Night Prince

The Aftermath

A/N: A rather heavy chapter at the end. Tread with caution. Nothing too descriptive but mentions of death and trauma in the later part of the chapter.

♔♔♔

One night

Have you ever hung out with a couple that was so disgustingly sweet to one another that you felt like a third-wheeler even though you were with a group of friends?

Have you ever experienced that odd 'I ought to look away but I can't' situation because the couple was being so endearingly loving that it made your heart flutter, yet you know you ought to give them some space?

Because that was exactly how the boys felt that night when Ri Jeong Hyeok decided to join them for dinner. 

And the best – or worst – part was, Yoon Seri and Ri Jeong Hyeok weren't even a couple.

Yet.

With all due respect to their prince, the boys hadn't even had dinner yet, and they already felt as though they couldn't stomach anything.

None of them ever thought that they would ever see the day where their royal highness; who was usually a closed book, would be reduced to this soft teddy bear that only ever got aggressive when he felt that there was a threat to Seri.

For instance, Exhibit A.

The tokki incident.

The boys were preparing their dinner when Ri Jeong Hyeok and Seri walked out from the hut. Nothing unusual there apart from the fact that their prince was smiling attentively at Seri.

Meanwhile, Seri was laughing at something he said – again unusual because the prince wasn't exactly the most fun person by any standards.

But that had nothing to do with the tokki incident. It was what happened after, that had the boys gaping at the couple.

It all started with a suspicious rustling coming from the bush – as Ri Jeong Hyeok would claim later.

And it was blown completely out of proportion when Ri Jeong Hyeok had pulled Seri behind him with his good arm before he reached for the dagger in his belt.

His whole stance screamed vigilant, for his shoulders were tense as he eyed the bush wearily. The dangerous flashes in his eyes were familiar to those who have fought by his side before.

Understandably, the rest of the royal entourage were on high alert instantly since their royal highness sensed something wrong. They were ready to jump to their last heir's defence should there be any ambush on them.

But of course, none of them expected to get ambushed by a mere...bunny.

Yes, those cute, fluffy, and totally harmless creatures that some townsfolk kept as pets.

With five sets of daggers pointing at the creature, the poor thing was evidently scared as it hopped away before either of them could react.

Seri had peeped around Jeong Hyeok's broad frame then, cooing as the bunny hopped away with its' whiskers twitching rapidly and its' ears drooping slightly.

"How cute." Seri started clicking her tongue, smiling adoringly at the fluffy creature until it disappeared back into the bushes.

Smack!

The royal entourage had gasped because Seri had somehow concluded that it was appropriate to give the royal highness a slap on his arm.

Ri Jeong Hyeok looked up incredulously at that slap even though it barely stung. His reaction was more because of shock if anything.