Besmirch

Chapter 9

Jisoo leaned her back against the wall, arms crossed as she watched her sister dance with Taehyung. She saw them lovingly look at each other and her fists curled in frustration. As much as she did not want to admit it, they upset her.

But the more she watched them the more a bad feeling began to brew in her gut. Her sister was being odd, first by not at all questioning her father and council's sudden change in attitude towards Taehyung and second by handing over the witch the castle's blueprints. Irene would never do that as she knows it is risky given her position as ruler. That's why it really baffled Jisoo.

And then there was Taehyung, the boy who hugged her and smothered her with kisses and told her he loved her. The boy who she gave her heart to and assumed gave her his heart. He was now cold and rude as well as 'madly in love' with her sister. He was never cheery like his usual self and it really affected Jisoo. Was he just pretending? Did the Taehyung she met even real? Was one of the thoughts running through her head.

"Jisoo! Come here" Irene said, interrupting Jisoo's deep stare into oblivion.

Irene grabbed her sister's hand and placed it on Taehyung's shoulder. Jisoo's eyes widened. "What are you doing?!"

"I need you to dance with him"

"Why?!"

"I have to go and check up on something and he still needs to rehearse the dance, no offense my love" Irene said, pecking Taehyung's cheek before heading out the room.

"None taken" he said giving her a small smile as she walked out the door. The moment the door shut, his expression dropped and he was back to looking like a rotting statue.

Jisoo was going to back away from him when he pulled her closer and placed his hand on her waist.

"What are you doing?" she asked frustrated. "you heard what the queen said, you cannot disobey her orders" he said giving her that same nasty smirk.

Right at that moment Jisoo told herself to stop thinking of him as the Taehyung she fell in love with. He clearly was not so she decided to focus on the mission and try to get some information out of him.

"Alright then" she replied and wrapped her arms around his neck. She gave the orchestra a look and the music began to play.

"Have you always been a liar?" she asked as the moved to the rhythm. "What?" he asked, anger beginning to form on his face.

"Oh well you know, pretending to care for my sister...that's some sort of lying I suppose"

"I am not pretending"

"Oh really? I guess that is why you put on fake smiles for her and act like you are not what you are"

"And what am I?" he asked, his grip on her waist tightening.

"A liar" she whispered into his ear. He yanked her to him, their bodies clashing. "I am not a liar" he said in a firm voice trying to intimidate her. But she did not let it get to her.

"Oh please, remember when you told me that bedtime story of yours? How you were an innocent little child, lost in the big, deep forest, crying for help when some blue fairies appeared out of nowhere and brought you back to your castle in a snap. I bet your kids would love that"

He held her waist and turned her around, her back pressing against him. He was holding one of her hands down on her stomach while the other was on his shoulder. "That was not a lie" he said, his voice bitter and emotionless.

It was meant to scare her. His voice along with the aggressive way in which he held her, all meant to intimidate her. But she was not fazed. She took the hand that was on his shoulder and reached back to his neck, clutching the hair on the back of it softly in a seductive way. She leaned her head back on his chest. "How could it not be a lie?" she asked in a teasing tone, annoying him even more.