내 왕자 My Prince || Stray Kids Hyunsung (Hyunjin x Han)

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‚When I'm King, I won't hide you anymore.' He said quietly, his gentle voice not much louder than a whisper.

‚I'll be waiting for that day, my prince.' I said with a smile that turned ever so slightly bitter, before leaving the tent.

When I passed out earlier I've had a dream, a dream of red but with what was waiting upon us, it's all just that.. a dream.

Outside, my eyes shot to the shadows underneath a tree next to the tent, narrowing dangerously. ‚I know you've been listening, Romin.'

A chuckle came out of the shadows, followed by a dark amused figure. ‚Listening is what I do, Hannie, and it's no different for you. No one ever heard me coming, if I didn't want them to. No one except you. Being a listener is in your blood.'

I didn't say anything and just kept on walking, knowing that he would follow me either way if I commented on his remarks or not. ‚Was it really the listeners doing to stop the rumours?'

‚Of my brother having an affair with the prince of Tang? What do you think..' He grinned my mood ultimately turning worse, because he was still calling me his brother and because I hated his grin.

‚I know the listeners are more than able to, and something must've happened since the trial.'

‚There you have your answer then. It wasn't even that hard. You said it yourself, your disappearance for a month helped for any suspicion to die down, and apart from that, the rumour took a rumour's natural course. It sparked, was talk of the town, exaggerated by the common folk's wild imagination, became unbelievable, nothing more than a drunkard's story, then it died. The only thing we did, was to speed up everything a little bit.' He explained in an amused voice, swirling a knife around in his hand like it was a blunt stick he was playing with.

‚Why?'

‚The first prince of Tang isn't useful with a broken reputation.' He just simply said as if it was the most unimportant piece of knowledge, when for me it couldn't be any worse.

I shot around, my eyes piercing into him. ‚What do the listeners want from him, when you're sworn to Silla. Leave Hyunjin out of this.' I hissed. All my nightmares just got worse.

‚Hannie, do you believe we support Silla for Silla's sake? But sure.. you're talking about your own kin as if we only use people for our own advantage.' His hand gripped the knife, his knuckles white, the only bit of real emotion you could get him to show.

‚Isn't that all you do, Romin' Said one let out a bitter chuckle on that, one that didn't fit his style in the slightest. It actually sounded the slightest bit hurt.

He turned to me, his eyes bearing into mine in an unbreakable glare, a look I gladly returned. ‚No, Han, you left before you could understand what he's doing all of this for.' Why the listeners didn't fall apart? Because their most loyal members, and there are many of them, were standing behind him, supporting his cause like he is some kind of god. They live for his law, his rules, his vision of the world. They've made their choice, a promise, and stand behind it with all they have. Like I once did, when I didn't know better.

‚I've seen enough of what he does.' Flames irreversibly burned into my memories, ashes too heavy for the wind to carry away.

‚Yet you haven't seen everything. Come back, your place is with us, you're a listener, Han. My brother.' Did he really believe that? There was nothing left, no blood binding me to them.. but at the same time I had to admit they were the family I never asked for.