Chapter-02
Plum Blossom Palace — 15 Years Ago
Five years after Empress Han passed away.
“I didn’t do it, Father. It wasn’t me. Truly.”
Twelve-year-old Lee Seol bit down hard on her lower lip, fighting back her tears.
“Then explain it,” the Emperor said coldly. “You were the one who called me there.”
She tried desperately to prove her innocence.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sister…”
“Princess, why do you continue to lie? You pushed the Crown Princess.”
The Emperor’s illegitimate daughter and her younger sister, Bae Mi-ran, had conspired to frame her.
“Why are you doing this?! You’re the ones lying! When I arrived, she was already—”
“Princess!”
The Emperor’s thunderous roar tore through the hall.
Refusing to back down, the young princess shouted even louder.
“Really! When I got there, she had already fallen down the stairs—!”
Tsk!
Before she could finish, the Emperor’s palm struck her delicate cheek.
Her small body stumbled violently.
“…Oh, Princess!”
“Princess Mama!”
The startled court ladies rushed forward—only to freeze and bow again beneath the Emperor’s icy glare.
“You insolent brat! How dare you raise your voice at me!”
His eyes burned with fury.
“You dared to harm my woman. What if the child she carries had been lost? What if your younger siblings had been harmed?!”
The court ladies watching the Emperor’s wrath rain down on the young princess could only ache with pity.
Poor princess…
How could such a thing happen in the royal family…
Within this vast imperial palace, there was no one left to shelter the girl who had already lost her mother.
A foolish ruler blinded by his concubine’s skirts.
A cold royal family that offered no protection.
Overcome by rage and helplessness, the girl collapsed to the floor.
The young princess cried as though she had lost everything.
Dark clouds gathered over Plum Blossom Palace.
“To preserve the dignity of the imperial family, this incident will not be made public. However, the princess’s actions have left an indelible scar upon the Empress. To restore order and maintain the peace and honor of the imperial household, this child can no longer be tolerated.”
The Emperor’s merciless gaze fell upon her.
“This child is no longer fit to remain a member of the royal family.”
Lee Seol, the only legitimate princess of the Korean Empire.
“Leave the palace immediately. Never again bring shame upon its name.”
And so, at the age of twelve, she was cast out of her homeland.
For fifteen years—
Until the Emperor ordered her return.
2023
—The Imperial Korean Air Force aircraft landed as scheduled.
The captain’s mechanical announcement echoed through the cabin.
During the flight, reality finally sank in.
It felt as though I had been asleep for a very long time—but now my mind was clear.
This wasn’t a dream.
The future I had lived through in detail.
This place was neither heaven nor hell.
It was reality.
“We have arrived, Princess.”
At the protocol officer’s words, I looked out the window.
Beyond the runway lay a VIP gate—
a route reserved exclusively for the imperial family, completely separate from ordinary passengers.
“….”
Imperial Guards and the Ceremonial Corps stood waiting.
Perhaps they were waiting for me.
Rows of people in immaculate uniforms—it was quite a sight.
“Princess, we are ready to disembark.”
The aircraft door opened.
A cool breeze—neither warm nor cold—brushed against my skin, reminding me that I was alive.
I took a deep breath.
“….”
Air that should have felt unfamiliar—
Yet didn’t.
Two years ago, I had returned along this very path.
Now, I could no longer deny it.
This wasn’t a dream or the afterlife.
It was 2023.
I had returned to the past.
“I will escort you.”
As we stepped off the aircraft, a perfectly ordered scene unfolded before me.
The Imperial Guard stood in formation.
The imperial emblem gleamed upon their uniforms, their posture flawless.
“Salute to Her Highness, Princess of the Korean Empire’s Imperial Guard!”
A deep, commanding voice rang out.
“Attention! Present arms!”
All guards saluted in perfect unison.
“….”
I watched quietly and then began to descend.
One step.
Two.
Down the red-carpeted stairs.
The moment my foot touched the ground—
“…!”
Every guard snapped to attention and saluted.
Perfectly synchronized.
And somehow, it amused me.
These were the same people who once held their blades at my throat.
Now they formed an iron wall around me.
How ironic.
“….”
Are they serious now?
Or is this just another performance?
I turned away with mild irritation and nodded toward the black limousine.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Princess.”
They left the airport via the royal route, escorted front and back.
Once they passed the restricted zone, a sea of reporters and citizens came into view.
“Princess Lee Seol!”
“Welcome home after fifteen years!”
The screams were deafening.
Through the tinted window, I saw a massive crowd.
Every face lit with excitement.
“….”
Two years ago, I had shed tears of gratitude at this sight.
Now?
It stirred nothing.
The limousine came to a halt.
The protocol officer turned carefully.
“Princess, would you like to greet the people briefly?”
Why bother?
I stared out the window, then nodded indifferently.
The guards opened the doors.
“Oh, Princess!”
“You truly are a princess…”
“Princess Lee Seol has really returned!”
Shouts erupted instantly.
“Princess! I’ve been waiting!”
“Welcome home!”
Some people even wiped away tears as they called my name.
“Gyaaa! Princess Lee Seol!”
“Princess, please look this way!”
Camera flashes exploded, stabbing at my eyes.
The cheers were so loud my ears rang.
“I heard you were proposed to by a member of Dubai’s royal family during university!”
“Princess! Please look here!”
“How do you feel about returning home?”
Questions rained down endlessly.
You really are back.
Just like two years ago.
When Father was still alive.
When the people hadn’t yet turned against me.
When the royal family still pretended to stand on my side.
“Princess Lee Seol, you’re so beautiful!”
“How do you feel about returning after fifteen years?”
Do they even know?
That in one—or at most two—years,
they will be the very ones throwing stones at me.
The moment that thought settled, exhaustion washed over everything.
“…So noisy.”
Even their cheers sounded like nothing but noise.
“Pardon? Princess, could you speak a little louder?”
All eyes turned toward me.
I opened my mouth again.
“Shut up.”
Silence fell instantly.
The reporters’ hands froze mid-flash.
“…It’s loud.”
Imperial Secretariat — Media Response Team
“First, figure out the context of her statement! We need a logical explanation for why she said that!”
A man slammed his tablet onto the table.
“Establish key response terms first. Minimizing damage to Her Highness’s image is the priority.”
“Hold. Assess external reactions first. Pull trending keywords from social media.”
“Organize confirmed positions by media outlet and update emergency briefing scenarios.”
The media response team was a battlefield.
Stacks of documents lay scattered, phones rang nonstop, and frantic typing filled the air.
“Where’s the draft official statement? Has it gone through review?”
“Not yet. We’re still organizing interpretive frames for Her Highness’s remark.”
All this chaos stemmed from a single sentence.
‘Shut up. It’s loud.’
No one knew why the Princess had said it.
But one thing was certain—
This issue had to be stopped at all costs.
“Draft within five minutes and send it out! It’s already been fifteen!”
“Yes. Current status has been relayed to the crisis management team.”
Each decision they made could determine the fate of the imperial family.
A massive digital screen filled one wall, displaying real-time headlines and breaking news.
In the corner, an AI system continuously updated graphs of positive and negative sentiment.
“Check the dashboard. Articles are already going live.”
What was bound to explode—
had exploded first.
A staff member enlarged the screen.
[Princess Lee Seol’s Powerful First Words Upon Her Return… ‘Don’t Misunderstand’]
—So what? The Princess said it’s noisy; deal with it.
—A country that doesn’t know how precious Lee Seol is^^?
…….
Huh?
