Promise- Minsung

Chapter Thirty

Prince Lee Minho awoke early in the morning, the day of the King's crowning to a servant pulling at his sleeve. "Prince! Your Highness, please wake up! There's a letter from your brother!"

Minho's eyes blinked open. "What?"

"An immediate proclamation from your brother. It's about you, Your Highness! the servant held out a small piece of paper. Minho took it from him as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Jisung stirred next to him. "What is it? Trouble in your kingdom?"

Minho pulled the envelope off the writing. "Go back to sleep, you don't need to worry about this."

Jisung flipped over to watch as Minho unfolded the paper to find very simple words written there.

By order of the King Lee:

Former Crown Prince Lee Minho is hereby stripped of his Crown Prince title.

The title is now passed to the First Prince, Crown Prince Lee Jihoon.

End of Order.

Jisung stared at the piece of paper, reading it over and over and over again. What was this? This had to be some joke, there was no way this was real!

There came a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Jisung called, sitting up on one arm.

Yongbok opened the door, his eyes serious. His hair looked like he had just gotten out of bed and hastily pulled on his hanbok. "Minho... you read it?"

Minho looked up at him. "What does this mean? Why...? Why would Minhyuk..."

There was another knock on the door.

"Come in!" Jisung called again.

Min-hyung ran into the room, finding Yongbok there. "Oh... you're both already here..."

"What's going on?" Jisung asked, sitting up behind Minho. He peered over Minho's shoulder at the paper. "Can I see?"

Minho set the paper down in his lap, which Jisung snatched up in seconds.

His mouth dropped open.

"Minho," Yongbok murmured. "Perhaps there is something we are not seeming. Perhaps he has other plans that he needs to-"

"Why didn't he tell me?"

The room went silent.

Minho took a shuddering breath. "He was here only a few days ago, why didn't he tell me that he was planning on taking back my title? Why didn't he send me a letter? WHY DOES HE NEVER TELL ME ANYTHING?" he sat back, shuttering, his throat now raw and aching.

"Minho..."

"I'm fine," he stood up and walked to the other side of the room, shrugging his hanbok on that had been laid out. "I'll be back by the ceremony. Have the servants set out my hanbok. I'll change into it myself after I get back."

"Where are you going?" Min-hyung cried as Minho ran from the room and towards the stables.

Cho snorted when he saw the light coming from the candle Minho lit in the entrance. "Let's go!" he shouted into the air, loud enough to alert Cho that it was his master. It was too dark to tell any other way.

Minho lifted the saddle placed on the stall's door and lifted it easily onto Cho's tall back. "Hold on, bud!" he pulled the reins from where they hung off the side of the saddle. "These too!" he slid it easily into Cho's mouth before swinging up onto the saddle.