Crimson Crown

⌠83⌡

After negotiating with the guard for safe passage of him and his family into Alveras, 1,000 gold coins, a land of his own, and the title of Noble, Jinyoung was finally able to bribe him to assist with his escape.

He was quite aware of how dangerous this all was, and surely this man could pull out of the agreement any time he wanted and still receive all of his promised benefits. But Jinyoung had to put his faith into something, and since he'd already upheld the deal once, he was relying on the guard's integrity to uphold.

"Right now is not a good time. When most of the guards take their supper break, I will sneak down here and let you out." He stated while folding the signed parchment that guaranteed all of his valuables and shoving it in his shirt.

"When will that be?" 

"In an hour or so, just be ready. If you are not, I am taking this paper and leaving you here."

Jinyoung curtly nodded; he wanted to leave already, but he'd have to put his trust in this stranger and just pray that it all would work out. He had no other options, anyway. "I'll be more than ready... thank you so much."

The guard nodded then walked off, leaving Jinyoung to prepare for his escape.

~.~

"How much longer?" Jinyoung's father asked as he leaned back in his carriage.

Mark and Youngjae traveled alongside it by horse, the group joined by a dozen or so knights for protection as they headed to Cornelia. He hoped that this approach didn't look too threatening, as they weren't going there to start a conflict.

"About an hour or so." Mark answered.

"Are you sure this is not dangerous?" The Queen asked from beside the King.

"In order to protect Jinyoung, we must think about our approach. I feel that this way has the highest probability of sparing the most lives, including his." Mark elaborated. 

It took a desperate amount of explanation to convince the Alverian royals to hold back on a full-on attack. Youngjae helped explain the dangers of a violent approach, especially in regard to Jinyoung's safety. Yet since he was at fault for not protecting the Prince in the first place, Mark could still feel that his guidance was not totally trusted, which is why they implemented an attack plan in case anything went wrong.

"How am I to trust your judgment after we left Jinyoung in your care?" The King bellowed, his loud, agitated tone making everyone flinch. "My only son! You've put him in danger!"

"...Jinyoung just wanted to help, I-"

"I do not want to hear anything more from you." The royal snapped. "If I do not get Jinyoung back within the first hour of our arrival, we are launching an attack."

Mark let out a soft sigh, his head dropping between his shoulders. Youngjae rode up beside him with a pitied expression. Mark's disappointment in himself was practically palpable, and everyone harping on him about it could only have made him feel worse.

"I was hard with you before... I didn't think about your feelings, I know you must be furious with yourself." Youngjae lowly mumbled.

Mark shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "I would allow myself to die before Jinyoung gets hurt... it is a promise I made to him and his family, yet..."

The servant hummed, nodding in understanding. Of course he had the same sentiment, which is why he was always so hard on Jinyoung. But that was exactly why the prince tended to rebel; because everyone did nothing but try and shelter him. "I believe... that I am just having trouble grasping that Jinyoung is his own person... we all wish him to be compliant with us, but at the end of it all, he will do what he feels he must. You saw that before I did, so I do not blame you for giving him some freedom."

"What is worse is that he will do it for the sake of others, not only himself. It just makes me feel more awful; I should've been more strict..."

"No, he would hate that. You were just being a supportive friend, unlike me." Youngjae let out a breath, his grip tightening on his horse's reins. "Let us hope that this works out so that we are not terribly burdened with this guilt."

The swordsman scoffed; there was no way he could feel any worse than he currently did. "Even still, I will blame myself... I just hope he and Jackson are okay..."

"Jackson will do anything to protect him," Youngjae replied, the statement shocking coming from the one who would rather eat dirt than believe in the vampire. "I do not wish to trust him but, I have no choice but to have faith in him now..."

The group continued on, viewable in the distance and slowly approaching, the kingdom of Cornelia.