Bittersweet

13: The Tale of the Prince

Kiera rubbed her nose with her palms. Taehyung chuckled as he pinched her cheeks,
"Feeling better?"
"Keep your hands to yourself Hot Stuff!"
Kiera chuckled as she playfully smacked Taehyung.
Taehyung also giggled a bit. He didn't like seeing Kiera down but sometimes it's good to cry. She smiled and pecked his thin lips. It was not lusty or awkward. It was soft and sweet. It wasn't all about desires. It's just how grateful Kiera felt that Taehyung was beside her. She felt less hollow. She finally had someone to talk to.
She finally had someone who she can just let her heart out to.
"Don't think much about..."
"About that slut? Can't Hot Stuff! It's my first murder. You know it just makes me swell up with pride that I killed off a worthless bimbo. She could've just aborted me or whatsoever if she didn't want me. Why just give birth to me and leave me to suffer?"
Taehyung cocked an eyebrow,
"Then why were you crying doll?"
"Because I remembered how Kim Su-Bong tortured us. You know she used to beat us up and torture us for the slightest of mistake. I had a family of 12. Then out of the blue, she took away 6 of them cause she didn't see a criminal in them. We 6 were left to suffer from then on. We were just left with each other."

Kiera sighed. It stung her. The hair at the back of her neck stood up. She wanted to confied in Taehyung. She knew she was not wrong. She knew whatever she was doing was for her own benefit. She may lose small battles but she's going to win the biggest one. She smirked unknowingly.

Taehyung saw that. She was unstable with her emotions. She was juggling between happiness, sadness. She couldn't control her mind from feeling the anger and calmness together. She was on the verge of insanity. Taehyung smiled. He wasn't the sanest one either. He was just good with hiding it. After all he had some memories of his own.

"Kiera you need some rest. I'm sure Jin Hyung would take good care of you."
Taehyung pecked her forehead. She shivered. Affection. This was what they called affection. She scrunched up Taehyung's shirt in her cold palms,
"But I don't want some weirdo around me! It's either you or Doc!"
"I would be back doll. Maybe in 3-4 hours or so? I would be quick. Trust me. Don't be disheartened."
Taehyung took her in his lap and looked her in the eyes. He was getting attached to her. It wasn't going the way it's supposed to go. But he felt nice. Kiera started playing with his hair,
"How do I get disheartened when I am heartless? I even grew up with 5 broken hearts."
Kiera's tone was off. She had pain written all over her face. She had tears peeking out of her left eye. The tears made her blue eyes twinkle but not as much as it did when she was happy. She was broken inside. She felt weak.
"You aren't heartless, Queen of Hearts. You know how to love. That's what's important. You know the value of love. You know how it feels to have friends. You know how it feels to stay strong just because you don't want the others to suffer for you. You know how to keep your head high for the sake of your peers. You got a beating heart inside here."
His long fingers softly poked her left chest. Not like a pervert. He didn't touch her breasts.

"Aish! She needs rest for God sake! Get out Kim Taehyung before I throw you out!"
Jin scolded the younger man as he entered the ward. He didn't hate the Queen, but he didn't like being around her either. But duty's duty. He just feels annoyed how Namjoon and Taehyung like a criminal's company. But that's all. They both are adults and have the right to choose their company. He thinks the Players are just commiting felony for fun. He also grew up woth the dirt but he chose the light after all.

"Now, you need to rest and..."
Jin was going through her files when Kiera chuckled,
"Wanna hear a story Pretty face?"
Jin cocked an eyebrow at the woman in front of him. She was nothing more than a pack of bones. She had small fragments of ink here and there. Her hair was messy and her heterochromic eyes were a madness. Her red lips were carved in a rather chaotic smile.
Jin again concentrated on the file and scribbled the details down under the name "QUEEN OF HEARTS/ KIERA" written in bold letters. Her mental state was completely unstable. Or why was she chuckling? She was in jail, for heaven's sake! She should be sulking.
Kiera leaned in and snatched the pen away from him,
"It won't take much time. I swear!"
Jin rolled his eyes,
"Fine! Just go on!"
Kiera smirked,
"Once upon a time there was a prince. He had great parents who took enormous care of him. And then one night an enchantress showed up! She lured the prince with sweets and luxuries. Some Super Mario figurines, that his parents didn't want to buy him till he passed his tests, to be exact. The Prince stepped out of the castle and the Enchantress snatched him away to a dungeon far far away. The King and Queen couldn't find their dearest Prince. Whilst the Prince had to work and work and work. The Prince soon found out that he wasn't alone. There were 11 other kids as well. Some were children of merchants. Some were Royalty just like him. And a few of them were children of mere paupers. They all stood as one. There were no differences except one. Some had to fight and some had the right to stay silent. One day the enchantress released the prince and 5 of his friends. They got back to their parents and stayed happily ever after."
Kiera was motionless. A grin plastered on her face. Jin's voice was shaking,
"What happened to the 6 who got left behind?"
Kiera looked him in the eyes and giggled, for quite a long time,
"You said I need to rest. Good night Wangjanim!"
She laughed and fell on the bed. Jin just sat there still. He knows that she won't answer anything now. But what answer is he actually looking for? What happened to the 6? Or why did she run this through his mind?