyes, wondering how the two had come to make such a major decision.
Sangah continued, "Of course, I'll have the pleasure of officially handing him the title myself, so no one can oppose the decision."
"Well, sure, you can do that but…" Sooyoung interjected, her brow furrowed with concern. "Besides the church's backing and his reputation, he'll have nothing to his name. It's one thing to get a title, and another to keep it. At the very least he needs wealth, connections, businesses, and a functioning estate if he's to even compare against the other ducals. How are you planning to do that?"
Sangha flashed her with a confident smile, "About that… I have it handled. I didn't spend the last couple of months on nothing, you know." She extended her hand to the side and Ariadne promptly handed her a folder of papers. "Have you heard about the abandoned dukedom, Sooyoung?" She continued, placing the documents on the table.
"Yeah, just whatever the rumors said about it. Why do you ask?"
"Well, what if I told you that in three days, the Kaizenix Dukedom will be reinstated?" she said with a mischievous smile that only widened each second that Dokja and Sooyoung spent staring at her in surprise. While Han Soyoung seemed frozen by all the revelations, her eyebrows reaching her hair line by now, Dokja was able to regain his composure to process her words.
Dokja crossed his arms, thinking closely about everything that had been told to them so far and about what he experienced that night in the ruins of the ducal. Lady Sangah seemed more knowledgeable on Kaizenix than she was letting on. To have sent her knights to its ruins… and then request an audience with Yoo Joonghyuk…
"Wait... the people you sent to the Kaizenix Ducal… does that mean that you're trying to restore it?" he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Sangah nodded and confirmed, "That's right. And I know that you've already seen the treasure room of the dukedom, haven't you, Sir Dokja?" as she maintained eye contact with him.
Sooyoung looked between the other occupants of the room in confusion and asked, "Am I the only one who is clueless here?"
Sangah continued with a smile, "As I was saying, we don't need to worry about the money, thanks to the now recovered treasures of the ducal." The three remained silent, Dokja and Joonghyuk seeing the mountains of wealth with their own eyes, and Han Sooyoung aware that the Kaizenix ducal was once the wealthiest in the empire.
"And as for connections, the church and everyone else sitting in this room should be an adequate network for him. Regarding businesses..." Sangah handed over some of the documents to Joonghyuk, "I've worked hard to find the contracts pertaining to the business alliances of the dukedom. While I couldn't transfer all of them to your name, the few that were willing to trust my word as the Saintess should be a good foundation for you to build off of. All you need to do is sign here, Your Highness..."
Joonghyuk grabbed the documents, engrossed in reading them, while Sooyoung raised her hand, "Yeah, alright, question here. How did you get those documents? As far as I know, there shouldn't be any records from the ducal left since the former duke destroyed them along with the estate after hiding his assets."
"Oh, those? Well, I got them from our dear cousins, of course." Joonghyuk frowned at her, prompting her to continue, "You see, not all the documents were destroyed. Before the duke could get to doing it, the other family members swiped as many as they could from under his nose. Though, in the end their greedy efforts were useless. The duke had extensive connections, and some of them were common knights, maids, and butlers that were fiercely loyal. The duke left a message to them all to be passed down for generations: 'Only the true heir of Kaizenix, the one who bears its ring, may seize claim over its ties.' Fortunately for us, our cousins could never locate it."
"So, where's the ring?" Sooyoung asked, and Sangah promptly gestured at Joonghyuk's ring finger, which he helpfully held up for her to see. "Oh," was all she said in reply.
Sangah continued watching as Joonghyuk signed the documents. "Actually, it was a gamble because even I didn't know where to find it, and I didn't know what to do if Joonghyuk never found the ring. I'm thankful I didn't need my second plan," she remarked, her previously confident visage giving way to a more flustered one as she smiled nervously at the prospect.
"What second plan?" Dokja asked.
Sangah pointed at the necklace he was wearing. "That necklace belonged to the former empress, right?" Dokja immediately nodded. "Well, it's actually also an heirloom of the Kaizenix ducal. The ring is meant for the rightful duke, want to take a guess who the necklace is supposed to go to?" she asked with a teasing smile.
Dokja blinked at her for a moment before he looked away, blushing to the tips of his ears. To his side, Joonghyuk coughed into his fist, not able to look at the man next to him as his face flushed red. Across from them Han Sooyoung smirked at the two knowingly. She and the Saintess shared scheming smirks before Han Sooyoung decided to speak up.
" Oh ho ho~, would Duchess Dokja like to request any gifts for his upcoming marriage?" Han Sooyoung snickered out.
"Shut up!" Dokja yelled at her, but they just laughed.