"Yoo Joonghyuk and Yoo Mia will no longer be recognized as members of the royal family. Their names will be removed from the royal book, and they will be unable to enter the palace unless granted noble status."
Sangah's declaration confirmed that Mia's decision to renounce her royal status was accepted and acknowledged by the empire. By removing their names from the royal book, Joonghyuk and Mia were no longer considered part of the royal lineage and had no right to any resources pertaining to the royal family.
Though Yoo Joonghyuk had already been assured in his decision, now having the confident backing of the Saintess and the Underworld Duchy, for Mia it was a much more overwhelming decision to make. The royal palace was all that she'd ever known. Now that it was official that she is no longer part of the royal family, she would lose everything that she possessed - treasures, elegant gowns, jewelry, and especially her title. But besides those surface level possessions, all the memories of her childhood and the days she'd spent together with her brother were here. Now she wouldn't even be able to visit the place that housed so much of her life without being kicked out as a stranger.
But she knew that she couldn't keep clinging to the past, no matter how comfortable it may have been. Her brother is more important than everything else in this world, and she'd sacrifice everything to be by his side, just like her brother did when he protected her all this time.
Mia looked beside her at her brother, her proud smile capturing his attention. Joonghyuk gently smiled back down at her, patting her head. Even as strong-willed as she was, there was no doubt that such a grand display took a lot of courage and energy out of his little sister. Joonghyuk made a mental note to cook her favorite dinner when they got home from the ceremony.
Suddenly, the Empress spoke up, "Well now, with the ceremony over, I think it's about time that the palace gets rid of these unneeded commoners. They have no reason to linger where they don't belong." The Empress stood from her throne with elegance, leering mockingly down at the two as if they were dirt.
Yoo Mia felt her heart racing at her vicious stare, but she refused to show any sign of weakness. She straightened her posture and met the Empress' gaze with unwavering determination. Her brother, sensing her resolve, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, silently conveying his support.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty...we will leave, I'm happy I won't have to live with a snake like you anymore."
The Empress' smile twitched in annoyance, but she quickly composed herself, "Such disrespect...is that what your brother taught you? What a horrid example he's setting for you, it's regrettable that such a young girl with so much potential turned out like this."
The Empress' eyes narrowed as she studied Yoo Mia, her lips curling into a condescending smirk. "I expected more from the once-esteemed princess. But it seems your time outside the palace walls has made you forget your manners and your place."
She took a step closer; the menacing click of her jewel-adorned heels emphasizing the difference in power between them. "Or perhaps your brother's influence has corrupted you, filling your head with notions of grandeur that are no longer yours to claim." The Empress paused, letting her words sink in before delivering the final blow.
"You are no longer royalty, my dear. The privileges and protections of the royal family are no longer yours to enjoy." She swept her arm in a dismissive gesture. "I suggest you take your leave before you embarrass yourself further."
Yoo Mia felt her blood boil at the Empress' patronizing tone, but she refused to let it show. She stood tall; her chin raised defiantly. "The only embarrassment here will be your sad attempt at being the empress."
"Besides..." Mia's gaze swept over the Empress, from head to toe, finally settling on the crown that sat atop the Empress' head. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing as she studied the ornate headpiece. "That crown..." Mia paused, her lips curving into a sardonic smile. "It doesn't suit you at all."
The crowd held their breath, waiting to see how the Empress would react to such a bold challenge.
The empress's eyes began to slowly darken, a subtle shift in her expression that betrayed the growing displeasure building within her. She fixed the young woman before her with a piercing glare, her previously serene features now hardened into a look of undisguised fury. The empress's lips, which had moments ago been curved in a benevolent smile, were now pressed into a thin, tight line as she regarded the girl with a palpable sense of disgust.
"You are truly a bold one," the empress said, her voice low and measured, yet laced with an underlying edge that sent a shiver down the girl's spine. "To speak so brazenly to the empress of the Seoul Empire."
Mia did not flinch or show any sign of fear, standing her ground. "No matter what you call yourself now," Mia began, her tone measured, "my mother, my real mother will always be the true empress, not some fake like you."
The empress's face contorted in fury.
"That's it," the empress spat, her voice rough as she dropped any pretenses of elegance. "Your insolence will no longer be tolerated. You seem to have forgotten your place, girl. Perhaps a lesson in humility is in order."
"Guards!" she bellowed, her voice echoing through the chamber. With a sharp turn of her head, the empress fixed her piercing stare on the knights stationed at the edges of the room. "Seize these two disgusting ingrates, right this instant!" Her command brooked no hesitation from her underlings.
They sprang into action immediately. Joonghyuk and Mia were surrounded by the knights, who were roughly grabbing them by the arms and pushing them in place. Dokja, who was watching everything unfold with his breath held, could no longer stand by idly. However, a hand grabbed his shoulder, and he turned to see Sooyoung staring him down. She shook her head, silently telling him not to interfere. The current empress had already shown no qualms with sending her people to attack Dokja in the past, so bringing her attention to him while he was essential to the Kaizenix Ducal's reestablishment was a bad idea.
Dokja turned his attention back to the siblings and clenched his fists in frustration, his heart racing as he watched the guards manhandling the two siblings. As much as he wanted to run to them, Sooyoung's firm grip on his shoulder kept him rooted to the spot, unable to act on his instinct to rush to their aid.
As humiliating as it was to be dragged out of the royal palace like criminals, Mia and Joonghyuk put up no fight. With their stepmother now officially crowned as the empress, it was her word that controlled whatever happened in the palace, and they could do nothing about it. Their pride told them that it was unacceptable, that they needed to get back at her, but right now mere pride would do nothing but make them seem uncivilized to the nobles around them. So, for now, they would have to bite their tongues and accept it.
Seeing the two pests that had caused her so many headaches for the past years finally be thrown out, the newfound empress couldn't help but smile in triumph, knowing that she had won. Her position as the empress was secure, and these two were no longer a threat to her - they were now just mere commoners.
Looking down on them with disdain, the empress sneered, "Oh my, what a sight..." Her voice dripped with condescension as she continued, "It's about time you two have realized your place."
A devilish smile spread across the empress's face as she relished their predicament. Mia and Joonghyuk glared back at her with barely contained rage. But the empress only seemed to take greater pleasure in their defiance, her smile widening as she savored her victory.
The nobles looked at each other nervously, not knowing what to think of the situation. It's true, the empress had every right to kick out anyone who would show such disrespect to her. But for her own child to scoff in her face… It seemed like even the vast number of rumors spread about the royal family couldn't encapsulate how volatile the relationship between the family members was. It was disturbing to see how fast the empress was to send guards against her former children. First the emperor's outbursts and now the empress's newfound power abuse… the audience had an unsettling feeling about what was to come under their rule.
The empress was about to command the guards to take the siblings out of the palace when a loud rumbling shook the entire room. A massive explosion could be heard from just outside the castle, the walls dampening the sound slightly as the foundation of the royal palace groaned under the sudden strike. A few pebbles rained down as the stone wall cracked. Just like that, the room was in a panic, screams ringing out as nobles ran out, assuming that the castle was under attack and wanting to get out of there. The guards that had previously surrounded Joonghyuk and Mia let them go to circle the remaining members of the royal family, making sure they were okay and escorting them out of the room amidst the minor stampede that the nobles had created.
Though Dokja had wanted to run and check up on Joonghyuk and Mia, he and Sooyoung were caught up in the panicked crowd, everyone pushing them as they tried to run out of the room. As they all ran outside the palace, they heard a loud commotion amongst the crowd that had been gathered in front of the palace. Gasps of shock filled the air as they witnessed the horrific scene - a section of the empire's outer wall had been completely blown in, leaving a large crater in the ground and castle. The once-sturdy wall now lay in ruins, burying those unfortunate souls who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Citizens that remained alive trapped under the collapsed wall were unable to move and wailed out for help. The ground and rubble were soaked in blood, and the people that weren't crying for help had long stopped breathing.
Knights and other citizens that hadn't been caught in the explosion were in a frenzy, some running around trying desperately to dig out their loved ones and allies from the rubble, some trying to get any help they could for the injured, others trying to control the rest of the panicked crowd that were running around wildly.
Dokja stared horrified at the gruesome scene before him. Dust and smoke permeated through the air, joined by the stench of blood and agonizing wails of pain. As he scanned the scene, he could spot the wounds of the more unfortunate people, flesh ripped apart exposing bones, muscle, and organs to the open air. To his horror, he could see body parts scattered across the ground, the bodies they'd previously been attached to nowhere in sight.
Dokja felt a wave of nausea wash over him, and he had to fight the urge to turn away and vomit. The sheer brutality of the scene was almost too much for him to bear, more than he'd ever thought he'd encounter. As he struggled to maintain his composure, his gaze shifted, and he found himself caught off guard to the expression on the empress's face.
Rather than being horrified, the empress's brow was furrowed in a look of pure confusion. Her eyes were fixed on the bodies of the deceased, her eyebrows knitted together as if she was trying to make sense of the horrific tableau before her. At most, she seemed startled at the sight.
The empress's peculiar reaction unnerved Dokja. Was she so detached from everything that something like this was just an inconvenience to her? Or was there something more sinister at play, some hidden scheme that she was in on?
What's she hiding?