Chapter 139 - The Heir To The Throne-Jonghyun's View

*Flashback*

"Master Lee, you'll be cold," the butler told him but he did not care. The rain was pouring hard, splattering loudly on the car which he sat in. His eyes were on the dingy building in front of him while his mind was occupied with the orders he was given.

"I'm fine, Butler Jung," he said in a cold tone. He was Lee Jonghyun, the twenty year old adoptive son of the Prime Minister who had recently returned to the city after a long gap. In reality, he was one of the lost Crown Princes, Kim San, who was secretly put under protective custody of the government. The Company had taken him in and the Empress trained him abroad until he was ready to come back to the country.

However, as soon as he returned to the country, his position as the heir to the throne was greatly challenged by the rumors of a will which the late Emperor had prepared. No one knew where the will was but if the rumors were correct, there were two possible candidates to the throne. One was the other 'Kim San', Jonghyun's half-brother and rival to the throne. But it was the other one which shocked him the most.

His aunt, Kim Areum. 

If the second rumor was true, then that meant the Emperor had gone against all tradition and named his sister and her heirs as successors. As the founder of the Light, the Emperor had gone against the Company numerous times and the parliament was obliged to follow the Emperor's orders. If his will named Areum and any child of hers as the heir, they would have to obey. However, if she died childless, then the throne would come back to Jonghyun.

Which is why he had to make sure that the root of his troubles was stemmed out. Even a rumor like that was a threat to his authority.

"You must kill her to get the throne," the Empress had ordered him. "This is your chance to prove that you're not the son of a mere concubine but a true prince of this country!"

The son of a concubine…

Jonghyun clenched his fists in anger. It was a tag he had to endure from the Empress for years. In front of the Company, she pretended to be a doting mother but in private, she had been ruthless to him. She berated him for his birth and as the son of the woman who betrayed her. He was an eyesore to her and a mere puppet for her to regain control of the country.

But Jonghyun was patient and calm. He needed the Empress by his side for a while until he could find the will and gain control of the Company and the country. It would take years but he must endure it.

Then why...why were his hands shaking so much?

"Stop it," he gritted. His hands just would not stop shaking at the thought of killing his aunt. There was a time when she used to visit the palace a lot and doted on both the princes. She knew about their fates but that did not stop her from loving her nephews. Areum was one of the only people who opposed the system of the heirs, but was never taken seriously by the men who controlled the monarchy. 

Even the Emperor could not publicly support her but he assigned her as one of his underlings for the Light. The Company was too powerful even for the Emperor. They controlled the country from different aspects and had the ability to topple the whole royal family. 

There were rumors that the Emperor was going to expose them but before he could do so, the Company conducted the coup. In the consequent civil war which erupted from the coup, the Company won and painted the Light as the traitors who had killed the royal family. They trained Jonghyun to take over the throne but until the will was found and destroyed, they could not declare him as the new Emperor.

His phone rang. Glazing at it, he saw that it was Yang.

"Did you find her?" he demanded as soon as he answered the phone.

"Yes," Yang replied. "We found her. She lives alone here."

Jonghyun's heart skipped several beats. He was perspiring at the thought of meeting his aunt again that too under such dire circumstances. The thought of killing her was outrageous to him but the throne was waiting for him. He must choose.

"I'm coming," he whispered. The butler who was in the driver's seat was observing him.

"Sir, you still have time," Butler Jung said. "This isn't what your mother would have wanted-"

"My mother ordered me to do this," Jonghyun stated in a firm tone.

"The Empress ordered you to do it," Jung corrected him. "Not your mother."

"Are you on my side or not?" Jonghyun retorted. "I thought you promised to support me in everything!"

Jung was quiet for a while. "I won't stop you, sir," he finally said. "But remember this. If you go through with this, you'll live in deep regret for the rest of your life. The stain of your aunt's blood won't go away."

"I don't care," Jonghyun claimed. "My hands are already stained. Might as well stain them more."

He got out of the car and stepped into the rain. His body and clothes were soaked but he ignored it all and kept on walking towards the building.

Unbeknownst to him, the back of the car was slightly open and a pair of tiny eyes were staring at his retreating back. Making sure not to make a noise, a little boy of around six years old climbed out of it. The rain was heavy so Jung did not notice the tiny figure heading for the building, following Jonghyun.

Jonghyun climbed the stairs to the first floor where his aunt had been spotted last. He entered the tiny apartment to find the group of army men surrounding a petite woman in her early forties. Even though she was wearing hand me down clothes, her royal aura was oozing out of her. She was still as pretty as Jonghyun recalled with smooth skin and dark hair. She was now leaner and more muscular as if she had been training for years. The only reason she was able to escape the coup was due to the fact she was not in the country at that time.

The army had tied her up and forced her to a sitting position. Yang was watching her coldly with not an iota of emotions on his face.

"When did you return, aunt?" he asked in a steely tone.

"Long enough to see what you've become!" Areum spat. "Kim San, what the hell are you doing? These people killed your family!"

"I have no family," Jonghyun said in a hurt tone. "You know where the will is. Tell me and I'll spare you."

Areum smirked. "Even if I tell you," she began. "You'll kill me!"

A large hand slapped her and she staggered sideways on the floor. She looked up at Yang with hatred simmering in her dark eyes.

"Is this how you treat your former fiance?" she scoffed at him. "My brother was crazy to have me engaged to you! I knew you were always an asshole!"

Yang was boiling with rage. The woman had humiliated him many years ago by running away abroad on the eve of their wedding and still had the guts to insult him.

"I hold your life in my hands!" he hissed.

"I'd rather die then!" Areum declared.

"Tell us where the will is!" Jonghyun demanded. He took out a gun and brandished it in front of her.

"You'll never find it!" Areum claimed. "And even if you do, you'll never become the Emperor."

A slow smile curved on her face as she tormented him. "The Emperor listed your brother as the heir," she lied. "Until he comes to the throne, it must remain empty! You are doomed. You know very well that the Empress will cast you aside the moment she finds out that her son is the real heir!"

Jonghyun looked at Yang who was hardened by Areum's words. Both of them were taken aback by Areum's determination and debating what to do.

"This woman is of no use to us," Yang told Jonghyun. "But she's too dangerous to live."

"San is the real heir!" Areum claimed. "You have no chance. He's still out there and you know it very well. Once he comes back, he'll ascend the throne as the new Emperor and you can't do anything."

She glared directly at Jonghyun's cold eyes. "You'll always remain as the concubine's son!" she hissed. "The second best and the loser. That's what you are-"

Her words were cut by the gunshot to her head. Blood and brains splattered on Jonghyun as Areum fell on the ground, dead. Smoke emitted from his gun and the sound echoed all throughout the room, shattering the peace of the night.

"Bury her in a ditch," Jonghyun ordered in an emotionless tone. Yang nodded and ordered his men to carry the body away.

From the corner of the front door, a small figure was shivering in fear. The little boy had seen everything and was too shocked to speak.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed him from behind, shutting his mouth. The boy was startled but it was Jung.

"Shh!" he motioned the little boy and swiftly carried him away before the army could find him. The butler took the child and ran towards the car to put him in the back.

"Master Myung, don't ever tell anyone what you saw here!" Jung cautioned the scared little boy. "These people will kill you if you say anything!"

Jung pitied the little boy who was scared and despite his need to pacify him, there was nothing he could do for Myung. He closed the door and hid the child from sight. 

The child lay in the darkness, badly shaken by what he had seen. Myung was curious about this 'big brother' his father had brought home and merely followed him to see what Jonghyun was doing. But what he witnessed scarred his tender mind, etching a lifelong nightmare in him.

He's evil, Myung concluded, shutting his ears. He's evil.