𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 - 𝐛.𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧

five

The cheering, yelling and shouting had all stopped, as most of the men returned to the reception, perhaps to drink even more. I distinctly heard Minho and Hyunjin commanding those who were left over to leave the two of us in peace.

My eyes darted around the room, trying to look at anything but him, whilst he circled me, his own dark eyes watching my every move.

They trailed from the top of my head, where an elegant crown had held up my veil, to my lips, to my neck and my waist, all the way to where the dress spilled on the floor. He took his time admiring my form, whilst I felt sick.

"I was promised that I'd get the most beautiful woman in Seoul," He murmered, his voice deep and low, almost unsettling. "Your father did not disappoint,"

Promised? I was no more than a deal to him, and that essentially was indeed what our marriage was. A business deal, a transaction made in order for peace to be contained within our families.

"Tonight, you are mine,"

His lips pressed to my cheek and his hands settled upon my waist as I terror rushed through my veins. He couldn't... he wouldn't....

"No!" I burst out, my hands flying to his chest and shoving him away, although it did nothing to move his strong frame.

He raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"You won't have me," I breathed. "Or is my refusal something you've never encountered?"

"Many people have refused me," Chan said quietly. "So I made sure that they never refused me again,"

I was being stupid. The man before me was a murderer, a Made Man who could kill me if he wanted to. I needed to shut up, but the situation I was in didn't allow for that luxury.

"Will you kill me for refusing you then?" Something gnawed at me.

"That would defeat the point of our marriage," He smirked.

"You won't take me," My voice was filled with nerve as I continued. "You have no right, it's my body,"

"The men outside of this room will never accept that," The coldness in his voice was beginning to disappear. "We are married, to them, I have every right,"

I hated how he was correct. To the men in our world, women belonged to them, like we were their possessions. We were always seen as the weaker sex, and we were expected to remain dutiful and obedient to our husbands, meant to please them. Not one person in that room would agree with my reasoning, and even if they did, they would never voice it aloud.

He gestured towards the white, silk sheets on the bed. "I assume your mother told you of the tradition of the bloody sheets?"

My heart froze, head spinning as I stared at the crisp, clean sheets. Daegu really was awful. Mother had informed me that it was tradition to display the wedding sheets after the couple's first night, in order to be sure of the bride's innocence, that she was exactly what had been promised. It was a disgusting, barbaric tradition, and I was sure that only Daegu did it, yet there was nothing I could do.

Chan eyed me once more before his hands slipped into his pocket, revealing a small knife. I let out a small gasp, moving back, hitting the wall. But he made no move to point the knife at me, instead, he threw his jacket onto the floor, rolled up the sleeve of his black shirt and made a small incision into his creamy skin.

A small well of blood appeared and he grabbed a glass before moving into the bathroom. The sound of water suggested that he had opened the pipes before he came back in, smearing the liquid onto the sheets.

"Blood is not always the same," He explained. He would know. After all, Chan was far more accustomed to seeing blood on a daily basis.

"Won't they know it's fake?"