It wasn’t long before dawn broke and the three of them continued their journey toward the capital. The King was uncharacteristically quiet, his expression distant, as if his spirit was elsewhere and had left his body an empty shell. Was he keeping track of their assailants? Could he sense their every move? Had he been doing this yesterday evening? Min-jun had never seen a single sign of sleep deprivation on the King’s face before, but now dark circles had formed under those violet eyes. Still, his steps remained confident and graceful. Mai walked alongside Daeyang, quiet as ever, though every now and then she’d toss them strange glances.
“Shall we rest more,” Min-jun wanted to offer, but he held his tongue for fear of another accusation that he was growing fond of the King. It was too early in the morning to hear such nonsense.
The path the King led them down was long and winding, passing over craggy rocks and grassy hilltops and through cold, clear creeks. It all seemed intuitive to the King. As if he’d mapped out the land around him and kept it buried somewhere in his mind, to be used whenever he wished.
“We’ll stay at one of the villages tonight,” the King said, as he helped Min-jun down from a particularly slippery patch of moss-covered boulders. “It’ll be best to get some cover when it gets dark.”
“Cover?” Min-jun repeated. “From what, exactly.”
“I’m not sure,” the King replied. “But it will certainly catch up to us by nightfall.”
It. Was their pursuant an animal, then? Min-jun studied the King’s face, catching just a glimpse of trepidation in that neutral expression, a slight crease in his brow.
“Your Majesty,” Min-jun said. He reached out to take his arm, pulling on him to get him to stop his relentless pace. “What’s wrong? I cannot sense things as you do.”
“I know, but it seems my ability is failing even me today,” the King replied. “There are moments where I can sense them, and then they disappear just as quickly. I only know that they are certainly following us.”
“Perhaps they have a Gift,” Min-jun suggested, taking the King’s arm to steady himself. They had reached a clearing in the forest, sunlight casting ribbons of light onto the earth.
“Perhaps.”
“An ability that lets them travel through space,” Min-jun pondered. “But not for long distances?”
Mai patted Daeyang’s neck, looking concerned. “Or maybe it’s a person who is immune to other people’s gifts?”
“There’s no way of knowing,” the King said. “All we can do is be ready for them when they arrive.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Min-jun nodded. That was likely the best course of action. No point in concerning themselves with the minor details. “So, we’re going to the village to drag them out of hiding?”
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“A couple of miles north of here.”
“Will we have a place to stay there?” Mai wrung her hands together, her head kept down. After however many days of sleeping in that abandoned manor and then only one night in a warm bed, Mai must be itching for a normal place to sleep.
“We’ll find something when we get there.” The King grinned. “Did you not enjoy sleeping under the stars?”
Mai hunched her shoulders. “It wasn’t bad, but . . .”
“I think we’d all choose a bed over the forest floor any day,” Min-jun said, smoothly.
“Really? I quite enjoy it.”
Min-jun shot him a scathing look as he took the lead. “Of course you do. You’re practically a part of the forest itself.”
Some of the King’s good humor returned to him with that comment. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
A misstep had him falling back into the King’s arms. With a little assistance, Min-jun righted himself once more, a hand resting on the King’s bicep. A dull pang thrummed in his leg from his fall. He rolled his ankle slightly, trying to lighten the pain. Honestly, these shoes were not built for such walking.
“Shall I take a look at it?” the King asked. Min-jun set his foot down and gave the King a steely glare. With a small, placatory smile, the King relented. “Point taken.”
Min-jun took a few steps forward, parting the long grass they were treading through. He sighed in relief, as only a slight pain rose from his ankle. It likely wasn’t twisted then, only strained.
From the corner of his eye, he caught Mai staring at them, a puzzled, slightly displeased expression on her face.
“Is something wrong,” Min-jun asked her.
Mai shook her head, continuing on her way. Strange.
“I could carry you if you’d like,” the King offered, as Min-jun continued to take a few steps, limping slightly.
Min-jun laughed, harshly. “Frankly, I’d rather throw myself off this cliff than to be held by you.”
The King rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. He stepped in front of Min-jun, leaning down to meet his gaze. “Hmm, liar.” His grin grew wider. “Very well, then. I will not hold you any longer if you are so opposed to it.”
Tilting his head to the side, Min-jun crossed his arms. “I’d like to see you try.”
“Will you two stop flirting?” Mai shouted, turning on her heel to face them. On her face, the look of displeasure had been replaced by one of anger and confusion. That resentful glare pinned Min-jun down, something like disbelief in her expression. “You’re supposed to be enemies!” She pointed an accusatory finger at Min-jun. “H-how can you ever be so calm around him after all he’s done to you? How can you stand there and act like nothing has happened?” She closed her hands into fists. “Aren’t you ashamed.”
Guilt’s a tricky thing. It crept up on a person when they least expected it to, sudden and visceral, a creature that crawled up your throat and closed it up. Min-jun couldn’t find the words to rebuke her accusation. She was right, after all. Despite all his talk of vengeance and hatred, Min-jun now walked side by side with the man who had killed his parents, and he wasn’t even repulsed by it. This warmth in Min-jun’s chest could not be mistaken as anything other than affection.
Disgust followed guilt, prying inwards, into his mind, leaving him feeling deformed and corrupted by this damned emotion. Try as he might, he couldn’t be rid of this tenderness, not completely. I’ve been made a fool, haven’t I? No, a fool was ignorant. He’d done this to himself.
“That’s enough, Mai,” the King scolded her, though his voice remained gentle. A hand on his shoulder brought Min-jun back from his spiral. Returned to the meadow, Min-jun pulled away from the King’s touch as if he’d been burned. Slowly, the King’s fingers curl into a fist, lingering there for a moment. Min-jun took long strides across the meadow, wishing to put some much-needed distance between himself and the King. Inside, his mind chanted insults and curses in voices that were not his own. He did not spare Mai a glance as he walked past her, though she stiffened as he went by, readying herself for a rebuttal.
They would not exchange a single word more on their way to the village.
. . .
Cheol had hoped that Mai would have a more . . . pleasant effect on Min-jun. The effects of being a caretaker smoothing out those rougher edges and lighting paths other than the one his leader had set out for him. But it would appear the girl had a nasty habit of speaking too freely.
What a dilemma. It was too late to be rid of her now. Min-jun was already attached to her, taking her wellbeing into his own hands. He really was far too kind. No matter. Perhaps she would choose her words more carefully in the future. Cheol couldn’t afford to lose the progress he’d already made with Min-jun. If Cheol was right and the deaths of Min-jun’s parents were caused by an outside force instead, then perhaps Min-jun would leave behind this tedious mission and return to Cheol’s side sooner rather than later. He’d have to keep Min-jun stable until then.
Don’t you see, my love? This is where you belong.
They reached the village late in the afternoon. It was larger than Cheol had expected, brimming with all sorts of people. Being so close to the river must bring them into close contact with merchant’s vessels. It was just on the way to the eastern river villages, after all.
Cheol watched Min-jun’s somber expression as they passed by shouting vendors and giggling children. That pretty grimace reminded him of what they’d lost. His chest tightened. Some part of Cheol desperately wished for his consort to recognize him. It would be fortunate if this place brought back memories of their time together. Min-jun would likely deny them in the beginning, but even he couldn’t refuse them for too long.
“A room, please,” Cheol asked an elderly woman. She sat on the porch of an old inn, her arms tucked into her sleeves, cards laid out in front of her on a small, round table. A few curls of hair escaped her messy bun, as she slapped another card down on the table. Who was she playing with?
The woman squinted up at him, a long frown wrinkling her face further. “You a family? Families get half off.”
“Oh, not exactly –”
“We’ll take three rooms, if they’re available,” Min-jun interrupted, his voice quiet and polite. He must still be upset. “I’m sure we’d all like a room to ourselves.”
Cheol locked eyes with him. “My love, are you certain that’s a good idea. Have you forgotten why we’ve come here?”
As was par for the course, Min-jun did not back down at Cheol’s stare. “I’d say it would benefit us to be separated. It will make them bolder.”
It would also make it easier for one of them to get hurt. Cheol could not allow that to happen.
“Three rooms coming right up,” the old woman said, nonchalantly. She brought out a tray of keys from under the table and gave out a set to each of them. Her hand came up to wave them away. “Go on then. Enjoy. Hope you get over your little lover’s spat.”
Did they seem that compatible? Min-jun’s hand tightened around the key, and Cheol bit back any sly comment that threatened to spill out of his mouth. For now, it was best to leave his lovely consort to his own devices.
Separate rooms, though? Was he not taking things too far? This was no time to make rash decisions, not with the encroaching danger.
Cheol tried searching for it again, but the village walls made things difficult. Especially now that he’s stretched himself so thin for so long. A dull ache began to prod at the front of his skull, between his eyes. Finally, he conceded, following Min-jun inside, against his better judgment. He will simply have to be particularly vigilant this evening. And Min-jun was right about their stalker feeling bolder with the three of them being separated. The question remained: who would it strike against first?
Must you be so difficult, Min-jun?
A/N: Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment down below.
Aaah Min-jun is such a ball of complicated feeling that must be protected… murder muffin protection squad, where have you gone??
So, not the good kind of bad choices then. Just the kind that makes Chaol even more worn out. I wonder if Mai has a suggestion planted to trigger that response in Min-Jun. It’s interesting that the affection didn’t go away on spite of it.
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Another party responsible for Min Jun’s parents death ?!? Why did Mother instantly come to mind.
Min Jun follow your heart not Mother’s brainwashing!
Thank you for chapter