Seowoo, wearing red hunting attire as if drenched in blood, glared at the two of them. Behind him, assassins in black masks were spread out like a folding screen.
‘At least fifteen, and if I count those hiding in the trees, easily over twenty.’
Hyunseo estimated the number of assassins. The smell of blood from the dead wafted from them. It was the blood of his royal guards and ministers. The scent of fresh blood reminded him of the corpses he had found in the grass.
Bodies drenched in blood, barely recognizable, were piled like trash behind trees. Each one had arrows from Doha’s clan embedded in them. The reason for their deaths was clear. It was to threaten Doha, Lord Kim, and their clan.
Sitting before those corpses, he bowed his head in silence for a while. A grinding sound escaped between his teeth.
“I will never forget your deaths.”
He wiped the faces of the bloodied corpses one by one with the hem of his clothing. As the blood was removed, young and clear faces were revealed.
“I’m sorry. I will certainly…”
With a pained expression, Hyunseo engraved the stiffened faces into his memory and whispered.
“Make the palace mine.”
These were faces he would never forget until his dying day. There had been too many sacrifices and deaths.
Thinking of them, strength entered Hyunseo’s hands.
Sensing something unusual, Doha pulled at Hyunseo’s waist. Only then did he emerge from his thoughts and look at Doha. With his teeth clenched, he seemed like he wouldn’t leave Doha behind. Even through his blurred vision, Hyunseo could see the determination in Doha’s eyes.
“Flower Bin.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Sensing what Hyunseo was about to say, Doha snapped firmly. Now that their position had been revealed to Seowoo, he and Hyunseo were one. Without taking his eyes off Seowoo, Doha whispered.
“If we die, we die together.”
It was impossible to leave one behind. His fate was already tied to Hyunseo’s. Ignoring his aching arm, Doha lifted Hyunseo’s body.
“I cannot leave Your Majesty behind.”
“…They can never kill me.”
“Why? Does Your Majesty have a dozen lives?”
At the grumpy tone, the corners of Hyunseo’s lips lifted. Perhaps from biting his lips the entire time they walked together, he tasted the metallic flavor of blood.
“What owner would kill his breeding horse?”
He couldn’t tell if the bitterness in his mouth was from the taste of blood or something else. His hand overlapped with Doha’s hand that was wrapped around his waist.
“They’ll keep me alive as long as they need me, so don’t worry.”
He interlaced his fingers with Doha’s. Despite restraining his scent, his strength was superior to an ordinary Yangin. When he dropped Doha’s hand, Doha looked at him in surprise.
“What are you doing!”
“What do you think?”
“…”
“I’m trying to save my beloved.”
In an instant, Hyunseo separated himself from Doha. Then, showing no sign of staggering, he faced Seowoo while hiding Doha behind him.
With his back straight and shoulders squared, Hyunseo embodied the ideal Yangin. His stature was so impressive that Doha standing behind him was hardly visible.
‘Now this is my king.’
Seowoo’s eyes sparkled. If he had been a man who succumbed so quickly to a drug, Seowoo wouldn’t have desired him. He wanted him because he was so strong.
He wanted to make him entirely his own, not to share.
“Your humble servant will attend to you, Your Majesty.”
Seowoo spoke as he approached Hyunseo. As if truly coming to serve a king in distress, Seowoo’s demeanor was polite and composed.
“Your royal face seems greatly troubled. I will take you to the royal physician, so please come this way.”
“Will only you and I leave the hunting grounds?”
“…If Flower Bin Mama returns empty-handed, everyone will be greatly disappointed. Mama should enjoy hunting more.”
Of course, as the hunted prey.
Hiding his true thoughts, Seowoo bowed his head. The plan was for the assassins to deal with Doha who would be left behind. They wouldn’t kill him, but they would make him wish for death. Conveniently, both the aphrodisiac used on His Majesty and the paralytic poison prepared in advance still remained.
‘I could use both if needed.’
He had deliberately formed his assassin group with superior Yangins. Since finding Doha, their scents had been leaking from behind. It was a scent tinged with excitement.
“If you promise Flower Bin’s safety, I will go with the Noble Consort.”
“Your Majesty!”
Doha called out to him almost shouting.
‘Are you trusting him now?’
It was obvious what would happen to Hyunseo in his Pleasure Period. Seowoo wouldn’t let such a good opportunity slip by. For Seowoo, who had been coveting Hyunseo’s seed all along, this was a golden chance that wouldn’t come again.
“You’re going with the Noble Consort now?! Don’t you know what will happen if you go now?”
Doha hurriedly tugged at Hyunseo’s sleeve. However, despite the pulling, Hyunseo didn’t budge from his spot. Standing firmly like a tree rooted in the ground, he looked down at Doha.
“The Noble Consort will guarantee your safety. You must live… and return to the palace again.”
“What’s the point of returning to the palace?”
“…”
“When Your Majesty personally becomes a breeding horse!”
To plant his seed like a beast in someone he didn’t desire. It was like saying he would act solely for reproduction, regardless of feelings.
That damn palace. What was the palace worth?
When Doha looked at him with resentful eyes, Hyunseo silently hardened his face. This wasn’t easy for him either.
‘But there’s no choice.’
He couldn’t leave Doha to share the fate of his royal guards and ministers. Hyunseo gritted his teeth. His best option now was to save Doha.
His plan was to first send Doha to safety and then use his own life as leverage. A consort without a king was like a kite with a broken string. Seowoo wouldn’t easily take his life.
‘Since he runs around the hunting grounds as if it’s his own home, he will find me in there.’
The longer he dragged it out, the more advantageous it would be for him. If he negotiated with Seowoo bit by bit, Dojin would eventually appear. Counting time by watching the shadows, he opened his mouth.
“I would not refuse even becoming a breeding horse to protect you.”
A low voice flowed between his clenched lips. It was both a statement to Doha and a self-affirmation for Hyunseo himself.
“Who asked you to protect me like that? I can protect my own body, but Your Majesty…!”
“That’s my way of loving.”
Hyunseo coldly removed Doha’s hand from his sleeve. Turning his back on Doha, who was looking at him with a bewildered face, Hyunseo turned his head. He spoke to Seowoo, who was quietly waiting for him.
“Answer me, Noble Consort. I have wagered what you want.”
Having finished calculating during the two’s argument, Seowoo nodded.
“How could I harm Flower Bin Mama? If Your Majesty grants my wish, it won’t be difficult to escort him back safely.”
It wasn’t a losing deal. Although it was regrettable that he couldn’t ruin Flower Bin, today wasn’t the only day. When Seowoo gestured to the assassins standing behind him, the leader standing at the front bowed.
“Our deal is made, Your Majesty.”
With a coquettish smile, Seowoo slowly stepped forward. As he approached, Hyunseo groaned at the intensifying scent. He was nearing his limit.
‘It’s a miracle I’ve held out this long.’
It felt like his legs would give way at any moment. His lower body was stiff and his thighs tensed. He wanted to collapse and thrust his hips like a man out of his mind.
Having approached unnoticed, Seowoo rested his head against Hyunseo’s chest. Seowoo looked up at him with loving eyes, as if looking at a beloved.
“Your Majesty, please, with me…”
“Ugh…”
With a short groan, Hyunseo embraced Seowoo. Every point of contact stung as if burned. His entire body was rejecting Seowoo. Unlike when he embraced Doha and felt satisfaction, embracing Seowoo brought up feelings of disgust.
Hiding his desire to tear Seowoo away immediately, Hyunseo whispered affectionately.
“It would be better to send away the intruders now.”
“Ah, of course, Your Majesty.”
Raising his head from Hyunseo’s embrace, Seowoo looked at Doha. His expression seemed to ask why Doha hadn’t left yet, which contorted Doha’s face.
‘What the hell, sitting there with this nonsense.’
Are you filming some melodrama? Who asked for your sacrifice? No one asked for it, yet you’re sacrificing yourself and saying you just need to sleep with him—Hyunseo’s double nonsense was utterly contemptible.
If he thinks I’ll fall for him because of this, he’s dead wrong.
Doha returned Seowoo’s provocative gaze with equal intensity. Seeing Seowoo in Hyunseo’s embrace made him feel filthy. It felt as if he had lost his beloved to Seowoo, as if he had somehow come to think of Hyunseo as his Yangin.
‘It must be just a feeling.’
Dismissing his feelings as mere emotion, Doha sat down where he was. Then he secretly grabbed a stone he had been eyeing. It was a round, solid-looking rock. Glaring at Seowoo, he shouted.
“You bastards!”
Doha’s voice echoed loudly in the forest. He threw the rock at the back of Hyunseo’s neck.
“Ugh!”
The rock, flying in an arc, hit the back of Hyunseo’s neck with precision. As Hyunseo collapsed, Doha leapt nimbly and caught him. With Hyunseo trapped in his arms, he threw three daggers he had kept near his chest at the three assassins standing at the front.
“Aaargh!”
“Mama!”
No one had thought that Flower Bin, supposedly the flower of Siyeong Palace, had learned swordsmanship. So they let down their guard and relaxed. That was the gap Doha had aimed for.
Before they could regain their senses, Doha hoisted Hyunseo onto his back. Before, he had supported him to hide his abilities, but now there was no reason to do so. Unconscious, Hyunseo dangled from Doha’s shoulder.
“If you had just stayed still, you wouldn’t have been hit with a rock!”
Running at a fast pace, Doha shouted. It was a remark that the unconscious Hyunseo couldn’t hear. Frowning, Hyunseo groaned as if in discomfort.
“Urgh…”
Although he was breathless and sweat poured like rain, Doha didn’t stop. Seeing Doha disappear into the forest, Seowoo hurriedly gave his order.
“Chase them!”
“Yes, Mama!”
At Seowoo’s command, the assassins immediately pursued Doha. True to their skilled profession, they quickly navigated through the trees. The sound of footsteps approached fiercely.
The sound of breaking branches and crushed leaves followed behind Doha. Feeling as if a blade might pierce him at any moment, his entire body tensed. Moreover, having inhaled Hyunseo’s scent, he was moving much slower than usual.
‘I might get caught at this rate.’
Hearing the footsteps that had now approached close by, Doha looked back. Between the tree trunks, he could see the assassins in black clothes. They were approaching at a speed incomparable to Doha’s, who was carrying Hyunseo.
‘It’s too late to hide, and if I run, I’ll get caught.’
Biting his lip, Doha changed direction. It was toward the sound of water. With luck, he could entrust himself to the river. Since rivers flowed from high to low, it would also be easy to navigate.
“You must catch them no matter what!”
Seowoo, carried on the back of an assassin, shouted. He couldn’t miss this opportunity. Though brief, the memory of being in Hyunseo’s embrace was vivid. It was warmer and more comfortable than he had imagined.
‘He is mine. He’s mine!’
That embrace should belong to him, not to that insignificant Eumin. Seowoo’s eyes burned bright red. To reclaim Hyunseo’s embrace, he was now willing to do anything.
“I will bestow two jars of gold to whoever catches them!”
Two jars of gold. It was enough money to buy two tiled houses. With a sum that couldn’t be earned in a lifetime at stake, the assassins’ feet moved even faster.
The chase continued with Doha seemingly about to be caught at any moment. Constantly lifting Hyunseo’s body that kept slipping, Doha ran with all his might. After passing so many trees that he had lost count, light appeared between the trees.
‘There it is!’
Just a little more, just a little more.
Doha summoned his last strength to move his feet. His legs felt heavy, but he couldn’t stop with the sound of water growing closer. The light was getting nearer.
A faint smile appeared on Doha’s face. Yes, of course the protagonist can’t die. Even if shot with a gun or hit with an arrow, drama protagonists always survive.
With great effort, Doha and Hyunseo’s bodies passed through the light. The moment their surroundings brightened, Doha’s face contorted.
“Oh, shit!”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
