There is a king in the Republic of Korea.
To be precise, there happens to be a king.
The people who run the country are the prime minister and the members of the National Assembly, and the king never sits in a cabinet meeting, waving a pen around. The royal family's official role amounted to appearing at national events, welcoming foreign dignitaries, and occasionally gifting the people with a heartwarming smile.
That was why the people of the Republic of Korea liked the royal family.
It had nothing to do with politics, there were no fights, and sometimes it was fun to admire the royals when they came out in glamorous clothes.
Of course, there was one exception.
Whenever the succession question came up, the people of the Republic of Korea suddenly became historians, political commentators, and experts in palace intrigue.
And at the center of it all was one person.
The Republic of Korea's only princess.
Lee Yeon, Princess Yeonhwi.
"Your Highness."
"Yeah."
"You need to get up."
"I don't want to."
"You have three things on your schedule today."
"Then make it four."
"Why?"
"That gives me one more reason to get up. Three… doesn't seem like enough."
Court Lady Im sighed at Yeon's shameless response.
"Your Highness."
"What?"
"The Royal Foundation board meeting is in two hours."
"And His Majesty asked you to have lunch with him."
"You also have a press conference this afternoon."
Yeon poked just her face out from under the blankets.
"I think I'm sick."
"Where does it hurt?"
"My heart?"
Court Lady Im calmly ignored her and flung the curtains open.
Sunlight poured into the room.
Yeon closed her eyes.
"Close them again… This is an assassination attempt."
"It's just sunlight."
"You have to be careful about everything in the palace."
"You said that yesterday, too."
"I must have almost been assassinated yesterday, too."
"Because Your Highness wouldn't get up."
"Exactly."
When Court Lady Im pulled Yeon upright, she finally sat up with a stretch. Then she immediately took a seat in front of the mirror.
Twenty-seven years old.
The Republic of Korea's only princess, a graduate of Sungkyunkwan, and a board member of the Royal Foundation.
Some people envied her. Some pitied her. And some said she might one day become king.
Lee Yeon herself wasn't particularly interested in any of those opinions.
At least, not in the morning.
"What's for breakfast?"
"You said you wanted fruit, so I prepared some."
"Hmm… I think I want rice. Let's eat rice."
"You said yesterday that you wanted fruit."
"Yesterday's me isn't today's me. Come on, let's eat rice. Okay?"
"Ha… Fine. I'll have something simple brought out. Go wash up and come out."
"Court Lady Im, you know I love you a lot, right?"
Court Lady Im gave a quiet chuckle at Yeon's nonsense and headed for the kitchen.
Once she had left, Yeon headed for the bathroom.
And ten minutes later—
"Your Highness."
"Yeah."
"Why haven't you washed yet?"
"I did wash."
"You only washed your face."
"That's still washing, isn't it?"
"What about your hair?"
"You need to wash your hair, too."
"Okay, okay. I get it."
Court Lady Im pressed both hands to her temples.
The Republic of Korea's only princess.
The royal family's eldest legitimate daughter.
The person who might one day become king.
And the person who took forever to wake up every morning and bickered with her because she couldn't be bothered to wash.
That was the Lee Yeon, Princess Yeonhwi, Court Lady Im had known.
In the end, Yeon came out with even her hair washed and perfectly clean.
Her long hair was neatly arranged, and her clothes were immaculate.
It was hard to believe she was the same person who had been rolling around under the blankets moments before.
Court Lady Im nodded with satisfaction.
"Now you look a little more like a princess."
"I was a princess to begin with. There hasn't been a single moment in my life when I wasn't one."
"Your Highness in the morning is more like…"
Court Lady Im's voice trailed off.
Yeon narrowed her eyes.
"More like what?"
"A little rascal."
"Never mind. Just erase it from your memory."
"I already heard you."
"Pretend you didn't."
"I'll remember it."
"That was my mistake."
Yeon let out a small laugh.
There weren't many people in the palace who could treat Yeon this way. In fact, there were only a few in the entire country.
But Court Lady Im had raised her from a young age, so Yeon spoke to her casually, without bothering with formalities.
Sometimes people said that made her unfit for someone of the royal family, but Yeon didn't care much.
"Let's eat."
"Yes. As you requested, I had something simple prepared."
Rice, soup, and several side dishes were neatly arranged on the table.
Yeon sat down with satisfaction.
"People need rice to live."
"You said yesterday that you wanted fruit."
"That was yesterday's me."
Court Lady Im laughed.
Yeon picked up her chopsticks.
And just as she was about to take her first bite—
"His Majesty has arrived."
A eunuch's voice came from outside the door.
Yeon's hand stopped.
"…Already?"
Court Lady Im quietly nodded.
"I know. It's a little early to call it lunch."
The door opened.
King Lee Hyeong stepped inside.
Even though he was over fifty, his clothes were perfectly arranged. Every strand of graying hair was in place, and his stride carried the weight of the years he had lived as king.
But the moment he stood before his daughter, his expression softened slightly.
"Have you already begun your meal?"
Yeon set down her chopsticks.
"Yes."
"Did I not say we would eat together?"
"It's not even lunchtime yet."
"That doesn't mean you can go hungry."
"Then you can eat with me."
The king gave a quiet chuckle.
"Very well."
Once the king sat down, Court Lady Im naturally prepared his meal as well.
Yeon glanced at her father.
"Dad."
"What is it?"
"Is something going on today?"
"Must there be a reason for me to eat with my daughter?"
"No, but…"
Yeon took a spoonful of rice.
"Lately, every time you eat with me, you seem like you have something to say."
The king's chopsticks paused briefly.
"Your instincts have grown sharper."
"They've always been sharp."
"Yes. You take after your mother in that regard."
Yeon hesitated for a moment.
But soon she scooped up some soup with an unaffected expression.
"Was Mom perceptive, too?"
"Very."
A small smile tugged at the corners of the king's mouth.
"She could tell what I was thinking before I even said it."
"Then you couldn't lie to her."
The king looked at Yeon.
Yeon continued eating as innocently as ever.
"What?"
"You can be too honest sometimes. That's the problem."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Not necessarily for someone in the royal family."
"But I am in the royal family."
"That's precisely why I'm saying it."
The king set down his chopsticks.
Then he looked at his daughter for a moment.
"Yeon."
"Yes."
"You have a press conference today, I believe."
"Yes."
"There will be questions about the succession as well."
Yeon's chopsticks stopped.
"Probably."
"What do you intend to say?"
Yeon thought for a moment.
Then she shrugged.
"Nothing's been decided yet. What am I supposed to say?"
The king's expression subtly hardened.
"Is that what you think?"
"Yes."
"Does it truly not trouble you?"
Only then did Yeon look her father straight in the eye.
"Why?"
The king didn't answer.
Yeon watched him for a moment, then gave a small laugh.
"Dad."
"What is it?"
"Do you think I'm going to become king?"
The king said nothing for a long while.
Then he spoke in a low voice.
"That is not for you to decide."
Yeon's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Why not?"
"Because the throne is not a position one obtains through ambition alone."
"Then what do you obtain it with?"
The king couldn't answer easily.
"…That is what you must learn from this point forward."
Yeon looked at her father for a moment.
Then she calmly resumed eating.
"Sounds difficult."
"It is."
"Then I don't want it."
The king stared at his daughter in bewilderment.
Yeon smiled.
"I'm kidding."
"Your jokes can be startling at times."
"You should be startled once in a while. It'll help you live longer."
"I am not yet at an age where I need to worry about dying."
"That's good to hear."
The king chuckled.
Whenever he looked at this daughter, he was sometimes reminded of the queen.
A woman who had been a little rascal, stubborn, and who smiled as though she didn't have a care in the world whenever she laughed.
His daughter took after her.
But the king knew.
He knew what lay behind Lee Yeon's smile.
And he knew what Lee Yeon still didn't know.
When the meal was over, Yeon stood up.
"I have to go to my meeting now."
"Are you leaving already?"
"You said it was in two hours."
"Even so, I ate with you because I was worried you might be late."
"You came way too early."
"Perhaps I am simply more diligent than you."
"…I'll give you that."
The king laughed.
Yeon walked toward the door, then turned around.
"Dad."
"What is it?"
"If they ask some weird question at the press conference today…"
The king looked at her.
"What do you intend to do?"
Yeon flashed a grin.
"I'll handle it myself."
And with that, she left.
The king stared at the closed door for a long while.
The smile disappeared from his face.
"…How far ahead is that child thinking?"
The king murmured in a low voice.
"I suppose I will have to find out now."
Meanwhile, as Yeon walked down the hall, she asked Court Lady Im,
"Court Lady Im."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"They're going to ask about the succession at today's press conference, right?"
"Probably."
"Then…"
Yeon thought for a moment.
"What should I say?"
Court Lady Im stopped walking.
"What am I supposed to do if you ask me that?"
"You're my nanny."
"Does that mean I have to prepare your answers for press conferences, too?"
"Can't you?"
"No, I cannot."
"That's not fair."
Court Lady Im sighed.
"Your Highness."
"Yeah."
"The succession is not something you can laugh off as a joke."
Yeon didn't smile at that.
A moment later, she nodded.
"I know."
And she started walking again.
At the far end of the palace's long corridor.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows, stretching across the floor.
Yeon gazed at the light and smiled faintly.
The succession.
It was something she had heard far too often since childhood.
But it was strange.
Ever since her younger brother, Lee Gyeol, was born, the words had begun to sound a little different.
"The next king."
The thought that her name might not follow those words.
Yeon still didn't know how serious a problem that would become.
There was only one thing she knew for certain.
She was a princess.
The king's eldest legitimate daughter.
And she knew her place better than anyone.
Yeon looked at Court Lady Im.
"Court Lady Im."
"Yes."
"Want to go get tteokbokki after the press conference today?"
"Your Highness."
"What?"
"You also have the Royal Foundation board meeting today."
"That's not what I was asking about."
"And the press conference."
"I know."
"There's also a royal banquet in the evening."
"When are you planning to eat tteokbokki?"
Yeon considered this seriously.
"Tomorrow?"
"You have plans tomorrow, too."
"The day after tomorrow?"
"That day, too."
Yeon looked at Court Lady Im with an aggrieved expression.
"Then when am I supposed to eat tteokbokki?"
Court Lady Im answered,
"When you become king."
Yeon's steps stopped.
"…That's a good idea."
Court Lady Im shook her head.
"I was joking."
"I'm serious."
Court Lady Im could only sigh.
Princess Yeonhwi did not yet know that day
she would truly end up fighting to become king.
And once that fight began,
she would find that even eating a single serving of tteokbokki in peace was more difficult than she had imagined.