By Zephyria 
When people say their mind goes blank, this must be exactly what they mean. I had just caught a glimpse of the sincerity in my grandfather’s expression.
“When did you prepare for the assassination? Can it be prepared that quickly?”
“Do you think I sought this out suddenly? I was always, always prepared. I simply didn’t miss the moment when the right time came. Those who are prepared always seize the opportunity.”
Those who are prepared seize the opportunity. Is it even appropriate to use such a sacred phrase in this situation? The way he smiled, baring his teeth, made him look like a demon. There is no way to win against someone who is determined to kill like a madman.
“Since I was always prepared, I only had to devise a plan once I heard the news that he was going to America. After that, everything proceeded smoothly. I settled things and came here with soldiers who shared my vision. You may not know, but the military has already seized control here. Of course, I had to be cautious, so I only brought soldiers who are definitely on my side. By tomorrow morning, the palace will be completely in my hands.”
“It’s already midnight, so you must have taken it. There must be many people from the family who share your vision, then?”
“Of course. There are not a few people with the same intent. In a few days, a designated new Emperor will arrive, and after processing Joo Min-hyeok’s death as an accident in America, I will install the new Emperor. What do you think? Is the plan decent? I felt many things while preparing for this. Namely, that luck only follows those who are prepared.”
Right. He was certainly lucky. Everything went smoothly as if heaven were helping him. How could such a sloppy plan proceed so perfectly? It’s futile.
“But you didn’t give me a definite answer.”
“About what? Whether your Alpha is alive or not?”
“…If he’s alive, please just let him live. Please.”
I didn’t think I would say something so pathetic. I couldn’t believe in Joo Min-hyeok’s death, and I naturally thought he must be alive. I thought my grandfather was merely mentioning the Emperor’s death to frighten me. That he had hidden him somewhere and would eventually let him go. That’s what I believed.
But then, a wave of fear hit me—the fear that this lunatic might have actually done something. The plea for him to live had escaped my lips unconsciously. And it was my sincere heart.
“You didn’t kill him, right? If you just let him live, I’ll do anything.”
“This is so pitiful I can’t bear to watch. What on earth could you possibly do for me in that state? You’re useless now.”
I cannot be useless. I have to be useful for him to return Joo Min-hyeok. What should I do? What can I do? If he really killed him, I should beg to at least find the body….
“Everything. I’ll do everything. Just return His Majesty to me.”
“You’ve truly gone mad. You turned your back on your family because you were crazy for an Alpha, and now you’re so insane that you’d do anything? If he’s dead, do you mean you want the body? What could you possibly do if I gave it to you?”
…He’s not hiding him to scare me, but he’s actually dead? I was flustered because my grandfather’s demeanor didn’t change. My confidence that Joo Min-hyeok was alive gradually vanished. To confirm it myself, I had to see the dead body, just as he said.
It would be better to confirm the corpse with my own eyes than to live on a guess without confirmation. I nodded and let the tears I had been holding back fall. My grandfather seemed pleased with my reaction; he laughed boisterously and stood up. Yes, go ahead and laugh. And I hope he listens to me, even if I have to be beaten again.
“First, pull yourself together. You look like that because you’re taking all the hits without any skill. I’ll send a doctor, so treat your hands and face and get some deep rest for a few days. After that…. You can find something for me. I’ll think about it after seeing what you find.”
Find something? What am I supposed to find? I don’t know anything. I know nothing about politics. If I have to find something necessary for a rebellion, I’m in big trouble because I truly don’t know a single thing. However, as if my worries were of no concern to him, my grandfather left my quarters.
Everything feels like a dream. This situation feels like a dream. Did Joo Min-hyeok really die like that? No, that can’t be. He’s not the kind of person to die so easily. Think about what to do. Think, Cha Hae-joo. Joo Min-hyeok is not such a careless man.
Since the Queen Dowager is ill, he might have been caught off guard because he couldn’t pay attention elsewhere, but he would never have died. He’s not a man who would die. He’s not that stupid. Rather, the fact that things are working out so easily for my grandfather makes me even more suspicious.
“He can’t be dead, what do I… it hurts so much….”
Right now, my body hurts too much. Breathing is difficult, and my hands hurt more than my swollen face. As my breathing became ragged and my body began to tilt to the side, Hyun-wook came running out. You endured well, Kang Hyun-wook. Good job. You listened well to the instruction not to come out immediately but to wait a few minutes.
“Hae-joo! Cha Hae-joo! That crazy old man!”
“…Lower your voice. He said he’d send a doctor. He’ll be here soon. He always sent a doctor after beating me. That doctor is also my grandfather’s person, so it’ll be troublesome if he hears.”
“Let him hear! What happened to your face! It’s all swollen and covered in blood. That damn old man is definitely insane…. I think your hand is broken…. I think we need to go to a hospital to see where and how it’s broken.”
“…There’s a medical center in the palace. Hyun-wook…. Can you hold me? Lay me on the bed…. I want to rest until the doctor comes.”
“Just bear with the pain for a bit. I’ll lift you up gently.”
Seeing Hyun-wook put my mind at ease, and tears poured out. The future feels bleak. I have to protect Hyun-wook…. Why did things suddenly turn out like this? Actually, I’m very scared and I don’t know what to do. Ah, but my lower abdomen hurts again. It was throbbing even while I was being beaten by my grandfather.
“Hyun-wook…, do you think His Majesty… really died?”
Now I can’t even articulate properly. My entire face is so swollen that it’s hard to speak. I feel like I have a fever, and my wrist is swollen to almost twice its size. What could he have harbored so much of against his own grandson? He must have found it irritating when Joo Min-hyeok saved me from him.
Given his pride, he must have been angry after being told never to linger around here again. Still, since he beat me like this today, he’ll leave me alone for a while. I should think about it once the wounds subside a bit. After laying me on the bed, Hyun-wook soaked a towel in cold water and placed it on my face.
“I’ll stay with you. Just get some rest for now. The doctor will be here soon. Okay? Tell me if it hurts a lot. I’ll go out and bring the doctor somehow.”
I didn’t even have the energy to answer, so I just nodded. I thought I heard the sound of the doctor arriving, but my eyes closed. Joo Min-hyeok, what do I do? If I had known anything, I would have helped you. You helped me so much, but there’s nothing I can do for you. I felt utterly incompetent.
∗ ∗ ∗
With broken bones in my wrist and fingers, I woke up after suffering from a fever for four days. My face was still swollen, and blood bruises were mottled red and purple across both cheeks and my entire face. Ha…. That old man’s strength is damn strong.
Today, I spent my time aimlessly fiddling with my phone, which remained unresponsive. Then, perhaps unable to stand the sight of me resting any longer, my grandfather summoned me to the royal office. The royal office is a place where not just anyone can enter…. On the way to the office, soldiers were stationed everywhere as I was forced to go.
They were guarding the area strictly, looking threatening in full armament. I was so curious about the situation outside the palace. Do the citizens know about this? I couldn’t access the news or anything, so I had no way of knowing how things were going outside.
Hyun-wook, who was stopped at the entrance, couldn’t go inside, so I entered alone. However, there was a man there whom I had never seen before. While I was wary of him, my grandfather, who had been sitting in Joo Min-hyeok’s seat, stood up behind the man.
“Your face is quite a sight. Greet him. This is the person who will become the new Emperor.”
What? Too shocked, my pupils trembled as I looked at him, and the man gave me a faint smile. Forgetting the greeting, I stood stiffly and looked at my grandfather first. But he didn’t care whether I did or not.
“You said you’d do anything, right? Then I’ll let you find the body of that novice.”
“Yes.”
At my answer, he approached me, passing the desk with a very satisfied expression. A strange sense of anxiety was visible on the face of the man who was to become the new Emperor.
“Then find the Royal Seal and the State Seal. We need those to finalize the documents, but they’re nowhere to be found no matter how much we search. We must soon announce the death of the former Emperor and the ascension of the new Emperor.”
The Royal Seal and the State Seal? Uh, but I have no idea where they are. I don’t have a clue. They were in some safe, but I don’t know which safe. How could I know where the Royal Seal would be in this vast palace?
“Grandfather, I really don’t know where those are. His Majesty didn’t tell me, and I wasn’t interested—ack!”
My grandfather kicked my calf hard, knocking me to the floor. No, is this something to hit me for? You can just say it with words! Why do you keep hitting me! I really don’t know anything.
“Prime Minister, he is already heavily injured, so laying a hand on him is….”
“Don’t interfere and just watch!”
My grandfather screamed at the man who tried to stop him. Ah…. That man is going to suffer more than me in the future. He didn’t bring a new Emperor; he brought a new pushover. That piece of trash old man.
“No matter how much you hit me, I don’t know what I don’t know. It would be faster if you just made a new Royal Seal and insisted it was the real one. You’re good at insisting things.”
I could have been hit less, but this mouth of mine is the problem again.
“This arrogant brat should just do what he’s told! His arrogance has grown in such a short time! You weren’t beaten enough back then!”
Fine. Hit me. My grandfather began to kick me. Back, arms, head, shoulders—he began to kick me evenly in every place possible, and I eventually fell backward, unable to withstand the strength of an Alpha. Ah! My stomach….
As I curled my body due to the sudden, extreme pain in my abdomen, I heard Hyun-wook’s startled voice from outside and the sound of people crowding in. Huh? Was Hyun-wook caught by someone outside?
Without time to worry about Hyun-wook, I saw my grandfather’s foot flying toward my lower abdomen. The moment I saw it, I thought that if I were hit there, I would truly die.
I had no choice but to wait helplessly to be kicked, but just before the foot hit me, my grandfather’s body was suddenly sent flying toward the desk.