𝙻 𝙸 𝚃 || 𝙾𝙽𝙴𝚄𝚂

Prologue

Three months ago

"My children," the sick king coughed out to the six men that sat down around him in a circle.

The king had fallen ill months ago but his sickness had proven to be bad as all of the best doctors couldn't cure him and he asked for the treatment to be stopped after the twentieth doctor.

He had a serious case of leukemia which had refused to be cured by chemotherapy and he had given up.

The doctors had said that he had only a few more months if their predictions were correct and he had decided to make good use of those last days of his.

Today he had gathered six of his sons to talk to them as they would be the next in line of Silchae.

He was proud of each and everyone of them even though some were mistakes he wished never happened. But he loved them nevertheless and wouldn't change that mistake for the world now.

"I love you all so much, I hope you know that," he continued and felt a hand connect with his and gave a light squeeze.

It was Ravn's. The most mischievous of his sons. He was an odd one but the king knew he had a lot of potential deep down. He was just privileged to be born after two brothers else he would have had a hard time growing up.

He turned to him completely.

"Ravn, my cunning fox," that made Ravn laugh sadly. "You're the most naughty out of your brothers but I know deep down that you have what it takes to make sure the kingdom and the people are safe."

The king paused to take a deep breath and Ravn held his hand tighter as a lone tear escaped his eye and he bit his lower lip to keep in his sounds as he couldn't just break down while everyone else was composed.

Yes he was the most childish but it was because of how he was born and raised. He was what you would call a mommy's boy. He was attatched to his mother and whenever he'd mess up, he'd go to her so no one scolded him. She was his safe haven.

After she died, he was devastated and turned to his father for comfort and he found it. His mischievous deeds went on and he would still run to his father when he did something wrong.

Like when he broke Leedo's favorite lamp and the elder promised to beat the living daylights out of him, he ran to his father who hid him under his giant hanbok and sat calmly when Leedo walked in all pissed off and looked around while the king just stared at him.

When he found no trace of the culprit, he huffed out loud and walked out to search the rest of the palace. Ravn then crawled out of his hiding and they bursted into laughter with his dad. The guards also found it funny because they tried to hold it in even though it was obvious they were trying to laugh.

And there was a time he had messed with the swords in Hwanwoong's store room and he ran to the king's chambers where his father was getting dressed for bed when he ran in with a sheepish smile his father knew all too well.

"Who?" He asked with a sigh, while carefully unwrapping his attire and looking in the mirror.

"Hwanwoong hyung," Ravn replied. "He's gonna kill me Appa, I messed up his swords."

"Under the table," his father simply said and Ravn complied.

A few minutes later and the door banged open with a red faced Hwanwoong standing at the entrance.

"Where is he Appa?!" He demanded but his father kept on taking his clothes off calmly. "I'll kill him with the swords he touched!"

"Where is who?" The king asked while putting away his accessories into a box.