The Royalty ||Park Sunghoon FF||

Chapter 9

"Where have you been all this time? I have been searching for you everywhere," Taeoh said, seeing Nari for the first time in nearly five hours.

"Come with me, I need to tell you something," Nari replied urgently, pulling Taeoh towards a secluded spot. They found themselves in the deserted main palace garden and decided to sit and converse.

"What is the matter, and where were you?" Taeoh inquired.

"I found something monumental," Nari began.

"What is it?" Taeoh asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Do you remember when I mentioned that the prisoners in the dungeon claimed the seven princes were ill? They are indeed unwell, but it's the Emperor and Empress forcing them to take medicines," Nari explained.

"How do you know this? And why would they be forced to take medicine?" Taeoh asked impatiently.

"I happened to follow Sunghoon, Jake, and Jay. There is a secret attic at the end of the right corridor in the palace where these medicines are concocted. I overheard an argument between Jake and the Emperor in the attic. Jake was scolded for willingly skipping his medicine," Nari elaborated.

"In the small garden earlier, I noticed Jake had a severe sunburn on his arm. It seems the sunburn appeared because he skipped his medicine. As I suspected, the medicines protect the boys from sunlight during the day, without needing to rely on my powers," Nari continued.

"Oh Lord, should we inform Nadia about this?" Taeoh asked.

"Of course, we must but before that we need to acquire the recipe for these medicines. We must sneak into that attic again," Nari was saying when a sudden loud noise interrupted them.

"What was that?" Nari asked, bewildered.

"It seems like something is amiss. The main palace gates are being opened. They are usuallybeen opened when heading war or when someone is returningback from war or any mission." Taeoh said, standing up and hurrying out of the garden.

"Taeoh, wait! I am coming with you," Nari called out, running after him and grabbing his hand.

"Very well, Princess. But be cautious and stay by my side. I am not sure why the gates are suddenly being opened after months of being closed," Taeoh advised.

They reached the palace side entrance, which faced the main gates, and watched as the chains were pulled and the gates slowly creaked open with much noise.

"Princess Nari, it is best if you go inside," Prince Sunoo suddenly said from behind, startling Nari.

"No, I need to stay," Nari insisted, gripping Taeoh's arm more tightly.

"It will be alright, Prince Sunoo. She will be safe," Taeoh reassured Sunoo, who nodded in response.

"Sunoo, do you know what is happening?" Nari asked, as both she and Taeoh were confused.

"Oh, you haven't heard? The soldiers who went on a special mission are returning with captured enemies after nearly a year," Sunoo explained.

"Enemies?" Taeoh repeated, looking at Nari with a tilted head, as the word 'enemies' reminded them of their own predicament.

"Of course, who else could it be? They are the accursed blood-sucking vampires," Sunoo said with a bright smile, causing Nari's heart to plummet. She was terrified.

"Vampires?" Taeoh said, looking at Nari and holding her hand tightly, sensing her anxiety. Nari turned pale, fearing the possibility of her clan members being captured. She was sweating profusely, scared for her clan's survival and the existence of vampires. The Empress and Emperor's relentless pursuit of vampires had cost Nari many of her people.

"Are you alright, Nari? You look pale," Jake asked, appearing out of nowhere. Why is these boys always coming out suddenly.

"I am fine," Nari replied, forcing a smile, though she was trembling inside, praying that her friends were not among the captured.

Suddenly, the sound of marching footsteps grew louder. The gates were almost fully open, revealing a large group of nearly 100 palace soldiers escorting around fifty captured vampires.

"Taeoh," Nari said, looking at him with fear.

"It will be alright," Taeoh whispered, trying to calm her.

"Welcome back, brave warriors. You have done an excellent job," the Emperor greeted the soldiers, who bowed in response.

"Show us who you have captured," the Emperor commanded, and the soldiers brought the captives forward. They were all wounded and looked dreadful.

Nari's eyes frantically searched for familiar faces, but none were recognizable, making her sigh with relief. She felt slightly at ease, knowing no one from her clan was there.

"Your Majesty, we have captured a vampire from the Red Clan," the general announced, causing Nari to immediately look up. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was. She tried to pull her hand from Taeoh's grip, but he held firm.

"Nari, please don't do anything stupid. Now it is not the time," Taeoh whispered, trying to keep her from panicking.

"Excellent work, my soldiers. Capturing a member from the Red Clan is a significant achievement. What is her power?" the Emperor asked, smiling.

"Your Majesty, she is Raven. She possesses the power of time manipulation," the general replied, pushing Raven to the ground to kneel before the Emperor.

Nari was on the verge of tears. Raven was her best friend. Though they hadn't met recently, they always communicated through their powers. Seeing Raven in such a state was heart-wrenching. Her friend was bleeding, covered in wounds, her hands bound with multiple chains, bruised badly. Her clothes were torn, barely covering her body. Raven's eyes were filled with tears, but when she saw Nari and Taeoh in the crowd, she managed a small smile, as if to reassure them. But Nari and Taeoh knew she was in immense pain and fear.

Nari's heart ached seeing her best friend like that. She wanted to rush and kill the Emperor right then amd there but she knew she couldn't jeopardize their plan. She had to endure.

Nari pulled her hand from Taeoh's grip and walked inside the palace, not looking back. Her clan, her people, her loved ones were being captured and killed, and she felt powerless to stop it until she could restore the seven boys to their true selves. She needed their powers to aid her. The Emperor was too powerful to fight alone. She had to act swiftly.

Nari walked to the main staircase and sat down, breaking into tears. The palace was empty, everyone outside witnessing the grim scene.

"Nari, you must stay strong. You must be strong for your people. Do not be weak. You must make your people feel safe," Nari whispered to herself, wiping the tears from her eyes. After calming herself, she stood up and walked upstairs, not noticing who was watching her by the palace door.

"Who really are you?"

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