Royalty | NCT JAEMIN

Chapter Sixteen

Y/N's POV

When I opened my eyes, I found myself on the floor in a dark, empty room. The only source of light was coming from a tiny window. My neck was hurting. I stood up and walked towards  the mirror. I looked terrible. My hair was sticking out in all directions, my clothes were dirty and there was a large bruise on my neck from the man who pressed it.

I screamed when I suddenly noticed a man's reflection in the mirror. He was sitting quietly on the chair behind me. He had a knife in his hand. I turned around to face him. He looked a little older than me.

"Who are you?" I asked. "Why have you captured me?"

"I'm just following orders," He said with a shrug.

"Who sent you?"

"I can't tell you that, Princess."

"What's your name and how old are you?"

"Zhao Wei," He said in a thick Chinese accent. "I'm twenty-three years old."

"You're the one who tried to poison me," I stated.

"No," He said. "I only provided the poison."

"Why?"

"I was asked to," He said with a shrug. "I was supposed to kill you but she wanted to do it herself."

"She?" I asked. So it was a girl after me.

"You're pretty naive for a Princess," Wei said. "Beauty without brains."

"Excuse me?" I said, raining an eyebrow.

"You heard me right, Your Highness," He said. "You're too slow to realize."

I thought about it for a minute before realization hit me like a truck.

"Jeon Sooyeon," I mumbled. Of course it was her. No one in the castle or even in the Kingdom, had a problem with me except her.

"She's going to marry the Prince once you're dead," Wei said.

"That's not going to happen," I said. "Jaemin doesn't like her at all."

"She'll threaten or maybe even kill the King then," He said.

"They'll kill her first," I said. He shrugged in response.

It was quiet for a minute before I said, "Why don't you just kill me yourself, Wei?"

"Why should I?" He asked in surprise.

"You were going to do it anyway," I said.

"No," He said softly. "I wouldn't have."

I looked at him in confusion. "Why...?"

"I do not like bloodshed or death," He said sadly. "I... I know how it feels like... to see someone you love die."

"Then... why did you capture me in the first place?" I asked.

"For the money. I have kids living near Ulsan with my little sister," He said. "We can barely afford any food, my three year old twins are starving. My wife died giving birth to them. Sooyeon gave me enough money to feed my family for at least four years."

I nodded sadly in understanding. It of course was a very sensitive topic to him. I asked, "Have you no job?"

"No, Your Highness," He said and smiled sadly. "No one wants to give a peasant like me a job. I have to go begging house to house for just a small chore for a couple of wons."

"Then I shall—"

The door burst open loudly, revealing Jaemin, Yuta, Taeyong, WinWin, Mark, Jeno, Donghyuck and Yangyang.

-

End of chapter sixteen.
Please vote.