Vivid | Lee Minho

•Scene 4•

"A letter?"

"Yes," Felix confirmed his brother's question. "Apparently, she has been receiving strange letters from an unnamed sender very frequently."

Minho's gaze roamed over the plan he was studying aimlessly, thoughts elsewhere. He was keenly aware of the fact that Felix did not trust you. And, although you had sworn it to him, he, too, could not help himself from doubting your honesty.

He had told himself that he did not need to understand your intentions. In a transaction, all that was necessary was the exchange of benefits. You had struck a deal with him and fulfilled it. There was no reason for him to pry further.

Yet, he was curious, and his curiosity made him uneasy. What if this was all some complicated ploy by the Crown Prince to bring him down? Surely you were not so stupid as to communicate with the enemy under his roof.

"You're forgetting an important detail, Felix," Chan spoke up from where he lounged on the ground, surrounded by rough cushions.

"And what will that be?" the mentioned young man crossed his arms, his deep voice taunting. "She's receiving correspondences that are most likely from the enemy. What else could be important?"

Chan waved the report in the air. "It says here that Her Ladyship discarded all those letters and was never once seen sending any out."

"That doesn't change the fact that she is a threat to us!" Felix spun to where Minho sat, slamming his palms on the table before him. "You must rid of her, brother."

"Oh, come, now!" Chan rolled his eyes, the papers in his hands rustling. "You cannot read this shallow report and come to such a drastic conclusion. How can you be so sure she's colluding with him?"

"You—!"

"That will be enough from the both of you," Minho interjected loudly, to which the younger Lord opened his mouth, ready to protest before giving in.

"Suit yourselves, then! Don't say I didn't warn you," he scoffed and stalked out of the small tent they were in, an uncomfortable silence in his wake.

Minho sighed after he had left. His younger brother was usually an amicable person. Only when it came to matters that he was particularly passionate about did he become such a fiery force.

A spy possibly infiltrating their circle was one of those matters.

Chan pushed himself to his feet and walked over to where Minho sat, a display of maps and plans before him. He tossed the report on the table as he casually took a seat.

"I think you should read this," he said.

Minho picked up the small stack of papers. They contained a detailed report of your actions inside the palace during his absence, compiled by his own men. He skimmed through it while telling himself not to jump to conclusions. Not to let his own doubts blind him.

But as he learned of your daily activities, that sense of dreadful curiosity filled him again. It felt like something was missing. No matter how he looked at your case, your behavior—there was something he could not place his finger on.

You had offered to give him priceless information, not for a fortune, not for a tangible price, but for marriage.

Then, you demanded nothing else from him.

It simply made no sense.

"To be honest with you, I never liked the idea," Chan admitted with a sigh. "The taking of an innocent life for something like this..."

On that night two months ago, Minho's task was to assassinate you, the Prince's childhood sweetheart.

The plan was to pin the blame on the Crown Prince and turn Lurmuse against him completely. It was well known that the Count and Countess cherished their daughter more than anything else in this world. It was also known that despite not flaunting their power, the Lurmuse nobles held a considerably large influence on the common people of the kingdom. Additionally, their military competence as a border fief was not to be looked down upon. They were the perfect trigger to disturb.

If they could create profound animosity between Lurmuse and the royal family, then it would act as a catalyst to achieving Valorieve's ultimate goal.

Unfortunately, you would have been victim to a plan you were never privy to.

Minho knew that Chan disliked the idea, even if he could do nothing to stop it at the time. So, when you proposed that deal, he found himself easily persuaded. The plan might not proceed as fast as they had intended, but he had earned an invaluable ally instead.

This marriage meant that Lurmuse would stand with Valorieve in the future, regardless of the circumstances.

"So, even if Felix disapproves, I think you did the right thing," Chan remarked, leaning his head back to stare at the dimpled ceiling of their tent.

Chan was only a year older than him, but to Minho, his opinion carried the heaviest weight after his father's. His distaste for the original plan was enough to make him heavy-hearted about executing it. His approval now should have made him feel better, but he could not dispel his sense of uncertainty.

"I...don't know." Minho dropped the papers and ran a hand through his dark hair, exasperated. "Something does not seem right to me here. I think that girl is smarter than to lie and do it so poorly."

"I agree with you. No matter how I look at it, it makes little sense. Lady Lurmuse has more to her than she is letting on," Chan concurred, adding, "Whatever it is, though, I do not think you should kill her. She seems innocent to me."

"How can you know that?"

"A feeling."

Minho sniffed. "That's not particularly convincing."

"I keep thinking about it," Chan's voice took on a strange tone as if he were recalling a memory that haunted him. "That day we first met, she hid it well, but I noticed it. She looked...terrified."

Minho's brows furrowed. He remembered no such thing, yet there was Chan, staring blankly as he spoke, "I don't know why, but the sight of me seemed to inspire such an intense terror in her, that, for the briefest moment there, I thought she was going to fall apart."

"You speak of Y/n, correct?"

"Yes," Chan spared him an incredulous glance before continuing, "My point is—I don't think that Felix's speculations are true. It seems to me that something else is troubling the Lady, far deeper than a play at power."

"You are very observant of a person you have only met once," Minho commented pointedly, to which Chan sighed. "Do not jest."

There was a beat of silence before he muttered, adverting his gaze, "I just... She seemed like a very lonely person.

"It's written all over those papers. You would be a lying halfwit to say you don't see it. Reading them felt like reading the diaries of a shadow. Like she is actively trying to distance and exclude herself from the world.

"And you!" Chan suddenly snapped his head to look at a startled Minho, pointing an accusing finger. "I know this partnership is nothing more than a trade, but you married a person, not a business deal!

"You have to be more responsible," he concluded solemnly before standing up. "Ponder over it. In the meantime, I am finding something to eat."

With that, Minho found himself alone in the small tent, his only company the strewn maps and a myriad of conflicting thoughts.