𝐕𝐄𝐈𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ┃ 𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐄𝐍

chapter three: denial and fate.

Where am I?

Tsukiyo looked around, finding herself standing in an unfamiliar-looking room. She had spent the last twenty minutes or so checking her surroundings. The first thing she did was to touch the walls and when she realized that it was solid against her palm, a part of her wondered if this was reality or simply a dream.

Her ears picked up the approaching sounds of footsteps, the alarm bells going off in her head when she heard it heading her way. She quickly hid behind the nearest item, which just so happens to be a wardrobe.

She bit down on her tongue when she accidentally stubbed her toe, managing to close the doors in the nick of time before the doors were slammed open. Tsukiyo flinched when the doors harshly banged against the wall and she swore she could feel the brief impact sinking into her bones.

Peeking through the small gap left between the doors, she could see someone's back entering her sight. Whoever they were, they were agitated, pacing back and forth, muttering curses under their breath.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she managed to get a glimpse of his face. A very familiar face, to be more specific.

"Fuck! This whole thing is a mess!" Jungwon cursed out loud, running a hand through his hair.

He paced back and forth in his room, the sound of his footsteps filling the space. His hands clutched his hair as he rambled, voice laced with panic. "The kingdom... it's going to collapse! My parents... they were murdered. The entire court will descend into chaos. The nobles, they'll tear each other apart. I... I don't know what to do!"

His breath quickened, his face turning pale as the weight of his parents' death bore down on him. He could barely think straight. "I should've been there. I should've protected them."

Another voice startled her. In her current position, she hadn't noticed the other man in the room, unable to see him from where she was.

"Jungwon, you need to breathe. We'll figure this out, like we always do. We can secure the borders, call for reinforcements. We can—"

Who is that? When did he come into the room?

Tsukiyo shifted slightly to get a better view of the other voice. Her heart stopped beating for a moment when her eyes landed on the most beautiful person she had seen in her entire life. His tall figure moved with a quiet, effortless grace, every motion fluid and precise.

She could see the sharp angles of his jaw and the smoothness of his skin. There was something about him that made it impossible to look anywhere else, something that filled her with both awe and a quiet, terrifying curiosity.

"I can't! I can't fix this!" Jungwon cut him off, startling Tsukiyo. His mind was starting to spin out of control. "Once the enemies find out we have no proper heir, they won't waste another second to invade our kingdom and try to overthrow the throne! Everyone's counting on me, but here I am, panicking like a dumbass."

"Jungwon, could you please just listen-"

"It doesn't help that you came here out of your own will to help me! The fact that I'm screwing things up is making it even worse! How am I supposed to lead a whole kingdom, with people having high expectations of me? I'm going to fail and lose everyone I've cared about-!?"

Tsukiyo covered her mouth with her left hand when she almost let out a gasp at the scene before her. With one smooth move, Heeseung had grabbed Jungwon by his waist, pulling him closer. His free hand snaked up to grab his chin, tilting it up slightly and kissed him, efficiently silencing Jungwon.