Not Quite a Prince || Eric Sohn

~ 79 ~

"Here's what I've found so far," Changmin said, sliding some papers across the tables to Eric.

It had been a month since they'd last met. Over a month since Juyeon was gone, and with no word from him. While everyone was trying to fake confidence, Eric knew that everyone was losing hope. They had no way of knowing if he'd even survived in the wilderness.

Eric picked up the papers, scanning through them.

It felt like someone had just knocked the air out of him.

He looked up, gaping at Changmin. "Is this... is this real?" he asked, stumbling over his words as he continued fishing through the papers. He couldn't believe his eyes as he read the reports.

His royal parents were even worse than he'd imagined.

Stealing money. That, he had expected. But they'd stolen from so many people. And not just people. They'd managed to take money from non-profits, from orphanages...

Changmin was saying something, but Eric couldn't even hear him as he read the name of the orphanage, over and over again.

It was where Chanmi had grown up.

"Eric?"

"Huh?"

"You saw it, didn't you?"

"I... I... this is where Chanmi..." he said slowly, trying to read the rest of the report. But his head was spinning and he couldn't make sense of anything anymore.

"They killed her parents," Changmin said softly.

"What?" Eric half-shouted, looking up again. "Come again?"

"It's in the report," he explained, his eyes full of worry. "Her parents were protesting - it was a time when people were beginning to suspect the crown was stealing money. But your parents... they slowly killed them all. The main figures of these protests... they were either secretly assassinated or ended up starving to death because no one would hire them. Her parents were assassinated."

"They knew," Eric said, swallowing hard. He felt sick to his stomach. "They must have known, the moment they met her. They knew that they killed her parents and yet they have her here... working for them..." he trailed off, balling his hands into angry fists.

"It's not only her parents," Changmin said. "There are so many people from twenty, thirty years ago, who just randomly died or disappeared. It's no coincidence that many of those people were actively protesting the crown - at least I don't think it is. And even if it was a coincidence, you have enough concrete proof of their other crimes that when you expose it, I don't think there's any way they'd be able to stay on the throne."

"How... how do you suggest I expose it?"

"You're the future King, not me," Changmin said, shrugging, a sympathetic smile on his face.

"The future King..." Eric mumbled. He stood up, running over to his dresser and first locking the papers safely away, where no one else would be able to get to them.

"Thanks Changmin!" he called, heading to his door. "I have to go," he said softly, slipping out of his room.

"I have to go to meet King Hyunjin."