thief (of my heart)

-XIX-

Jongin purchased a trained dog, a bloodhound, who had been following Jennie's scent for days. They tracked her across the river and over the mountains until they finally arrived at the gates of his kingdom's castle.

The knight was puzzled as to why Jennie's scent would lead him to her enemy kingdom... Perhaps one of his comrades found her first. In that case it would be shameful since that was his and Krystal's task.

He approached the castle walls, then the guards to ask for entry.

He presented the piece of Jennie's clothing as proof that he was on a mission to find her. He was met with suspicious glances from the guards as he passed through the halls but he ignored them and continued on his mission.

The dog led him to a door of a storage room, he let go of his leash and told him to stay put. He opened the door slowly, hearing the sound of pages turning and the scratching of a quill coming from within. He saw Jennie sitting at a desk, surrounded by books and papers. She looked up in surprise as he entered.

"Finally... finally I found you...." The knight breathed out, nearing her. He still had burning marks over his face and hands but that didn't stop him.

The princess's eyes widened in surprise. She quickly stood up from the desk, pushing her chair back in the process.

"How did you find me?" Jennie asked, taking a step back as the knight got closer.

The knight held up a piece of cloth. "I had a part of your dress and my dog traced your scent. But that's not important now. I'm here to take you to my king."

His brown uniform, the ensemble. After Jennie skimmed through the books, she could finally identify it. He was a soldier of Silla from the beginning. Did the king hire him to chase her all along?

"I will not go with you willingly." She stated firmly, her eyes narrowing in defiance. Unfortunately her weapons were confiscated. The only thing she could possibly hurt him with was the tip of her quill pen or the thick books around her.

"I hoped you would come quietly but if I must, I will use force." The knight's expression hardened.

The knight was blocking the only door. She decided to talk to him first before she steeled herself for a fight. It would be much more pleasant to solve the matter without a fight, knowing she would most likely lose. Unless she can take advantage of his injuries and attack him in surprise. Just in case, she held the quill pen behind her back as he neared.

"Listen to me. I understand that you're following orders but I beg you to reconsider. Your king is not who he seems. He is not the kind and just ruler that you think he is." Jennie tried to reason.

"What do you mean? Counsellor Seungri is a good man. He has always served his kingdom with honour." The knight stopped in his tracks, looking at her in confusion.

"That's simply not true. To ascend the throne, he betrayed the previous queen and poisoned her. It might only be the tip of the iceberg, who knows what other horrendous crimes he committed."

"That can't be true. He would never do such a thing."

"It's true, I have evidence. Just look at this letter-"

"Enough!" He growled, grabbing her left arm harshly.

"Let me go." She demanded, trying to twist her arm out of his grasp.

"I can't let you go, Princess. I have my orders." The knight shook his head.

With that, he tried to drag her towards the door. Jennie was left with no choice but to fight back. She reached behind her back and pulled out the quill pen, stabbing it towards the knight's injured hand that had burn marks all over it.