Chapter 16

The moment Kang Geon finished speaking, the banquet hall fell into a deathly silence.

Even those who had been clinking glasses and chatting just moments before closed their mouths and stared at the two men.

Everyone knew.

On the surface, the exchange that had just taken place was nothing more than Kang Geon complimenting the Second Prince.

But the underlying meaning was completely different.

The Second Prince, whom the Crown Prince had judged as “lacking as a member of the Imperial Family,” was now being praised by Kang Geon as “exemplary as a member of the Imperial Family.”

It was a completely contradictory assessment of the same person.

This was also a direct rebuttal of the Crown Prince’s thoughts.

And it happened in the Imperial Palace’s banquet hall, in front of countless magnates.

Recalling that fact, the Crown Prince, Lee Hwan, clenched his fist tightly.

Whether that remark came from malicious intent or genuine sincerity, only Kang Geon knew.

Even so, Kang Geon had neither criticized the Imperial Family nor attacked the Crown Prince.

He had merely praised a member of the Imperial Family.

That was precisely why it was more problematic.

Lee Hwan quietly stared at Kang Geon.

Though it had been a short time, countless thoughts had raced through his mind.

One thing was certain.

‘…If I reveal my emotions here, it will remain as a blemish on my record.’

An official banquet watched by numerous business elites and government officials.

For the Crown Prince himself to flush at the words of a young chairman would be laughable.

Soon, a faint smile returned to Lee Hwan’s lips.

“…A sound opinion.”

His voice sounded as if nothing had happened.

“My brother will be delighted to hear that too.”

“…….”

“Enjoy the rest of the banquet to your heart’s content. Today is a gathering to celebrate your inauguration, after all.”

With those words, the Crown Prince turned away.

His gait was no different from usual, but his eyes were unmistakably different from moments before.

And then.

“Puhah-!”

Lee Hyeon, who had been watching the entire scene, covered his mouth with his hand.

He tried to stifle it, but in the end, he couldn’t stop the laughter from leaking out.

‘How amusing.’

It had been a long time since he’d seen his older brother make such an expression.

And to have been struck by someone he looked down on so much—he must be properly fuming now.

Still, swallowing his emotions and stepping back was a decision befitting the Crown Prince.

At the very least, if he had raised his voice in that spot, today’s protagonist would have been his brother, not Kang Geon.

And probably in a very bad way.

In any case, Lee Hyeon found himself seeing Kang Geon in a new light once again.

Even before himself, a prince.

And before the Crown Prince, the future Emperor.

There wasn’t a trace of intimidation.

‘Is that really someone who received no education at all, an illegitimate child?’

People often say such things.

A tiger’s cub is ultimately a tiger.

But for Kang Geon, that expression felt rather inadequate.

Because he was simply a tiger already.

With that thought, Lee Hyeon let out a small chuckle.

Feeling glad that he had been the one to suggest they become friends.

Meanwhile.

“…Mr. Chairman.”

“Secretary Choi? Is something wrong? You don’t look well.”

At Kang Geon’s question, Choi Yuna let out a deep sigh for some reason.

“If you were going to say something like that to His Highness the Crown Prince, please at least consult with me beforehand. Facing it without knowing anything is bad for my heart.”

“Ah, is that what this is about?”

At Choi Yuna’s complaint, Kang Geon let out a small laugh.

“Then I suppose I should tell you this.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You know how I’ve been agonizing over what to say in my inauguration speech, right?”

Choi Yuna nodded.

She had even offered to write a standard script, but for some reason, Kang Geon had firmly refused.

Saying he wanted to convey words he had thought of himself.

And he had clearly decided what to say just now. Out of consideration for Choi Yuna, he told her what he planned to say in the inauguration speech.

And it was.

“…Ex-excuse me?”

It was apparently enough to make Choi Yuna stumble over her words for the first time.

***

I slowly surveyed the atmosphere of the banquet hall.

After the conversation with the Crown Prince, no one approached me anymore.

They were probably checking the Crown Prince’s mood rather than mine.

Of course, from my perspective, that was actually good news.

Anyway……

‘It really is stuffy in here.’

The banquet hall was splendid, but when I glanced around at the faces of the people inside, a sigh naturally escaped me.

How should I put it—they’d simply gathered only people who looked conspicuously old.

Then again, it would have been stranger to see people my age at a major corporation chairman’s inauguration ceremony in the first place.

Not to mention, the Imperial Family had that longstanding characteristic, didn’t they?

‘I recall that female children are rarely born.’

Thanks to that, the only people in the Imperial Family around my age were the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.

Well….

‘If Lee Serin had been at this gathering, at least it would have been a treat for the eyes.’

Lee Serin, the protagonist of this crazy drama world.

But I was more familiar with the name “Bae Jiwon” than “Lee Serin.”

Because that was the name of the actress who played the role of Lee Serin.

She was the actress who proudly took first place in a foreign media outlet’s ranking of Korean actresses by looks.

On top of that, her acting skills were excellent, so Bae Jiwon struck gold with every drama she appeared in.

So much so that she was called a national actress just six years after her debut.

Of course, Lee Serin probably didn’t even know her other name, Bae Jiwon.

And regardless of all that, I did want to meet her at least once.

Just purely out of curiosity about how pretty she was in person.

Though I had no intention of becoming close with her.

Watching the woman at the center of this crazy world from afar might be entertaining, but experiencing it by her side felt like it would genuinely raise my blood pressure.

Just as I was in the middle of such thoughts.

Boom!

A drum sound that shook the entire venue resounded.

It was a majestic processional, unmistakably announcing the arrival of someone of high station.

Normally, trumpet calls or fanfares would have rung out, but I suppose this was the “Korean Empire” after all.

At that sound, everyone in the banquet hall naturally lifted their heads toward the upper level.

The second floor of the banquet hall.

From a balcony engraved with the golden emblem symbolizing the Imperial Family, a man slowly revealed himself.

Luxurious Imperial robes. And silvery hair.

The Emperor of the Korean Empire, who had been scheduled to appear at the end of the banquet, had finally made his entrance.

With his appearance, the atmosphere of the banquet hall shifted completely. The Emperor slowly gazed down at the hall from the balcony.

His gaze was gentle, and a benevolent smile hung at the corners of his mouth.

On the surface, he was the very picture of the Korean Empire’s elder.

The sovereign respected by the people, personified.

And soon, his gaze landed precisely on me.

As if he had been looking for me alone among the crowd from the very beginning.

“Today, this gathering has been prepared to celebrate the new beginning of Seonghwa Group.”

The Emperor continued, maintaining his gentle smile.

“Amidst sudden tragedy, I highly commend Chairman Kang Geon’s resolve to lead Seonghwa without wavering.”

Those words were both a praise of me and a kind of declaration.

A declaration that the Emperor himself recognized the new chairman of Seonghwa Group.

“Please, enjoy this gathering to your heart’s content.”

But thanks to my intuition, I could tell.

That all of those words were nothing but pretense.

At that moment, Park Doyun quietly approached my side.

“Chairman Kang Geon. His Majesty wishes to have a conversation with you.”

“…Lead the way.”

“Yes. This way, please.”

As he turned around, I immediately followed, and I could feel the gazes in the banquet hall naturally trailing behind me.

There was no murmuring.

Rather, as if this were the most natural order of events, people simply watched me in silence.

The inauguration ceremony of Seonghwa Group’s chairman is held at the Imperial Palace.

The Emperor personally offers words of congratulations.

And then the Emperor separately summons the new chairman.

All of this flow seemed like meticulously arranged protocol from the very beginning.

“His Majesty is waiting beyond that door.”

Park Doyun stopped in front of the door that led to the second-floor balcony where the Emperor had appeared earlier.

“May I simply enter?”

At my answer, Park Doyun gave a brief nod, and I placed my hand on the doorknob.

A strangely cold sensation traveled up my fingertips.

…Is it just my imagination?

Or is my intuition trying to warn me about something?

In any case, I had no intention of backing out now that I’d come this far.

I opened the door and stepped inside, coming face to face with the Emperor of the Korean Empire.

“You’ve come.”

The Emperor spoke, looking at me.

A low, gentle voice.

The voice that had filled the entire banquet hall moments ago was now directed solely at me.

I recalled the etiquette I had learned from Park Doyun, placing my right hand over my chest.

Then I bowed.

“I humbly greet Your Majesty.”

“At ease. The protagonist of this gathering today is you, Chairman Kang.”

At the Emperor’s words, I slowly raised my head.

Below the balcony, the banquet continued as before.

But here, it was different.

The voices of people and the sounds of instruments were faint, as if coming through a thin membrane.

It felt like stepping into a space slightly removed from the world.

The Emperor maintained his quiet smile, as if scrutinizing my reaction.

“This must be your first time at the Imperial Palace, of course.”

“Yes. It is my first time.”

“And how do you find it?”

A short question.

I paused, looking down at the banquet hall beyond the balcony.

Then I answered honestly.

“It’s a bit difficult to give you a definitive answer.”

“…And why is that?”

“Because none of this has truly sunk in yet.”

“Heh heh, that’s only natural, I suppose. All of this must be so sudden for you.”

The Emperor nodded as if he understood.

“You suddenly became the chairman of Seonghwa Group, and at the same time, you’ve come to bear far too many gazes and expectations.”

“…….”

“No matter how outstanding a person you are, it must be burdensome.”

His voice was truly gentle.

Like a grandfather worrying about his grandson.

“Seonghwa is a corporation that represents the Korean Empire.”

The Emperor placed his hands on the railing, slowly gazing down at the banquet hall below.

“The Imperial Family does not wish to see such a corporation falter. So do not try to shoulder everything alone.”

“Yes, I will take that to heart.”

As I answered, his gaze returned to me.

A gentle smile, benevolent eyes.

And then.

“The Imperial Family can be your ally at any time.”

A short statement.

Its intention was so transparent that I couldn’t help but smirk reflexively.

“Your Majesty, I shall deliver my answer to those words during my inauguration speech.”

“…Oh ho.”

The smile at the corner of the Emperor’s mouth visibly deepened.

“During the inauguration speech, you say… Does that mean you’ve already decided on your answer to my proposal?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. And as the chairman of Seonghwa Group, I believe that giving my answer formally, in an official setting, is the proper courtesy toward Your Majesty.”

As I spoke with a faint smile, the Emperor regarded me silently for a moment.

He clearly wanted to know my intentions right then and there, but the moment I drew a clear line, his response was already set.

“I do hope that answer will be fitting for this gathering today.”

At that, I gave a slight bow.

“You will not be disappointed.”

Probably.