lee heeseung - breathe

- five -

Within the first month, you became the shadow of Heeseung. Dressed in the respectable attire of nobility- something you were not -you tailed him around the castle and stood outside his door. You slept when he slept in a room adjacent to his and it was a good asset to your newfound job that you were a light sleeper. The tenth day there at a thump of something falling, you woke in the middle of the night, grabbed your dagger from the nightstand and stumbled into Heeseung's chambers in a nightgown- only to find him on his knees with playing cards strewn around himself. He'd appeared startled and stared at you with wide eyes.

Instead of leaving, though, you sat down and allowed him to explain the rules of the game to you. Other than that, the two of you didn't interact very much- or more so, you rejected his attempts at starting conversations. The only one time was when, at the end of the third week, you made a request.

"I want to go home and visit my mum."

Heeseung looked up at you from whatever he was doing, quill poised in his fingertips. He gently set it down and smiled at you. "How long?"

You frowned. "Uh, not long maybe...one night?"

"I'll give you three nights."

"No!" You winced at yourself. It wasn't like you longed to be near him, you found yourself quite bored on the castle grounds some days- but three nights was unnecessary. "...Two?" You chewed your bottom lip. Heeseung glanced down at his paper, dipped the quill in ink and created a sweeping signature at the bottom of the page. He completed it with one final stroke and looked back up at you. "Alright. I'll send for proper transportation- it's nearly a full day's travel across the forest." He rolled up the paper and wrapped a thin string around it, tying it into a small bow. "Have fun with your mother."

———

You did not have fun with your mother. In fact, you did not see your mother at all. You'd been in your field of work since thirteen and three quarters, so your mother was used to your disappearance for sometimes months on end when you had assignments. She used to worry immensely, but now she trusted you to watch yourself. Besides, you were no longer a child.

The doorway to where you met your boss was in the back of an apothecary's shop. The apothecary in question was your boss' husband and an ex-member of the society. The only reason you met there was that it was easier to access and less suspicious in comparison to the Engem castle. The casual soldier had no knowledge of the work you did.

You ran your fingers over the glass jars squatting on the shelf against the right wall. Your rings clinked lightly against the surface. You dropped your hand and pulled your hood down just before the back door. You slowly opened it and slipped into the darkness. It felt that the stale air breathed with you- a familiar scent of dust and old incense filled your lungs.

"Sire?"

"How's it going?" A broad-shouldered figure appeared in the soft glow of a single lamplight. You smiled thinly. "I'm close."

"How close?"

"I follow him everywhere. I'm...his personal guard, he-" You stopped yourself short and wiped a sweaty hand against your pant leg.

"He?" Your boss prompted. His figure shifted and his cloaks dragged across the floor. You found his intimidating aura amusing at times, especially considering the bubbly way his husband spoke of him. This was not one of those times unfortunately. You furrowed your eyebrows. "He..." You took a deep breath and consequently let out a slight cough. Your original intention had been to reveal Heeseung's vague knowledge of your identity, but you thought better of it. Instead, you cleared your throat, "I sleep in the room next to his."

"Hmm...very close. You must get yourself into political meetings. Hyphen have no pure intentions towards Engem. We are both aware of that, yes?"

"Yes, Sire." You stifled a yelp at the feeling of a heavy hand coming down on your right shoulder. Both your cloaks fluttered at the rush of air that came with his movement. "That prince is a sly, charming snake." He said in a low voice. "Don't let him fool you."