Nyx || ATEEZ OT8

34| King of the story

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2,800 words

𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚

After parting from the negotiations, Prince Seonghwa found himself strolling down hidden corridors while his thoughts wandered through cracks in the walls in deep desperation for any instability of the curse cast on the castle. For now, it did not seem like he had any luck.

Slowly, he began to assume how thorough Emma had been about this curse of hers, even further making him suspect that this was only the first step in an even bigger ploy of her wicked ideas. But as it seemed at the current moment, they all had no other choice than to try whatever they had of ideas, even if that meant..

The phoenix scrunched his nose at the rather repellent thought as he looked down at his moving feet. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready for all of that.. tenderness.

But he supposed he had to make an effort if he ever wanted to return home again. Whatever Emma had in mind, Seonghwa should be somewhat grateful she had decided to only bring attractive men here. They could have been literally anyone.

But morals- those were an entirely different story.

Perhaps this idea of those sea princes could hinder another attempt at murder between them. But the phoenix prince doubted that a settled relationship would be enough to call off the coming war.

Passing by a grand window section of the east side of the castle, Seonghwa glanced out at the grey weather, perceiving how water clung to the air, creating a heavy mist drawing around the walls of the castle and stretching down to the nearest cluster of trees at the outskirts of the forest. He dared think of how many eyes peered up at him from the darkness of moist loam as his rational mind made him aware of the possibility that the demons there had been hunting him were still lurking in the shadows. Waiting for the moment, he would step outside the castle again.

When he made a turn down the corridor of the east wing, Seonghwa barely even registered it himself before he suddenly stood in front of the door to the fairie prince's chamber. Furrowing his brows, the phoenix halted his motion of knocking on the door, his hand hovering above the sturdy surface, head wrapping around the odd urge he had to go in and check on the younger prince. Especially when he so clearly despised everything about Seonghwa. And that he already was so painfully much aware of that matter.

Unfolding his hand, he slowly placed it on top of the door and leaned in to press his ear against it. A taut nervousness pressed his shoulders down, making him swallow countlessly amounts of dread while stilling in on the silence from the room. He had to make sure he was doing fine.

A startle rattled up his spine when a door opened behind him, and Seonghwa hurriedly stepped away from Prince Yeosang's room while straightening his entire posture again, turning to face the person stepping out into the corridor. To his surprise, the merprince didn't even glance his way when he stumbled out of the chamber with such a foolish smile wrapped around his lips and skipped further down the corridors before he turned around the corner with a muted squeal -sounding so oddly giddy.

Seonghwa tried to understand why when all he knew about was the overflowing worries of how unfortunate they all had ended up imprisoned here for what he perceived as eternity. Perhaps he and Prince Jongho had already undertaken their sweet, scandalously little assumption of how to get out of here alive.

Maybe Seonghwa should not have been so tolerant last time when he had discussed the curse with Emma whether she had told him they had all been fated to change the world. If he knew her well enough, there surely was a secret twist to all of this why Seonghwa feared how much it truly would take to solve the curse if it even was solvable. If falling in love was the sole reason they had come here, the Sorceress would have drugged them and spellbound them to each other. But Seonghwa did not feel particularly different than normally. So whatever fate he and the other princes had must be so important that not even Emma dared mess with their minds.