Besmirch

Chapter 12

Inside a hut in the village inside the kingdom, Jisoo hid. Soon after Chaeyoung was caught, Jisoo knew that she had no choice but to defeat the witch IMMEDIATLEY.

What Chaeyoung said was right, Jisoo had the advantage and she had to use that wisely. The wedding was supposed to take place as planned and the witch expected to see her oppose. But Irene was no longer there, she was hiding with the ancient beings. If anyone found out that Irene was gone, the wedding would be cancelled. So Jisoo did the only thing that came to her mind, if Chaeyoung was here she probably would have shouted at her for this and would have come up with a better idea, but she wasn't. So Jisoo had to move along with the plan...she was going to pose as Irene.

She got to her sister's chambers before the maids could get there and left a note saying that she wouldn't be needing anyone's help to get dressed. She wore the dress that was hanging to the side and put on the vail, dropping it over her face so that anyone from a distance would only assume that she was Irene.

She didn't bother with makeup as it was not something she thought of as significant at the moment. She just sat there and stared at her reflection in the mirror. What was she going to do once she got close enough to the witch? Would she just straight up attack her out of surprise or would she wait it out? It was eating her up, so much so that she didn't even notice the door to her room opening.

"My Queen?" She heard a deep, husky voice call out making her break out of her thoughts instantly. She knew who it was but she knew that despite how badly she wanted to, she could not look back at him. She just nodded her head, allowing him to continue.

"I know it is supposed to be bad luck before the wedding if the groom looks at the bride, but i had something I was meaning to ask?"

Well he was right about the bad luck part, the wedding was not something that Jisoo felt like she could look forward to, but she once again nodded her head telling him to continue.

"I was curious as to whether or not your sister would be arriving?" he asked in a dead serious tone. Jisoo was shocked, why would he be asking about her? She desperately wanted the answer so she replied to him in a slightly higher pitched voice then her usual one.

"No Jisoo will not. Why were you curious about that?"

Through the mirror she saw how his body language changed at the mention of her name. He looked like he was struggling with something. Like he was trying to wrestle himself free from knotted ropes. She got worried and asked, "Are you ok?"

"No" he answered almost right away. He walked closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, looking down.

"I apologize for what I am about to say my Queen, but you must know that this maybe my last opportunity to honestly be myself. Just a mention of her name and I was brought back, but I know once this marriage takes place, that hag's hold on me will only grow."

Jisoo saw that she was talking to Taehyung, the real Taehyung. It seemed like the control the witch had on him had temporarily worn off but she could see that he was still fighting it as he spoke.

"I am not in love with you my Queen, I am afraid my heart belongs to the princess, your sister." He said making all the hairs on Jisoo's body stand.

"So I wanted to know if I would be able to see her one last time before I lose myself to the witch. Just to say goodbye, but I was a fool to believe she would actually attend this blasted wedding. Maybe it is better this way, she already hates me so once she sees what the witch does with my body, she will not be surprised. I know this is not something to be telling you, especially right before the wedding, but I hope you know I had to. This is my last chance to be me"