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kimvvantae · 6 years ago

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Umbra; 10

➜ being ruled by an ancient commandment, your sole purpose is to serve. you were born to protect the king with your life, tied by an everlasting oath; you are nothing but a shadow, a silent and insignificant being. he appears to you like the sun, the warmest and brightest star in the sky, and gives you a chance to live. it is then that your entire universe starts to orbit around this sun, and you decide that you are truly willing to die for him.

pairing: King!Taehyung x (f) hybrid!reader

genre: royalty au, fantasy, angst

warnings: descriptions of violence, blood, death and mistreatment that might be triggering.

word count: 11k

A/N: i burned all of my braincells to write this chapter. but let me ask you sumn!!! i’m really curious to know what you think abt umbra. what was your favorite chapter/part so far? what do you think is going to happen next? let me know!

enjoy uwu

➜ Chapters: check up masterlist in bio!

"Dahyun, look at that- it's beautiful!"

"It sure is, Your Highness."

"Ah- what is this made of?! It shines so much!"

"It's just crystals, Your Highness."

"The color is so pretty- oh! Dahyun, look at this!"

A sigh.

I stood some steps away, watching the scene repeating over and over again: Princess Sana seeing something interesting, gasping and dragging Dahyun by the arm to see it too.

I couldn't help but think it was comical.

We were at the principal market of the Capital - a huge commercial center in which you could find anything: food, handicrafts, clothes, even amulets and potions. The place is usually crowded everyday, but that day it was particularly full because of Princess Sana. Everyone wanted to call her attention, bring her to their establishments or simply talk to her. As expected of a royal, Sana knew how to deal with the public very well and with no apparent effort. She was doing a fairly good job - especially because, soon, these would be her subjects.

I could see on their eyes how they were amazed because of her beauty and politeness. The simple fact that she was at the market was a surprise itself: royals don't usually interact with common people so easily. They weren't used to this kind of treatment. And Princess Sana has been in constant contact with them; she already visited schools, healing centers and even the Royal Orphanage. Her popularity was beyond good. Ëlvians had already fully embraced her as their Queen, although the wedding ceremony would happen just next week, and consequently her crowning.

"I can see why they are going to get married," I heard someone in the crowd say. "They are both good people!"

"And they are so beautiful, aren't they?" Another person said.

"Ëlv'en is in good hands!" One more exclaimed happily.

It was strange how I suddenly agreed with that.

After these two weeks of convivence, that gruesome feeling I used to have about Sana completely vanished. She was sympathetic, sincere and cared about others. Although she was born in a royal house surrounded by wealth, Sana was humble. She also knew the importance that her position represented and didn't seem to take advantage of it.

She was good.

I could not simply hate someone like her.

Jealousy is a word I have just learned recently. Apparently, my dislike towards her before was provided because she was in a position I secretly wanted to be in. But, as I learned more about Princess Sana, I could not let myself drown in my own selfish feelings. She truly showed to be capable of ruling Ëlv'en beside Taehyung. She also fully supported his decision to fight against slavery and revealed her want to forbid it in Vanaheim, too, as soon as she took the throne and became the Queen of her native land. As long as Princess Sana fulfilled her role as a good leader, then I had no reason to not support her marriage with Taehyung.

Although I still felt that there was a dagger buried in my heart.

We must do what's necessary for the greater good. Even if it hurts us sometimes.

And I knew that Sana's role hurt her deeply, too.

I watched as the princess dragged Dahyun by the arm.

They were very careful and subtle. I doubted anyone else would notice. However, I could still feel that delicate sensation about the two, the way their auras were always in tune. Dahyun knew Princess Sana very well and vice versa. But I could also feel that deep sadness on them... their pain. I saw many moments in which they would stare at each other deeply... but then, as if being pulled by reality, they would avoid gazes and distance from each other. Dahyun was usually the one to break eye contact. In these moments, both auras felt like painted in blue.

I was unexperienced, but not stupid. I could understand what was going on.

Watch them was painful and... familiar.

But I was yanked out of my reverie as I felt a pair of curious eyes watching me intently.

I turned around to Princess Yeri. The girl blushed as she noticed I caught her and avoided my gaze.

"Was I being too obvious?" She asked.

"Yes," I admitted.

The girl huffed and crossed her arms.

"It's just that I still can't believe," she murmured. "Are you really the Royal Guardian?"

"Yes, Your Highness." I said, looking back to Sana as she talked to a seller, Dahyun looking tired of being dragged around by her side.

"I didn't expect this," she admitted under her breath.

I quirked one eyebrow at her. Ever since Sana arrived, Princess Yeri spent most of her time with her - what consequently meant I was spending time with her, too. And I was doing the exact opposite of what my conduct code told me. Guardians shouldn't interact with their masters, which I did frequently with both princesses.

My old me would pass out if she knew what I was doing. But I didn't care about it anymore. I was sure General Seokjin would have scolded me if he weren't so busy, but even if he did, I wouldn't care.

Being honest, just the idea of someone being my master and simply telling me what to do all the time felt gruesome now.

"And what exactly did Your Highness expect?" I asked, side eyeing her.

Princess Yeri tilted her head. I don't know if it was because she was Taehyung's sister or because she was around Chuu's age, but I had an odd protective sensation about the girl.

"I don't know... I expected a tall man," she confessed.

"Is Your Highness disappointed?"

"No," she was quick to say. "I think it's very cool. You should teach me how to use this sword anytime."

I looked at her small and delicate hands. "I don't think Your Highness will like it very much."

"What? Do you think I'm weak?" Princess Yeri said, sending me a challenging glare. But as I was about to respond, a noise called my attention and I looked back to Princess Sana's direction.

A little girl, probably ten years old, have just fallen in front of Sana. I noticed the small deer horns atop her head. The girl gasped and looked up.

I saw the Princess trying to reach for the girl, but the she had no time.

A human-wall made of soldiers was around both princesses to prevent the public to get too close, and the little girl has just crossed this wall. One of the soldiers took the kid by the forearm roughly and lifted her up, making the girl gasp in pain.

"Get off the Princess' way!" He yelled, dragging the girl forcefully. Everyone watched the scene in silence and confusion.

I immediately felt anger boiling up in my blood. I stepped ahead, ready to stop the soldier's violent actions-

But Princess Sana was faster than me.

She touched the soldier's arm gently, but that single action made his action come to a halt. She looked up at him, expression hard with disapproval.

"It's just a child, soldier. There's no need to be so aggressive," she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Leave her."

The soldier had no other choice but do as she ordered. The little girl looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear, her little arm red because of the man's strong grip.

Princess Sana crouched down to her eye level and smiled gently. "Did you get hurt?"

The girl looked down to her feet and shook her head, her pigtails waving cutely at the action.

"What's your name?" The Princess asked.

"Alice," the girl answered shyly.

"That's a pretty name, Alice." The girl widened her eyes in surprise, her cheeks immediately flushing in pink. Princess Sana then took something from her bag - a blue hairpiece she bought earlier today. "Do you like this?"

Alice nodded. "It's pretty."

Delicately, Sana placed the hairpiece in Alice's hair. The little girl seemed even more surprised. "Then, it's yours now. You look so pretty! Dahyun, give me a mirror!"

The crowd around watched that scene. Soon, I heard several sentences of approval and delightfulness at Sana's action:

"...she's good even to hybrids..."

"...did you see how she protected that kid?..."

"...she has such a good heart!..."

I couldn't help but agree with all of them.

Princess Sana was definitely the most suitable person to fulfill the Queen's role...

But another conversation caught my attention.

I only heard that because of my accurate senses. Two voices stood out in the middle of the others; they were speaking very quietly to not let anyone else overhear them.

"They think they can fool us with this cheap acting?" The person scoffed.

"See how stupid these people are? They are so gullible. They are already accepting this person as a ruler so easily."

"I doubt she will make any real changes for us." The first person lowered their voice even more. "But they'll see what's good. The only person capable of leading us is the chosen one."

This triggered an alarm inside of me.

I looked around, trying to find who the owners of these voices were. The chosen one. They knew about that rebellion. The rebellion that possibly tried to murder Taehyung; the rebellion that possibly sent that shapeshifter two weeks ago to watch us...

But there were too many people, too many faces. I could not distinguish the two pair of voices when there were so many people talking all at once – and couldn’t leave Princess Sana unprotected in the middle of the crowd to go after them.

I tightened my fists.

This situation was getting worse each day.

I couldn’t stop looking around as we made our way back to the palace. It was hard to focus with Princess Yeri talking nonstop (the young girl could be quite talkative when she wanted), but I still tried.

Ever since the attack weeks prior, I had been careful to the point of paranoia. I was aware of my surroundings all the time, expanding my senses to the maximum my body could bear, and I could barely sleep at night. I couldn’t forget that wolf watching us outside of the palace.

It watched us in silence, but it was like it wanted me to see. It did it purposefully to let me realize we were being watched...

Clearly a threat.

However, that was not even what bothered me the most, what gave me sleepless nights. I couldn’t forget the fact that someone was able to attack my psyche so strongly it almost made me get crazy.

More than that; I couldn’t accept it.

I was a warrior. I was aware of all of my abilities and powers. Although I was trained to be humble my entire life and taught about the sins my species did in the past, I was always proud to be a dragon – even though it means I was a beast. I have trained for physical, magic and mental combats. A dragon guardian has to keep their minds completely blocked; what if the enemy finds a way to get inside our minds and collect information about our masters? That is why all of us went through an intense and painful training to seal our minds to the point that no one would be able to attack or control us.

But, only two weeks prior, someone was able to attack my mind in that level.

That attack would have been able to kill any human immediately. The damage it made on me was not permanent and I was able to recover quickly, yet it was still shocking. What kind of person was able to get into my mind that way?

It angered me to the core.

That person hurt my honor and pride. I promised that the day I put my hands on them, they would suffer. Whoever they were.

We walked back to the palace, where the princesses had some tea. Sana analyzed everything she bought, mostly handicrafts. She bought a gift to every one of her personal assistants. However, yet again, I couldn’t focus on anything of what they were saying. I was watching over Princess Sana for now, but I was still connected to Taehyung...

And I could still feel his troubling aura from here.

He was having another reunion with the Council - one of the many he had in this short period of time. To say the truth, "reunion" is not the right word - battlefield is more suitable.

Heated discussions, exasperated people yelling from all sides. As expected, more than half of the Council was against Taehyung's wish to forbid slavery in the Ëlv'en. It would be easy if Taehyung could simply do whatever he pleased and sign any law he wanted to create, but that's not how things worked. To promulgate a law, he needed to have at least sixty percent of the counselors by his side... and that's not what happened.

I was busy watching over Princess Sana so me and Taehyung barely interacted, but I could still see on his eyes and demeanor his constant state of tiredness and anger. Yes, he was angry - very angry, to be honest, and I could understand why. He had to deal with all these prejudiced people. The idea of giving freedom to hybrids and seeing them having equal rights as humans seemed to be the worst thing possible to them. Even Taehyung - one of the most well-controlled people I've ever met - was beginning to lose his patience.

Some nights ago, I saw Taehyung sitting by himself in the gardens at night. I did not approach him - and I wish he didn't notice I was there as well - but he seemed so tired and overwhelmed. If I could, I would have sat by his side. I would have listened to his concerns. If I could, I would have passed my hands on his hair gently, I would have watched him close his eyes slowly and sigh in relief.

But I couldn't.

That was what hurt the most. I was so close to him, but at the same time, I was so far.

Their tea ended, and Princess Yeri had to (forcefully) go to the classes she has been procrastinating the entire day. I was ready to leave, too, and let Princess Sana by herself.

“Y/N, wait,” the Princess called as I was exiting.

I stopped on my tracks and immediately turned around to her. “Yes, Your Highness? Is there something you need?”

Sana nodded. She pointed to the armchair in front of her delicately. “Please, let’s talk for a while.”

Her ask was strange, but I did it anyway, sitting and waiting for her to start speaking. It was remarkable how different we were – Princess Sana, wearing a beautiful green dress, a delicate flower that overflowed femininity in everything she did; and me, wearing my usual black uniform with a sword sheathed on my hip. I never really cared about appearance, but comparing myself with Princess Sana on this matter was quite depressive.

“You have been Taehyung’s guardian for some time now,” she started softly, and the simple mention of his name made my stomach flutter with nervousness. Princess Sana never talked to me about him. “So, I assume that you may know him well at this point.”

I hesitated before nodding. Where this conversation was leading me to? “Yes, Your Highness.”

Sana exhaled heavily. She wasn’t looking at me, playing with the lace of her dress absently. “I know it is embarrassing, but... I still can’t understand him.”

“But Your Highness has been spending a lot of time with His Majesty lately,” I commented, slightly confused.

“Yes, but... he is so unreadable. Taehyung is very polite towards me and we talk about many subjects, yet... I feel that he is not opening up to me. I don’t blame him, though, because this situation is hard to deal with for both of us, but I think that to make things work I must understand him more.” She then looked up at me and smiled. “That’s why I’m asking for your help.”

I narrowed my eyes, confused. “I’m afraid I still did not understand...”

“Tell me what you know about him,” Sana explained, gesticulating. I scratched the nape of my neck, feeling somehow uncomfortable and even more confused.

“But, Your Highness... I don’t know what to say,” I admitted. Princess Sana giggled softly.

“What are his habits? What’s him like? I mean, the real Taehyung. How is he behind the mask?”

I shifted uncomfortably, not exactly sure of what to say. Sure, I knew Taehyung very well at this point – but where to start from? I thought for some moments.

“He’s scared of heights,” I said suddenly. Not exactly the most useful information, but Sana seemed surprised.

“Is he?”

“Yes. A lot. And... he loves chocolate.” I thought for some moments. Princess Sana nodded, encouraging me to continue. “He is very kind with everyone around him. He is also very well-controlled, however he can’t hide it when he doesn’t like someone. He prefers winter than summer and his favorite colors are purple and blue. He likes kids and, honestly, can be very childish sometimes. And... and his favorite fruit is strawberry. He speaks more than three languages, loves traveling and hates being in a single place for too long; he is a free spirit. Although he is very friendly, he doesn’t trust people easily. He is fair, has a strong sense of justice. And... he tries hard to hide his feelings, doesn’t like to show his weaknesses, but... he still has fragilities. Sometimes, he just needs someone he trusts to let it all out. Taehyung, he is- he is good.”

I had to interrupt myself abruptly when I noticed I said his name out loud. I coughed, shifting uncomfortably again, feeling embarrassed.

“I’m sorry. I... I got too carried away...”

“It’s alright. You sure know him very well.”

For the first time, I had the courage to look up at Princess Sana.

She looked at me in a way I’ve never seen before. She wasn’t angry at me, wasn’t judging me. But from her gaze, I could tell...

She knew.

More than that; Sana understood me.

In that moment, I couldn’t bear being in her presence anymore. The fact that I was so obvious in front of her made me flustered to the core. Princess Sana was his fianceé; that situation was anything but normal. I coughed again, feeling a heat make its way up to my neck.

“I-I apologize, Your Highness, but I need to leave.”

“Alright. Thank you for your help,” she said softly, but I was already getting up and bowing respectfully.

I almost ran out of her room.

How stupid was I being?

I watched as the woman fell to the ground with a grunt, blood spilling from her wounds. She looked at me with wide eyes full of panic.

I placed the tip of my sword at the base of her neck. She was frozen in place, shivering.

“I said you shouldn’t try to fight me,” my voice sounded quiet, cold and hard as stone. The woman shivered.

“W-What do you want from me?” she stuttered, voice shaking.

“I just need you to keep quiet.”

With a simple gaze, I entered her mind.

Her mind was weak and unprepared; she offered almost no resistance to me. A slave merchant. Her ability to shapeshift was hereditary, but she never really treasured this ability. She gained wealth by stealing hybrid children from their families and selling them as slaves.

But there was nothing in her mind that indicated that she was involved with Taehyung’s attempted murder.

I left her mind, exhaling heavily in disappointment. The woman blinked, dizzy, and stared up at me. “D-Did you just ent-ter my mind? What do you want from me, demon?!”

I sheathed my sword and looked back at her. “I want you to forget everything about our encounter.”

And she immediately fell unconscious after hearing my order in dragon language.

I turned around, heading to the entrance of her mansion. All of the guards and maids were laying on the ground in different positions after I put them all to sleep, so the place was silent. Humans’ minds are so fragile, so easy to command. I crossed the large gardens of the property, the night breeze playing with my hair. I stretched my wings slightly, the two cuts in my shoulder blades still burning a little. Since I have been transforming into my dragon nature quite frequently, it did not hurt much as it used to.

The sun would rise soon, what meant I had to leave. But not before doing something...

I stopped in front of the huge shed and held the big padlock that also contained a sealing spell; my hand gripped it tightly, and the iron object started to melt. The entire building shone with a sickening green light for a second, indicating the spell was broken.

The doors were pushed open.

All the hybrids inside gasped in unison; some girls yelled, all of them flinched. They stared at me with fear. There were dozens of kids and teenagers.

I stepped inside and simply said: “Go.”

None of them moved, their gazes shifting from scared to confused.

“What are you waiting for? Go before the guards wake up,” I repeated more firmly this time. “You all have to leave the property and don’t stop running until morning comes. You must go down the hills in the North direction. Avoid big cities like Györi, because there are too many soldiers there. You still have some time before the spell fades away, so I advise you to take some supplies from the mansion. Come on, you won’t have another chance when the sun rises!”

Immediately, they started to run out of the shed. They ran past me, some of them stumbling in their hurry; the older ones took the younger ones by their arms and led them out of the building. I stood there, holding the door opened, and waited for them to exit, watching as well as they entered the mansion from far and went out of there with food and other supplies on their hands.

I heard many “thank yous!” and “may the elves bless you!” directed to me as they wan away; some of them were weak and dehydrated, but seeing their smiles of incredulity made a good feeling grow inside of me. They didn’t approach much, though, scared of me. Although my dragon nature is not much different from my human form, I know it is an unusual and imposing sight that make many fear me.

That is, until I noticed there was a pair of eyes looking at me from below.

A little girl, probably six years old, stared up at me in awe.

“Are you an angel?” she asked, astonished.

A smile creeped up on my lips. Just some minutes ago that woman called me a demon...

“No,” I said softly. “I am just a shadow.”

The girl smiled. “Thank you, Miss Shadow!”

With that, she ran away towards a group of older hybrids.

I stayed there until I was sure no one was left behind, until I saw the last of them disappearing down the hill. It was sad that I couldn’t provide more support to them, yet freeing these kids was the first step; I knew that if they followed my instructions, they would arrive at a hybrid village hidden in the woods.

And then, I was the only person awake in the property.

I took the piece of paper from my clothes and unfolded it – the list Jimin gave me, and scratched the seventh name; the last one.

Yggrite Brzenski

I have visited each of the seven on the list, and none of them were involved in Taehyung’s attempted murder or were the wolf watching us that night. I already expected it, though; someone that tried to kill a King wouldn’t be foolish enough to let their name registered at the Tower. This story just got more and more complicated.

There was also the fact that this person could be involved with the rebellion Jimin talked about, but I couldn’t jump to conclusions yet. This rebellion has been intriguing me ever since I talked to Jimin about it – and after paying much attention, I heard people talking about it, not only that day at the market with Princess Sana. At the palace, the workers would whisper to each other when there was no superior listening. It’s not as if any of them were involved in it, though; the times I heard were always people criticizing Taehyung or the marriage and doubting the changes he said he would make, and saying that the rebellion was the only solution for hybrids in Ëlv’en.

I also heard the words the chosen one many times...

I even tried to get into someone’s mind to achieve more information, but they really didn’t know much about the rebellion’s next steps or who was leading it. Therefore, I could not just keep entering people’s minds that way. It is intrusive and extremely disrespectful; I just entered one’s mind as a last effort. Moreover, enter someone’s mind is dangerous. Even if I tried to be delicate when doing it, the action could break the person’s consciousness to the point of madness or cerebral death. My existence is too strong for a common human or hybrid to bear. Whenever I checked people’s minds when doing my interrogations, I wouldn’t go farther than just scratching the surface of their consciousness. I didn’t want to kill anyone by accident.

I flew back to the Capital, all these thoughts troubling me. I had a strange feeling that has been growing these days; it felt as if staring at heavy, dark clouds approaching, hearing the thunders from far, knowing that soon the storm would fall upon my head. Something was about to happen, and I had to be ready.

Or, perhaps, it was just my sadness increasing because of the wedding ceremony.

It would happen the next day.

Each day closer to the ceremony felt like a different arrow being buried in my chest. I had to watch the palace being decorated, the Capital becoming even more crowded than it was during Dökkálfar, special guests arriving to witness the wedding. I had to watch Princess Sana trying her beautiful wedding dress for the first time. I couldn’t even look at her in the eye ever since I stupidly exposed myself in front of her.

The only person I didn’t see much was Taehyung himself, but for that I was grateful. It would just add to the pain.

Not even my tight routine helped me to distract myself. I visited each seven from the list during the night, when both Taehyung and Princess Sana were at the palace and safe, sometimes flying long hours to reach my destinations, what gave me many nights and days without any sleep. But working to the point of exhaustion was not working. Instead, I just felt sad and tired.

I was so tired of being sad.

Just the sight of the palace appearing in my vision already made my shoulders weight heavily. At least when I traveled, my connection with Taehyung weakened a little bit and I could let myself forget for some moments of what was about to come. At the palace, though, every place and person reminded me of him and the wedding.

I landed in the middle of the forest which bordered the palace, where I could shift back into my human form unnoticed, and walked back inside the colossal building. It was barely six in the morning, however no one was sleeping; workers running from side to side to make the last adjustments; the cooks worked like crazy to get all the food ready in time, chefs yelling orders and rushing everyone. The Royal Family invited around one thousand official guests, but millions of subjects came to the Capital to watch the ceremony and cheer for their new Queen. People came from all parts of the continent, especially from Vanaheim, Princess Sana’s native land.

The security system has been reinforced; powerful spells protected the palace, amulets were hidden everywhere, soldiers patrolled the city day and night. It was somehow a relief to me, but I could not let my guard down. Spells can be broken and humans are weak. If something bad happened, I would be the last barrier between Taehyung and the danger.

As always, no one noticed me walking towards my room. The day before the wedding ceremony was free to the bride and groom, so they could rest before the great day. It didn’t mean I was free, though; I had to check up on each spell of the palace, but I still had two hours left.

I entered my room and closed the door, exhaling heavily. I didn’t know if I was ready. I knew that this marriage was the right thing to happen for both kingdoms, but the thought of Taehyung marrying Princess Sana was too painful for me to even picture – watch in person would be unbearable.

I threw the sword carelessly over my bed and was about to change clothes. I hadn’t even talked to Taehyung all this time. Things between me and him were so unsettled – I didn’t even understand yet if a “thing” between us even existed. I missed the times when we were traveling, when we became close, when the wall that kept us apart seemed to be inexistent-

“Did you miss me, Y/N?”

I turned around immediately with a jump, completely started.

My eyes widened, my lungs failed.

“Hoseok?!”

The red-haired man looked at me, the usual mischievous smirk on his lips, a somber gaze shadowing his features. He was leaned against the door casually, as if his presence in my room was the most normal thing in the world.

“Oh, I see you’re very excited to see me,” he said, quirking his eyebrow suggestively. I felt my cheeks burning, readjusting my shirt again. I was about to take it off when he appeared – but fortunately, he didn’t see much. My heart was beating way too fast; I was so confused.

“How are you-?” I was about to ask, but then I finally noticed.

He was with me, but at the same time he wasn’t. Well, at least not physically.

“It’s not my fault that we have a mental connection,” he said, shrugging absently. “It was pretty hard to come here, by the way. You blocked our bond so well. Why did you do that, love? You don’t appreciate my presence?”

A scowl of disgust distorted my features. “Don’t call me like this.”

“You don’t like it when I’m rude, but you also don’t like it when I try to be sweet. Why are women so complicated?” He tilted his head to the side, voice spilling sarcasm.

“I don’t like you at all,” I snapped, crossing my arms. It has been such a long time since Hoseok contacted me through our connection. “What do you want?”

Hoseok’s smirk accentuated as he approached me slowly, stopping right in front of me. Although his presence was only telepathic, it was so real that I could almost feel his scent.

I didn’t like him so close to me, even though he wasn’t with me physically. Partially because I hated him, and also because I could not deny the fact that Hoseok was very attractive. I always thought he had a good appearance, but due to my conduct code, I brushed this attractiveness to the far corner of my mind. Actually, his good appearance was what made or deal feel less disgusting. Now, I didn’t care about conduct codes anymore; I couldn’t deny that his presence so close to me made me feel uneasy.

It was different of what I felt with Taehyung, though. I liked everything about Taehyung. With Hoseok, only his appearance attracted me – nothing more.

“I came here to remind you that you’re reaching the full adulthood next week,” he said, the mischievous grin never leaving his lips.

I gulped, avoiding his gaze. I actually forgot about it.

“And, surprisingly, you seem to have really forgotten,” he scoffed.

“I have been busy. How would I remember about it?” I retorted, looking at him again.

“I know. The wedding.” Hoseok lowered his gaze to my eye level. “But the wedding is tomorrow, and our deal happens next week. I hope that you at least prepared to it.”

And I avoided his gaze again.

Hoseok’s grin disappeared.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t explain it to your master yet.”

I didn’t answer.

Hoseok huffed, anger immediately hitting him. “Y/N, what’s your problem? Did you forget how important this is?!”

“I didn’t have a chance to say anything!” I tried to defend myself. “M-Maybe we could delay it for a couple of weeks-”

“You know we can’t. Unless you want to die. I'm saying this for your own sake,” Hoseok warned, expression hard, his voice giving me no room for protests.

I sighed, feeling completely defeated. I knew Hoseok was right; I should have explained it to Taehyung a long time ago. I should have told him about this since the day we met at the dungeons.

“What happened to you, Y/N? Since when you became so weak?” Hoseok questioned, eyeing me oddly. “I can see there’s something different about you. When you were King Taejun’s guardian, you would not have wavered over such a simple issue.”

“Simple?!” I looked up at him again, starting to feel annoyed. “This has never been an easy issue to me, Hoseok. I am the one that might end up dying, not you.”

For a second, I saw Hoseok’s gaze shifting. It was only for one second, too brief – but I saw a shadow of concern on his eyes. But it was only for one second before his eyes became hard again and he scoffed.

“Well, as a Royal Guardian, you should be used to the idea of dying. But I think you’re just a coward, since you delayed your own death by becoming King Taehyung’s guardian.”

I felt such a strong wave of anger that even Hoseok’s image wavered a bit. I was sure that he felt it on his own skin.

“I swear – next time we meet, I will kill you,” I said between gritted teeth.

The grin reappeared in Hoseok’s lips. “I am looking forward to it, love.” He approached one more step, now standing dangerously close to me. I could feel the heat radiating from his body. Our bond was so strong that even our bodies were connected. “In fact, I think we could train a little bit before the big event next week. If you completely unblock my connection with you, you’ll be able to feel me physically...”

Hoseok was about to touch my face, but I slapped his hand away and pushed his chest. A freezing shiver ran underneath my skin; the feeling of touching someone that isn’t even there is strong and nauseating. Our brains were projecting how would it feel like if we were actually in front of each other, barely a ghost of reality.

“Get out of my mind,” I ordered angrily, making Hoseok chuckle darkly.

“You can’t keep avoiding this forever, love.” His voice then got only slightly more serious. “I don’t know how you’ll make it, but you have to tell your master. You must be in Niflheim next week.”

“I know,” I said weakly, because as much as I hated it, Hoseok was right. “I’ll be there.”

And again, for the briefest of the moments, I saw a flash of something more in Hoseok’s eyes. They softened, only for a moment.

“Don’t worry, love. It won’t be as bad as you think. To be honest, you’ll like it very much.”

“I told you to stop calling me this way,” I said angrily again. Hoseok just chuckled.

“Well, unfortunately, I have to leave. See you next week, Y/N.” He looked at me intensely for some moments. “I’ll be anxiously waiting for you.”

And, with that, his image faded away.

I was quick to seal our connection strongly again. How inattentive was I being all this time to loosen the block so much that Hoseok simply slipped into my consciousness? I have always been very careful to not let him do it. Although it was not his fault that our minds were connected, Hoseok liked to provoke me. When we were younger and I didn’t know how to seal our bond, sometimes he would even appear in my dreams just to make me angry.

I sighed heavily and sat on the bed, holding my head in my hands. What was I going to do? I did not have the courage to explain it to Taehyung. But, as Hoseok himself said, we had no time.

The situation only got worse and worse...

In that exact moment, realization hit me like a rock.

I widened my eyes.

Someone was able to attack my mind. The sealed mind of a dragon. I kept asking myself who could be so powerful to do so...

But Hoseok has just slipped into my mind so easily minutes ago. Yes, we had a connection, but still – that was not an easy task.

Pure adrenaline rush through my veins.

The person that attacked my mind was either Hoseok... or another person as strong as him. And the only one able to match the power of a dragon is another dragon.

A brother of mine was involved with Taehyung’s attempted murder.

I couldn't think of anything else in the next hours. I almost forgot about the wedding.

As I made inspections in the protective spells, my mind was a turmoil. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure: another dragon attacked my mind.

But who?

I knew all of my brothers by name. Hoseok, Yuta, Chanyeol and Minho - we were the Five Guardians. There were eight kids currently training in Niflheim, but they were way too weak and unexperienced to be able to attack my mind that way. And there were also two female dragons there - but since they did not receive the same training as us, I knew they wouldn't be able to attack me.

So, who could it be?

Hoseok and I already had a connection, so he could supposedly be the culprit, but that I doubted highly. I would have recognized his presence in my consciousness immediately if he were the attacker. Therefore, I knew Hoseok way too much; he had an impeccable behavior his entire life, always following the conduct code and he was very proud to be a Guardian. As he already said multiple times, nothing was above his honor. There was no possibility that Hoseok would simply join a rebellion. I also doubted it would be Yuta, because I would have recognized his aura as well.

What should I do? My only choice was to visit each dragon; feeling their presences and auras could give me a hint. But I didn't know how I would make it. Three of them were guardians and the rest were all in Niflheim, and I couldn't go to the mountains again without permission...

But I would have to go back to Niflheim next week, isn't it? And I had permission to do so. Maybe the, I'd be able to find more information…

I inspected every corner of the palace, checking if the spells were working the way they should – and apparently, everything was fine. I checked everything more than once, doing as my superiors asked. This time, I couldn't be upset at them; the Capital was impossibly crowded, so being careful was the expected. By the time my inspections ended, the sun was already disappearing in the horizon.

When I finally had a little bit of free time, I searched for Yoongi. Fortunately, he was taking a break, too. We sat far from the mess that was the kitchen; although I don't usually get tired easily, I couldn't help but feel my eyelids becoming heavy. There were too many things for me to deal with all at once...

"They want us to wear this ridiculous uniform," Yoongi whined for the hundredth time, a pout on his lips.

"But you're going to work as a waiter, right? Of course you'll have to dress accordingly."

"Yes, but that white uniform is ridiculous. I look like a clown in that. What were they even thinking?!" He crossed his arms, upset.

I smiled softly. I smiled softly. But, as I was about to reply, we heard the noise of something breaking loudly in the kitchen.

We both looked in that direction, startled.

We both heard someone yelling, "Chuu!"

We both got up at the same time and ran in to the kitchen.

All of the workers had stopped to watch what happened, and my chest immediately tightened. Chuu was crouched down in front of a pile of porcelain shards, trying to collect them weakly. Why was that scene so familiar?

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry-" she stuttered.

"Sorry?!" Martha yelled, watching her from above, red anger on her eyes. "I am tired of hearing your apologies! You are a disaster! Look at what you did! Get up!"

Chuu trembled slightly, doing as she said, tears already watering her eyes. Everyone watched, but no one moved do help her.

The thing Chuu hated the most was being watched as she was humiliated...

"Ma'am-"

"Shut up! This time, I won't forgive you!"

In my eyes, the scene happened in slow motion.

Martha, with her features distorted in anger, lifting her hand, ready to slap Chuu's face violently.

Chuu flinching, preparing to the aggression.

I remembered that I saw her going through a similar situation months ago, when Chuu spilled tea in Taehyung's clothes. Back then, Yoongi was who tried to intervene, but I stopped him and dragged him away. Back then, I thought that we should never go against our superiors, even when we were right and they were wrong. Back then, I used to be the person that would be punished without saying a word, always keeping my head down, always obeying, always doing what others wanted before considering what I wanted. I was the submissive person that agreed with everything bad. I was the person that watched my friends being humiliated without doing anything.

But the person I used to be has died.

All of the bad feelings accumulated inside of me for the past days seemed to explode in that moment. The moment I saw Chuu closing her eyes tightly in fear. The moment I saw Martha ready to slap the face of one of the people I cared most in the world.

I refused to be that person again.

Martha looked at me in shock when I held her arm tightly.

"What-?"

When I pushed her, the woman lost balance completely and fell to the ground, taking an entire table with her.

Everyone gasped.

Chuu looked up at me, shocked.

"You don't touch her like that!" I yelled, making Martha flinch.

She looked at me. "Who are you to give me orders, slave?!" She said, however her voice lacked strength. Most workers around me didn’t know what I am, but she knew. And because of that, she feared me.

I stepped closer. "I am the person that will punish you if you don't leave this palace immediately."

Martha froze. But she was too proud. The woman got up and looked at me. "I will make sure to tell your superiors about this!"

"Do it." I stepped even closer, making Martha step behind. I let all of my anger flow through my gaze, all of that fiery sensation burning in my guts. Fear as clear as the morning sky was evident in her eyes. "Go, tell them. I don't care. You're not stronger than me, neither are they. I want to see you try."

Slowly, I felt the hybrids around me being filled by my speech, like oil being thrown in a fire pit. They started to murmur things in agreement; I felt their hard feelings being fed, satisfaction and ager taking over them - because someone was finally doing what all of them wanted to do, but no one was brave enough to do so.

As I approached, they approached behind me, too, closing a tight circle. Martha was forced to step back. Slowly, we were kicking her out of the kitchen - out of the palace.

"Y-You'll pay for this!" She said, eyes filled with panic. She saw all the people she always humiliated standing against her, all the hatred she had caused.

"You will pay the consequences if you don't leave. Now." My voice was menacing, my fists tightened.

But cowards don't need to listen twice. Martha turned around and started to run, a small crowd runnings after her, screaming and cursing her. Soon, the commotion had gathered more and more people that watched the hated superior run away hopelessly until she was out of the palace, screams of triumph and victory leaving their lungs.

I looked around to all of them. They held the same smiles and happiness I saw in these hybrid kids earlier that day; the same satisfaction.

Yoongi stared at me in shock.

From far, I saw Jungkook showing a mix of shock and similar satisfaction.

I remembered his words from times ago; if you have the power to change it yet you chose to do nothing, then yes, it is your fault!

He was right.

I could not keep seeing such things happening right in front of me and doing nothing to change it when I had the power to do so.

"Listen well, all of you!" I said, calling all the attention. They went silent, waiting for me to speak. "This kind of behavior - it can't no longer be tolerated. It doesn't matter if the work-policy changed if they don't change as well; they do not have the right to treat us like this, they never had, but now more than ever - they will never again. We won't tolerate be treated like slaves anymore. We are free. And if they don't want to accept it - we will make then accept it!"

And everyone around me started to scream.

They applauded, shouts of support coming from all sides. The old me would never do something like this; a guardian is supposed to be a shadow.

But I was tired of being invisible.

Both Yoongi and Chuu watched me in silence, too shocked to react. The two people I cared about the most.

They were more than friends; they were my family.

They gasped when I simultaneously pulled them into a hug.

"Yoongi, you were right. You were right all along... About everything. I'm sorry for not listening to you before," I said, my voice sounding muffled. "Chuu, I'm sorry for never protecting you before. I'm sorry for being such a bad sister."

Chuu sniffled, tears already trickling down her chubby cheeks. "S-Sister?"

I nodded, hugging her tighter.

The old me hated physical contact; this kind of touch, though, filled me with joy and warmth.

“L-Look, I’m sorry for destroying this heartfelt moment,” I heard Yoongi saying, trying to sound unbothered, but his voice was wavering slightly and he wiped his eyes quickly, what made me smile. “But you know that you just made a mess one day before the royal wedding, right?”

He was right. No one was working anymore. I saw guards approaching quickly as they heard the loud commotion in the service area; they looked around, confused, and started to yell words of order.

“What is going on? Who started this?!” I heard General Seokjin’s voice shouting.

“I did,” I said immediately, approaching him.

Everyone went silent, watching the scene. We stared at each other. General Seokjin seemed about to explode.

“And what right did you-”

“A person in a leadership position was breaking the rules from the work-policy and about to punish a worker with violence,” I cut him before he could say anything, what just made him more exasperated. “All I did was prevent it to happen. As one of the highest ranked members of the Royal Guard, I am sure Sir General knows I have the power to do so.”

I always had the power to do so, but you acted as if I couldn’t, as if I had no privileges and no rights.

“Your duty is exclusively towards His Majesty. You can’t just get involved in situations that has nothing to do with you and think you won’t be punished afterwards.”

“You’re right,” I crossed my arms. “But before deciding any punishment, you have to tell about my ‘misbehavior’ with my superior. And that is the King himself. So, please, Sir General, go ahead and tell him. Tell him what I did.”

There was a mix of pure anger and complete surprise in General Seokjin’s eyes. I never dared to speak this way – so blatant, so challenging. I was not afraid to face Taehyung. I was not afraid of anyone.

General Seokjin had to swallow his own anger and his will to punish me physically – something he couldn’t do anymore – and nodded. “I will make sure to let him know about this. All of you, back to work! This is not your free hour!”

Slowly, the commotion dissipated and the workers went back to their tasks – however I knew that these minutes already delayed the work very much. I didn’t feel guilty for what I did, though. General Seokjin sent me a last menacingly glare before he turned around, probably heading directly to Taehyung’s room, ready to accuse me of insubordination.

I didn’t care.

Darkness already blanketed the Capital as I left the service area heading to the gardens, feeling overwhelmed. I wanted to be alone. Oddly, that anger still didn’t let me; my fists were tightened, my breathing heavy. I felt mad because of everything: the person that attacked my mind, my deal with Hoseok, the way I has been always treated my entire life, the suffering of my race, my feelings for Taehyung – the man that could not be mine, the man I would have to watch getting married the next day.

I was definitely not ready for it. But Taehyung would come to see me. I knew it.

I waited for him to come, the cozy nightly breeze embracing me. It was annoying how the weather felt perfect, and the next day it would, too – the perfect weather for the perfect wedding. At least I was alone in that moment – finally alone. I could hear the sounds of the busy palace and the crowded city, but the garden was quiet, the calming sound of the breeze touching the grass and leaves, crickets singing here and there, eventual fireflies glowing in the dark.

And come to see me he did. I got up from the bench the moment I saw his figure appearing, and the fact that my heart immediately started beating faster annoyed me. He approached me at heavy steps, eyebrows set, his entire expression as hard as stone.

He was mad.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Taehyung questioned the moment he was close enough, crossing his arms. No greetings, no velvety voice. No; he was angry because I made a mess the day before his wedding. It was the first time I saw Taehyung mad at me.

It made my chest hurt even more.

“There was no way for me to tell you, it happened too quickly at the kitchen and-”

“I’m not talking about what happened at the kitchen.” he interrupted, voice sharp. “I’m talking about your deal.”

And for a moment, it was like I lost the ability to speak.

I stared up at him, utterly shocked, eyes wide and jaw dropped. I was expecting him to be mad at what General Seokjin told him, not this - and it managed to disarm me in a matter of seconds, all of my confidence gone. No. It can’t be what I think it is...

“W-What- Who told-?” I stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“Gilliard told me.” Taehyung said, his voice so uncharacteristically mad it made me feel uneasy. Of course, that old hateful man was who revealed my secret before I could.

“Your Majesty, I... I didn’t have the chance to explain...” I stupidly tried to explain myself.

“You didn’t have time to explain something like this?” Taehyung shook his head, looking at me with incredulity. He clenched his jaw, put his hands on each side of his waist. “I came here hoping you would tell me it was a lie, but I can see it’s not. Procreation, Y/N? Is this serious?!”

I flinched slightly. Taehyung said the word “procreation” with such disgust that I felt myself becoming smaller. I stared down to my feet, gulping.

“It... It was expected to happen, Your Majesty. I am a female, and my race is too rare...”

“No. This is- this is wrong,” Taehyung said, almost as if he hadn’t heard me. He walked from side to side, passing his hand on his hair angrily; his aura was a mess.

“Besides me, there are only two more female dragons, and they already had too many children. They are old. If... If I don’t do this, my race will disappear,” I said weakly again, trying to give him a plausible explanation, trying to make him understand. “If I don’t do this now, I won’t have many chances of survival in the future.”

Taehyung looked back at me at this, as if finally paying attention to what I was saying.

“Most female dragon-hybrids die giving birth,” my voice sounded as controlled as possible, but it still wavered. “The only way for us to carry a child and survive after the birth is if we impregnate at the exact date we reach the full-dragon adulthood, and it will be next week. I have a strong and healthy physique, so my chances of survival are high. It must happen, Your Majesty.”

“No.” he repeated once again, exasperated. Was he even paying attention to what I was saying? “This- what you’re saying- this is wrong, Y/N! Everything is wrong!”

The confusion inside of me grew. How could he know what was right and what was wrong? “It is the truth, Your Majesty-”

“What makes me angrier is that you didn’t tell me about this before,” Taehyung cut me off, again, as if he hadn’t heard me. “You hid this from me. You weren’t honest with me.”

In that moment, I saw disappointment in his eyes – and instead of saddening me, I felt the anger from before start to burn again. He was this exasperated because I didn’t tell him I would not be his guardian for the next nine months, that’s it. That’s what he cared about. I tightened my fists.

“And what right do you have to say this to me?” I said, a venous anger very apparent in my voice as I looked at him. We both were angry beyond words, our auras felt like fire. “You’re the one who’ve been keeping secrets from me since the beginning.”

Taehyung narrowed his eyes, and I saw the moment his demeanor wavered because of my accusation. “What-?”

“I’m not stupid, Taehyung,” his name left my mouth before I could rationalize, what made the King widen his eyes only slightly. In that moment, I couldn’t care about our positions and roles; it was just me and him, and I wanted explanations. I needed it. “You said it yourself that you have many secrets, isn’t it? You never told me why you chose me as your guardian. You just make me feel as if I’m close to you, when in fact you never tell anything to me. You have been hiding things from me since the beginning. So, what right do you have to judge me?!”

Taehyung inhaled heavily. “Don’t say this. Only if you had any idea of how sincere I have been-”

“And what right do you have to be mad because of my deal?” I cut him off; it was my turn to not let him speak, to not listen to him. “Your engagement with Princess Sana is almost the same thing, right? So why are you mad at me?”

I have been watching you step closer to your marriage in silence all this time, even though it hurt like physical pain, yet I said nothing.

“I am not mad at you! I am-” Taehyung suddenly interrupted himself, swallowing hard. He closed his eyes tightly, swiped his hand on his forehead, trying to calm himself down.

Then, he looked at me again – and I felt my entire body shivering.

Not in fear.

“You are right,” he said, voice quieter now, but his anger was muffled, jaw still tightly clenched. “You are right about everything. And yes, our situations are similar.” Taehyung stepped closer to me, making a wave of heat hit me. No, this was no good. I couldn’t think properly when he stood so close to me...

“Do you want me to marry Princess Sana, Y/N?”

My eyes widened, being caught by surprise by his unexpected question.

His gaze was too overwhelming, so I felt myself avoiding it. Why was it so hard for me to deal with Taehyung? Why this man had such a strong power over me?

“S-She is a good person,” I started and, although I wasn’t lying, my voice sounded lifeless as I pronounced these words. “She is studied and very charismatic.”

“Stop it,” Taehyung said, stepping even closer. I stepped behind.

“She has good intentions and cares for hybrids, too,” I continued, tightening my fists. Pure adrenaline rushed through my veins; the air between us seemed charged with pure electricity.

“Stop it. You’re not being honest,” he said again.

“Princess Sana is already loved by the common population and she sure is the most suitable person for this role-”

“Stop it!”

I froze in place when Taehyung suddenly put his hand in the junction where my jaw met my neck, forcing me to look up at him.

Just like that night, he was so close.

The heat radiating from his body made my inner temperature increase. His hand felt hot against my skin; my heart seemed about to explode. I couldn’t believe he was standing so close to me again. I thought about that moment millions of times – the moment when he stood so close, yet didn’t dare to close the distance between us.

He was standing close to me again, though. And this time, it hurt more than ever. Because he would get married the next day with another woman.

Why did he dare to stand so close to me now?

But differently from that night, I could see a fire on his eyes now. He analyzed my features, eyebrows set in an almost angry expression. His beauty never failed to make my lungs fail, and that time was no different.

“You’re not being honest,” Taehyung said, voice low, but still strong. “Be honest with me. Do you want me to marry Princess Sana?”

I stared up at him, unable to move.

I looked at the face of the man that awakened so many sweet, fiery and painful feelings in me. He made me feel freedom, joy and empathy for the first time. He made me feel anger, he made me understand what justice means.

That unbelievably beautiful face.

And, in that moment – when he stood so close to me, when he was able to destroy every barrier I tried to build between us – I couldn’t lie to him.

“No,” I whispered the utmost truth.

Taehyung inhaled.

He still stared at me, and his eyes held something more. Something strong and deep and dizzying. I saw those eyes sparkling with something I couldn’t quite name.

Just like that night, I saw the moment his gaze dropped to my mouth.

I saw his face getting close to mine, millimeter after millimeter. My heartbeat hammered on my ears, my entire body tense with expectation.

But this time, it was different. Taehyung didn’t blink. Taehyung didn’t waver. No one interrupted the spell that kept us together.

This time, his lips touched mine.

His lips felt soft and warm against my own; he tilted his head to the side, and the hand that cupped my jaw slipped to hold the nape of my neck. I stood there, completely stiff, because I didn’t know exactly what to do; my entire body felt impossibly hot, as if my blood became lava rushing through my veins. Taehyung moved his lips against mine, forcing me to part my own – and instead of thinking too much, I just let my instincts take control of my actions.

Taehyung wasn’t being delicate. His lips were hungry, needy, terribly passionate – and I felt that I could barely breathe. Through that kiss, I could feel a strong and blinding turmoil of feelings – anger, guilt, resolve and euphoria. His other hand rested at the small of my back and he pushed me against him so our bodies were completely smashed, making me gasp between the kiss. The hand resting on my neck grabbed my hair, keeping me in place. Every fiber of my body seemed about to explode.

My legs felt weak, and I honestly think I would have fallen if Taehyung weren’t holding me so tightly. My hands came to rest on his shoulders where I grabbed his shirt weakly, because I still wasn’t brave enough to touch him. Our lips moved in an untrained, furious synchronicity.

Taehyung was who broke the kiss, both of us running out of breath. I saw his glossy lips, the area around his mouth reddish. He looked at me with half-lidded eyes, a gaze that looked softer somehow.

“T-Taeh-” I tried to say, but was cut short when his lips smashed against mine once more. It was less hurried now, however still deep and intense. I felt as if my body was melting under his touch, my mind way too drowned in bliss to rationalize properly. His taste was intoxicating; I felt that I could kiss him forever and never get tired of it.

After pressing his lips on mine sweetly for a long moment, he finally broke apart, but still kept me glued on him. We were panting, my fingers which still held his shirt trembling slightly. He rested his forehead on mine and closed his eyes, caressing my cheek with his thumb.

And we stayed like that. My emotions never felt so raw as in that moment. Taehyung was keeping me so close, my lips were still stinging from the kisses. In that moment, nothing else existed; no wedding, no deal, no insurmountable wall. We were just us. Just two people that wanted to be close to each other.

But as soon as this euphoric moment came, it went away, reality hitting me all at once, and my body started to feel cold again.

I gulped. “Why... Why did you do this?” I whispered, making Taehyung open his eyes to look at me.

“Because I wanted to,” he answered simply.

I shook my head almost imperceptibly, looking at his chest. “No. You did this to divert my attention.”

I put both hands on his chest and pushed him delicately – but instead of just accepting it, Taehyung held my arms with his hands in a swift movement. He did not put much strength; I could have pushed him away if I wanted. But the look he sent me was what made me surprised. Taehyung looked desperate, as if the idea of seeing me leave was terrifying.

“Please- Don’t go yet,” he whispered, a fragile plead.

My feet felt rooted on the ground. I didn’t move. I could not lie to myself; as much as it was painful to me, I didn’t want to leave his embrace.

But he still owned me some answers.

And I wanted my answers now.

“Taehyung,” I called quietly, and I didn’t miss how he closed his eyes at this – as if hearing me pronounce his name was a pleasing melody. “Why did you choose me? Please, don’t hide this from me anymore. Tell me the truth. Do you remember when you asked me to be honest with you?” he nodded. “I am asking the same thing from you. Be honest with me, even if the truth hurts. I- I can’t keep living if you don’t tell me the truth.”

Taehyung looked at me in silence for long moments. His gaze held so much feelings that, for a moment, I asked myself how was he able to bear all of that. Delicately, he put a strand of my hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek. I could see he was having an inner argument...

But then, Taehyung closed his eyes for a moment and sighed deeply.

When he opened his eyes again, I saw a strong resolve.

“You are right. It’s past time for you to know the entire truth,” he murmured, more to himself than to me. “I don’t even know where to begin from...”

Taehyung gulped. I looked at him in expectation.

“I chose you that day to protect you, Y/N.”

I narrowed my eyes, confusion hitting me. “Protect me? What- why would you protect me?”

“Because they wanted to get rid of you,” the confusion just condensed inside of me. Who wanted to get rid of me? Why is that? “The same people that cursed my father.”

I stiffened at this.

“What?” my voice sounded too quiet, too weak, too scared of what was about to come.

Taehyung was serious in a way I’ve never seen before.

“King Taejun didn’t die of a disease, Y/N. He was murdered.”

And with that, more than ever, I lost the ability to speak.

King Taejun? Murdered? Someone killed him? But who? And why would these people want to kill me, too...?

But, before I could voice all these questions out loud, both of us were silenced.

The thunderous sound of an explosion echoed in the air.

The ground shook so strongly that I would have fallen if Taehyung didn’t catch me in time.

And I felt a bad, horrible, nauseating feeling in my guts.

We looked in the direction of the source of the explosion – the front gates of the palace. We could already see fire, as well as the desperate and panicked yells of thousands of people.

The palace was under attack.

Without a single word, we looked at each other for one second.

We started to run.

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