THE ETERNAL DARKNESS | VKOOK

𝟐𝟐) 𝑺𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔

After forcing Jungkook to marry him, Taehyung took him to what was now their shared chamber. The room was unlike any other Jungkook had seen before-massive, dark, and oppressive. The walls were draped in heavy, deep crimson velvet, adding a sense of foreboding that matched the heavy atmosphere lingering in the air. Tall windows, covered by thick curtains, blocked out the daylight, leaving the room in a dim, unsettling glow cast by an ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The bed in the center was enormous, covered with smooth black silk sheets, and surrounded by golden curtains draped around the towering bedposts, making it feel more like a prison than a place of rest.

Taehyung, without uttering a word, carried Jungkook across the room and gently placed him on the bed. His touch was soft, yet there was an undercurrent of control, a reminder that this was far from a gesture of kindness.

"I want you ready for the night," Taehyung said, his voice as cold and unwavering as his gaze.

Jungkook's breath hitched, his heart hammering in his chest as the weight of Taehyung's command sank in. He didn't dare move or speak, frozen in place. Taehyung stood there for a moment, watching him with those piercing eyes, before turning abruptly and storming out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him with a deafening echo.

Jungkook was left alone in the stifling silence, sitting on the edge of the bed. His hands trembled as they gripped the silk sheets, his mind racing.

Taehyung sat on his throne, one leg casually draped over the other, his face unreadable as he stared down at the man on the cold stone floor before him. The man kept his head low, avoiding the king's cold, piercing gaze, his body trembling slightly as he knelt, knowing all too well what awaited him in this room.

The room itself was as dark and ominous as Taehyung's mood. Deep underground within the castle, it had no windows, only the faint flicker of dim torchlight lining the rough stone walls. Iron chains and shackles hung from the walls, some stained with the remnants of past punishments. A heavy scent of dampness mixed with the metallic tang of blood filled the air, making it nearly suffocating to breathe.

In the center of the room was a single iron rack, well-worn and menacing, surrounded by various torture devices-spiked wheels, rusted blades, and red-hot branding irons-each a reminder of the room's purpose. Along the far wall, a long table was covered with sharp tools, each meticulously laid out, as though they had been recently used or prepared for another victim.

The stone floor beneath Taehyung's throne was slick with moisture, and the flickering light cast shifting shadows, making the room feel alive with unseen terrors. The sound of dripping water echoed faintly from a distant corner, only heightening the tension in the room.

Taehyung's fingers drummed lightly on the arm of his throne, the only sound in the oppressive silence. His eyes narrowed as he studied the man groveling before him, waiting for the moment to strike, the threat of his power and cruelty hanging heavily in the room.

"You know why you are here, right?" Taehyung's voice was so deep and menacing that it echoed through the chamber, reverberating off the stone walls like the voice of death itself. The man on the ground flinched, his body shaking violently as he struggled to keep from collapsing entirely. His breath came in shallow gasps, and he instinctively lowered himself further, his forehead nearly touching the damp floor.

"I-I do, Your Majesty," the man stammered, his voice trembling. His hands clenched into fists against the cold stone, desperately trying to hold himself together, but fear was coursing through him like a flood.

Taehyung's eyes never wavered from the man, his cold gaze piercing through him as if he were nothing more than a pest. His fingers stopped drumming, and the silence that followed was suffocating, filled only with the man's ragged breathing.