𝐊 𝕺 | k.th

Broken

You slip out from underneath your covers and put on slippers. The chilling wind from an open window causes you to cover your bare arms with your hands before taking shaky steps toward the source. You lock it and close the blinds, rubbing your fingers over your arms to warm yourself up.

A sudden wave of disappointment washes over you when you make a quick scan of the bathroom and realize Taehyung is actually gone.

You frown.

He could have just told you that he was leaving early so you didn't have to fret so much over his disappearance.

With a deep sigh, you clumsily slip out of your dress and put on a silk nightgown. The hairs on your arms stand up with goosebumps until you plop back onto your soft mattress and cuddle with a bundle of blanket.

That'll replace Taehyung.

You close your eyes and attempt to fall asleep again, but for some unknown reason, you're fully alert and unable to calm down.

You shift around several times, tugging on the blanket even when there's no one to fight over it for, until a three-beat knock sounds on your door.

Your head immediately flies up, wide eyes watching the gentle creak of wood and meeting with...

The maids?

"Yerim? Ijoo? What are you doing here so early?" you ask with a frown.

An unsettling feeling invades your insides when you notice their usual uplifted smiles turned downward. Hani steps forward and bows completely horizontal, and that's when you notice the man behind the girls.

Your breathing intensifies with every passing second; you pull the blanket up to cover the exposed skin on your chest, and your frantic eyes search the maids'. "W-What's going on?"

"Lady Sooyun, please get up for an inspection," Hani says monotone.

They refuse to make eye contact with you, and this scares you even more. "What do you mean?" you ask breathlessly.

Now, the man dressed in all black and with his face covered steps forward, right beside your bed. "Miss, you are suspect of illegalities and under interrogation ordered by the royal family. Please stand up." His voice is loud and thundering, and it hurts your head to hear in the early morning.

Your heart pumps wildly, an ache in your chest trying to break free from the restraint of your rib cage.

You look back at the maids, breathing intensified, before cautiously moving your feet to the ground and standing up. Your hands sit protectively on top of your chest, and they move up and down periodically with your heavy heartbeat.

Suspect and interrogation? That doesn't mean anything bad, right? You haven't done anything wrong, right? Even if you did, they didn't know yet—yes, that's the point of interrogation: to prove you're not innocent. They didn't know anything yet! You're fine!

The man coughs, and you're startled into a jump, muscles tense and defensive.

The mystery man, with no change of emotion or a single movement, then orders, "Take off your clothes."

You choke. "E-Excuse me? I'm not going to take off my clothes in front of you." You grimace and turn your head to the side, noticing Hani and Yerim's pleading eyes.

"Please, Miss, they're orders from the royal family. It's just to see if you're still pure; we'll be here."

You flinch back when Hani comes near you and touches the strap of your dress with her pale fingers.