He was already passing by the same places multiple times. In a world where this tree looked like that tree and that tree looked like this tree, Doha had lost his way.
“Is anyone there?”
He shouted toward his surroundings, but there was no answer. They said they would drop everyone off at different hunting grounds, and it seemed they had truly left him far away from the others.
“Damn it.”
Getting lost was the last thing he wanted. Quietly muttering to himself, Doha jumped off his horse. Holding the reins, he led the horse and began walking forward.
As he walked through the forest, memories of filming came to mind. Strangely, it seemed he had a connection with mountains, as every production he worked on always included scenes set in the mountains. Even when he played Assassin 1, he filmed half of his scenes in the mountains.
All Assassin 1 did was run, roll, fight with swords, and kill people.
“Come to think of it, this is a perfect place for killing someone.”
With a face full of new appreciation, Doha looked around. Green trees grew lushly, untamed and unmanicured. Sunlight filtered through the broad leaves, making the tree trunks and wildflowers glisten as if they had found their true colors in the light.
It was in places just like this that Assassin 1 killed people one by one. There were many trees, making it good for hiding and for concealing bodies. Moreover, in a place like this, even if someone screamed, no one would come.
Just then, the sound of breaking branches came from deep within the forest. It was a familiar sound.
“Who’s there.”
As few people were around, the forest was quiet. And the quieter the place, the louder even small sounds became. In a place like this, one had to be careful even when stepping on branches.
Doha stopped walking and turned his head toward where the sound came from.
“I asked who’s there.”
It was definitely a sound made by a human. After tying the horse’s reins to a tree trunk, Doha approached the direction of the sound. The human presence grew stronger.
Behind a tree trunk, he could see the back of a person. There was a sword on the right side of their waist, and on their back, a quiver with arrows. As soon as the pink hunting outfit caught his eye, Doha realized who it was.
“Noble Consort?”
When he called out, the man in hunting clothes slowly turned around. A beautiful face came into Doha’s view. It was Seowoo.
“Flower Bin.”
With a stern face, he bowed his head to Doha. In this deserted place, in the forest where they didn’t have to be mindful of others’ eyes, Seowoo no longer acted. Doha met his coldly gleaming face.
‘Is this his true face.’
The expression etched on his face was close to nonexistent. Like someone who felt no emotions, Seowoo had an impassive face. He was neither surprised nor flustered at encountering Doha.
‘Because he no longer needs to act.’
Having finished his greeting, Seowoo emerged from the undergrowth. The way he brushed off the grass stuck to the lower part of his clothes suggested he was familiar with forests. After tidying his clothes, he looked at Doha.
“Have you lost your way?”
“Yes. Have you lost yours as well?”
Even without expression, his face was still magnificent. The title of unparalleled beauty might be most fitting for Seowoo. Blinking his large eyes, Seowoo answered.
“I have not lost my way.”
“Then?”
“I’ve been wandering around looking for you.”
Standing still in his place, Seowoo glared at Doha.
He wanted nothing more than to draw his sword and cut down this man. He wanted to separate his bones from his flesh and crush his face, but there were still things he needed to confirm.
Seowoo, who had been silently facing Doha, opened his mouth.
“Why now, of all times?”
“What are you talking about?”
At the sudden question, Doha asked again with an expression of complete bewilderment. Seeing him, Seowoo’s face twisted.
“I asked why you’re coveting His Majesty now, so belatedly.”
“I’m coveting His Majesty?”
“Are you not?”
No matter how he thought about it, it made no sense. This was the same Flower Bin who never cared whether he seduced or captivated His Majesty. Rather, whenever rumors spread about him and His Majesty, the Flower Bin would stay confined in Siyeong Palace and not come out.
Like a flower planted in Siyeong Palace.
“You never fulfilled your duty as a consort or as an Eumin. You didn’t even try.”
“…”
“You just bloomed prettily like a flower.”
“…”
“Utterly useless.”
The Flower Bin was different from him. Unlike someone who fought with a sword in hand, he was closer to a wildflower planted in the palace, quietly standing in place waiting for His Majesty. He merely endured, thinking that rain and wind were all natural phenomena beyond his control.
A flower should never speak. Especially not now, when Hyunseo’s Pleasure Period was approaching. The Flower Bin, who provoked him and ruined his plans, was a major obstacle to Seowoo.
“After acting like a fool who couldn’t even take care of himself.”
“Noble Consort, don’t cross the line.”
“You crossed the line first, Your Majesty. What exactly made you change your behavior?”
Killing intent mixed into Seowoo’s gaze. Glaring with cold eyes, Seowoo slowly approached.
“Weren’t you just waiting like a fool? All you did was wait in Siyeong Palace, regardless of whether His Majesty was ridiculed or ignored in court.”
Seowoo spoke, recalling the past days. Since entering the palace, Doha had never shown interest in what was discussed in the royal meetings. He didn’t know what stories circulated outside the palace, or what rumors were pressuring His Majesty.
Not even knowing what His Majesty was giving up because of him.
“How do you get everything without even trying?”
“…”
“A good family and even a soulmate, you obtained them all without any effort. While I was sacrificing myself for those things, you were just sitting in your room.”
“…There’s no point in us arguing here alone. We should resume the hunting…”
“You’re lowborn too.”
A sharp voice echoed through the forest. Biting his lip, Seowoo glared at Doha resentfully. His shoulders shook up and down with anger.
“You’re lowborn just like me.”
At the word “lowborn,” Doha’s face hardened. For Doha, who had lived as an omega all his life, the word “lowborn” touched a sensitive nerve.
“What, does the truth sting too much?”
It was clearly a mocking tone. Having confirmed Doha’s change in expression, Seowoo raised the corner of his mouth crookedly.
“Enough.”
Doha, who had been quietly listening to the grievances, issued a warning in a low voice.
“I don’t think I have the patience to listen any more.”
Clearly, he didn’t know what the pre-possessed Doha was like. Whether he had been cooped up in the palace waiting only for Hyunseo as Seowoo said, was unknowable. Because all he knew was the script.
‘But that doesn’t mean I need to take abuse from Seowoo.’
Doha lifted his head proudly and faced Seowoo. He took a step toward him.
“Why do you seek usefulness from me?”
He raised Seowoo’s chin with his slender finger.
“My very existence is my usefulness.”
Lowering his eyes, Doha burst into laughter. That was the difference between him and Seowoo. Seowoo who tried to find usefulness to prove himself, and I who already knew my own worth.
It must be because of that difference that he lives so desperately, grinding his teeth.
“No matter how much the Noble Consort acts up, His Majesty is more drawn to me who simply stays still.”
“…Are you crazy?”
“That is the fact and the truth.”
Selecting the most vicious smile from all the roles he had played, Doha smiled wickedly. It was a smile where the corners of his mouth rose but his eyes didn’t smile—the kind that showed contempt for the other person.
Seowoo’s eyes darkened when they met Doha’s. He seemed completely gripped by inferiority. Looking at those eyes filled with malice, Doha delivered his final blow. It was a retort using Seowoo’s own words.
“What, does the truth sting too much?”
He smiled like a villain.
At Doha’s question, Seowoo bit his lip. His tightly clenched fist trembled minutely. He wanted nothing more than to draw his sword right there and behead this man.
‘I will butcher that face of his.’
His entire body trembled with rage. With shaking hands, he drew the sword from his waist. The well-honed blade flashed in the sunlight. The blade turned toward Doha in an instant.
“Noble Consort!”
“…So you only fear me when I draw my sword.”
“Are you in your right mind?!”
Doha, who hadn’t imagined for a moment that Seowoo would draw his sword, called out his name. He stepped back, measuring the distance. The two were already too close for Doha to flee from Seowoo.
‘But I can’t fight properly either!’
It was better to keep his swordsmanship skills hidden for later. Moreover, if it became known that Doha, who had grown like a hothouse flower, could handle a sword this well—especially if it became known to his political enemy Seowoo—who knew what false accusations he might face.
Damn it.
Doha raised both hands and gradually retreated.
“Noble Consort, think carefully. No matter how isolated we are, I am still His Majesty’s consort.”
“If there’s a problem, eliminate the problem… Why didn’t I think of this before?”
His eyes had already turned wild. With sinister eyes, Seowoo slowly approached Doha. He seemed no longer able to hear Doha’s words.
For every step Doha took backward, Seowoo advanced the same distance. Before they knew it, the gap between them had narrowed.
“Ah…!”
Doha’s back touched his horse. He had already retreated to where he had tied his horse. Blocked by the horse, he could no longer step backward. Growing urgent, Doha put both hands inside his robe.
He gripped the handles of the two daggers hidden in his robes. The cold sensation of the metal transferred to his hands. He prepared for battle, ready to draw them at any moment.
“Being the same Eumin, what makes you think you’re so much better?”
Seowoo, who had approached close before Doha realized, held his sword to Doha’s neck. If he applied just a little force, Doha’s neck would be sliced. It was also close enough for Seowoo’s heart to be pierced by Doha’s daggers.
Doha pulled his daggers closer inside his collar and whispered.
“Noble Consort, calm down.”
“If I kill Your Majesty here, won’t His Majesty become mine?”
Seowoo, who had disheveled his hair with his left hand, looked at Doha with dispassionate eyes. Even in this moment, Doha showed no sign of despair. It was the composure of someone for whom death seemed distant. A composure that he himself had never possessed.
He had no backup plan. He had always forged ahead as if being chased. Days continued where he couldn’t predict even the next day, and he had to build his future without a single ally.
After entering the Chief State Councilor’s house, he received training to become His Majesty’s Eumin, and after training, he entered the palace, and after entering the palace, he tried to steal His Majesty’s heart amidst contempt and disregard. There was no choice of his own anywhere.
“While every day is despair for me… how can Your Majesty have no despair!”
Seowoo’s sword sliced through the air. In a moment before even a groan could escape, the blade dug deeply into flesh.
Blood gushed like a fountain onto the ground, thoroughly soaking both Doha and Seowoo. With a face covered in blood, Seowoo blinked his eyes closed and then opened them.
The blade was embedded in the heart of the horse that had carried Doha here.
“Huh.”
Only then, as if waking from a dream, did Doha breathe heavily. He looked at the horse with surprised eyes.
The horse had been standing where he was. When the blade was raised, he had felt something push his body, and it turned out to be the horse.
‘You saved me…’
The horse, with its eyes wide open, took a few steps forward before collapsing to the ground. The horse died slowly as all its blood drained out.
“No!”
Doha hurriedly tried to block the wound with his collar, but it was in vain.
“W-what is this.”
The blood that had gushed out once showed no sign of stopping. The legs and belly moved by reflex. Seeing this pitiful sight, Doha’s hands trembled violently.
Seowoo, who had been looking down at the horse, wiped his face with both hands, smearing blood on it.
“Ah.”
As if something dirty had stuck to him, he wiped his hands on his clothes and whispered.
“I aimed wrong, didn’t I?”
Seowoo raised his sword again.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
NOOOO WTAHT TF DID THE HORSE DO TO YOY??? 😭😭 that horse is innocent!!!