If You Claim the Fallen Heiress - Chapter 110

Kim Seon felt a strange chill run down his spine. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, but it was there.

“I was just waiting for you.”

Kim Seon immediately dropped the faint smile that had been on his face and went straight to the point.

“I called for you because I wanted to confirm with my own eyes that you are the representative of the Choi family.”

It wasn’t that he necessarily needed to confirm the man’s identity, but there was something bothering him.

The former king in the portrait had made one condition when he handed over the throne to Kim Seon’s great-great-grandfather. The condition was that if the Choi family ever returned, the throne must be immediately handed over to them.

Kim Seon’s great-great-grandfather, who was the prime minister at the time, accepted the condition and recorded it in a document. In other words, he had given the Choi family the right of immediate succession to the throne.

This point was extremely irritating to Kim Seon. He felt like he wanted to not only nationalize the former king’s assets but also find and destroy the royal seal.

He had no immediate plans to look for it since he had many other things to do, but lately, he had been feeling uneasy. Wasn’t it strange that the former royal family, who had been indifferent to the nation even when it was on the brink of war, suddenly put forward a representative? And why did it have to be a man of unknown identity with so many questions surrounding him?

Kim Seon could not completely rule out the possibility that they had become interested in the throne again. He had already been on high alert because his royal authority was unstable, as he had only recently ascended the throne.

“I wish to confirm that you are the official representative.”

His majestic, beautiful voice echoed in the main hall. A moment of silence followed, but there was no response, not even a reaction.

Kim Seon, with a look of discomfort on his face, urged him.

“The ministers also wish for it.”

The thought of it infuriated him, but in truth, the ministers didn’t care much. It was because they had become astonishingly lazy after the former king passed away.

Most of them were not interested in the affairs of the government and were only focused on luxury and pleasure. The fact that the foreign powers backed by Meisa were providing them with the funds was maddening.

Kim Seon now realized that he had been arrogant to believe that he could control these problems and only take the profits.

The end of Kim Seon’s voice trembled as he realized he was being backed into a corner.

“It would be best to answer before I misunderstand your intentions.”

Mu-yeong showed no reaction. He watched Kim Seon for a moment, as if trying to figure out his true intentions, and then made a face that suggested he could see right through him.

“I am sorry to say this, but a wealthy and powerful nation is built on trust.”

Kim Seon was still for a moment. He had experienced the man’s way of cutting off conversations and slipping away even at Museolwon, but there was no way he could get used to it. Rather than getting used to it, he wanted to avoid it. Just like when he had faced Yuseol’s father, his mentor, who had been without any gaps or flaws.

The one saving grace was that his mentor had a few minor flaws. Kim Seon’s eyes flashed, just as they had when he faced his mentor, who would make small mistakes whenever the subject of his deceased wife came up.

“But how is the Crown Princess-to-be who came with you doing?”

Mu-yeong’s eyes, which had been calmly watching the floor, slowly moved up to Kim Seon’s face. It was the gaze of a person in a position of power. Unlike his calm answer, it held a dangerous color.

“She is recovering well.”

Kim Seon thought deeply about the meaning behind his words and thought of Sahwa. He didn’t feel good. It was as if he was endlessly sinking into dark, cold water.

“Since the topic has come up, I’ll speak frankly. Your beloved, I hear rumors in the government that she resembles the Crown Princess-to-be who was given a death sentence for treason.”

Kim Seon leaned against the armrest of his chair and observed Mu-yeong. He expected him to be flustered and vehemently deny it, but for some reason, Mu-yeong didn’t care.

“Should I take that to mean there are no other problems in the government?”

Kim Seon’s lips, which had been smiling leisurely, trembled.

“Isn’t that too positive an interpretation?”

In fact, the most positive person in this situation was Kim Seon. He had believed that everything would be over if he just brought Sahwa into the palace.

However, in contrast to the government ministers who had concluded that Sahwa resembled Han Yuseol, the court ladies who were close to her could not give a definite answer. A long-time friend who had known her since childhood even said she couldn’t be sure and asked him to kill her instead. If something were to happen, he had to have someone to hold responsible.

“I want to hear it from your own mouth this time. That Sahwa is not the youngest daughter of the Han family.”

Mu-yeong furrowed his brows, as if it were a tiresome question to answer.

“Sahwa is just Sahwa.”

His unrestrained attitude, along with a deep sense of displeasure, brought with it a sense of truthfulness. Kim Seon, who had closed his lips for a moment, looked at Mu-yeong again. He hadn’t found any evidence that Sahwa was Han Yuseol, but he had more than enough circumstantial evidence. Everything, from the fact that Mu-yeong had not handed over Han Yuseol’s body, pointed to it.

“Then what is your purpose for coming to the palace this time? I don’t think you came purely for my birthday banquet.”

The fact that they had not attended the birthday banquets, let alone the former king’s funeral, was proof of this. As if acknowledging this point, Mu-yeong simply rubbed his eyes and stared at Kim Seon.

“I only came to take Sahwa to Museolwon.”

“You came to the palace to take your beloved.”

Mu-yeong was too secretive for Kim Seon to believe him outright, and he seemed to want a lot of things. But his unwavering eyes were telling the truth.

Just as Kim Seon was about to feel a small sense of relief, Mu-yeong’s gaze swept over his gonryongpo. At first, he seemed to be admiring the lustrous red sheen, then he stared at the flawless embroidery.

He soon furrowed his brow as if he were bored with the clothes, but he did not take his eyes off them.

What was he thinking?

Kim Seon felt a vague sense of unease.