\\ NIGHT\\ Fantasy AU \ ATEEZ Fanfic

// Chapter 15 \\

Any other person that would've gotten a knock at their door in the early hours of the morning would've grumbled in complaint as their slumber would've been disturbed. But sleep was a luxury I didn't have.

I'd soaked in the tub of that bathing room for hours. I'd finally gotten bored with myself and decided to coat myself in a thin robe I'd found in the closet. I know I've said I despised the constriction of clothes, but this violet robe wasn't constricting at all. It was breathable and thin, yet, not revealing at all. Perhaps some clothing wasn't as bad as I thought.

I found myself drawn to a small shelf of books in the corner of my bedroom. I'd picked out one that was a tale of the Dusk Court— Mingi's home Court.

It made me wonder how he was doing. I hadn't talked to him in ages and nearly any at all after the ball incident. I wondered how he was taking High Monarch selection. I also wondered what it would be like if he was here with me in my hours of boredom. Perhaps we could get along well like we used to. But Mingi wasn't here. Of course, this saddened me a bit, but it was good to know San was available if boredom ever crept up my doorstep (which it usually does).

I'd curled up with the book I discovered by the window of the living area in my suite. It was a breathtaking view of the palace gardens that lay below. But I found it strange to glance up to the darkening sky, as I didn't know that the eternal sunrise changed. It had crept lower towards the mountains off in the distance, eventually turning the sky into an eternal twilight. I found it unusual as I never thought the sky changed here.

Luckily, my vision was sharp for seeing in this darkened twilight state as I spent that twilighted night reading through this novel. I was surprised to find out it was the tale of Nightmare who was also known as Rione Hala. He'd been the previous High Monarch to the Dusk Court and many found him to be quite the nice and humble ruler, despite his Monarch name. In a way, he was almost like Seonghwa in his treatment of the lower class, but he'd never torn down the class system for his own Court. It made me wonder why he'd never done so as it was most beneficial for Seonghwa's Court.

I had a third of the book done when that knocking sound was heard from my door. Instead of groaning in annoyance— like I had done earlier— I'd closed the book in contentment and walked over the door. I opened the door gently to be surprisingly met by Seonghwa.

I figured he would've had a maid come to my door whenever I would need to be escorted, not he himself. Perhaps that's why seeing him was so surprising.

Seonghwa wore a dark blue-ish grey vest over a white dress shirt. He wore grey dress pants that matched the color of his vest and a belt hung slightly loose over his hips where that golden sword from the ball was attached.

His eyes lit up in surprise as he looked at me, "Ah, good you're awake."

I furrowed my brows to him then. He picked up fast on his mistake as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, my apologies," Seonghwa spoke with a nervous grin, "I forgot about the eyes."

I huffed out a sigh, "It's fine."