"With this total, according to Gwimun law, the defendant automatically qualifies to be sentenced to death without further trial."
Silence. The entire room was completely muted. They were stunned for quite a while. Not a single person dared to speak. The death penalty was terrifying, and now it was directed at the king's own son. Truly ironic and tragic. How could the king remain silent while watching his son stand on the brink of death?
Even though it was no longer a secret that the relationship between the king and his eldest son had never been good. The distance between father and son had long stretched wide, filled with coldness and unresolved wounds. But still, a child is still a child. No matter how bad his actions were, shouldn't a father stand at the very front to protect his child?
Meanwhile, Jae Hyuk seemed to lose his footing. His thoughts drifted aimlessly. Those words kept echoing in his mind. His breath was caught for quite a long time. His face, which usually looked cold, now lost its expression, completely empty.
So the kingdom really intended to kill him now?
After failing to kill him five years ago?
But it turned out the judge was not finished yet.
"However—"
That one word immediately pulled everyone's attention back.
"Because of your status as royal blood, the final decision remains in the hands of His Majesty the Emperor."
All eyes immediately turned to the high dais. The judge slightly bowed.
"With this, the court hands the decision to His Majesty."
Silence lingered for quite a while. The Emperor did not react, there was no crease, no unusual blink, his gaze did not ripple as if giving no chance for anyone to guess what was on his mind. He only drew a restless breath, then stood up, making the chair he sat on creak softly in the silence. Many people swallowed and unconsciously held their breath.
"Hwan Jae Hyuk." the Emperor called, his voice heavy, his gaze piercing Jae Hyuk full of threat.
Jae Hyuk slowly lifted his gaze, returning the Emperor's stare with his cold, glimmering eyes, a trace of resentment faintly flashing in his brown irises. For some reason, there was a pain in his heart that could not be explained, as if half of himself was shattered just by looking at the Emperor.
It had been a long time since the Emperor called his name. Now, when that name was finally spoken, there was no longer the title "Prince"—only his full name falling heavily from the Emperor's lips.
"Now you stand before me as a traitor who almost killed your own brother. How is that possible?" Emperor Hwan Tae Joon asked firmly.
"Traitor?" Jae Hyuk echoed softly, his voice hoarse yet steady. "Wasn't I the victim who failed to be killed?"
He still resisted, even though half of him already felt completely judged. Jae Hyuk maintained his dignity. He was a royal son, even if in a moment he would become a prisoner, but such a ridiculous statement that labeled him a traitor sounded extremely painful. Though on the surface he looked like a rebel, deep inside, the kingdom had betrayed him first, hurt him, cast him away, and almost killed him. Jae Hyuk was still investigating the mastermind behind his disappearance five years ago. There were already several people within his suspicion, and he believed it.
The atmosphere worsened. Some nobles glanced at each other, their faces shocked and faintly pale. The words Jae Hyuk spoke were too bold, too dangerous to be said in front of the Emperor. Indeed, he was the king's son. But the Emperor was still the highest authority in the palace, noble or not, everyone must respect and fear him.
The Emperor's eyes narrowed, he held his gaze on Jae Hyuk for a long time. Jae Hyuk himself did not understand what kind of look that was.
"Be careful with your words, Hwan Jae Hyuk," the Emperor's tone changed, he warned. "You are standing on the brink of death."
Jae Hyuk instead chuckled softly. His voice was dry, without warmth. "Since when have I not been there?"
Jae Hyuk always answered with defiance. The sentence hung in the air. And for the first time, Jae Hyuk felt something change in the Emperor's eyes.
The Emperor then looked away for a moment, as if weighing something far greater. When he looked back at Jae Hyuk, his decision was already there. He had decided something.
"According to Gwimun law…" the Emperor spoke, his voice cold and full of authority, "your punishment is death."
Many hearts seemed to stop. That decision was truly unimaginable.
"But—" That one word changed everything again.
"As Emperor, I have the right to delay the execution." The room was immediately filled with restrained whispers. The Emperor's gaze did not leave Jae Hyuk.
Delay the execution? Why? Would the Emperor give Jae Hyuk a chance to live?
"Three days."
Silence returned.
"I give you three days," the Emperor's voice fell coldly. "Beg. Kneel before the Crown Prince... and his mother.''
The Emperor paused for a moment, his lips pressed tightly, his gaze now deeper and stronger. "Show that you still know your place."
*****
He had to beg to live?
Those words echoed in Jae Hyuk's head, like a blade slowly twisting, slicing him from the inside. Jae Hyuk felt the weight in his chest, as if his breath was being crushed. He was truly split from within, something cracked, shattered in the place he had protected desperately.
They could take anything from him. The throne. His position. The Emperor's affection. He could let all of that go without looking back.
But not these two things.
His dignity,
and his life.
Since the incident five years ago, something within Jae Hyuk had changed, had died. He carried a wound that kept widening in his heart, a wound that had never healed until now. He only learned to cover it, bury it deep until it slowly rotted. He had changed, transformed into a new Jae Hyuk. This palace had taught him one thing, no one was worthy of trust, no one deserved respect.
And now, those who wanted to get rid of him wanted to see him crawl. To see him beg just to live.
Jae Hyuk closed his eyes briefly, there he could almost imagine the satisfied looks of those waiting for his downfall. They would surely enjoy every second of his destruction. Especially if he truly knelt, lowered himself, begged for mercy. Such a perfect sight for them.
Jae Hyuk had always believed that death was not something to be bargained with. Life and death had been written, determined. No human had the right to force him to bow for a life that was not even theirs.
But it turned out, the result of the trial exceeded his expectations. Too far. Charges enough to take his life.
Jae Hyuk of course understood. This was not merely punishment. This was a plan. They dragged him back to the incident five years ago, twisted the truth, turned it into a weapon, for one purpose.
To kill him again.
Jae Hyuk's breath halted for a moment, his eyes blazing like embers, his cold gaze turning deadly, piercing the air around him.
He should not have hesitated earlier. He should not have given Jae Jin the chance to live. Jae Jin should have died by his hands. After all, in the end, he would still be killed.
Everything he had planned had gone far off course.
But of all the things that struck him today, there was one that hurt the most.
Not the threat of death spoken by the judge.
But the person who told him to beg…
was his own father.
A bitter laugh almost escaped Jae Hyuk's lips. So this was what defeat felt like. He had truly lost completely. Even before he could take a step further.
He wants to kill me, but tells me to beg?
Jae Hyuk's chest hurt more, not because he feared death, but because of this humiliation. This was not just a choice between life and death. This was about his dignity being trampled. A king's son had to lower himself just to live? Truly ironic and disgusting.
If he begged, crawled before them, he would live. But that life would become his greatest regret. He would have to kneel before those who wanted his death. He would live with his head lowered, with his name stained, with shadows of humiliation that would never disappear.
And his mother…
Her name had already been stained by that tragic death.
Should he now add to that wound?
Become the mockery of the entire palace, that her son lived by begging?
Jae Hyuk's breath trembled slightly.
On the other hand, if he refused, he would die.
Finished.
But he would die as himself. Without bowing. Without accepting accusations he never acknowledged.
Here Jae Hyuk stood now, still inside the courtroom with suffocating silence. These tall walls seemed to watch him, waiting for his decision. It had been more than 30 minutes he sat in thought, drowning in his own mind.
The two spear guards behind him remained standing, watching his every movement with steady, calm breaths, as if time did not move for them.
While for him… every second felt like a prison.
Everyone had left, returning to their daily routines. Even the King left right after saying those words. As if saying;
Choose.
Or die.
Jae Hyuk pressed his temple hard, his head throbbing and feeling extremely heavy. His first day returning to this palace, everything was truly chaotic. His breath rose and fell, heavy, restrained. That anger boiled, searching for a way out. For a moment, the urge appeared to vent his anger on the two guards behind him, to beat them mercilessly, break their bones, release everything he had been holding back. But Jae Hyuk restrained himself.
He would not look weak.
"If Your Highness wishes to live, it would be better to accept the offer to beg, Your Highness." one of the guards behind him spoke, giving a suggestion. His voice sounded ordinary, flat. As if what he said was only a small decision.
But for Jae Hyuk, those words were like oil poured onto blazing fire. He burned even more upon hearing it. His jaw tightened. Of course. For those who had never been in his position, everything sounded simple.
Just beg. Then the problem is solved.
No one understood how deep the wound he had to swallow to do that. No one. Not a single one.
Silence hung again. Then slowly Jae Hyuk lowered his hand from his temple. His eyes were cold, empty.
Jae Hyuk was in turmoil inside. "Get out."
His voice was low and sharp. "Leave me alone."
There was no shout, no overflowing emotion. That was what made Jae Hyuk more terrifying, like ice that froze everything in a single touch.