Tainted Fate (Chanjin/Hyunchan)

Chapter 8

Author's P.O.V

Everyone had gathered in the throne room.
The Baek king and queen sat on their thrones, the Moon kings sitting on their right side on the stage as well and on the left was the newly arrived king from the Kang empire, Kang Hae Goon.

They all had serious expressions on their faces but the Kang King's face looked particularly bitter.

The young boys stood in front of the elders. Hyunjin stood a little ahead of them all, facing Prince Llong Wook, his face contorted in anger, as he stood beside his father on the stage, with one hand holding onto his mouth.

In all honesty the golden haired boy was a scared internally but he kept his head held high. Chan stood with the others but his eyes never leaving Hyunjin, trying to notice the younger's expression as much as he could from his postion.

Minho and Jisung snorted softly at the same time. Felix looked nervous as Changbin patted his back to calm him down.

Seungmin and Jeongin were in the garden and they were not allowed in the throne room now.

It was just before lunch hour, and thus the throne room was vacant of any ministers or people who came for different discussions about matters of the Empire.

Silence echoed in the room.

"Hyunjin, we got to know what happened this morning at the shooting ground." Queen Junhyun was the first to speak. Her voice was unusually cold and stern.

"Your son gave mine a very warm welcome indeed." Haegoon said with a chuckle that was rather accusing than humorous.

The Moon Kings gave Hyunjin an empathetic look for which he was very grateful.

"He injured my tongue. Deliberately!" The Kang Prince voiced out loudly but was soon held back by his father with one firm look.

"His tongue seems fine now." Hyunjin heard Minho whisper as Jisung shushed him down.

"Hyunjin, do you have anything to say." King Minlee spoke this time.

Hyunjin was composed till now, but his appa's cold tone tensed him up and broke his heart at the same time. He never calls him so formally, no matter what!

"Hyunjinah, son, we want to know what happened, your side as well. Did you do it?" As Hyunjin kept silent, Minlee continued, this time with a much more familiar soft tone.

"Of course he did!" Llongwook tried again and was once again held back by his father who gave him a warning look. The others turned to look at Hyunjin again.

Hyunjin was immensely relieved and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

"I-" Hyunjin swallowed harshly to keep his composure.

"Yes. I did." He said, not giving into his desperate urge to break eye contact and run away to hide in his room.

"Why Hyunjinah?" The Queen asked obviously shocked by her son's uncharacteristic behavior.

Hyunjin hesitated. He knew that once he told the real reason, his parents would support him at once. But this was something...something he didn't want to mention, he couldn't mention.

Since that moment, as everyone praised him, hugged him and patted his pack, among all those cheers a heard the voice. The voice that haunted his dreams turning them into nightmare, the voice that crowded his mind, paralyzing it.

Because somehwere in his brain, no matter how much he tried to push the voice away, it had made him had believed those words from the Kang prince. Not for his brothers, of course but he felt that the words were true for him. As if they had defined his existence.