The Second Prince, Lee Hyeon, is practically treated as a carefree idler within the Imperial Family.
That wasn’t entirely inaccurate, to be honest.
He enjoyed mingling with people, and whenever he got the chance, he’d slip out of the Imperial Palace to wander the city streets alone.
He had no interest in politics, and even less desire for power.
But no one blamed or pointed fingers at the Second Prince for it.
The Korean Empire’s principle was that the legitimate eldest son would succeed the throne.
However, a principle was just a principle—history held cases where that rule had been overturned.
In fact, the current Emperor himself was such a case.
Back then, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had clashed fiercely over the throne, and in the end, the Second Prince seized it by driving out his brother, who was called a tyrant.
Of course, the Imperial Family went through a bloodbath in that process, and countless lives were lost.
Those who remembered that day knew.
The throne was no mere seat.
It was glory meant for one person alone, and the moment two coveted it, blood was certain to flow.
That was why Lee Hyeon’s lack of ambition was practically a blessing to the Imperial Family.
He never competed with his older brother, nor did he build any faction. And so, the Crown Prince, Lee Hwan, had no reason to be wary of his younger sibling either.
Perhaps that was why the two got along quite well.
“Is it true you hit a student at school this time?”
In one corner of the banquet hall.
The Crown Prince, Lee Hwan, glared at his younger brother, who wore a completely carefree expression, as he spoke.
Lee Hyeon responded with an innocent look on his face.
“No, hyung-nim. I just saw a classmate being harassed by a senior and swooped in to save the day, that’s all.”
“Then was there any need for your fist to come out? It’s not like there’s anyone in the Korean Empire who doesn’t know you’re a prince.”
“When it comes to warnings, sometimes a fist gets the message across better than words, you know?”
The Crown Prince clicked his tongue as he watched Lee Hyeon scratch his head.
“Little brother, act like royalty once in a while.”
“Like royalty?”
Lee Hyeon let out a snicker.
“I think I’m living pretty royally, hyung-nim.”
“A person like you doesn’t sneak out of the palace at night to eat street food and wander the city taking photos for people.”
“It’s important to experience the people’s lives firsthand if I want to connect with them.”
“You’ve got a silver tongue.”
The Crown Prince, Lee Hwan, let out a small sigh.
“You live too recklessly.”
“Thanks to that, you became Crown Prince without any opposition, didn’t you, hyung-nim? If I got serious, your position might be in danger.”
A brief silence.
Lee Hwan let out a snicker and took a sip from his glass.
“Alright. Please, by all means, get serious for once.”
“Oh?”
Lee Hyeon’s eyebrow twitched.
“I suppose I have to acknowledge your confidence.”
“How could I become Emperor without that much confidence?”
“Haha. That’s true enough.”
Lee Hyeon chuckled lightly.
Then he naturally turned his gaze toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
“Speaking of which, hyung-nim, about today’s guest of honor.”
“Kang Geon?”
“Yes. The new chairman of Seonghwa Group. What do you think of him?”
Lee Hyeon answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“I don’t think much of him. Seonghwa is a setting sun now, anyway.”
An answer so calm it was almost flat.
Lee Hyeon blinked.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“Well… Chairman Kang Seongcheol, the founder, was a businessman even Father and the late Emperor acknowledged, and his son was no pushover either.”
But things were different now.
The owner family was all dead, and all that remained was a high school bastard child the same age as his younger brother.
Lee Hwan’s voice carried certainty.
“Businesses don’t run on emotion. They need experience, people, and authority. And that young chairman has none of those three.”
“Still, he solved the poisoning case pretty quickly.”
Lee Hyeon thought that was quite impressive.
In the middle of such a complicated situation, he’d set a clear goal and achieved it.
On top of that, Lee Hyeon was deeply impressed by the live broadcast speech Kang Geon had given on the first day of the case.
It wasn’t easy for a high school student suddenly thrust into such a position to show that kind of spirit and sincerity.
However, the Crown Prince, Lee Hwan, cut in without a shred of hesitation.
“He probably got lucky. Or maybe the people under him were talented enough to live up to the Seonghwa name. Either way, Seonghwa will soon find itself desperately needing the Imperial Family’s help. That young chairman will eventually come to us on his own.”
His older brother, the Crown Prince’s, assertion.
But it didn’t take long to realize those words were wrong.
From the moment today’s guest of honor stepped through the door and into the banquet hall.
Lee Hyeon watched the boy walking deeper into the hall with great interest.
The first thing that caught his eye was the solid physique that was visible even under the suit. And above that, a strikingly handsome face.
On top of that, his naturally squared shoulders and unwavering gait were quite impressive, as if to show he wasn’t the least bit intimidated by being in the Imperial Palace.
How should he put it—even from afar, he gave off a strange sense of composure?
The truly astonishing part came next.
The titans of the business community began flocking to Kang Geon as if they’d all agreed on it.
They were even engaged in subtle battles of nerves just to be the first to offer their greetings.
Yet Kang Geon, standing at the center of it all, didn’t seem flustered in the slightest.
No, rather, he looked at them with an expression that suggested he’d expected all of this, almost as if he were annoyed.
Lee Hyeon’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow.
Until just a few days ago, this boy must have been an ordinary kid with no connection to this world whatsoever.
And yet, he could remain that composed in front of the cunning old foxes who ruled the business community?
Maybe he was still naive and didn’t know how the world worked.
Or maybe he really was that confident?
A small smile spread across Lee Hyeon’s lips.
‘Interesting.’
His body was already moving toward the center of the commotion.
***
I wasn’t sure if he’d come to help me out of a bind, but at the Second Prince Lee Hyeon’s words, the titans of the business community quickly backed off, reading the room.
And just like that, I found myself standing alone with the Second Prince.
I bowed my head and offered my greeting first.
“I greet the Second Prince Your Highn—”
“Aw, you don’t have to be so formal with me. We’re the same age, aren’t we?”
“Still, you’re royalty.”
“And you’re the chairman of Seonghwa Group, aren’t you? Ask the people who’s more important in the Korean Empire, and they’ll all give the same answer.”
The moment I faced him, I could tell one thing.
The files described him as an extremely bright and sociable person.
‘He definitely has a lighter feel to him than I’d expect from royalty.’
His vibe was honestly pretty likable right now?
Still, it was clear that he’d approached me with some kind of purpose.
And then.
“Let’s be friends.”
“?”
I heard a request I never could have expected.
He said it so casually that it was almost more startling.
“Is this the will of the Imperial Family?”
“Nope? I just want to be friends with you, that’s all?”
When I asked cautiously, Lee Hyeon looked puzzled instead.
As if his intentions had nothing to do with the Imperial Family whatsoever.
And my intuition told me.
That those words were absolutely not a lie.
In that case.
“Then let’s be friends.”
“Oh?”
“On one condition—friends are just friends. I’ll keep my personal ties and official matters completely separate.”
Lee Hyeon blinked for a moment.
Then he let out a snicker.
“What’s that? We’re just friends, aren’t you overcomplicating this?”
“I’d rather not be too deeply entangled with the Imperial Family. If anything, this is me being generous.”
At my words, Lee Hyeon burst out laughing this time, clutching his stomach.
…What exactly was so funny?
I didn’t say anything to be funny.
“Lee Hyeon.”
Just then, a low but weighty voice came from behind.
Before I knew it, the Crown Prince Lee Hwan was walking toward us.
“It’s not exactly polite to hog today’s guest of honor for too long.”
***
At the Crown Prince’s appearance, Lee Hyeon gave a knowing shrug and naturally slipped away.
Thanks to that, Kang Geon and the Crown Prince were left facing each other in an awkward standoff, and all the eyes and ears in the banquet hall focused on their conversation.
However, Kang Geon, for some reason, let out a hollow laugh inwardly in that situation.
It was because.
His intuition was forcibly telling him something about the Crown Prince.
Even just that alone made Kang Geon feel like he’d accomplished most of the purpose of his visit to the Imperial Palace today.
First, Kang Geon offered the Crown Prince a proper greeting, just as he had done with Lee Hyeon earlier.
“I greet the Crown Prince Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
Lee Hwan accepted Kang Geon’s greeting so naturally.
As if that level of respect was only to be expected.
He spoke with a faint smile on his lips.
“You must have had a long journey.”
“Not at all.”
…
The moment Kang Geon’s short reply ended, an awkward silence descended, and Lee Hwan broke it with a cough.
“My younger brother didn’t happen to overstep his bounds, did he? That boy’s temperament is so frivolous that he falls short in many ways as royalty. He’s also the type to act before he thinks sometimes.”
Kang Geon glanced at one side of the banquet hall and confirmed it.
The Second Prince, who was wearing a completely unbothered expression even after hearing the Crown Prince’s words just now.
He turned his gaze back to the Crown Prince.
“I found the Second Prince Your Highness to be a truly remarkable person.”
At that moment, the Crown Prince’s smile stiffened, ever so slightly.
Not only that, the entire banquet hall fell dead silent.
And for good reason—to anyone listening, that was a direct rebuttal of what the Crown Prince had just said.
“…What do you mean by that?”
At the Crown Prince’s question, his voice now a bit colder, Kang Geon simply spoke with a calm expression.
“The moment I entered this banquet hall, countless people approached me. Naturally, because I’m the chairman of Seonghwa Group.”
The Second Prince, on the other hand, was different.
“That person treated me as a same-aged friend from the start, not as the chairman of Seonghwa Group. Setting aside his royal status to extend his hand first.”
“…”
“I believe that’s a far more difficult thing to do than people think.”
Unlike Kang Geon, who spoke with confidence, the Crown Prince had gone completely silent.
Kang Geon didn’t bother avoiding his gaze.
“And that’s why I said the Second Prince Your Highness is a remarkable person.”
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