Slowly and Painfully ー ✓

Chapter 4: The Royal Family and The Kingdom of Grand

Is... Is it over...?

A weird thing about this death is that I didn't feel the pain of the sword impaling through my guts. Instead, I feel the warmth of someone's arms wrapped around my body and what's weirder is that I still hear the birds, and the wind, and footsteps of another person running across the forest floor.

"Don't try anything foolish. You can keep closing your eyes as long as you stay right here." I heard him warn. I don't know who this person was, but I followed his orders. Maybe when I open my eyes, I'm back in my bedroom.

But the sound of the men gasping, the sound of terrified horses running away, the sound of something sharp was swishing fast... I can still hear them.

A few moments of silence ensued, and soon curiosity got the better of me as I opened my eyes.

What—

I witnessed the men with their horses, all clutching onto their wounds as they ran away. "You'll pay for this, little prince!"

I turned to see who he was referring to.

This person...isn't he...?!

I heard someone running towards me from behind. It was one of the men from earlier, left alone and angry. My eyes went wide.

Before he could attack me, the prince kicked him away and stepped onto his fallen body. The prince was then ready to plunge his two daggers, now filled with blood dripping at the edges.

He stopped mid-way. Then with a sigh, he lowered his knives, confusing the man.

"I'm giving you three seconds to run." He ordered, his eyes as cold as steel.

The man didn't waste any time. He screamed as he dashed away towards another part of the forest.

They're gone.

My shivering hands made their way onto my minor injury, where the tip of the sword had inflicted.

The prince approached me and gently pulled my hand away, checking to see the damage. His eyes were no longer threatening. "It's okay, it just seems to be a dot of red, so it'll heal itself and disappear later on."

Our eyes met. When I gazed into his eyes, I saw the same feeling of tender serenity-the same feeling of when I caught him staring at me back at the cafeteria.

Park Jimin.

Strangely, that spark soon faded away from his eyes after he shook his head like he was trying to get rid of it. Then all of a sudden, his face was replaced with anger. He gripped onto my shoulders, shaking me back to my senses. "What was the matter with you?! You just tried to get yourself killed!"

He was right. I felt physical pain, I almost died.

I noticed his left shoulder, blood seeping through his clothes. Back then, the sound I heard of someone stabbed...it was him.

"You're wounded...because of me..." I stifled a gasp. Guilt hovering, I carefully placed my fingers to trace his injury.

"This is nothing. I've been through worse." He stated as if it was completely natural, as if he was used to it.

Realization struck me like a chord. A person ended up hurt because of my stupidity.

This...isn't a dream, is it?

Tears started to fall down on my cheeks. I hardly even looked at his reaction.

Does that mean... I'm stuck in this time period...for good? I can't...go home?