Cloaked in Shadows: A Tale of Redemption

Chapter 11: The Unspoken Truth

Flashback Continues

Jungkook had been counting the days since Taehyung’s departure to Honseong. Every hour, every passing minute was spent in anticipation of his return. Taehyung had promised him—a promise Jungkook held close to his heart—that he would come back soon and surprise him. The thought of it was the only thing keeping Jungkook going as he clung to the hope of being reunited with the person who had become his world.

But days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, and still, there was no sign of Taehyung. No letters, no messengers, no news from Honseong. The palace became a place of quiet anxiety, as the Jeon royal family grew concerned with each passing day. Jungkook refused to believe that Taehyung would break his promise. He couldn’t.

He roamed the palace gardens, the very place where Taehyung had once caught him drawing his portrait and whispering about their future together. Now, those dreams felt distant, a memory that slowly started to fade into uncertainty. Every night, Jungkook stared at the stars, wondering where Taehyung was, wondering why he hadn’t returned.

The truth, however, was far more tragic than Jungkook could have ever imagined.

After the night of Jiyeon’s betrayal, the consequences had been swift and unforgiving. The scandal was too great to be made public, and in an effort to protect Honseong’s reputation, the royal court had stripped Taehyung of his title and duties as a prince. His life had taken a drastic turn overnight. Once the crown prince of Honseong, loved and respected by all, Taehyung was now nothing more than a servant within the very palace he had once called home.

The betrayal had left Taehyung shattered, broken in ways that even he hadn’t fully comprehended. Jiyeon’s obsession had ruined everything—his status, his family’s trust, his future with Jungkook. And now, he was bound to the palace by duty, unable to leave, unable to return to the Jeon Kingdom, as he had promised Jungkook.

It was a carefully guarded secret, known only to a select few in Honseong’s court. The humiliation was too great for them to allow the truth to reach the outside world. They kept Taehyung’s fall from grace hidden, ensuring that no word of it spread beyond the palace walls.

Months later, when the Jeon family was finally able to visit Haebak for diplomatic reasons, the question of Taehyung’s whereabouts still lingered heavily in their minds. Jungkook’s heart ached with the hope that maybe, just maybe, Taehyung would be there waiting for him, ready to keep his promise.

But when the Jeons arrived at Haebak, it became clear that something was terribly wrong. There were hushed whispers between the courtiers, stolen glances, and a noticeable absence of Taehyung’s name. It wasn’t until they pressed for answers that they learned the truth—vague, yet enough to shatter the illusion Jungkook had been holding onto for so long.

"Prince Taehyung... is no longer a prince," one of the courtiers finally admitted, his eyes downcast, as if ashamed to even speak the words.

Jungkook’s heart sank. "What do you mean? Where is he? What happened to him?"

But the courtier offered no details, only more evasions. "It is a matter of Honseong’s internal affairs. I’m afraid we cannot discuss it further. All we can say is that he has been stripped of his duties and title."

The weight of those words felt like a crushing blow to Jungkook. Stripped of his duties and title? How could that be? What could possibly have happened to Taehyung to warrant such a punishment?

The Jeons, too, were stunned into silence, their faces grim with the realization that something terrible had indeed occurred in Honseong. But the lack of information, the veil of secrecy surrounding the matter, left them powerless to do anything.