Tainted Fate (Chanjin/Hyunchan)

Chapter 17

(All credits to the respective owners.)

Note: Throne room and court room are the same and I use them interchangeably.

Author's P.O.V

(A day before the last scene in the Baek Empire)

*Moon Empire*

The Royal court had begun it's end of the week proceedings where the Moon Kings would listen to the problems and grievances of their people and try to solve them as soon and well as possible. Both rulers knew that the safety and welfare of the people was above all and that is the very reason why they were loved and respected as fair and just rulers by the entire empire.

Soon the general public had left and only the ministers and generals stayed back in the court room. And of course the Moon Princes sat proudly next to their parents learning how to tackle the affairs of the empire. But only three of them were present.

It was not uncommon for the oldest one that is the crown prince to be not found in any of the royal matters. He spends most of his time alone, training hard throughout the sleepless nights and spending daylight in his truest form, both in the deep forests.

His absence created a lot of rumors around not only this place but around many other surrounding as well as far away empires. His own people who knew him to be a young, kind and generous future king, now only know him as a mysterious man lurking in the greens, and haven't seen his face in ages. Since he returned 9 years ago.

The rumors fed in other places were much more extreme, calling him feral and monstrous as rulers were either jealous or afraid of the one and only trueblood alpha.

But only his family knew what he was going through. How much he was hurting. He didn't show any of it of course. To hide it was precisely a major reason why he kept away and also because he felt he didn't deserve the company of any sort of love.

But his appa saw how his room was empty throughout the night when the entire empire was sound asleep, his eomma noticed the tear stains on his pillows when he visited his eldest son's empty room, his brothers could hear his heart wrenching cries in the silence provided by his absence.

But he prefered to be known as monstrous rather than a betrayer. To be anything but someone who hurt the one he loved the most.

Love.

Oh how he wishes he had said it when he could. He does every moment now, under his breath, as a chant. He shouts it out when he howls every night in amongst the dense trees.

"I love you, Hyunjin."

But nobody hears it. Not the one he so despertately wants to say it to. No matter how many times he says it. No matter how loudly he does.

How could he face others when he couldn't even face himself?

So, he got used to this pain as others got used to his absence.

Thus, indeed, everyone was surprised when the "trueblood alpha" as he was known as much more than his real name, walked into the courtroom.

He was in a complete black outfit, the shade matching his wolf form, but his aura was much more intimidating than his attire. There was a bloody scar on his nose but he was usually covered in scars and injuries whenever he showed up. No one mentioned it anymore knowing he doesn't like all those questions.

He stood before the Kings and looked at where the minsters and generals were seated. They got the signal and left the court room immediately.

He looked at his parents and brothers whose gazes turned soft as soon as the Moon family was alone.