Her Tempestuous Villain

Sunye opened the mini safe in her bedroom and stared at the Emperor's will in her hands. Her father had entrusted it to her so that one day, she could hand it over to Areum. As far as Sunye knew, Areum left the country a year before the coup. She had run away from the wedding altar because she was dead set against marrying the General named Yang.

In fact, before the coup took place, it was the biggest scandal of the royal family. Areum had a lover named Min Wanghyuk who was a major in the army. He was a tech enthusiast and a spy among the country's defense forces. They had met at a party and became smitten with each other. When General Yang was forcing a marriage with Areum, she refused but the political pressure was heavy on the Emperor. He had to give in because the nobles and ministers were keen with the match, believing that by marrying into the royal family, the Yang's would be invincible.

However, on the eve of the wedding, Areum ran away with her lover and never returned to the country. After the coup, it was nearly impossible for her to return anyway. It caused a major scandal and the Emperor had publicly denounced his sister in anger. The whole country was shaken by the event and the Yang's were humiliated. They were not an ordinary family but their lineage consisted of warriors and ministers who had been in charge of the country's warfare and defense for hundreds of years. They were also among the richest families in the country, accumulating wealth and influence on par with the royal family.

Hence, Areum's elopement was an insult to their reputation. Since then, no one was able to find Areum or her lover. Not even a single news reached anyone's ears as if she had disappeared. Many people thought she was killed shortly after her elopement but Sunye doubted it.

The will's contents were proof that the Emperor knew his sister was alive when he named her as the heir.

"I, His Royal Majesty Kim Gwangjoo, the sixtieth sovereign Emperor and Protector of Country K, hereby name my sister, Kim Areum, as my lawful successor to the Throne. If she passes away, the Throne shall be passed on to her direct descendants whether male or female and only her family line will be entitled to the title of Emperor or Empress of the realm.

In the event Kim Areum's chosen sovereign is below 18 years of age, then the son of Empress Gwi Sohyun and current Prince, Kim San, and Concubine Gwi Dahyun shall be the acting co-regents for the minor until the Emperor or Empress reaches maturity.

If the heir to the throne is female, then her spouse shall be given the title of Prince Consort to the realm and will wield the influence only second to the Empress herself but cannot hold any precedence above her."

Sunye read and reread the whole content. The Emperor had made an airtight will and was undoubtedly in his full senses. Areum ran away around January and the coup took place around September. Moreover, the date on the will was printed as 19th August 19XX of that year, implying that the Emperor made the will after he cut off ties with his sister.

Was it all a ruse to keep the Company satisfied? Did the Emperor know his demise was near so instead of letting his power hungry wife take over the throne, he handed it to Areum and her heirs so that the Company's influence could be cut off?

This was the last document which the Emperor had entrusted to Sunye's father, Daewhi, and now Sunye was the guardian of the will.

"Where are you, Princess Areum?" she muttered. If only Sunye could find her or her heir!

She carefully folded the will and put it back in the safe before locking it. Sunye did not even dare to tell SD about the will because she was not sure if the Light would be accepting of putting another Emperor or Empress on the throne. Sunye was not even sure what they were fighting for. Moreover, if she told SD about it, there was a chance that someone might leak the rumors about the will and put Areum's family in danger.

Should I tell SD about this? She wondered. Sunye shook her head.

"I'll wait for a few days and try to figure out the motive of the Light," she decided. "Only then will I tell SD about this. Until then, I'll keep protecting this will."

She took a deep breath and glanced at the clock. It was 8 PM. Within a few hours, the ship will arrive at the port and she would have to carry out SD's orders.

"Check the lowest compartment with the cargo boxes," he had written to her. "Ship number 018653. Arriving on 20th June 20XX at 11:35 PM. Owned by Mikhael, the Ambassador of Country R."

11:35 PM huh? She thought. "Time to get ready then," she muttered.

….

Mikhael was standing at his private office, impatiently awaiting for the shipment. Jaejun was also there, calm and composed. He merely watched Mikhael pace to and fro around the room.

"The shipment has already been sent from Country R two days ago," Jaejun told him. "It'll reach the buyers on time. Why are you so tense?"

"This is my chance to prove to the Company that I'm not worthless!" Mikhael claimed. "If I can climb my way up in the Company, I can control my own country someday! This'll accentuate my political career and become the President of Country R."

"The key to power is not position but influence," Jaejun said in a calm tone. "If you're seeking to be the President, then you can attain that without the Company's help. You're simply seeking greater power to make yourself feel important."

Mikhael scowled at the man. Jaejun did not react but kept an impassive face which only irritated the Ambassador. For some reason, he did not like this man at all. He was too perfect in everything and the Company regarded him as an asset. Even PM Lee was impressed by the influence Jaejun held in the Company, relying on him to appease the higher ups whenever they were angry at Lee.

But Mikhael envied the man. Jaejun's calm demeanor and rational mind at solving all problems, made Mikhael jealous of him.

I'll rip that facade off his bloody face! Mikhael vowed.

Jaejun knew what the idiot was thinking but ignored the deathly glares. Choi Taek had sent him there to keep an eye on Mikhael and to report back to the Company on his activities. For Jaejun, he was simply there to do his job.

"It's nearly 11:54 PM," Jaejun pointed out. "The ship is being anchored at the dock as we speak."

Mikhael's phone beeped and to his relief, it was the Captain.

"Ship arrived safely," the Captain had texted.

"Thank god!" Mikhael muttered. "They've anchored the ship and now, the onloading will begin. Once the boxes enter the country, they'll be sold off to different buyers and we'll be able to secure more funds for the Sailor's Reef Bridge."

Jaejun was only absentmindedly listening to him, pretending to scroll through his phone. His eyes were on the clock which read 11: 57.

Three more minutes, he thought. In front of him was a social media site which he scrolled aimlessly while Mikhael poured two glasses of whiskey.

"Let's celebrate," Mikhael said, offering him a glass.

"I don't drink," Jaejun stated in a polite tone.

"Oh come on!" Mikhael insisted. "One glass only!"

Jaejun sighed and took the glass. He did not drink immediately but Mikhael downed his entire glass. He felt giddy with happiness as he poured himself another drink. Jaejun quietly scrolled through the social media feed until the clock struck 12:00 AM.

Just then, a small piece of news was shared by the celebrity Kwon Minwoo.

"The Company will be pleased with the funds," Mikhael was saying. "In one month, we can inaugurate the Sailor's Reef Bridge and-"

Suddenly Jaejun stood up, his face as pale as a ghost. Mikhael frowned at him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Turn on the TV!" Jaejun ordered. "Now!"

Confused, Mikhael turned on the television. A news channel popped up as the anchor began to relay the latest headlines.

"In other news, we have just received information from our correspondence at the International Port that a ship has been investigated for illegal activities due to the discrepancies in its recorded weight and actual weight," the news anchor reported. "The ship number 018653 was anchored at shore today around 11:35 PM. Earlier today, the police received a tip from the office of the Ambassador of Country R that the ship's weight is thrice the recorded weight, violating our country's laws. Furthermore, the email sent to the police consisted of a receipt for the shipment signed by the Ambassador himself. Who leaked the information is still unknown but rumor has it that someone from the Ambassador's inner circle has leaked it. Reacting to that, the Prosecutor for the case, Han Sunye, obtained a search warrant against the Captain of the ship and is currently on the spot now…"

The scene shifted to show Sunye along with a team of policemen, standing at the docks. They also brought cranes which were bringing out the boxes which Mikhael was supposed to deliver to the buyers.

"Fuck!" Mikhael cursed but Jaejun was silently watching the drama. On screen, Sunye said something to the police and they began to open the large boxes which were almost the length of a long wall.

The police unlocked the boxes and everyone's faces went white with shock. Sunye's eyes widened, her shock soon replaced with fury. They had expected the shipment to consist of gold.

"This...this is their gold?" she muttered.

Inside the boxes, were several malnutritioned people of all races who were kept in shackles. The gold of the Company did not refer to metal.

It referred to slaves.