C8 Part3

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

The Emperor glanced at him. When he was completely gone, he looked back at the folding screen behind him and opened his mouth.

“From what I can see, you are no match for the Chief Commander. You must be in a superior position in order to get what you want. Power, authority, the nation, and even women. In the end, you must be strong in order to get everything you want!”

As the Emperor spoke, JaeHoon, who was hidden behind the folding screen, clenched his fists.

“It won’t work for you, so just give up.”

Why did it never work for him?!

In the end, JaeHoon’s hurdle was Heon. If he needed to be superior in order to have MoonWon, then there was only one thing he could do.

A dark shadow settled in his eyes.

* * *

YongUn limped as he came out of the jail cell. He looked up.

‘Know this. Your life has been saved thanks to your talented son-in-law.’

After having been tortured to confess to his crimes, YongUn was let go by royal decree. The royal guard took him out and sneered at him. However, YongUn did not feel relief at having his life saved.

“MoonWon.”

His vision went blurry at the thought of how much his daughter must have suffered because of this. The thought of Heon making a move to get him out of jail made his heart heavy.

“How can I face you?”

Although she was persistent, his daughter was weak when it came to her family. His heart sank as he recalled the heartache his daughter had gone through as she kept her thoughts and struggles to herself.

“Thank goodness you were released from prison.”

YongUn came to a halt when he heard the voice calling out nearby.

With only Court Lady Yeo by her side, Consort Yu gave YongUn a lovely smile. Unlike the beautiful consort, YongUn’s eyes were burning with rage.

She had avoided him and his family when it had fallen, and she only seemed to show up right after he had barely made it out with his life.

“Was it you, Consort?”

“What are you talking about? What are you saying to someone who rushed over here after having heard of your release from prison?”

Despite her feigned ignorance, the Consort’s smile did not go away. There was no other reason for the duke to have thrown him over the edge of a cliff like this.

“My wife was a close friend of yours, Consort.”

“Was she? I remember she would go around and spread such ugly rumors. Wasn’t she a venomous, foolish woman?”

Since only Court Lady Yeo was around, the Consort did not attempt to change the subject or deny it.

Having witnessed the Consort without her shell, YongUn gazed at her with shocked eyes.

He and his wife had been incompetent. Ultimately, the one who had turned his family into shambles and made MoonWon like this was him.

“If you hated our family this much, why did you take my daughter in as your daughter-in-law?”

“Ah, if my son wasn’t so stubborn, I would have been able to block the disgusting union.”

“Ah!”

“But it seems that I was too soft-hearted. Royal Attendant… No, I guess you’re not one anymore. I heard that your daughter deceived her husband, my son, and had an affair with the Crown Prince.”

YongUn’s face grew pale. Seeing his reaction, Consort Yu raised her nose at him.

It was a relationship that should have ended before it began. These people were like weeds and lived as they liked, being an inconvenience to others. In the end, Consort Yu chose to step on them so that they wouldn’t even dream of coming back.

“MoonWon… My daughter is not like that!”

“I know that. She is a very wise and persistent child. That was why it took me a long time to use a different tactic on her than the one I used on her parents. She is quite a tiring child.”

YongUn swayed from the shock of what he was hearing.

When the fall of his family had become a certainty, YongUn lost all reason.

“If you did not like me or my wife, you could have pointed that hatred towards me and me alone. Why?! How can you do that to a child who has just settled down?”

“I had already chosen a partner that would suit my son. Wasn’t she the one who was cunning enough to take that spot anyway?”

YongUn’s blood cooled and his body shook. His vision went dark and his head throbbed.

Just what had he done to MoonWon?

“You could have stopped the Chief Commander if you did not like my daughter!”

“Heon pushed ahead, so there wasn’t anything I could do. That brat was the one who clung to my son’s feet as she begged for her father’s life. Tsk, tsk. And I heard that she was confined in the inner residence. Actually, I don’t know if she’s actually being confined in the residence or whether she’s the one who is refusing to leave.”

When Heon and MoonWon’s marriage had been determined, YongUn had believed it was all thanks to the grace of Consort Yu. That was why he had asked Heon to help with his reinstatement.

“But in the end, the daughter can’t help but save her own father. Isn’t that right?”

Consort Yu continued to speak as she watched YongUn on the verge of collapse.

Either way, she had no intention of showing YongUn any mercy. He wouldn’t be of any help to her. If she had planned on simply moving past this, she wouldn't have shown him her true self.

“Now that you have been released from prison, I’m sure that child will leave the bamboo grove very soon.”

“......”

“Take her and disappear. As a father, shouldn’t you consider your daughter’s future? If you do not heed my words, you will definitely lose your life. Think long and hard about what will be best for you.”

After saying her piece, Consort Yu turned around without hesitation. After seeing how she didn’t look back once, YongUn turned his eyes up to the sky.

“What did I do?”

When MoonWon’s marriage to Heon had been decided, YongUn didn’t understand why Yuhwa and SoYoon burst into tears. He believed that the ties that had been broken were being reconnected by the heavens.

Because his family had given her a boost of support to get her where she was, he believed that Consort Yu would treasure MoonWon as her daughter-in-law and take her under her wing.

“This is all… Everything is…”

His smiling daughter had turned into an adulterous woman.

And in that situation, Heon had used his influence to help YongUn out of prison.

Just how much had MoonWon endured until things had gotten like this?!

“It’s all my fault.”

YongUn finally collapsed to the ground.

“Because of me…”

Tears wouldn’t come out. He had no right to cry.

Everything he had believed to be good ended up becoming lethal poison to his daughter. He didn’t mind if he had to leave in disgrace, but he could not let that happen to his precious only daughter.

“You’re the most righteous person I know, and yet I…

cough.”

He felt his insides churn. A bloody lump spilled out of his mouth. After coughing up some more blood, he looked up at the sky.

“Ah!”

His mouth was grotesquely covered in blood as it gaped open. He looked like he was laughing or crying as he slumped to the ground.

“Court Lady Yeo.”

Consort Yu watched YongUn and called for Court Lady Yeo.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Did you prepare everything I told you to?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please do not worry.”

“I planned for him to just die in prison…”

If things had gone according to plan, she could have eliminated YongUn and MoonWon without leaving behind a trace. However, her perfectly crafted plan had gone awry when Heon had made a deal with the Emperor in order to protect MoonWon.

Heon should have kicked MoonWon out since he never trusted women. However, he had not acted as expected.

‘Even if it will be a bit dangerous to make a move now, I still need to do it.’

Before they did any real harm, she needed to get rid of any obstacles in her way.

“If she hears that her father has been released from prison, that girl will leave the bamboo grove no matter what. And when she does, we’ll kill both of them.”

YongUn had been released, and JaeHoon’s royal marriage was proceeding once again.

JaeHoon vehemently refused to cooperate, but this time, the Emperor put his foot down.

Before the matters regarding YongUn fizzled out completely, she needed to complete it once and for all.

“Make sure to bring their corpses to me so that I may check and see that they are truly dead.”

“I will do as you ask, Your Highness.”

If everything went according to plan, even the heavens would be on her side. A smile stretched across Consort Yu’s face as she returned to her palace.

Tired of waiting for more chapters? Check out the FAQ page!