𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐋𝐄 ♕ 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐎𝐎𝐊

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘆-𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲

The Lord of House Crane sweated so much that Wook felt no remorse when he tripped the man off the soul shifter's cliff.

He hadn't bothered learning the finicky lord's name. When they departed from the embassy. Min Dohyun had merely introduced Wook to the emissary. The lord was pathetically scrawny, several inches shorter than Wook, with his wealth and indolence showing in the form of his paunch. He had smiled feebly, reacting more to the fact that Wook was Jang Gang's son over being the Prince Consort.

"It would've been safer had you waited for an entourage to assemble, My Lord," Wook commented smoothly. He led them down less conspicuous yet sparsely crowded streets so that the peddlers and storekeepers closing up could account as eyewitnesses if things went south.

"It's best to vanish during the chaos on the battlefield, Your Grace," the lord huffed, wiping his brow.

Wook held back a smug smile when Min Dohyun bristled faintly at the title. Where did the disdain stem from, he wondered. Was it the rumours and myths that surrounded Gaeun? Or because she escaped the engagement, shattering his dream of begetting the title Wook now held? Either way, Wook had decided that boy's fate. He wouldn't live to see the sunrise tomorrow.

Haneul's deer was in the rear of the group while Minha walked beside Wook as he steered them through less conspicuous routes. Now and then, he could hear Fluffy slithering in the tall grass lining their path. Adopting a tone of seriousness, Wook suggested that they take a shorter route, cutting down their travel time so that they arrived at the port sooner.

"We can avoid attracting attention," he added.

The Crane Lord, uninterested in the specifics, merely nodded and dabbed at his forehead. "Yes, yes, lead the way."

As they moved, the path began to diverge, leading towards the estuary where the Great Lake Gyeoncheondaeho met the sea. The air grew cooler and the sounds of the city faded, replaced by the distant, rhythmic crashing of waves against the cliffs. Wook's pace remained steady and he scrutinised his surroundings while building up energy on his fingertips.

Months ago, Mu Deok had shown him this cliffside saying that this is where they disposed of soul shifters once they went wild and turned to stone. Inconspicuous and less traversed.

"Where exactly are we going?" Min Dohyun asked from the back, his tone laced with suspicion as he noticed the path growing darker.

Wook turned back to him and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Just a bit further," he smiled, "We're almost there."

Unconvinced, Dohyun opened his mouth to argue but the Crane Lord cut him off. "We don't have time to dawdle," the lord managed to say sharply between all the huffing and puffing he was doing. "I need to get to the border before sunrise."

Ignoring his impatience, Wook subtly gestured towards the dark, rocky path that skirted the edge of the cliff. "This way," he said, steering them closer to the precipice, concealed by the thickening shadows.

The sound of the sea got louder. Their escortee, in his paranoia of being attacked clubbed with his hastiness, failed to realise that Wook had led them to the brow of the hill. A few more steps and the man would fall to his death on the boulders below.

Minha froze a few feet away, hackles rising, and decided to make herself at home amidst the foliage lining the trail. Eyes squinting at her, Dohyun stopped walking as well. "This doesn't feel right," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the crashing waves. "We're not heading in the right direction."

Oh, well. Wook's smile widened, his expression unsettlingly calm. "You're right," he admitted, waving Cuddles over, "We might've strayed a little too far from civilisation. Pay no attention to the deer, though."