Her Prince / BTS Namjoon x Original Character

Chapter 16

Kaira watched Namjoon as he took his daily walk along the stream and through the woods. She spotted him for the first time last week when she had come to her favorite spot for some fresh air. He reminded her of Yeona. She, too, would go for walks taking in the scenery. It was almost like they took in every blade of grass, every flower, and every tree. As if they were painting a picture in their minds.

She frowned as she watched him. He seemed stressed. The other six men did too whenever she saw them. They hadn't looked stressed and worn out the last time she saw them in Hwen.

"It could be from traveling," She thought. She knew how that could wear down the body and mind. But then she remembered the letter that was on Deu-Sung's desk that came from Yeona's Uncle. He wanted him to keep an eye out for anything strange and help out the men if needed.

Kaira straightened up her back when she realized what he was saying in the note. He wasn't talking about thieves and con artists like Deu-Sung thought. Those seven men had become someone's target like they were in Hwen. She didn't know who was after them, but she was going to help them out the best she could.

"You're good at remembering people's faces, right?" Kaira asked the guard that always accompanied her on her walks.

"That's correct," The man said, stepping closer to her.

"That man who's reading on the bench and the one that is next to the stream reading. They were here the other day, except they were walking the same path as Namjoon." Kaira studied the men to see if she knew them from the village.

"Which one is Namjoon?" Her guard squatted beside her so that his eyes were at the same level as hers.

"The one that's currently watching the squirrel play on the tree," She said, pointing at him.

"Yes. I have seen them follow him a few times. Huh," The guard clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, "You see those two men standing next to each other who are looking at him but trying not to make it obvious?"

Kaira squinted her eyes to look at the two men on the opposite side of the tree. "Yes, what about them?"

"On the days that the other two were following him, those two were sitting in their spots. Something is up with those four," He said, standing back up.

"Have you seen them in the Village before?" Kaira turned to look at him.

"No, not before last week," The guard arched an eyebrow at her, "What are you thinking?"

"I need you to distract them while I have my friend walk me home," She said, standing up and brushing off her skirt.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Especially with your condition." He put his hand up to stop her.

"My condition is I'm pregnant. Have you ever seen an angry pregnant woman?" Kaira crossed her arms and raised a brow.

Namjoon smiled as he watched the squirrel play around on the tree. He envied the squirrel as it ran around the branches and trunk freely. That's one of the few things he enjoyed about this stupid mission. He was able to explore the world freely outside the castle walls. But like the squirrel, he was constantly being watched by someone or something trying to hurt him. It worried about hunters and other animals. At the same time, Namjoon was constantly being watched by people trying to stop him from finding a wife that wasn't part of the Royal bloodline. How far would they go to stop him? He wasn't sure. But they were getting impatient, judging by the four men that followed him on his walks.

"Ouch." Namjoon heard from behind him as a hand was placed on his shoulder. "Ouch."

Namjoon turned to see Kaira behind him with her hand on her belly. "Are you alright?" He asked, concerned about the pregnant woman.

"I think I overdid it on my walk today," Kaira said between her deep breaths.

"Do you need some help?" Namjoon looked around frantically.

"I could use your help getting home, actually." Kaira linked her arm with Namjoon's and pulled him to walk with her.

"Wouldn't it be better if your guard helped you? Where is he anyway?" Namjoon tried to look for the man who was always with her walking, but she started walking faster when he turned.

"He's busy," she said calmly as they turned a corner.

"Busy? Shouldn't he be..." Namjoon stopped talking when he looked at her. She didn't look like she was in pain anymore. "Alright," he said with a deep sigh, "What's going on?"

"You're walking me home," Kaira said, smiling at him.

"I'm not walking you anywhere if you don't tell me what's going on." Namjoon stopped walking.

"No, don't stop walking. I'll tell you." She tugged on his arm again.

"You better not be questioning me like last time," he retorted as he started walking again.

"I'm not," Kaira sighed, "I love my husband. But sometimes, he's not the smartest at catching on to things."

"Okay..." Namjoon raised an eyebrow.

"When Yeona's Uncle asked him to keep an eye out, Deu-Sung thought he meant things like thieves. But you and I both know that's not what he was saying." Kaira felt Namjoon's body stiffen, "You're being followed just like you were in Hwen. There have been at least four men when you go on your daily walks. I don't know why and I don't want to know either. But I'm pretty sure they are following your friends too."

"They are. But we were hoping at least some of them worked for your husband," Namjoon sighed.

"They don't. And neither my guard nor I have seen them before the seven of you came to town." Kaira took a deep breath as they reached her gate, "Please be careful, Namjoon. I know that you and your friends can handle whatever these men have planned. But I'd rather not see anything bad happen to any of you." She smiled.

"We will do our best. Thank you, Kaira," he said with a bow before opening her gate.

"Oh, one more thing," Kaira stopped and turned just inside the gate, "Forget about what I said the other day. I'm still rooting for you as Yeona's future husband."

Namjoon smiled and let out a laugh. As Kaira headed inside, she knew what she had to do. She needed to get a letter to Yeona's Uncle as soon as possible to let him know what was going on.