𝖡𝖾𝖿𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖲𝗁𝖾 𝖱𝗎𝗅𝖾𝖽 | 𝖢𝗁𝗈𝗂 𝖲𝗈𝗈𝖻𝗂𝗇

06 : 𝖲𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖲𝗁𝖺𝗆𝖾𝖽

[🏺]

[Soobin's POV]

"Help! Somebody help me!"

A young lady banged her fists against a steel door. She was bloody, wounded, and dirty. It seemed like she's inside a moving carriage as I heard a horse neigh and a sharp slash from a whip. Her wrists were chained to the wall. There were barely any light source around.

"Be quiet!" A man growled, prodding a spear into the gap.

"I'm begging you!" She sobbed. "I didn't do anything!"

They ignored her. She curled up to the corner and hugged her knees. I couldn't see her face. Her voice was too hoarse that I didn't even recognize it.

Who was this lady?

Where were they taking her?

"Prince Soobin.." She suddenly whispered.

I froze. She knows me. I tried to speak, tried to reach out, but I was insignificant in her dimension. It was as if I was just there to watch. I wasn't supposed to do anything.

She held onto her head. I caught glimpse of a golden bracelet on her wrist. It had a red rose as a charm.

"Help me.."

I grimaced as I felt the harsh sunlight hit my closed eyes. Yujeong's voice filled my ears. It was loud and annoying. I tossed to the side, bringing the covers up to my face in insistence to sleep more.

"Rise and shine, dear brother!" He croaked, slapping my back. "Wake up! Today is the day!"

"Get out."

"No can do."

"You know," I peeked from the blanket. "I shouldn't be sparing your soul today after breaking my window the other night."

"You can worry about your window next time, brother!" Yujeong sighed. "I can't believe you've forgotten about the first day of the weekly trials."

I stared at the ceiling in disbelief. Right. Today was the first day of the ladies' weekly trials— to see who among them deserves to advance to the next stage. Yujeong and I agreed to be there to witness the event unfold. Moreover, I wanted to encourage the participants, especially Lady Y/N.