raven ღ na jaemin

9

'jeno will sneak you out through the kitchens,' jaemin's voice echoed through your head as jeno, disguised in normal clothes, led you through a bustling kitchen. chefs rushed around, not sparing you a single glance. the smell of the food they were preparing wafted through the air, making you salivate. you were definitely going to miss the delicious meals that had been brought to you every day.

you were led through the door, and only then did you face the reality of your situation. you were now a royal spy.

'you're going to play the part of a young country girl who just recently moved to the city' jaemin's voice came into mind again and you replayed the scene in your head. you had snorted, and asked "really?", which earned you a stern glare from him. 'you will pretend to be dimwitted and ignorant. it'll help lower the townspeople's guards and get them to trust you.' 

you gazed around as jeno led you closer to the city. at some point, he stopped and turned to you. "this is as far as i can take you. you're going to have to navigate through the city yourself."

you nodded. jaemin had already briefed you about this.

jeno's face turned serious. "there are royal guards and spies stationed in the city. you cannot alert them of your presence there."

you drew your eyebrows together. this jaemin hadn't informed you about. "what do you mean? aren't i a royal spy too?"

jeno eyes darted away. "i don't really know why myself, but you must not let them know that jaemin has put you up to this, okay?" he looked back to you, his eyes imploring.

you reluctantly nodded, and he exhaled in relief. he looked down, grabbing your arm. you recoiled, but he kept a firm grip on your arm, raising it up and prying your fingers open. he reached into his pocket, and placed something into your palm. you felt the coldness of the object on your sweaty hand, your eyes widening when you saw what it was.

a dagger sat in your palm. it was extraordinarily ordinary. the hilt was simple and made of carved wood, shiny with varnish. you wrapped your hand around it and were amazed to find that it fit your hand perfectly. you removed the leather sheath and ran a finger along the cold blade.

you looked up at jeno, who gave you a small smile. he held out a pouch and you took it. you shook it, and its contents clattered noisily.

"keep the dagger at your waist. and make sure that the money is very well hidden. city bandits are rife this time of year."

he helped you adjust the sheath on your waist, and you gave him an appreciative nod, tucking the pouch of coins into your coat pocket.

"how will i contact you if something happens?" you asked solemnly.

"don't worry about that. jaemin will figure something out."

his answer didn't exactly reassure you. he sent you off with a playful salute, but you felt unable to salute back. all you could muster was a small, forced smile, and with that, you turned and walked with hesitant footsteps toward the now bustling city.