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Chapter 65
That year, the new recruits at the Crown Prince’s palace were only Jangmi and Seoyeon. The two quickly became close.
The superiors at the palace were kind, and the Crown Prince, whom they occasionally encountered, was gentle.
He would ask first if the work was too hard and remind the senior attendants to take good care of the new recruits. Both of them were completely captivated by him.
They praised him endlessly, saying he was a respectable adult. The age difference wasn’t much, but, as expected, royalty was different.
Then one day, Jangmi had her first night duty.
That night, the Crown Prince called Jangmi into his room.
“Do you have something for me to do?”
“Do you want to have a drink?”
Surprised by the unusual request, Jangmi refused, citing that she was on duty.
Then the Crown Prince suddenly changed and threw a glass at her.
He quickly shifted again, apologizing and trying to clean up the broken glass himself.
Jangmi had no choice but to step forward.
“I’ll do it, Your Highness.”
“Can you manage it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Merely answering in that way, the Crown Prince laughed like a madman and smashed every piece of glass in the room.
Jangmi watched trembling, and by the time the situation ended, her hands were shredded and a complete mess.
From that moment, the nightmares began.
Whenever she thought she could forget, whenever her wounds started to heal, the Crown Prince would call her.
On those days, Jangmi always ended up injured and had to visit the royal medical office.
“Why didn’t you report it?”
Seoyeon, showing her conflicted feelings, interjected.
“At that time, I told the highest person in the palace… someone who could stop the Crown Prince. But he asked me if the Crown Prince hit me himself.”
“Excluding the Crown Prince, the highest person in the palace… would that be the Crown Princess?”
Jangmi widened her eyes and slowly nodded.
As the saying goes, husbands and wives often share similar temperaments; the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess were no exception.
Seoyeon swallowed her sigh.
“Sorry for interrupting. Please continue.”
“At first, he didn’t hit me directly. So I said no. But then… the Crown Prince’s highness said it was because he was stressed, asking for understanding, and gave me a leave of absence.”
Jangmi realized at that moment that she couldn’t change the situation with her own power and felt crushed.
Moreover, she had to support her younger sibling’s education, so quitting her job immediately wasn’t an option.
One day, after enduring so much, the Crown Prince broke Jangmi’s arm.
“The Crown Prince knelt and apologized. So… since such a high-ranking person kneeled…”
Jangmi believed his apology was sincere, that he would change.
“He tried to recycle non-recyclable trash.”
Seojun clicked his tongue.
Seoyeon glared at him and patted Jangmi’s arm.
“It’s okay, keep talking.”
After treatment, Jangmi returned to the palace. Even though she submitted a request to move to another hall, it was not accepted.
On another night duty, fear drove Jangmi to push another victim into the hellish situation.
“I asked Seoyeon… I asked her to switch duty. I pushed Seoyeon, my friend, into that hell…”
No wonder she reacted so strongly to Seoyeon’s name—there was this story behind it.
Seoyeon’s expression hardened.
“I can’t say Jangmi’s actions at that time were right, but don’t be so hard on yourself. You did it to survive. Anyone would have made a similar choice.”
Seoyeon’s sincere comfort might or might not have reached Jangmi.
Jangmi pressed her lips tightly.
“I want to help Seoyeon now! If there’s anything I can do… I’ll try anything!”
Jangmi, finally revealing the story she had been hiding, found great courage.
“If I step forward, Your Highness will be punished, right?”
Seoyeon took a deep breath.
“If there’s solid evidence, yes. Do you, Jangmi, have any evidence of what happened back then? A recording, counseling records, anything?”
Unfortunately, Jangmi had no evidence. All she could do was testify.
However, Seoyeon and Seojun were not disappointed.
They promised Jangmi they would contact her separately and returned to their dormitory.
Upon arriving, Seoyeon was scolded severely by Silan for being careless about safety.
After Silan’s excitement settled, the dormitory grew quiet.
Seoyeon spoke to Seojun.
“There’s something concerning in what Jangmi said.”
“Are you referring to the statement about the phone?”
Seojun, who had just finished talking with the royal eunuch and entered the room while opening a water bottle, replied.
Seoyeon nodded, recalling Jangmi’s words.
During the long explanation of the Crown Prince’s atrocities, Jangmi had said:
“One day, I went into the Crown Prince’s bedroom wearing a walkie-talkie. Normally, when entering his room, we leave all communication devices like walkie-talkies and phones outside.”
These days, palace staff are required to place their phones in lockers before work. Back when smartphones were not common, carrying them was permitted.
Walkie-talkies, for work purposes, were always required.
But the Crown Prince forbade using both, which was suspicious.
“And then, His Highness looked at the walkie-talkie as if it were an enemy and got extremely angry. That day… my leg was broken.”
Jangmi shivered as she recalled that memory.
“That day, while taking me to the medical office, my team leader muttered to himself. He said something like, ‘We need to find her phone quickly… only then will His Highness feel at ease.’”
Seoyeon, deep in thought, looked at Seojun.
“The phone Jangmi mentioned seems like an important clue.”
“I agree.”
“If we find it…”
Seoyeon’s eyes sparkled.
Seojun continued the thought she was about to express.
“We could put the Crown Prince on trial.”
It would be impossible with only a witness.
“What about the statute of limitations?”
“Simple assault is five years, aggravated assault is seven years.”
Seoyeon let out a heavy sigh.
“Then, in Jangmi’s case, the statute of limitations has expired.”
“That’s true for assault charges. But considering Jangmi’s testimony, can we really see it as just assault?”
The Crown Prince’s horrifying violence had driven Jangmi to the brink of death.
Seoyeon replied with a heavy heart.
“So it’s possible to apply attempted murder?”
Seojun shrugged. It was possible but could not be decided lightly.
They had no evidence besides the witness, and the prosecutor and police would likely side with the Crown Prince.
It was uncertain whether an investigation could start with just a statement.
In such cases, public opinion would have to move first.
Seojun approached Seoyeon, frowning in deep thought.
He deliberately sat down with a loud thud, and Seoyeon looked at him.
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
“How far are you willing to endure to catch the Crown Prince?”
“What do you mean?”
“To remove the Crown Prince from the royal family, how much damage are you willing to accept?”
“How much damage should we accept? You must have a plan, Seojun.”
Seojun stayed silent. The look in his eyes, gazing at her pale, clear face, showed his anguish.
He realized this decision was not his to make.
“The royal family will be affected. Princess, you’ll have to make a statement, and whatever stance you take, criticism is inevitable.”
If the Crown Prince’s misdeeds became public, the royal family would be criticized for hiding and protecting him.
If Seoyeon sided with him, the public would criticize her; if she criticized him, the royal family and relatives would attack her.
Choosing one meant losing the other.
If Seoyeon wanted to become Emperor, losing either side would be a huge blow.
A bird with one wing cannot fly high.
Seojun worried about that. Specifically, he worried about Seoyeon struggling with one wing.
Suddenly, Seoyeon smiled.
“Kang Seojun, this isn’t a matter of choice. It’s something that must be done, so we do it.”
Seojun’s eyes narrowed.
“And why worry about what you might lose? Think about what you’ll gain. If I strike the Crown Prince, I lose the support of the royal family and relatives, but public support will double or triple.”
That would be far more reassuring.
Seoyeon’s calm, confident expression was evident.
Her firm will was clear.
Even if she lost an arm, she would remove the Crown Prince.
There were plenty of people to make up for a missing arm, so it wasn’t really a loss for her.
That smile struck Seojun’s heart.
“Ah…”
Seojun grimaced, smiling wryly.
Seoyeon, resolute as ever, looked even more impressive.
Seojun shook his head with a hollow laugh. He had worried unnecessarily.
A bird with one wing can still fly, if it rides the updrafts of a storm.
Seoyeon was the one who would stir the storm.
Riding the storm high and far, she would reach the throne.
The highest place in the Korean Empire.
“Now, tell me.”
Seojun looked at her with a pleased expression as she snapped her fingers.
“What should I say?”
“You must have a reason for saying the damage is unavoidable. You have a plan, right?”
Sharp as ever.
Seojun picked up the phone on the table.
“I think it’s time to start the act.”
