Chapter Text
“Am I the only one who is uncomfortable?”
Beyond the main infrastructure of the palace resided a pond that was surrounded by cherry blossom trees in full bloom, their petals fluttering toward the ground with a gentle breeze easing their descent. A man in midnight black robes halted in front of the bridge that arched over the pound, the sunlight reflecting off the gold royal insignia on his sleeve.
Bihyung, the head eunuch, clasped his hands together in confusion. “Your Highness?”
The crown prince spun on his heel, throwing a level gaze at the two rows of servants flanking his back.
“You there.”
One by one, the servants raised their heads to glance at each other in confusion, unsure who he was referring to.
“Why are you falling behind and slowing down the rest of us?”
At that, every servant snapped their heads towards the back. A young court lady stood apart from the rest, clearly distracted as she gazed to the side with brimming innocence. Though when someone hissed at her, she whirled around and widened her eyes as she realized how much attention she was garnering.
“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“Do you even know why you are apologizing in the first place?”
“Um,” With her head bowed, her eyes flickered towards the side as a desperate plea for help, “because I was walking too slow?”
His eyebrow twitched. To his head eunuch, he ordered, “Take her away. She is relieved of her position from this point forward.”
Ignoring her cries begging for forgiveness, Yoo Joonghyuk, the nation’s crown prince, turned back towards the front and resumed his pace.
“Your Highness.”
Furious scribbling echoed in the chamber.
“…Your Highness.”
Papers rustled as another document was placed on the tabletop.
“Your Highness!”
An annoyed sigh accompanied his curt tone. “What, Bihyung.”
“His Majesty has requested that you visit the Crown Princess as soon as able.”
He flipped to the next document. “So you’re telling me it’s not of importance. This is not the first time he has mentioned this.”
“His Majesty is facing pressure from the masses. They are angry that the drought has not let up.”
He scoffed, a wry smile appearing. “So they want me to bed my supposed wife in the hopes that the gods will show mercy by sparing some measly droplets from the sky.”
Already suspecting that would be his answer, Bihyung bit his lip to refrain from retorting back. “If there is no rain by next month, I am afraid there will be no crops to harvest and Hanyang will fall into severe famine.”
“Hn,” he mused, already losing interest in this conversation, “what do you think of this, Ricardo?”
Bihyung turned towards the still figure dressed in an all-black attire. He might as well have been a statue—the man hadn’t moved a muscle ever since he stopped foot into the crown prince’s quarters.
Ricardo tilted his head forward by a few degrees, his expression unchanging. “It does not matter what I think, Your Highness.”
“Then I order you to tell me what you think of this situation.”
He visibly froze, unable to deflect a direct command from the prince himself. After a long pause, he answered, “This humble servant thinks His Highness’ appraisal of the situation is not wrong.”
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced up, nodding his chin towards his bodyguard. “See, Ricardo thinks the same.”
Unable to hold in his ire any further, he burst out, “Of course he would think the same!” He had been taking care of the crown prince ever since he was a baby, and no one in this entire nation was as fiercely loyal to the crown prince as Ricardo was. If he told Ricardo to walk into a building riddled with flames, he would not hesitate to do so. “Your Highness, I know it seems like a foolish endeavor—”
“Absolutely inane.”
“—but I think it would be a good idea regardless to visit the crown princess, even if just for a few moments. It has been over a year since the wedding ceremony was held, and you have been seldom seen passing by that side of the palace. Even if there were not a drought looming over our heads, I think Her Highness would appreciate it if you carved out some time from your day to stop by, even for a few moments.”
“Bihyung.” Yoo Joonghyuk silently set his quill down and leaned back against his seat. “It was never my decision to wed her in the first place.”
He fiddled with the sleeve of his emerald robes. “I am aware, Your Highness—”
“Having this title of ‘Crown Prince’—it never belonged to me from the start.” He lowered his gaze, watching the tiny flame of the candle continue to burn. “You of all people should know that.”
He pressed his lips together, unable to answer.
“Let my father know that I will visit the crown princess some time tomorrow.” Leaning his head back with his eyes closed, he said, “You may retire for the night.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.” He shuffled backwards and bowed deeply, hiding the wearied sigh at the tip of his tongue. “I hope you dream of only good things tonight.”
When the chamber doors were closed shut, Yoo Joonghyuk stood up. He languidly walked towards the window, pushing the doors back to reveal a full moon, encasing the entire palace with a soft glow.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I told you to call me by my name when it was only the two of us.”
“…I apologize.”
The corners of his lips lifted, revealing a glimpse of a genuine smile forming. “You’re forgiven.” A cool breeze swept his bangs back. “Tell me, Ricardo.”
“Yes?”
“How nice would it be if I wasn’t tied down to this title,” he murmured, his voice trailing off as he tried to locate the constellations of the sky. “What do you think would happen if I suddenly disappeared? I’m sure father would have no problem producing another heir.”
“Please don’t say that, Your Highness.”
“Half the court hates my very existence. I’m sure they’d be delighted if I were to disappear.”
From his peripheral vision, he could see Ricardo shift his position, now turned to fully face him.
“If Joonghyun were still here,” He lifted his head, his voice firm, “I am sure he would want to see you as the next king of this nation.”
No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t discern any stars as they were overshadowed by the moon’s brilliance.
Yoo Joonghyuk turned his head to stare at Ricardo, his childhood friend who voluntarily became his personal guard the day he saw his brother lay in his own pool of blood.
“The problem lies in the first part of your statement.”
He could vividly remember the slippery feel of his brother’s blood all over his hands as he frantically tried to apply pressure to his wounds.
“Joonghyun should’ve been the one standing here right now.”
Yoo Joonghyuk recalled the exact moment Yoo Joonghyun realized something was very wrong—the way his lips parted and his widened eyes suddenly darted to his as he shoved him aside. The arrow whizzed past him, finding its home right in his brother’s chest.
“Not me.”
“That'll be 100 jeon.”
“100?? We agreed on 75!”
“Half the texts were submerged in water making the text nearly illegible. It was hard enough to discern his terrible handwriting at baseline.” The man tossed a pile of books onto the desk in front of him. “The children in this neighborhood have better penmanship than whichever scholar who wrote the original text.”
“How about 85? 100 is outrageous!”
“It took me nearly twice as long as expected so be grateful I’m not asking for 150.”
“Fine, fine!” The storeowner grabbed a pile of coins from his cloth bag and shoved it into the man’s hands.
Pocketing the money, the man nodded, an amused smile playing upon his lips. “Don’t hesitate to reach out again if you require my services in the future.”
Lowly whistling, the dark-haired male spun the now-heavier cloth bag around his index finger as he leisurely walked out of the store. As he was carefully devising what he would do with the money, he was so absorbed into his thoughts that he didn’t notice someone creep up behind him until the weight in his hand suddenly disappeared.
“You really shouldn’t be swinging money around like that, Kim Dokja.” The woman pried open the bag and gawked. “Damn, how did you get so much money just from transcribing some books??”
Kim Dokja snatched the bag from her curious hands. “Stop stealing people’s things, Han Sooyoung.”
She scoffed. “You’re the thief here. You practically swindled that poor bookstore owner.”
“What are you even doing here? I thought you had business in Hanyang today.”
She sighed, clucking her tongue. “Apparently, there’s going to be some procession coming from the capital so they’re blocking passage both ways.”
“Procession? What for?”
“To appease the rain gods.”
Kim Dokja scoffed. “We’d have more luck sending 1000 men out to the river with buckets.”
Han Sooyoung shrugged, readjusting the pin in her hair. “The crown prince is supposed to come as well. Maybe that’ll do the trick.”
“It’s a waste of a trip.” Tapping his fists against his shoulder blades, he craned his neck to the left and right. “I’m gonna go home and take a nap. I was up all night transcribing those texts.”
“Don’t forget we’re celebrating Lee Hyunsung’s birthday tonight at the pub! If you’re late, Jung Heewon is going to personally drag you from your house.”
He waved his hand without looking back. “I know, I know.”
“Hyung!”
A young child with messy auburn hair bolted from the patio and launched himself into Kim Dokja’s widespread arms.
“Gilyoung-ah.” He ruffled his hair, lightly blowing the dust out of his hair. “What have you been up to today? You even got some dirt in your hair.”
“Ahjussi!” A girl with dirty blonde hair barreled into the man’s other side, burying her face in his chest. “You said you were going to come yesterday.”
“I’m sorry, Yoosung-ah,” he said, smiling apologetically as he pet her hair. “I got held up with a client.”
“Actually hyung, she’s the reason why there’s dirt in my hair.” He lifted his head, throwing a nasty side-eye glance towards the girl. “She pushed me onto the ground.”
“I did no such thing! Ahjussi, he’s lying to you!”
Kim Dokja never understood why they were in a constant state of rivalry whenever he visited them. He tried to show them equal affection but they were always fighting for his attention and inadvertently got into an argument every time.
“I don’t know what happened but Gilyoung-ah, Yoosung-ah—what did I tell you two about fighting last time?”
“That it’s bad,” they mumbled simultaneously, collectively avoiding his gaze.
He cleared his throat, the corner of his lips twitching. “Yes, it’s bad. If you two keep doing that, ahjussi would be sad. Do you want this ahjussi to be sad?”
“No!” they yelled. Upon noticing that they gave the same answer, they quickly glared at each other before swiveling their heads the other way.
He chuckled, patting the back of their heads. “Good.” Rummaging through his cloth bag, he pulled out an item wrapped in paper. “Sorry I couldn’t keep my promise to come yesterday. But I got you two some sweets so I hope you both aren’t too mad.”
Their faces immediately lit up at the pastries in front of them.
“Hyung, how did you even get this??”
“Ahjussi, this must’ve been really expensive!”
“I got them as a favor.” Unraveling the parchment paper, he handed them each one piece. “They were made yesterday so they’re still fresh.”
“Where’s my gift?”
At the new voice, Kim Dokja turned around. Upon seeing familiar blonde locks, he smiled. “You’re welcome to try some as well. I have enough for everyone.”
Persephone peeked over his shoulder, eyeing the treats with curiosity. “That’s okay. The kids should eat them.”
“Where’s Hades?”
“He went over to the neighboring village to sell some of our produce.”
Kim Dokja watched as Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung ran over to the rest of the children, yelling that today was a special occasion. The bag of sweets were quickly passed around and pretty soon, they were all gone. He watched these children, all of whom were orphaned, happily scarf down the treats.
“How’s your business going?”
Kim Dokja diverted his attention back to Persephone, the person who took it upon herself to care for all these children. “It’s doing fine.”
“Has Gong Pildu bothered you at all recently?”
“No.” He was honestly surprised he hadn’t; usually he would visit his house at least once a month demanding him to pay back all his debt but several weeks had passed without incident.
“You’re welcome to stay here too if he comes. He wouldn’t dare do anything when there are children here. Plus, Hades can take care of him.”
“Thank you but I’ll be okay.” Kim Dokja initially thought the bundle of coins in his pockets were rather heavy—but now, he could barely feel the weight of it at all.
Persephone stared at him, wordlessly patting his shoulder. “Just know that you’re not alone, love.”
Kim Dokja faced her, smiling. “Yeah. I know.”
“Your Highness, maybe you should’ve ridden in a palanquin…”
“Are you saying you have a problem with my horseback riding, Bihyung?”
Flabbergasted, the head eunuch replied, “Of course not! I am simply concerned for Your Highness’ long-term well-being! This is not a short journey, and the sun is yea high and will surely cause welts on your skin!”
Yoo Joonghyuk signaled his horse to halt. “Am I the only one who’s uncomfortable here?”
Bihyung pursed his lips, his hands folded within the sleeves of his robes. “I apologize, Your Highness, I truly did not mean to cause any offense.”
“Your Highness.” Ricardo slowed his pace but did not completely stop. However, the upward slope of his lips did not go unnoticed by the crown prince. “I advise you to at least space out your jests throughout the journey to spare Bihyung unnecessary tears.”
Nudging his horse to continue their trek, Yoo Joonghyuk ignored the flabbergasted look on his eunuch’s face. “I will take your suggestion into consideration.”
Bihyung could only throw the amused Ricardo a dark glare.
The journey started a bit later than anticipated as there were delays in preparing the entourage. If they maintained their current pace, they should be reaching the village by suppertime. Thankfully, accommodations had already been arranged so he wouldn’t have to worry about camping outside for the night.
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at the clear sky that didn’t house a single cloud. It was perfect weather for an outing—
His view of the sky became obscured as they entered the forest.
—almost too perfect.
“Is something wrong, Your Highness?”
Ricardo had retreated to his side when he noticed he was not moving. Yoo Joonghyuk waved his hand, nudging his horse to march forward.
“It’s nothing. Let’s keep moving.”
And yet, despite his reassurance, Yoo Joonghyuk could not shake off the ominous feeling he had deep within his gut.
Ricardo must had noticed it too because his hands would never stray too far from his weapon, his back straightening at every little sound.
Perhaps he was being overly cautious for no reason. With a sigh, he was about to tell Ricardo that he need not be so vigilant when a faint rustle caught their attention.
Ricardo gripped the handle of his sword, his eyes darting around the greenery for suspicious activity. A few moments later, a bunny leapt out of the bushes, hopping past their parade and into another bush.
Bihyung’s shoulders sagged with relief. “It seems like the wildlife are rather active today, Your Highness. Let us keep moving.”
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at a tree in the distance where he thought was the source of the noise, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he quickly tilted his head back as an arrow zipped past him, nearly skewering his neck.
Bihyung gasped and frantically announced, “We’re under attack!”
“Protect His Highness at all costs!” Ricardo barked, swiftly unsheathing his sword.
Yoo Joonghyuk brandished his own weapon, launching himself off his horse.
In just a few seconds, everything dissolved into complete pandemonium. In terms of bodies, they were evenly numbered but a large portion of his group were unarmed civilians who were clearly powerless against these trained fighters. For every enemy that was slain, there were perhaps three of his own who met the same fate.
Yoo Joonghyuk speared the chest of a soldier who tried to sneak up on him, flicking his head away as blood splattered along the side of his neck. Breathing heavily, he charged for the next person, swinging his sword at their neck.
Thoughts swirled around his head as he tried to think of who the culprit behind this ambush could be.
He deflected a blade before it made contact with his neck, knocking the soldier off his feet.
Was it Olympus? It was no secret that this faction abhorred his very existence but they had been backing off on their hostility ever since he married the crown princess, who was the daughter of one of the head prime ministers in this faction.
He stabbed his sword into another assassin.
Then could it be Asgard, the queen’s primary supporter? They were perhaps the most cunning political party. But what would they gain from orchestrating an assassination attempt? The queen had an immensely strong foothold in the palace, and his father certainly had no plans to depose her any time soon.
Unless—
“Your Highness!”
He was yanked backward when yet another arrow nearly ended his life. In the next instant, he was back on his feet and being dragged away from the clashing of metal and screams of terror.
Ricardo bolted down the hill, slashing branches out of the way as three men trailed them closely. Gritting his teeth, he dug out an object from within his robes and threw it at the men. Moments later, there was an explosion that resulted in a thick veil of smoke. Taking advantage of this distraction, the two sprinted past the foliage and took cover behind an enormous bush.
“That won’t distract them from long. We must run as far as we can right now, Your Highness.”
“We can’t run away forever.”
“We can at least stall for time. I already sent one of our men back to the capital to signal the Royal Guards to—”
“They will not come,” Yoo Joonghyuk remarked, “because the queen is behind all this.” When their eyes met, he realized Ricardo already came to that conclusion as well. Beads of sweat accumulated along the side of his face. “I have about six arrows left. If I’m lucky, I can kill two people with each arrow.”
“Your Highness, there are easily more than 30 people out there.”
“We have both of our swords.”
“It’s much too dangerous.”
Breathing heavily, Yoo Joonghyuk gripped his sword. “If I’m going to die, I’d rather die trying.”
“That will not happen.”
Confused by the sudden shift in sentiment, he responded, “Weren’t you the one who just said it was too dangerous?”
“I propose a change in tactic.”
He raised an eyebrow. “It better be quick because we’re running out of time.”
Ricardo stared at him, his gaze unwavering. “Change clothes with me.”
Yoo Joonghyuk furrowed his eyebrows. “What? This is not the time to fool around, Ricardo.”
“I’m being serious.” He was already beginning to untie his sash. “Switch clothes with me.”
“And why would—” The words died in his throat as the rays of sun bounced off the gold emblem on the sleeve of his royal robes. Quickly realizing his intentions, he fervently replied, “No. I will not—”
“We don’t have a choice.”
Bristling, he went to launch himself from behind the rocks but was stopped by a firm grip on his forearm. Growling, he attempted to shake off his hand. “If you think I’ll willingly go through with your foolish idea, you’re horribly mistaken.”
“Even if we manage to kill everyone out there, how are you sure there will not be reinforcements waiting? Whether it really is the queen or someone else, they will do everything in their power to kill you.”
Freeing his arm from his hold, he shot him a defiant glare. “Then let them.”
Ricardo maintained his gaze, refusing to back down. “The day that Joonghyun died, I swore to myself that I would do everything in my power to ensure the same fate did not befall you.”
“Ricardo,” Yoo Joonghyuk’s pupils were dilated, his voice trembling, a sense of dread filling his stomach, “I will not have you sacrifice your life for me.”
“Yoo Joonghyuk.” He dropped his weapon and grabbed onto his shoulders, his grasp firm. “When we were younger, you promised you would grant me one favor. Do you remember?”
He did remember. He was a fresh adolescent, trying to sneak out of the palace for the first time. When he was caught by Ricardo, he begged him to accompany him outside the palace instead of sending him back, promising him he would return the favor one day.
“This is my one favor.”
He grasped onto his fist, weakly attempting to pry his fingers away. He answered, in a stricken voice, “Ricardo, I can’t—”
“Joonghyuk-ah.”
The way he held his gaze immediately transported him back into time, to that wretched day that haunted his memories.
Ricardo hastily shed his outer clothing, presenting it to Yoo Joonghyuk without hesitation.
“You must live. That is my final wish.”
“Damn, I shouldn’t have accepted this job.”
“Just be grateful you have help, asshole.”
Kim Dokja adjusted the wooden buckets so they balanced easier on the long pole, taking care not to spill the gallons of water. “You’re the one who offered.”
“Because if I didn’t, you’d try carrying all these buckets of water alone and probably collapse from exhaustion and then be eaten alive by hungry coyotes and then I would be responsible for taking care of the kids in this village which I absolutely do not want to do because it’d be incredibly annoying.”
He frowned. “Is this because of what Lee Jihye said the other night?”
“She was just stating the obvious.” She lightly panted as she continued the trek down the hill, eyeing his physique. “Her shoulders are broader than yours.”
“That’s slander.”
“You need to start facing the facts one—!!”
At her startled yelp, Kim Dokja whirled around and spotted her figure halfway down the hill. Hastily setting down his buckets of river water, he quickly stumbled down the steep hill towards where she had fallen.
“Han Sooyoung,” He helped sit her upright, scanning her body for any injuries, “are you okay?”
Rubbing the back of her head, she grumbled, “What the hell did I even trip on?” Her eyes surveyed the area, landing on the two fallen buckets that were now notably empty. “Damn it all, I carried those buckets for nothing!”
He scoffed, shaking his head. “You should’ve looked where you were going.”
“Hey, asshole, it’s not my fault there was a tree stump in my—” She released a loud gasp as her eyes widened dramatically.
Following her gaze, Kim Dokja nearly stumbled onto his bottom as he noticed a dark lump just several meters away that most certainly resembled a human body.
“Holy fuck, is that a corpse??” Han Sooyoung launched to her feet, taking careful yet steady steps towards the figure. When she got close enough to make out his features, she remarked, “Kim Dokja, it’s a person and holy shit, I think he’s dead.”
Kim Dokja, who had been following closely behind, knelt down in front of the figure and gently pushed the man’s shoulder so that he was now lying on his back. There was dried blood splattered all over his robes but he could perceive no evident active bleeding. Hesitating, he slowly pressed his fingertips against his neck while he observed his chest for any signs of breathing. The man’s face was deathly white but there was no denying the faint, rhythmic thrum underneath his fingertips.
With a quiet breath, he murmured, “Han Sooyoung, he’s still alive.”
“Not for much longer.” Han Sooyoung grimaced as she surveyed his body. “Look at all that blood. What do you think even happened to him?”
Judging by his attire, he came from a family of wealth. Kim Dokja didn’t know all the noblemen in his village but there weren’t many and he was sure he’d recognize this face even in passing.
“Maybe someone was chasing him from the capital,” he surmised. “The path to Hanyang isn’t that far from here.”
“So,” Han Sooyoung spoke, staring down at the unconscious man, “what do we do with him?” Squatting, she observed his face with a contemplative look. “Should we just leave him?”
“And leave him to die?”
“Well, how are we going to bring him back? And who’s going to take care of him?”
Kim Dokja didn’t say anything, quietly staring at her.
She suddenly frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. “I don’t like the look on your face.”
“What look?” he said, eyeing the unconscious man, the gears already turning in his head.
“The look you get when you come up with a stupid ass idea.”
“My ideas always work out well.”
“Because someone is always there to save your ass when things go to shit!”
Ignoring her remarks, Kim Dokja hung the man’s left arm over his shoulders, heaving him upward. He grabbed onto his hand and waist, ensuring a firm hold on the man.
“…What are you doing.”
Throwing her a smile, he said, “I have an idea.”
Yoo Joonghyuk opened his eyes.
However, he immediately regretted that decision when the bright daylight assaulted his vision, causing a massive splitting headache. Clutching his head in pain, he carefully sat up. Blinking, he rotated his head slowly towards his left and right. It was a small but tidy room which housed a small dresser, table, and the bedding he was currently laying in.
Footsteps drew closer.
On instinct, Yoo Joonghyuk reached for his right side. When he felt nothing, he stared at his hands in confusion.
The door opened.
“Oh, you’re finally awake?”
A rather scrawny-looking man entered the room, holding a tray with a single ceramic bowl.
“How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?”
Yoo Joonghyuk caught a glimpse of the dark brown liquid in the bowl.
Noticing his gaze, the man clarified, “Ah, this is herbal medicine. One of the doctors in town recommended that you drink this once a day given your injuries.”
He stared at the man silently.
The man frowned, setting down the tray. “Why aren’t you answering? Do you feel feverish?”
When a hand approached his forehead, Yoo Joonghyuk widened his eyes and swatted the offensive object away.
“Am I the only one who’s uncomfortable right now?”
The person in front of him blinked several times in confusion and what appeared to be slight annoyance. “What?”
His head throbbed but he refused to show any signs of weakness in front of this strange man. “Who are you?”
He raised an eyebrow at his confrontational tone. “I could ask the same to you.”
“Answer me, I asked you first.”
“You’re being awfully rude to the person who saved your life.”
It took a minute for Yoo Joonghyuk to process his words. He needed saving? Why? But more importantly, how come he couldn’t remember anything? No matter how hard he racked his brain, he kept drawing a blank.
His eyes scanned the room once more, and it dawned on him that he did not recognize where he was.
“Where am I?”
Nothing about his surroundings were familiar.
“You’re at my house.” The man drew closer, his head tilting slightly as he narrowed his eyes. “Hey, are you feeling okay?”
Yoo Joonghyuk met his gaze, ignoring the incessant pounding in his head. “Who are you?”
The man scoffed, his patience clearly wearing thin. “I told you, I’m—”
It was if there was a blanket over his thoughts, muffling any remnant of memories he tried to access without avail.
He quickly realized that it wasn’t just his environment that he didn't recognize.
He turned his head, his gaze falling onto a small mirror. Silently, he peered at the unfamiliar man in the mirror, belatedly realizing that that was actually his own reflection.
“And…” His mind reeling, Yoo Joonghyuk averted his gaze back to the stranger in front of him, “who am I?”
- bonus scene -
“He’s over there!”
Heavy footsteps littered the ground as they chased after an individual who deftly scaled the rocky path.
The man could barely catch his breath, his ragged breathing nearly holding him back. The clothes he adorned seemed ill-fitted for him, occasionally catching onto branches as he ran, ran, and ran—
—until he could run no further for he had reached the edge of a cliff.
The man sucked in gulps of air as he surveyed the violent waters that clashed against the rocky terrain below.
Three assassins emerged from the forest, their weapons already in their hands.
He gripped the bow in his hand, his eyelids fluttering closed, his decision already made a long, long time ago.
With a roar, he spun on his heel to shoot his final remaining arrow.
In that same instant, an opposing arrow sliced through the air and into his chest, right into his heart. The force of it propelled him backwards and off the cliff, his robes fluttering in the wind as he fell to his demise.
The assassins peered over the edge of the cliff to confirm with their own eyes that the man did not survive the fall.
One of them abruptly stood up and sheathed his weapon back into his scabbard. “We’ve done our job. Let’s go.”
As they trudged back into the forest, one of them lingered behind, his gaze locked onto the body floating away with the rapid waters, the royal insignia on the back of his clothes glinting in the sunlight.
In a tone imbued with awe, he muttered to himself, “The crown prince is now dead.”