Jealous Till Jade: A Hwarang Fanfic

Chapter 8: The Task

Grace... Grace... I call out to her. All she keeps saying is "I'm sorry" as she drifts further and further away from me. Grace...

"Jade, wake up!" I open my eyes to see the king hovering over me worriedly.

"Your majesty." I search for my best friend but she's not here. "Where have they taken Grace? Please release her!" I panic.

"Jade, listen to me. You've had a nightmare. I know it's hard to contemplate, but things are different now. You can't trust her anymore. She's not your friend."

"She is. This isn't her fault!" Tears start flowing down my cheeks uncontrollably and the king wipes them away with the back of his fingers.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this," he says gently as he brushes a strand of hair off my face. I realize there's nothing I can do and decide to calm myself down. "Listen, I'm going on another search for my sister along with the Hwarangs and swordsman. I'll be back by midnight. Do you still have that ring?"

"Yes, it's in this drawer," I nod towards it.

"Good." He sighs. Poor thing. He sure has a lot to worry about.

"Please be careful out there."

He smiles. "I will."

"Have the prisoners confessed anything?"

"Actually, yes."

"Well, that's great! Was it crucial information? I'm sorry, I suppose I'm not supposed to know."

"It's alright. I trust you. This morning, while you were still asleep, they spit out a little bit of information."

"What... Did they tell you?"

"They confessed that they're working for someone I learned to trust too easily, and that he's coming for me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know yet." He purses his lips.

"Well, I guess we at least know that it's a man and someone who has the power to control the guards." He nods in response.

"I have to go now but I'll come see you when I get back." He gets up to leave but I grab his wrist in time.

"Be safe. Please. Don't be a show-off, and let the boys take care of as much of the dangerous tasks as possible."

He smiles and leans in to kiss my cheek, making me blush like a teenager. And in a second my knight in shining armor has gone to seize the night.

Someone he learned to trust too easily? Someone he learned to trust too easily... I don't know too much about his past... Lets see, he used to be in hiding because of his controlling mother... No, that can't be it. What else? He had a thing for A-ro; Sunwoo was believed to be her brother but turned out not to be; Sunwoo initially came because- oh my gosh.

The king's in danger. I can't just lie here in luxury and pretend what's going on outside isn't happening. How can I help from inside the palace? Gosh, the culprit could be... There's got to be something I can do... Pao! That's it. I ring my little bell on the bedside table A-ro left me for when I need her. She appears in a second.

"Miss? Can I get you anything?"

"Yes. Pao."

"Yes, maam. Would you like that with soy sauce?"

"No, not pao, Pao! Mr. Pao!"

"Oh! Ha-ha! I'm sorry, Miss. Um, I believe he's gone on the search with the rest of the Hwarang."

"I'm aware of that-" As I speak, I quickly rip out a piece of paper from the notebook on my bedside table and grab a pen. "-But King Jinheung is probably still giving instructions in the courtyard." I messily write a note to Pao that reads-