A Crowned Heart

{16}

The night was eerily quiet, the castle shrouded in a stillness that felt unnatural. Taehyung sat in his room, staring out of the window as the moonlight cast a soft glow over the courtyard. His thoughts were consumed with Y/N, the memory of her trembling voice and tear-filled eyes haunting him.

He knew something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. Y/N had been distant, her usual warmth replaced by a cold, impenetrable wall. Taehyung's heart ached at the thought of her suffering, of her being trapped in a life she didn't want.

Suddenly, the door to his room burst open with a loud crash, the force of it slamming against the wall. Taehyung's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as he saw Davin standing in the doorway, his face twisted in rage.

"Davin," Taehyung said coolly, his voice calm despite the storm brewing in the air. "What's the meaning of this?"

Davin stormed into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. His chest heaved with fury, his eyes blazing with anger as he pointed an accusing finger at Taehyung. "You!" he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "You think you can steal what's mine, you filthy bastard?"

Taehyung rose slowly from his seat, his expression hardening. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said evenly, though his heart was racing. "But I suggest you calm down before you say something you'll regret."

"Calm down?" Davin roared, his fists clenching at his sides. "You've been sneaking around with Y/N, haven't you? Don't deny it! I've seen the way you look at her, the way she looks at you!"

Taehyung's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. "Y/N is not your property, Davin. She's a person with her own feelings, her own desires. You can't just control her like a puppet."

Davin's face twisted with rage, and he took a step closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "She's engaged to me, Taehyung. She belongs to me. And I won't have you ruining everything I've worked for."

Taehyung's fists clenched at his sides, his anger bubbling to the surface. "She doesn't belong to you, Davin. She's not a thing you can own. And if you truly cared about her, you'd see how unhappy she is."

"Unhappy?" Davin scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "She was fine until you showed up, filling her head with nonsense. You've poisoned her against me, haven't you?"

Taehyung took a step forward, his voice low and steady. "Y/N deserves better than you, Davin. She deserves to be with someone who loves her, who respects her, not someone who sees her as a possession."

Davin's face flushed with anger, his fists shaking with barely restrained fury. "You think you're better than me, don't you? Just because you're a prince, you think you can take whatever you want, including my fiancée?"

Taehyung's eyes blazed with fire as he met Davin's glare head-on. "This isn't about me being a prince. It's about Y/N's happiness. And if you think you can keep her by force, you're deluding yourself."

Davin lunged at Taehyung, his hand shooting out to grab him by the collar. "You stay away from her, do you hear me?" he snarled, his voice low and threatening. "Or I'll make sure you regret it."

Taehyung didn't flinch, his gaze steely as he stared Davin down. "If you lay a hand on her, you'll have to answer to me. And trust me, Davin, you won't like what happens."

For a moment, the room was thick with tension, the two men locked in a silent battle of wills. Taehyung's heart pounded in his chest, his anger simmering just below the surface, ready to explode. But he kept his composure, refusing to let Davin see how deeply his words had struck.

Finally, Davin released his grip on Taehyung's collar, shoving him back with a sneer. "You're going to regret this, Taehyung," he hissed, his voice filled with malice. "You're going to regret ever crossing me."

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with enough force to rattle the walls. Taehyung stood there, his chest heaving with the effort to control his anger, his mind racing with thoughts of Y/N.

He knew this wasn't over. Davin wouldn't give up so easily. But Taehyung was determined to protect Y/N, no matter the cost. He wouldn't let Davin hurt her any more than he already had.

Taking a deep breath, Taehyung ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm his racing heart. He had to find Y/N, had to make sure she was safe. But as he left the room, his mind was filled with a growing sense of dread.

He knew that the battle for Y/N's heart was far from over—and that the real fight had only just begun.