Traitor's Song

11. Part of the Act

Henley walked alongside Prince Seokjin (who insisted that she drop the formalities and call him Jin) along the raised wall of the castle. He had his hands tucked neatly behind his back as he tried to make small talk with her. She kept alternating her gaze from focusing on the gray stones at her feet to over at his sunshiny face. Her mind though was unfortunately tuning out his words. She kept thinking back to the apartment and to Jimin in particular. He was who she was connected with. She had to protect him.

"Are you alright?"

Jin's sudden question amongst whatever he had been talking about caught her attention. Henley tried to clear the worries from her mind as she looked over into Jin's inquiring brown eyes, nodding her head quickly.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. I'm sorry. I was just lost in my thoughts."

"Do you do that a lot?" He asked. "I've noticed you've been doing that ever since we started our walk."

Her cheeks flushed red as a small chuckle came from Jin's grinning lips.

"It's alright. I'm very perceptive. Namjoon says I am annoyingly so. Whenever I come to visit, I can always tell what is on his mind."

"Well, you've got quite the talent then," said Henley, reaching up a hand to her cheek as if that would get the redness to die away. "I am sorry though. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Want to talk about it?" asked Jin. "I mean, I know I'm virtually a stranger, but just think...I can't really judge you because I don't know you. Plus, I'm good at keeping secrets. It's why I'm a good prince and soldier."

"I...I can't talk about it," said Henley. Even if Jin did keep it a secret, there was no telling what he would think of her harboring a fairy and a merman. "I can try to talk about something different though."

"Being what exactly?" He asked as he came to a pause at the edge of the tower.

Henley came to a pause beside him, letting her gaze take in the beautiful landscape of the city that she had come to love during her life. She moved to put both of her hands on the edge of the wall as her eyes drank in the sight. Jin continued to stand beside her, unclasping his hands from behind his back to reach one her way and rest it over one of her hands.

"You can talk to me," he continued.

"Why are you wanting me to trust you so badly for?" asked Henley as she looked over at him to see that his eyes were focused in on her again. "Are you really hoping that you can sweep me off my feet?"

"I'd like to get married someday, yes," said Jin honestly as his eyes searched Henley's rigid face, retracting his hand from off hers. "However, I can tell that you aren't eager to date, and whether that is because of me personally or because of your own reasons, I will be a gentleman and not push."

"Well I appreciate that. Wish my sister would stop being on my back about it."

"Perhaps you will at least allow me to be your friend though," he said. "I'm a very good actor. We can at least entertain your sister's fantasies so she will leave you be."

"Like you pretend to be interested in dating me?"

"Yes. That is the idea."

"Not very original, you know."

"But it doesn't mean I can't act the part. I mean, you're talking to the guy that once convinced his own parents that his leg was broken so he didn't have to attend a banquet."

Henley chuckled, rolling her eyes.

"You're telling me you faked a broken leg to get out of one lousy dinner? Why not just fake being sick?"

"Because being sick would get me out of one maybe two dinners. I was ensuring I wouldn't have to go to any of those painful functions for a good long while."

"Amazing..."

"Well, thank you. I am amazing," he said with a wide grin on his face, "And I do happen to have more to me than looks. Just for the record."

Henley cracked a smile as she looked at Jin. Though she had vowed that she would never accept any of the thousands of suitors that her sister and her husband dragged past her, she had to admit that she could see herself with Jin. He seemed nice enough, and a genuine person. The money didn't make him egotistical. In a lot of ways, he was like Namjoon but a bit more relaxed.

"If you're in for playing along, I would be game too. Would get my sister off my back for a while."

Henley was interrupted as her phone suddenly chirped from her pocket. She slipped a hand into her pocket to see that it was Hobi. She cursed herself inwardly for not having silenced the phone before she got there. Her sister thought that she was still primitive with her landline, and she wanted to keep it that way. Lianna rang the landline enough. She couldn't imagine if Lianna could text her.

"Sorry..." said Henley as she quickly silenced the phone and tucked it away. "For the record, you didn't see anything."

Jin chuckled, giving her a small salute.

"Aye, aye, captain...You certainly seem like a woman of many secrets."

"What can I say? I don't wear my heart on my sleeve like most. It's not safe to."

"You do need people to trust though," said Jin. "Maybe in time you can trust me. Just because I talk to Joonie doesn't mean..."

"I shouldn't even be surprised he lets you call him that since you're family," she interrupted with another fairy sized laugh.

"Eh. It's fun to me to get his cheeks to turn all pink. It's funny when he gets flustered."

There was a pregnant pause that fell between the two of them then as Henley started to worry again in the back of her mind. Hobi knew where she was, so the fact that he was texting her was not a good sign.

"I know my sister wants me to no doubt stay for dinner with you, her and her husband. That's what usually happens next, but I...I need to get home," said Henley as she finally broke the silence.

"Well then our strategy can kick in," said Jin. "I've been here many times, but I've never actually gotten to explore outside the walls of the palace all that much. Let me escort you home."

Henley's cheeks flushed again; her mind starting to panic and go into overdrive when she thought about Jin following her home.

"I don't have to come in to your place either," continued Jin, seeming to be able to read her thoughts. "I'll just see you home and then wander about the city for a bit before returning. That way they'll think we went on a nice long date."

Now she felt like a jerk. This man was being too kind to her, especially with the rank he held. She nodded her head, moving to grab one of his hands in hers as she started to walk back the way they had come.

"Part of the act, right?" asked Jin as he allowed his fingers to lace through hers so he could hold her hand firmly.

She looked over at him, and couldn't find it in her to say the words. Instead she just nodded her head.