WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS A HINT OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE. I DIDN'T MAKE IT EXPLICIT BUT I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO READ IT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

...

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Jonghyun was staring at the message Kirishima sent him.

"Mikhael has taken a flight to Country R," Kirishima wrote. "Last night."

Sipping a glass of whiskey, Jonghyun sat back on his chair. He was at the Prime Minister's mansion, working in his bedroom. Kirishima had sent his men after Mikhael to figure out where the funding of the Choi's were coming from. Being a close associate of the Choi's, Mikhael was securing the money for the mafia and subsequently the Company. Moreover, with Hyun's drugs in his hands, Mikhale now controlled a vast amount of the drug routes in the name of the Company.

He quickly deleted the message and put his phone aside. Running his hands through his hair, he was frustrated at the lack of progress in finding Sunye's location. His secretary, Haein, was also away on vacation with his family, leaving Jonghyun to do the work himself. If Haein was not efficient, Jonghyun would have fired him a long time ago.

But his secretary proved himself to be an useful asset and Jonghyun relied on him as his right hand.

"He just had to take time off," Jonghyun muttered. He was still fixated on finding out about Sunye's relationship with Choi Kibum. She was being so secretive that it boiled his blood to even think that she was being brazenly intimate with a criminal instead of choosing someone of high stature like Jonghyun. Women threw themselves at him because he was the PM's son and yet, Sunye did not care about him at all.

Then again, he thought bitterly. She always preferred my lowly brother over me when we were kids. I guess her preference for the servant class didn't change at all.

He downed his entire glass in rage and put it aside. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he ordered. The door slid open and Hyeri entered the room. She was wearing a negligee under her silk covering and her thighs were completely bare.

"Aren't you being too bold?" Jonghyun asked her. "Coming to my room in broad daylight wearing that."

"The PM isn't here," she replied in a seductive tone. Slowly walking over to him, she straddled on his lap and tried to place a kiss on him but Jonghyun stopped her.

"Myung knows about us," he warned.

"So?" Hyeri frowned. "You know very well that the adoption is just a ruse. Once you become the Emperor, father will have us married and-"

"Only the one who has been named in the will," Jonghyun said. "Will become Emperor. Don't forget that there were two Kim San's."

"And now there's only one," Hyeri said, stroking his arm. "Once you're the Emperor, I'll be your-"

"Nothing," Jonghyun said. "You'll be nothing to me."

Hyeri let out a sharp breath, her nostrils flaring up at his words. Jonghyun was coldly gazing at her, his eyes devoid of any emotions.

"The only person fit to be my Empress is Han Sunye," he stated. "Not you."

Hyeri slammed her fist on the desk. "I've been by your side all these years!" she spat. "Not her! I am the one who supported you! My father saved you from the debris of that coup! If it wasn't for me-"

Jonghyun grabbed her by the cheek and shook her violently. Hyeri glared at him.

"You don't even know who the real prince is," he reminded her. "You didn't even know there were two princes but it doesn't matter to you, does it? You want to be the Empress but you don't care who sits on the throne as the Emperor. You're here with me because the other Kim San is dead! Otherwise, you'd have been whoring around with him!"

He threw her onto the floor. Hyeri was panting in anger, her fists clenched tight.

"You don't love me, Hyeri," Jonghyun taunted her. "You love the throne and if needed, you'll throw all of us under the bus to get that throne. I know you very well, sister."

Hyeri was quiet for a while but then, let out a laugh. Jonghyun raised his eyebrow as she stood to her feet and continued to laugh at him.

"You poor, poor thing," she said quietly. "You're rejecting me for the woman who despises you? What will happen when Sunye finds out about what you did that night? You might have been just eight years old but…"

A slow smirk appeared on her face as she said, "But you became a murderer that night. It's a good thing that I slept with you all these years. You see, I hear your dreams. You whisper and mumble in your sleep. I heard it all. What you did to your brother that night! I know-"

SLAP!

Jonghyun slapped her with all his might. He hit her so hard that her cheek was bleeding but Hyeri did not care.

"You can't change the truth, Lee Jonghyun!" she laughed. "Or rather, the fake Kim San! I know what you did. You locked up your brother in his room that night so that he can't escape! And not just that…"

She was relishing the fear on Jonghyun's face. He was trembling but tried his best to control his anger. But she was ruthlessly preying on his fear, taunting him for his deeds which were going to bite his ass someday.

"You thought you locked your brother but your mother was in there too!" she revealed. "Yes. I know that the woman you're calling your mother is not your real mom. You locked the Emperor's concubine in that room with your brother. Concubine Gwi Dahyun was your real mother and the former Empress' son was with her that night. You wanted to kill your brother but ended up killing your own mother…"

"Stop it!" Jonghyun gritted. "It's all a lie…"

"Your mother died protecting that boy!" Hyeri hissed. "That woman's body was found, burnt to a crisp but your brother was not found. Since there were no official records of a second Kim San, his existence was erased and you were given a new identity! No one knew what you did but the Empress still acknowledged you as her son in front of the Company so that she could use you to control this country. The heir was dead but not the spare…"

Jonghyun hit her again and this time, she fell on the bed. Hyeri was snarling at him but Jonghyun was now unbuckling his pants before pushing her on her front against the bed. He ripped apart her thongs, leaving her bare down there.

"You want to be an Empress, right?" he growled. "But you're nothing but a cheap whore!"

Hyeri bit the bed sheet in pain as she felt him forcibly enter her. Her cries of pain remained unheard in the large mansion as she was tortured for hours in that room by the man who one day wanted to be the Emperor of a country.

….

The group of tourists were excitedly chatting and pointing at the Cathedral where they stood. All of them were wearing warm clothes and mittens while the tour guide led them.

"The ceiling of this Cathedral was built in the sixteenth century by the great Emperor Avros," the guide was saying as he indicated the triangle-like rooftop which was held together by smaller towers.

The guide's name was Oleg and he was explaining the Cathedral's importance to the tourists who were awed by the unique architecture. At five feet three inches, he was shorter than the average people in his country. He was in his mid forties with a thick beard and a smiling face.

The weather outside was quite cold even though it was supposed to be summer. Their country was one of the chilliest places on Earth with scarce sunlight but the icy country was known for its beautiful landscape and heritage. Despite the cold, people would come to visit the ancient buildings which stood the test of time and still awed everyone who saw them.

At every step of the Capital, the beautiful dome-like structures with multiple arches could be seen. Some used to be the houses of nobles, some bath houses and there were also old churches. The building had a unique Byzantine vibe and was made of strong wood which were carved into different shapes. Oleg took great pride in his work as a guide as he showed them the beauty of his country.

"Alright, everyone!" he called out to them in his thick accent. "We need to take a small break for lunch right now. We'll meet at this place after an hour."

The tourists murmured in excitement, eager to explore the buildings by themselves during the break. Oleg was about to turn away when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around only to groan.

"Oleg!" SD exclaimed cheerfully. "My old friend!"

"Blyat!" Oleg cursed in his native language. "Perdoon stary!"

The little guide directed a stream of slang at SD who was still smiling.

"You and my girlfriend should start a club," he advised. "On how to curse me in different languages."

"Cyka blyat!" Oleg growled. "What do you want, sly man?"

"I heard your old friend Mikhael is in town," SD stated.

"So?"

"Help me find his ship," SD said with a cheery smile. Oleg was about to tell him to fuck off but SD added, "If you don't help me, I'll tell the police about your illegal wine export."

"Zasranec," Oleg muttered. "Fine! I'll help!"

"Now that's like a good lapdog," SD said.