Palace Of Illusions

17 | death hurts less than people

"How's he now?" The princess asked the royal doctor who sat beside the bed. The injured bodyguard laid on the bed. Near the soft white bed was an arched window laced with white curtains. The bright orange and red light of the sunset peeked through the window, on his face.

The doctor sighed and said "The injuries are severe. The hits were major. However, the wounds remained untreated for a long time" Jennie frowned at the information. "What do you think caused this injury?" she questioned, trying to get hints about possible events since he laid on the bed, unconscious.

"About that princess. It doesn't look like a bruise caused by a human. He most likely fell off from a height and hit the rocks several times." he replied. "He'll be fine after some rest. But it will take him a few days to recover completely" he added. Jennie nodded thoughtfully. Then she turned her gaze back at the bed. "When will he wake up?" She asked again.

"I've given him some herbal medicines. I'm sure he won't wake up till morning. I'd suggest for him to rest here. I'll look after him for the night" he said. She shook her head and objected "It's fine. You can take your leave. I'll look after him" she smiled at him. He hesitated to leave and she could sense it. He was an old man in his 60s who was looking after his sick wife at home. He didn't have any children or anyone else to help, so he was stuck with tending to his wife and doing his job as the royal doctor.

The Palace of Nereida was home to not only the royal family but also others who served the royal family such as the ministers, guards, maids, general, royal doctor etc. However, as per the hierarchy  followed throughout the history, none of these people lived in the main building. There were smaller structures around the buildings that was home to them. Jennie had always despised this system, finding it ridiculous.

"Are you sure, your majesty?" he questioned. She nodded and smiled warmly at him. "Is there anything I need to do if he wakes up?" she questioned. He nodded and answered "There's some medicine there. Make sure he drinks it." She nodded and bowed to him. "Thank you so much" she said. He returned her gestured and left after gathering his belongings.

Once alone, Jennie approached the bedside. She sat down next to him. His face was bruised badly and the blood on his lips was wiped off. He looked pale, which worried Jennie. She hoped he would wake up soon. For a moment, she stared at his peaceful expression. She couldn't help but think how handsome he looked when he slept. His brows seemed more defined than before, his skin had a golden color to it and his eyes were closed peacefully. His lips looked soft despite the bruise that was now blue at the corner of his mouth. Her mind raced as she thought about capturing it with hers. She quickly brushed the thought off. You can't think that. It's wrong. She thought.

She reached for his hand and caressed his knuckles softly, her eyes never leaving his face. Her heart raced and she blushed lightly but soon worry grew in her. She felt hot against her cold palm. She frowned. Something was wrong. She took the small towel that was on the table and soaked it in water. She put the wet towel on his head. Looking at him reminded her of the time she had known him.

"Don't be. It's fine. You must be scared with people chasing you" He smiled

She smiled unconsciously. His eyes shone differently during the sunset. He was as warm as he looked.

Her mind raced back to when Rosie introduced him to her. She frowned at the thought of Rosé. Her panicked face filled her mind and memories of her lying in the coffin rushed back. Tears slid down her face.

"I can tolerate anything, your majesty but any harm to her" and that was the last time he saw her too.

"What's so interesting about these rough fields when you can walk on your flower beds? What's so joyful about those street foods when you can have every other dish you want? What's so fun about walking in those torn slippers when you can walk in the comfiest footwear?What's so comforting about laying in grass when you have a soft bed to lay on?"

She put a hand over her mouth to prevent any noise from crying. He was never wrong. He shouted at her but apologised too.

"Sometimes you need to make sacrifices to avoid hurting people you love" he whispered.

Then her thoughts brought the memories of him preventing her from falling, being really close to her, his body pushing hers against the bookshelf. He has been nothing but kind to her despite her being a bad omen to her. She walked away from his bed towards the other window.

Taehyung's eyes fluttered open by the muffled sound of her cries. "J-Je" he tried to whisper but was cut off by Jisoo's stern voice "Stab her" He shut his eyes with force to not move his body to her command. His heart clenched as he heard her cries get more clear and Jisoo's words repeating. "N-no stop" He whispered to himself. He can't kill anyone. Definitely not her. "DO IT" She yelled. He brought both his hands to cover his ears but it was of no use because her voice was in his head. "St...op it" he whispered to himself. His body ached badly and he felt a severe pain in his head.

He sat up straight unwillingly. His right hand reached out for the sword lying on the ground right beside the bed. He gripped the hand with his left one to stop it. All his efforts were useless as his body responded to her commands. "D-don't" he cried. A tear escaped his eye. He cannot do anything now.

"No!" He sobbed "No" he repeated again between his cries as he walked towards her back quietly with the sword in his right hand. The pendant on his neck was glowing brightly. When he was finally behind her, he raised the sword above his head, ready to strike. Jennie had turned around right at the moment. Her hands instinctly held onto his to stop him from hitting her.

They stared into each other's eyes. Their breathing was loud in the silent room. She was shocked, startled and beyond terrified at the moment. The sword was just a little away from hitting her head and she was too weak to fight against his strength. Her hands were trembling. It wasn't the sword that scared her. It was the person holding it. Taehyung, who she trusted to the ends of the world. She saw no life in his eyes.

She jerked his hands off with all the strength that remained within her. The sword slipped off his hand and hit the door, making a thud. They stood facing each other. Neither dared to move. They were frozen, staring at one another silently.
Suddenly, Taehyung moved forward and his hands gripped her neck tightly. She tried to fight it off by slapping his hands with hers but he didn't budge. On the contrary, he pushed her body against the window. Her back arched as her head was now out of the window. The window sill brushed harshly against her spine while he choked her.

Tears ran down her cheeks like a waterfall. She gasped for breath, her hands still clutching Taehyung's strong wrists. Her vision began to become blurry and her throat became dry. His grip tightened. "You're going to kill me!" she screamed, her voice cracking as she attempted to speak. She struggled against his hold, hoping to loosen his grip slightly, to no avail. She tried everything she could to get him off of her, even punching and scratching him, but it was no use. He gave her a sadistic smirk.  She felt as though something was crushing her chest as hard as stone. Finally, her struggle ended. She felt his grip loose. She blacked out and lost consciousness.

Taehyung's body fell on top of hers. Lisa stared at both of their bodies. The broken piece of vase in her hand while the other shattered on the floor, covered in Taehyung's blood.

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