Night Prince

Unravelling

CW: Gore and mentions of rape in this chapter. Proceed with caution and skip the *** where needed!

♔♔♔

"Hello, Oppa."

Just like that, the royal highness almost forgot to breathe as he stared blankly at his little sister. No matter how he tried to wrap his head around the revelation, he simply couldn't.

He couldn't believe that Cho Hee was truly alive. Throughout their gruelling journey, Ri Jeong Hyeok had somehow convinced himself to accept the fact that his sister could be dead. But here she was, healthy and very much alive.

He was shellshocked and very much appalled that the princess had been living life as the commander of the rebel's camp all this time. Beyond that, he was tongue-tied. Now that Cho Hee was standing in front of him again, the prince truly didn't know what to say nor how to act.

It was rather uncharacteristic of him, but he gaped – rather openly too, at his sister.

Across from him, Seri's eyes were trained carefully on the lost princess, for she was still twirling the dagger that was glinting dangerously in her hands.

If there was one thing that Seri absolutely despised, it was that feeling of helplessness when even her intelligence couldn't even save the very person she loved. She hated to admit this, but they were still at the mercy of the camp commander who was also the sister of the man she loved irrevocably.

Yes, she loves him.

It may have taken some time for her to admit it, but she was in love with the prince. She had been ever since she met him when he was still Night Panther to her.

The way he comforted her and protected her even when they were strangers. The way he was the most sincere man she had ever met even when he was hiding behind his mask. The way he never broke a promise.

Ri Jeong Hyeok started off as a masked protector and became her best companion. Now, he was the king of her heart.

Everything about Ri Jeong Hyeok was worth every bit of her love. It was simply ironic that it took a life and death situation for her to admit it, albeit quietly to herself.

That was why she was guarded. She had to protect him too. There was no guarantee that the princess would have mercy on them, judging from the cold listless expression on her face. From Ri Jeong Hyeok's stories of Cho Hee, he had always painted her as the sweetest girl to have walked the universe. But now, Seri wasn't so sure if that sweet girl in the prince's memories was still alive.

The sad reality was, the Cho Hee that Ri Jeong Hyeok knew could very well be dead. She might as well be if the humanity that he once described was non-existent in the same set of black, raven eyes that pierced their souls bitingly like the iciest daggers in the coldest winter.

"I should have known it was you," Seri spoke up, successfully distracting Seo Dan who stopped twirling the dagger in her hands.

"When your brother mentioned your birthmark, I should have known. I saw it on your neck. Besides, everything adds up. You've been here for 18 years, you were one of the first ones here...The timeline makes sense."

"He's not my brother." Seo Dan cut in harshly.

To Ri Jeong Hyeok, she might as well have stabbed him in the heart using that cursed dagger with her words. Still, the man kept quiet, for he simply couldn't make sense of the whole situation.

One couldn't blame him for reacting that way. In the span of a few months, he had gone from believing that his sister had died, to being hopeful that she lived. Now, he was reunited with his sister although this reunion was far from what he had expected.