Kingdom of Twilight ||| Ateez

4

The next morning, Kita awoke to a loud knock on her door. She quickly threw on a robe over her nightgown and went to open the door.

As soon as she started to turn the handle, Seonghwa pushed it open and stormed into her room, followed by Yeosang.

"Good morning to you too." Kita said, raising her eyebrows and closing the door. She watched her brother pacing back and forth in her room, Yeosang's eyes following his every move. "What's going on?" She walked over to the wizard.

"King San has invited himself to stay." He said quietly, glancing quickly at Kita.

"He what?"

"We have to do something. I know Father is trying to be civil, but he puts a bad taste in my mouth." Seonghwa said, his face slowly getting red.

"There's not much we can do right now, Hwa." Yeosang quietly. Seonghwa stopped, his face softening as he was addressed informally by the wizard.

Kita smiled at the two of them. Yeosang was often the only one who could calm her brother down. They shared the same unspoken secret that she had with Wooyoung, so there was an understanding between all of them.

"I have alerted Mingi, he is posting more guards around the palace to up security, but if we do any more than that, King San could see it as a threat." Yeosang continued. "I haven't been able to find much information on him either. He just came to power recently after his father died fighting Nerua. I don't even know if he has been blessed by the gods."

"Let's pray he hasn't." Seonghwa said, running his hands through his messy hair. He hadn't taken the time to style it this morning, so Kita knew he must have come straight here. "Well... I suppose we should get ready. The kitchen has prepared a breakfast for the nobles who stayed last night. It will be out in gardens, Kita." He gave her a quick hug and the two men left so she could get ready.

She chose a simple dress today, not that any of her clothes could really be classified as simple, but it was a plain, light blue color. She brushed out her hair and braided it again. It was her signature look, plus it kept it out of her face.

When she was done, she made her way down to the gardens, smiling when she heard the familiar music from Wooyoung's troupe. They hadn't gotten the chance to talk anymore the previous night, but Seonghwa had mentioned they would be staying for at least a few days.

As she stepped outside, her eyes found him immediately as he sang quietly with a few others. His eyes found her too and his smiled widened as he sang. Kita shot him a small smile then went to greet her parents.

Much like last night, the breakfast gathering was very informal. Nobles stood in groups, talking happily and enjoying the food. Many stopped their conversations to bow in greeting and Kita nodded her head in return.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," Her mother said, giving her a small hug. "How are you?"

"Good, what is the plan for today?" She looked at her father. He chuckled when he saw the hopeful expression on her face.

"Let's get through this first, then you can have the day for yourself." He kissed her forehead and turned to speak with some of the guests.

Kita had to work hard not to show her excitement as she made her rounds.

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Wooyoung watched as her face lit up after speaking with her father. He knew that meant something good was going to happen. He just hoped it involved spending time with him today.