Chapter 4
“Sister!”
The princess stepped forward from the open grounds, smiling brightly.
“It’s been a while. You must have worked hard traveling such a long distance.”
I looked at the girl—then shifted my gaze to the side.
A venomous face clinging to her like a shadow.
Bae Mi-ran.
Those sharply upturned eyes hadn’t changed at all.
‘The princess pushed away the Empress Dowager!’
The child the Empress Dowager had brought with her when she entered the imperial family.
The one everyone claimed was the Empress Dowager’s daughter.
Fifteen years ago.
You damned bitch who summoned me to where the Empress Dowager was and fed me lies.
I clicked my tongue briefly and nodded to the princess.
“Yeah. It’s been a while.”
“Yes! That’s right. As you may have heard, there’s a royal brand event today, so I stayed behind to welcome you.”
Hospitality?
Don’t make me laugh.
You’re here to mock me—to remind me there’s no place for me in the imperial family anymore.
You want to see my face crumple.
Back then, I think you said—
“Oh! And you shouldn’t go to Plum Blossom Palace. It’s my residence now.”
Didn’t I ask, Why is Plum Blossom Palace your palace, Eun-ah?
“I didn’t dare take my sister’s palace, but Father insisted.”
“Yeah. Good job.”
I answered curtly and nodded.
Back then, I had barely managed to hold back my tears.
Now that I’d lived through it once, I could see it clearly.
That precious little heart—desperate to boast about being favored by the Emperor.
“Is the welcoming over?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m tired. I want to go rest.”
“…Ah—uh.”
The princess’s eyes darted around.
She must’ve been flustered—my response clearly wasn’t what she’d expected.
“…Should I give it back to you?”
She hurriedly added, her voice uncertain.
“If you want, I can tell Father directly—!”
“What?”
“It’s Plum Blossom Palace!”
She looked distressed, blurting out things that didn’t need to be said.
Of course, I knew very well that I wasn’t someone who could reclaim it just by saying, Okay, give it back.
“Hmm.”
I tilted my head, pretending to think.
Deliberately mulling over her words.
“No. Keep it.”
“…What?”
“Go ahead. Plum Blossom Palace.”
I gestured aside, watching her bewildered expression.
“If you’re done entertaining me, move.”
“Ah—!”
My poor little sister.
So foolish it was almost pitiful—her reaction was nothing like what she’d planned.
It was… amusing.
And then—
“But has the world really become a better place?”
How annoying.
“In the past, the bloodline of a concubine wouldn’t have dared raise her head in front of me.”
I muttered as though talking to myself—
While staring directly at the princess’s frozen face.
“No. That’s not right.”
Princess.
“….”
Was she shocked?
Watching her lips tremble like a carp gasping for air, I nearly burst out laughing.
I held it in and looked at her with a harmless expression.
The atmosphere sank into pitch-black silence.
Understandable.
This was a meeting between the rightful princess who’d returned after fifteen years—
And the illegitimate daughter who’d acted as the royal heir for those same fifteen years.
Everyone could only watch.
No one dared step forward.
Was that too harsh?
Will I get cursed out later?
But—
I already told reporters to shut up at the airport. Me?
Compared to what I endured in my previous life, this was nothing.
If I was given another life, I at least wanted to say what I wanted—
even if it killed me.
In my past life, I swallowed this like a chronic illness.
“Sister… what did you just say?”
“What.”
“I have a concubine—”
“What.”
The moment she spoke, I cut her off.
Ah.
So refreshing.
The princess looked like she’d burst into tears if touched.
If I weren’t here, the royal family would’ve been her entire world.
Her court ladies glared at me like enemies, and Bae Mi-ran—standing beside her—looked even more venomous.
Yes, Bae Mi-ran.
You were always the more aggressive one when it came to pushing me down.
Even when we were children.
How absurd it was—
that someone who wasn’t even a princess pretended to be one.
—
“Is it because you never received motherly affection? You don’t know how to get close to people?”
You were always so good at saying things like that.
Even after I returned to the palace, it was Bae Mi-ran who tormented me the most.
To be precise—
She was the main culprit behind my ruined reputation in the imperial family.
Just as Bae Mi-ran shoved aside the silent princess and opened her mouth—
“I… Princess—”
“Your Highness.”
The protocol officer hurried forward, desperate.
I glanced at him, signaling him to speak.
“Secretary-General Seong Chi-woon is on his way.”
…What?
The Secretary-General? Why?
As if to confirm it, footsteps echoed from afar.
The air itself shifted.
Black suits.
Gleaming silver badges.
With perfectly synchronized steps, they advanced—commanding the palace like a living tableau.
The elite of the Imperial Secretariat.
Overwhelming in presence alone.
The man at the very front smiled at me.
“I’ve been anxiously awaiting you, Princess.”
Seong Chi-woon.
Secretary-General of the Imperial Secretariat.
The true authority—the one who controlled the balance of power within the imperial family.
He bowed politely.
“I will escort you personally.”
White Night Palace.
My assigned residence.
Even after cleaning, it couldn’t hide its dilapidation.
Cracked marble floors.
Peeling walls.
A desolate garden and a lifeless pond.
“Wow. It’s shabby… but nice.”
Seong Chi-woon coughed awkwardly.
“The matter of Your Highness’s residence does not fall under the Secretariat’s jurisdiction.”
“It’s fine.”
I shrugged.
If I wanted, I could drag the Senate in and reclaim my palace right now.
I just didn’t feel like it.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
He stepped aside to answer a call.
Watching him, I couldn’t help smiling—then laughed softly.
—
What is it, Lady Bae?
Ah… n-no, sir.
I remembered Bae Mi-ran retreating, face flushed, unable to say a word.
She probably hadn’t expected the most powerful figure outside the imperial family to personally escort me.
I hummed cheerfully and sank into the worn sofa.
Before I knew it, the call ended.
Seong Chi-woon returned.
“Please review this first, then rest.”
I tilted my head back lazily.
“Give me what you brought.”
He hesitated, then handed over the documents.
Document No.: HSEC-2023-038
Security Level: Grade 2 (Internal Access Only)
Public Response to the Princess’s Remarks & Strategic Utilization Plan
Already wrote a report? Fast.
“Feeding me this right to my face.”
“You may read it at your leisure.”
“I don’t really want to.”
“…Shall I summarize?”
“Sure.”
He spoke calmly.
“To protect Your Highness’s image, your first official appearance will be postponed. An announcement will be released stating the incident was caused by fatigue and poor condition immediately after your return.”
Oh.
I’d expected a demand for a public apology.
“Alright. And… sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
Smiling lightly, he handed me another document.
“This contains information on the personnel assigned to support you.”
I accepted it without interest—
Until my hand stopped on one page.
—
Dedicated Knight, Plum Blossom Guard
Captain Seo Woo-kyung
“Seo Woo-kyung?”
Familiar—yet not.
The prodigy rumored to have been crafted by God with everything.
The youngest captain in the Imperial Guard.
The man who had been dispatched overseas on a UN request when I returned to the palace in my previous life.
“That’s strange.”
I rested my chin on my hand.
He shouldn’t be here.
“My knight was Lieutenant Jung Jae-in.”
…!
The words slipped out unconsciously.
I quickly lifted my head and glanced at Seong Chi-woon.
Did he hear that?
His eyes narrowed.
“Yes. The Empress Consort recommended Lieutenant Jung Jae-in, but I changed the assignment using my authority.”
The unspoken question lingered.
How do you know this?
I deliberately ignored it.
“Why isn’t there a photo?”
I pointed to the blank space.
Honestly, I was uneasy.
Seo Woo-kyung—
A variable that hadn’t existed in my previous life.
“It’s explained at the bottom of the page.”
Only then did I notice the fine print.
—
Due to recent classified operations, photo information is withheld for security reasons.
Classified—even in a report submitted to the imperial family?
“What if I say I don’t like him?”
“May I ask why?”
“Just because.”
His forehead practically screamed What nonsense is this?
“Dislike alone is not a valid reason.”
“Then why does it have to be him?”
“By all objective metrics, Captain Seo Woo-kyung is the optimal choice to protect Your Highness.”
He continued evenly.
“He is the youngest appointee in the Guard and consistently rated the best in the military. He is the most suitable dedicated knight.”
“And if I still don’t like him?”
“People can’t live doing only what they like.”
“….”
Having nothing to say, I dismissed him, claiming I wanted to rest.
“If anything arises, please let me know, Princess.”
Watching him leave, a strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.
Had Seong Chi-woon always paid this much attention to me in my past life?
He’d always maintained neutrality—but never this closely.
“…More importantly.”
I picked up the document again.
—
Dedicated Knight
Captain Seo Woo-kyung
Seong Chi-woon coming to meet me.
And Seo Woo-kyung as my knight.
“….”
Why has the future changed?
