"You mean, all those people are going to watch us have sex?"
"Would you rather have His Highness brutally murder you instead?"
♔ ⭒ ♔
When Jeon Jeongguk is sentenced to public execution by beheading, he slowly learns to accept his last moments of lif...
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001 — a peasant's execution.
Today is the day I die.
The words spiral. Down, down, until they take a dive deep into Jeongguk's brain, sank them hastily, melded them into his dreaded thoughts. Tragic, perpetual words. Ones that induced agitation woven into panic, like vicious waves crashing over an unwary shore, consuming it whole.
Today is the day I die.
Sounds of heavy rain drops. They clattered violently from the singular square opening at a high point of his tall cell walls, a sad excuse for a window in the vast room. Yet the storm was loud, savage, showered the castle grounds in frosty winds with no time for rest. A frigid breeze settled even at the boy's bloodstream, where his body warmth had long passed him by.
Jeongguk was sat on the gravel floor, body shivering, a low rumbling of his stomach. He couldn't remember the last time he'd dined on a proper meal—and oh, how his dry lips ached for even a mere taste of his mother's infamous homemade chicken soup. The way she always brewed it, a clash of deep aroma and a mother's touch. Just one last time.
He would return home when the sun melts orange into the crimson horizon. That classic, cozy warmth that would hit him would remind him he was home, and the smell of chicken would hug his senses.
He'd peer over the kitchen, his mother's smile would reach her eyes. And they'd eat the homemade meal at the dinner table, catch each other up on their day, ramble over the newest town tales.
But—no. Today was the day he will die.
He could hear it in not-so-quiet whispers. A bundle of soft gossip that the two males guarding his prison cell laughed over, their relaxed posture and grinning faces irked him to no end.
"Hmm, I overheard some maids talking in the dining hall, y'know."
"Ah yeah?"
"Word going around is Miss Nari is feeling unwell.." The man trailed off. "Do ya reckon the prince will be crowned as King soon?"
"Whooa, no way! Is that why the castle's hosting a banquet?"
"That's precisely what I was thinking!" The guard boasted in an ugly rugged voice. "That they might announce it at the banquet tomorrow night."
"Yes, yes!" The other clapped loudly before a brief silence settled between the two. The guy's voice lowered. "His Majesty sure is growing up fast."
"For sure. He'll be a bold ruler, just like his father. That being said, His Majesty is getting less and less forgiving against pesky crimes. Just the other day someone was executed for delivering the wrong meal towards a noble."
