Chapter 067. The Lost Kingdom (6)
The drums of fate began sounding in the distance.
The sky was a deep blue, as though dark indigo paint had been spread across it.
Military officers stood before the gates, waving enormous banners decorated with golden dragons.
Soon, the royal procession entered the grand banquet hall.
The king had skipped the noble council because he was supposedly ill.
Yet other than his slightly pale complexion, he appeared perfectly capable of moving.
When the supreme ruler appeared, the dancers raised long pieces of cloth high into the sky.
The musicians began playing magnificent ceremonial music.
King Nampyeong sat on the throne with an uninterested expression.
Then he lifted a golden cup.
All the officials immediately stood and raised their own cups.
"On this Fifteenth Day Festival, I deliver the words of heaven..."
He offered the first cup to Great Emperor Namji, founder of Hui Kingdom.
That marked the beginning of the royal banquet.
Afterward, the names of royal relatives, meritorious subjects, central officials, regional administrators, and foreign envoys were called one by one.
They presented local products.
The king gave gifts in return.
King Nampyeong rested his chin on one hand as he watched the performances.
Unlike his usual bizarre behavior, he was calm and dignified.
Then suddenly...
He raised one hand.
The performance immediately stopped.
"Everyone, stop!"
A palace eunuch stepped forward.
"His Majesty has an order!"
The eunuch began reading the royal decree.
"For many years, I have left the position of royal successor empty."
Silence filled the hall.
"This was because I could not accept the death of Crown Prince Nam Hyeon."
At last...
The important announcement they had heard would take place at the grand banquet hall.
Everyone listened with stiff expressions.
"However, more than ten years have now passed."
The decree continued.
"I can no longer delay the important duty of preserving the royal line of Hui Kingdom."
The moment the king's words ended, a small altar was prepared beside the stage.
Its poor and simple appearance made it obvious that the ceremony was only formal.
Two characters were written on the memorial tablet.
Nam Hyeon.
"We shall hold the funeral of the dead crown prince before everyone."
The king continued.
"Then we shall conduct the appointment ceremony for a new crown prince."
From far away, Hyeon stared coldly at his own memorial altar.
No matter how strong his mind was...
Seeing the altar prepared for his own funeral could hardly feel pleasant.
It felt almost as though his father had killed him twice.
Many emotions passed through him.
But Hyeon forced everything down.
Something greater was about to happen.
"Therefore..."
The eunuch raised his voice.
"His Majesty appoints his biological son Nam Geumdo as Crown Prince."
Murmurs spread.
"And his mother, Haemora, shall be officially recognized as the Royal Mother."
As though he had been waiting for those exact words, a young boy dressed in ceremonial robes stepped forward and bowed before the king.
It was the first time Nam Geumdo had appeared publicly in Hui Kingdom.
"Your son accepts the royal command."
A strangely shaped shadow stretched beneath Geumdo.
Evil energy moved through the child's eyes.
Yet everyone else saw only a beautiful young boy.
Deceiving the human world is this easy...
Geumdo could not stop himself from grinning.
"The foundation of the kingdom has now been decided."
King Nampyeong looked across the hall.
"This is an endless blessing for the royal line."
His voice became heavy.
"From this day forward, all of you will serve the new crown prince."
The nobles were too shocked to immediately object.
Only scattered coughs showed their displeasure.
A hidden royal bloodline...
Had the long-rumored relationship between the king and Haemora truly been real?
If they allowed this to continue...
Haemora would use the crown prince to turn Hui Kingdom into the world of the Hae Clan.
The nobles had already endured King Nampyeong's tyranny for many years.
Now another storm seemed ready to begin.
They pushed away their banquet tables and leaned toward one another, whispering.
"I cannot accept this."
"The continuation of the royal line cannot be handled this carelessly."
"There was not even an agreement from the noble council."
Another noble lowered his voice.
"Haemora truly is cunning."
His expression hardened.
"Can anyone even guarantee that boy carries His Majesty's blood?"
"We may need to cooperate with the other clans."
Meanwhile, Haemora stood beside King Nampyeong and watched Hui Kingdom's ruling class become restless.
Her eyes were those of a mother filled with vigilance.
In truth, Haemora was not in good condition.
The side effects of powerful sorcery were tearing her apart.
Nausea twisted her stomach.
Acid rose into her throat.
Her body and soul seemed close to their limit.
But she could not collapse here.
She had to protect the child from her enemies until the appointment ceremony ended.
At that same time, members of the Hae Clan entered the palace while pulling creaking carts.
They carried sacks and jars filled with unknown materials.
Now that a royal decree had been announced, the soldiers could no longer stop them.
It felt as though an enormous sandstorm was entering the palace.
The power of a black sun that swallowed everything.
That was the power of the Hae Clan.
On the golden throne, King Nampyeong looked almost completely paralyzed.
Blood vessels filled his eyes.
His fingertips trembled.
Only his maddened eyes remained free.
They followed Haemora obsessively.
"I have waited for this day for so long."
Haemora met his gaze and smiled seductively.
"How do you feel, Your Majesty?"
The previous night...
A secret meeting had taken place that changed the fate of Nampyeong and Haemora.
A faint light burned inside a forbidden section of the palace where access was strictly controlled.
From the outside, it looked like an underground library.
In truth, it was a place stained by countless spiritual rituals and shamanic ceremonies.
A place of original sin.
King Nampyeong wandered there before the important national festival.
Anxiety covered his face.
The Ghost Path had been sealed.
The evil energy had disappeared.
The king's games with ghosts were finally ending.
Haemora hurried there immediately after receiving his summons.
She bowed.
[Hae Clan Head Mora greets Your Majesty.]
[Come closer. Sit beside me.]
Whenever the two were alone, Nampyeong behaved as though he wanted her to see him as a man.
He brushed her hair.
Pressed his body close in teasing ways.
After everything she had experienced, Haemora no longer gave those actions any meaning.
She simply let the king do whatever he wanted while remaining as expressionless as stone.
The moments that truly made her miserable were different.
They came when she remembered the innocent woman she had once been...
The woman who had been deceived by him.
