𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐓

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗

꧁꧂

     A dull ringing spread throughout (Y/N)'s ears, time seeming to slow down as she watched the bullet leave the barrel of Aaron's gun, spinning slowly and agonizingly toward Adrian. She felt the blood drain from her, knowing that she couldn't let bullet pierce Adrian's flesh if she could do something about it.

    She knew she wouldn't stand for it.

    All that time, all that work in the palace over the course of almost two years was drilled into her very mind and soul, forcing her legs to move and her body to throw itself in front of Adrian, shielding him and instead letting her take the bullet. As a scream of pain ripped from her lungs—feeling a sharp twist travel up her side—she fell to the floor, breathing heavily and trying to stop the blood that pooled below her. Adrian used his elbows to prop himself up, his eyes widening as his expression twitched and changed.

    First, shock.

    Second, realization.

    And finally, pure and unadulterated rage.

    Picking himself up quickly, Adrian lunged at Aadon with unsurprising speed and agility, knocking the gun to the floor and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with him, both striking blows against the other that injured them, yet didn't knock them down. (Y/N) winced as she tried to pull herself up, holding her hand out in front of her and seeing her fingers stained scarlet.

    Shit!

This hurts like a bitch.

Using her teeth, she ripped off the sleeve of her uniform and used it to tie a makeshift bandage around her side, letting out a small, pained gasp when tightening the knot. Using the wall as a brace, she stood up, feeling fear course through her veins when spotting Dañero raising his gun to try and find a good aim to shoot Adrian. As she was right in Dañero's line of sight, (Y/N) dove to where Adrian had kicked Aaron's gun away. Fumbling with the object since she had never used the new invention before, she shot randomly at Dañero.

    A grunt could be heard when one of her shots hit him successfully in the shoulder.

    He then bared his teeth like a dog as he aimed the barrel at her, flinching and having to use the wall as a shield when she only started shooting again. Seeing this, Aadon dodged a punch that Adrian threw his way, crouching to the floor and sweeping his foot out to knock him off his feet, efficiently immobilizing him for the few seconds he needed to run and tackle (Y/N) to the floor, trying to wrestle the gun from her. Dañero—noticing and picking up his gun, fighting the pain—shot again at (Y/N), this time hitting her and allowing Aadon to pull the gun from her hands.

    "Get the fuck away from him!" Adrian screamed, punching Aadon in his side before using his shoulder to shove him away.

    "I'm... fine, Your Highness," (Y/N) coughed, now clutching her arm that had trails of blood branching down the skin. "We... need to get you to safety... I cannot protect you efficiently like... this..."

    "Gods..." he sighed, picking her up rather easily in his arms. "Even now you still astonish me."

    Letting his breathing slow and even out, Adrian used his right foot to push himself forward, speeding past Aadon and Dañero—the former now spinning himself around and away from the wall to shoot at them. Adrian was barely able to dodge the shots that picked at the scenery and floors around them, but dodge them he did protect (Y/N).

    Shit.

(Y/N) felt herself losing consciousness.

    Not this again.

    Fuck... if I don't pull through... someone's going to discover my identity...

    Shit.

Why am I so weak?

    Clutching onto Adrian's shirt, the other hand trying to hold the rest of her blood inside, she tried not to let the harsh jerks and sways of his movements disturb her, grateful when he burst into a room that had a bed so he could lay her down. Whispering sweet nothing into her ear, smoothing her hair that lay matted to her forehead due to sweat, he began to unbutton her shirt, much to her weak protests.

    "It's fine, (M/N)," he began in a hushed tone, discarding her vest first before working on her white shirt. "I'll help you..."

    Shit...

    No...

I can't...

    Turning her head, (Y/N) watched as Adrian's expression melted into one of confusion when seeing the bandages wound tightly around her chest, placing his hand on top of them before quickly pulling away as if he had been burned. He looked down at her, the betrayal evident in his eyes—it was the look of a man who realized that the person he loved had lied to him the entire time.

    "What... why..." he exclaimed in disbelief. "(M/N), you're... a woman? Why... did you lie? Why... are you even hiding your identity?"

    Letting her lips part to speak, she could think of no excuse, no reason, nothing  at all as to why she continued to live under a false identity. Her mother had forced this onto her—making her live the way she had wanted to instead of letting her choose herself—so that even when she had died, she had continued to put up that mask.

    "I did it... because of my mother," (Y/N) tried to explain, looking away as her lips curled into a frown. "And even after she died... I couldn't stop. It's who I am. Maybe... maybe I thought that by continuing to dress up as a man, it would keep some part of her alive... the part that was proud of the son that she had always wanted. Or maybe I did this out of my own selfishness. Maybe I thought that living in a world as a man would be easier than being a woman. I... didn't know how to stop this routine that had become my life."

    Adrian could only stare on as her words trailed off, thinking back to all the times that they had been together—when she had still been a man to him—and couldn't think of anything that could have made her reveal her true gender.

    That's right...

    I fell in love with her regardless of gender.

    "Then... is (M/N) your actual name?"

"No..." she gave a small laugh, finally looking up at him with regret-filled eyes. "It's (Y/N)."

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