Eps 7 : The Crown Prince of Darkness

As you can see, i'm dangerous

What you're seeing now?

Take a guess, who am I this time?

In the blink of an eye

I can change my face

...

The Royal Queen Dowager Shin looks very serious listening to the report from the palace maid, whom he paid to be a spy at the residence of Queen Dowager Park. Every now and then, her head, which was decorated with yongjam and some luxurious hair ornaments, nodded while analyzing the report.

Her fingers on the table seemed to be playing with the yuja tea cup, which seemed to be emitting thin steam. Until the palace maid said something that made the woman frown and cast a sharp gaze at the young lady, her finger stopped playing on the cup.

"What?" She said, with an expression half in disbelief at what she had just heard.

In front of the Royal Queen Dowager Shin, a young palace maid looked even more frightened by the reaction that the palace lady gave. With her head lowered even deeper, the young lady-in-waiting tried to repeat her words.

"His Majesty puts special conditions on the Queen Dowager regarding the candidate for the Queen that he wants. The special condition is that His Majesty wants a Queen who can do archery."

"And the Queen Dowager agreed to the special terms without complaining?" Royal Queen Dowager Shin asked a question to make her more confident.

The young lady nodded quickly. "Yes, Your Highness. The Queen Dowager agrees to these terms.

An atmosphere of silence instantly enveloped Royal Queen Dowager Shin's private room, which was at the rear of the palace. The palace lady was still glued to her throne after receiving repeated explanations from her young spy lady. Until then, one second... two seconds... three seconds...

After realizing Queen Dowager Park's folly, Royal Queen Dowager Shin burst out laughing. She even tilted her head back with a laugh full of satisfaction and amusement. The clear liquid even adorned the corners of Royal Queen Dowager Shin's eyes after she managed to control himself and stop her laughter, which had now turned into an amused giggle.

"Aigoo, I don't know if I should feel happy or sad about the Queen Dowager's innocent attitude. Really, I didn't understand that she could be so easily tricked by me even now," Royal Queen Dowager Shin paused as laughter erupted from her red-lipped lips. "She was again tricked by her stepson! I really didn't expect it."

The palace maid couldn't help but stare at the happiness that Royal Queen Dowager Shin displayed in front of her. As someone with the status of a servant, the young lady-in-waiting couldn't make any comments. Until she heard again that the Royal Queen Dowager Shin had given her an order.

"Good work. Court Lady Nam will pay for the information you provide. Now, you go back to your place of duty and keep an eye on everything that happens at the Queen Dowager Park residence. "

The young palace maid nodded and immediately stood up and retreated from the Royal Queen Dowager Shin. As soon as the palace maid left, Court Lady Nam—the loyal palace maid who had served her since she first set foot in the palace—entered the room.

After giving a respectful greeting, Court Lady Nam then sat down in front of the Royal Queen Dowager Shin. Court Lady Nam of the Royal Court awaits any orders issued by Royal Queen Dowager Shin.

Meanwhile, on her cushion, Royal Queen Dowager Shin was still smiling. The woman really enjoyed the naivety shown by Queen Dowager Park. Until the second, where she managed to master the palace, was in her hands.

"Court Lady Nam, call the officials who support me. It's time for us to find the best queen candidate from our side because I think Concubine Kim cannot win His Majesty's heart. "

...

Meanwhile, at the same time, Queen Dowager Park is having a discussion with her father—Park Yo-Jin, who is currently serving as the Minister of Taxation in King Yeongan's government. Queen Dowager Park gave all the details of the conversation she and King Yeongan had the other day.

"What do you think, Father? Isn't this a good opportunity to show our family's loyalty to His Majesty ? "explained Queen Dowager Park with sparkling eyes and a voice filled with firm conviction.

In contrast to the expression Queen Dowager Park showed, Park Yo-Jin frowned and shook her head. The man in the robe of a senior minister seemed disapproving of the actions taken by his daughter.

"Indeed, Your Highness. This is a good opportunity to show our family's support and loyalty to His Majesty. It's just that rumors about His Majesty having a bad temper and torturing concubines have spread in the people. Moreover, wanting a queen who can do archery is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard as a palace minister, Your Highness."

Queen Dowager Park put on a frowning face, annoyed at the response given by the father. Not only was Queen Dowager Park frowning, she also pursed her lips. This is a sign that the woman strongly disagrees with her father, who is so pessimistic.

"But this is the best chance, Father! If we can't take advantage of this opportunity, then I don't know what else I can do to get His Majesty to take care of me. After all, my position looks vulnerable without His Majesty's support. Even though I'm Queen Dowager, I'm still a Queen Dowager who doesn't have a son. Father, I don't want to have the same bad luck as those palace women who don't have sons!"

Park Yo-Jin fell silent, hearing the worries her daughter had. The man clearly knew his daughter's position. Even though she was already a Queen Dowager, her position was still fragile. What she said was true; without the support of a king, she could be in danger. Moreover, Yo-Jin knew that the danger that lurked in the south palace would never go away.

"So, what do you want, Your Highness? Are you going to continue all this and look for the best candidate to be the queen of your stepson?"

Queen Dowager Park's head nodded firmly. For the first time, the hazel gleamed with conviction. "Of course. I want you to find someone from our support group who has a daughter who has archery skills. I know it's impossible, but my intuition says I'll find it."

"Then what if they refuse? You must be aware of the slanderous rumors spreading about His Majesty. Don't you know that the late Crown Princess Souin was definitely killed by him? You understand...."

"I will close my ears to the past, Father. Whatever happened in the past will never change. Besides, didn't the late king also choose to close the case? After all, all of His Majesty's alibis that night were strengthened by me, weren't they?"

Park Yo-Jin could only open her mouth at her daughter's reply. The man did not expect his daughter to ever choose such a dangerous act. "Your Highness..."

Queen Dowager Park glared at him and confirmed his stance. "My son has never killed anyone, including Crown Princess Souin. Even if people always say he always gives off a dark aura, I won't listen to him. "He is someone with a pure heart but covered in wounds," he said.

Park Yo-Jin could only let out a long sigh and fell silent. Meanwhile, Queen Dowager Park's thoughts drifted to the darkest day of her life. The next day, he spontaneously testified that King Yeongan—who was still the Crown Prince at that time—was innocent of the charges leveled against him.

...

That night, Queen Park stepped into the main palace, the residence of King Seongwoon. The Queen intended to deliver her husband's favorite bedtime snack. Everything went smooth until she was uncomfortably greeted by Eunuch, who served her husband—Eunuch Min.

The jade-robed man looked restless on the veranda of the pavilion. Eunuch Min even jumped in surprise when he found Queen Park entering the main palace courtyard. Trying to hide his anxiety, Eunuch Min welcomed Queen Park's arrival by acting as naturally as possible.

"Your Majesty, why did you come here?" asked Eunuch Min.

Queen Park's eyebrows were raised. The woman was quite offended by the question that Eunuch Min asked her. Really, Eunuch Min doesn't usually ask him that.

"I want to deliver a snack. Queen Park immediately informed His Majesty of my arrival, which His Majesty ordered in a tone that did not want to be denied.

"Let the servant give it to His Majesty, Your Majesty. He is currently having a serious conversation with the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince is with His Majesty?" repeated Queen Park.

Eunuch Min nodded quickly. Hopefully, with an answer like that, King Seongwoon's wife would return to the central palace. "Yes, Your Majesty. The two of them were having a serious conversation."

"I want to meet them. It's a good opportunity because we haven't spent time with the three of us in a long time. This is definitely a rare opportunity."

Without heeding Eunuch Min's earlier words, Queen Park barged into the main palace. The woman didn't care about the anxiety that manifested on Eunuch Min's face when he saw the queen chose to ignore his warning.

...

Cold and gripping, those two words were an apt description after Queen Park entered King Seongwoon's private room. The woman who was wearing a mint-colored dangui tonight was sitting right to the left of the throne in the room where her husband, King Seongwoon, was sitting. Meanwhile, in front of them, Crown Prince Yeongan also looks calm, facing his parents.

For two minutes in the room, Queen Park did not make a sound because she was aware of the unpleasant atmosphere that surrounded the room. Moreover, her eyes sensed the dark aura that radiated strongly from the figure of his stepson—Crown Prince Yeongan.

"Tell me one more time, what did you do when the Crown Princess came to your room that night? There's no way the Crown Princess would come to your empty residence!"

King Seongwoon's voice sounded so cold and angry. The king's face looked so sour to find his son staring back with an expressionless and calm gaze.

"Haven't I told you many times, Your Majesty? I had a chance to meet and have a small argument with her. She argued with me because I didn't visit her that night. But after that, I decided to go out of the room and intend to get some fresh air," explained Crown Prince Yeongan, who sounded lazy because he had been asked the question repeatedly. His obsidian rolled over and gave his father a cold glare with a lazy flash.

"I'm sick of hearing you keep on arguing! According to several palace maids, neither you nor the Crown Princess left the room after arguing! Of course you...."

"Do I need to tell you that I was fucking her and just left because she was too loud?" interrupted Crown Prince Yeongan, whose voice now sounded mocking and slightly disdainful.

"YI BAEK!" shouted King Seongwoon, who gave Yeongan an angry look.

Crown Prince Yeongan snorted, and his eyes flashed darker than usual. The bead, as dark as the night clouds, rolled down and stared straight at King Seongwoon.

Meanwhile, Queen Park, who was listening to the father-daughter debate, could only lock her lips. Even so, Queen Park felt her body shiver when she saw Crown Prince Yeongan's gaze that night. Queen Park is sure that she will never forget the horrific look that Crown Prince Yeongan gave.

His eyes were so dark, scary, and filled with wounds.

"How dare you say that in front of your parents!" King Seongwoon growled after he managed to control himself.

"I'm tired of hearing your repeated questions, Your Majesty," said Yeongan, with a cynical smile on the corner of his lips. "I argued with the Crown Princess that night and ended up fucking her, but it didn't last long. After that, I went out and took a walk alone near the palace pool."

"I never liked the Crown Princess, but that doesn't mean I can end her life in that way. Moreover, I am leaving her pitiful body in my own bed. "

"But you never once seemed saddened by her death, Crown Prince! Obviously, everyone was surprised by what you...."

"Sad? You obviously know that I never liked the Crown Princess! From the start, I never thought of her as a woman, let alone a human. She's just one of those dolls I might be able to play with a bit and...."

"ENOUGH!"

King Seongwoon stood up from his seat. His eyes stared intently at his only son. The man really did not expect that insulting words would be spoken from his own son to the late daughter-in-law whom he loved so much.

"What else do you want to know about that fateful night? Do you intend to ask the witness who saw me strolling in the palace pool alone? "

A smirk now appeared on King Seongwoon's face upon hearing Yeongan's challenge.

"Then what alibi would you give me if that's what I wanted? A witness to your presence in the palace pool...."

"I saw the Crown Prince was in the palace pool that night, Your Majesty."

Unexpected words came from Queen Park. She couldn't help but watch his stepson continue to be cornered by his own father. Her obsession with wanting to be recognized as a mother by Crown Prince Yeongan made Queen Park spontaneously say that in front of King Seongwoon.

Never once did Queen Park know that the Crown Prince smirked happily at the new shield in front of him. The dark aura prince cheered happily to see someone had just sacrificed for him voluntarily.