Ecstacy of Love (vsoo)

17. She will hate you if you fail with your promise.

Edited

Taehyung’s POV

The news of the Third Prince’s death spread like wildfire across the kingdom, consuming everything in its path, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. But the rumors that spread with it, the ones that shook me to my core, were worse than any royal scandal. It was Jian’s damnation. Jian—the woman I thought was gone forever. The woman I had betrayed with my own hands, believing she was a traitor, believing she was an enemy.

But now, I was forced to face the reality: I had killed her.

The beast inside me—my rage, my guilt, my endless torment—had awakened fully. The coldness in my eyes was no longer a mere mask; it was my reality. My very soul had turned as cold as steel, and the man I had once been, the playful Taehyung full of life, was dead the moment I lost her for the second time.

There was nothing left in me but the hunger for vengeance. Nothing but the thirst for blood. Every swing of my sword felt like it brought me one step closer to the oblivion I deserved.

I trained, but not on the wooden dummies. No, I practiced on living souls—bandits, traitors, anyone who dared step into my path. I was a man possessed, my movements driven by an insatiable hunger for redemption that would never come.

I was so consumed by my grief, my fury, that I didn’t even notice Jimin approaching until he called my name, his voice cutting through the haze of my mind.

"Gunju."

I turned my head slowly, my eyes locking onto him with deadly intensity. Jimin stood there, undeterred by the murderous look in my eyes. He knew me too well, knew that I would never hurt him, not in this state. But I couldn’t say the same for anyone else who dared stand before me.

Jimin gulped, but he stood firm, his gaze unwavering, even as I could see the concern in his eyes. The concern for me... for the monster I had become.

"The King has summoned you," Jimin said, his voice low and cautious.

I didn’t reply at first, the words lingering in the air like a bitter taste. I barely acknowledged his presence anymore, only nodded in response. What else was there to say? I had become a shadow of the man I once was. The playful Taehyung who laughed and teased, the one who loved with all his heart, was gone. All that was left was a shell. A walking corpse with nothing to live for, only to exact pain and death.

My Jichu was gone. And it was my fault.

"Lead the way," I muttered, my voice as cold as the sword in my hand.

As I followed Jimin, my mind drifted back to that moment—the moment I thought I had lost her for good. But now, as the weight of the truth bore down on me, I could feel it in my bones. I would never be free from this torment. Never be free from the guilt that had claimed me.

The kingdom would tremble before me. And I would make them all feel my pain.

Royal Palace

The weight of the past few days presses heavily on my chest as I step into the royal palace, my every step echoing in the silence. The palace that once felt like home now feels foreign, as though the air itself is suffocating me. The King’s absence, his son’s death, has left a void that no amount of bloodshed will ever fill.

I stand before him now, my eyes cold, a mask I’ve perfected over the years. His frail figure slumps on the throne, a stark contrast to the powerful ruler he once was. The King, the man who had been my mentor, my father figure, looks like a shadow of his former self. The loss of his son has eaten away at him, hollowing him out from the inside. His eyes are sunken, his face pale, and I can see the exhaustion in his every movement.