The Princess and Her Seven Knights (BTS Fanfic)

C H A P T E R 14

Y/n looked around, trying to spot the boys. She was surrounded by so many people, she felt nervous to the stomach. After all, it had been a long time since she was the centre of attention. 

"Your highness," A man said loudly and she turned around, startled. She sighed in relief when she realised it was Jin. 

"Where are the others?" She whispered.

"Somewhere about," He whispered back, eyes alert. "Let's get you out of here."

"Please do," She nodded frantically. 

They moved ahead, the crowd parting for them as they did so. When Y/n's eyes met Jungkook's, she relaxed. It was a comforting feeling.

After seeing that Y/n had arrived, the boys gathered together in a way that looked like bodyguards protecting the princess. The crowd thus took their eyes off of her and went back to conversing with each other. 

"You look beautiful," Taehyung said, smiling sincerely. 

"Thank you," She replied, looking down at her dress. "I was so nervous back there."

"But it seemed like you were the real princess so our plan worked." Namjoon shrugged. 

"Speaking of plan," She looked at all of them, "what have you found?"

"The security is pretty tight," Yoongi said, "and there seems to be only one back door but that's also heavily guarded."

"So we'll need a person on the inside to tell us about secret exits or something." Hoseok finished. 

Y/n mulled about it. She knew someone who could help her with it but as she looked for that person, she realised he hadn't arrived yet. He was an essential part of her plan, a secret that the boys did not know about. She wondered if she should tell them now or later. 

"Princess Catherine, what an honour," Someone spoke and all eight of them jumped from the suddenness. 

A man around his forties stood before them, a wicked smile on his face. Y/n instantly knew who he was. 

"I'm Yi Sang," His gaze was trained on Y/n's face causing a disgusting feeling to settle in her stomach, "King Seth's right-hand man and the Prime Minister."

Of course. How could she forget? He was the one who had encouraged Seth to rebel sixteen years ago. Seth was the mastermind but Yi Sang was the motivator. 

"Nice to meet you," She forced out, smiling fakely. The boys could pick up on her distaste for the man and they replicated her feeling. They looked at him alertly. 

"I have heard so much about your skills and intelligence, your highness," He continued, "It's no wonder My Lord took an instant liking to you."

A chill went down her spine but she shook off that feeling. The idea that she was even impersonating Catherine was enough to make her shudder. She hated Seth that much. 

"Apologies for being rude, princess but we can't say for sure that you are the real princess," His words caused them all to freeze in their position, something that Yi Sang did not miss but did not comment on. "We'd like to confirm your identity for there are a lot of con artists in Aurora these days."

"Of course," Y/n said, composing herself. "You can check with--"

"A small spar would be enough, your highness," He interrupted, his smile wicked and eyes challenging, "After all, you've always been great at it."

Y/n cocked her head to the side, looking at him suspiciously before smiling. "I would love to."

A spar was easy for her, thankfully. In those days, women weren't supposed to be skilled in fighting so if Yi Sang wanted "Catherine" to spar with someone then it was the easiest mode of confirming her identity. 

"Excellent," He clapped his hands together. He turned to face the crowd and announced the sudden sparring contest. 

"Is there anyone who's willing to fight with Her Highness?" He hollered, looking around at everyone. No one dared to, all murmuring among themselves.

He was about to say something else but a hand shot up from the back.

"I'd like to participate."

The man who said that stepped forward and the crowd gasped. No one knew who he was, he did not look like he was from a noble family. But Y/n knew better as she smiled at him. The person she was waiting for was finally here. 

"What's your name, young man?" Yi Sang asked.

The handsome man smiled, sunlight falling on his honey-coloured skin. "I'm Ali."

Jungkook had recognized the voice. He gasped faintly, looking back and forth between Y/n and Ali. His hyungs looked at him quizically and he told them quietly that he was none other than Prince Ali who Y/n had been in touch with. They looked equally shocked as well as none of the seven could fathom Y/n and Prince Ali's relationship.

The name hadn't caused alarm bells to ring in anyone else's mind, thankfully. 

The spar had begun and the two fought like trained professionals. Y/n had a little difficulty with her dress but at least it gave her room for movement. As Jungkook watched, he realised that Prince Ali was a perfect match for Y/n's skills. Jealousy brewed in him and his tongue poked the inside of his cheek. 

They looked really good together.

With a sudden attack, Y/n's sword grazed Prince Ali's neck and it became clear that she had won. Jungkook saw Ali on the ground and he secretly cheered for Y/n. He had expected her to walk away but to his surprise, she did the exact opposite. 

Her face broke out in a smile as she dropped her sword and held out a hand for Ali to take.

"It was a good fight, you've improved a lot," Ali said, smirking.

"I had a good teacher," She shrugged in response. With that, she pulled him to his feet. 

"Of course you did," Ali chuckled. "You managed to beat me."

"Well, the teacher taught me everything he knew so I could easily take you down," She grinned. "After all, he taught me his own skills so I overpowered you today."

Taehyung nudged Jungkook gently and whispered, "What are they talking about?"

"I have no idea," He responded, biting his lip. He clenched his fists when he saw the warm look Ali gave Y/n. 

"It seems her highness knows this young man?" Yi Sang asked, voicing out the thoughts of everyone present.

"I do," She smirked, eyes not leaving Ali's. "He's the one who taught me how to fight."

Jungkook's and everyone else's eyes widened. Prince Ali was Y/n's teacher? No wonder her skills were so polished. 

His heart broke, seeing how none of them harboured any sort of animosity. They had a good relationship and it made him realise bitterly that he wasn't the one fit for Y/n. He had a literal curse of death on him and that meant he would never be able to be with her. 

Prince Ali on the other hand was everything a girl could ask for. He was charming, skilful and also royalty. He could give Y/n everything she wanted. He was exactly like her type. A perfect match indeed.

No one had seen Yi Sang slip away as the crowd cheered for them. He walked towards the palace, a calculating look on his face. 

If Princess Catherine's unmatched skills and the appearance of her teacher interested him then it would surely be interesting to King Seth.