Blood Moonlit | Seongjoong

Chapter IV : How Much Do You Need to Know

There were a lot of things Hongjoong couldn't even begin to imagine about Seonghwa's life. For example, the Prince traveled to the Delos island before. Since the island is not under the control of the Kingdom, the Royal family had to come often for negotiations. It was the only occasion he had to be out of the castle, and for his lovely parents to show important people Seonghwa was in fact still alive. He used to sneak out of the Royal suit with Yeosang to visit the cities and explore the island, running through the forests to discover all of its secrets. After a few officials, and unofficial visits, he knew the island like the back of his own hand, and, right now, he knew exactly where he was supposed to go to find his friend.

The only problem Seonghwa was facing at that moment was the person following him. He was almost certain they were following him since he went out the ship, but he didn't realize until he left the dock to enter the city and saw, in the corner of his eye, a shadow behind him swiftly hiding. He needed to know who they were, and to quickly get rid of them. The easiest way would be to lose them in the city before he could continue his way alone.

They seemed skilled enough, fast and quiet. Seonghwa could have missed their presence if it wasn't for years of getting followed by all kinds of people, some who tried to hurt him, others trying to protect him, or even spies only trying to gather information on him. The Prince decided to take a busy street, the market street. He knew it was risky for him, but it was better to risk being recognized in the city by locals than to be caught in the forest by the person with unknown intentions following him.

Seonghwa walked fast through the different stalls, watching all the fabrics and colors blending with each other, the smells of food and spices assaulting his scents, as he carefully avoided stumbling on the passers-by's feet, kids, and stray animals running around. About halfway through the street, he turned left in a quieter alley and pushed the door of a small hardware shop.

An old lady, with white hair and large glasses, greeted him as he let the door close behind him. Seonghwa responded with a small bow and headed straight to the back of the shop where he knew he could find what he was looking for. Passing in front of all sorts of tools he had never seen before and jars filled with strange unknown liquids of all colors, he stopped in front of a showcase in which was arranged all kinds of weapons. He carefully observed each of the blades ones before one of them caught his eyes. An old dagger. The blade was small and curved, but sharp, with a perfectly polished black wooden handle.

"Ma'am?" Seonghwa called the woman who immediately raised her head from her work and walked to him.

She glanced at him, pausing on his face for a second, before turning to the weapons he was looking at, a small smile growing on her lips. "You're so pretty. Why do you need a weapon for?"

"Thank you so much but you're way more beautiful." He said with a smile, a light blush quickly spread on his cheeks, as the woman nodded happily in agreement. "It's just for protection."

"Which one do you want?" Seonghwa got closer to the showcase and indicated the dagger with his hand to the woman. She readjusted the glasses on her nose before nodding for herself. "Oh... Perfect, perfect!" She took a little key out of her long skirt pocket and opened the showcase to delicately grab the dagger and hand it to Seonghwa. "Here. Hold it. Tell me what you think."

The Prince held the dagger with one hand, assessing the weight of the object, and checking the sharpness of the blade. The handle was perfectly fitted for his hand. It was exactly what he was looking for. "It's exactly what I wanted. I'll take it."

"Perfect. 2 silver coins, please."

Seonghwa frowned a little, while searching for his purse in one of the pockets of his cloak. "That's all? We both know the blade itself costs way more than 2 silvers."