It was nearing midnight.
The villa was dark, quiet, and tense—like the calm before a hurricane.
Inside the study, the only light came from a low desk lamp, casting long shadows across the room. Rain tapped softly against the windows, but Sunghoon didn't move. He sat still in his leather chair, eyes blank, a tumbler of untouched whiskey beside him.
He was deep in thought—grief, anger, memory—zoning out as the seconds crawled by.
Then came a knock.
Three short taps.
"Enter," Sunghoon said without looking.
Daejun stepped in, dressed in black, face unreadable. He bowed respectfully.
"Sir… I've returned. I have what you asked for."
Sunghoon's eyes flickered back to life. He straightened up. "Explain."
Daejun stepped forward and opened a file, placing it on the table, then began speaking, voice low and steady.
"I investigated everything related to the Dragon Clan. There are… several things you need to know."
Sunghoon's gaze sharpened.
"First," Daejun continued, "the Dragon Clan is led by the Emperor and his wife, as we already knew. they have a son, younger than Minji. Not well-known. Rarely seen."
Sunghoon nodded slowly. "Go on."
"The second part," Daejun hesitated slightly, "is about Minji herself."
Sunghoon's jaw tensed.
"She's alive, sir. My sources confirmed she was rescued from the estate after our exit. Barely. They kept her recovery quiet—probably to protect the clan's image and keep her hidden. She's under heavy protection, but not publicly active. She exists… in shadows."
Sunghoon leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "I knew it."
"But that's not all," Daejun added. "There's more. A lot more."
Sunghoon arched a brow. "Say it."
Daejun took a breath, then dropped the real bomb.
"The Dragons have a younger daughter, sir. Nineteen years old."
Sunghoon froze.
"She's been kept a secret for years. Nobody outside the core family knows. She's not on any official registry. I had to dig through surveillance footage and private school admissions to find her."
"And where is she?" Sunghoon asked, voice deadly calm.
"In Seoul, sir. Studying under a fake name. No public record links her to the Dragon Clan. They don't contact her directly—probably to keep her off the radar in case of attacks. But…"
"But she's blood," Sunghoon finished, eyes darkening. "Another heir."
Daejun nodded. "Yes, sir. She visits the clan occasionally—maybe once or twice a year. Always quiet. Always hidden."
Sunghoon's mind was already spinning. A secret daughter? Alone in Seoul? Vulnerable… He didn't say it aloud—but plans were already forming behind his cold gaze.
But Daejun wasn't finished.
"There's one more thing," he said, hesitating this time.
Sunghoon narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Daejun looked uneasy for the first time. "It's about someone inside our own home."
Sunghoon sat forward slowly. "Speak."
Daejun's voice dropped. "After Yuna's death… her nanny disappeared."
Sunghoon's expression hardened. "Disappeared?"
"No trace," Daejun said. "She left the villa the night Yuna died. Never returned. At first we thought she was grieving. But…"
"But what?"
"My men tracked her last known location. She was seen near the Dragon Clan's outer territory. There's a strong chance she was connected to them. Maybe even planted years ago."
The silence that followed was thick. Heavy.
Sunghoon's hand curled into a fist. He rose slowly from his seat and walked to the window, staring into the dark rain.
The betrayal felt personal now.
His sister was gone. His family shattered. And someone—maybe multiple people—had been playing a long, careful game.
He turned back to Daejun.
"I want her found," he said coldly. "The nanny. Alive."
"Yes, sir."
A thick silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft ticking of the clock and the constant tapping of rain on the window. The room felt colder now, heavy with betrayal and the weight of too many truths.
Sunghoon stood still, facing the window. His reflection stared back at him in the glass—sharp jawline, hollow eyes, and a storm building beneath.
"She's nineteen…" he muttered, almost to himself. "Hiding in Seoul, under a fake name, living like a normal girl while the rest of us bleed."
He turned slowly, eyes locked on Daejun.
"Find everything about that girl," Sunghoon said, voice controlled, like a blade sheathed in silk. "Her real name, her fake name, her university, what street she lives on, what bus she takes, who her roommates are—everything."
Daejun nodded. "Yes, sir."
"And one more thing," Sunghoon said, his voice lowering. He walked closer until he stood eye-to-eye with his right hand. "Zip your mouth."
Daejun stiffened.
"No one else is to know about her. Not my father. Not the guards. Not even the tech team. No one ruins this. This is mine. Mine to plan. Mine to control."
Daejun bowed slightly. "Understood."
Sunghoon turned back to the table, running his fingers along the photo of the Dragon family. His eyes settled on Minji's face… then drifted to the empty space next to it.
"Let the dragons protect their palace," he muttered coldly. "But they forgot the flower outside the gate."
He looked back at Daejun one last time.
"Start with Seoul. I want her entire life in my hands by tomorrow night."
Daejun gave a crisp nod, then disappeared into the shadows as quietly as he'd entered.
The study was silent once again.
But inside Sunghoon, the war had begun.
Not with bullets.
Not with blood.
But with strategy.
And a girl.
A girl who didn't even know her last name was cursed
A thick silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft ticking of the clock and the constant tapping of rain on the window. The room felt colder now, heavy with betrayal and the weight of too many truths.
Sunghoon stood still, facing the window. His reflection stared back at him in the glass—sharp jawline, hollow eyes, and a storm building beneath.
"She's nineteen…" he muttered, almost to himself. "Hiding in Seoul, under a fake name, living like a normal girl while the rest of us bleed."
He turned slowly, eyes locked on Daejun.
"Find everything about that girl," Sunghoon said, voice controlled, like a blade sheathed in silk. "Her real name, her fake name, her university, what street she lives on, what bus she takes, who her roommates are—everything."
Daejun nodded. "Yes, sir."
"And one more thing," Sunghoon said, his voice lowering. He walked closer until he stood eye-to-eye with his right hand. "Zip your mouth."
Daejun stiffened.
"No one else is to know about her. Not my father. Not the guards. Not even the tech team. No one ruins this. This is mine. Mine to plan. Mine to control."
Daejun bowed slightly. "Understood."
Sunghoon turned back to the table, running his fingers along the photo of the Dragon family. His eyes settled on Minji's face… then drifted to the empty space next to it.
"Let the dragons protect their palace," he muttered coldly. "But they forgot the flower outside the gate."
He looked back at Daejun one last time.
"Start with Seoul. I want her entire life in my hands by tomorrow night."
Daejun gave a crisp nod, then disappeared into the shadows as quietly as he'd entered.
The study was silent once again.
But inside Sunghoon, the war had begun.
Not with bullets.
Not with blood.
But with strategy.
And a girl.
A girl who didn't even know her last name was cursed.