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Chapter Text

The year is 1690 . The King ascends the throne amongst turmoil throughout his kingdom. Crops have failed, pestilence wreaks havoc unchecked, and the Southern and Western factions are on the edge of a knife. There will be civil war, or there will be peace. An unstable peace comes at the expense of the King’s health. Nobody knows how long it will last.

The year is 1697 . The King’s first child is born to a concubine, Royal Consort Sowon, rank 4. The child is a boy, and is named Jeonghan. The Southern faction rally around the child, petitioning the King to hail him as heir to the throne. The Western faction rally against, in the Queen’s favor, as an heir can only be born to the Queen herself. The King’s loyalty to the Western faction wavers in sight of his newborn son.

The year is 1699. The rice crops fail. The country is thrown into chaos, despair and worst of all, hunger. Rice prices from China are exuberantly high. Pirates raid the islands from their safe burrows near Japan. There is civil unrest the government is not prepared for.

In the winter, there is a raid on the palace, the last place in the capital Hanyang that holds unspoiled food. The King is almost murdered in the stampede of starving citizens. Bandits are sent to kill the King during the uprising, but are halted by his personal bodyguard. The ministers of the Western Faction come to the King’s aid with a personal army of 2000 strong, saving him and his family from certain death.

The King’s personal bodyguard dies three days later of his injuries.

In the trials for rebel leaders that would kill the King and ransack the palace, 128 men are hanged, and 75 are banished. Among them is the leader of the Southern faction, against whom no real evidence could be conjured.

The year is 1701 . The King’s second child is born to the Queen. The child is a boy, and is named Jihoon. The child is immediately hailed as heir to the throne, satisfying the Western faction’s need for a hold on the next heir to Joseon. The Southern faction, in absence of their leader, accepts defeat – for now.

The year is 1705. While the four-year-old Crown Prince sleeps peacefully, assassins break into the palace to make a swift end to his life. A young guard-in-training slips into the Prince’s room and makes quick work of the would-be murderers. When morning comes, attendees find the Prince gripped to the trainee, unwilling to let go of his saviour amidst the bled-out bodies on the floor.

The year is 1712. The Crown Prince is eleven years old. At his birthday party, an attempt is made at his brother’s life: two days later, an attempt is made at his own. Prime Minister Yang Hyunseuk, leader of the Western faction, explains that if the Prince wishes to be King, he must obey the Minister in everything.

It is the first time the Crown Prince realizes his life is little more than a pawn in a game, and if he wishes to keep it, he must play the game as nobody has before.

The year is 1713 . Choi Seungcheol, the Prince’s bodyguard, is sent away to head up a military expedition to Busan, where public unrest is but one of many effects of constant pirate raids. The Crown Prince, who is not permitted to speak to his older brother, is alone for the first time in his life.

                In the winter, there is an attack on the Crown Prince’s life. All evidence points towards his brother, fifteen-year-old Jeonghan, having ordered the attack himself. The King refuses to banish the Prince, but moves him to live outside the palace.

                The first and only words the brothers speak to each other are at the palace gates. “I would not harm you,” says Jeonghan, “my only brother.”

                The Crown Prince simply replies with: “I know.”

The year is 1720. King Jihoon ascends the throne. Choi Seungcheol is recalled from Busan.

“My King, I offer my services and my life to your wellbeing.”

“Good,” the King answers softly, voice heavy and dream-like. “I will need you, in the end.”

Chapter Text

The King held his arms outstretched on either side, head high, chin up, erect and perfect like a doll as his bodyguard watched the process of dressing in some awe.

When Seungcheol had left the capital seven years ago he left a child behind. A child that had been clingy and somewhat annoying, who never obeyed any kind of order or advice and often had little thought beyond his schoolbooks and board games. And although the Prince had been one of the most annoying types of children, something in Seungcheol’s chest had felt as heavy as lead as he left the palace. It had come not from a disbelief that his replacement, Kim Mingyu, could keep the Prince alive, but from a desire to protect the child from the political tug-of-war that was being played out on his heartstrings.

He had assumed there would have been some change between the eleven-year-old he had left, and the nineteen-year-old man he was to return to, but the difference between the two was more marked than he could have imagined.

Impossibly, his face had stayed almost exactly the same: he was a handsome, pretty man – not unlike his brother in the smooth planes of his face, or rounded eyes or serene attitude. But where the Prince was almost feminine, distinctly angular and sharp, the King would never be: his face was still round, still held thick, pink cheeks under a light, unassuming brow. His face had remained entirely the same, but the King’s eyes were not as they once were.

The Crown Prince had always had a fondness for the bodyguard who had saved him when he was four: there was always a smile in his face for Choi Seungcheol, a warmth of attitude. When the Prince had played in gardens or even at his books, there was a glint in his eye full of life and vivacity, and of that there remained not even a relic.

The King was stone-hearted, cold and uncaring.

Seungcheol was fascinated to watch this unknown creature, this porcelain doll, be dressed in blinding silks with royal golden embroidery on them: to see his crown placed upon his head by a eunuch, and to watch with some familiarity as the room bowed to their king.

“I’ll come out in thirty minutes,” a cold voice ordered “Be sure I’m not disturbed during that time.” The King sat carefully at his desk, opening a book as his eunuch and maids shuffled their way out: Seungcheol took his place in the middle of the floor in front of his desk, waiting to be ordered.

The King barely looked up at him. “Choi Seungcheol.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

“You’ve been serving the Royal Guard faithfully in Busan for many years.”

An awkward silence fell: when the King looked up, it was to stare at the guard with round, cold eyes that demanded answer.

“Yes, your majesty.”

“It’s been a while since you were last in Hanyang. Have you been back to see your mother?”

“No your majesty, I came straight here. How could I delay on an order your majesty has given me?” The man gave a smile at the idea. “I hurried to see you, your majesty.”

If the King was impressed, he showed no sign of it. “When you’re done here, go to your mother’s house directly. She’s been waiting a very long time for you to return. Don’t be an unfilial son.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King sighed a little and stretched to sit straight, surveying his guard. “You’ve served a long time, and been away from home a long time, Choi Seungcheol. The reason I called you back to Hanyang is because you were my first bodyguard and I always trusted you as a child. Now that I’ve ascended my father’s throne I was hoping you would still carry out that duty, but my thought is entirely selfish and self-centred.” There was a pause. “I won’t ask you to stand by my side as my guard if it’s not something you want.”

A lump formed in Seungcheol’s throat: why it pained him so to hear the King speak in such a detached manner – as if they had not been joined at the hip when he was a child – he was not sure, but it seemed to stab at him. “Your majesty, how could I refuse such an honour? What a great thing it would be to-”

“I’m not asking if you enjoy the honour,” the King snapped sharply. “I’m not offering you the position to honour you. I’m not offering it because it’s an honour you can’t give up, I’m asking you outright whether it’s something you want to do for me. Don’t say yes because it’s an honour. Say yes because you want to be, or say no.”

The guard frowned. “If I said no?”

“You’ll need a job, of some sort. I could put you on detail for my mother. Or if you’d prefer to work as a sell-sword outside the palace gates, I’m sure there’s something I can arrange with one of the ministers.”

“Why should your majesty go to all that trouble for one lowly bodyguard?”

“Because,” the King reiterated, looking up from his book in slight annoyance, “you are the only reason I’m alive today, and you took care of me when I was a child, and they day you left was-” With one single breath the King regained his composure, tone coming up from its dark scale, fierce scowl lifting, back straightening. “Because I owe you my life and I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Choi Seungcheol broke out into a broad smile. “Your majesty, nothing would make me happier than taking my place by your side once more.”

This statement was evaluated for a moment. “Good.” The King slammed his book closed. “You should meet with Kim Mingyu soon to agree on a roster. I have no preference when to see whom, but I will allow neither of you to watch me for more than one day and one night together, so tell him that, as well. The position is not a light one and I will expect you to be by my side every moment of the day. I will have precedence to tell you to go places and do things without warning or given reason. I have no obligation to tell you how or why. I do not repeat myself. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Good. Now go see your mother.”

“Yes your majesty.” He almost got up to bow and leave, but then settled back into his seat. “Your majesty, might I make a comment?”

“You may,” the King answered, flipping his book open with disinterest.

Seungcheol bridled a moment. “Thank you for bringing me back. I missed you.”

It was the second statement that made the King look up – with a dark look in his eyes, distrustful but surprised, as if it gave him new information to ponder. After a few moments he simply cocked his eyebrows once, dropping his sight back to his book. “Welcome back to the palace, Choi Seungcheol.”

Chapter Text

Kim Mingyu stood tall, almost gangly in his height: he was not weak, for sure, but his height and his size seemed out of balance.

“Don’t stand to attention like that, at least not while we’re together like this,” Seungcheol smiled carefully. “I took care of His Majesty as a child and when I had to leave you took over. We are at least equals.”

“I don’t think so, sir. You outrank me. Twice.”

“That’s alright. His Majesty instructed me that neither of us are allowed to serve more than a day and night consecutively. If you don’t have a preference for either, then we’ll just serve twenty-four hours each.”

“Yes sir.”

Seungcheol sighed deeply, blinking his eyes, already tired: the motion broke Mingyu’s rigid stance, a smile engraving on his face.

“It must be tough being back.”

Seungcheol chuckled harmlessly, straightening his back. “God, I met with His Majesty this morning, and I thought the duress was going to crack my skin like clay. Is he always so… so…?”

“Intense?”

“Intense.”

“Yes. For as long as I’ve known him.” The guard cocked his head. “He wasn’t like that as a child?”

“No! No he was… vivacious and light-hearted and warm.”

Mingyu straightened a little at the thought, pulling a face. “If you don’t mind, sir… you might not want to say that in front of His Majesty. Or anybody else, for that matter. You could get yourself into a lot of trouble.”

“That so?” Seungcheol’s eyes darted around his new personal office, taking in the sight of it all. “You’re right, of course. We shouldn’t speak of His Majesty’s personal matters in public. Of course.” He surveyed his now second-in-command. “Mingyu, his Majesty has ordered me to visit my mother’s house. It’s here in Hanyang, so I’ll trade you off tonight. Can you watch His Majesty until I get back?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good man. If His Majesty ever gives us a night off together, I’ll treat you to drinks.”

Kim Mingyu burst out a broad smile. “I’ll hold you to that, sir.”

The King’s only acknowledgement was a raise on the eyebrows as his bodyguard entered to sit in the corner of his room.

It took him several minutes. “Choi Seungcheol?”

“He has gone to visit his mother, your majesty. He plans to return in time to stay up for Your Majesty’s night shift.”

“I see.” His majesty moved some papers and continued reading. “Did you assess his character?”

“As your majesty ordered me.”

“What did you find?”

“I believe him to be a man of upright justice and calm inner balance, your majesty. Forgive me, but he seems too peaceful to be your majesty’s bodyguard.”

“Explain,” was the cold order.

“I believe that his resolve to protect your majesty would waver if he found your majesty’s judgement to be clouded or unjust.”

The King’s eyes flashed as he looked up: with what sentiment, Mingyu could not understand. “And yours would not?”

He bowed. “My life’s purpose is to protect your majesty from your enemies, no matter your majesty’s feelings, judgement or otherwise. My life belongs to you, your majesty.”

The King observed the guard for a long moment before returning to his books.

“Your Majesty, it is Choi Seungcheol.”

“Show him in.” The King turned to his court lady, waiting in the eaves, in her green robes. “Court Lady Choi, you can take the dishes away now.”

“Your majesty,” a whining chorus came: the head eunuch prevailed over the mistress of the kitchens. “You’ve hardly eaten. Please eat more.”

The gaze his majesty laid upon his eunuch shot something like ice through the servant’s veins: he shuddered at the cold cruelty in them, but maintained his bow regardless. “Please!”

A thick silence fell in the room as Seungcheol surveyed the situation.

“Head eunuch,” the King practically cooed, “I’m sure you’re far better versed in the law of this country than I am at your age, so please, refresh my memory – about what happens to the King’s servants when they defy their King?”

“Please!”

The look His Majesty King Jihoon laid upon his servants was deadly. “Do not make me repeat myself in my own hallway.”

Within moments the food was taken away, and the space cleared: servants shuffled out and became nothing more than dark silhouettes on the other side of the door. Kim Mingyu waited for his superior officer to let him off and then escaped the tense atmosphere left by the King’s position.

“Reporting as ordered, your majesty.”

“Choi Seungcheol.” His majesty glared at him. “You smell.”

Chapter Text

“Your majesty?”

“I said, you smell. What is that scent?”

“Fo-forgive me your majesty, I was not aware-”

“It’s floral.”

Seungcheol looked up, and then back down again as he bowed. “Forgive me your majesty. My mother and her friends wear strong perfumes. I believe it is jasmine and hyacinth.”

“Your mother’s friends? Did you have a party when you were home?”

“Forgive me your majesty. I spoke in haste. I believe those visiting her were Lady Yang and her daughter.”

The King looked up instantly. “The First Minister’s wife?”

“And daughter, your majesty.”

“Your mother is friends with these people?”

Seungcheol bit his lip.

“Answer.”

“I believe the acquaintance has a façade of friendliness, your majesty, but I dare not comment on it publicly.”

The King watched him for a moment. “Who is First Minister Yang’s daughter?”

“I believe her name is Yein, your majesty.”

“I see.” The King stared at him for a while before continuing. “Sit.”

He sat.

“You found your mother well, I take it?”

“Yes your majesty.”

“She should be. She’s been in the palace every week.”

Seungcheol leaned forward in serious surprise.

The King gave rolled his eyes and gave the man a bothered look, tone even. “To nag at my mother, not at me, don’t look so outraged. Anyway, you’re home now, so perhaps I might get some rest in this place without-”

“Your majesty.”

His majesty’s eyes closed in silent horror.

“It is Her Majesty the Queen.”

The King didn’t even twitch. “Show her in.” At the slightest movement from the corner his eyes flashed open. “Who told you to move?” he snapped.

Seungcheol gave the King a helpless look from the position near the middle of the room he’d been assigned, extremely close to the King’s person. “Her Majesty surely takes precedence-”

“You move when I tell you to, Choi Seungcheol.” His chin raised at the sight of Her Majesty the Queen entering the room, full of poise and grace and power that swept with her skirts.

“Your majesty… husband,” she carefully bowed, allowing for a grimace at the man near her husband’s feet. “I have not seen your new guard.”

“Choi Seungcheol. He has nothing to do with you.”

“Might I sit?”

“You might not.”

“Then I might speak with your guard.”

“I see no reason why that would interest you.”

The Queen was not an ugly woman; young, fair and warm with bright eyes and laughter that carried like music. “What a strange thing to say, dear husband,” she smiled, turning to the guard. “Choi Seungcheol, is it?”

The guard stood in order to bow as deeply as possible. “Your majesty.”

“I have not seen your face before. How is that possible?”

“Forgive me, your majesty. Under the late King’s request I was sent to maintain the peace in Busan. His majesty the King has requested me to return to his side. I arrived this morning.”

“Ah, I see,” she smiled kindly. “Work hard for my husband. He works tirelessly. His safety is of utmost concern.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Please, don’t remain standing on my part.”

“What do you want?” Dark eyes flitted from under a crown to the Queen’s face. “You didn’t come all the way here directly after your meal to see my new guard.”

“I came to request information, your majesty,” she smiled innocently.

“Well?”

She bridled, standing fast, eyes darting to Seungcheol.

“He is my senior bodyguard. He can hear anything and see anything. If it makes you feel better you can imagine him as a toy or a piece of furniture, an entity without ears to hear or heart to feel. Speak.”

The Queen squared her eyes on her husband with steady resolve. “Then, I was wondering dear husband, whether you had decided on a date to lie with me and consummate our marriage.”

Both men in the room balked, and though it was not visible, the entourages outside the room all looked up in disgrace and horror at the impertinent question.

“Excuse me?”

“Her Majesty the Queen Dowager feels that sooner is preferred over later. We have been married for years and you have not bothered to grace my chambers with your presence.”

“I’ve been busy,” the King ground out between clenched jaws.

“Many men are busy, your majesty.”

“Many men are not the King of Joseon.” A cold threat blew in his eyes. “Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”

Her eyes darted to his desk and back to his face. “Her Majesty the Queen Dowager asks you visit her more often and Her Majesty the Grand Royal Queen Dowager is feeling ill and feels that a visit from her grandson would lift her spirits. She will inevitably tell you that the only way she will feel better is if her grandson would grant her a great-grandson before she died.”

“The Grand Royal Queen Dowager has physicians to look after her and my mother cannot possibly be lonely, since she has such frequent company in you.” His expression became impassive and blank. “Anything else? No? Then you may return to your chambers as you see fit, Queen.”

In the Queen’s defence, she took whatever icy looks, dark orders and thinly veiled criticisms her husband threw at her with perfect grace: she simply smiled, bowing slightly. “Of course, husband.” She turned a little. “Choi Seungcheol. I’ll remember your name. When my husband has had enough of your services feel free to visit me any time.”

“Seungcheol has many duties to attend to,” the King muttered at his wife’s back. “This was enjoyable, Queen. Until next time.”

She turned in full ease to bow once more. “Until next time, your majesty.”

The door had barely closed behind her skirts when the King leaned over with a dark kind of sincerity in his eyes. “Choi Seungcheol, I forbid you to visit the Queen at any moment.”

Seungcheol bowed. “It was an improper request of her majesty. How could I, a mere guard, a man-”

“That doesn’t matter.” The King’s gaze was commanding as it was entrancing. “You are not to see her under any circumstances if you can help it, do I make myself clear?”

Seungcheol exhaled slowly. “Yes, your majesty,” he said softly.

The King straightened but didn’t return to his textbook: instead he closed his eyes in silent thought, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly. “Seungcheol, you’re my personal bodyguard. What should I do about a threat that is not a threat?”

“…your majesty?”

“Nevermind.” He shook his head and sighed before turning again. “Are you surprised at how the Queen and I converse?”

“…forgive me, your majesty,” he said slowly, “but your relationship seems much the same as that of the merchants or commoners.”

The man with the round face sighed, leaning back. “Does it look that way to you?” he whispered, almost as if he were dreaming. “Are all couples so uncordial?”

“I believe many marriages soon turn to a steady, mutual nagging, at the first sign of trouble, your majesty.”

The King almost smiled. “The difference between the nagging commoners in the street, Seungcheol, and her Majesty and myself, is that our nagging weighs the balance of the nation. If either of us go too far without giving up what we don’t want to lose, one of us will die.”

“Your majesty!”

“That is the true nature of Kingship,” he said matter-of-factly. “My personal life isn’t my personal life, it’s a matter of public interest. I have no say in it. I’m the most powerful man in Joseon and I can’t even decide for myself how much food to eat. Even that is regulated for me.”

Slowly, Seungcheol shifted angle, pressing his forehead and hands to the floor. “Your majesty…”

The King turned to him, frowning lightly. “What are you doing?”

“Forgive me your majesty, but I beg of you… please eat well, your majesty.”

“…excuse me?”

“Your majesty’s wellbeing is my topmost priority.” The words came out scratched, as if he was hoarse, under the heavy duress of what he was saying. “I beg your majesty to eat well. Without the strength of food that you are given, your majesty’s body will decay and fail, and how shall I explain myself to God when I outlive my King? I beg of you, your majesty. Please eat well. Take my life if you must for my insolence, but please eat well.”

The King, with his round eyes and young face, simply stared at the man on the floor. “What nonsense is this? Choi Seungcheol!” The snap did nothing to move him. “Look at me!”

Seungcheol raised his head slightly, but did not look the King in the eye.

Unsatisfied, the King moved his things away, crawling towards his bodyguard, gripping the man’s face in between his hands. “Under what circumstances do you think you are living,” he said quietly, “for you to be saying you will give up your life so easily?”

Within moments, the guard had been caught in his majesty’s gaze: there was no looking away, no turning his head. It was hypnotizing to be so close to the King, to feel his breath on his skin: to have been gone for so long and to have come back to find a strong, powerful, wilful man was exhilarating.

“Your majesty?”

“Did I bring you back to Hanyang to take away your life?” was the soft reply. “Is your life meaningless to me that you talk about giving it up so easily? If there were only two people in the world that could survive, it would be you and I, so don’t you dare utter those words to me again, do you understand?”

The words had been so gently spoken, it was as if they had melted in the King’s mouth: all Seungcheol could do was nod, until he was released and the King sat at his desk again.

“And another thing. If I see you begging with your head to the floor like that again I won’t let you get away without punishment. Speak and act with dignity.”

A blush settled on the guard’s cheeks he hadn’t felt in a while. “Y-yes, your majesty.”

“Are you scheduled for the nightshift, then?”

“Yes your majesty.”

“Good.” The King looked over at him with his usual coldness returned. “You converse well. I like to talk before I sleep. Kim Mingyu does not offer good conversation.”

“Oh?”

“Mingyu does not understand the importance of silence.”

Seungcheol did understand the importance of silence and therefore, was silent.

Chapter Text

“Do you drink, Seungcheol?”

“I do not, your majesty.”

“Ever?”

“Rarely, sire.”

“When do you drink?”

“When I am not at work; when I foresee no work any time soon, and am at a gathering or party of some sort, your majesty.”

“How diligent of you.” The King poured over his books. “When you are with me, Choi Seungcheol, you shall drink when I bid you.”

“No more than tea, your majesty.”

The King gave him a sharp look. “Excuse me?”

“My function towards your majesty’s wellbeing must take precedence over your majesty’s temporal commands. I cannot protect your majesty’s sacred body if I have retained alcohol. Please forgive my rude, undeserving self.”

The King stared at him for a long time. “…tea?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Suk!” The sound, harsh and staccato, brought forth the King’s head eunuch. “Tea, two cups.” The King glanced at his bodyguard. “…and have them bring some sweet snacks, too. I’m hungry.”

The look on the Eunuch’s face brightened at the idea of his King eating. “Yes, your majesty. I’ll have them bring it in right away.”

“You understand,” the King muttered in a cutting, almost accusatory voice, “that I do this out of consideration for your feelings, Choi Seungcheol.”

Choi Seungcheol could only smile, bowing deeply. “Even if it is only to satisfy the insolent begging of a dog like me, your majesty, I will thank God you take care of your body.”

The King made a sound not unlike kch, giving his new bodyguard a sneering look. “Choi Seungcheol, are you stupid? I used to remember you as a smart person I looked up to as a young child. Has the Busan air taken your mind along with it?”

“…your majesty?”

“You seem to not understand what I said, so let me be clear from now on. You are my bodyguard. My senior bodyguard. You live with me, piss with me, die with me. You are the creature I rely on to keep me in this life on this earth as long as possible. You are to act like a limb of my own body. Being such, you should not grovel, bow your head to the floor, or call yourself names like dog. You’re to conduct yourself with dignity and prestige, and pride at the position you hold. Kim Mingyu understands this concept better. If you have questions about it, you may ask him. Do I make myself understood?”

“Yes your majesty.”

“Good. When the tea comes, pour yourself a cup.” The King leaned back onto his cushions and scoured the book he held with ease.

Seungcheol waited: when the tea and snacks arrived, the King didn’t even flinch, so he moved to pour the tea as instructed. He poured two cups, smiling to himself as he remembered doing this for a petulant seven-year-old many years ago. He picked up a small brown snack, holding it up for a moment before freezing.

Old habits die hard, he thought, letting his hand fall a moment.

“I’m not a child anymore,” came the cold reply to an unspoken comment. “You can’t throw the dasik snacks at me anymore for me to catch in my mouth.”

“Forgive me your majesty. It was unsightly of me.”

“You were reminiscing. It’s fine.” The King put away the book he was holding. “Chestnut. You remembered. Here.” He held out his palm. “Give it to me.”

“Your majesty?”

“Really? I just told you you’re to act as part of my body, but you still think it’s above you to hand me a snack?”

“…apologies, your majesty.” Seungcheol deftly took the snack from his palm and gently placed it on the King’s. “Please eat well.”

“Hmph. With your best wishes for my health, of course.” The acidity wasn’t lost on either of them, but the King ate the snack nonetheless, chewing on it thoughtfully. “This tastes different.”

Seungcheol’s head picked up suddenly, fear in his eyes as his gaze darted around the room. No food taster. “Your majesty?!”

“Relax, it’s not bad. I don’t let people taste my midnight snacks.” The King scowled, swallowing the remainder of the dasik disc. “It’s not a bad taste.”

“Your majesty, even poisons can be made to taste sweet, if you would allow me-”

“You’re really stupid, aren’t you?” The King let his cool demeanour face a moment, giving Seungcheol a squint. “Sit back down. It still tastes like normal dasik. It just… tastes like it did years ago. Or at least, reminds me of the dasik they used to make years ago. Lately the taste of honey has been sour in my mouth, but this is quite pleasant.” He gave Seungcheol a wary glance. “Maybe it’s that you’re back. Maybe you make my food sweeter.”

“Your majesty,” Seungcheol panted, already sweating. “What if you are harmed?”

“Then isn’t it my fault for telling them to stop tasting my snacks? Sit down.”

Seungcheol sat.

“What tea is this?”

“Please your majesty, allow me to taste it first.” It cooled Seungcheol’s anxiety to try the tea. “Jasmine,” he said quietly. “And rose.”

“Ew. Rose.”

“Rose has cooling properties for the body. Please drink it.”

The King surveyed the cup with regained coolness and definite dislike, but drank it anyway. “Disgusting. I can’t believe you made me drink this.”

“Forgive me, your majesty.”

“Hm.”

The two sat in silence, drinking tea and eating snacks: when eventually the King demanded the tray be taken away, he was de-robed for the night, and moved into the adjoining sleeping chamber.

“Seungcheol,” he called coolly. “Hold your watch from inside my bedroom. I won’t be comfortable if you’re guarding me with a door between us.”

Seungcheol smiled a little. “Yes, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

“Choi Seungcheol.”

“Your majesty?”

“You’re breathing too loud. I can’t sleep.” The king turned in his bed to glare at his bodyguard in the darkness. “How do you sneak up on criminals to catch them, snorting like an angry tiger?”

He decided not to take offence. “I hold my breath, sire.”

“Can you do it all night long?”

“If I kill myself, yes your majesty.”

“Well, that won’t do.” The King sat up a little, rubbing his eyes.

“Should I call for a light, your majesty?”

“No.” A shadow waved its hand in the darkness. “No need.” He sighed deeply. “Seungcheol, do you remember the night we first met?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“How well do you remember it?”

“I remember the faded grey linen around my palms, the sound of the light breeze whistling through the willow that stands by the Prince’s quarter, the weight of your majesty’s little arms around me. I remember it well, your majesty.”

“Then you also remember… that.”

Seungcheol shuddered at the reminder, voice suddenly dropping to a more haunted hush. “Yes, your majesty.”

Silence fell.

“It still plagues you, your majesty?”

“There are no books, no scrolls, no ancient texts, no old wives’ tales that I haven’t tried and been let down on.” He paused, fingers gripping his sheets. “I gave up trying to find a cure two years ago.”

Seungcheol closed his eyes in pain for a moment. “I should have saved you.”

“I didn’t ask you back to haunt you. I don’t keep you here as punishment for not managing, you know. You were still only in training back then. What were you? Twelve? There were five of them. You kept me alive, and it was all I could have asked of you. I’m alive thanks to you.”

“You live a painful life because of me.”

“I live a painful life in spite of your best attempts. You were always like this back then, too. You need to forgive yourself. I certainly have. Being this dreary and sad and hurt all the time is bad for your skin. You’re going to grow old before your time.”

Seungcheol almost smiled at the King’s frankness. “Yes, your majesty.”

“Anyway, back then… you took care of it for years. It was… hard for me when you left.”

“Forgive me, your majesty.”

“It was my father’s order, you had to go. I don’t blame you. But… it became harder, after you left. To control it. I have come to a point where I… become that way… every night.”

Though he wasn’t visible in the darkness, Seungcheol’s scowl could be felt through the room. “Every… night? Even on cloudy nights?”

“Cloud, half moon, storm. It makes no difference.”

“My body is always here to protect your majesty and abide by your decisions. If you need me, I am ready.”

“…you came back knowing I would ask this of you, at some point.”

“…it did occur to me that it was possible you had not found a cure, your majesty. I never found a cure, either, as I sought out legends for your majesty’s sake, too.”

“…I don’t want to ask it of you, Choi Seungcheol.”

He wouldn’t admit it – not to the King – but the rejection hurt Seungcheol to his core. It shook him that he – he, the one who had stood by the King when he was still just a little Prince – was being rejected from the unholy rite that had been his to preside over all those years.

“I can almost hear you coming to stupid conclusions by yourself,” an acidic tone suddenly lashed. “If you’re going to think stupid things, can you do it a little quieter, Tiger Breath?”

“Forgive me, your majesty.”

“Anyway, the reason I don’t want to ask it of you is I feel I have no right. All those years as a child… we were both far too scared to tell anybody what happened the night they came for me, too scared to tell people the bond we had. That’s why I used you. Now that I am in a better position to judge things for myself… how can I ask you to sacrifice yourself again and again for me, when I’ve already taken so much from you?”

“My body is yours to command, my King. Then, now, forever.”

“That’s not the point.” The King never moved. “It’s not something a King should have to ask his bodyguard. It’s not something his bodyguard should have to agree to. I won’t ask you to help me, Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol scowled.

“I’ll have Mingyu come in.”

“Your majesty.” The bodyguard stood with resolve, marched over to the edge of the King’s bed and kneeled before beginning to pull off his shirt. “Please use my body. It is yours to use.”

The King stared at him.

“As your majesty said: I am to function as your own limb. As you told Her Majesty the Queen, you might think of me as a toy or piece of furniture without ears to hear or heart to feel. So please take what is necessary for your majesty’s wellbeing.”

“I told her that for her sake, not yours.” The King slid forward on the bed. “Are… are you sure?”

“Yes, your majesty. Please take whatever part of my body you need.”

The King’s fingers gently stroked Seungcheol’s hair a moment before gliding down his temple and over his jaw, to the neck. When the bodyguard tilted his head to the side, the young King chuckled to himself, instead picking up one of Seungcheol’s hands. “I’ve learned a neater way to do it. This way, you won’t be asked awkward or imposing questions.”

Without another thought, the vampire King bit down on Choi Seungcheol’s wrist, and began to suck his blood.

Chapter Text

It hurt more than he remembered – far more, especially when the King’s harsh fingers gripped his wrist so hard. The supple flesh of his neck had not yielded this kind of pain, but if it made the King happier to take his blood by the wrist, Seungcheol would not complain even a little.

The soft gulping sounds of his blood being slaked by the King were eerie and unsettling, enormously so. He had forgotten how sickening the sound really was for the feed, how the young Prince had learned to drink blood so quietly and so quickly. He had forgotten the feeling of the King’s cool lips on his bare skin, though it was different on his wrist to his neck. He simply closed his eyes and waited for it to all be over.

“Choi Seungcheol.”

The whole room seemed to glow red in accordance with the King’s eyes as they stared at him openly.

“Thank you.”

It took the bodyguard a moment to come back to his senses, eyelashes fluttering a moment. “T-there is nothing to thank, your highne- majesty. My existence is to serve you.”

“I didn’t mean just for the blood.” The King looked away before he could be answered. “Mingyu keeps the box over there. Wait here.”

Seungcheol sat in shock as the vampire King retrieved an engraved wooden box, opened it, and began to clumsily wrap the clean bandages around Seungcheol’s wrist.

“Your majesty.” Seungcheol placed a hand over the shaky, pale white one. “What are you doing?”

“…I’m bandaging your wound.”

He gulped. “W-why? I mean, there is no need your majesty. I can do it.”

“I want to.” The King ripped his hand from Seungcheol’s, continuing the steady circle around his bodyguard’s wrist. “I want to do… at least this much for you.”

Seungcheol watched him a few moments. “Do you do this for Kim Mingyu?”

“When I feel particularly hungry, yes, I dress his wrist as a mode of gratitude. Why?”

“He never mentioned?”

“Mentioned what?”

“That you’re terrible at it?”

The King dropped the roll of linen. “Excuse me?”

“Here.” Seungcheol pulled a small, linen-bound cushion from the box and placed it over the wound. “This will help the blood, then you bind the bandage around it like such, making sure the cloth doesn’t double over itself.”

The King watched silently. “Kim Mingyu never complained.”

“…forgive me, your majesty, I did not mean to criticize. Your majesty’s precious hands should not be lending themselves to such vulgar work.”

“No, no, criticize away.” The King turned sharply, digging himself under the covers again. “When you’re done fixing your bandages, put them away again. Quietly, Tiger Breath.”

Seungcheol grinned the widest he’d grinned since coming home. “Yes, your majesty.”

“Seungcheol!” For the first few moments of wakefulness the King’s face bared all his emotions – desperation seemed to be the first, swiftly followed by shock and sheer happiness. It took him a moment of innocent, child-like shock to recover, flopping back into bed for a while. “You’re still here, then.”

“Is it not my duty to protect the King, even as he sleeps?”

“It is. I had a strange dream. It made me feel like maybe your return was a dream as well.”

“I am here, your majesty.”

“What kind of unsettling tone is that?” The King sat up, and his serene, cold look had returned. “Don’t use such an even, familiar, reassuring tone.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Stop it.”

“Yes, your majesty,” he continued.

“I’m not making jokes, Choi Seungcheol. Change your tone. Or have you suddenly lost the concept of respect?”

Seungcheol wiped the grin off his face and returned to his standard military voice. “Forgive me, your majesty.”

“That’s better.” The King stretched, mouth gaping, fangs vanished. “How’s your wrist?”

“My wrist belongs to you, your majesty. It will perform adequately for whatever your majesty desires.”

“Good. Today will be a long day.” He paused, arms lowering. “You have questions.”

“One, your majesty.”

“What?”

“Why the wrist, and not the neck?”

“Mingyu complained about having to wear cloth around his neck to hide the scars. He asked me if I couldn’t take it from his left wrist. Left, so as not to impede his skills with the sword too much.”

Seungcheol looked up in shock. “He complained? To you, your majesty?”

“He did. Vehemently.” The King eyed him. “Kim Mingyu and I are very close. He’s been my guard longer than you. We are familiar.”

Seungcheol bowed his head slowly in surprise. “Forgive me, your majesty. I did not mean to pry into your majesty’s personal relationships.”

“Are you upset?”

“No, your majesty.”

“Are you jealous?”

“No, your majesty.”

“Do you feel like you are treated unfairly when you hear how Kim Mingyu speaks to me?”

“No, your majesty.”

The King watched him cautiously for a moment. “That’s three lies you’ve told me today, Choi Seungcheol. No more, today.”

“…yes, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

“Please, your majesty!”

“Why do I sit here and listen to you complaining over and over? Haven’t I already said that-”

Seungcheol moved from his minor position in the back of the room to kneel and then bow low in front of the King. There was a stony silence as he was expected to speak, but he simply sat there, bowed forward in the middle of the room.

The King glared, and then some, but finally gave in. “How much will I have to eat?”

“At least the meat and half the rice,” he answered.

“If my stomach explodes, you’ll be hanged, Choi Seungcheol.”

“I accept, my King.”

“Fool.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

“Sit there. Don’t move.” The King squinted at him a moment before picking up a piece of meat. “If you move even one little bit, I won’t eat another bite.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“This isn’t fair.” The King dutifully swallowed the last piece of meat. “How can you not have moved even a little? Suk! Have you seen him move at all?”

The head eunuch bowed with a grin. “He is as stone, your majesty.”

“No matter how slowly I eat, you haven’t moved. Can’t you sneeze or something?”

“Please eat, your majesty.”

“At least get dizzy and lose your balance.”

“Some of the pickled onions will invigorate you for your morning walk too, if you can eat them, your majesty.”

“Stop adding more food to the things I have to eat, or I’ll stuff the onions down your throat myself.”

Seungcheol shut up.

“There, I’m done, you see? I even ate some of your precious pickled onions.” The King scowled. “How long can you sit like that?”

“Many hours, your majesty. I once had to sit like this with my arms up straight for a whole night as punishment in training.”

“You were a bad soldier.”

“I was a trainee who had too much lip.”

“You can stand now.” The King stood, and with him, his bodyguard. “I’m going out.”

“Choi Seungcheol, why are you all the way back there?”

“Your majesty?”

“Here.” The King pointed at the ground by his foot. “You’re to stand here. How are you supposed to protect my royal body from harm from three steps behind me?”

“Such a thing would be improper of a mere bodyguard, your majesty.”

“What?” The King turned to give his bodyguard the evil eye.

Seungcheol deliberated and moved two small steps until he stood just behind the King. “This is as far as I can go, my King.”

The King pursed his lips for a moment, glaring at him. “If I die because you’re not close enough…”

“That will never happen, your majesty,”  he smiled.

“How do you know?”

“I will save your majesty at any cost.” Seungcheol smiled.

“If an arrow is shot headed straight for my head, will you block it with your chest, and give up your life to save me?”

“No, your majesty.”

“Then?”

“I would block it with my left hand, leaving my right free to defend your majesty further, at all costs. Should it be necessary, I will use any part of my body to save your majesty from so much as tripping over a pebble.”

The King halted his walk abruptly, turning in nothing but shock.

Scary. Night is scary. I don’t like night. Especially full moon night. During full moon night, I do bad things to Cheollie. I hurt him a lot when that happens. He never complains though. He always smiles. But I know. I know better. Grandmother says I know when somebody is lying just by smelling them. I know Cheollie is hurt. But I don’t know why he does this.

Why, in the middle of the night, do we take long walks? After his neck has stopped bleeding we go out for long walks.

I point at the stone island in the middle of the pond. “I want to go there.”

“Please don’t, your highness. It is dangerous for you to go there. What if you fell in the water?”

“There’s stepping stones, right? Besides, you’re supposed to save me from tripping over a mere pebble.” I wince at the feeling of the fangs against my lips. “I want to go.”

“Your highness, ple- ugh.”

It all happens way too fast. I’m not used to seeing everything in the darkness. It’s very hard to concentrate when everything is in strange colors. I don’t like it. That’s why I don’t notice that the first stone is small. It’s too small.

Too, small, too small.

I’m falling. I’m falling down. I’m going to be wet. They will scold me.

But then I’m warm, dry and safe. I don’t know how Cheollie moved to quickly to grip me in the air and land in the water himself, but he’s holding me tightly to his chest, as if I’m his own child.

“Your majesty,” he whispers. “Are you hurt?”

I shake my head. But it’s that feeling again. The same feeling I got the night we met. That feeling that I am looking at somebody extraordinary. That feeling that Cheollie, who takes care of me, who feeds me, who stands by me, is not just some guard. He is special.

He tries to put me on a stepping stone.

“I don’t want to anymore.”

He simply turns, and tries to set me on land.

I can’t let go of him. For some reason, my arms won’t obey and let go. I don’t want to let go of my extraordinary Cheollie. I want to hold tightly to him. I want my Cheollie to carry me in his arms forever. It feels warm and safe when Cheollie holds me this way.

“Aren’t you going to let go, your highness?”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Then, must I carry you back to your room?”

“M-hm.”

“If I carry you everywhere, your highness, you will become spoilt.”

“Spoil me.” I press my face into his clothes. “I want to be spoiled by you.”

“If I spoil you, you’ll make a bad King.” But nonetheless, he’s getting out of the water, holding onto me. “You must become a good King, your highness.”

“Why?”

“Because when you become King, a lot of people will be depending on you to help them.” Seungcheol’s boots drip as he carries me. “And it is your highness’ duty to help them when you can.”

“…I see.”

Seungcheol bowed a little and continued to follow the King in his slow pace.

Chapter Text

“Her Majesty the Queen Dowager!”

The King closed his eyes in soft horror, very slowly putting down his pen. “Can’t we send her away sometimes,” he whispered softly.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate, sire.”

“Don’t listen to what I mutter under my breath.”

“Yes your majesty.”

Her Majesty the Queen Dowager flounced in with twice the regal atmosphere of her daughter-in-law: she barely assigned her son the necessary respect with a short bow before folding herself in a seating position. “Your Majesty.”

“Mother. How are you? My Queen tells me you are unwell.”

“Unwell? I’ve never been stronger. My will is stronger than my body. I’ll see you sire an heir yet, good child.”

“Why have you come here, mother?”

“How cold, to say this to your own mother. Fine, then. I’m here to play market.”

The King finally put down his pen with a sigh. “Really?”

“I will trade you any of my servants for one of your servants.”

“Who do you want to indoctrinate into your circle now, mother? I’ve already told you that you can’t have Suk.”

The Queen Dowager smiled. “The Queen tells me you have a new bodyguard. I-”

“You can have Choi Seungcheol when my ashes are in an urn.” The King’s voice snapped like a whip. “You will not have him.”

“Your majesty, how could you speak of such a thing as your own ashes?” The Queen Dowager flinched in horror. “Your majesty should not utter such things while you are still young and healthy. Besides, he’s just one guard. What is-”

“You cannot have him.”

“Your majesty, be reasonable. He’s just a guard. You can have any servant you like. Any of my guards, or maybe a pretty girl servant?”

“Mother, Choi Seungcheol belongs to me. He is my property. You can’t even touch his skin without my permission. Don’t ask me for him. I’d give all of Joseon to you before I let you have a single hair on his head.”

“Then, may I have all of Joseon?”

“If you were a man, I could have you beheaded for that.”

“If I were a man, you would not be King.”

The tension in the room rose, thick like smoke. The two royals stared at each other across the small table for some time.

“Mother.”

“Son.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Excuse me?”

“As the wife of a dead King, you are expected to move to a temple, are you not?”

The Queen Dowager’s jaw dropped. “Your majesty,” she said, mimicking a measured tone that did not at all conceal her outrage, “would you have myself and the Grand Royal Queen Dowager cast out of the palace? Sire, when your grandfather the King died and your father was young and inexperienced, Her Majesty was the only thing that kept this country together!”

There was something in the tightened lip of the King that told Seungcheol that he had heard it all before, and was bracing himself for a lecture he’d heard too many times.

“It was only because of her quick work, her understanding of the country, of the people, that kept us standing as a nation! She was the one who rallied the armies when we faced invasion! She kept the scholars satisfied with her devotion to this nation’s founding principles and persuaded the ministers not to rebel! You would thrust the mother of the nation into a monastery?”

The King sighed deeply, eyes closed. “What do you want from me mother?”

The Queen Dowager calmed down, repositioning herself slightly. “I hear her Majesty the Queen has been to see you.”

“Yes, I’ve been blessed with the Queen’s presence.”

“And?”

“And, mother?”

“Did you decide on a date to consummate your marriage?”

His Majesty threw his arms in the air. “Why does everybody hound me with this issue?”

“The precuring of an heir is one of your majesty’s utmost duties to the people. How are we supposed to feel when you leave us with so little security? Even if it takes a concubine or two to… start the process, your majesty should shower us with children.”

His eyes hardened. “I will not do that.”

“Why not?”

“I will not have a repetition of what happened to her highness Sowon.”

“Her highness Sowon committed a crime and was exiled duly for it! Your Majesty, how could you possibly think myself and your grandmother would choose an unfit concubine for you such as her highness Sowon?”

“You think you will be choosing my concubine for me? Surely not.”

“This is all a moot point, your Majesty, because you will consummate your marriage with her Majesty. You’ve been putting it off for four years already. It is time this foolishness stopped.” She stood to leave. “You will set a date soon.”

“Yes, mother.”

“Good.” Her Majesty turned then paused to look at the bodyguard. “Choi Seungcheol.”

“Your Majesty.”

“I’m sure you’ll take good care of my son. After all, his brother’s attempts on his life may be stalled some with his new appointment as king, but make no mistake, they will return. When they do, you must be astute.”

“I will protect his Majesty with all I have, your Majesty. Of that there can be no question.”

 “…hmm. Maybe Her Majesty was right about you after all.” With that the Queen Dowager flounced from the room and was heard of no longer.

His Majesty seemed to fall into his place more than sit back down. “Seungcheol.”

“Sire!” The bodyguard rushed to his side. “What is it? Do you need a physicia-”

They stared at each other as they realized how impossible it was for a physician to see the King.

“I’m fine.” He used Seungcheol’s arm to right himself and then quickly let go. “Tired. She lectures me incessantly every time I try to kick her out.”

Seungcheol almost commented that he understood her. Almost.

“Anyway, she brings up a good point.”

Seungcheol’s voice was cautious. “The Prince?”

“Yes… my brother is one of many issues I need to see to.” He raised his head. “You weren’t here when he left. You don’t know the circumstances. Something wasn’t right back then, but I was too young to do anything about it.”

“You believe your brother doesn’t wish to take your life, sire?”

The King looked up, his eyes boring into Seungcheol’s soul. In them, he saw only doubt.

Chapter Text

They both waited for Seungcheol to leave the room before turning to each other.

“Well?”

“He doesn’t seem to have any ties at all, sire.” Mingyu held up his palms, clearly frustrated. “His father was a cotton merchant who raised his family from slave status. He died in the 1699 rebellion – one of the civilian casualties – and Seungcheol’s older brother, Jonghyun, took over the cotton merchandise. That was around the time he applied to be part of the junior forces here in the palace: to help his family’s finances. Neither of his parents have parents or siblings. It seems he was correct about First Minister Yang’s wife and daughter: they visit his mother from time to time, as they do with the mothers of many officials, but it seems they mostly go to show off how much better they are than others.”

“Siblings?”

“His brother Jonghyun, who is still a middling merchant, and a little sister, Yehana, thirteen.”

He looked up. “…thirteen, you say? Unmarried?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King stared at him for a moment, then screamed for his eunuch.

It didn’t matter how many times Mingyu heard it, but the King calling his aide loudly made him flinch every time.

“Yes, sire?”

“Choi Seungcheol’s sister, Yehana, bring her to the palace with her mother tomorrow. I’d like to meet her. She may become an adequate companion for Princess Nayoung.”

The eunuch gave his master a puzzled look, but soon bowed. “Y-yes, your majesty.”

“Thank you. Ah, send in some tea.”

“Yes your majesty.”

Mingyu gave his sovereign a puzzled look, in a different way from Suk’s. “…your majesty, what do you plan to do with the girl?”

He gave his bodyguard a sharp look. “Not that.”

Mingyu relaxed slightly.

“His mother is friends with my mother from before she married into the royal family, and she’s been coming here a lot. As the family of my bodyguard, I deserve to meet them, do I not? If Yehana and Nayoung become companions furthermore, his sister may be looser lipped and tell me something about him. And it will be easier to keep tabs on him like this.”

Mingyu looked down for a moment. “I see… your majesty?”

“Mm?”

“Choi Seungcheol watched over you for years when you were only a child. Do you mistrust him so much now?”

The King looked at him plainly. “I haven’t seen him in eight years. I don’t know that man. He does not know me. It was foolish of me to send for him, expecting us both to be the same, but neither of us are. It was the last childish act of my reign. I don’t know Choi Seungcheol. If he is to be my bodyguard I’ll have to get to know him.” He paused. “…and what side he will be on. Whether he will betray me. What do you think?”

“Sire…” It pained Mingyu to watch his King do this to him: to doubt and turn his back on all that he had loved as a child, to rip himself apart in his doubt of an old friend, and to hate himself for it. His Majesty had an uncanny ability to do things correctly, but still chastise himself for doing them, and the personal tragedy he could inflict upon himself was immense. “…I don’t think Choi Seungcheol will betray you, sire.”

There was a short pause as tea was brought in, servants immediately dispatched elsewhere once more.

“You don’t think so, no?”

“No, your majesty. It’s obvious he loves you very dearly. You may not know him, and he may not know you anymore, but the way he looks at you is very clear. He loves you like the day he left. I know. I was with you when he left. I remember the look on his face that day.”

This peaked his interest. “You do?”

Mingyu nodded.

“I only remember the shape of his back as he marched out the gates.” The King stared off in the distance. “Until he was out of sight. And then he was gone.”

Mingyu had to smile softly. “I remember that too. But I remember before that, he said goodbye to you and saluted you. I remember the look on his face. We were the same age, but I had never seen that look on a man’s face our age. He looked terrified, your majesty. Terrified, and desperate. As a man might if he were hanging off the edge of a cliff, and his companion walked away, leaving him there. He looked like you were too precious to let go, for even a moment. And… I suppose now, I understand that emotion better than I did then.” He looked up with a gentle look. “Your majesty is the most precious gem in a pit full of pebbles. If I were to be dismissed for years, away from your side… I would feel the same terror grip my heart.”

“Mingyu, you’re a poet and a dramatist.” His majesty took a sip of tea. “You see only things you want to see. Time has meddled with your memories.”

“IIIIII don’t think so-” Mingyu started, but he quickly stopped when he saw the look he got. “Never mind.”

“We need to talk about Jeonghan.”

He straightened out. “His movements have remained unsuspicious.”

“Well, that’s nice, but it doesn’t help me. I’m in a war for my life, Mingyu, and I need to recruit as many players as possible to my cause.” He stopped and finished his cup of tea. “Jeonghan is my brother. This is important.”

“He can’t be trusted, your majesty.” Mingyu’s eyebrows met at the centre of his forehead. “How could you possibly place your trust in the man who was going to be king before you? Somebody whose mother was killed for trying to kill you so he could be king again!”

The King finally allowed the stress to appear on his face again. “Indeed,” was all he said.

Mingyu’s eyes shut. “I’ve already lost this battle, haven’t I?”

“Indeed. Suk!” The King barely waited long enough for the eunuch to appear. “I’d like to retire for the night.”

“Mingyu… am I bad at wrapping wounds?”

“Who said such a thing, your majesty?”

“…Seungcheol did.”

“He said such a thing to his King?”

“It’s not important,” he answered, “but I’d like to know. I’ve bandaged your wrist many times. Was I terrible at it?”

The guard blushed in the darkness. “Your majesty’s fingers were not made for such crude work.”

“…interesting. Choi Seungcheol said the same thing.”

Mingyu couldn’t reply.

“Why did you never tell me?”

It took him a moment to answer. “How could I raise a complaint when I had been so delicately taken care of? Your majesty took time and energy in the middle of the night to take care of me and make sure I was well… I was honoured, to the point of tears, that your majesty would do such a thing for a lowly guard like me.”

It was so quiet for so long, he almost thought the King was asleep again.

“Mingyu… I’m thirsty.”

The guard dutifully began to unwrap his wrist, approaching the bed. “Yes, your highness.”

He would never admit it – not to another soul – but the times when the King drank his blood were precious, sacred moments to him. The venom produced by his majesty’s fangs made his head swirl pleasantly, but it was more than that. It was intensity and intimacy, being close to such an important person, being needed by the King.

There was nothing that could be done after all these years. He already knew it was dangerous to be in love with the King.

That didn’t stop him. That didn’t stop him at all.

Chapter Text

“Sire, your visitors have arrived in the tearoom.”

Mingyu didn’t miss the glint that appeared in His Majesty’s eyes – one of mischief, curiosity, and delight. It was the kind of look he only had when he was up to something he shouldn’t be: it made his face more childlike, but not immature, and it was a joy to see.

“Mingyu,” he cooed softly, “you made sure Seungcheol will be very delayed for his shift, didn’t you?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Good.” He stood up instantly, glowing. “Let’s go have some tea.”

“Your majesty!”

“Please, madam. Be at rest. Sit and have tea. I see my little sister has already wormed her way into your presence.”

“Your majesty, why would you say that?”

“Hush, Nayoung.” The King gave his little sister a sincere smile. “I’m teasing my adorable little sister. Please, sit. I shall have some tea, too.”

“Your majesty, has my foolish son done something wrong?” Seungcheol’s mother’s eyebrows were pinched together. “Please forgive my foolish brat of a child, I have failed in his upbringing to raise such an impertinent child.”

“Not at all, madam,” the King smiled benignly as his tea was poured by a servant. “Choi Seungcheol has been a most dutiful servant to me. I wanted to ask you here as a sign of gratitude to you for raising such a dutiful son.”

Seungcheol’s mother and sister gave each other looks.

“You are Yehana, is that correct?”

“Yes your majesty!”

“Have you been here before with your mother?”

The girl shook her head with a bow. “N-no, you’re majesty… this is my first time.”

“Do you like it here?”

Yehana looked like a rabbit cornered by a fox.

“Brother, don’t go looking for concubines at your age!”

“Who said anything about that? I was thinking if Yehana liked the palace she could visit you on a more regular basis.” The King gave his sister a stern look. “And who are you to discuss inner palace politics?”

The girl hung her head.

“Forgive the Princess, madam, she’s been spoiled.” His majesty drank from his cup. “What is a doting brother to do with his only sister?”

“It is nothing, your majesty. We are overwhelmed by your benevolence.”

“Yehana, would you do me the favour of going with my sister to have a walk in the palace grounds? Maybe you can teach her what you know, since you raised your own brother so well.”

There was laughter and tittering as Yehana and Nayoung took their leave: the two adults remained in the King’s tea room, quietly drinking their pastel teas.

“Your Majesty, are you sure my foolish son has not made it hard for you?” She has a worried look on her face. “I cannot imagine the trouble that boy can get into.”

“Madam, please rest assured. I simply wanted to speak with you because of the high position Seungcheol now holds. It’s my policy to form friendly bonds with those closest to me. When I was a Prince I should have met you, when Seungcheol was guarding me as a child. Forgive my tardiness.”

“N-not at all!”

“Now that Seungcheol has arrived back in the capital, I strongly wish for him to stay by my side for a long time. I hope that does not hamper you – I’m sure you have missed him very much.”

“Your majesty, I already have one arrogant merchant son who takes care of me, and a shy daughter to raise as well. It is good enough to know my son is healthy and employed alongside somebody he treasures so much.”

The King had to raise an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Ah, perhaps I’ve said too much.” She looked at her drink for a moment. “When he was in Busan, he wrote me frequent letters, even if they couldn’t always be sent. Sometimes I got many all at once. He often asked about your majesty’s health, how you were, who was taking care of you. When he came home he was so full of joy and so bright… all he could speak of was how happy he was to see you again. It may be arrogant of me to speak so highly of my own child, but I would say Seungcheol is one of your majesty’s most dedicated subjects. The love he has for his King is probably more than of his own mother.”

“Madam, please don’t say that.”

“Oh, that’s alright.” She smiled with mirth. “I’m glad he has found such a noble cause to dedicate himself to. He felt such a burden of responsibility when he first came to guard your majesty, I was quite worried, but now he seems to be less worried with his age.”

“I see,” The King answered. “I’m interested in your family, madam. Your daughter is very sweet to my little sister. I hope you will permit Nayoung to invite her very often.”

“It would be our honour, your majesty.”

“He has an older brother, too?”

“Yes, Jonghyun. He has taken over the mercantile after his father passed away.”

“Is Seungcheol much like his older brother?”

She thought about it. “They do not get along well together,” she said hesitantly, speaking slowly. “When Seungcheol decided to join your Majesty’s guard rather than help in the mercantile, Jonghyun was upset.”

“Why?”

“He would have preferred for Seungcheol to work in the mercantile as well. It was difficult for Jonghyun to suddenly take over all by himself, and he could have used an apprentice or any other help.”

“So why didn’t Seungcheol become his apprentice?”

“It’s embarrassing to say, your majesty, but frankly, my husband had much trust among the other merchants, trust that Jonghyun did not yet possess. It was hard for him to sustain our family by himself.” Her face changed, slightly misty-eyed. “Seungcheol walked in on me once as I was packing away some trinkets and jewellery to sell for money. He didn’t say anything, he simply left. Later that day I was told he had been accepted to train in the guard. When I was able to meet with him, he said that he would be less of a burden to be fed and clothed by another, and if he worked hard, he would soon be able to send money home.” She looked away for a moment. “It paid better for him to be a guard than it did a merchant’s apprentice. It’s a shame upon me that I had forced my child to do such a thing.”

“Madam…” The King cleared his throat. “That would be the kind of thing Seungcheol would do. He’s that kind of reckless, you know.”

A bright smile replaced the worried, stressed look on her face. “That is true, your majesty. If he gives your majesty trouble, please feel free to send him home to be scolded by his mother.”

“I will do so at the first sign of trouble,” he smiled coolly. They spoke more and took a walk outside, where Yehana was dutifully picked up by her mother and the two left for home once more.

“Sister,” the King murmured, “I would appreciate it if you held your tongue a little more often in company.”

“Y-yes your majesty,” she murmured, suitably ashamed.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes!”

“Invite Yehana over lots, alright?” The King turned a kind smile on his sister. “You should have plenty of friends, but for now, one will do.”

“Yes, sire.”

The King left his sister; he passed through the inside of the building, commanded for every person in his entourage to remain outside his room, pressed his face against a cushion, and did his best to curb the sound of his sobs.

When Seungcheol had left there had been a period – brief but intense – where the young prince had hated him. Cursed him in the night, despised the sound of his name, truly hated Seungcheol for leaving. To think that while he was feeling abandoned, while he was angry with Seungcheol, Seungcheol had been thinking about him. Seungcheol had been asking about him. Seungcheol had been worrying about him. Seungcheol had never stopped looking out for the little Prince he had left behind. After Seungcheol had returned, he had been happy. He had spoken highly of his King. He had been elated to see him once more.

And all the King could do was sit in his chambers, doubting him. Holding him at a distance. Regarding him coolly. Doubting him, being suspicious of him, and at times still hating him for leaving. All he could do was be cruel to a man who only wanted to serve him.

The King sobbed for a long time that afternoon.

Chapter Text

“He doesn’t want to be disturbed,” Mingyu cautioned with a worried gaze. “He’s been in there for a while.”

“Okay.” Seungcheol bent over a little to catch his breath for a few moments. “…aren’t you going to ask me why I’m late?”

“You’re the superior officer,” he dodged.

“The King’s security cannot be gambled away on the whims of rank.” Seungcheol gave him a dark, sharp look. “If I’m late, you question me until you’re satisfied, just as I do to you. The King’s life is on both our backs, you know.”

“Alright.” He paused. “Why are you late?”

“Three paths to the palace were obstructed and a forth had a riot started in it, so I had to help the local guard. That’s how I got this.” He pointed at the tiny red scrape over his cheekbone. “I hefted a child out of the scramble, but she accidentally scratched me on her way up.”

“Oh. I see.” Mingyu nodded. “Then, if you’re able to relieve me of duty…”

They nodded to each other in agreement and Mingyu walked away, a broad grin on his face, delighted at how his schemes to keep Seungcheol from the palace had worked perfectly.

The King walked out of his rooms looking immaculate, stern and cold as usual. He didn’t spare a moment of pause, simply beginning to walk. “Choi Seungcheol.”

“Your majesty.”

“You’re late.”

“Forgive me your majesty. I was unable to reach the palace on time this morning. There were riots in the streets.”

The King turned on him, livid, pressing a harsh finger to Seungcheol’s chest. “Next time you will be here on time, you will report for duty exactly when you have to, if you’re here so much as five seconds late, don’t even bother returning to me, just throw yourself off a cliff and go die instead! I don’t need some sloth latecomer tiring out my best bodyguard because they couldn’t show up on time! You’ll be here every second morning, Choi Seungcheol, or I’ll kill you with my own bare hands!”

The poor man was absolutely bewildered, flustered and upset – but the most prominent emotion in his eyes was self-repugnant grief.

He fell to his knees instantly. “Please have me killed, your majesty.”

“Next time I will!” the King screamed, his face going pink with fury. “And what is this?”

Seungcheol bowed his head a little more, but it was no use: the King gripped his chin, forcing his face up. The bodyguard kept his gaze lowered, but allowed his majesty to see his whole face.

His anger was halved immediately. “What is this cut on your face?” he demanded coarsely.

“Nothing, sire. Just a scratch.”

“How did you come by it?”

“A-as I was trying to help with the riots this morning, your majesty… I saved a slave child from the violence, but I got scratched in the process.”

The King dropped Seungcheol’s face as quickly as he’d taken hold of it: he turned away, tension holding his shoulders high. “Get up. Let’s go.”

Seungcheol came to his feet instantly and, with his head bowed like a scolded child, he followed his King.

When his majesty re-emerged from council with the ministers, he looked ten years older. The slight darkness under his eyes was more pronounced, his shoulders hunched over a little more, his brow a little heavier.

He made his way back to his quarters in silence, only remarking that he wished to be alone longer inside. His entourage simply bowed, and waited.

“Choi Seungcheol!”

He jumped.

“That doesn’t include you!”

The bodyguard gulped a little before squaring his shoulders and entering. “Yes, your majesty?”

“Doors!”

The doors closed behind the guard.

The King gestured for the guard to come closer, and sighed when Seungcheol sat in front of him. “Choi Seungcheol.”

The bodyguard didn’t move, so his majesty stood instead, gripping Seungcheol’s wrist and pulling him forward, dragging him down to the ground and pressing his head down.

It took him a moment, flabbergasted and shocked. “Y-your majesty?!”

The King pressed his head down again, forcefully. “Just be quiet and lie down comfortably,” he muttered. “This is a reward for helping out with the riot today.”

Seungcheol’s eyes searched frantically for some type of rescue, but after several attempts to sit back up that were strongly crushed by his majesty, he had to accept the offer, and kept his head on the King’s lap. Eventually, in the silence, the King’s fingers undid his hair and gently brushed through it, making him shiver slightly.

“Are you cold?” he asked quietly.

“No, your majesty.”

“You have thick hair.” He simply continued to smooth Seungcheol’s hair calmly. “And very long.”

“If your majesty would like, I’ll cut it all off-” Another attempted to sit up was beaten down again by an iron will more than an iron fist.

“Nonsense. You’d look stupid, bald.” The King kept him against his lap. “Do you hate my lap so much?”

Seungcheol couldn’t even comprehend the question enough to answer.

“I thought you told me to take whatever part of your body I liked. Didn’t you mean it?”

“I meant it,” he whispered, breathless.

“Then why are you so hesitant?”

This time there was no stopping him: Seungcheol’s head lifted from the King’s lap in a flurry of long, black hair and then pressed himself to the ground in prostration. “P-please have me killed, your majesty!”

The King was very quiet for a moment.

“How could I, a mere servant of your majesty, touch your majesty’s body so casually!” He couldn’t even bring himself to move. “Even if I am to be your majesty’s guard, even if I am to be important, this is surely not acceptable your majesty!”

The King stared at him for a long time. “…fine,” he mumbled at length. “Sit in your preferred place then. Don’t tie your hair again. I like to look at it.”

Seungcheol shuffled back in his head-to-ground position until he was seated half-way down the room before he raised his head again, sitting facing a perpendicular wall, rather that the King. He was watched for some time before his majesty turned away to read his book.

Chapter Text

Seungcheol was bid to tie his hair again before the King slept, so as not to make servants suspicious, and soon enough he was seated in the King’s sleeping chambers once again, watching him in the darkness.

“Tiger Breath.”

“Your majesty.”

“Your sister and mother were here today.”

There was a pause.

“I know, your majesty.”

He turned to look back at Seungcheol. “You didn’t ask me what I wanted them here for.”

“…I felt it was not my place, your majesty. After failing you this morning, I should not ask impertinent questions.”

The King lay flat in his bed. “What a frustrating little man you are.”

He couldn’t answer that.

“Don’t you feel responsibility? You’re her older brother. Shouldn’t you protect her?”

“Does she need protection from you, your majesty?”

It took him a moment. “Why does everybody seem to think I want to be dishonourable?”

“Your majesty, my sister is only thirteen.” His brows knitted for a moment. “Surely, she would be well taken care of by your majesty, I do not doubt such a thing, but does she truly have your majesty’s attention?”

The desperation in his voice made the two look at each other.

“Is she really what your majesty desires?”

The King watched him. “Seungcheol, I’m not interested in your sister.”

The guard didn’t move, but the relief was in his eyes.

“I wanted my sister to have a companion. I felt you would approve.”

“Could I ever be in a place to disapprove of your majesty’s wishes?”

“You have to be.”

Seungcheol looked up and he hadn’t changed – hadn’t moved from where he lay, staring at him with blood-red eyes.

“You have to question me, doubt me, request reaffirmation from me. If I cannot trust those closest to me to tell me when I make a mistake… how can I trust you with my life?”

He bowed. “I will serve your majesty as well I can.”

“…thank you.” He paused. “I didn’t notice earlier. You’ve been wearing it all this time?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“…why? It’s not necessary.”

Seungcheol wondered how to put it. “When your majesty was still a Prince, I wore the neckerchief, and others naturally presumed I wore it as a token of honour to be guarding your majesty. When I returned to your majesty’s service and didn’t wear one, others became suspicious, so I have decided to use it again. This time, truly, as a token of honour.”

“…come closer.”

Seungcheol neared the bed, kneeling by it again.

The King’s fingers lightly slid over the edge of the red bandage around Seungcheol’s neck. “Do you miss it? The bite in your neck…”

He blushed in the darkness, and the red of his majesty’s eyes seemed to darken a little. “A-a little,” he admitted. “It hurts a little more, from the wrist, I think.”

“Oh?” He frowned for a moment. “That’s not good.”

“Please do not burden yourself on my behalf, your majesty.”

“It’s not a burden…” He licked his lips a little. “It’s easier to take it from the neck, to be honest… faster, and a little hotter… it’s delicious…”

Seungcheol almost grinned, watching the young King war within himself like that: the way his teeth pinched down on the edge of his lip as he tried desperately to make a decision on what he wanted, versus what would be appropriate.

“If your majesty wishes, please take whatever you please.” Seungcheol easily unwrapped his neck and leaned his head over, exposing his throat, almost seductively. “I’d like to be of service to you, sire.”

One hand cradled Seungcheol’s face by the far side, thumb gently brushing over his cheek: the other arm curled around his torso, holding him close to the King’s body.

It really was less painful, and a lot more pleasant: to feel the familiar but gentle ripping of his skin under his jaw, to feel the blood sucked away gently, was exhilarating.

When he was done, The King gently licked the skin surrounding the wounds he had created, a sensation that made Seungcheol’s skin shiver all over – not a bad feeling at all.

He could almost make out the words ‘Sweet, sweet Cheollie’, but since he couldn’t be sure the King had spoken at all, he didn’t answer.

“You smell different, you know.”

“Please try to sleep, your majesty.” He paused. “What do you mean, different?”

“Before you left… you smelled lighter, cleaner.”

“I became a man, your majesty. My body changed a lot when I was away.”

“I suppose. Did I become a man, too?”

“You became more than that, your majesty. You became a King.”

The King sighed, unsatisfied with that answer. “Let’s sleep.”

When Seungcheol was dismissed, he didn’t bother pretending his need wasn’t great: he left the palace calmly and instantly began to run through the streets, rushing his way through the capital, until he finally found his way to the city guard grounds where, luckily for him, Hansol was in training.

He had to be patient, but not for long: minutes after he arrived, their master left, and Hansol was left free to run to his senior. “He-”

“Come on.” Seungcheol gripped his hand, pulling him along. Hansol was dragged for quite some time until they were sufficiently hidden in a back room of an old building, where he was bid to undress.

Hansol simply obeyed as instructed, first getting rid of his sword and belt before pulling off his clothes. “It’s been a while – I thought you weren’t ever coming to see me.”

“Come on, Hansol, please.” He scowled, pinching his nose. “I’m going to go mad.”

“Sorry.”

Within seconds, Seungcheol had free range: he pounced forth elegantly, and bit into Hansol’s neck, slaking blood from his body with glee.

“Sorry, this was my fault.” Seungcheol carefully placed another dumpling into Hansol’s bowl. “Please eat plenty.”

“It’s fine, sir,” Hansol smiled with pale lips. “I’m really not that tired.”

“It’s my own fault for not coming to you sooner, so please eat plenty.” He sighed, looking away. “I shouldn’t have drained you so much.”

“That’s okay. I drained you too, the first time.”

“That doesn’t count, we drained each other that night.”

The two vampires looked at each other from across the table, remembering the first night they spent as members of the accursed undead.

“Well, anyway, I’ll gratefully accept a meal from you sir.” Hansol happily ate his food – an item that was bound to put a smile on his face, no matter what. “Thank you for treating me so generously.”

“You’re more than welcome. Eat more.” Seungcheol continued piling food onto his junior’s plate.

Hansol took large mouthfuls. “So… how is he?”

Seungcheol sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair. “…changed.”

Hansol looked up calmly – it was a question, but not one that demanded answer. It didn’t matter. Seungcheol needed to unburden himself.

“When I left, he was such a bright child. He was happy, despite everything. He was lovely and free and laughing, smiling, playing. He was serious when it came to his studies, sure, but he was vivacious and constantly searching for challenges. He loved to be loved. Now he’s… cold, distant, uncertain, doubting of himself and everybody else. He is hurtful and… not unkind, I think, but as if he doesn’t know how to be kind. As if he’s forgotten what it was like to be good.”

“Do you know why he’s like that?”

Seungcheol shook his head. “I’d hate… I’d hate to think it had something to do with me leaving.”

“You had no choice.”

“No… I could have disobeyed. I could have pretended to leave and sneaked back into the… back inside, for him. If I had known how much it would hurt him…” He cracked a sad kind of smile. “Or maybe I’m really getting ahead of myself. Maybe I wasn’t as important to him as he was to me. He is… well, more important than me, after all.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself like that.” Hansol rudely half-gestured with his chopsticks. “You told me yourself that he hated to be out of your sight for even a minute. He was a child when the incident happened. That kind of thing is traumatizing for a child, you know. Of course he’d be attached to you.”

There was something in the set of Hansol’s face that made Seungcheol smile, still sad. “Sorry I got you into this mess,” he said quietly. “Sorry to traumatize you and attach you to me.”

“That’s okay, sir.” Hansol gave him a bright smile. “At least you’re nice to me! It would have been awful if you were a mean officer. I’m glad it’s you, sir. And, even if it makes me like this… if something about our current state can help You-Know-Who, then it’s fine.”

Seungcheol’s eyes made an automatic sweep of the surrounding customers of the small dumpling shop, just to make sure nobody was eavesdropping on their very public conversation about the King. “You’re a good man, Hansol.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“The next time I see him, I want to convince him to employ you as his third guard.”

“…why?”

“Well, if one of us were to be off somewhere on a mission or unable to come to his side or wounded or something, we would need a stand-in, preferably one who could deal with his… unique situation. Would you mind much, if he… fed with you?”

 “Not really.” Hansol stuffed his mouth full for a moment. “It’s a matter of survival, right?”

“Right.”

“Then, sure. But, sir.” He looked up seriously. “Don’t be wounded somewhere you can’t be helped, okay? I’ll sniff you out like a dog, if I have to.”

Seungcheol smiled. “Thanks, Hansol. But I don’t plan on it. If I ever get wounded, it’ll be defending him.”

Hansol watched his senior for a while. “You really love him, huh.”

“Sure do.” He grinned. “He’s like the brother I never had. Oh, I mean, I have a brother, but he’s annoying.”

Hansol gave him a look. “That’s not the kind of love I meant.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. Are you going to eat that?”

“I am!” Seungcheol delved into his food quickly, before his friend could steal it away from him. “Order more if you’re hungry, I’ll pay for it all.”

“Your majesty,” Mingyu bridled, unsettled, “this is a very, very bad idea.”

Chapter Text

“Your majesty,” Mingyu bridled, unsettled, “this is a very, very bad idea.”

“Actually, I think you’ll find it’s perfect.”

“It is too dangerous, your majesty. Even if you feel that the benefits outweigh the risks, others who may need to agree to your plan may not feel so free and easy. Don’t forget, your majesty, you are the only one who is guaranteed to come out of this trail with his life. If all does not go according to plan, they may lose their lives, and you will have done it by your own hand. Are you able to sacrifice them so easily?”

The burden of the lives Mingyu spoke of weighed heavily on the King: it was visible in his face, in the hunch of his shoulders, but his voice was so expertly trained to lie, there was no detection of insincerity in it. “If they get caught and are executed, then I will have two problems less.”

“Your majesty!”

“This is what I have decided, Mingyu.”

The guard could only sit there.

“Don’t tell Seungcheol.”

“Yes, your majesty…?”

The King’s face was as stone. “I don’t think I trust him enough to tell him this.”

“…I see.”

“If you’re going to disapprove, do it quieter. I can smell the disapproval.”

“He’s your guard, your majesty. His only care is for your welfare. I would trust him with your majesty’s life almost more than I trust myself.”

“I have no doubt a valiant soldier would protect my life,” he answered plainly, “but I wonder if a good man of principal like Seungcheol would idly stand by as I play a game on the edge of a knife with innocent people’s lives?”

Mingyu couldn’t answer that.

“Do you love me, Mingyu?”

“Yes, sire.”

“Then please, don’t tell Seungcheol, and help me with this matter discreetly.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King gave him a gentle smile. “Please, don’t be so formal.”

The young man sat up straighter, eyes still on the floor. “Forgive me your majesty, I am unworthy of being in your majesty’s presence.”

The King bridled for a moment. “Do you know a man by the name of Choi Seungcheol?”

The scholar frowned for a moment. “Should I know him, your majesty?”

“No,” he answered with a small shake of the head, “you remind me of him is all. Hong Jisoo, is that correct?”

“Yes, your majesty. Please, I beg your majesty’s pardon… why am I here?”

The King suddenly grinned a fierce, broad smile. “I saw the answers on some of the scholarly papers you wrote. They were very interesting and I wanted to meet you in person.”

“I am honoured, your majesty.”

“I’m surprised, though. You want to take the state exam, but you are not from a wealthy, powerful family? Don’t you know there are only a few slots that can be filled?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“And don’t you know that the students of those wealthy families will almost assuredly get the positions because they will cheat?”

The poor scholar broke out into a cold sweat. “I-I have heard some rumours, your majesty…”

“Hong Jisoo, what you’ve written here on duty. It’s very interesting.”

Jisoo bowed his head to the floor again. “Forgive me if I have said anything distrustful in it, your majesty! Of course I will be dutiful to your majesty for a thousand years!”

The King sent Mingyu a look. A look that said, sometimes it really sucks to have people grovel so obviously.

“That’s not it.” He rolled up the paper. “You have an innate sense of duty to your King – not only to help him tell right from wrong, but also to tell him when your analysis of a situation may be biased due to a previous connection.”

He couldn’t sit up.

“I liked that.”

“Y-you did?”

“Yes.” The King leaned forward. “Hong Jisoo, I need to ask you a favour.”

“A-anything for your majesty!”

“I need you to pass the state exam, become a secretary minister, and be my person.”

The scholar looked up.

“There are people and situations in this palace and in this government you can’t even imagine. Being that as it is, with my father’s passing I find myself with precious few people I can trust. I need somebody who will steer me right and help me in my position, somebody who has no connections to any of the large families. If you pass the state exam… will you be my person?”

They looked at each other.

“Will you do your duty to your King?”

He smiled. “Yes, your majesty. It would be my honour to counsel your majesty closely.”

“Good, Jisoo. We’re the same age, you know. We should become friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yes, friends. Would you not like to?”

He went pink in the face, unable to answer for a moment, astounded by the idea. “Then, your majesty, if I may…”

“Yes?”

He looked up with a shy smile. “My friends… call me Shua.”

“Are you sure you want to make that move?”

Shua smiled with a glittering in his eyes. “Yes, your majesty. Please play your opposing move.”

“Yes, yes, alright. There’s no point in rushing me, I refuse to be rushed.” The King was steadily going brighter and brighter shades of pink, and Mingyu watched fondly from the corner of the room as his monarch was losing terribly.

“Are you sure you would like to make that move your majesty?”

He raised his nose high in the air. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Shua took his turn calmly.

“No!,” the King cried, upset. “How could you win?!”

Shua simply smiled happily.

Mingyu had to enjoy the scene before him. The King had never had somebody his age to share his troubles with, and he seemed to enjoy the equality between himself and the young scholar boy. There was, of course, a worry that somebody would notice and recognize the King on his way to and from Shua’s house, but anybody who found his majesty in plain clothes would be cut down before they had time to spread the word.

Shua’s visitor stayed until it was dark: Mingyu was careful to guide his majesty closely after he left.

“Mingyu, before we go back…”

He clenched his fist, expecting the request for a feed. “Yes, sire?”

“…I’d like to visit my brother.”

“…sire?”

“…just for a moment. He won’t see me. I just… want to see his face. It’s been a while.”

Mingyu could only accept.

The King’s memories of his older brother were somewhat vague, mottled by the interference of time and distance; he could only remember stark cheekbones and dark circles in his skin.

The circles were gone, now, but the cheekbones remained: high and contrasting, but soft and round, well-fed. He had pretty eyes, and a small, unassuming mouth: he sat on the porch, staring up at the sky languidly, a neutral expression on his face.

Jeonghan was quite pretty, and for a moment, the King simply wanted to rush to him – it was an odd feeling, one he had not experienced in years, and one he had certainly never been allowed to indulge in.

“I hear a kitten.”

They both froze.

Jeonghan looked their way with a cool gaze, not judgemental, simply observing. “It’s a round-faced kitten.”

The King averted his eyes immediately, looking to the ground so his blood-red eyes could not be seen behind the wall. Mingyu couldn’t even move.

“Are you spying on me, kitten?”

“Spying!” was all his majesty could bring out.

“You remind me of someone, kitten.” It wasn’t until Jeonghan turned back to look at the sky that the red hue over his cheeks could be seen – the effect of drink. “I haven’t seen him in many, many years… he’s stuck in a cage, you see… a pretty, lovely cage… and I can’t get into the cage…”

Mingyu’s mouth moved before his brain. “W-why would you want to get into the cage?!”

Jeonghan didn’t even flinch, simply lying back a little further. “That cage is where my baby brother is. Somebody I was never allowed to speak of… somebody I yearned to hold when he was little… somebody I should have been allowed to take care of, to play with, to make him smile… if he is captured in a cage, no matter how pretty… if I’m his brother, shouldn’t I be by his side?”

By the time Jeonghan’s head turned again, they were both gone.

“Ah, it was a ghost that visited me… he really did look like him though,” he murmured to himself. “But… cold and wrong. A cold and wrong ghost.”

“Your majesty…”

“I know.” He shook his head lightly. “Just a little longer. I want to wander the streets a little longer. When it begins to get light… I’ll let you take me back.”

Mingyu couldn’t speak to that. His majesty simply roamed the dark streets as if he had no vigour, as if he didn’t know what to make of the world, and it was a sentiment Mingyu could understand. Jeonghan was a worry for his majesty, but it was evident they were still brothers, no matter what, and it was a bond that may or may not mean everything to both of them.

Mingyu glared at the horizon. First light wasn’t far away, and he had promised Suk to have the King back before first light whenever he wanted to go out.

“Mingyu!”

The guard instantly threw his arms around his King, shielding his body with ease: two figures rushed by, dressed in black, and two more followed in hot pursuit. When both couples had zipped past, the King and his guard looked behind them.

A man lay in the street, his throat ripped open, blood sprayed over the ground in a gruesome, horrific sight.

The King was running before he himself understood why: his feet flew over the cobblestones, rushing to catch up.

One of those people – one of those four – was a vampire. One of them was like him. One of them could be held accountable, could answer questions, could make sense of what was happening to his majesty’s body. Somewhere in the distance, Mingyu ran to catch up, but there was only so much a mere mortal could do in comparison to a vampire.

There was a flash image of not catching the vampire on time. The King sped up.

Chapter Text

“…Hansol. Go. After them.”

“I can’t.”

“Go!”

“Sorry, sir.” Hansol gripped his commander and friend, pulling him into a sitting position. “I can’t leave you here to bleed out. We will get another chance.”

“To hell with chance!” Seungcheol gripped the boy weakly, arm shaking. “They are his majesty’s only hope. You… you go! Now!”

Hansol took no notice of his weak attempts, pulling out a large piece of linen and wrapping it around Seungcheol’s bicep. “You’re hurt badly. Did he… did he bite you?”

“Yeah… not much…” Seungcheol fought against his weighted eyelids. “It’s not like I can turn twice… can I?”

“No, sir.” Hansol put a strict knot in the linen. “Please hold still until the blood stops. You need to feed.”

Seungcheol shook his head. “You’re tired. I’m fine.”

“I am not tired. I’m not even out of breath.” Hansol quickly took his clothes off, shoving his neck under Seungcheol’s nose. “You need to feed. You’re bigger than me. If you pass out, I cannot carry you away.”

Seungcheol slumped against the wall, and gently began to drink Hansol’s blood.

Mingyu panted harshly, chest wheezing. “Si-sire… yo-you’re… al-al-right?”

The King paced harshly, a step here and then there. “Lost the scent,” he grumbled.

“Y-your ma-jes-ty…”

“There!” The wind picked up and he sped off again as if it were nothing, and it was all Mingyu could do to keep up.

His majesty stood at the edge of a dead-end street. There, against the wall, Seungcheol’s red eyes glowed as he pulled his fangs out of the young, naked boy in front of him in shock and horror.

It was an immeasurable moment where four people stared at each other from opposite sides of an abandoned street, and the King and Seungcheol looked at each other, both red-eyed.

Mingyu thought he was going mad.

Then the King turned around, facing away. “Kim Mingyu. It’s time to go.”

“Y-yo-?”

“It’s almost first light. Suk will give you a hard time.” The King didn’t twitch a single muscle, simply turning away from the sight at the end of the dark alley, and walking away.

“Fuck,” Seungcheol murmured.

“W-who was that?” Hansol gasped from his officer’s lap.

“…his majesty.”

Nobody stopped him from entering at the palace gates: nobody stared or whispered behind their hands as he walked through the courtyards: none of the servants seemed surprised or upset to see him. He was simply reporting for duty as normal.

But he knew better than anybody that the reality was not so plain.

He hesitated at the door, unable to even guess what would happen to him on the other side. If he died, then he died, and he had no qualms with that: his majesty was certainly within his right to take Seungcheol’s life if he so wished. What he was more fearful of, however, was how the betrayed he would feel.

When he entered, the King’s breakfast was being removed from the table: nobody took note of his presence, so he simply sat next to Mingyu, mimicking his perfect position.

Nothing happened for a moment.

“Should I leave?” he whispered, trying to conceal his horror.

Mingyu sighed, deeply. “No,” he whispered. “Stay.” Then he got up, bowed to his majesty, and left.

Every moment that went by that the King did not speak to him felt like another dagger in Seungcheol’s chest. The King perused a book for some time, then stood up silently and left his room: he went for his usual morning walk through the courtyards, spent time inside the library, and went back to his rooms, all without uttering as much as a single word to his bodyguard.

“Her Majesty, the Queen!”

The King didn’t twitch: he simply looked up.

“Your majesty!”

“Wife. Why are you here?”

“May I sit?”

The King allowed that much.

“It is in twenty-three days.”

There was a cold silence.

“Your birthday?” he guessed.

“My birthday was two months ago, your majesty. There was a feast. You were there. You didn’t drink and upset Her Majesty the Queen Mother.”

“Sounds like that’s right,” the King muttered. “Then, what is happening in twenty-three days?”

“The night of our consummation, your majesty. Your mother has arranged it and already briefed the ministers on the time and date. Consequently, she has already calculated the date our your majesty’s first child’s birth, and sent out briefs on that as well.”

He blinked. Twice. “What?”

“So you see your majesty, to be indignant and refuse, or to pretend to be ill again, are both circumstances that will not do this time. The Royal Family would be an utter disgrace. This is all I came to say. Is there anything your majesty wishes to say to me?”

The King surveyed her, and as soon as she began to stand, he barked at her, bidding her to sit again.

“What do you want?”

“There is nothing, your majesty, that I could want that would prevent this turn of events.”

“There is something, or you would have waited for Mother to tell me.”

The Queen looked up, as if she was thinking about it. “I don’t know. It would be unfortunate for everybody involved if I myself suddenly fell ill that night, would it not? It's not as if anybody would be suspicious of me. But of course, such a thing would never happen.”

The King had to take deep breaths to keep his temper. “Unless?”

She pointed a finger, stretching her entire arm. “I want him to be my personal guard. You already have one. I want him.”

Chapter Text

I want him.”

Seungcheol closed his eyes, mortified. He had no hope. His majesty would give Seungcheol up in a heartbeat if it meant he didn’t have to consecrate his marriage. Especially under the current circumstances.

The King stared at her for a long moment. “Why?”

“…eh?”

“Why do you want him so badly?”

“He can tell me things about your majesty that I will never know myself. I wish to know more about my husband.”

He watched her expressions in silence for a while. “My Queen.”

“My King?”

“Do you truly love me and wish to serve me well? Is the stability of my reign your one and only target? Are you loyal to me as a King?”

She frowned, confused. “Of course it is, your majesty…?”

He levelled her with a cold look. “Then I’ll see you in twenty-three days.”

Seungcheol had to physically stop himself from letting out a sigh of relief.

The Queen was confused, but not upset: she simply accepted this answer and took her leave.

The King didn’t turn to Seungcheol, and for a few minutes, the bodyguard wrangled internally with himself.

“Tiger Breath!” the King eventually cried, irritated.

Seungcheol could only throw himself to the ground. “Thank you, your majesty,” he burst, as if he had been holding in that one breathe all that time. “Thank you, thank you. I… thank you.”

“…did you think I would sell you?”

“I did not doubt it for a moment, your majesty.”

“I see.” He turned away from his guard. “You may sit up now.”

Seungcheol obeyed, but there was nothing more to come until they both sat in the darkness of the King’s room as he tried to sleep.

“…when did it happen, Tiger Breath?”

“…your majesty?”

“You turned. When?”

The guard looked down at the ground for a moment. “Three years ago.”

“How?”

There was no disobeying the tone. “I was on patrol through the streets when… I saw one. I followed him. I tried to corner him, but… well, vampires are faster than humans. There was a fight. I lost. After turning me and the junior officer who was appointed to patrol with me, he disappeared.”

“The boy you were with.”

It wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway. “Yes, that was the junior officer I was supposed to protect that night. His name is Hansol. He is a vampire too. We’ve depended on each other for feeds since then, so as not to disturb humans.”

“Seungcheol.”

“Sire.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

The question was so quiet, it wasn’t as cool and calm as all the others, and while it wasn’t emotional, the quietness betrayed it anyway.

“…if I had returned to your majesty’s side, only to tell you that because of my duty to find a way to erase what had happened to you I, myself, became a vampire… your majesty would have felt guilty.”

Silence.

“You would have blamed yourself for my becoming a monster. You would have become agonized just to see my face, and after some time… you might even have asked me to leave. I am a vampire, but… I am only a man. Selfish, cruel, and unkind. Even if it meant deceiving your majesty, I wanted to stay a little longer, watch over you a little longer, take care of you a little more, protected that which I held most dear… I have sinned so, I don’t even dare to ask for forgiveness for my transgressions, your majesty. If your majesty wishes, I will hand myself over to the authorities for execution in the morning. If not, I promise I will not show my wretched face in front of you again. So, if anything, your majesty, please… do not offer me a second thought. Do not think of my fate, and simply live well with Mingyu at your majesty’s side.”

“…I hate you, Choi Seungcheol.”

Chapter Text

“I hate this part of you.” He could only see his back. “Why are you like this? Why are you always thinking of me and not yourself? Why are you thinking of how I will feel, seeing you as a monster? Why are you worried about how I will feel? Why were you searching for my answers even when we were apart? Why were you sending letters asking about my welfare even when you were in Busan? I hate that. I hate you.”

Seungcheol suffered the heart-wrenching blows in silence.

“If you leave me, I will hunt you. If you leave me, I will sniff you out. If you try to leave me, Choi Seungcheol, I will find you and I will drag you back in my own teeth if I have to. You aren’t going to leave me. You’re never going to leave me. You left me once. It will never, ever happen again. Where I go, from now on, that is where you go too. You will not be executed. You will return to see me often. I will see your wretched face every day until the day I die, and I will suffer in my own guilt, and there is nothing you can do to stop that.”

It took him a moment to bring out the words. “Please, your majesty,” he broke, “please don’t do that.”

The King nearly leapt right out of his bed: his feet hit the ground and he ran to where his bodyguard sat, hands stretched out, unsure what to do. “Stop this,” he whispered – it was not an order, but a panicked bark from a young King. “Stop this, please, stop this, Seungcheol.”

It was probably the first time the King had asked anything of anyone in a very long time.

“Your majesty, I am so unworthy.” Seungcheol curled away from his majesty, trying desperately to wipe the everflowing tears from his face. “Please do not care for me.”

“Seungcheol, stop.” The King gripped the guard by the arm and dragged him away: the King lay in his bed and he forced Seungcheol beside him, pressing the guard’s head into his shoulder. “Lay like this,” he whispered, arms forcing Seungcheol not to move. “Lay like this with me, and do not cry, and do not hurt anymore. That’s an order from your King.” He was fighting tears, too. “Soften and calm down.”

It took several hours until Seungcheol could stop shaking: when he did, the King showed no signs of being in any capacity to let Seungcheol go, no matter how many protests of inappropriate behaviour the guard voiced.

“…how is your arm?”

“It is fine.”

“Aren’t you done deceiving me?”

Seungcheol gulped. “…it’s a little sore, your majesty.”

“Better.” Jihoon’s fingers gently tapped the back of Seungcheol in a gentle rhythm. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“…no, your majesty.”

“Seungcheol.”

“I am truly not hurt elsewhere, your majesty. My body will still perform any tasks you desire adequately.”

The King held him for a long time.

“Did you often think of me in Busan?”

“Constantly, your majesty.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Your majesty has a hold over me that I cannot describe.”

“Did you often go looking for vampires?”

“Any chance I could get, your majesty. When they started posting me with junior officers, I had to stop. My turning was… lucky.”

“…did you learn… anything?”

Seungcheol sighed a little. “I think… your majesty… may not be… a whole, real vampire.”

The King barked out a chuckle. “What?”

“I think… I did your majesty more damage than good. When I rescued you, one of them had its fangs in your heart. But he was not able to complete the process of turning you. Your majesty has no control over your red eyes, a feed does not sustain you much longer than a day, you’re still warm to the touch when you overexert yourself and you still smell human.”

“…I smell human?”

“Warm scents, like honey and flowers. Vampires smell more metallic and earthy.”

“I see.” The King took time to absorb this new information. “So… when you slaughtered the assailants over my crib… you halted the process?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“You can control your red eyes?”

“Yes, your majesty, unless I’m feeding.”

“And a feed can sustain you…?”

“I’ve never fed from a human before, but another vampire can sustain me for up to three days with ease.”

“…so you’re turned by being bitten in the heart?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“…feeding every night is annoying,” he muttered. “Can you finish the process?”

“Y-your majesty?!”

“Yes.” He finally let go of Seungcheol to take off his clothes. “If you bite me, it should finish the process, and I’ll be able to feed less often.”

“Y-your majesty!” Seungcheol blushed, scrabbling back so hard he fell to the ground. “P-please put your clothes back on!”

“Why? I want you to bite me.”

“I- Please have me killed your majesty, for seeing your bare skin!”

They sat like that for a moment: Seungcheol bowed on the ground, the King on the bed, half-naked.

“The boy vampire you consort with… his name?”

“Hansol.”

“Hansol… Hansol is allowed to be naked when you feed from him.”

“Tha- that’s different, your majesty!”

“How so?”

“Ha-Hansol is like a brother and he doesn’t like getting his clothes stained! I – I cannot pierce your majesty’s precious skin with my fangs! Please retract your command!”

“Like a brother? It seemed like an entirely different situation. There are men who like other men, after all.”

“Y-your majesty!” Seungcheol went bright red all the way to the tips of his ears. “P-Please!”

“Are you trying to say you do not have that kind of relationship with Hansol?”

“O-of course not, your majesty!”

A new thought came upon the King for a moment, horrifying him to silence for a few moments before he could ask, “Seungcheol, are you married?”

“N-no your majesty! A married man cannot give up his life for his monarch if he has responsibilities at home! Please dress once more, your majesty!”

The King leaned in and forced Seungcheol to look up. “Seungcheol… I’m asking you for a favour. I’m asking you to make my life easier than it is right now. If nothing happens, then so be it, but… please try. I am tired of living this wretched life, Seungcheol. Please offer me relief.”

Struggling against that was impossible.

The King’s bare flesh was perfect, pristine and perfect, never scarred, soft and sweet. It gave way under Seungcheol’s fangs like water, and then the fangs scratched into the King’s heart and with a small push, he injected venom into him.

“Ahhh,” the King whispered.

Seungcheol remained in position for some time, making sure he did it right before moving away and quickly bandaging the King’s body. “Forgive me, your majesty, for doing such a terrible thing to your body.”

“No – it feels good.” His voice was high and raspy, dream-like.

Seungcheol clothed him again and laid the King down in his bed gently.

“Seungcheol.”

“Your majesty?”

“Are you sure that’s not your relationship with Hansol?”

“Your majesty, Hansol is like family to me. He is the little brother I take responsibility for because it is my fault he became a monster. He’s cute and silly and kind, but we have no other relationship.”

“Then you like girls?”

“I like nothing.” He smiled. “Other than keeping your majesty safe and sound.”

“Like me,” the King mumbled, delirious on venom. “Like me a lot, Seungcheol.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Until you never leave me again.”

“Yes, your majesty. Please sleep now."

“Seungcheol. Seungcheol.”

“I am here, your majesty.”

“Cheollie.”

“I am here, your majesty.”

The King finally woke up entirely, head lifting from the pillow in a jerking motion, hands grabbing at air. He glared over at his bodyguard. “Why are you all the way over there?!”

“Y-your majesty?”

“Guard me closer! Guard me from here where I can hold you!” He slapped his bed. “You guard me from inside my bed!”

The guard stood there baffled, trying to form a complete sentence: the idea that he, a mere guard, could be near his majesty’s bed let alone in it, was ridiculous.

“Hurry up!”

Out of habit more than will, Seungcheol hastened to the King’s bedside, kneeling on the ground by his side. “I am here, your majesty,” he emphasised. “I will always be near when you need me.”

The King scrunched his nose and closed his eyes for a moment. “Did I… dream… that you were a vampire?”

He gulped, but after a moment of internal wrangling, decided to tell the truth. “…no, your majesty. That was real.”

The King buried his face for a moment. “I… I’m sorry, Seungcheol.”

“…what?” he finally brought out.

“So many horrible things have happened to you because of my exis-”

Seungcheol gently placed a palm on his majesty’s mouth, hushing him instantly. “Your majesty, please don’t think that way. Don’t feel that way. Don’t even give it a second thought. Only think of your own safety and happiness.”

They looked at each other for a long moment.

“I’m thirsty,” his majesty mentioned at length.

Seungcheol instantly kneeled further. “Neck or wrist, your majesty?”

“Neck. Let me have your neck.”

Within seconds the King was plunging into Seungcheol’s skin, groaning a little at the taste of his blood, gulping down mouthfuls of warm, sweet blood.

“Your majesty!”

The King groaned as he pulled off his bodyguard. “Noooo,” he whispered, “why now?”

“Your majesty!” the voice boomed again.

“I’m already awake Suk, can’t you give me a little time before I have to hear your voice?!” He pulled a face, gently stroking Seungcheol’s neck before turning to him. “Have I hurt you?”

“No, your majesty.” He gulped. “Please allow me to clean myself quickly before your entourage arrives to dress you.”

“Yes.”

“I have questions, before you leave.”

“I will endeavour to answer them all, your majesty.”

“This child Hansol. What is he?”

“He is with the city guard, your majesty.”

“I want to meet him. Bring him with you on your next shift.” The King threw him a wooden badge. “If any of his superiors give you grief for it, tell them it’s a royal order.”

Seungcheol caught it deftly, bowing. “Yes, your majesty.”

“I don’t ever want to catch you feeding again. You can do it, I just don’t want to see it.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“…and you’re sure you’re not married?”

Mingyu was surprised at the question directed at his colleague, but didn’t move.

“I am attached to your majesty’s safety and nothing else, your majesty.”

“Good. Go home and get some rest then.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King stared at his guard for a long time. “Does it bother you to work with him if it’s like this, Mingyu?”

Mingyu considered the question thoughtfully.

“If it does… I can replace him.”

He bowed instantly. “Your majesty, I would never request such a thing, nor allow you to do that on my behalf. If that were the case, I’d rather be replaced than him.”

The question was slow. “…why? You’ve been with me longer than he has. We are closer. You are more important to me.”

“Your majesty…” He was at a loss for words for a moment. “I am not more important to you.”

“What?”

“Forgive me your majesty, but he is your first guard. He is special to you, whether you say he is or not. And… you may have me killed if you wish, but… I don’t know if I could do what he is doing. I don’t know if I could be turned into a vampire on your behalf, have my junior turned as well, and still love you, still serve you devotedly. Still adore you the way he does. Choi Seungcheol is a special person, your highness. It is wise to keep him at your side. I can always serve your majesty’s cause elsewhere. But you and he are the same creature now. He is better positioned near you.”

The King had to smile a little, upset. “I’m sorry to make you so sad, Mingyu. You’re more beloved to me than anyone else in the world.”

“I’m no-” He glanced up, and then down. “Forgive me, your majesty.”

“…do you want to be transferred, Mingyu?”

“No, your majesty!” He looked up in utter panic. “P-… please don’t send me away.”

He smiled wryly. “I don’t want to. Do you think you can still work with Seungcheol like this?”

“Yes, your majesty. It will not be a problem, as long as…”

“…yes?”

“I would like to remain… only your majesty’s feed. I would prefer… if he did not feed off me.”

“I wouldn’t let him feed off you, Mingyu. You belong to me, remember?”

Mingyu finally cracked a smile. “Yes, your majesty!”

“Now… let’s go meet my brother.”

Chapter Text

“Why won’t you look up at me?”

“…I am afraid, your majesty.”

“Why?”

“…the last time I saw your majesty, you were a child, and I felt like I wished to protect you. What if I still feel the same way, looking at your majesty now? I’m afraid to look up at you and still adore you.”

The King took a moment to clench his jaw against threatening tears. “Look up at me, Jeonghan.”

Jeonghan looked up, almost fearfully: then he sat straight, with his head higher.

“This converses better.”

“Indeed, your majesty.”

“I’ve been made aware that you were not allowed to witness the funeral of our father.” He paused. “Father was a person important to both of us, was he not?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“He is what binds us together. I’d like to offer you the chance to visit his tomb and pay your respects. It cannot be done immediately, but maybe in the spring.”

Jeonghan bowed deeply. “Your grace is immeasurable, your majesty.”

“Please don’t stand upon ceremony here. It is only a brotherly gesture from one sibling to another. Next time I invite you, we can be in my own private quarters and speak more intimately. At that time, please act as my brother.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“I also understand you have never seen our sister.”

At this, Jeonghan’s face changed: it became a little more flushed, his eyes twinkled a little more. “I have not had the pleasure of meeting the Princess, your majesty.”

“Another thing I must rectify next time you are here. I will introduce you both next time. You’ll find-”

“Your majesty…”

He called him over.

“The Princess Nayoung is demanding to enter.”

The King broke into an unnaturally large smile – it wasn’t entirely genuine, but it had to look the part, and so it did. “Let her in.” He turned to Jeonghan. “Did you know? Young girls have absolutely no patience.”

The Princess hurried into the hallway with childish glee before remembering her manners and bowing deeply. “Your majesty.”

“Don’t be like that, Nayoung.” He smiled. “I know you came to meet your older brother. Jeonghan, Nayoung, please greet each other.”

He watched with some degree of sincere fondness as the Princess and Prince bowed to each other respectfully. He didn’t trust Jeonghan – not at all – and there was little to trust in the Princess, as she was generally kept to the sidelines of political affairs. He was able to enjoy the reunification of siblings who had never known each other, and it did make him almost happy.

“Ah, your majesty?”

“Mm?”

She pointed rudely. “Are you sure he’s our sibling? Isn’t he too pretty? He’s prettier than I am.”

“P-Princess, that couldn’t possibly be tru-”

“No, she’s right!” The King pointed as well, pretending to be outraged. “Even when I first saw your face I was unsure of you! What are you doing walking around with a pretty face like that? Does this make me the ugly sibling?”

The Princess burst into laughter first, and the middle child then joined her: Jeonghan chuckled awkwardly, not entirely sure if it was allowed for him to laugh at something like that.

“Brother, are all men outside the palace gates so pretty? One of my maids said that there are a whole lot of handsome young men outside the palace!”

“W-well… I suppose there are more young men outside than inside, your highness. In here there are only the guards and the politicians and the eunuchs.”

“Right!” She slumped a little, giving the King an irritated glare. “Somebody won’t allow me to leave the palace to see it for myself.”

“No!” both men cried simultaneously.

“I’ve already told you it’s dangerous,” the King simply muttered.

“Your highness, please reconsider a request like that. For the sake of the men themselves – what are the common people supposed to do after they see a face as pretty as your highness’? There would be riots in the streets! All the men would be in love with you and not look at their own wives anymore!”

She went bright pink at the thought, giving her brother a coy smile. “Ah, that can’t be true!”

“Of course it is, your highness!”

“Eh.” She stopped short, sitting up straighter. “W-why are you still calling me that? Can’t you call me little sister?”

“Y-your highness, that would hardly be appropriate.”

“Your majesty!”

The King tried to resist her pout. Tried.

“You had better say it, or else she’ll throw a tantrum every time I see her. It’s actually a really small palace when she’s upset, you know.”

The Prince let out an awkward smile, bowed, and used a more familiar tone with his little sister – a gesture she greatly appreciated.

“Nayoung.”

“Your majesty?” she smiled brightly.

“I think it’s time we saw our brother off. It’s been a long day and I’m sure he doesn’t have time to waste on us. He has to go out and make all the common ladies fall in love with him so they don’t look at their husbands anymore.”

They had a good laugh at that.

“Do you really have to leave brother?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“I’ll invite him again, Nayoung. When I do, come drink tea with us.” He paused in the middle of getting up from his throne. “Ah, but leave before we start to drink alcohol. That’s for brothers.”

“Eh? I can’t drink with you?”

“No,” they chorused.

She followed them from the room. “Just one drink?”

“No!”

“A sip!” She held up one finger. “One sip!”

The King had to laugh at his little sister, and tugged a strand of her hair gently. “Leave us be, and say goodbye to your brother. He has to hurry back to his wife. I’m sure she thinks we’ve kidnapped him by now.”

“Ah, forgive me your majesty.” He bowed again. “I’m not married.”

“Ah, no, that’s right. You’re not.” The King had to conceal his smile of satisfaction. “Then he has to get back to his house before the common ladies-”

“I’ll take my leave.”

The three siblings fell still to hear the chatter of the First Minister and his followers passing by.

“Wait.”

They waited, all three, until the chatter had ended: then the King nodded. “Now you should leave, before the First Minister lectures us both. I’ll send for you again, so come next time.”

“Thank you, your majesty. I’ll certainly come. Goodbye.”

For a moment their eyes met – and the way Jeonghan looked at his little brother could only be described as desperation. Then he bowed again and left.

“Ah, your majesty!”

“Nayoung, I want to send you a present of rose tea.”

“Eh? A present? For me? Why?”

“For being a good little sister to both of your brothers.”

“I’d rather have something pretty.”

The King stopped for a moment and turned to her. “Would you like something pretty… from outside the palace?”

She straightened suddenly, eyes twinkling. “Does that mean a husband?”

“A husband? You’re only a baby, what are you talking about? You’re not going to have a husband until you’re 100!”

“Your majesty!” she whined.

“No, I meant a trinket. I’ll buy you a trinket.”

“I’d rather have a husband.” She suddenly got a dreamy look on her face as she swayed over the floor, accompanying her brother. “Somebody tall and strong and handsome. Oh!” She suddenly hurried in front of him, stopping him with both hands in the air. “Your majesty, you have a really handsome bodyguard! Can I have him as my husband?”

He scoffed. “Certainly not!”

“Eh, I don’t mean this person!” She pointed at Mingyu again. “I mean the new one. He has lovely eyes! And a good body. He’d be able to do his husband duties.”

The King gave her a concerned look. “Nayoung, what are you talking about… Anyway, you can’t have him either. It’s not even nearly time for you to have a husband, so don’t even think about it. I’ll buy you a pretty trinket.”

She pouted. “Fine. Your majesty. May I be excused now?”

“Yes.” It took him a moment before he turned to Mingyu. “She’s going to throw tantrums, isn’t she?”

“Yes, your majesty. I’m afraid she is.”

Seungcheol threw the wooden token down in frustration. “Do you see this? Do you understand what it means?”

“Where did you get this from, child?” The man smirked, picking it up. “What game are you playing at?” It took him a moment, holding it and feeling its grooves, before he could ask. “What is this?”

“It’s his majesty’s official token!”

Hansol opened his mouth to speak, but closed it with a glare from his commanding officer.

“Then… you’re really…?”

“Do you think I’m wearing this uniform because it brings out my eyes?”

He bridled, then let the fear sink in. “Fine. Take him.”

Seungcheol ripped the wooden token back, grabbed Hansol by the sleeve and dragged him out of the small room, crossing the courtyard at a brisk walk. “Stupid lily-pad guardsman,” he muttered under his breath. “Now I’ll be scolded for being late.”

Hansol was no better. “I’m going to meet the King?” he worried loudly.

“Yeah. If we make good time you might even have time to clean up.”

They looked at each other, and both set out at a dead run.

“Your majesty, I brought the guard you wished to see.”

“Thank you, Seungcheol. You can wait outside while I speak with him.”

Seungcheol and Hansol both froze for a moment and exchanged a brief look: of mutual terror of the storm to come.

Chapter Text

“Your name is Choi Hansol.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“You are not human.” He paused, waiting for the answer.

“No, your majesty, I am not human.”

“But you were, once.” He paused again. “…tell me about the day you became a monster.”

There was something threatening in the way the King said it, like he was waiting for a fault or a mistake, but Hansol could only sit there, confused. “Does your majesty want a list of details, or a story?”

“Story,” was the command.

Hansol straightened a little, staring at the table between them. “I was a very junior officer at the time. All the junior officers received day-and-night training, forcing us to go long hours without sleep, to sharpen our senses. Every night we would be assigned to a different officer, so we would learn how to work with our superiors. When it was announced I would be assigned to Choi Seungcheol, many of my fellow junior officers gave me sorry looks. I remember the junior assigned to him the night before gave me a horrified look, and told me to just stay out of the senior’s way.

“Seungcheol, at the time-”

“You call him so familiarly?”

Hansol looked up. “Forgive me, your majesty. It became like that naturally, over time.”

“Fine. Continue.”

“At the time, he was stationed to some of the back streets, off the Busan harbour, to deter any shady exchanges of information that might hurt the state. He was very agitated at the idea of being saddled with a junior officer, so I told him I’d do my best not to be a burden to him. He told me… that if I ever saw anything horrible happen to him… to run away and not look back. I thought it was a very odd thing to say. Even though I was only a junior officer, I was still a good swordsman, and I felt I would be able to help him if it was necessary.

“We were almost through the night shift – we could already see the horizon turning from black to dark blue on the horizon. His impatience turned to weariness when he saw it – but then a figure flashed past us, and he simply… took off. Without a word. So I naturally followed.

“By the time I had caught up, it was too late. Knowing what I know now, I think Seungcheol must have trained himself far beyond the call of duty to be able to catch up to a vampire. I didn’t know human legs could run that fast. Mine certainly couldn’t. When I finally found him, it was only because I saw him struggling in the bushes. His throat had been ripped out and he was missing part of his foot, but the monster had its fangs firmly lodged in his heart.

“I think when he saw me, that was what he had been talking about, when he asked me to run away and not look back. The look in his eyes, that he was… sorry… to make me see something like that. That upset me more than seeing him so hurt. I couldn’t move, so I drew my sword, but there was no point. The vampire plunged down into my heart as well, and then left us bleeding on top of each other. It was as well we were under the safety of a large bush. It was a very warm, sunny day that day. We writhed for hours before we were able to move – and then Seungcheol was so thirsty, his instincts took over, and he sucked me dry. In turn, I did the same to him, after his neck healed. We didn’t really come to our senses until it was dark again.

“We both agreed to cover up what had happened. He promised me he would explain everything, the reason he was looking for the creature, and what had happened to us, if I held on a little longer. We were both supposed to get a beating when we got back to the guard hall, but Seungcheol… took my punishment for me.” Here, Hansol’s voice suddenly got very quiet. “He couldn’t bear the idea that I should go through more hurt because of his actions. He was beaten until he was black all over. I was forced to watch. Since then… I’ve been his loyal junior. We needed each other for survival, but I’ll owe him that forever.”

His majesty watched the young man for a long time.

“Seungcheol’s foot… was hurt?”

“Yes, your majesty. Seungcheol is currently missing part of his right foot. Over time he paid a smith in Busan to create a piece of metal of the right size, shape and weight, and then he soldered it to his own foot, in order for him to run properly without falling over.”

The King blinked. “And? Did he eventually explain… about me?”

“Yes, your majesty. He confided your majesty’s dark secret to me.”

“And what do you think of it?”

Hansol looked up. “Does your majesty want an honest opinion?”

“Yes. Be honest. Do not deceive me with honeyed words.”

He paused a moment. “I don’t struggle so much, being a vampire. It is not harmful to me. I wouldn’t think of it as a bad thing in particular, and normally, I wouldn’t care about somebody else not wanting to be a vampire. But, your majesty… the way Seungcheol talks about you is so pure and hurt… he truly wants your majesty to be human again, no matter what. The way he portrays what happened to your majesty is painful to even imagine. I don’t know how the incident transpired when your majesty was young, but to hear Seungcheol’s rendition of it… I cannot think of anything more horrific. I don’t know whether it’s because it really was horrific, or whether it is because he is so loyal to your majesty, but it doesn’t matter. I am your majesty’s loyal servant, and what your majesty bids me, I will accomplish for you.”

He considered this for a while. “Hansol.”

“Your majesty.”

“Are you loyal to Seungcheol, or to me?”

He looked up.

“You cannot have two masters.”

Hansol cracked into a bright smile. “Your majesty, I used to believe I was loyal only to Seungcheol – that I would live for him, die for him, like a brother. The longer I know him, the better I know that is not true. If I were to forsake your majesty for his sake, Seungcheol… he would kill me himself. There will never be a day when Seungcheol estimates himself above you, and he has asked me to reaffirm that I will always choose your majesty, on several occasions. He’s made me swear on my family’s lives that I protect your majesty, counsel your majesty, obey and love your majesty like no other. I will always be loyal to your majesty, do as you bid, keep secrets that you share, and save you from harm – because that is what Seungcheol wants me to. Your majesty, I love two masters – but one loves you more than anything else on this earth. So you are my master, your majesty. I belong to you because he does, too.”

The King closed his eyes. “Leave now.”

“Yes, your majesty.” He stood, bowed, and removed himself from the room.

It wasn’t until the doors closed that the King could open his eyes and let the tears drop freely.

Several hours later, the King bid Hansol and Seungcheol to enter the room together – his expression was stoic and cold, as always.

“Seungcheol… I’m to understand your junior is a talented young man.”

“His skills and intuition are near my own, your majesty.”

“I understand you have high hopes for him.”

Seungcheol waited for a moment, second-guessing himself, then ploughed on. “Your majesty, if anything were to happen to myself or Kim Mingyu, in a dire situation, your majesty would be left with lesser protection. I worry that, if one of us were incapacitated, your majesty might suffer with the loss of food. I wanted to request your majesty to place Hansol as a member of the palace guard, so that he may be called for if Mingyu or myself are not able.”

“And what situation, exactly, do you think will arise that one of you gets hurt?” The King gave him a strict look. “If you’re so weak to get hurt that easily, should you really be my guard, Choi Seungcheol?”

“Your majesty, I do not pretend to be of any great talent. If it came to a battle in which I had to save your majesty from harm, I cannot guarantee my own safety, and I should not try. I worry about your majesty’s ability to feed if you only have one guard. Please accept Hansol, your majesty, as a precaution.”

The King gave him a sharp look, then turned to the younger man. “Hansol, would you like to be in the palace guard?”

He bowed deeply. “It would be my honour to serve your majesty so closely.”

“Do you know you’re too young?”

“I am aware of my inadequacy your majesty – but I believe, due to my transformation three years ago, I am physically capable of the duty.”

The King looked at them both for a while. “Fine. Hansol, go back to your duties at the city guard, and prepare yourself. I’ll send official orders for you to join the palace guard soon.”

“Thank you, your majesty!”

He turned to Seungcheol as Hansol left the room. “You have a lot of guts, asking me for favours.”

Seungcheol bowed lower. “I will accept whatever punishment your majesty sees fit to give.”

“Ah, really? You’ll do whatever I say?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King threw a small, glittery item at Seungcheol’s feet. “I want you to use that for a while.”

Chapter Text

Seungcheol picked the item up, fingers brushing over the pearls and ornate carvings on the hilt. “A… comb?”

“Yes.”

“Your majesty wishes to punish me… by bidding me… to comb my hair?”

“Yes.”

Without another word, Seungcheol untied his hair, letting it drop past his shoulders, and began to comb it quickly.

“Slower,” the King commanded, lying back and watching him. “Comb it very slowly.”

The way it was said – and the way the King watched him – was extremely uncomfortable, as if he was doing something wrong, but nonetheless the guard obeyed, gently coming his hair through.

At length, the King sighed deeply. “You have very pretty hair, Seungcheol.”

“…yes, your majesty?”

“It’s pretty to look at.”

“Would your majesty like it? I’d gift it to you, if your majesty wished.”

“No. Don’t cut your hair.” He suddenly had a dangerous edge in his eyes. “If you cut your hair, I’ll never feed off you again!”

The two stared at each other under that threat for a moment.

The King’s eyes widened a little. “…unless, you find the process… abhorrent, and would rather not have it?”

Seungcheol didn’t know where to look, eyes awkwardly searching the floor as he scrambled for a return.

“Never mind, then. I’ll stop.”

“No!”

They stared at each other once again – Seungcheol, half on his feet, one hand outstretched, face distorted in terror. He quickly resumed his position. “I mean… I… please, continue to do what makes your majesty comfortable.”

The King leaned in. “Mingyu finds the experience exhilarating. Is it different for you?”

He paused.

“Answer plainly!”

“N-no.” He hung his head in embarrassment and shame. “It’s very… enjoyable. I… like it, your majesty.”

He leaned back again, assessing the situation. “I see.”

Seungcheol bowed deeply. “Forgive me, your majesty,” he breathed.

He suddenly changed positions. “No.”

Seungcheol pulled a face to himself, then straightened a little. “Y… your majesty?”

“I won’t forgive you.”

There was a moment of silence.

“I won’t forgive you for lying to me and deceiving me, I won’t forgive you for pretending to be human all this time, I won’t forgive you for not telling me you’re wounded, and I won’t forgive you for enjoying being fed on, having deceived me like this.” He leaned in menacingly. “You’re going to live in sin for the rest of forever, Choi Seungcheol, just like me.”

All he could say was: “Wounded?”.

“Your foot.”

“Ah.” He paused thinking about it. “I forgot.”

“How do you forget something like that?”

“It doesn’t hinder me, so I don’t notice so often.”

“How can it not hinder you?”

“I have learned to live without it, your majesty.”

He scrunched his nose a little and changed the subject with ease. “Mingyu says I look different. Do I?”

“Yes, your majesty. Since I finalized your transformation, your majesty has changed.”

“How?”

“Your majesty’s skin has lost its warm tone, and you have not grown any more facial hair.”

The King’s hands both rushed to his jaw, feeling the cold smoothness of it there. “You’re right. Usually there’s some stubble by now. Why is it slow today?”

“Your majesty is an immortal now. You will not age, and your hair will not grow. Despite your weariness, your eyes will not become dark, and your skin will not wrinkle. Your majesty is now forever like this.”

“Interesting.” He stroked his smooth chin for a few moments, staring off into the distance. “Does this mean I’ll be beautiful, too?”

“…your majesty?”

“The vampire that first hurt me… was incredibly beautiful. I remember it well. Hansol is a very pretty boy, too.”

Seungcheol waited for his own compliment for a moment awkwardly, then cleared his throat. “Your majesty has always been beautiful. Nothing can change that.”

The King smiled. “So, you think I’m beautiful?”

“Of course, your majesty.”

“What part of me is beautiful?”

“Your entire existence, your majesty.”

“…what part is the most beautiful, Seungcheol. I want to know the most beautiful.”

“In my humble opinion… your majesty’s face is astounding.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Your majesty’s eyes are deep and dark and hold many secrets; the curve of your majesty’s jaw is sweet to behold; your majesty’s mouth has a kind smile in it when you decide to bestow it. Your majesty is a work of utmost beauty.”

The King didn’t answer for a moment.

“Have I spoken out of term, your majesty?”

“No, I’m just contemplating the fact that the two best bodyguards in the whole country are poets.”

“Forgive me for speaking out of term, your majesty. Such words should be uttered by those you love, instead.”

The King looked at him with alarm for a few moments, then he went cold. “I’m supposed to meet my grandmother today. You’ll stay outside at all times. Speak to no-one. The women of my family seem to have their claws outstretched to take you away. Remember who you are loyal to.”

Seungcheol smiled – a new smile, one that captured the attention of the King. It was roguish, more wild, more mean, than any other smile the bodyguard had ever offered. “I don’t need to be reminded. I’m a dog with only one master.”

“I want grandchildren!”

“Her Majesty the Queen Mother has already set a date for such an event. Please be patient just a little longer, your highness.”

The older woman sighed. “It’s just as well I still have my granddaughter to wed out…”

He sighed deeply. It was clear this would be a long and futile visit.

It was a short-lived trip, but some things could not be held up, not even for the King: and Seungcheol wasn’t about to piss himself waiting for him. He knew he shouldn’t have had that extra cup of tea earlier, but it was too late now, and his bladder demanded attention.

It was too sudden, and by the time Seungcheol could understand, he had to lock down his muscles – he was being pulled away by human arms, and to break himself free would break them both. He didn’t fear danger: the rustle of silk was too familiar. He was being taken by eunuchs. And if he was being taken away by eunuchs, it was probably under his majesty’s order. He instantly slackened many muscles, calmly aiding the eunuchs by walking along with them, unwilling to struggle against even the vaguest of his majesty’s orders.

Unfortunately, when his head was released from the sack held over it, he was not in the presence of the Head Eunuch, or the King – he was kneeled before Her Majesty the Queen, who looked at him with absolute glee.

Chapter Text

It took him a moment to adjust to the light, then he bowed his head instantly. “Y-your… majesty?”

“Hello. I’ve had you brought here, not for anything malicious. Would you care for some tea?”

“Forgive me your majesty, but I must return to his majesty the King immediately.”

“He’ll be busy with his grandmother for some time. I will return you before he emerges.”

Seungcheol couldn’t speak to that – she was probably right.

“May we speak?”

“Forgive me your majesty, I cannot.”

“Why not?”

“It is his majesty’s command that I not speak to anybody.”

“I am the Queen,” she emphasized. “Besides, I won’t ask you anything impertinent or harmful. I just want a few simple answers. As you know, the line of communication between my husband and I is somewhat strained. I was hoping to find more of his character through you.”

“His majesty’s character is impeccable. That is all I have to say on the matter. Please dismiss me.”

“You’re quite arrogant for a peasant soldier, aren’t you?” she spat, countenance instantly morphing into one of cold cruelty, expertly copied from her husband. “Do you think you can sit there and make fun of somebody like me? Do you know who my family is? Do you know what families I can rally to my side, if I so please? Do you know how swiftly you can disappear?”

Seungcheol raised his head.

“I can blow out your life like a candle. Do not sit there, mocking me.”

He cooled instantly; he sat straight and looked her in the eye. “Very well, your majesty. Ask me your questions. If I am to account myself to his majesty, I shall, without fail, point him in your direction, and the direction of your maids.”

The two stared at each other for a few moments; the Queen assessed, while the guard waited.

“I want to know whether his majesty really plans to consummate our marriage.”

“I have no knowledge of your majesty’s marital affairs.”

“You’re his favourite bodyguard. He shares everything with you. Has since he was a child. Are you trying to tell me you don’t know?”

“His majesty shares no such information with me. He speaks to me only of the security measures he wishes to have taken around his person. This is all the information I can offer you on this subject. Please ask another question.”

The Queen had a perfectly smooth face, other than the twitch of her nose that so obviously gave away her uncertainty. It was clear that Seungcheol would not grovel at her feet and give way to her. The idea that he considered himself a match for her was despicable.

“Fine. What has his majesty said of me?”

“His majesty does not speak of you.”

“Of course he does.”

“He does not. Your majesty takes up precious little of his time or thoughts. Please ask another question.”

“Is his majesty ill?”

“His majesty is in perfect health. For such questions, please speak directly to his head eunuch.”

“Is his majesty in danger?”

“Being the King, his majesty is always in danger from aggressors both obvious and unseen. It is my duty to protect him from all of them.”

“…what are his majesty’s plans for the national grain house?”

“I have no knowledge of such a thing, your majesty. Please ask another question.”

“Please, you’re telling me his majesty doesn’t even ever speak of politics when you are the room?”

“Might I remind your majesty, my return to the palace has been short. I have guarded his majesty less than fifty times since I arrived. Who am I to become the earpiece of his majesty’s woes? I am a guard, not a minister or a scholar. You may think of me as a plant, or a toy; with no ears to hear and no eyes to see.”

It visibly stung the Queen to have the words repeated to her.

“Choi Seungcheol, I demand that you leave his majesty’s service at once and become my personal guard.”

“I refuse, your majesty.”

Her fist came down on the wooden table in front of her like it was lightning, thunder and God, Himself: she had lost all semblance of serenity, glaring with intent to kill. “Do not play games with me, boy. I will win them all.”

Seungcheol kept his eyes trained on hers, without displaying a single crack in his façade.

It only served to enrage her further. “Do you think you are safe because his majesty protects you?” she shrilled, a menacing curl to her smirk. “This is the palace. You may not remember, since you were young when you left, but this is the most dangerous place on earth. Here a word or action could kill you. This is the palace, you are not special here, there are a thousand men ready to replace you. You will come to me often and tell me what information you have.”

“And how will your majesty force me to do that?” It was Seungcheol’s turn to smile – an unassuming, innocent, wonderfully bright smile. A smile that seemed as if it had descended from heaven. “I’m harder to kill than mere mortals.”

And he looked so very angelic with his sweet smile, and so very demonic with his glittering eyes, her majesty the Queen couldn’t answer him.

“Where. Have. You. Been.”

Seungcheol bowed deeply. “Forgive me your majesty. I was called away.”

“I’ve been waiting here for half an – called away?”

“I did not walk there myself, your majesty.” Seungcheol gave a look to his surroundings and, in particular, the King’s entourage of maids and eunuchs.

He noticed the look. “Come with me,” he spat.

“Who took you?”

“Her majesty the Queen’s eunuchs, sire.”

“What did she want?”

“She asked questions.”

“Did you answer them?”

The guard watched the King pace to and fro agitatedly before answering. “I gave simple, uninteresting answers, your majesty.”

“Everything. Tell me everything. Word for word.”

He obeyed, and when the story was finished, the King’s fingers were gripped into tight little fists.

“You said no?!”

“Of course I said no, your majesty.”

“Of course you did!” The King almost leapt in the air with fury. “You’re mine. No games will be played out over your head. You belong to me and no other.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Without another word the King ripped Seungcheol’s kerchief from his neck and plunged his fangs deep – deeper than usual, a sensation that gave a surprising amount of pain that could only be endured in silence. Seungcheol fell to his knees instantly as the King’s arms wrapped around his body and his head as he was fed upon: his majesty slaking loudly, as if in a frenzy. He had almost entirely drained Seungcheol by the time he was done, but kept him held in his arms as if the King could consume him: could inhale him and accept him into the chest of his own body.

“You belong to me, Seungcheol,” the King whispered into his ear, gripping his body tightly. “Your everything is mine, and I intend to keep it.”

Chapter Text

“Eat more.”

“Please, your majesty, I cannot eat any more.”

“You’re so pale. Why are you so pale?”

He hesitated.

“There’s a reason?!” The King forced more honeyed treats into Seungcheol’s closing palm as he became upset. “What’s the reason?”

“Y-your majesty… may have taken enough blood from me… to make me pale.”

His majesty froze, hand mid-air.

“It does not matter, your majesty: I am still able to function, without sweets and alcohol.”

“Eat them, or I’ll shove them down your throat myself.”

Seungcheol obeyed, eating the treats one by one.

“…I apologize, Seungcheol. I was out of control today. That won’t happen again. I’ll only feed with your permission.”

“…permission?” Seungcheol frowned. “Your majesty does not understand. My existence is for you. You may take whatever you wish from me at any moment. I belong to you. You may think of me as your personal toy. I would never require your majesty to ask for permission to use me. If your majesty does not use me, I am not fulfilling my function correctly. Please take me whenever your majesty pleases.”

The King slowly nodded. “Fine, then. I won’t apologize.” He paused for a moment. “Next time her majesty kidnaps you, accept her proposal to be her spy. Request something absurd as a payment, though. Make it hard for her. Become a double-spy and report to me whatever suspicious things she asks for.”

He hesitated. “I did not create a friendship with her majesty today,” he said carefully. “I do not think she will ask me again.”

“She will.” His majesty smiled. “She’s going to become very desperate, soon. Anyway, just play her fiddle for a while. Make her crazy, give her contradicting reports. I’ll help. It will be good for you to be more involved in politics.”

For a moment, Seungcheol expected his majesty to bring up the Queen’s question about national grain – but he didn’t.

“Drink more.”

“Please, I beg your majesty, no more. I will not be able to guard you well.”

The King removed the cup again. “Fine, then.” He suddenly whipped around. “Seungcheol.”

“Your majesty?”

“You’ve never drunk my blood before, have you?”

The guard almost passed out at the idea on the spot. “No, of course not, your majesty!”

“You only bit me in the heart. Do you know what I taste like?”

“N-no, of course not, your majesty!”

“Huh. Pity. I’d like to know.”

It made Seungcheol anxious. “Do I taste… good… your majesty?”

He gave it serious thought. “You’re alright,” he answered at length. “You tasted better when you were human. Between you and Mingyu, I’d rather have Mingyu. His blood is sweeter. Probably because you’re a vampire like me. I guess my blood wouldn’t be good then, either.”

“Oh.”

They were silent for a while.

“Jealous of Mingyu?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Oh, look at that. I didn’t expect you to be so honest.”

“I will never deceive your majesty for something so trivial. I am very jealous of Mingyu.”

“How so?”

“He is so very loved by your majesty. Wouldn’t anybody envy his position? To be so adored and exalted by your majesty is an honour. Some day I hope to prove myself worthy of it.”

“You think I adore Mingyu?”

“Don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Then, I am jealous of him.”

“I love things like tea and lamb, too. Are you jealous of those things?”

“Jealous of the tea that is consumed by your majesty, of the cup bearing it that is held warm in your majesty’s hands, of that which gets to belong to your majesty, devoured by your majesty, yes sire, I am jealous.”

The King regarded him a moment. “I had no idea you liked me so much, Choi Seungcheol.”

He cracked a shy smile. “It was your majesty’s royal command that I like you more and more, until I could not leave your majesty ever again. An unnecessary command, to be sure, but I feel if you have commanded me to do so, I may admit it freely.”

“I see.” He waited a moment. “Then, what are you most jealous of?”

It was silent for a very long time as Seungcheol stared into the distance, thinking about it. “I don’t know,” he said at length. “Please give me more time to consider your majesty’s question.”

“Fine, you’ll have plenty of time. I’m having a bath tonight before I sleep, so it should give you prolonged peace to think it over. Suk!”

His majesty’s entourage took time to prepare for the bath: he was taken to the bathing chambers before he suddenly snapped at his guard. “Not you!”

Seungcheol froze. “…your majesty?”

“I don’t want you inside. Suk and the bath maids are bound to pose little threat. You’re not going to save me from warm water and rose petals.”

A burden dropped off the King’s face once he was inside, as if he was intensely relieved that his guard agreed to stand outside the door, rather than inside. He slipped out of his robes with ease and allowed his eunuch to check the water before he slid in, dismissing the maids as well.

“Suk… come here.”

“Yes, your majesty.” He crouched by the tub.

“…you have served me a very long time, have you not?”

“From the day of your majesty’s birth, it has been my honour, your majesty.”

The King turned to him. “I have loved you, you know.”

Poor Suk almost fell backward at such an admission. “Y-your majesty?”

“I know it has been a very long time since I was particularly kind to you. That’s my mistake. We used to have fun, didn’t we? When I was a child? You used to good-naturedly play hide and seek with me.”

It was as if ten years fell off Suk’s face. “Yes, your majesty. Those were wonderful days. I enjoyed them, but I’ve enjoyed every day serving you since.”

“Suk, come on.” The King turned to him. “I’ve been cruel to you on more than one occasion.”

Suk bridled.

“Spit it out.”

“Your majesty changed a lot when Seungcheol left. We were all worried about how attached you were to him, but when you changed, we worried a lot more. There were even petitions to the King to have him recalled for you. Is… is it better for your majesty? Now that he is back?”

“Suk…” The King turned to him, fearful tears in his eyes. “I don’t know,” he admitted in a haunted breath. “But I miss having fun with you.”

The eunuch simply pulled up a piece of linen cloth and wiped the King’s cheeks with it gently. “I miss it too, your majesty.” It took all of his restraint not to mirror those tears. “But now it is my mission to guide and protect your majesty through strife and stress of the throne, and I will work just as hard.”

“Do you love the Queen?”

“I love your majesty.”

“The Queen Mother?”

Suk leaned in. “I love your majesty. If your majesty decides your Queen is your enemy, I will assist you in your endeavours to rid of her. If your majesty decides the entire world is your enemy, I will bring you the matches with which to light it on fire.”

The King suddenly smiled – it was a worn smile, stressed and upset and tired, but it was real: a thing the head eunuch rarely saw.

“Thank you, Suk. Sometimes I forget you’re on my side. Knowing this helps. Then… will you assist me? There’s a special endeavour I want you to prepare for.”

“I am your servant, your majesty.”

“Have you decided, yet?”

“Not yet, your majesty.”

“You’re transparent, Tiger Breath. What do you want to say?”

“…why does your majesty not wish for me to guard you during your bath?”

“I just don’t.” The King was oddly defensive about it, but Seungcheol couldn’t ask more. “That’s the end of it. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“It’s not your place to question me.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

He sighed, grumpy, folding his arms in the bed.

“Please try to sleep, your majesty.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

He winced, and was instantly silent.

“You know, you’re not great!” the King muttered at length. “You’re presumptuous, and stupid, and loud, and too talkative!”

“I will endeavour to be silent from here on out, your majesty.”

“See? Presumptuous!”

He couldn’t muster an answer to that.

The King sat up in his bed, tone suddenly cool. “Seungcheol.”

“Sire?”

“Didn’t I say last time that you’re to guard me from inside my bed? Why aren’t you over here?”

“I cannot possibly be in your majesty’s bed.”

He turned his head to Seungcheol – slowly. “Come. Here. Seungcheol.”

The guard closed in without a second thought until he kneeled at the King’s bed. “This is as far as I go, your majesty.”

“That isn’t close enough.”

“Please be satisfied with this, sire.”

He sighed loudly and flopped back into bed, reaching out to grab Seungcheol’s arm, grasping it tightly, using the palm as a pillow. “If you breathe loud enough to keep me awake, I’ll kill you.”

“It will be my honour to be killed by your majesty.”

It was a long time before the King commented again.

“Seungcheol… I never thanked you for coming back. Thank you for coming back.”

“I’ll always come back for your majesty.”

“Will you? No matter what?”

“No matter.”

“Even if I was angry with you and sent you away…?”

“I will do what your majesty commands of me. I will stay away from your majesty if you ask it of me.”

“Oh.” The King’s fingers tickled the edge of Seungcheol’s arm as he was locked in his majesty’s grasp. “I want you to stay.”

“Then, I shall stay.”

“…you don’t need to be jealous of Mingyu, either,” he mumbled sleepily. “I like you, too.”

Seungcheol would never admit how much that stung – how painful it was to be second place, how much the casual tone of the word like created darkness in his chest. “Thank you, your majesty.”

“You were a cute human. I wish you still were. Then I could adore you more.”

The guard had to scrunch his whole face up, closing his eyes hard for a moment. The sting spread from his heart, radiating over his whole chest, becoming as heavy as lead, and for a moment it threatened to cripple him entirely.

“I apologize, your majesty.”

“Mm.” The King was almost asleep now. “You were cute… so cute…”

Once he had fallen asleep, Seungcheol carefully removed his arm, but stayed seated where he was, turning a quarter away from the King, and gripped his chest, cradling it in both arms, pretending it didn’t hurt.

Chapter Text

“Seungcheol.”

He turned. “Your majesty.”

“You stayed.”

“I did, your majesty. That is, after all, what I’m paid for.”

The King flinched at that and sat up a little, rubbing his eyes. “Do you have an answer?”

“I do.”

“Then?”

“…I am most jealous of Her Majesty the Queen.”

This didn’t surprise him. “Why?”

“…there will come a time when she bears your majesty’s children. To be able to hold and care for something so precious to your majesty… is a position I am most envious of. I will never be that important to your majesty, never have such an important function. If I could, I would watch over your majesty’s children until I died.”

He frowned – lightly. “What a painful thing to say to a King.”

Seungcheol didn’t answer. He remained silent for the rest of the morning, and took his leave in silence.

“…pardon me?”

“Drop all formalities.” The King leaned in. “You’re a constant thorn in my side, Jeonghan.”

“…I am sorry to be of such trouble to your majesty.”

“It doesn’t matter what you do, who you speak to, what you say – it can all be turned against me in an instant. You are not an enemy I wish to have, but you are not an ally I can trust, until you have proven loyalty.”

“Your majesty, I can and will prove my loyalty to you any way I can… but not like this. It is absurd. Father would-”

“Father’s dead, Jeonghan. I am King now. You are a prince. You do my bidding. This is what I want you to do.”

“…if I am caught?”

“You will be executed.”

“And what about her?”

“She will be executed, too.”

“So, we’ll both be killed?”

The King shrugged. “Don’t get caught.”

“This could all be your majesty’s elaborate plan to get rid of us both.”

“Bit of a dramatic way of doing it, don’t you think? Besides, I need this plan to work. The benefit to me would be unbelievable. If I wanted you dead, Jeonghan, I’d have one of my guards slit your throat in the street at night and take your purse to make it look like petty theft. If I wanted her dead, it would only take a single, well-paid fool with no information, to do the trick. I need you both to do this and live.”

“What has she said?”

“Hmm?”

“Does she agree to this?”

“I haven’t commanded her to do it yet.”

“Your majesty, I beg you… do not ask this of me. I am your brother. Please do not ruin me this way.”

“It’s a foolproof plan, Jeonghan. Nothing will go wrong. You want to prove you are my brother; you want to prove you mean me no harm; you want to prove your loyalty to country and to your King; you want to prove that you will not conspire against me and take my throne. To do that, any which way, you will have to put your life on the line for me. This is the manner I have decided upon. I want you to do this for me. Kill my birds with one stone.”

Jeonghan stared at his brother. “When did you become so cold, little brother?”

The King looked up. “A long time ago, Jeonghan.”

Jeonghan stared at his palms for a long time. “If I do not do this, your majesty will assume I intend to overthrow your majesty and take your throne and your life.”

“I will.”

“If I do this, I risk not only my life, but that of somebody… important.”

“Indeed.”

“Is there no other way?”

“Did you think trusting you would be an easy exercise? Do you not remember the tension between our mothers? The sacrifices our father made to keep peace? What your mother did to me, and what my mother retaliated with? People have been slaughtered over what we might become to each other. I want to be a brother to a man I cannot trust.”

They stared at each other for a long moment.

“Your mother killed mine for something she didn’t do.”

It wasn’t an accusation, but the King had to look away, nonetheless. “…I know.”

“Everything they say she did – they say I did – I didn’t do those things.”

“I know.”

“Then why do I need to prove my loyalty? Why do you need proof?”

The King looked up. “Because I can’t trust anybody, Jeonghan. I can’t trust you… her… myself… I cannot even trust my own reflection in the mirror. Reality has ceased to have meaning.”

They looked into each other’s eyes.

Jeonghan slowly bowed his head. “Then, your majesty… I will accept this command.”

The King wished he could say it wasn’t a command.

He couldn’t.

The Queen was suspicious, for sure – it was a new phenomenon to have the King visit her in her own chambers, especially without provocation: she had done nothing wrong as of late, unless his majesty was aware of her temporary kidnapping of his guard. If that was the case, his majesty was a little late.

“Let me be plain.”

“I will never expect otherwise from your majesty.”

“I will never sleep with you.”

Her face became as stone.

“I will never enter your body; I will never undress you; you shall never have children by me; your body shall never be touched by mine; I will never belong to you in that way. Ever.”

She saw his eyes. She knew he meant it. And behind her façade, her will and determination began to crumble into emotions far more dangerous and volatile.

“However, there is safety on the horizon.”

Her face never changed.

“You may yet have royal children: the grandchildren of my father. You may yet bear a Crown Prince. You may yet have children that are my own, raise them, and become the Queen Mother of this nation. You may yet have that kind of power. In fact, you might have power all your life, and die a beloved figure of this nation, much grieved by your people and family alike. You can have it all.”

The Queen gave him a dangerous look. “And how will I do that, without your majesty’s physical blessing?”

The King straightened a little bit. This was the pivotal moment it all rested upon.

“On the elected day, I will enter your chambers and send away the maids and eunuchs. I will then leave by an alternate route, unseen. My half-brother, Jeonghan, will enter your quarters, give you a child, leave, and I will return in the name of pretense. According to all, the child will be mine, and according to reality, the child will be a direct descendant of my father. It will be a child of sacred bone. Your son will be a bastard, for sure, but he will be King.”

Chapter Text

"Your son will be a bastard, for sure, but he will be King.”

The Queen’s jaw dropped, all other parts of her face unmoving.

“I’m quite aware you were betrothed to Jeonghan before I was made crown prince. I’m aware you spent time together, even after you were appointed to become my wife. I know you still harbour feelings for him. Deep, buried under years of stone and fire, you still burn to see him, speak to him, feel his hands in yours. I’m no fool. I know this. It will be a happier occasion for you both to be reunited this way.”

“Your majesty is in jest.”

“I am not.”

“This is all very well – but what will stop your majesty from taking a concubine later and naming her child crown prince over mine?”

“That will not happen.”

“How can you guarantee that, your majesty?”

“In case it had escaped your notice, wife, I am not very interested in the female figure.”

“Men who are interested in men still impregnate women, your majesty. Eunuchs who like men have even been known to father children.”

“Then, I suppose, you only have my word.”

“That is not enough.”

“Then you will live in disgrace forever, as the Queen who never had children.”

“That is well enough. Better that, then a dishonest liar.”

The King smiled. “You have fifteen days, your majesty. I suggest you think over my proposal.”

“If I agree, I may die. If I am found in the arms of your majesty’s half-brother, I will not be allowed to escape with my life.”

“No, you will not.”

“What fool would put her life on the line for a single night with a man she hasn’t spoken to in ten years?”

He stood. “What fool would not put her life on the line… to become mother to the King?”

“He understands.” His majesty sighed deeply. “If I were to be seen, this close to the entrance examination, with Shua, there would be riots among the scholars for my bias. Still… I wish I could see him for a little. I came out for a walk, but… oh. Maybe I could see Seungcheol’s home.”

Mingyu paused by the King’s side.

“Eh?” He turned. “You won’t take me? Aw, you should take me, Mingyu!”

“Of course I will take you,” he mumbled, struggling with dropping his royal formalities. “But we should be careful not to be seen. Don’t forget, his little sister knows your face now.”

“Oh, we won’t be seen.” He waved a hand. “And she wouldn’t recognize me in civilian clothes anyway. Lead the way.”

The girl’s eyes widened, her lips parted, and she stared with near horror in her eyes: it was only due to Mingyu’s quick wit that he was able to dash over the wall and clasp a hand over her mouth on time.

“Miss Yehana, please be quiet. His majesty is here on an undercover mission and he does not wish to alert anybody to his presence. Please promise not to make noise that would disturb your family or servants.”

The girl nodded as little as she could in Mingyu’s grip: she was carefully, slowly released and gently bowed her head to the guard.

“His majesty would like to speak to you.”

She hurried beyond the gates of her home and was careful to bow deeply to the King on the other side of the wall. “Your majesty,” she whispered carefully.

“Yehana, please don’t be so formal with me. Out here, I am just another civilian, leading a plain, civilian life.”

“Y-yes, your…?”

“I suppose we can leave titles and formalities for another time. Sir will be fine.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m sorry to have scared you like that. I’m sure you weren’t expecting to see me here like this.”

She flushed bright pink. “That’s right, sir.”

“I just wanted to come by and see you. And your brother. I didn’t mean for you to see me, too.”

“Ah, forgive me, y-… sir. I’ve disturbed your work.”

“Actually… you can help me with something.” The King gestured with a long arm. “Will you walk with me back to the market place?”

“Ah… yes, sir…?”

“She likes blue.”

“Blue? But it doesn’t suit her.”

“Not that kind of blue. This kind.” Yehana picked up a darker, more sapphire-blue ornament, with red beads. “This kind of bright blue suits her very well.”

“Ah, you’re right. I think those bright colours look very well on her, all of them.”

“Your sister is very pretty, sir.” Yehana placed the ornament back on the market stall. “She suits many things.”

“Do ladies really like such ornaments? They seem very cumbersome.”

“Oh, the more cumbersome the better, sir.” She smiled at the items. “She also said she wanted to try out cosmetics, but her mother forbids it. She then said there was no point if she had no husband to impress.”

The King sighed dramatically, keeping a smile on his face at all times. “She always wants me to find her a husband. Lately, she said she wanted to marry your brother. What do you think of that?”

Yehana suddenly became a little quiet, though still smiling. “She said the same thing to me, sir.”

“Oh? She did?” He frowned in the distance for a moment. “She must be very serious about it, then. How cumbersome. Do you think they would be a good match?”

Her fingers trailed over tassled ornaments. “I think… she would be very happy, as long as she was married to a good-looking man. I don’t think it matters so much if it’s my brother.”

The King gave her a relieved look. “Ah, good. No, they’d be a terrible match. I suppose it doesn’t matter, though. It’s not my decision to make, whom she marries, you see. That is up to my wife.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Hello, ah, yes… I’d like to buy this, this, this, this, those there…” The King pointed to the brightly coloured items. “Oh, and this pale green one, here.”

“Eh? The green one?” Yehana inspected it before the lady grasped it away. “Do you think that will suit her?”

“No, not even a little.” The King handed over the money and handed most of the ornaments to his guard. “But this one is a thank-you gift to somebody who helped me a lot today. I told my sister I would buy her something pretty from outside, but I’m a cold man, and I don’t know a lot about young ladies. Thank you, Miss Yehana.”

Yehana looked at the ornament for a moment. “A-ah, y-your – sir, I didn’t, I don’t, I mean-”

“Take it.” He gripped her hand and pressed the pale green ornament into her palms. “It’s a thank you gift, just a small one. Even though I don’t know much, I think that green colour will look very pretty when you wear pink colours like the one you’re wearing today.”

“Sir.” Mingyu suddenly leaned in. “Please turn your face to your left and leave, immediately. Somebody we know is coming.”

“I’m sorry to leave you like this.” The King was already leaving. “I will speak to you again!”

“B-but! Sir!”

“Not a word to anyone that I was here!”

Mingyu turned around to give her a worried look – she simply nodded sternly. She wouldn’t tell anybody, that was a promise.

Seconds after the two men in civilian clothing had disappeared from sight, Seungcheol appeared.

“Who was that?”

“Hm?”

“Who were you just talking to? What did he hand you?” He scowled angrily, pressing her fingers open. “What is this?”

“It – it’s a gift!” She pulled it back from her brother. “I-it was just a scholar! He’s in the capital from a far province to take the exam. He wanted to bring back a gift for his sister and I helped him choose one, so he bought me one as a thank you!” She gave him a hateful scowl. “Why are you here?”

“Suddenly my little sister left the house without her maid? Of course I’m out looking for you!” Seungcheol grabbed her arm, pulling her a little. “And I find you holding hands with some strange man? What if something happened to you?!”

“I-I’m fine!” She pushed him off. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”

“I’m fine.” Seungcheol pulled her into an alleyway and hugged her tightly. “You scared me, little sister. Don’t do dangerous things. We were very scared.”

She relented a little. “Sorry, brother. I didn’t mean to.”

“That’s okay. Don’t do it again. Come on, I’ll take you home. And throw that thing away!”

“Will not!” She defiantly tied the green ornament to her clothes. “It was a lovely gift. I’ll get in trouble if I’m not wearing it the next time I see him.”

“You’re going to meet him again?!”

Yehana simply laughed.

“What took you so long?!”

He paused in the middle of the room, caught in surprise. “I thought I was on time, your majesty…?”

“You are! I’m asking you – oh nevermind! Can’t you two hurry up?!”

The maids apologized, hurrying away with his majesty’s breakfast dishes: he had barely touched them, but the moment gave Seungcheol a moment to relieve Mingyu, who patted him on the shoulder on the way past. “Sorry and good luck.”

For a moment, Seungcheol wondered what could possibly have transpired.

“Choi Seungcheol, sit down, you’re making me fidgety.”

Seungcheol sat instantly as the servants took their final farewells, directly in front of the King’s desk.

“Your majesty, have I done something to displease you?”

“Yes! Actually!” The King stood in a hurry, scowling harshly, and began to pace all around the room. “You stupid Choi Seungcheol! Why did you ever come back to the palace anyway? What good was it?!”

Seungcheol couldn’t answer a question so confusing.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Coming here! Looking like that! How dare you walk into my palace with a face like yours?! Don’t you think of anybody else when you come around looking like that? Don’t you, even once, wonder what happens to your King, or what it will be like for me when you’re like this?!”

Seungcheol’s jaw dropped in utter bewilderment.

“I have a good mind to just ban you! Put you out of the country for this kind of betrayal! You can go off and be like this in a whole other country! Go be like this in China or somewhere! Why did you come here like this? I could rip you apart at the seams!”

Seungcheol instantly drew a dagger from his side and offered it up to the King in both palms at the same time, bowing his head. “The blade of this weapon is forged from silver. Please use it to end my life for betraying you, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

The King stopped entirely still, staring at his guard. “What?”

“I don’t pretend to know your majesty’s reasons, but if I have displeased you, please have me executed. I deserve nothing more for inconveniencing your majesty.” His voice was strong, but his arms shook.

The King stretched his fingers out deftly to take the hilt of the weapon, turning it in the light. “…silver is deadly?”

“Please be careful your majesty. Even touching silver can cause severe burns. I had your silverware exchanged for steelware, but I’m sure the servants will find out soon.”

The King turned to see where Seungcheol’s palm had turned black and ashy where the blade had sat, arms no longer shaky.

“Fool.” He threw the dagger to the side with ease, pulling Seungcheol’s palm forward, blowing on it gently. “Your skin… turned to ash?”

“It will heal… in time, your majesty. Internal organs will not.”

The two looked at each other, crouched, leaning in to each other.

He sighed. “Seungcheol, I’m not going to kill you.”

“Then…?”

He sighed, gently brushing his fingertips over the unharmed part of Seungcheol’s hand that still rested in his. “My sister has petitioned my wife to let you and herself be married.”

There was a moment of silence.

“As you know, the Queen is the head of internal palace affairs; she decides who marries whom in the royal family, and I am to have no say in the matter. My sister is enamoured with you, and apparently thinks you’re incredibly handsome, to the point where she wants to be married to you. My wife is enraged by you and wishes to use you to spy on me – a position that would be hampered if she allowed you to marry my sister, but it is a threat she can hold over me. Do you see what you have done?” He suddenly leaned in, taking Seungcheol’s face in his hands gently. “Do you see what this handsome face has done to this palace? Do you know… how much this will pain me?”

“Your majesty…”

“I know.” The King let him go with a sigh and sat back. “You can’t help your face being what it is. You’re too pretty for your own good. I know.”

“Scar my face, your majesty.”

“What?”

“If your majesty severely scars my face with that dagger, her highness will certainly no longer wish for me to be her betrothed.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Your majesty?”

“I will not take a blade that does this-” he rushed forward to grab Seungcheol’s burnt hand and hold it in the air, “-and use it to hurt that which is precious to me! I will not do such a thing, Seungcheol, and you will never ask me to, again.”

He bowed. “Yes, your majesty.”

“I will never cut you like that. No. We must find another way to resolve this crisis.”

Seungcheol thought about it. “Your majesty cannot interfere with her majesty’s decisions regarding the inner palace. To forbid such a union would cause a great commotion among the ministers.”

The King lifted his nose in the air a little. “Maybe they need some commotion.”

“Your majesty, it is unwise. You will look like a foolish king and your will shall be beaten down by the ministers. You will then look weak as well, and will have to concede to political plans your majesty would rather not, just to save some face.”

His eyes were suddenly sharp. “What political plans?”

“I speak in general terms, your majesty. I do not know what happens between your majesty’s ministers and your majesty.”

He softened a little more. “Oh.” He rubbed his temples. “If only you were uglier…”

“I am sorry, your majesty.” He scowled at the ground as he hung his head. “I wish you would allow me to scar myself.”

The King’s palm slapped down on the table. “Shut up! Just shut up! That’s not going to happen so never mention it in front of me again!”

He could only obey.

“I will talk to her majesty. I will make some kind of concession.”

“Please do not make concessions on my behalf, your majesty. Your majesty cannot lose anything of value over me.”

“Damn it, Seungcheol, you are the thing of value we are warring for!” His fist came down on the table again, and he scrambled over to grab his guard by the collar, shaking him with both hands. “What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you understanding this?”

Seungcheol couldn’t answer for a moment, looking at his majesty’s large, warm eyes.

The King stared back, his hands slowly moving to grip Seungcheol’s face. “Seungcheol,” he whispered, gently pressing their foreheads together. “You belong to me. I am not letting anybody else have you. Not my father, not my wife, not my sister, nobody is to have you except me. It’s not an option. This belongs to me. You’re never leaving me again. One way or another, I will save you for myself. If I have to burn half the city for it.”

“Sire…”

“…hmm?”

“Please don’t burn half the city.”

The King snorted in amusement, letting go suddenly. “Fine, fine then. Not the city. But you mark my words, Choi Seungcheol, you won’t marry my sister.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Your majesty could always give up on this ridiculous idea of yours to create a fake heir.”

“That is not negotiable. Try again.”

The Queen gave him a pleasant smile. “Your majesty, what else could I possibly want?”

“I’ll raise your allowance.”

“I don’t need more money.”

“I’ll send you presents.”

“I don’t need more trinkets.”

“I’ll make political concessions.”

“Such as?”

“I’ll allow the bureau of commerce the dividend they require.”

“I have no interest in the debate for the dividend.”

“I’ll promote your brother.”

“My brother is already the Chinese ambassador and is very happy doing that.”

“There must be something you want.”

“I want an heir. A real one. Give me that, and I will reject Princess Nayoung’s proposal.”

The two royals stared at each other for a cold moment.

“Well played,” the King eventually admitted as he stood to leave. “But remember this. I am still the King. And you… are still disposable.”

The petulant princess crossed her arms stubbornly, raised her nose in the air, and looked away from her older brother. “I don’t want to.”

“Nayoung. This is important.”

“So is my future! So is my happiness! And I want him!”

“Nayoung.” He sighed deeply. “You don’t understand. You are thrusting yourself amidst political strife. There are laws and decisions and plans and-”

“Sire, I know I might look stupid to you, but I’m not. I’ve had the education of a Queen you know. I know what I’m doing. I know what I’m asking for.”

“You know that asking the Queen for something, directly in opposition to what I have told you, could put this nation to civil war?”

“Nobody is going to go to war over an unimportant princess and a merchant’s son!”

“He’s not even of noble birth!”

“That kind of thing doesn’t matter to me.”

The King leaned in. “Nayoung, if you continue with this, I won’t get you the trinket from outside the palace that I promised you.”

For the first time ever, Nayoung gave her brother the King a look that saw right through him – she blazed through him with eyes of fire, and looked down on him with obvious contempt. “What, am I a five-year-old child, to be bribed that easily? I won’t play your majesty’s games. I’m not a child anymore. It’s time I was married and started a family. Just because your majesty won’t endure familial duties doesn’t mean I have to be the same.”

“Nayoung.” His tone took on a dangerous edge. “Watch your words.”

“Or what?” Suddenly, Nayoung was a young lady. “What are you going to do, brother? Will you kick me out of the palace? I’ll be just as comfortable with servants in any other palace. What, will you take them away from me? Fine, be the King that turned his sister to poverty. I am tired of loneliness, your majesty. I refuse to be confined like this with nothing to do. I want to marry. It is none of your business whom I marry. If you only came here to change my mind, you’ll be sorely disappointed.”

The King stared at her. “You have no place to demand your choice of man.”

“There are several precedents of princesses choosing their husbands.”

“Nayoung, you can’t just choose the first handsome man you see.”

Nayoung smiled. “Watch me.”

It took five cups of chamomile tea to calm his majesty before bed: he simply kept pacing the floor, even after the lights had been put out, seeing with perfect acuity in the darkness. “There has to be a way,” he muttered to himself. “There just has to be.”

“Your majesty,” Seungcheol whispered. “Please sleep.”

The King turned to him and stared for a minute before walking over to sit on the edge of the bed.

“Majesty?”

“You, too.”

“Your majesty…”

“I need you near me.”

Seungcheol dutifully made his way over as the King slid under his sheets: he kneeled by the bed stiffly, staring into the distance, a soldier at his post.

“Don’t.” A small hand tugged on his clothes. “Come here.”

“Your majesty, I cannot possibly do such a thing.”

“Please?” His voice sounded small, somehow. “I need you here.”

“I cannot.”

“Cheollie…”

It was as if he had been struck in the heart: his chest caved for a moment and he made an odd contortion, as if he really had been struck.

“Cheollie?”

“Don’t call me that,” he breathed. “Please don’t call me that.”

The King sat up again and put his arms around Seungcheol, hugging him suddenly. “Seungcheol,” he whispered delicately, “don’t leave me.”

“I will never leave your majesty.”

The King placed his face in Seungcheol’s neck and for a moment the guard wondered if he should remove his bandage: but it seemed the monarch was simply happy to nuzzle there for a moment. “I missed you.”

“Your majesty, I was only gone a day and night.”

“No. Years ago. I missed you. I missed you too, Seungcheol.”

“Your majesty, why are you saying these things?” The guard had to steel himself against the attacks his majesty could besiege him with. “Please do not say painful things.”

“I’m saying them because I rely on you, and… I’m scared you might be ripped away from me.”

Seungcheol had to put an arm around the King then, too. “I won’t be. Your majesty will think of something.”

His majesty pulled away. “I don’t like nights. I’m far more emotional. That hasn’t changed.”

“I feel that may just be your majesty’s disposition.” Seungcheol knelt by the bed again. “Please sleep soundly, your majesty.”

“Seungcheol… can you lean over a little?”

Seungcheol leaned over.

“I want… I want…”

Seungcheol began to unwrap his bandage, but the King’s hand stopped him.

“No. Not your blood. Not tonight.” He took a deep breath, then sighed. “Never mind. Just please watch over me, and love me.”

“As always, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

The diminutive King was stronger than he looked: within seconds of waking from his sweat-stricken nightmare he had Seungcheol pinned to the bed under him, staring at him with frenzied eyes, little fists scrunching Seungcheol’s uniform over his shoulders. “It’s you,” he simply snarled.

It took him a moment. “It is not yet morning, your majesty.”

The King’s eyes flared a deep red in the night as he stared at his guard lying under him. “You were gone.”

“I have not left the room, your majesty. Your majesty was suffering from a nightmare.”

The King seemed to lose all will then, gently letting himself down onto Seungcheol’s chest, curling up on him. “You were gone,” he murmured. “I couldn’t find you. They took you away again.”

It was too similar to when he had been a child, clinging to his new guard – Seungcheol’s arms automatically wrapped around the figure that lay on top of him. “I haven’t left and I will not in the future, your majesty.”

The King’s face turned to skim across Seungcheol’s chest a moment. “I miss your heartbeat.”

“I apologize, your majesty.”

“To think that you gave up something so special, just because you were looking to help me… what kind of person are you, Choi Seungcheol?”

He smiled. “One that is loyal to your majesty alone.”

“I like that.” The King was quiet for a moment. “Did you fall asleep?”

“No, your majesty. Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“No. Stay like this.”

“I should get out of your majesty’s bed-”

At the very idea of him leaving, his majesty rushed forward and put his hand over Seungcheol’s mouth. “Don’t,” he mumbled, the word sounding more like a request than a command. “Don’t leave now.”

“But your majesty.” Desperation was painted on his face. “This is improper.”

“I don’t care. Be improper. Lie with me, Seungcheol.” He put his face in the crook of Seungcheol’s neck again. “I miss this. I miss it so much. Stay with me like this.”

“Your majesty.”

“You said you were jealous of the Queen. Just for a night… can’t you pretend you’re her?” He sighed deeply, curling up on the wide expanse of Seungcheol’s chest. “And I’ll pretend I’m married to you, and just for one night, we can be like this. And I can be happy, just for one night of my whole existence… I can be happy, alone, with you.”

For a moment, he warred internally, trying to decide whether his majesty’s happiness was worth trying to live through the intense pain in his chest. But it was a lost cause. Seungcheol would never be able to deny the King his happiness.

So he simply pulled the cover over the King, and stroked his hair until he fell asleep again.

“Your majesty!”

The King woke slowly, groggily, and was shocked to find his guard under him, staring at him with mild, warm eyes.

“Good morning, your majesty.”

“Your majesty!” Suk’s voice boomed again. “It is time to rise!”

“You stayed.”

“Of course, your majesty.”

Without thinking, the King leaned in and kissed Seungcheol on the cheek. “Good morning, wife.”

Seungcheol’s jaw dropped.

“Your majesty… we’re coming in now!”

With all the speed he could possibly muster, Seungcheol placed the King upright, bounced off his majesty’s bed, laid his majesty back down in the bed, flung himself to the far wall and sat down as if nothing had happened.

“Suuuuuuuuuuuk,” the King groaned when his eunuch entered. “I hate youuuuuu.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Guard.”

Seungcheol instantly stopped and bowed, but inside he could keep his stomach sinking away with dread.

“Hello. Choi Seungcheol, isn’t it?”

“Yes, your highness.”

She smiled prettily, leaning in a little. “You don’t have to remain bowed to me. Don’t you know who I am?”

“Your highness, Princess Nayoung, his majesty’s younger sister.”

“No, silly. I’m your future wife. So you shouldn’t bow to me like that. Please raise your head.”

He did as he was told, and watched her face simply bloom with happiness and wonder. “Ah, you’re even more handsome than I had already thought up close!” One of her maids tried to reign her in, but it was no use: the young girl spun a circle on the spot happily. “Has his majesty told you yet? That we are to be married?”

“Forgive me your highness, I thought it was her majesty the Queen who decided on such affairs.”

“Yes, but she’ll give me my way soon! What do you think, husband?” She took his hand in both of hers. “Don’t you think we’ll look very good together?”

“His majesty tells me he does not like such a union, your highness. I am in his majesty’s guard, and I must do as he commands.”

“He can’t do anything against it though, if my sister-in-law decides it.”

“I would not be so sure, your highness. His majesty is an intelligent man, and one who often gets his way.”

“That’s not important.” She waved her hand in the air as if she could wave Seungcheol’s words away like smoke. “The important thing is, do you want to be my husband? Wouldn’t we be lovely together?”

“Your highness…” He sighed at her a little, almost seeing his little sister in her eyes. “Your highness is a very beautiful young flower. Many a man would pick such a flower for themselves and enjoy its beauty for hours until it begins to shrivel. I would much rather leave the flower to see it thrive in the sunshine.”

The Princess looked confused, happy, shy and overwhelmed, all at the same time.

“There are many men well suited to marriage, your highness. I am not one of them. If your highness will excuse me, I have an urgent errand to run.” He didn’t wait for dismissal – he left the young princess sighing happily in the thralls of her own fanciful romance as he sped out of the palace and around the corner, pulling out the list he had received. He knocked at the first house and a servant and a young man both appeared, the man seemingly about to leave.

“Are you going to the exam?”

“Who are y-…” He recognized the guard’s uniform. “Yes!”

“Enter by the Northern gate. Be quick.” And like that Seungcheol sped off to find the next door.

It was a great cause of concern for those attending, that he would show up as if it were nothing, to watch them work. Not only unexpected, but incredibly troublesome for the ministers, who were bewildered at what followed his majesty.

The King walked up to the minister of education with a bright smile on his face.

“Yo- your majesty?”

“These scholars,” the King grinned, pointing at the very large group of somewhat bedraggled-looking men, “were unfortunately not aware that today was the day of the national exam. Somehow, their invitations did not arrive at their houses on time. I sent out my own messenger and guard to wish all of the candidates luck for today, and these young men found out that way. Please seat them in the examination area.” The King then turned to the exam candidates already seated, and began to frown.

“Yo-your majesty! Students must show their own diligence in attending the exam at the correct time! Being helped by your majesty not only shows your majesty’s bias, but it is in violation of examination rules!”

“Nonsense!” The King turned to the delegation of ministers and scholars who were attending the exam. “I didn’t help anybody. I only sent messages of good luck to the houses of the candidates. Did my message not also arrive at your nephew’s house, signed personally by myself?”

The minister had the decency to look down, a little defeated, if only for a moment.

“If your majesty did not help them,” the minister of the interior interfered, “then how can it be that your majesty is the one personally escorting them here? They cannot possibly be allowed to enter the examination under these circumstances.”

“Well, it was very strange, you know.” The King frowned a little. “They were all standing at the Northern gate, trying to get past the soldiers there. I happened to walk past on my way here, and I asked them what they were doing. The soldiers had been told that, under no circumstances, were they to allow anybody not from a noble house into the building for the examinations. When I asked them if they knew that the national examination was open to scholars of any rank, they admitted as much, but they couldn’t tell me who had given the order to stop these men from coming in. So I simply allowed them to enter the palace like this, and as I was coming here, they followed me. Is that a problem, minister?”

The minister of the interior was sweating.

“When we are done with this exam, I will have to see the commander of the palace guard and ask him whether he knows where such a command came from.”

The minister of education almost tripped over himself at the idea. “Y-your majesty, since the students have all arrived in due time, shouldn’t your majesty forget about something so trivial? Us – us ministers can investigate such a minor matter for you.”

“Ah, would you?” The King gave him a worried look, patting his shoulder. “I would have been upset to hear that scholars were not allowed to attend the exam based on their families’ status. Well, if you’ll allow them to sit the national examination, I will leave this matter to you.” He turned to the flustered men who still stood in the court. “Please, take seats for your… oh.”

Two of the venerable scholars began coughing extremely loudly.

“Minister… it seems that not only did these scholars almost not make it to the exam… somebody has forgotten the number of students attending, and has not placed enough mats, paper, and ink down.”

“A- ah- ah – A! A clerical mistake on a servant’s part, your majesty!”

“It is of little importance, we shall simply have to find paper and ink for these scholars now.” He turned to both delegations of students. “Please forgive me. Due to my lack of diligence as monarch, the examination space is not ready to hold so many candidates. The exam will not be able to commence until everything has been prepared correctly. Please wait a little longer.”

In that moment, he met Shua’s eyes, and saw in them little but wonder and reverence. Then Shua smiled – broadly, widely, as understanding lit up in his whole face.

Yes, his majesty thought, moving across the platform of the scholars. Now you understand how this game must be played. But do you also understand what this move may cost me?”

Within a very short amount of time there was enough space for every scholar to sit and work at his exam – at which moment the question was placed on a board, and the students instantly went to work to answer it.

“Minister,” the King murmured from the chair that had been fetched for him, “that man over there.”

“His name is Park Chunsoo, your maje-”

“His palm is black with ink that he has Confucian phrases written on. He is cheating on his exam. Please have him removed from the examination area and his exam paper burned.”

“Y-your majesty,” one of the scholars murmured to him, “that boy is the Minister of Finance’s son.”

The King gave him a plain look. “So?”

“Your majesty cannot dismiss a minister’s son so easily!”

The King stood very suddenly, almost making Mingyu jump behind him. “Good students, forgive me once more for disturbing your examination period. I am having a dispute of morals with my ministers and scholars. Please show your wisdom in helping us reach a solution.”

The students put down their brushes.

“I will pose to you a scene. You are walking in the market streets when you see a man steal money from a passer-by. Please raise your hand, if you feel it is right that you apprehend the man, or call a city guard to apprehend the man, so that justice may be served.”

All the hands in the courtyard pointed to the sky.

“Thank you, you may put down your hands. Allow me another question. If your King saw this man steal in the market, and he did nothing, please raise your hand if you find that an objectionable situation, and would sincerely advise your King against his inaction, and spur him to justice.”

Again, all hands were raised.

“Thank you. If you were all ministers in your King’s cabinet, and found evidence that another minister was committing fraud – that they were keeping the people’s taxes for themselves, or engaging in unlawful activities to enrich themselves – please raise your hand if you would attempt to remedy that unlawful situation.”

Dutifully, all the hands went up again.

“Thank you. Allow me to ask one more, more complex question, where no law is being broken. If you were visiting your friends house and you found his horse starved, to where you could see its bones. You found his servants ill and emaciated and working day and night with no food. You found his wife, beaten until her entire face was mottled with bruises and cuts, her bones broken, unable to even stand. You found his children starved, dirty, begging for water in the streets. By all accounts, these people belong to your friend, and it is his mercy to grant them food and water. Please raise your hand if, despite his actions not being unlawful, you would still work hard to see to it that his children and servants are fed, and his wife not beaten to death.”

Some slowly, and others instant, but eventually, all hands were raised.

“May I then assume that my good students who have studied for many years to be here today, will not accept corruption or immorality in this country or this government, as long as they have the power to change it, and would never accept their King to be compliant in that corruption?”

There was silence.

“Please raise your hand if you do not accept corruption in any way, shape, or form.”

The hands were raised once more.

“Minister of Education!”

The minister’s eyes already spelled defeat as he shuffled forward. “Your majesty?”

“This man,” he bellowed, “has inked his hand so that he may cheat on his exam. This one has written his cheating on a separate paper he is keeping under his examination paper. This one has copied four lines of text from his neighbour. This man has his cheating paper stuck to the underside of the brim of his hat. They themselves have admitted to us all that corruption cannot be accepted.” The King’s eyes were pure flame as they turned to the minister. “Remove them from the examination area and burn their exam papers.”

Chapter Text

“Your majesty…”

“What.”

He bit his lip for a moment before continuing. “I wanted to say… your majesty did well today.”

“Ah, did I?” The King’s mouth created a crooked, scheming kind of smile. “It was a lot of fun.”

“It is fortunate her majesty was not there to see it.”

“My wife? Why?”

“If she had witnessed such a display of infinite masculinity, she would never be able to consider your majesty’s proposal regarding the heir. She would be fixated on having your majesty, and your majesty alone.”

“Oh? Was it that strong?”

“A very compelling work, your majesty.”

Jihoon paused for a moment and then moved to sit beside Mingyu, putting his head on the guard’s shoulder. “It was a long afternoon.”

“Yes it was, your majesty.”

“I like it that you let me do this.”

“I learned long ago that your majesty is not one for rules and regulations.”

“Indeed.” The King casually crawled into his guard’s lap, curling up against him. “You’re a good guard, and a good friend, and a good man, Mingyu.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

The King signed happily, as if nestling himself in for a nap.

“Does this mean you trust Seungcheol, sire?”

The King’s eyes opened again. “…no.”

He waited patiently.

“Just because he managed to do me one miniscule favour of sending the candidates to the gate doesn’t mean he can be trusted. And although I find myself more and more comfortable with him… Mingyu, it doesn’t mean anything. I can befriend him like I did when I was a child, I can keep him close, I can even become attached to him: but he is not the man I knew and I can’t afford to trust the wrong people.”

Mingyu took all of this in calmly. “So your majesty will not be telling him about the plan with Jeonghan?”

“I will not.”

“I see.”

“You disapprove.” The King nudged him with his elbow, not moving away. “For now, until I can burden him with more tasks, this is how it’s going to be. First… I have to keep him away from the Queen. If I can do that… then we’ll see.”

“Does your majesty doubt your ability to keep him from her?”

“She’ll only accept one thing in return.” The King glanced up at him. “And it’s the one thing I won’t give her.”

“She won’t take anything else?”

“Of course not. Stubborn woman.” He sighed deeply again, resting against his guard’s chest, humming contently. “I like the beat of your heart.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“Don’t ever become a vampire. That’s an order.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“I love you, you know.”

“I love you too, your majesty.”

“Wonderful.” He grinned happily. “Can I nap?”

“I’m afraid your majesty has things to do, does he not? The dividend for-”

The King let out an elongated groan, flopping out of Mingyu’s arms instantly. “Yes, you’re right, of course. I’ll go, I’ll go.”

“He is not here, your majesty.”

The King leaned forward, gripping his head in both hands for a moment before letting his arms rest on his knees. “I’m sorry, Mingyu.”

Mingyu moved forward and bowed his head. “Your majesty has nothing to apologize for. Please do not apologize.”

“No. It’s not fair on you.” The King didn’t move his head, but one hand moved out to brush over Mingyu’s hair. “I’m sorry you have to hear it.”

Mingyu was silent for a moment. “Your majesty misses him. I was your majesty’s sole guard for a long time. Would your majesty not fare better with just Choi Seungcheol as your guard, too?”

“No. I’m a selfish King, remember?” He turned to give Mingyu a nearly-smiling look. “I want you all to myself, Mingyu. Stay, please stay with me.”

“Always, your majesty.”

He continued to stroke Mingyu’s hair gently. “I’m sorry, I’m a selfish King who hurts you so much by calling out his name in my sleep. When was the last time I called out your name, I wonder? I don’t remember a time like that.”

“Your majesty was fifteen, the last time you called out for me.”

“…oh?”

“I was honoured… but it was excruciating. I had to wake your majesty up. When you awoke, you had no memory of the nightmare. I’ve never been more… it was difficult to bare, your majesty.”

He leaned in softly and pressed his lips against Mingyu’s forehead. “You’re a true friend, Kim Mingyu. I would be lost without you. You know that, don’t you?”

“I will continue to believe in your majesty’s ultimate persistence, with or without me.”

He sighed deeply.

“There are still a few moments to spare, if your majesty wishes to sleep again.”

The King lay down obediently, but kept his eyes open, brushing them through his guard’s hair.

“He’ll never replace you, you know,” he murmured at length, staring at Mingyu without expression. “He’ll never be you, and I’ll never love him like I love you. You know that, right?”

“Yes your majesty,” he answered.

“What a liar you are.”

 Mingyu half-smiled. “Yes, your majesty.”

“It’s comforting to know that you’ll lie to be about this, to make me feel better.” The King returned the sheepish semi-grin. “But you are more special to me than he is. If you weren’t, you would be the one with no knowledge, and he would know of my plans to deceive the world about my wife’s pregnancy.”

“…your majesty should tell him. It will be safer for you that way.”

“I can’t do that, Mingyu.”

“Your majesty, he is your first guard, and the one your majesty cries for in your sleep. He is the same creature as you, and his love for you is infinite. Your majesty must trust him… until you do, I will not be able to sleep well, knowing a man without your trust guards your life.”

His fingers moved to the darkness under Mingyu’s eyes. “Is that what this is about? You’ve been losing sleep over my safety?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Stop that.” He frowned a little. “It’s important you get enough sleep.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Your majesty!”

The King closed his eyes, and before his eunuch could let off another round, he yelled back. “Go away, Suk!”

“Your majesty… we’re coming in!”

Seungcheol allowed a light smile to sit on his face. “I’m glad I have not been ripped away by your majesty’s eunuchs, rather that I was allowed to walk here by myself, was an enjoyable new experience.”

The Queen had no time for such pleasantries. “I’m sure you know why you’re here.”

“…I cannot imagine what your majesty means.”

“Princess Nayoung told me she informed you of her request to me. Was she mistaken?”

“No, the Princess told me she wished to be married plainly.”

“Do you have a problem with that?”

She was smiling as if she had won, so Seungcheol smiled right back. “Your majesty should do as your majesty pleases,” he grinned.

She was clearly caught off-guard by this, and took a moment to settle her eyes on him. “What if I do not grant her that wish?”

“Then all shall remain as it is, shall it not?”

“Indeed.” She hummed a moment. “In fact, I do indeed plan to offer the usual salutations to your family and send you a formal request for an audience, after which shall follow a formal request of marriage. I don’t see any reason not to do that. You are not the only man I can depend on to tell me what his majesty does. But the preparation of a royal wedding takes many months, and in the meantime, you would do. Have you thought any more about my proposal?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“And?”

“I do not believe your majesty wishes to hear my terms and conditions.”

“You have the gall to present me with terms and conditions?”

“Your majesty wishes for me to betray my King and my country, an offence for which I must risk my life and the lives of my family members.” Seungcheol didn’t blink. “For a man such as myself, such a request is considered with great gravity.”

She sighed, somewhat believing the easy, deceptive look Seungcheol was giving her. “Very well.”

“I would require two chests of silver, three crates of ginseng, one thousand mun and twenty cloths of silk.”

Her jaw dropped.

“That is the price of my loyalty, your majesty.”

“You are in jest.”

“I am not. If that is all your majesty wishes of me-”

“Sit down,” she seethed, glaring. “I have not yet dismissed you.”

He carefully sat back down again.

“You will have one chest of silver, one of ginseng, two hundred mun and ten shifts of silk.”

“Your majesty is in jest,” he returned.

“The price you ask for is impossible.”

“Now I know your majesty is not in earnest. Your majesty’s personal allowance would account for most of what I require, and your majesty’s family is very wealthy. Your majesty should not mock the common people’s demands. They are a frightful group when engaged.”

“Was that a threat, Choi Seungcheol?”

“I would never have the gall to threaten your majesty. You are to bear his majesty’s children within the month.”

She wrung her hands suddenly at the mention of it, bit her lip as her eyes crossed from one side of the room to the other. “Very well. Two chests of silver, three of ginseng, a thousand mun, and twenty bolts of silk. They will be sent for before nightfall, and you will have them by tomorrow.”

Seungcheol held up a finger. “Your majesty, surely you see the need to smuggle such goods away? If his majesty were to find out I had accepted such luxurious gifts, or if the merchants or noble houses were to find me suddenly so very wealthy, there would be an outcry.”

“Then you should have asked for less,” she snapped.

“Your majesty has misunderstood. In any case, when asked where I have gained such valuable items from, I will inevitably return the case to your majesty. In your majesty’s current position, where it is common knowledge among the people that his majesty will not sleep with you, for you to be bestowing these gifts upon a young palace guard would look most unbecoming.”

She stared at him for a moment. “You learned to play this game rather quickly, didn’t you, Choi Seungcheol?”

“I am a quick learner, your majesty.”

She breathed deeply, mulling it over. “Fine. The items will be smuggled into your house during the night. Not even your own family will notice its arrival, if you like. Do you have a secure place to store such sensitive material?”

“There is an old shed behind the servant’s quarters of my brother’s house, under which a small storage has been dug in the ground. It is accessible from inside the shed, both of which are practically empty. I believe this would be a suitable place.”

She nodded once. “Very good. You came prepared.”

He nodded once.

“Then, your first order of business is to find out for me, the exact details and plans his majesty has for our consummation in nine days.” Her hands were getting wrung again, though she tried to hide it. “Every detail, and really, I do mean every detail.”

Seungcheol bowed his head. “I will endeavour to find out as much as I can.”

“His majesty speaks to his ministers in four days. I expect a report at that time.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Now get out, before you request a horse, as well.”

“You should have requested a horse, as well.”

“Forgive me, your majesty. I already have a horse.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she is well-fed and I exercise her often.”

“Oh.” He thought about it for a moment. “I will give it some thought. If you’re not to report back for four days, then that gives me time to be creative.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Excellent. You did well.” He paused. “What do you need the silk for?”

Seungcheol pulled a face. “I need to bribe my sister.”

“To do what?”

He sighed. “I would not like to burden your majesty with such things.”

“It’s not a burden.”

“It seems my sister has been meeting improperly with a young gentleman. At least once, I’ve caught her holding hands with him in the market place. I’m hoping I can bribe her to stay away from him, with some new clothes.”

The King had the decency to look ashamed for a fraction of a second, at least. “I see.”

“I believe the fancies of younger sisters are somewhat of a difficulty for most men, your majesty.”

The King looked at him suddenly, intensely gazing. “Indeed.”

Seungcheol didn’t want to breach the subject, so he simply straightened. “I will remain by your majesty’s side as long as I can.”

“Not good enough. There’s nothing. Nothing I can do. Nothing. Can’t – Seungcheol!” He suddenly stood out of his seat, eyes glittering with triumph. “Go find somebody and get married! Right now!”

“…your majesty?”

“If you get married before she can summon you, it’s all fixed!”

“Your majesty,” Seungcheol smiled kindly, “I cannot get married.”

“Why not? You’re a man like any other!”

“Sire.” He was starting to sound desperate. “I… do not think… I could do such a thing.”

“Why not?” he demanded again, a quick temper rising.

Seungcheol had to look away.

“Out with it!”

“I would… struggle… to be a good husband.”

“This isn’t about husbands you absolute fool!” The King threw his arms in the air. “It only has to be a sham marriage! To keep her hands off you!”

“Your majesty.” Seungcheol was very quietly, eyes trained on the floor. “I couldn’t do that to any woman.”

“Why not?!”

“To marry a woman, I would have to provide my husbandly duties. That is something that I… would find difficult.”

The King paused a moment. “What do you mean?”

Seungcheol bit his lip a moment, searching for a way out of the conversation he was trapped in. “I would… not be able… to grant her children, your majesty. It is not that I am physically incapable… but…”

“Do you not like women?” The King suddenly leaned in, intent on the answer. “Do you like men?”

He bowed his head deeply. “Forgive me your majesty, it is not that, but… I have already given my heart away.” He looked up with eyes so full of sorrow, it almost made the King breathless. “How can I make love to a woman when I can only think of another person?”

The King became cold instantly. “That’s a terrible excuse, Choi Seungcheol. I command you to find a wife. You’ll be married within the week. Do I make myself clear?”

Seungcheol’s eyebrows knit together in pain. “Your majesty, please… for the sake of my honour, please do not ask this of me.”

“I’m not asking.” The sneer was as vicious as it was cold. “I’m commanding you. I will gift you with a house here in the capital and your own servants if you like, but you will get married. Do you understand?”

“Sire! Please! Don’t… don’t ask me to betray my own heart like this. Please.”

The King levelled him with a dark look. “Do not make me repeat my orders.”

There was nothing Seungcheol could do but bow in obedience.

Chapter Text

“Are you angry with me, Seungcheol?”

“I could never do such a thing, your majesty.”

“You must be angry,” he continued, ignoring his guard. “You must be frustrated with me. I’m sorry you have to marry a woman you don’t like. But, when all this is over… I will annul your marriage with this woman, and you’ll be free to marry the woman of your dreams. I promise, I’ll allow you that much. I just… I just want to keep you by my side a little longer.”

“There must be other ways, your majesty.”

“No. There are no other ways. I know this is painful and selfish of me. Forcing you to marry just so you can be my guard.”

“Your majesty must do whatever is best for your majesty. If your majesty wishes for me to do this in order to remain as your guard, this is what I shall do.”

The King’s hands folded over his face in horror and self-disgust in the darkness of the night. “You hate me,” he whispered in terror. “I’m sorry, Seungcheol, I’m sorry, don’t hate me… please don’t hate me.” It was the last sentence that broke both of them. “I don’t know how to live if you hate me.”

Seungcheol was off his feet and by his King’s side in an instant: he bowed so low his nose almost hit the floor. “I could never hate your majesty,” he whispered. “Please never think such a thing. I am not capable of it. I love your majesty far more than any other, and I will always put your majesty’s wishes first. I will never hate your majesty. Your majesty can control me, force me to marry, force me to kill those closest to me, your majesty can plunge silver through my chest and I will still love your majesty. You are my King, and I cannot bear to upset your majesty.”

“Do you, Seungcheol? Do you really love me? Even more than the woman who has your heart?”

“Your majesty will always come first,” he hedged.

The King’s arms reached out and he hefted himself out of his bed and into Seungcheol’s lap, settling there neatly. “Thank you,” he murmured. “Thank you for not hating me, Seungcheol. Don’t hate me… no matter what horrors I commit, no matter what despicable things I do… just don’t hate me.”

Seungcheol cradled him in his arms. “Never, your majesty. I will never do that, your majesty.”

“…I’m sorry, but… I’m very thirsty.”

Seungcheol gently lifted the King back onto his bed and then carefully removed the kerchief from his neck. “Please take your fill, your majesty.”

“Thank you,” he gasped, gulping down the last of it. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, your majesty,” he quivered.

“No, you’re not. I’m sorry. I went too long without blood.” The King forced Seungcheol off his knees and into the bed, wrapping him in both the sheets and his own arms. “Lay like this for a while.”

“No, your majesty.” He carefully slipped away again. “It’s not proper.”

He sighed. “You didn’t mind last time.”

“Please, your majesty. Allow me some dignity before I get married.”

The King could hear the glint in Seungcheol’s smile. “Don’t joke about it, at least.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Do you have a candidate in mind?”

He paused and then nodded. “Yes, your majesty. I will have to acquire a raven to send word to her. She won’t be happy to leave Busan.”

“You met a woman in Busan… will she agree to marry you?”

“Almost invariably, your majesty, if I offer her enough money.”

“Money is no issue. I’ll fund whatever you need. This is important. I need to feed the Queen false information and you’re the only surefire way to do that.”

“…yes, your majesty.”

“…what is your new wife’s name?”

He didn’t want to say, but eventually gave in. “Roa, your majesty. She goes by Kim Roa.”

“She has no family.”

“No family!”

“Mother, please do not be so upset. This is a royal command. We cannot ignore it.”

“That King has some gall! Forcing my precious son into-”

“Mother.” Seungcheol straightened. “Please contain your excitability for just some moments. She will be here shortly. Your new daughter-in-law is very pretty, she is wise, she is able to handle money very well and she is a delightful conversationalist. She is humble and lovely. You will enjoy her as a daughter-in-law. As she has no family of her own to speak of, she will depend on you to guide her as a mother-figure. Please be kind to my new wife.”

“The gall!” she muttered once more.

It wasn’t long before the paladin arrived, and her maid Yuha scrambled from the other side to open the doors for her mistress: then, Roa stepped out.

It was obvious that not only Seungcheol’s mother, but his siblings were instantly enchanted by her, and it was not difficult to see why. Roa was the very image of beauty in a way that was simultaneously sharp and soft: she had bright eyes and a sweet smile, and instantly bowed in front of the gates to her new family.

“Please, enter,” Jonghyun called with a bright smile. “Welcome to our home.”

Seungcheol had been offered an extra day and night off-duty for the celebrations, small and secretive as they were. He was not left alone with his old friend for even one moment while the usual greetings were given and she was welcomed into Seungcheol’s family home.

It was not even until after the official ceremony, when they were in their bedroom alone together, they got to speak.

“Hello again, Seungcheol.”

“Hello, Roa.” His hand found hers in the darkness and he squeezed it lightly. “I’m sorry about all this.”

“It’s no problem. I was getting bored with the pretty, young men in Busan anyway. I was seriously thinking about moving overseas when your raven came. Do you think Japan would suit me?”

He smiled fondly. “Still an idiot, I see.”

“You, too.”

“Thank you for coming. For being my wife.”

“No problem. I know it’s for King and country, so it’s fine, I suppose.”

“You don’t care for King and country.”

“You know, it’s funny, when you actually have a chance to do something for your King and country, it’s different.”

He had to grin. “Same old Roa.”

She grinned too. “So, are you still in love with this vampire King of yours?”

He didn’t answer for a moment.

“Are you still going to hold you’re not in love with him?”

“You know, when I left him and went to Busan, I was too young to know love, understand it, or wield it. I wasn’t in love with him then.”

Her voice became very quiet. “But you are now.”

“…yes. Yes, I am now.”

“And he does not feel the same.”

“This is a King that likes to toy with people. I can’t be sure, but I think he only sees me as an old friend who has returned. He doesn’t trust me, either.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn’t trust somebody with your face, either.”

He snorted, nudging her. “Thanks.”

“For the record, I think you made a smart decision in calling me. I’m not a vampire, but at least I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I could still be very helpful. You know where to come if you need something?”

“Yes, what an odd bunch his majesty’s nearest subjects are. A vampire with a witch wife.”

“You’ll find this witch wife will come in handy one of these days.”

“I don’t doubt it. You’ve always been irreplaceable, Roa. Please allow me to depend on you a little from now on.”

“Here, too.”

“…do you mind? Not having children?”

She shrugged to herself. “Not really. Do you know how many women die in childbirth? Besides, his majesty promised to grant us a divorce after he has power, didn’t he? If I still want children then, I’ll leave you and go find somebody else. Besides, it’s a little horrifying to wonder what the child of a witch might look like.”

“I’m sure the child will be just as pretty as its mother.”

“You flatter me too much, blood sucker.”

“Don’t be mean,” he pouted. “I’m supposed to be kind to my wife.”

“I suppose so.” She turned to him. “I did miss you. Busan was boring without any vampires.”

“I missed you too, for what it’s worth. But I’ve been so busy guarding his majesty, I’ve hardly had time for anything else. You’ll be in our home alone a lot… will you be alright?”

“I have Yuha, and there are new servants there waiting for us, aren’t there?” She grinned. “I’ll have company, and go to market, and visit your mother. I’ll brew medicine-”

“No medicine for the first month, please. I don’t need to get into trouble.”

“Can’t let a witch have any fun, can you?”

“No, I can’t.”

She let out a dramatic sigh. “Being your wife is difficult already.”

“Imagine how my sister feels.”

She grinned broadly, leaned over and pecked Seungcheol on the cheek. “Good night, brand new husband.”

“Good night, brand new wife.”

 Suddenly, it was awkward for Seungcheol to look his King in the eye: there was a slight shift in their dynamic with each other, and the change was tangible. Mingyu left the room quietly, and Seungcheol sat, waiting for the King to finish eating and dismiss his servants.

“…is married life good, Seungcheol?”

The guard bowed. “It is adequate, your majesty.”

“Oh. I see.”

They remained in silence.

“What should I tell her majesty?”

“Tell her that I plan to arrive at her chambers several hours after the last meal. I will have tea and sweet cakes brought in. Then I shall leave in the morning, before the sun rises. I will take a straight path to her quarters, and I will be prompt.” He gripped Seungcheol’s arm. “No matter what else she asks, you know of nothing, understood?”

“Yes your majesty.”

“And whatever she asks is nonsense, understood?”

“Of course, your majesty.”

Seungcheol relayed the information with a perfectly natural delivery – as if it was pieces of information he had picked up from conversations he wasn’t supposed to hear.

“But what of Jeonghan?” the Queen hissed at him. “What of him?”

Seungcheol gave her a surprised, concerned look. “His majesty’s half-brother?”

She realized her mistake.

“I have not seen him. He and his majesty have not had contact of late, that I know of. I do not know to what your majesty is referring.”

She glared at him for a moment. “You don’t?”

“I do not, your majesty.”

“…I see.”

“Does your majesty wish for anything else?”

It took her a moment. “Find out what Jeonghan keeps busy with.”

“…his majesty’s half-brother?”

“Yes. I want to know what he fills his days with. Report to me the morning before…”

She didn’t have to finish her sentence.

Chapter Text

“Will you pass along my greetings to your new wife?” The King took a sip of his tea. “I feel bad after forcing her hand like this.”

“I will do as you wish, your majesty.”

The two were silent again – it was awkward and uncomfortable, as if they had lost the ability to speak properly.

“Are you… very upset?”

“Why would I be upset, your majesty?”

“You’re uncomfortable.”

He sighed and put down his cup. “Forgive me, your majesty. Much has happened of late. My mind is somewhat occupied.”

“…Seungcheol, you’re still my guard, aren’t you?”

“I am, your majesty.”

“And you still care for me, don’t you?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“…is it pathetic of me to be satisfied with that?”

“Your majesty could never be pathetic.”

He sighed again. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a bad King. I should be protecting a nation, but I can’t even protect a single guard. I have so much I want to protect, and I’m a weak King.”

“Your majesty…” He paused a moment. “Joseon was not built in a day, so power must be gained slowly.”

The King glanced at his guard. “You don’t blame me for being a weak King?”

“No, your majesty. Your majesty is working hard to become a better King for the sake of this country. I could never find fault with that.”

He looked away. “What if all the world can fault me, Seungcheol? What if everybody hates me and turns against me, if they conspire against me… what then?”

“Then I will guard your majesty.”

He turned to Seungcheol again.

“I will guard your majesty, take care of your majesty, feed your majesty, clothe your majesty if I must. I will eliminate your majesty’s enemies or, if that is not possible, remove your majesty from any dangerous situation. It does not matter who is against you, your majesty. I belong to your majesty. I did when you were four years old, and I will when you are four-hundred years old. That is not something I wish to change. Your majesty may as well be the entire world, as far as I am concerned.”

The King gave out a long sigh. “Yes,” he mumbled, “you are important, too.”

“Seungcheol?”

“Your majesty?”

“Do you remember when I was very little, you used to help me sleep? When the nightmares came?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

He was silent for a moment. “The nightmares still come.”

“It was not appropriate back then, your majesty. It certainly wouldn’t be appropriate now.”

The King turned to him. “…please?”

“Your majesty, please bear with it. I will be here if you truly have a nightmare.”

“It’s not fair to ask you to do things you don’t want to do, is it?”

“No, your majesty, it isn’t.”

He simply closed his eyes again, turning again to lie on his back. “Alright. I’ll see you in the morning, Choi Seungcheol.”

“Your majesty!”

The King’s eyes blew wide open as he gasped for air, shocked and traumatized as he began to tremble all over. “Seungcheol,” he clawed, voice sounding like an animal’s. “Seungcheol!”

“I am here, your majesty.”

His eyes refocussed, found Seungcheol in the dark of the night, and foolishly, tears wet his cheeks as he simply tried to regain his breath.

Seungcheol second-guessed himself, but he gave in eventually, and slid the King’s small body onto his lap, caging him in close, gently brushing the King’s hair with an open palm. “Jihoonie,” he whispered calmingly, rocking from side to side a little, “our Jihoonie, it’s okay. Bad dreams can’t get our Jihoonie. You’re safe, you’re safe, Jihoonie.”

The King simply clung to him and wept.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled sweetly. “That wasn’t fair on you.”

“Your majesty needed my assistance. I should have given it to your majesty when you asked for it, instead of waiting for so long. I am the one in the wrong.”

“You didn’t want to call me by my name. I made you do it anyway.”

Seungcheol couldn’t answer that.

“…is it an unpleasant memory?”

“No! No – no, your majesty, it’s… it’s a very treasured memory. It just… feels different now. Your majesty has become a man. We can no longer pretend we are innocent children. We’re both grown and married, so the tone has become different.”

“There’s nothing strange about a guard comforting his master.” The King nuzzled Seungcheol’s best a little. “You’re very comfortable.”

He smiled a little. “I’m glad your majesty approves.”

“Mm. Oh, about approval.” He sat a little straighter. “Some days from now, my, uh, wedding night… please stay with me until evening. Before I go to her majesty’s chambers, Mingyu will switch with you. We’ll change the rotation this way.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“You will have to stay with me for two days and a night. Will it be hard for you?”

“Not at all, your majesty.”

“Seungcheol?”

“Yes, your majesty?”

His voice was small, embarrassed, and pained. “I’m sorry I made you get married.”

Seungcheol smiled sweetly. “That’s alright, your majesty. This is so that I can stay by your majesty’s side. I am more than happy to make that sacrifice for such a grand reward.”

He never responded to that. “Her majesty asked you for information on Jeonghan, is that right?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“…whatever you find, report to me, first.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“He spends most of his days walking around markets, gambling or visiting pleasure houses with his friends. Other times he remains at home. I have not seen any visitors come to his house. Hansol and myself are not able to keep watch on him every moment of the day, so it is hard to know whether he knows he is being watched, and is holding his schedule accordingly.”

“I see.”

“Your majesty, I am supposed to communicate this to her majesty tomorrow morning. What should I tell her?”

The King thought about it. “Tell her that, but tell her that every so often, seemingly without pattern, Jeonghan stands at the west wall of the palace and stares over it. Sometimes for minutes, sometimes hours.”

Seungcheol waited for a moment. “…and?”

“No, that’s it.” The King smiled happily. “She’ll be grateful for that.”

“…yes, your majesty?”

“Now. Come and sit here. I’m going to read you some poetry.”

He sat, but not in obedience. “I’m afraid I don’t have much of an ear for poetry.”

“I thought you might like to recite it to your wife.”

Seungcheol’s nose scrunched as he remembered how Roa had boiled pigs eyes that morning. “I doubt she would like poetry. I’m not a very good student for it.”

“Ugh, you soldiers. You’re all a bard when it comes to flattering your monarch but deaf to the poetry of great men.” The King gave Seungcheol a sharp tap across the shoulder that was meant to be a hit. “Shut up and listen.”

The poor woman was riddled with anxiety, and though she kept it well-hidden, the solider was trained in the art of deception, and he didn’t miss a thing. Her fingers kept sliding around the rings upon them, to and fro and up and down, as if they were shackles, binding her to her position. The tendons in her neck stood out from her skin tensely, she has lost weight, and her eyes were bloodshot. This was a woman who had not slept in days, and who above all else, knew fear.

“Has his majesty… still not told you… what will happen today?”

“Your majesty?”

“He hasn’t told you the details?”

“As I will not be accompanying him to your chambers, your majesty, I have no need to know the details.”

“Oh.” She flicked her fingers at the guard. “Go away then.”

“Your majest-”

“Go!” Her voice was hoarse, but no less angry for it. “Get out!”

The King seemed delighted, somehow, by this revelation, brightening considerably over his books. “You’ve done well, Seungcheol.”

“Thank you, your majesty...”

“I know it’s hard for you to understand right now, but just trust in me. You’ve done very well.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“Seungcheol?”

“Yes, your majesty?”

“…just out of curiosity… what is it like? To sleep with a woman?”

“…I don’t know, your majesty.”

“Don’t be like that. You’re a newly married man. You should give me some tips. Tomorrow night will be a grand occasion. I don’t want to do anything wrong. If you’re a married man you should at least help.”

“Forgive me, your majesty. Roa and I did not complete our marriage by doing anything else than lying side-by-side and falling into a deep sleep together.”

“…eh?!” The King shot straight up out of his bed. “What? You mean you didn’t…?”

“No, your majesty.”

“Ah, I remember.” He flopped back as if the breath had been sucked out of him. “You have another in your heart.”

He didn’t answer.

“Isn’t that a little mean to your new wife, though? Her honour hangs in the balance of your children.”

Seungcheol had to smile. If Roa had been there, she would have been furious. “I’m fortunate enough that Roa would never want to sleep with me either, your majesty. She fears dying in childbirth, and is very glad not to have any children. Roa is a very talented woman, and she is loyal to your majesty in my name. She will be a great help wherever she can be.”

“I see. Tell me about her."

“Roa is… well, among everything, I think she is a very beautiful woman, your majesty. At first I only thought her pretty, but since getting to know her character, her beauty is able to shine through more and more.”

“I see.” He sighed again. “The woman Seungcheol likes must be a complete beauty, good at embroidery, have good taste in clothes and jewellery, a good housewife who is obedient and kind and graceful at all times. Is she? The woman you like?”

“The woman I like…” He paused anxiously for a moment. “She is… beautiful. She is wonderfully beautiful. She’s very small, her hands are very small compared to mine. She’s also weak, physically, and would never be able to protect herself. She is very intelligent, but that is a pity, because it makes it difficult to know what she is thinking. She doesn’t even sneeze without thinking about the situation, first. It makes it hard for me to approach her. She is also a woman who likes to cling, who enjoys being close with people she likes. She is a one-of-a-kind specimen, your majesty.”

He sighed again. “Good night, Seungcheol.”

“Good night, your majesty.”

Seungcheol watched his majesty’s body carefully, looking for any one sign of movement: but the vampire King slept soundly, and there wasn’t so much as a little breeze of wind. So he leapt up from his space and darted out of the rooms, opening the door. “Suk, whe- Suk?”

The hallway was empty.

“Suk!”

There was a faint crackle, then a shout, then another crackle, and then the smell left no time to lose: the guard raced back to where his monarch slept, rousing him quickly. “Your majesty. Your majesty!”

“Cheollie?” The King sleepily rubbed his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Fire,” the guard whispered, voice hoarse with strain. “The palace is on fire and your majesty’s entourage has disappeared. I must bring your majesty to safety.”

The King struggled to wake, but once he was on his feet, he moved with surprising efficiency: he followed close to Seungcheol’s side, not minding the careful hand on his shoulder. Outside his rooms Seungcheol was correct – the hallway was bare, void of his eunuchs.

On the short end of the hall there was a sudden scream: one of the King’s maids ripped through the wall in desperation, clearly running from something. She clocked the two men in the hallway and her eyes widened. “Sire, run!” was all she had time to mutter before her mouth spat blood a few feet in front of her, and that was all Seungcheol needed to know.

His majesty was under attack. The palace was on fire and blood had been spilled. As the aroma of hot human blood rose in the air, the goal was clear.

His majesty had to abandon the palace. Now.

Footsteps followed: no matter how frantically Seungcheol pulled his majesty along, they were not faster; he sped around corner after corner, practically dragging the small King over the ground in his haste. When he was certain he had out-run their unforeseen aggressors he dived into an adjoining room and shut the doors safely.

“…Seungcheol.”

“Sh, your majesty.”

The King simply tugged hard on the guard’s sleeve, who ignored him, keeping his ear against the door and eyes closed, waiting to hear movement on the other side.

“Seungcheol!”

“Your majesty must be quie- oh.”

The two men stood, staring at the flames licking their way through the room, nearing them with alarming speed.

“What does fire do to vampires?”

"Shit."

Chapter Text

Seungcheol instantly turned, one hand still on his protégé to open the door when it was flung open from the other side.

Characters in black masks stole into the room with eerie silence.

Seungcheol’s sword was already unsheathed.

It all happened far too quickly: the fire curled around one piece of wood too many and part of the roof fell to the ground in orange-black cinders that sent fizzled sparks into the air: above head there were some smashing sounds, and the King made a noise that sounded an awful lot like ouch.

“Seungcheol! Up here!”

There was no time to remember the voice; no time to remember whose name belonged to it, no time to question his actions or even wonder how he could be there: within moments Seungcheol had grasped the King’s thigh and thrust upwards, flinging the King unceremoniously into the air.

Mingyu grabbed the monarch’s arms and hauled him onto the rooftop with ease.

“Go!”

Mingyu was already pulling the King off the burning building.

“Seungcheol!”

“Go!”

The clashing of metal was too much for the poor vampire, barely wakened, hurt and afraid: he screamed hysterically, struggling against Mingyu’s arms that threatened to restrain him. “Seungcheol!” he screamed, eyes bulging, arms outstretched to save his guard from the onslaught of masked murderers. “Seungcheol! We have to go back! Seungcheol!”

Mingyu pulled the King over his shoulder and simply bore him away.

“Go back! We have to go back for him! We have to go back! Seungcheol! Seungcheol!”

“Your majesty!”

Mingyu halted on an unguarded wall of the palace, waiting.

It was hard to see between the dark of the night, the flashing flames and all the smoke, but Hansol’s face was visible only for a moment before he bowed. “Command me, your majesty!”

Mingyu turned. “I have no place to go.”

“On the other side of the mountain there is a small house behind the stream’s fall. It belongs to Seungcheol. Please hide there.”

The guard only turned once more to flit off the wall, but not before the King could fell another command.

“Hansol! Save Seungcheol!”

He couldn’t see what happened on the other side of the wall as Mingyu raced through the dark streets: he could only hope the young guard would brave the dangerous flames.

Where the King couldn't see, the young vampire sped off to meet he flames head-on in obedience of his King.

“Let me tend to your majesty.”

“Don’t mind me – go back to save Seungcheol.”

“I cannot leave you, your majes-”

“GO! BACK! AND! SAVE! HIM!”

Mingyu’s warm palm caressed the King’s cheek in the stillness of their safe retreat. “And who would I be,” he whispered, “to leave my monarch alone in a deserted place like this, after what has just happened to you?”

The King gripped him, hands trembling. “But Seungcheol was there all alone.”

“He is a skilled fighter, your majesty. I’ve watched him train. He will not die tonight. But your majesty must be seen to.”

“Do you promise?”

Mingyu looked his King dead in the eye. “I would not promise your majesty something I did not believe to be true. Choi Seungcheol will walk out of that building alive and well.”

It took him a moment, but he believed.

Mingyu withheld a sigh of relief. He reckoned he was lucky that the King had smoke in his lungs, was weary and sleepy, low on blood and hurt. If he had been in a better condition, he would never have believed such an outright lie.

The King had sustained burns to one of his arms, ashy flesh all the way past the elbow, and he had a small cut in his cheek that had bled a little. With the best of his abilities, Mingyu patched him up with some supplies that were in the small cabin, let him feed, and then gently placed him on the tiny bed.

“Mingyu?”

“Your majesty?”

“…thank you.”

“Your majesty does not need to thank me.”

“…how did you know?”

“I actually escorted Jeonghan in so he could hide until tomorrow night, and caught sight of the flames from afar. Forgive me for taking so long to reach your majesty.”

“Jeonghan,” he whispered in horror.

“Do not worry, your majesty. He escaped the palace with ease.”

“Do you… really think, Seungcheol will be alright?”

“It’s an earnest request from your majesty. He wouldn’t dare disobey. Please rest, your majesty. You are safe, now. Nobody will find you here. Seungcheol has chosen a secluded spot. Listen." They both fell silent to listen to the distant scattering of the stream that concealed their position. "Nobody will find your majesty here, except Seungcheol."

He nodded, and was gone within minutes.

He burst in through the door like a champion warrior, almost coming into contact with Mingyu’s blade: although the steel wouldn’t really hurt him, he dodged anyway.

“Sorry,” he smiled weakly, “I forgot.”

Mingyu slapped him in the side of the head. “I’m on high alert here! I could have murdered you!” He watched Hansol rub his head, and very quickly, the colour drained from his face. “…where is he?”

“Who?”

“Seungcheol.”

“Ah, that…”

“Is that you, Seungcheol?!” There was a spluttering sound from the next room as the King dislodged more remnants of smoke from his lungs.

Hansol put on a brave face, and to Mingyu’s eternal horror, walked into the room with his chest out, fell to his knees and bowed. “Forgive me, your majesty. It is I, Hansol.”

“Where’s Seungcheol?” he coughed.

“He is not with me.”

“Didn’t I go tell you to save him?!”

“Your majesty, please lie down. You are not recovered, and it is not yet morning.” Mingyu forced the monarch to sit again. “Please explain yourself, Hansol.”

“Yes, sir. Sire, I went to find Choi Seungcheol as you requested. When I found him he was no longer surrounded by enemies, only bodies and allies. I found him by scaling the rooftops, and when he saw me, he threw this to me, and told me to bring it to you at all costs.” With a well-mannered gesture, the boy held up a small wooden box. “And to not look back.”

The King deftly swiped the item away. There, nestled in the silk, sat his majesty’s royal seal.

“Why?”

“Your majesty cannot confirm your identity without your royal seal,” Mingyu murmured from the corner. “That smart vampire sent you your lifeline. A message can be sent to the ministers that you are saved. Otherwise, your majesty’s mother and wife would be in control of the country.”

The King made a face, but quickly overcame the idea. “But what of Seungcheol?”

“He was making his way out of the palace, your majesty. He urged me to leave first. I’m sure he is either on his way here, or back to Roa.”

“Roa? Roa?!”

“Your majesty!”

“Why would he go to her and not me-”

“Hansol. Leave now.”

The vampire didn’t have to be told twice: he took his leave immediately, fleeing out of the cabin but standing nearby in the darkness of the cave as Mingyu tried to calm his sickened monarch.

It was only a short ten minutes later that Mingyu came to accompany him, sitting by the mouth of the waterfall with his companion.

“You alright?” he asked at length.

“Yeah. You?”

“Yeah.”

“Get burnt?”

“No. You?”

“Nope.” He pointed at his immaculate face. “Vampires are not very flame-proof. Even less so than humans. Actually, when it comes to fire, we’re more like straw. Dry straw. Straw in a drought.”

“…it’s that bad?”

“M-hm.”

They were both silent for a moment.

“…tell me how bad Seungcheol is.”

Hansol closed his eyes for a moment. “He only had one leg, last I saw him.”

“Oh, God, he’s going to kill me.”

“It’s not your fault the palace caught fire…?”

“Not Seungcheol. His majesty. He’s going to physically murder me for leaving Seungcheol behind.”

“Nothing we can do about it now. He told me to come here and stay here, and do his majesty’s bidding while you’re here to guard him. I’ll go search for him when his majesty has no more use for me.” He leaned forward a little. “He had Suk with him.”

“Where was Suk?”

“From what I saw, Suk had a bloodied sword in his hands. They were gripping each other. I don’t know if they were fighting against each other or together, but Seungcheol didn’t seem like he needed help, so I hope they were okay. He didn’t look like he was in immediate danger, so when he commanded me, I just left.”

“I see.” He thought about it for a moment. “Who is Roa?”

“Roa? Seungcheol’s wife.”

“His wife?!”

“You didn’t know?”

“I didn’t know! Wasn’t he supposed to marry the princess?”

“He can’t marry the princess if he’s already married.”

“Oh. I see- ohhhh, his majesty’s idea. I understand now. Then, this Roa… does she know? About vampires? And how does she know Seungcheol? Were they together before?”

“No! No, no.” Hansol suddenly smiled warmly. “Roa is like a sister to both of us. She’s a witch.”

Mingyu jumped so hard his body leaned away from Hansol instantly. “A what?!”

“A witch. She brews medicine like she’s a housewife making chicken soup for her husband with a cold, but she’s special like that. Back in Busan, people used to only go to her when they were desperate, but it usually worked out for them. She helped Seungcheol and me a lot back then. She didn’t know a lot about vampires, so we all taught each other, I suppose. I was surprised that she actually agreed to marry Seungcheol, though. They have a good sibling relationship, but I didn’t think she’d marry him just to help his majesty. “

“Oh. I see.”

Hansol nudged him. “Don’t act like that. Roa’s very sweet, and she won’t do anything mean to you as long as you’re nice to her.”

Mingyu twitched at the idea, fidgeting. “I’d better go back in. He gets nightmares.”

“Go. I’ll watch here.”

“See you later.”

“Mm.” Hansol turned back to staring at the blurry light of the moon, visible through the water. He was quite for a long time, enjoying the silence, until he dared whisper. "Seungcheol, if you're out there," he breathed, "just survive. That King need... no. That man needs you. If you let him down, he'll never survive the pain. Just survive."

Chapter Text

“This one to the ministers.” The King pointed to the envelopes. “This one to my wife.” He leaned in. “Make sure you aren’t seen. If you are caught, you will be tortured into giving up my location. I know you may be impervious to many things, but eventually, the court will find something even a vampire cannot stand. Tie them to arrows and fire them from a distance. Make sure you aren’t found or followed. Afterwards… please search the city for Suk, and find out where he went.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Hansol bowed deeply, and waited, but it never came.

“That’ll be all, Hansol,” Mingyu nodded.

“Y-yes, sir. Your majesty.” He picked up the envelopes and disappeared.

“I wonder what that was about,” the King mumbled.

Mingyu sat with him. “I think he was waiting for a command to find Seungcheol as well, your majesty.”

The King was silent, but his breaths became more and more agitated until he finally burst. “If Choi Seungcheol is alive, he knows where I am! He obviously told that kid this place existed for emergency purposes! If he already knows he should hurry up and come here to see me! Why hasn’t he come? Why would he see his stupid wife before me? Pah! Choi Seungcheol!”

Mingyu took a deep breath. Since Seungcheol’s arrival in the city, his majesty had been erratic. As it now turned out, losing him would be so much worse.

“Roa!”

“Little one!” Her smile beamed on her face, but only for a moment: she turned to a servant and bid him to close and lock the gates of her new home, quickly. “Hurry inside. There is much to speak of.”

“Ah?” Hansol gripped her arm. “You know where he is?”

The look on her face was all he needed.

“Seungcheol?” Her voice was timid and weak – unlike her and not a farce, she was genuinely upset to knock on the door for him. “Hansol is here. He… he wants to speak to you.”

There was no reply.

“Sir,” the young man boomed, “I’ve seen his majesty.”

Silence.

“He got hurt,” he tried in an attempt to lure Seungcheol out. “He’s got bandages everywhere.”

There was nothing.

“Are you sure he’s in there?”

Roa put her hand to the door and closed her eyes for a moment. “He’s still in there,” she breathed. “We shouldn’t disturb him any more than this. Come. I’ll take you to have some tea.”

“Ah, actually, Roa, I can’t stay. I’m supposed to find his majesty’s eunuch, Suk.”

She stared at him for a moment, then gripped his arm so hard it hurt him. “Have some tea.”

Hansol could have tugged, but then decided it wasn’t worth making a witch angry.

Suk sat up from where he lay, blinking furiously. “You’re that guard boy,” was all he said.

“Yes, sir. I helped his majesty escape the late events of the palace.”

Despite his condition, the eunuch attempted to hurry out of his bed. “His majesty! How is he? How is my precious majesty? Is he alright? Is he safe – ow!”

Roa hit him on the head with her fan and pushed him back down. “Patients should lie down and recover properly, even if you’re as stupid as a rat you should know this!”

“His majesty is safe, yes.” Hansol nodded. “He has been injured, but only very lightly. He will make a full recovery soon. I’m afraid I cannot tell you anything more, sir.”

“No! No, this is enough.” The old man covered his face for a moment before he could wipe away the tears. “It is enough that he is safe and guarded after what happened. He is with Mingyu, yes? He is well-guarded?”

“Well guarded and impossible to find for those who don’t know his location.” Hansol’s head bobbed. “Fear not. His majesty is safe.”

“They tried to kill him.”

“Sir… what happened? I understand you were not guarding outside his majesty’s door?”

Suk breathed deeply. “There were odd noises outside, and a call for help. I shouldn’t have moved. I’ll never forgive myself for it, but I went to see what had happened. The others naturally followed me. They’ve been trained to their whole lives, after all. Once outside, we crossed the court and found bodies – and then the fighting began. By the time I had a clear path back, half the building was on fire. I followed the sound of Seungcheol’s voice, but his majesty was gone. At first, I thought Seungcheol had spirited him away somewhere, but when the fighting stopped, he said Mingyu had taken him away. The bells rang to ask the surrounding townsfolk for their aid in containing the fire. It had spread to several other courts, including the Queen Mother’s. It was in that chaos that Seungcheol dragged me out.”

Roa clamped her hand over the old man’s mouth. “He inhaled a lot of smoke, and he has lost much of his sight in the fire, not to mention lacerations on his body. He must rest, he’s getting too agitated. Is this story enough?”

Hansol nodded. “For now.”

Roa took her hand off and slapped the poor eunuch gently on the shoulder with her fan again. “You hear that, old man? Time to take your medicine and rest!”

“Tell him. Tell his majesty.” His hand reached out to grip Hansol. “I will die for my betrayal to leave his majesty’s side. But tell him… I still love him. He is still my King.”

“…where have you been?”

Hansol opened up the large back and pulled ouet pots. “Seungcheol only has rice stored here, so I brought back food, medicine and supplies. Forgive me your majesty, it is not much and not like what your majesty would have in the palace, but under the circumstances, there is not much more I could do.”

“No, you’ve done well. Did you deliver the messages?”

“Yes, your majesty; and I found your majesty’s eunuch, but please take some nourishment while I rest. Ah, this.” He pulled out several metal tins. “Your majesty, this cream is specially formulated for vampire skin. Please have it smeared thickly on your majesty’s burns and bandaged loosely. Your majesty’s skin should rejuvenate in a few days. This one is for vampire cuts. I do not pretend to know how your majesty’s vampire was cut by anything not silver-tipped, but your majesty should take care of it all the same. This ointment is for aching muscles.” He tapped on the large pot. “Madam Roa sent it for both of you. After physical stress, you will both need to rub your muscles to prevent later damage.”

“…Roa?”

“Ah, incense sticks?” Mingyu quickly diverted.

“Ah, these are special. Madam Roa makes them herself. These have been created to dislodge smoke from the lungs. She says it should work for your majesty as well. The meat and vegetables were cooked – not by the Madam, but her maid, thank goodness. There is seasonings for fish, but we can catch fish ourselves, fresh. These are pills for strength and endurance, please take them if you feel your strength waning.”

“Bah!” The King folded his arms. “Why do I have to take items from that woman?”

Both guards stared at him for a moment.

“Your majesty, our choices are limited…”

The King turned away from him.

“Your majesty.” Hansol bowed. “Madam Roa is the only reason your majesty’s good and loyal subject, Suk, is alive. After he suffered lacerations of the sword and fire in order to help save your majesty’s life, he was brought to Madam Roa, who was them able to help heal him. Please do not look unkindly upon her. She has sent her wishes that your majesty be safe and well-fed, taken care for, at this time of crisis, your majesty.”

The King demanded to know of his eunuch – and when he was updated on the thick, bleeding wounds covering his oldest friend’s body, he frowned, twisting his neck.

“How did Suk know to go to Madam Roa?”

Hansol glanced at Mingyu nervously, but he found no help there, so he simply told the truth. “He and Seungcheol struggled there.”

“So that filthy betrayer did go there! And he didn’t come back with you?!”

Hansol’s expression changed, and with it, the atmosphere.

“Well?!”

“Your majesty… I did not see Choi Seungcheol while at his residence.”

“He wasn’t there?”

“He was there, your majesty. Madam Roa saw him last night and tended to him. His wounds are such… that he will not show his face, your majesty. Not even to me. I was not allowed to enter his rooms. He does not want to see anybody. His shame is overbearing.”

This stunned the King to silence for a few moments. “How… how bad is it?”

 Hansol winced.

“The truth!”

“He is missing a leg,” he answered dutifully. “And he has suffered burns over much of his body. He… may have also lost his sight. Madam Roa won’t know for several more days. Other than that, the smell of the lung incense is strong from his quarters. He is burning it day and night in attempts to repair damage done to his body. Madam Roa says she often hears him crying, but he won’t let anybody in. He’s barred the doors all but one window for his meals to be left at. That is all I know.”

The King turned away, the indignation on his face replaced with solemn neutrality. “…thank you, Hansol. Leave. Both of you.”

Ministers of the cabinet,

Be assured I am alive and well. As the palace is clearly no longer a place of safety for me, my personal guards have relocated me to a place where I shall be safe for the time being. Be reassured that there is nothing wrong with me and I will return to the palace shortly, after measures have been taken to safeguard my well-being.

I require the entire city to be on curfew. After nine PM, all individuals must be inside. There must be six palace guards at every entrance of the palace. Non-essential ministerial personnel will be sent home until I arrive and can re-initiate normal proceedings. The city will be cut off for two days before my arrival – no people or goods are allowed to cross the city borders during this time.

I will arrive six days from now at midnight exactly. I expect you to be ready. If these provisions are not met to the letter, dire consequences will follow.

No guards or personal armies will be sent to find me. No spies or mercenaries will try to seek me out. I have already had assassins sent to kill me in my bed. Any attempt to seek me out will result in the direct trial and execution of the responsible ministers as retribution for the highly treasonous act of plotting to murder the King.

Signed by his majesty the King, with his majesty the King’s official seal.

The ministers looked at each other nervously.

“What do we do? First minister?”

The First minister stared at the letter on the table containing the King’s seal for a long time, giving a long sigh at it.

“We don’t even know for sure it’s the King’s. Anybody could have stolen the missing King’s seal.”

The First minister stood. “We can’t take that chance,” he answered slowly. “There was no body of the King’s found in the wreckage. Do what he says. If there is a chance the King is alive, priorities must be taken to bring him back here. We cannot control him without seeing him.”

The ministers went silent.

“Curfew the city. The King is returning.”

Dear Queen, my wife,

Well played. We shall discuss it upon my arrival.

Burn this. You never saw it.

Signed by his majesty the King.

She read it five times over before carefully sealing the letter back into its accompanied envelope and holding it over a candle.

Chapter Text

“Your majesty, please.”

“No! Get off.” The King pouted harshly. “I don’t want your damned cream.”

Mingyu strictly took the King’s arm and applied the cream liberally to the burn marks there, and bandaged it, entirely ignoring his protests. “Quite frankly, sire,” he thundered, interrupting his sovereign, “I don’t care what you think of either Seungcheol or Roa. If this is what helps your majesty recover, I’m going to do it to you. You can execute me later, when you’re healed, for the disrespect.”

The King instantly calmed down, offering a watery kind of smile. “…I’m sorry, Mingyu. I didn’t mean to make things harder on you.”

“That’s fine.”

His majesty had to take several deep breaths.

“If somebody as insignificant as Choi Seungcheol is doing everything he possibly can to heal himself, your majesty must follow suit. Imagine burning this disgusting incense all the time. How he isn’t passed out yet is…”

Both of them sent the residing incense a nasty glare.

“I can feel it happen, though.” The King banged a fist on his own chest. “The clearing. I suppose this woman knows her medicine.”

“Witches do tend to do.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Even I think it’s a bit much to call her that, Mingyu.”

Mingyu paused. “Your majesty doesn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Madam Roa is a witch. Hansol told me earlier. Seungcheol didn’t tell you?”

“…are you trying to tell me… my head guard married a witch… and didn’t tell me?”

“Forgive me, your majesty.”

He sighed a little more, but worry now tinged his expression, easily available. “Do you think… do you think Hansol will be allowed in today?”

Mingyu sat with his monarch and offered up a bowl of pickled radish after tasting it for toxins. “It has been three days since the fire, your majesty,” he answered once the King was eating. “I’m sure there must be some progress by now.”

“CHOI SEUNGCHEOL!” the scream echoed. “If you don’t come out of there right now and let me inside, I’ll burn it down! I’ll burn it all! You’ll be a cinderblock when I’m done with you! You let me inside that building, do you hear? You filthy maggot worthless husband! Choi Seungcheooooooool!” Another clay pot made a satisfying shattering sound as it was tossed mercilessly at the wall.

“Roa.”

“Little one.” Her fury turned on its heel and forced itself down Hansol’s throat almost immediately: she gripped him by the collar and rattled him. “What have you been doing to this major buffoon since coming here? Why is he no longer afraid of me? Why has he stopped burning incense?! What have you done?”

Hansol sighed deeply and bowed. “Please… allow me?”

She let him down, and with a single hard kick, the young guard threw the doors wide open.

There was some searching necessary, but he was eventually found: curled up into a small ball of vampire under a desk, he was a pathetic sight to see, and the sight of his commander and truest friend so changed nearly broke Hansol’s heart.

“…Seungcheol,” he whispered in horror.

“Hey, asshole.” Roa’s hands pulled the vampire from his hiding place, and he came away as if he were no more than a corpse. “Get out here. It’s time for me to change those bandages, finally.”

Seungcheol’s head didn’t even move.

“Sir,” Hansol murmured at length, “how is his majesty’s most trusted guard?”

Awkwardly, as if he was hearing sound for the first time, the head lobbed forward: his eyes were bandaged off and his chin was a significant shade of purple with bruising, but still, he turned to Hansol’s voice. “Hhhhhrkkmjjjss.” He coughed harshly, and with a strained voice, asked again. “His majesty?”

Hansol shook his head, the pain in his chest blossoming. Here he was, the commander he had trusted all this time, near death with illness, begging for news of his King. A fool to the end.

“His majesty is in the cabin at the falls. Mingyu is taking very good care of him, sleeping with him, testing his food before feeding him, and attending to his majesty’s wounds.”

“Wounds.” The word came out mangled, even for this broken, hurt Seungcheol: as if the word has crippled him more than all his other wounds together.

“His majesty was singed by fire – he was barely grazed. He is not badly damaged and will make a full recovery by the morning. Mingyu keeps a twenty-four hour guard over his majesty.”

Roa’s face was concentrated, but not worried, as she removed ash and bandages from her husband and reapplied her medicines. It gave Hansol enough hope that Seungcheol wasn’t that badly damaged, either.

One of Seungcheol’s bandaged arms moved out to press against Hansol’s face and then grip him by the shoulder – weakly, but with intent. “Hansol,” he rasped. “Hansol, it’s up to you now.”

“What is?”

“Sorry,” Roa interrupted. “I have to break this up. I need to take that off your face, stupid husband. It’s time.”

There were long moments of silence as Roa fearfully pulled away layer after layer of linen and, with a soft cloth, washed Seungcheol’s dirty face. After a few minutes of meticulous cleaning of medicine, she sighed, stepping back. “Seungcheol… please, open your eyes, and tell me what you see.”

Nothing happened, for a moment, and then his eyelashes twitched: slowly but surely his eyelids opened, showing his dull, unmoving, blood-red eyes in the darkness of his fenced-off room.

“…Seungcheol?” she asked quietly. “Seungcheol… can you see anything?”

His eyelids flickered a moment.

“Please… even if it’s just light. Please tell me you can see a little light. Just a little.”

He opened his mouth slowly. “I… am wearing my boot… inside. I’m sorry for the maid. I forgot to take it off when I got home.”

Roa let out a sigh of complete relief, nearly falling down with the emotion. “Thank God for that,” she whispered happily. “How much? How much can you see?”

“Vague shapes,” he whispered back. “Fuzzy lines, warm colours.”

“That will get better,” she said, finally allowing a small smile to light her face. She clasped her hands together and twirled a happy circle. “Your sight will be regained with ease, now, if you’re good.”

Seungcheol’s mouth twisted into a sick, sarcastic kind of smile. “I’m glad I’ve made you happy, Roa.”

“Seungcheol.” Her voice was apprehensive. “I’m… I’m going to need to take a look at your leg.”

“My… leg?”

“Yes.”

“…I don’t have it, anymore.”

She winced. “I… I know. But I have to check the stump for infection.”

He simply nodded, allowing his witch wife to get near him as he turned to his friend. “Hansol, it’s up to you to guard and feed his majesty.”

“What on earth-”

“I can never guard again. I am not fit to be in his majesty’s presence. I’m… I’m just a mauled up piece of flesh that wasn’t able to save his majesty’s precious body.” The bitterness in his voice was nearly entirely gone, overridden by the desire to pass along the message. “I am a failure. You must be better, you must.”

“Seungcheol, don’t be ridiculous. Roa will patch you up as good as new, and you’ll be back by his majesty’s side in no time.”

The vampire smiled, fangs bearing in the unkind grin. “I have no knee, Hansol.”

Roa gave Hansol a look and a simple shake of the head. “…I’m sorry, Hansol. He won’t have a joint. Without a working knee, he won’t be able to run or turn during battle. I’ll do what I can, though.”

“Please, do.” He bowed deeply to both of them, then turned to Roa. “Can Suk be moved?”

She nodded. “He can’t work intensively, though. Why? Where do you want to take him?”

“His majesty wishes to be reunited with his eunuch.”

“…he can walk, but he cannot climb.”

“…if I carried him?”

“Be careful of his wounds. Go into my medicine room and take more extra medicine, and go to the kitchens for some extra provisions. Be careful to stop many times on the way to let him catch his breath. And tell that stupid eunuch to come visit his new favourite goddaughter a lot when everything is back to normal.”

Hansol grinned. “Thank you.”

Breath now caught, Suk ate a little of the meat he was offered. “It is nice to be in nature like this,” he sighed. “I haven’t been out like this since I was a young man. Serving his majesty is a full-time job. I don’t usually have the opportunity to be focused on other things.”

“I can imagine his majesty is very demanding. Please, enjoy the scenery for a while more.”

“No, that’s alright.” He put his meal away. “Even though it is demanding, it is equally rewarding. I would like to see my King again, one last time.”

Hansol frowned at the idea, but never the less helped the eunuch pack their bag and hoisted him on his back again. It wasn’t hard for the vampire to carry a heavy load up the mountain, but he had to pretend to be out of breath, for the eunuch’s sake.

“Suk!”

The eunuch struggled to get to his knees and bow, but before he could even utter a word, the King pulled him up and held him close for a long moment. “Suk, Suk, my dear friend,” he whispered. “It is good to see you.”

“Y-your majesty, please have this servant execut-”

“Hush. Come inside and lie down. You’re still ill.”

“But your majest-”

There was no denying the charismatic King, happy to see his old friend. He simply sighed, smiled, and accepted with a bow.

“Suk, you will have to stop crying, eventually.”

“Forgive this old beggar, your majesty.” The poor eunuch gently wiped the last of his tears from his face. “I have been in such worry over your majesty’s safety, and to see you safe but so thin… I have taken care of your majesty all your life. I am humbled to be reunited with a King who is willing to forgive my faults like this.”

“Suk, you’re being sentimental. Rest easy for now.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Suk… I have to ask. Did you see Seungcheol?”

He shook his head. “Only during the fighting and the fire. He helped me escape, your majesty. I am your majesty’s servant, but, if it pleases your majesty… if it were not for him, I would not have made it out alive, and if it were not for his wife, I would not have lived until now. Your majesty, someday, I would like to repay him for the kindness he showed me.”

“Of course.” He bit his lip. “Why would you fight? You’re only a servant. You didn’t have to fight. You should have hid instead, and kept yourself healthy.”

He smiled. “Your majesty, how could I do such a thing, knowing your majesty was in danger? Even if I am only a lowly eunuch, I would fight again, to save your majesty.”

“Still… you must have fought bravely, Suk. Remind me to reward you when we get back.”

“I need no such reward, your majesty. It is Seungcheol who truly deserves that.”

The King fidgeted at the same, a little irritated. “What for?”

“He hauled me away from the smoke and ashes and took me to his house, he demanded his wife treat me first… do you know what he said?” He put down his tea cup for a moment. “He was dirty and ashy and bleeding, and he looked at me and told me your majesty would be very hurt if I died, so I couldn’t do that. Then he simply collapsed. I haven’t seen him since, but Madam Roa assured me she was taking care of him as much as she could.”

“She took care of you too, is that right?”

“Yes, your majesty. Madam Roa is very skilled, and was able to treat my wounds and my lungs and my eyes with precision. She reminds me if I take my medicine properly I will make a full recovery. I became very fond of her.”

“I see.” He sighed deeply, curling up and rubbing his temples. “It seems I’m to be grateful to this woman.”

“I owe them a great debt, your majesty.”

“We’ll worry about that later.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“In the meanti-”

“Your majesty?” Mingyu’s face came around the corner. “He’s back.”

Hansol, ever the energetic child, rushed in with a smile on his face. “They did it. The ministers have invoked curfew, and though they are still rebuilding the palace, the guard has tripled. They are following your orders, your majesty!”

“Excellent.” The King smiled, his whole face alight with fire. “They won’t know what hit them.”

Chapter Text

There were wrung hands, everywhere: the Queen was unable to sit for long, instead choosing to pace outside her court for the night. The ministers were all seated in the throne room, nervously fidgeting at each other. The Queens Mother and Dowager sat together in silence, pretending to enjoy the tea that was going cold. The entire city was in a held breath, waiting.

Nobody was sure what to expect, but this wasn’t it: Hansol had stolen robes and Roa had sent a horse, and so His Majesty the King rode into the city in his King’s robes and crown atop a beautiful white mare, a guard at either side and a eunuch guiding the horse.

People rushed out of their houses to watch them: lanterns were lit, against curfew, to light the pathway that led straight from the city wall to the palace gates. People cried out in surprise and triumph, throwing themselves to the ground.

The King had returned.

He was a surprising sight for the ministers as Suk threw the doors of the room open, and in his loudest possible voice, bellowed: “His Majesty, the King!”

The vampire didn’t bother with eye contact with his ministers as he walked past them all: he simply walked up and sat steadily in his throne.

“Now then,” he smiled as the doors closed. “Shall we begin?”

“Your majesty, allow me to be the first to say, we are all relieved to see your majesty is in good health and returned to us.”

“First minister.” The King smiled sweetly. “Thank you for receiving me like this. It is indeed a reason for celebration.”

“Forgive me your majesty, but you should never have been taken out of the palace. I would reprimand your majesty’s guard for taking you away.”

The King’s smile dropped, and instead, his expression became sharp and vicious. “Oh? You really think so?”

“Yes, your majesty. The palace has kept Kings of this land safe for hundreds of years. Your majesty should have evacuated to another court when the fire broke out.”

“And what of the assassins running amuck in the inner palace?” he asked sharply. “You cannot pretend to not be knowledgeable of the palace maids and guards slaughtered, not to mention the many bodies of men in masks. They followed my guards through the city for some time before we were able to make our escape. Second minister of defence, you are responsible for the safety of the city and palace, are you not?”

The minister had already started to go white, but now the colour truly drained from his face. “Y-your majesty, I have already launched an investigation into what could have happened at that time.”

“No need.” The King waved a hand. “At this very moment, my eunuch is sending a raven for the First Minister of Defence to return to the palace.”

Some ministers choked, others grumbled; but the First minister simply took this information in quietly as the others became louder and louder, before stepping forward. “Your majesty,” he answered, instantly stilling the other ministers, “is that really necessary? The First minister of Defence is currently overseeing our naval forces. The last time he was in the city, under your father’s rule, he could not stand the pressure of the court, and had to be sent away before he destroyed the rule of the country. Your father did this for a reason. To ask him to return-”

“Then, First minister, you would prefer to see me burned in my bed or slaughtered in my own room? Was it you, perchance then, that hired assassins to kill me, since you seem so eager to allow this palace to be easily invaded?”

“Y-your majesty!” The other ministers instantly stood out to protest such a statement – together they were very loud, and the poor King had to get out of his seat to make them be quiet.

“I think that’s enough,” he said quietly. “It has been a very long week, and an even longer day. I’m very tired from having to run for my life. I will be retiring for the rest of the night now.”

“Your majesty, one more thing.”

The raucous ministers who had started to mumble stilled again.

“There were sights of Prince Jeonghan in the palace that night,” the First Minister stated plainly. “It is almost certain that he was behind the attack.”

The King stopped and took a moment to compose his expression back to a neutral one. “We shall speak,” he answered slowly, “another time.”

They spent three consecutive days in the palace together, battling out the differences: why it could or could not be Jeonghan, who would have done it, why did the minister of Rites cling so dearly to the idea that it was an official who wanted the King dead?

The King listened intently the first day; irritated on the second, and by the third, he was exhausted.

The ministers broke for a meal: for days they had taken their meals in the throne room where they heatedly debated the issue and had forced it into a circular reasoning over and over, and today was no different. The room was, in general, quiet while the ministers and the King ate.

It was in the midst of this silence that the King decided to bring up a new topic – one of lighter conversation. “Minister Kwang – no, stop that, sit down. We’re all eating after all. This is an unofficial question, but have the national exams been checked yet?”

The poor Minister sat down again. “I’m afraid we have not completed all the exams, your majesty. Due to recent events we were stalled in our examination process. Now that your majesty has returned, when the current affairs have been discussed, we will continue, and announce who among them will become officials.”

The King nodded. “Very good, minister. Thank you for your hard work.”

“For the good of our country, it is only natural, your majesty!”

It was calm and quiet, wonderfully quiet, too quiet. He had been in this quietness before. Every time he was in this quietness with Seungcheol, his precious Cheollie, every single time, hands ripped out from the wall to grip him – hundreds, hundreds of hands gripping his guard and pulling him away.

He wanted to get up, out of bed. He wanted to scream. Cheollie was in danger and had to be warned – but he could neither move nor scream. His mouth made the gestures, but no sound came from.

This was not all the other times, though. Hands did not engulf Seungcheol’s body, gripping his body for themselves. This time, in a fearful blast, the wall disintegrated into fire, and Seungcheol sat at it as if nothing was happening. The fire slowly consumed him, burning his clothes and his body and his face, until he was almost entirely gone.

He was screaming before he even woke up.

He gripped Hansol’s arm harshly, pressing his face into the boy’s arm to muffle the screams that wouldn’t stop coming out of his throat. It took a few minutes for the King to calm down and stop breathing so hard, stop gasping for air he so desperately needed.

Hansol’s heart broke easily – for his commander hurt, and for his King, suffering. “I’m sorry, your majesty,” he whispered. “He’s not here.”

It took him a moment. “Sorry, Hansol. Sorry to bother you.”

He shook his head. “Your majesty worries for him. I worry, too.”

“I just… wish I could see it with my own eyes.”

Hansol winced. “It’s not a pretty sight, your majesty. It hurt my heart to see him like that. I’m afraid it would hurt your majesty, too.”

“But…” He looked up at his guard with only an expression of guilt and pain.

He winced and pursed his lips for a moment. “Well, if your majesty were serious… we could sneak out.”

“…what?”

“We could sneak out of the palace right now and go see him. He might be asleep, but your majesty would be able to see him alive and well. Would that help?”

The King gripped him. “What are we waiting for?”

They were both dressed in very plain clothes, inconspicuous and uninteresting as they walked through the dirty streets: Hansol suffered a little, terrified of something happening to the King on his watch and having to explain that to Mingyu, but he calmed down a little when he and the King jumped the wall surrounding Seungcheol’s house.

Nobody would be stupid enough to attack the King if he was protected by a witch. Literally nobody.

He crept along in the dark of the night, quiet as a mouse: he slid through a door ajar, and stood in shock.

Seungcheol stood, equally shocked, in his sleeping clothes, a wooden crutch propped up under his armpit to stand in for the missing leg, a teacup in his hand.

The two stared at each other for a moment: Hansol simply backed away and closed the door behind him, taking up his guarding stance outside the door.

After a few moments, Seungcheol turned to place the cup on a cupboard, then dropped his crutch, and shakily fell to his one good knee to bow with his nose all the way to the ground. “Your majesty,” he whispered, hoarse.

 The King very simply stooped, and with one brutal motion, picked Seungcheol up off the floor, holding him in his arms.

“Is your bedroom left or right?”

“Your majest-”

“Left. Or. Right?”

“…right, your majesty.”

With vampire strength he had never had to exude, the King simply carried his guard back to his bedroom and laid him down on his bed.

“Your majesty, please, a broken dog like me-”

With perfect silence the King slid Seungcheol further away on the bed and laid down beside him before pulling the covers up again.

Seungcheol was shaking from head to toe. “S-sire, what are you-”

“Shut up. Just shut up.” He curled his legs and arms around his guard and rested his head on Seungcheol’s chest. “Just shut up and go to sleep while you hold me. We can yell at each other in the morning.”

Hesitantly, he waited, and then replied. “Yes, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

He woke up alone in a bed that still held some warmth: it took him a few moments of searching to find it was empty, and then he opened his eyes.

Seungcheol was sitting on the ground in front of the bed with his one leg out straight, hands holding him upright on the floor.

“Cheo-”

“Forgive me for sitting this way, your majesty. If I sit properly, I cannot keep my balance.”

“Why are you sitting? Come back here.”

“That would not be appropriate, your majesty.”

The King sighed deeply.

“Your majesty should have been accompanied by your head guard Mingyu, not a novice, your majesty, especially given recent events. Please take extreme care on your way home not to be hurt.”

It took him a moment to snap. “That’s it, then? You’re kicking me out of your house?”

He tried to bow deeply. “I could never do that, your majesty.”

“I came all the way out here to find you since you clearly won’t come back to the palace, and this is what I find? You want me gone so badly?”

It took Seungcheol a moment to order the words correctly: he spoke slowly, as if he could not believe that he was in a situation where they needed to be said. “I cannot… be with your majesty… anymore. I cannot guard or protect your majesty. I have already failed you once. I will live in disgrace for the rest of my life for that. My place is no longer by your majesty’s side. Your majesty should, therefore, no longer seek me out.”

It stung even before the sound had echoed: the King’s palm hurt, but to Seungcheol, he hadn’t just sustained a slap to the face. His heart was shattered with that slap.

“Do you think you’re just dirt?” the King heaved, getting to his feet instantly. “Do you think you’re worthless? Do you think I don’t lie awake at night wondering if you’re alright? Do you think my nightmares of losing you are to be scorned at?!” He gripped Seungcheol by his clothes. “Do you think I came here to pity you, Choi Seungcheol?!”

He couldn’t answer.

“I need you,” he muttered, exasperated, letting him go and walking away. “But it seems you don’t need me. Fine, then. I’m not special. Then I’m not good and worthy. If that is how you want it… then fine. I’ll leave you alone. Goodbye, Seungcheol.”

He and Hansol had crossed most of the inner court before they were stopped.

“Your highness!”

He stopped, and turned.

She was pretty, that was sure – wide, pretty eyes and a good shape. She bowed deeply and came up with a sweet smile. “Please, stay a w

+hile.”

“I think I’ve overstayed my welcome.” He almost turned away before sighing at her. “I hear you’re to thank for my eunuch’s current health. Thank you, madam, for taking care of him.”

“It was my honour, your majesty. Sire! Before you leave, we must speak. About Seungcheol.”

“I think I’ve seen quite enough of him to-”

“He has two legs.”

The King turned back to her. “What do you mean?”

She bit her lip nervously, but went ahead and spoke. “At least… I think he will have two legs. Your majesty, the night of the fire, the stump of where his leg had been was barely any longer than one of my fingers. Last night, the stump was longer than my finger, hand and wrist together.” She held out her arm and pointed to it. “Sire, his leg is getting longer. I think… his leg is growing back. It doesn’t have to grow back all the way – if he grows a knee joint and no further, he can wear a prosthetic, but I believe it will grow back entirely. Your majesty… in a month, I expect Seungcheol to be fit to serve you once again.”

The King suddenly gripped her arm. “Are you trying to tell me… did you just say… his leg is going to grow back?”

“…yes, your majesty. He will make a complete recovery, unperturbed by what happened in the palace. He will be whole once more.”

He dashed off, back into the house, as fast as his feet could carry him, rushing into Seungcheol’s rooms and hitting him full-on, body slamming against his. They fell down onto the bed together, the King gripping him tightly. “Cheollie,” he gasped. “Cheollie, Cheollie, Cheollie, Cheollie, Cheollie! My lovely Cheollie!” And then, with complete abandon, the King began to leave tiny kisses over the man’s face: on his forehead, his eyebrows, cheeks, nose, chin – everywhere but his lips.

He pulled away to look at him. “It’s going to be alright,” he whispered, elated. “And you’re beautiful, and I’m sorry I hit you. I won’t ever hit you again, my wonderful, lovely Cheollie. I’ll call for you to come back in a month, so when that happens, don’t be angry with me anymore, will you, my precious Cheollie? My only precious one, my very most precious, wonderful, special Cheollie!” He leaned in to leave another kiss on Seungcheol’s forehead. “You won’t still be angry with me then, please don’t be, you’re too precious to stay angry with me! In a month we’ll be together again, and I’ll hold you so close when you get back, my precious Cheollie. I’ll take care of you so much until you are addicted to me, I promise, and I promise when that happens nobody will ever take you away from me again, do you understand?” He gripped Seungcheol’s face. “Nobody will ever take you away because I will protect you with everything that I can, do you understand? I have to leave now, but I will see you in one month, my Cheollie, my precious, one and only, perfect Cheollie.”

And just like that, he rushed away again.

Chapter Text

“Your majesty?”

The King flopped visibly: his shoulders sagged, his head hung, and he took on the persona of a dead worm. “I did a foolish thing, Shua.”

“…yes, your majesty?”           

“I went ahead and called him Cheollie, and kissed his face, and told him he was precious, and that I would take care of him. What must he think of me?”

Shua had to hide his smile.

“He must think I’ve gone mad. And now I told him I’d see him in a month so I can’t even see him until then, either! What kind of miserable person am I? What am I even thinking anymore?”

“Your majesty could be forgiven the odd indiscretion or two, your majesty. It has been a trying time of late for us all. Your majesty had to flee for your life, leaving behind your oldest and most trusted companion in dangerous circumstances. That is a harrowing experience for anybody.”

He seemed to slump even further, as if he were a mountain of ice, slowly melting and caving in on itself. “But I don’t get to see him for a month,” he sighed. “How am I going to go that long without seeing him?”

“Your majesty once spent many years without him.”

The King’s eyes became sharp at the reminder. “And that will never happen again.”

“Of course not, your majesty. But the wait shall not be long. In the meantime, may I convey my sincerest regrets your majesty was not able to complete the consummation of your marriage with her majesty?”

The King gave him a look, but only briefly. “I suppose so. Anyway, I didn’t come to talk news or politics. I want to play games with you.”

“…even though your majesty lost last time?”

“I’m not going to get better at playing if I don’t do it regularly, am I?” He pushed the sleeves of his robes back off his wrists. “And winning this game will be vital… mark my words.”

“Mingyu, I never thanked you properly.”

“I do not need reward for doing my duty, your majesty.”

The King paused in the middle of the hallway, looking up at his long-time friend. “…so cold,” he murmured, continuing on. “When did you suddenly live so far away from me, Mingyu?”

Mingyu didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The King already knew that the day Seungcheol had entered his bedroom, was the day Mingyu had grown distant.

The King was the image of decorum and propriety as he bestowed city people with riches: they had been diligent in their attempts to help the guards put out the palace fire, and were duly rewarded from the royal treasury. The King them returned to his rooms for rest and relaxation, during which there was no rest.

“Mingyu, I don’t want us to be like this.”

“Like what, your majesty?”

“…don’t be angry with me, Mingyu.”

“I could never be angry with your majesty. That is not my place.”

“Stop this,” he sighed. “I’m sorry my actions upset you. I made a rash decision and put you in a difficult position. I’m sure it was hard for you. I’m sorry, Mingyu.”

Mingyu didn’t reply.

“There’s more?!”

Mingyu sighed deeply. “Does your majesty… really wish to know?”

“Yes please,” he struggled to mutter through clenched teeth.

“Your majesty took a novice, trusting him more than me, and took him to see the man you clearly love. Your majesty cannot be aware… of how that betrayal… how the jealousy… burns right through. Maybe it is because your majesty is no longer human, but I am bitter, and angry, and jealous. And more than all that… I was worried. What could have happened to you…”

The King moved from his position, sitting by his guard before gripping Mingyu close to his chest. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “For making you jealous, and worried. I’m sorry you felt betrayed. That was never my intention, my closest friend. I love you dearly. I’m sorry I dealt blows like that to you. Please know I did not mean to do so.”

Mingyu’s arms wrapped around him like a comforting blanket: he leaned his  cheek against the King’s head, sighing deeply. “Thank you, your majesty.”

“There’s no need to be jealous of Hansol, though. I like him, in a strange way. Perhaps like a little brother or cousin. He’s a cute child. He’s not you.”

“I didn’t mean to say I was jealous of Hansol. I meant of Seungcheol.”

“Why on earth?”

“Your majesty clearly loves him.” Mingyu’s eyes were clear and plain in the agony they tended to. “Your majesty loves him more than anybody else in this world. Your majesty would kiss him and lie with him and feed him from your own spoon, if you could. Your majesty would run away with him to the end of the earth and live with just him there, and you would be happy. I can’t pretend that doesn’t sting – like I don’t resent that, like I am not jealous. I can’t pretend I wouldn’t do anything to make your majesty feel that way about me. But it is of no consequence, your majesty. I still love your majesty, and your majesty’s health and safety are still my priorities. Your majesty is still the only thing I care for, and I will guard your majesty until I am no longer able.”

“Wait… what?”

It took him a moment. “Which part was I not clear about?”

“You… want me to feel that way… about you?”

“Yes. Of course I do. I love your majesty – deeply, passionately.” He looked at him. “I would capture your majesty and own you forever, if I could. If your majesty only belonged to me, that would suit me just fine.”

The King cracked a half-smile, willing himself into disbelief. “What on earth are you talking about…”

“Your majesty… didn’t realize?” Mingyu frowned. “I didn’t think I could be any clearer.”

“But you’re my best friend.”

“Yes, your majesty. And I don’t plan on changing that any time soon.”

“How can you be in love with me if you’re my best friend?”

“It’s hard not to be in love with you, your majesty.”

The King’s jaw dropped at he thought about it. “…wow,” he murmured at length. “How long?”

“At least three years, your majesty.”

“Three years?!”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“And you didn’t even tell me?” The King gave his friend a good-natured punch to the arm. “Keeping secrets to yourself is not a best friend thing to do!”

“Forgive me your majesty. I reckoned you figured it out.”

“I had not.” He thought about it a little more. “Mingyu… ah, I feel bad, now. Guilty. Lately things have been even more painful for you but I didn’t even notice. I’ve been a terrible friend.”

“That’s not true, your majesty. You’re the King. You’ve been too busy.”

“Mingyu… I can’t… return your feelings.”

Mingyu smiled gently, his eyes almost liquid amber in their warmth. “I know, your majesty.”

“Not because of Seungcheol, though.”

“Your majesty could barely live without him when you were little, you turned into a different person when he left, and now that he is back, your majesty struggles against reason, begs to run back to rooms set aflame, and sneaks away in the night to sleep with him. Your majesty’s heart is full. I understand.”

The King couldn’t answer that.

“If it’s not too much to ask, though, your majesty, please do not dismiss me. My feelings for your majesty have never come between me and my duty to you before, and they won’t now. Even if it’s pathetic, I just want to stay near you, and take care of you.”

“Dismiss you?” He stared in horrified shock. “I’m not going to dismiss you! You’re my best friend! You’re not going anywhere without my say-so.”

Mingyu smiled brightly – the first bright smile in a long time, the King realized. “Thank you, your majesty.”

There was something painful in that smile – not the smile itself, not at all. Mingyu’s whole face brightened, the edges of his mouth curling upwards, his eyes glittering, and the full weight of his pain hit the King like a ton of bricks. Mingyu had been living in pain all this time, unrecognized, pining, hurt time and time again by his actions. He had been solely responsible for Mingyu’s dissatisfaction, his worry, his nausea. The King was the reason Mingyu was crying on the inside, and he was the reason Mingyu was afraid.

He suddenly gripped his friend tightly, both arms forcing him close. “I love you, Mingyu,” he whispered. “So don’t hurt anymore.”

“I’ll try, your majesty.”

“…I see you’ve started working.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

He looked him up and down coldly. “You look good.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“Secretary of finance isn’t what I expected, but it will do.” The King smiled at his friend in his new robes, a part of the elite office. “I suppose I’ll see you at the next meeting with the ministers, then.”

“Yes, your majesty. I will serve your majesty diligently then.”

“Oh, and Shua?”

“Your majesty?”

“…make friends.”

There was a lot of added meaning in that phrase.

“Yes, your majesty.”

His majesty sighed heavily, nodding. “…fine. But in secret.”

“Your majesty, to make it secret would only-”

“It will happen in secret.” The King opened his eyes to glare maliciously – it was a look that only ever startled the youngest ministers, but it was deadly in its sharpness. “I will not have you openly investigate and follow a royal prince as if he were already a condemned man. What kind of rioting would that bring to the capital? He is not a criminal. He is under investigation. To make it public knowledge and post guards outside his home? Put him under curfew? You might as well ban him from the country outright and be done with it.”

“Your majesty-”

“Your majesty is right.” The First minister nodded slowly. “Such a revelation would cause great distress to the people. His highness is a beloved figure, after all. These investigations will be held in private. The information will be collected and written down with accuracy. If a case can be presented after any amount of time, it will.”

The King watched him before nodding carefully. “That will be our course of action.”

“I’m exhausted.”

“Shall I ask Suk to draw you a bath?”

“…no, it’s alright. Pretending to argue with the ministers while I’m actually steering them to do and say what I want them to is just tiring. Mentally.” The King slumped. “Was I wrong? I got worried with the First Right Minister started agreeing with me.”

“Your majesty has found and captured one of the assassins that escaped the palace. You are conducting your own investigation. It is simply an excellent cover. We’ve been watching the first minister. He doesn’t seem to suspect anything.”

“Mm.” He sighed deeply and looked up. “Mingyu… the assassin. I feel like I should have told Roa to kill him when she told me she had him locked up in a cellar.”

“Your majesty would have no leads.”

“He tried to kill me. He followed Seungcheol and Suk for the sole purpose of killing me if they led him to me. He would have hurt them. He doesn’t deserve to live. The fact that Roa took him in, healed his wounds, and chained him in the darkness like an animal… is too good for him. I don’t want him to live.”

“And he could be your majesty’s deliverance.”

He sighed for a moment more, rubbed his eyes sleepily and stretched. “I’m going to write a letter to Hansol. Have Suk deliver it at first light.” He paused. “Send it to Seungcheol’s house.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

The King took his time to position himself comfortably before he looked up with a sweet smile and spoke. “Maybe we should have some tea.”

Her Majesty the Queen nodded. “What would your majesty care to take?”

“…Jasmine, I think. Raspberry leaf for you, I think.”

“As your majesty wishes.”

The couple sat in complete stillness, not speaking, merely staring at each other until the tea had arrived: it was poured, and then the eunuch and maid withdrew.

His majesty took his time with his beverage, savouring it before speaking. “I have to applaud your efforts, your majesty. You worked hard to create a distraction and disturbance to further interrupt the plans to conceive a royal baby. My congratulations.”

She wasn’t nervous – resigned, almost. Her eyes squinted slightly. “I did not hire assassins to harm your majesty.”

“I’m not a fool. I know that much.” He sipped his tea more. “But you did give orders for the fire to be lit.”

She didn’t answer.

“I’m not angry. In fact, I’m actually rather impressed. I didn’t think you’d go that far. I thought you might have run away from the palace or something like that.”

“I’d like to think,” she interrupted, “that the use of fire would speak to your majesty on how strongly I feel about the subject.”

“It did. Your point has been made.”

“…it will not change your majesty’s mind, will it?”

The King hesitated, and put down his cup. “I’m not a monster, you know.”

She waited.

“I felt this plan was the best course of action, because I had gauged you still had feelings for Jeonghan and would rather have married him than me. But I’m not a monster. We can have something else arranged – a divorce, or you may choose another man, I suppose. I’m cruel and I like men, I’m aware, but I wouldn’t… hurt a woman that way.”

She blinked and had to look away.

“…think about it. I’ll expect your answer in a few days.”

He was walking past when she gripped his robes, unmoved from her position. He stopped for her.

“…I’ll do it,” she whispered.

“…I suppose even suggesting it is forcing you, in a way.”

“No. You’re right. I’ve been Jeonghan’s bride longer than I’ve been yours. There are conditions.”

The King returned to his seat. “State them.”

“How long?”

“Madam Roa says, twenty days, possibly more, not less.”

“Twenty days,” he whispered in horror. “Twenty whole days.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“…did he say anything? For me?”

“…he told me to take good care of your majesty. To attend to you and love you and make sure you were safe no matter what.”

“But no message?”

“…I’m sorry, your majesty.”

“Damn that little brat!” He punched the table lightly, scowling into the distance. “Does he know about the assassin in the cellar?”

“…no, your majesty. We all agreed it was best if he didn’t know. If your majesty wishes to present the criminal to the ministers, Choi Seungcheol can’t kill him. And if he knew one had escaped alive… he’d kill him.”

He nodded slowly. “Indeed.”

“He also bid me to make sure your majesty has some sweet honey treats before bed. He said he observed your majesty’s nightmares to be less intense after having them.”

He scowled darkly for a moment. “That won’t be necessary.”

“It won’t?”

“…no.”

“Is he eating properly?”

“His majesty is a picky eater.”

“You have to encourage him to eat properly.”

“He told me he’ll eat meat again when you arrive.”

Seungcheol shook his head. “I can’t return. I don’t have a leg.”

Hansol dropped his head a little to where the very edge of a knee had recently formed itself, proof that the joint would regrow in time. “I think you’re going to be well, Seungcheol. How…”

Seungcheol looked up.

“…your foot never grew back. After that first time.”

“No. Perhaps because I lost it before I was bitten…? I’m surprised it’s growing back at all… it’s a little… disconcerting.” The lines etched in his forehead deepened.

He had to ask. “…how did you do it?”

“Hm?”

“…how did you stop the fire consuming you?”

Seungcheol looked up with an expression of terror. “I fell,” he answered, “a mirror lay in shards on the floor… when I fell the shards cut my flesh… but it… but…”

There was a moment of quiet.

“It was his majesty’s mirror. I don’t know what that means.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t an ordinary mirror made of ordinary silver, Hansol.” He gulped. “The backwork of the frame… it had blood smeared in it. A complicated sign. It lay behind the mirror. The silver that cut me glowed – and I didn’t see anything else. It was too dangerous… somebody cursed that mirror, Hansol. Or blessed it. I wouldn’t know. But… one way or another, whatever mark was created there… I think it’s responsible for the regrowth.”

Hansol was still for a long moment. “A blood curse on his majesty’s mirror?”

“Mm.”

“…do you remember what it was like?”

“It was a blue-framed mirror. Oval. Why?”

“No reason. I’ll do some research. If there’s any record of it in the palace rolls for items for his majesty, we’d be able to trace where it came from. Am I right?”

He nodded.

“I’ll do that, then.”

“Don’t let it distract you from protecting his majesty.” The deep lines reappeared. “He must always come first.”

“Stop talking like you’ll never see him again. When your leg regrows you’ll be back to normal.”

“How can I serve him again when I’ve already let him down once? Don’t be ridiculous.”

Hansol sighed with a shake of the head: it was useless to talk to him like this, since he wouldn’t listen to reason.

“…I’m sorry, friend, to ask it of you but… I’m quite thirsty.”

“Me, too. Let’s go inside.”

The King sighed and moped and moped and sighed, more of a wet rag than a monarch: his listlessness irritated the ministers and their secretaries, but it ran his bodyguards ragged more than anybody else. Quite frankly, it was old hat by now, and it was boring to serve a King who just sat around waiting for a bodyguard to show up.

So it was a breath of fresh air for the entire court when the doors were flung open, and a man walked in.

He was, certainly, different from all the other ministers: instead of robes of imported silk, he was clad head-to-toe in grey: he removed his headpiece and strutted past the ministers far beneath him to take a knee in front of the throne, bowing deeply, the lieutenants behind him following suit.

“Your majesty. First Minister of Defence, General Han Seongsu, greets you. I have returned from the coast at your majesty’s imminent request. Please accept my return.”

A smile grew on the King’s face – but he had to work quickly to conceal it.

“General Han… thank you for coming here so quickly,” he answered coolly. “There is much to discuss.”

“I am honoured to be receiving drinks from your majesty. I am not worthy.”

The King put down the wine. “Do you really believe that, General?”

The old soldier sat back a little. “No, not really,” he answered in an off-hand tone. “You’re little more than a boy, a man I don’t know, to whom I’m supposed to swear featly because you were his majesty’s son. Frankly, I don’t know you.”

“Father!”

“No. That’s alright.” The King held up his cup. “At least let’s toast to him. To his majesty the King.”

The General and both his sons raised their cups to the memory of their old King, and drank quickly with their new one.

“General Han, you dislike the court and the ministers who sit in it.”

“I dislike dishonesty, disloyalty, and terrorism. I dislike etiquette and palace rules. Most of all, I have a deep hatred for people who abuse power for their own sick little games. And I hate the people who made his majesty suffer. He and I were comrades, once upon a time.”

The King breathed deeply. “General Han, please introduce your sons in detail to me.”

At this, the old man in armour brightened with a smile. “This is Jooheon, my older son, your majesty. He’s a diligent soldier, and has aided me much in our capture and… well, demotivation of pirates, your majesty.” There was a pause. “And this is Seungkwan, my younger son. He is more of an intellectual who likes poetry.”

“Father.”

“That’s quite alright, Seungkwan. I like poetry. There is much to be said for it. We have swords for the capture of men, and words for the capture of women, is that not so?”

The young boy bowed graciously.

“Then, General… I am to take it that your sons are entirely reputable, and that I can trust you and your family to be loyal to me?”

“Your majesty expects my loyalty, even when I’ve already told you I don’t know you, and when I know you’ve recalled me to use me as a pawn in a tug-of-war with the other Ministers?”

It was not a threat; merely a question.

“Not particularly,” the King answered. “But it is a falsehood to say I called you back to play tug-of-war. Though that may be how it seems on the outside – and indeed, it must look that way – there is much more at play, here.”

The General was not impressed. “Well?”

“My father died recently.”

“I am aware, your majesty.”

“It is my belief he did not die of natural causes.”

His face didn’t change – whether from ongoing disbelief, or simply shock, could not be told. “Why, your majesty?”

“There were several private meetings between the First Right Minister and he, in the days before he died. My father had not eaten a full meal in weeks, and was far from a glutton, but according to doctors he died of diabetes. A sickness that ravages the wealthy… and notoriously, the fat. My father spoke often of the will he would leave for me and my siblings, yet no such document has ever been produced, and it is not the kind of thing he would have spoken much of and not worked on. The records of his death lie in the palace library, but there are no written details of the incident kept in the physician’s workplace. His eunuch has gone missing in the months since his passing. His mother and wife mourned for only a short few days and were not shocked to first hear the news of his death. They were prepared. They knew.”

The General’s expression only changed minutely, but he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. “What is your majesty trying to say?”

“The First Right Minister murdered my father. I want you to find out how and provide me with evidence. I am going to purge this city of everything corrupt, but under my father the ministers gained much power. Too much power for a nineteen-year-old boy to overthrow by himself. I wouldn’t ask you to swear some kind of loyalty oath to me, General, but I have read the records of your days in the court that my father held. You were indeed comrades. I would have little hope in asking you outright to fight the court corruption on my behalf, but for my father, I would hope you would like to know if his death was an unjust murder.”

The General drank more wine for a moment in silence. “Well played, your majesty.”

His sons tense bodies relaxed.

“You’re right. Asking me to fight political wars for you would be a foolish thing to do. But your father was a good man. He loved greatly, and paid much for it. If he was murdered… I will have vengeance.”

The King smiled, pouring more wine. “If you cannot relay something to me directly, please send message to my head eunuch, Suk. He is reliable.”

“Is he?”

“…yes, he is.” The King’s grin was soft. “I used to think very little of him, but… he is the most reliable one of them all. My right arm, if you will.”

“Then, your majesty, might I make a request?”

“What is it, General?”

“I’ve come to understand your majesty has a small group of guards that serve as your majesty’s closest bodyguards.”

“Yes, there’s three.”

“Three?”

He had to work very hard to pretend not to be grumpy. “One was badly injured during the late burning in the palace. He has been given leave to recuperate in his home before I recall him back to duty.”

“I see. Three men is precious little to keep your majesty safe.”

“They are diligent enough.”

“All the more, your majesty – your life has been threatened, and if the concerns you have over your own father are true, it puts your majesty in a position to be harmed. Please accept my son Jooheon into your majesty’s personal guard.”

The King stared at his cup for a moment. “It’s a very demanding job,” he answered hesitantly. “Jooheon, is this something you would like to do?”

“Yes, your majesty. It would be a position of high honour.”

His eyes flashed sharp, but only for a moment. “And allowing your King to die?”

“A blight that cannot be sustained, your majesty.”

“Very well. You can join the guard. Report to my guard Mingyu. When Seungcheol returns from leave, you report to him.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“How long?”

Hansol bridled.

“What? It’s eight days, right?” The King’s expression fell as terror set in. “It’s only supposed to be eight more days, Hansol! Tell me it’s only going to be eight days!”

The vampire fell to his knees. “Forgive me, your majesty. It may take longer than that. Madam Roa is working as fast as she can.”

“How could it take even longer?”

“There seems to be more wrong than just his leg.”

The King almost killed himself in the attempt to scramble towards his guard, grabbing him by the collar. “What? What else is wrong with him, Hansol?”

“His mind. His mind is… waning.”

“What does that mean?”

“…I’m afraid he is not the Seungcheol we used to know. He’s different… changed. It’s my fault. From the moment I told him you had been singed by fire he changed. He’s different now. He speaks little. He… slowly, he is losing the will to live.”

“You’re visiting him every day, right?”

“Yes, your majesty. I am seeing him wither away in front of me. He does not want to be alive.”

The King let him go, weakened by the idea. “Why? Why would he… why?”

“Your majesty…”

It took him a moment. “ME?!”

“Everybody knows of his attachment to your majesty.”

“His attachment to me? Pah!” The King fell backwards on to his bed for a moment in pure dumbness, unable to process the information before the horror hit him. “This is because of what I did to him last… what I told him… oh God, Hansol, it’s my fault.”

“How could it be your maje- What are you doing?”

The King flung silk at him. “Get dressed. We’re going.”

The exhausted vampire simply did as he was told.

Chapter Text

Madam Roa was waiting in the very middle of the courtyard, already staring at the wall they jumped.

“How did she know?”

Hansol leaned over to whisper back. “Witch.”

“Oh.”

“Stop jumping my walls in the middle of the night, you rascal guard! Bring the King to my house with some decorum!” She punched Hansol’s arm. “Your majesty, forgive me, I have little more than tea to offer you.”

“No need. I’m here to see the fool you so graciously married.”

She bowed deeply. “Yes, your majesty.”

Seungcheol still walked with the crutch tucked under his armpit, but now it was obvious he had a significant stump under his clothes: where they concealed his skin, a lump stuck out from between the clothes.

He looked up in shock and horror. “Your majesty.”

The King sat down next to his old bodyguard on the southside of his house in the night. “Don’t get up,” he murmured. “…I came to see you.”

Seungcheol’s eyes closed a moment. “Your majesty should be more careful.”

“I’m in a house that holds the most dangerous man in Joseon, a bodyguard who adores me like I’m his brother, and a witch.”

Even Seungcheol had to admit that his wife was a power few wished to be confronted with.

“To what do I owe the honour, your majesty?”

“Hansol says you’ve not been doing well. On the way he said you don’t have plans to return to your station when your leg is healed.”

The guard couldn’t answer the accusation.

“I’m sorry, Seungcheol.” The King didn’t turn to his friend, simply tucking his knees under his chin as he stared at the moon. “I didn’t realize… that I would put you in such a difficult position with what I said. I understand now that I wasn’t welcome… that I’m still not, I suppose. I never meant to intrude on you. You’ve been loyal to me my whole life, Seungcheol. And I have adored you since I was a child. But I understand now, my adoration was premature and unnecessary. I won’t burden you with those thoughts and feelings again – I won’t ask to sleep with you near, I won’t expect your enduring kindness, I won’t call you Cheollie, and I won’t expect you to love me as your King. I won’t put you under pressure and I won’t feed from you. I’ll take back all the affection I had for you that was so unwelcome. In return… be a good man, and a good guard. Come back to work. I won’t make it hard for you. If you even like, I’ll make Mingyu head guard instead. I won’t ask you to guard me during night time, and I won’t ask you to do any extra jobs for me. I won’t force you. So please… just come back. Even if it’s a bit of an inconvenience… even if it’s a little annoying… just come back.”

Seungcheol stared at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look back.

“I am hurting your majesty. That was never my intention.”

“No, not hurting.” He shook his head. “You want something. You’ll have it. Do we have a deal, Choi Seungcheol?”

“I would not restrict your majesty of anything.”

“Then why are you acting like this?” The King finally spat, annoyed.

He was quiet for a moment. “I was not diligent enough. I did not do my duty. Because of my lack of preparedness, my lack of regard for rules and etiquette, I was too slow, and was unable to save your majesty. H-”

“I’m still alive, you know.”

“Your majesty was hurt. How could I let that happen – all these years of loyalty, of taking care of your majesty… how could I let that happen and still live with myself?” He gave his King a sad smile. “How could I return, knowing that I was not good enough?”

“…Seungcheol, you kept me alive. That’s all I need.”

“It was not enough, your majesty. If Mingyu had been guarding you, he would have had an earful.”

The King wanted to protest that, but there was no way he could: Seungcheol was right, and he knew it.

“Please surround yourself with people who are more trustworthy.”

“Who could be more trustworthy than the man who has saved my life twice now?”

“Trustworthy in their abilities, your majesty. I won’t be able to help your majesty in brute will alone forever.”

“Then… is this it? Do I have to let you go again, Seungcheol? You’re leaving me again.”

“I will always belong to your majesty. I will always be your majesty’s servant. I will be capable of tasks you need to be done outside the palace. But keeping your majesty close and unharmed… that is something I am not capable of doing. Clearly.”

The King hard to bury his face for a minute before turning to the moon once more. “So you’re really leaving me. And there, I thought you were back for good.”

“I can visit your majesty now and then.”

“…if that’s good enough for you. I suppose so.”

“It’s more than somebody like me deserves, your majesty. I don’t know if your majesty noticed, but you’re a phenomenal person. Too much of you… would be a difficult thing to handle. I don’t know if I could live being that blessed.”

“Oh, please.”

Seungcheol just smiled softly. “I have loved your majesty very deeply, and I have been blessed to be near you for so long. I have had the immense honour and privilege of taking care of your majesty for years. I now find myself incapable of performing that duty. I will peacefully resign.”

“…I will miss you.”

“Your majesty will forget me quickly.”

He didn’t answer that. He couldn’t, without getting angry, and being angry was not why he was here. “I’ll send Hansol often, so talk to him and tell him things about yourself. That way when I hear them, I’ll know you’re doing well.”

“I would not dare die without my King’s permission, your majesty.”

He smiled. “Mingyu said something similar about you. How sweet.”

He only bowed.

“If you’re sure this is what you want…”

“I am.”

“…then, pour me a drink?” The King turned to him, for once, only a young man instead of a King: large, tired eyes with a meek will behind them. “Let’s have one drink. To part as friends. As a good farewell.”

The King did not admit how much his heart stung after the first drink: he did not give away his feelings after six, or even ten drinks. He would never tell Seungcheol how it felt to rip a piece of his heart from his chest and leave it at his guard’s doorstep, nor how much it ached to be rejected so kindly. He simply drank until Seungcheol fell asleep, put him to bed, and left the premises, clutching Hansol’s arm in the fear he would run back.

“Mingyu. Speak quickly.”

“I don’t like that Jooheon man.”

“Well, if we could pick and choose everything for ourselves, the world would be a very different place,” he snapped. “Now come on with it.”

“…yes, your majesty. It seems the General is not suspicious, and is indeed covertly asking questions of physicians and eunuchs and maids here in the palace. He has, however, not been gracious to the other ministers, and has not met with them at all.”

The King bit his lip. “Ministers could be a problem in this. They don’t like him to start with.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“I’ll send him a message later. What about Hansol?”

“He’s been diligently working through the city, combing it out. He’s already recovered two of the letters and a confession drawn in blood.”

“Excellent. Who does it look like?”

“…it seems the second Minister of Finance is involved, your majesty.”

“…nobody else?”

“We’re still working on it, your majesty. We’re spread thin. When Seungcheol regains his ability to walk, he can help.”

He was silent a moment. “No,” he answered. “Don’t involve him anymore.”

“…al…right?”

“Seungcheol will no longer be joining the royal guard in any capacity. He made this decision himself, so don’t bother him with it. He’s not coming back. Tell Hansol not to tell him anything that happens in the palace, either. Seungcheol doesn’t need to know about it anymore.”

Mingyu watched his King for a moment.

“Sire… is that wise?”

“It is a conclusion we came to together. That’s the end of this conversation. Anything else?”

“…the Minister of Rites expressed to Hansol the other day that he would like to speak with your majesty privately, but he feels that it would be inappropriate to say or do publicly.”

The King breathed deeply, thinking about it. “The Minister of Rites is a distant cousin of my father. My mother’s birthday banquet is only a few weeks off, isn’t it?”

“Yes your majesty. The minister will be very busy managing it.”

“And on the night of, the minister will finally be able to enjoy the festivities.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King instantly moved to take up paper and ink. “I’m writing a letter to Roa. I need a witch. And a few witch friends, if she has them.”

“Your majesty?”

“Let’s see if the Minister of Rites is so very forthcoming with his support for me after I scare the shit out of him.”

“…yes, your majesty?”

He looked up. “I’ve been told my voice is very similar to my father’s.”

“Yes, your majesty, it is-… oh, no.” Horror paled Mingyu’s face. “Your majesty, please say that’s not what you want to do.”

“Don’t know what you’re even talking about, Mingyu.”

“Your majesty… you can’t impersonate the ghost of His Late Majesty just to get the Minister of Rites’ loyalty on paper. That’s sacrilege!”

The King gave him a concerned look, the disconcerted and half-outraged lilt of his voice matching his expression. “I’m not actually recalling him from the dead, Mingyu. I’m just going to play some games, that’s all. I don’t call up real ghosts. Besides, even if I did, are they really going to attack a vampire? What happens if a ghost tries to hurt a vampire? We’re both undead, anyway. Is my own ghost father going to hurt me? No, he’s not.”

Mingyu shut his eyes, and in the utter embarrassment, he couldn’t speak a word.

Chapter Text

Roa poured his tea and sat with him, staring out at the city. “This cannot possibly be comfortable, Choi Seungcheol.”

“It’s not.”

“Then why?”

He nodded at where he was staring before taking his tea: where he gazed was a small hub of light.

“Are you trying to tell me you sit up here on this roof every single night… to look at the palace?”

He didn’t answer.

Roa sighed and leaned her head on Seungcheol’s shoulder. “He’d be very disappointed in you if he knew you were pining so badly. He’d fly into a rage and tell you that if you missed him that bad, you should just go back to him.”

“He’s a King, Roa. I’m just a peasant boy, following him around in circles.”

“I don’t know if you noticed, but you’re a fully-grown man older than him who is also a vampire.”

“You know what I mean.”

She sipped her tea in silence, both of them staring at the palace. “You know your leg is perfectly fine.”

“I do.”

“And you know you are an excellent fighter.”

He didn’t answer, but he didn’t reject the idea.

“So you’re only worried that your love for him is clouding your judgement and, therefore, your ability to guard him optimally.”

“Yes. Yes, that worries me.”

“…you know Mingyu loves him, too. In the same way you do.”

“Mingyu has only been here once. How could you know?”

“I’m a woman and a witch. I know what I know.”

Seungcheol sighed. “Yes, I know Mingyu loves him in the same way. He is not hampered by it the way I am. He has a single-minded focus when it comes to his majesty. Mingyu is always ready to fight for his majesty’s life. I let my guard down constantly when I am with him. I am weak… in my attempt to be closer to his heart, I became faulty.”

“That’s a fair assessment.”

He smiled to himself. “You noticed.”

“Hard not to. You’re bedazzled by your own feelings… not unlike her.” She paused. “You’re going in in the morning, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’ve been summoned.”

“…will you go see him?”

“No. We said goodbye some time ago. I won’t hurt him more by showing up in front of him.”

Roa leaned forward a little. “The Queen will be outraged to hear that you won’t be getting married to the Princess, and she’ll be a lot worse when she realizes you won’t be her spy.”

“I know.”

“She may demand the return of what she gave you.”

“She may. I don’t see how. The items she gave me were smuggled away. Her only option is to kill me.”

“Yes. I suppose that’s true.” She paused. “Don’t get killed over some bolts of silk.”

“I won’t leave you widowed so young, Roa.”

“Thank you.” She pressed her face to his shoulder a moment before sitting up again. “I don’t want you to die. Hansol would be devastated, too. You’re a good friend to me, and you’ve been very kind. I don’t want you to be in this much pain all the time.”

“You healed me well. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“I wasn’t talking about your leg.”

Seungcheol rubbed his chest a little. “I didn’t think it would hurt this much. I miss him.”

“Hansol told me about the mirror. If there are cursed mirrors in the palace… I could show you visions of him, if you like. I could create a channel between our mirror and the ones in the palace. You could see him without him seeing you.”

He shook his head. “That would hurt more. But thank you for trying.”

She pursed her lips a moment. “Is there anything I can do?”

He smiled. “Keep on being my wife for a little while longer. I enjoy your company, too.”

She nodded and almost moved away before returning. “You know…”

“If it’s gossip, I don’t want to hear it.”

“Oh, I think you’ll want to hear this.”

“I will?”

She smiled wickedly. “His majesty has appointed a new bodyguard. And he’s gorgeous.”

Seungcheol’s smile faded. “It’s good that he has another guard. It’s important he is well-guarded at all times.”

“He’s the son of General Seongsu. He’s tall and fit. Very fit.”

“Is this an attempt to make me feel jealous, wife?”

“Who knows?”

Seungcheol nudged her a little. “Go sleep. Thank you for the tea.”

“Your majesty.”

“It’s been a while. How are you?”

She attempted to contort her face into a smile. “Very well, your majesty. Thank you for asking.”

“Pfooh, even your brother lies better than that. Out with it.”

Yehana bridled for a moment. “I’ve just visited her highness Princess Nayoung. She is… upset.”

“What on earth for, if you’ve visited her?”

Yehana winced. “It seems Seungcheol spoke with Her Majesty this morning, and… informed her that he was married, and could not marry the Princess. There is much anger in the palace today, your majesty.”

The King froze. “Seungcheol? Is here?”

“I’m afraid he has left already, your majesty. I met him just outside the palace on my way here.”

“Left… without saying hello?”

“…I believe he was hurrying back to his wife, your majesty. It seemed he had some business to conduct at home.”

The King did his best to smoothen his expression. “I see. I’m sorry you had to deal with my sister’s rage.”

“She’s not enraged, your majesty. She is heartbroken.” Yehana bit her lip. “My heart nearly broke for her, just seeing her. She was angry, yes, but… she hasn’t stopped crying. It seems her interest in my brother was more than simple infatuation. She is very hurt. Perhaps your majesty would be able to console her.”

However unlikely that was, the King wasn’t about to tell Yehana that. “I will do my best. Mind you, Miss Yehana – I was wondering we might take another long walk… like the last we had? But here. I would like to speak to you concerning that troublesome brother of yours.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King turned to Jooheon and Suk. “Keep a further distance. Miss Yehana and I would like to speak privately.”

“I’m sorry if this puts you in a bad position,” the King winced, watching the ministers go by. “Some of them will now want to move you forward into the position as royal concubine in order to strengthen their positions.”

Yehana blushed furiously.

“Forgive me, but that won’t be happening.” He waved a hand. “I view you as if you were a little sister, like Nayoung, to me.”

“I’m honoured, your majesty.”

“Have you been to see your brother lately?”

“I went to his house the day before last, your majesty.”

“How was he?”

“He was well, your majesty. He informed me he was no longer part of your majesty’s personal guard. Whatever he has done, I beg your majesty’s forgiveness.”

He slowly shook his head. “No, he didn’t do anything wrong. Actually… he acted exactly as he should. It’s his own stupid brain that won’t let him return to work. After thinking about it… I decided to respect his wishes and let him go.”

“I see.”

“But… even if that’s so, your brother and I have been friends for a long time, and I rather miss him. Things are awkward between us… so I was wondering if I could engage your help. Maybe we could meet regularly outside the palace… and you could tell me how he is doing?”

“Isn’t it dangerous for your majesty to leave the palace?”

“I’ll be fine. I have the best bodyguards in the country, after all.”

“Then, your majesty… I’d be honoured to be of service.”

“You’re a good child, Yehana. Don’t tell Seungcheol about this.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

Roa bridled uneasily. “This is unusual, your majesty.”

“Well, I’ve been leaving the palace a lot lately, and I keep going to the same places. I’m sorry for the unsavoury surroundings. And don’t do that!” He stayed Roa’s hand. “Poor Hansol gets hit a lot by you.”

Roa pouted, but gave Hansol a glare anyway.

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“Well what was so important that you had to tell me in a pleasure house?” The witch was a little grumpy. “I’m supposed to be buying fresh supplies.”

“Don’t be discourteous to your own sovereign.”

Roa set her eyes on him, nearly combusting into flames spontaneously at the remark. “Do you really want to play a game of pointing fingers at each other, Choi Hansol?”

He looked down. “No, ma’am.”

The King tapped on the table for attention. “I won’t keep you very long. I need your help. In two weeks exactly, I need some… trickery.”

“Trickery?”

“Trickery.”

“…your majesty knows I’m a witch, yes? Trickery is not my forte.”

“I need authenticity in this trick, and as far as I know, you’re the closest I’ve got.”

She sat back. “Fine then. What do you need?”

The King leaned in. “…how do I fake the appearance of a ghost… to make a minister do what I want?”

“Yehana, Roa.” The King smiled at the two ladies. “Both of you have been helping me a lot recently. I’m glad we all met at the marketplace like this, but I feel uneasy. It’s very dark. Let us escort you both home safely.”

Roa held up a palm, shifting her bag of herbs and grasses to her other hand. “I refuse. Forgive me, sir, but I’d feel less safe with Hansol guarding me than without.”

Hansol shrugged at his King. “I don’t know anybody stupid enough to attack Roa, sire.”

“Then we shall walk Yehana home.” He held up his hand as Roa took her leave. “I won’t hear a word against it. You’re like a precious sister to me, and the streets are dangerous for a young girl and her maid alone. We’ll walk you home.”

“Well, Hansol, that was a very productive afternoon, don’t you think?”

“Mingyu’s going to murder me.”

“Mingyu doesn’t murder without consent of his sovereign. Don’t worry.”

That did not fill Hansol with hope.

“Anyway we-”

They both stopped. A shift in the wind blew about them, bringing a new scent on it.

“Hansol… what is that?”

“…human blood, your majesty.”

“A massacre?”

He sniffed delicately, leaning in. “No, sire. Murder. It smells more like a bad stabbing than a vampire.”

Promptly, a vampire ran across an intersecting road.

“Sire…”

The King had already left.

“Sire, this is not an optimal situation.”

“I did notice.”

“Sire.”

“I don’t carry swords, Hansol! I don’t know how to help!”

There was no more point in arguing: the vampire slipped into the treeline as men advanced, blades raised high. There were more than either vampire could count, and more seemed to pour out of the darkness as if they were an army of spiders.

“Your majesty,” a deep voice reassured. “I am here.”

The King instantly let go of Hansol’s clothes in order to attach himself to his oldest friend. “Mingyu,” he breathed in relief.

“Forgive my tardiness.”

“How did you know?”

“I’ve been following your majesty for hours. Please stand back.”

The King turned and gulped. Surrounded. “I’m not sure that’s possible.”

There was a moment of horrific silence – and then the first blades hit, and it was chaos.

“Your majesty!”

“Jooheon.” The new guard was welcomed as he decimated five men where they stood from behind. “Excellent timing.”

“You’re all loud,” he quipped, curling an arm around the King. “Sire, I think it’s time we departed.”

The wind changed back – and the scent was heavy with something more rank than blood. It was something that made Hansol’s heart sick, and his knees knock. His elbows faltered and his sword fell an inch.

“What is that?” Instincts he didn’t know he had were triggered: the King grappled, half-trying to climb inside Jooheon’s body for safety, if he could. There was no logical reason to fear the oncoming smell, but he did regardless. “What is that?! Hansol!”

There was a clattering of metal, and then a sickening thrust, and Hansol lay on the ground.

The bodies clambered in shapes and forms from the darkness of the tree line, but they could not be seen but for the sick, yellow glow in their eyes.

Thunder cracked amid the ever-tensing circlet of murderers: smoke rose, even more foul-smelling than whatever was in the air. When the smoke dissipated, men fled the scene, coughing, and the yellow glowing eyes had disappeared.

“Ghouls,” a dangerous voice commented loudly, “are not welcome here.”

The King tensed even more.

His face appeared – first the shape of it, then the red hue of his eyes, and then the rest through the hazy grey in the dark of the night. “Forgive me, your majesty,” he whispered softly, “I am late. Are you hurt?”

They stared at each other.

“No,” he answered. “No, I’m fine.”

“Seungcheol.”

At the bid, the man ripped himself from his monarch to where his wife lay crouched over his friend. “Hansol. Hansol!”

The young boy pressed a piece of cloth into his captain’s hand with a smile. “I did good.” He closed his eyes.

“He needs medical attention. I need to get him home. Now.”

“Jooheon.” The order was cold. “Carry him.”

“Yes your majesty.”

“It seems we’re all going to visit Seungcheol’s house.”

Chapter Text

Seungcheol picked up the tea and gently poured it, as the four men sat in silence. In another building, screams could be heard as Roa did what she could to save a life. There was nothing that could be said as they stared at the piece of cloth Hansol had delivered in the middle of the table. It was an emblem. One of red eyes over red fangs over a crown. It spoke volumes. But in the wake of what had just happened, it didn’t seem to matter.

There was more guilt in that room than could be said. Four grown men had come away barely rattled from a situation that would take the life of a boy. A child. The kind of person they were supposed to protect.

It was some time later that Roa entered the room, sat, and bowed.

“He’s going to live.”

The sighs of relief were in unison – Jooheon and Mingyu bowed their heads, the King turned to Roa, and Seungcheol stared at the King.

“How is he?”

“He’s been deeply wounded, but with a blade owning trace amounts of silver. Perhaps the tip was silver-gilded. He is asleep now. Resting. He will regain consciousness in a few hours, at which point I have no doubt he will eat every item of food that we own. He will return to work in a few days.”

“Please take care of him, Roa. You’re an instrument of great support.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“…would you mind if we stayed here until dawn?”

Roa glanced at her new husband, then turned back to the King. “Your majesty is always welcome, but be warned. First light is less than an hour off. If you don’t leave on time, Suk will scold me.”

He smiled warmly. “I’ll make sure you won’t get into trouble. Please get some sleep.”

“Yes, sire.”

There was a moment of tension.

“…what’s a ghoul?”

They all turned to him.

Jooheon held up his palms. “I’m no idiot. I know a vampire when I see one. Or three. I grew up on stories of creatures that sucked blood in the night. And you’re all creepy. Didn’t have to think much about it. But I’ve never seen monsters with yellow eyes before.”

Seungcheol was the only one who could answer – he refrained from showing shock, simply keeping his voice quiet. “Ghouls are those who are cursed. The highest level of witches and sorcerers are able to catch the curses of the living upon the dead, and use them to raise the dead, and call them to do their bidding.” There was a pause. “Somebody has been catching an awful lot of curses of late.”

Mingyu made a face. “Are you trying to tell me… those were dead men?”

“Mm. Ghouls are no more than vessels. They have no mind with which to think. They are bodies raised from eternal sleep and given their orders. They cannot perform complicated tricks such as sword fighting, but they have a tendency not to die with anything but a specific gas compound, or blessed holy fire. They’re also extremely good at disembowelling men with their teeth.”

That caused a nasty face all around.

“They are rarely raised for purposes benign. Never, in fact. Anybody who is purposely creating ghouls – that many ghouls – is creating an army. The wind was high tonight. I had left the front door before Roa even got home. We hurried as best we could. We were lucky we were on time. Ghouls are the only living creatures that can kill a vampire.”

Mingyu suddenly leaned in. “What?”

“Hansol and I encountered one in Busan. Actually, that was the first time we ever met Roa. We had captured a vampire, tied him up on a remote spot in the beach. We left him there for a few hours to sweat, in the hopes he’d be a little more willing to talk if he was hungry. When we got back there were two of them… stinking, rotting flesh dripping off their bones… bright yellow eyes in the darkness… just devouring him. Ripping the flesh from him as if he were nothing more than a chicken drumstick. There was a flash of smoke and gas – and they dropped to the ground, writhing, then halting all together. A woman rushed to our captive… but it was too late. He was long dead.” The gaunt, harrowed look on Seungcheol’s face did plenty to communicate the emotion of the scene. “I’ve never seen anything like it, before or since. Vampires can withstand so much… it’s unsettling to see one with a gap in his gut, teeth marks around where his heart used to be, red eyes unmoving…”

It took them all a moment to breathe deeply and accept that reality.

“The ghouls were probably sent by the vampire’s master. It was easier just to kill him than have him reveal the truth, or save him. I’ll ask Roa to stock us all with some of the gas bombs. Vampires tend to prefer those over blessed holy fire.” Seungcheol’s hand unconsciously moved to his knee. “We don’t like fire.”

They all returned to stare at the emblem.

“Is this going to be a problem, Jooheon?”

He looked at Mingyu and shrugged. “Nothing is changed from a month ago. The King is still the King, I am still a soldier. Monsters and dead men are simply… more interesting.”

The King leaned in, peaking past Mingyu’s arm. “I like this one,” he muttered, pointing at his newest guard. “Let’s keep him.”

“As you wish, your majesty.”

The King straightened a little. “It’s been a long day. I want to go home. Jooheon, Mingyu… would you please prepare outside? I would like to speak to Seungcheol in private.”

Seungcheol sat calmly, waiting.

“Am I supposed to say goodbye for a second time, now?”

He hesitated for a quick moment. “Forgive me, your majesty. I felt I had no other choice. It seemed the smell of ghouls headed my way, long before it headed yours. I feel I made the right decision. I apologize for bringing your majesty pain.”

“That’s not the point.”

The guard shut his eyes, but only briefly – his majesty moved around the table to sit in front of him. “Seungcheol, are you asking me to keep saying goodbye to you, over and over again? Is that what you want?”

His lips twitched. “Your majesty doesn’t have to greet me. You can just leave if that’s easier.”

He was slow to sit upright, on his knees: slow to lean in and rest his chin on Seungcheol’s head, holding him close. “I’m just to leave, then?” he whispered. “Leave you once more and go through that pain again?”

Seungcheol’s chest physically ached at the idea, wrapped in his majesty’s arms as he was. “Yes, your majesty.”

“Am I supposed to stop loving you?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Am I supposed to stop dreaming of you? Am I supposed to stop wishing I had your company?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Am I to halt my desire for you?” He leaned down, holding Seungcheol’s face in his hands. “Am I to look into your eyes and not want to stay there forever? Am I supposed to see your lips and not want them to drip with affection for me? Am I supposed to know you live, and you are healthy, but not have you for myself? Is that what you want from me, Choi Seungcheol? Is that what you would have me live through?”

There was nowhere else to look but in the King’s deep, pained, brown eyes.

“Do you ask me to part with the single shred of humanity I have left?”

Seungcheol simply closed his eyes, and for a brief moment of madness, leaned in to the King’s hand as if it were a pillow.

“Clearly, I need you, Seungcheol. Even if you were a bad guard, three good and one bad is still better than three good.”

“My judgement is impaired, your majesty.”

“I don’t care. I don’t care, anymore. Pose as my bodyguard and keep me company in the night. Be my fatal end. I don’t care. I wouldn’t mind any painful death, if I could see your eyes before I left. I take back everything I said, last time. I’ll call you Cheollie. I’ll ask you to lie by my side in the night. I’ll make it hard for you, and show you all my devotion. I lied before. I can’t be emotionless when it comes to you. If I tried, I’m sure I’d burst. You are too necessary to me to pretend otherwise. I need you, Seungcheol. Hansol is dear to me, Jooheon is cunning, Mingyu I trust with my life – but I need you, Seungcheol.”

“Your majesty…”

“How can I have guards who protect my body, but cannot protect my heart?”

He looked up.

“You protect my heart, Seungcheol. I’m… begging you not to make it bleed any longer. Don’t cause me this pain. Be my guard once more.”

Seungcheol nodded.

Chapter Text

It was as if nobody could quite understand the words: as if it could not be true, and the King simply waited for somebody to tell him it was a lie.

“I’m… sorry, your majesty.”

He shook his head. “It’s impossible,” he whispered. “It’s quite… quite impossible. It was just… just a girlish fantasy. She wouldn’t… she wouldn’t!”

But she would, and she had: so the King was led back to his quarters, where he was free to throw his head back and scream.

Princess Nayoung had taken her own life in the middle of the night.

“..what took you so long?”

“…I thought your majesty would not want to see me, after…”

“Your majesty!” Suk interrupted. “General Seongsu’s son Seungkwan is here to meet with you.”

“Let him in.” He held a palm up to Seungcheol. “You’ll understand in a moment.”

The young man scuttled into the room quickly, bowed deeply, and leaned in to report the news. “Your majesty was correct. Her veins showed trace amounts of poison, and the dagger was not made in the city. One of the maids has also gone missing. Your majesty, the Princess did not kill herself. She was murdered.”

This did not shock the King who had sobbed for days, mourning his only sister’s passing: he simply nodded. “Do you know where the knife came from?”

“The ivory seems to be from China, your majesty, but that is not odd in a dagger that intricate, nowadays. It could be from nearly any vendor or smith.”

He breathed deeply. “Would she have been in pain?”

“No, your majesty. She wouldn’t have even woken up. She would have gone to bed thinking that all was right with the world, and simply slipped into the next life like that.”

“…Seungkwan, you’ve been instrumental. Thank you. Remain inconspicuous and do not ask any further questions.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Oh! Have you met with Jisoo yet?”

“Shua? Yes, your majesty. We’ve become close.”

“Keep him close. You two will be my eyes and ears among the ministers. This is important.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

It was an uncomfortably homely feeling to be sitting by the door in the darkness of the King’s room – made a less happy return by the news.

“I… was not the cause of her death, after all?”

“No.” The King sighed. “And you were not the cause of her anguish before it – I was. If I had been smarter and thought of a better plan, she would not have been so hurt. But neither of us are to blame for her death. That night the ghouls came… the vampire we chased probably came from the palace. We smelled a stabbing in the air. Couldn’t have realized…”

Seungcheol bit his lip a moment. “I’m sorry, your majesty.”

“ She will be sorely missed.” The King turned to look at him. “But I’d prefer not talk about that now.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Come here.”

Seungcheol sat by his bedside.

“Is it upsetting? Being here again?”

“No, you’re majesty.” He smiled lightly. “Selfishly, I feel better here, where I can keep an eye on you. I will not let myself be distracted anymore, so your majesty can rest safely.”

“…you could afford to be a little distracted.”  He pouted. “I’m an attractive man.”

“Your… majesty?”

The King sat up in his bed and looked at Seungcheol. “I missed you.”

He smiled, then. “I missed seeing your majesty, too.”

“Seungcheol… I’m happy with you here. You know that, right?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“So happy… I might be forgiven for acting rash.”

“What could your majes-”

There was nothing that could be said, because His Majesty the King had just firmly but softly planted his lips on Seungcheol’s, kissing him with delight.

Chapter Text

Seungcheol held the King’s body in his, cradling him gently as he stood there, being kissed: the King’s fingers caressed his cheeks as he delved, deeper and deeper, as if he could hear Seungcheol’s soul being devoured in fire of passion and wanted more. There was nothing that could be done but hold him close as he had his way with Seungcheol’s lips: if his heart could still beat, it would have been simply thrumming. It was an exhilarating, deep, warm sensation that spread from his chest and warmed him through to the tips of his fingers.

So this, he thought for a single moment, is what it feels like to be loved.

“I’m sorry,” were words uttered nearly before he understood he was freed: the King’s arms gripped his torso and he hid his face in Seungcheol’s chest. “I just… wanted that. That’s what I want from you, Seungcheol. I just want to love you. Like that.”

Seungcheol gently stroked the King’s head, and leaned down to kiss him, twice as softly, and thrice as gently – for moments at a time, as if he could pour sweetness down the King’s throat himself.

“Your majesty… did I not make myself clear?”

The poor King looked like he was about to break out into tears, with the whelm of emotion.

“My body belongs to you. It is yours to command. Use my body. Take whatever part of it you need – be it my blood, my right hand with a sword clasped in it, or my lips, or my soul. I belong to you, and only you, your majesty.”

“This is stupid.”

Hansol suffered, oh how he suffered – but he suffered for the greater good, so he tried to keep his wincing to a minimum and put up with the King’s temper tantrum in silence.

“Not that I don’t like you Hansol, but Seungcheol only just got back. I wanted to spend more time with him.”

“…he will be back by the evening meal, your majesty.”

“Ugh. I know.” The King slumped a little. “I’m just… ugh, never mind.”

“Your majesty, if I may… I’ve been speaking with Suk and Roa.”

“And?” he muttered, disinterested.

“We’re moving the assassin.”

The poor man nearly leapt into the air with shock. “What? Why?”

“He’s escaped twice now. Roa has managed to catch him each time, but she can’t keep a 24-hour watch on him while the investigation is going, it’s wearing her out. However, if he was shackled in a remote spot that nobody ever visits, and brought food once a day…”

The King thought about it. “Do you think you can get him there safely?”

“It’s a minor issue of drugging him, your majesty.”

The King allowed for that. “Take Suk, do it in the middle of the night. No slip-ups.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“And… there is something else happening soon. Hansol.” He leaned in. “How well can you keep a secret from those you hold dearest?”

“Thank you for meeting me here, gentlemen.”

They both saluted and sat at the table.

“His majesty has requested I accompany him for twenty-four hours at a time, and then to rotate two other guards out for twelve-hour shifts, then me again, and to rotate this way. If either of you has a problem with this, please let me know now.”

Mingyu raised an eyebrow. “What about Hansol?”

“I could tell that boy to stand on his head and chew grass, and he would.” Seungcheol smiled a little. “Jooheon, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to welcome you earlier. Thank you for being diligent in your efforts to protect his majesty.”

Jooheon bowed.

“Then, this is the rotation we’ll be holding to. I’ll start this evening after the last meal. I think it’s time we brought Jooheon up to speed on what has been going on lately.”

Mingyu waited for Seungcheol to be well out of earshot before turning to his comrade. “There is a lot happening,” he muttered, “that Seungcheol doesn’t know about.”

“…but he’s the head guard? Maybe there’s a lot you don’t know about.”

“Seungcheol has spoken in-depth about his majesty’s turning, and how there now seems to be a coven of vampires specifically attempting to subvert justice and take command of the throne. But there are things he does not know of. There are four separate plots – one to unmask the minister of finance as His Majesty’s would-be murderer of late, one to unmask the First Right Minister as the man who murdered the late King, one to impregnate the Queen with Prince Jeonghan’s child, and one to convince the Minister of Rites to pledge himself to our cause,” Mingyu whispered. “All four, the King has commanded Seungcheol not know of.”

“…why?”

Mingyu glared in the direction Seungcheol left in for a moment. “I honestly don’t know. Seungcheol is more loyal to the King than I could ever hope to be. But His Majesty wants to be ab-so-lute-ly sure first.”

“If he can’t trust him, how can any of you trust me?”

Mingyu stared at him plainly. “You’re not a politician. You’re not a subtle man or one of fancy words, either. You say what you think. You’re a pawn, Jooheon.”

Jooheon decided not to take offence. “Okay,” he said. “If that’s what makes me reliable… does Seungcheol lie a lot?”

“Literally never. His majesty is obsessed with him. It’s all… a very odd relationship.”

They sat in silence for a while.

“Impregnating her with Prince Jeonghan’s child, huh… that’s clever. He’s a slippery King, isn’t he? With all due respect. It’s a compliment.”

Mingyu nodded. “His mind works in ways I could never hope to understand. Or wish, really.”

There was a moment’s quiet. “You love him very much, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“…you know he’s in love with Seungcheol, don’t you?”

He sighed. “Yes.”

“…alright, as long as you know the stakes. None of my business.”

“Oh no?”

“Nah.” Jooheon sat back. “I’m a lover of entertainment houses, if you catch my drift. But now that we’re here, are you going to elaborate on all these stupid plots our little King has thought up, or am I going to have to guess?”

“What took you so long?!” he demanded.

Seungcheol froze in the middle of the room, all eyes on him. “Uh…”

“Never mind!” he scowled. “Because you’re late, I won’t be eating my meat!”

Seungcheol waited a moment. “Your majesty, please eat properly.”

“You should have been here earlier!”

“The faults of your majesty’s servants should not affect your majesty’s ability to make good decisions. Please take adequate care of your majesty’s body.”

“It’s your own fault that it’s like this!” The King rudely pointed with his chopsticks. “You can’t be wrong and pious about it!”

Seungcheol very quietly sat in the middle of the floor, raised his head, and looked the King directly in the eye. “Then, I shall wait until your majesty is done.”

There was an awkward atmosphere in the room: Seungcheol was not being submissive, or apologetic. He simply sat stoically, in the middle of the room, waiting for his King to finish the platter in front of him. He sat while the dishes were removed, and did not move even when he was alone with His Majesty.

“…why don’t you move? That doesn’t look comfortable.”

“I am in protest.”

“Excuse me?”

“I am protesting your majesty’s unbecoming behaviour.”

The King levelled a downright terrifying look upon his bodyguard. “Ex, cuse, me? Would you like to repeat that?”

“Your majesty enjoys playing games of power and control. In your majesty’s position, perhaps I would do the same. But I am not one of your majesty’s ministers. I am not your majesty’s wife or family member, that I can be played with. I cannot control your majesty’s wish to manipulate me for your gain, but I can protest it. Protesting against your majesty in this case is my duty, as your majesty is bringing harm to yourself. Regardless of my whereabouts, actions or words, it is your majesty’s duty to feed yourself properly. Your majesty cannot hold your health hostage in return for my obedience. You will not receive it. Please do not behave in such a way again.”

The two held eye-contact for a brief moment.

The King seemed to mellow out – his forward-leaning stance slackened, and he simply looked at his friend. “Seungcheol… have I hurt you?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

They both pretended not to hear the gasp the King inhaled, or the way it stuck in his throat for a moment. “I… I’m, I’m sorry, Seungcheol. I didn’t mean to treat you badly.”

Seungcheol smiled warmly for a moment, then bowed deeply. “I apologize to your majesty for being late. Forgive me. I didn’t realize your majesty missed me.”

“Come here.”

Seungcheol stood instantly and began to crouch in front of the table in front of his majesty, but the King quickly stopped him. “Not there, here.” He patted the cushions he was on. “Beside me.”

“Be-beside your majesty?” Seungcheol couldn’t believe it, and struggled with his mouth for a moment. “That would not be appropriate.”

“Choi Seungcheol, I gave you an order. Be quick about it.”

The poor guard was frozen in his half-knelt position, caught between right and wrong in an astonishingly funny way, his expression wrangled in terror.

The King had to laugh. “Just come here. Let me have companionship.”

Defeated, Seungcheol sat next to his King, bowing deeply, if only to hide the flush across his cheeks.

“Seungcheol, you’re cute.”

“Pa-par-don – pardon? Par-pardon?”

The King smiled to himself happily, simply sitting back for a moment. “You’re cute. Welcome back.” He leaned over to light the tiniest peck on Seungcheol’s cheek, forcing the red in his face to reach the very tips of his ears. “I’m glad you came back. I missed you a lot.”

“Y-your majesty, please…”

“Please what?” he smiled, enjoying the sight of his bodyguard so flustered.

“P-please don’t say such nice things to me,” Seungcheol managed to whisper, embarrassed. “I’ll get spoiled.”

“Good. Get spoiled.” The King shuffled closer. “Get very spoiled.”

“Your majesty-”

“Also, when we’re alone, you should call me Jihoon.”

“Your majesty!” Seungcheol’s voice nearly skipped an octave, and he had to clear his throat to correct it. “That would be entirely inappropriate!”

“But I want to hear you say it.”

“Your majesty.”

“No, Jihoon. Come on, you can say it. Jiiiiiii, hooooooooooooon.”

Seungcheol snorted a little, smiling at his King. “You cannot be serious, sire.”

“I’m entirely serious. I want to hear you say it. Or I’ll make you.”

“Make me how?”

“Do you really want to find out?”

Seungcheol pulled a face for a moment, and then sat straight, staring at the closed doors on the other side of the room. He took several deep breaths before uttering “Jihoaaaauuuuughhhhhhh no.”

The King had to smile. Seungcheol really was cute. “Come here.”

“Your majesty, I’m already so clo-”

He was cut off by fervent, slow lips upon his: the King sat up, arms wiring around Seungcheol’s shoulders, pressing his chest to Seungcheol’s and gasping for breath in between the heavy, tense, lingering kisses.

“Seungcheol,” he whispered in a single gasp for air before leaning in for more, body sliding until he was entirely within the circle of Seungcheol’s arms, pressed against him tightly, holding him close. “Seungcheol, I missed you,” he gasped again, whispering Seungcheol’s name as if it were a holy chant. “Seungcheol, Seungcheol, Seungcheol… please, Seungcheol…”

The response was too soft, too sweet, and absolutely perfect – the corresponding whisper stayed the breath in the King’s throat, made his hands shake, and his stomach twist.

“Jihoon,” Seungcheol exhaled, holding him just as tightly. “Jihoon, Jihoon…”

The King couldn’t be stopped, then: his kisses became frenzied, as if it wasn’t physically possible to obtain enough of them; Seungcheol simply smiled against the barrage, allowing the King to have his way as much as he pleased.

“Your majesty!”

The pause was icy, awkward, and worst of all, quickly turning into anger.

“Her majesty the Queen!”

“No!” The King growled, not letting go. “I don’t have time for that!”

There was a short pause.

“Your majesty, please…”

The King turned to Seungcheol and gripped him for one last feverish kiss before letting him go. “Fine!”

Seungcheol scrambled to place himself on the other side of the room before Her Majesty entered.

“Your Majes-”

“And what are you doing here so late? Shouldn’t you be resting after a long day?”

The Queen took a deep breath. The King had been increasingly testy of late. “I came in because I received this.” She held up a white sheet of paper.

Chapter Text

The King’s face instantly smoothed, becoming neutral. “Why don’t you sit down, wife?”

The Queen sat, still holding the paper.

“I don’t plan on discussing it.”

“I’m asking for an extension.”

“You can’t have it.”

“It’s only an extension of one day.”

“What for?”

“This has been planned the night of the Queen Mother’s birthday celebration.”

The King closed his eyes in horror.

“Fine. Two days after.” There was a pause, and the King slid forward a candle on his table.

With a perfectly straight face, the Queen lit the paper on fire, and watched it burn.

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“…you are not opposed?”

She looked up with a deep sigh. “My logic dictates it should be your majesty. My feelings toward him, however…”

The King nodded once, cutting her off. “You may return.”

Seungcheol waited quietly until the Queen was well out of ear-shot until he asked. “Your majesty, was I supposed to understand that?”

“No.”

There was a pause.

“Would your majesty wish to explain?”

“No. It doesn’t concern you.” The few wrinkles in the King’s forehead smoothed out. “It’s alright, Seungcheol. It’s not interesting. Come here.”

Seungcheol obeyed readily, taking place beside his King once more: the affectionate vampire threw his arms around his bodyguard, sidling up with a euphoric smile on his face.

“Thank you,” he murmured. “I like it when you’re close. Stay very close from now on.”

“Yes, your majesty. Ouch!” He rubbed the area on his arm where he was pinched, scowling for a few moments before understanding why he was punished, and giving the King an expression most puppy-like. “Your majesty, please don’t make me keep saying it…”

“I could make you.”

Seungcheol’s face was a mixture of terror, happiness, shyness and gluttony – he couldn’t settle on an expression, and it was delightful.

“Fine, I’ll let you off this time.” The King leaned up to plant another sweet kiss on his cheek. “Anyway, I meant to tell you, I’ll be borrowing your wife in a few days.”

“Uh…”

“The Minister of Rites seems to be a loyal minister to me. Since I find that sincerely unlikely, I’ve decided to play a game with him to see if I can find fault in his loyalty. Mingyu and the others already know. You weren’t here, so I’m telling you now.”

“Minister Jeon Wonwoo?”

“That’s the one.”

Seungcheol tilted his head to think about it. “How will your majesty do it?”

“The ghost of my father will tell him-”

“Your majesty?!”

The King poked his bodyguard. “I’m going to fake his ghost, I’m not actually gonna call my father from the dead. Why does everybody think I’ll do that?”

He was clearly relieved.

“Anyway, I will use my father’s ghost to persuade him, one way, or another. I haven't decided what I'll say. That will be during my mother’s birthday party, or shortly after, so be aware.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Besides that, auspicious days like birthdays, I need you to be extra vigilant. The palace will be chaotic on those days and anybody could sneak in with ease.”

“Yes, sire.”

“And you have to stay close to me.” The King suddenly turned and gripped him by the shoulders of his uniform, practically climbing onto him. “You have to be the closest to me. You can’t be more than a footstep away from me. If you are, I’ll be in danger. So you have to stay close and take care of me.” He settled into Seungcheol’s lap with a satisfied little smile. “Okay? Do you promise?”

“I promise, your majesty.”

The King pinched him again. “Jihoon.”

Seungcheol sighed deeply but quietly, leaning down a little to look at his King’s face. “Jihoon,” he whispered fervently.

The King’s mouth made a few little contortions before he full-out grinned to himself, entirely happy. “Thank you, Seungcheol. I-” He stopped, sniffed, and sat upright a little, opening his eyes again. “Bad news.”

“Your majesty?”

“I’m thirsty.”

Seungcheol bit his lip. “If your majesty can wait another hour, it will be time to sleep, and we won’t be disturbed by others.”
He pouted a little – very cutely – but nodded. “Okay, fine.”

“Your majesty… are you not going to bite?”

“I’m savouring the essence of the wine before tasting it.” The King’s nose skimmed up and down Seungcheol’s skin once more as he deeply inhaled. “Anyway… take your shirt off.”

“…your majesty?”

“Your clothes. Take them off.” He paused. “If I take my clothes off to be bit in the heart, and Hansol takes them off to be fed upon, you are not exempt.”

“Nobody has to-”

“Choi Seungcheol.”

He obeyed quickly at first, then his hands were slower and calmer: within moments he stood with his torso bared in the moonlight.

The King looked at it for a moment. “Oh.”

“Your majesty?” Almost comically, he folded his arms and bent a little, hiding his skin. “Is it… an unpleasant sight? Forgive me. I should not have-”

“No. Stop.” The King stood and held him by the arms to stop him from picking his clothes back up. “I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. I just…”

It was a singular look in Seungcheol’s eyes. One of complete, abandoned vulnerability.

“Shhhh.” The King stood on the tips of his toes and kissed Seungcheol sweetly, holding his face warmly. “Shhhhh… don’t look at me like that, Seungcheol. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to have so many scars.”

“Ah…” His arms relaxed a little and he smiled. “I’m quite proud of them.”

“Oh?”

“They’re battles I’ve fought and won on my King’s behalf. I’m proud to have proof I’m willing to go so far for you, your majesty. These are my pride as a servant and my worth as a soldier.”

The King leaned in for a moment, pressing his face into the space of Seungcheol’s chest for a moment. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “that you gained so many scars on my behalf.”

“That’s not necessary, your majesty.” Seungcheol wrapped his arms hesitantly around his King. “I’m glad to have them. They are proof I have worked hard to be by your majesty’s side.”

The King suddenly looked up, eyes a little soft, suddenly looking angelic. “Seungcheol… you really love me a lot, don’t you?”

The bodyguard could only smile. “Yes, your majesty. Very much so.”

He suddenly threw his arms around Seungcheol’s neck, grasping him tightly. “I love you too, you know that? I love you so much, Seungcheol.” He hoisted himself up, assisted by Seungcheol’s strong arms around his torso. “I’m still sorry you got scarred, though. This is your precious body we’re talking about…”

Seungcheol held him tightly, determined not to let him fall. “Your majesty worries too much. I’m only a soldier.”

The King sighed as he was moved back to sit on the bed, his guard kneeling before him. “Cheollie,” he murmured, not letting go. “You’re so much more than a soldier.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

There was a moment of silence as the King’s breathing became heavier, fingers gripping into Seungcheol’s flesh, digging small welts there. “Seungcheol… please? Can I have it?”

“Please take it, your majesty.”

With a quick movement, he bit into his guard’s neck, and began to suck his blood.

“Your majesty. It is Hong Jisoo, the secretary of finance. A – And your servant, Jooheon.”

The King ripped himself away from his bodyguard and the doe eyes he was granting him. “…let them in, Suk.”

Seungcheol moved away.

Jooheon sat and bowed towards the back of the room: it took Shua a moment before he leaned in closer. “Your majesty.”

“Shua.”

“Seungkwan has been installed as personal secretary to the Minister of Rites. He will be the one to approach the Minister under pretence of luring him to an ominous omen tonight in the middle of the feast. He will then disappear, and myself and Madam Roa will be there to… well.” He smiled. “It will be a most entertaining enterprise. Please make sure you are well-guarded by both your men, as it may well be risky for you if you are caught.”

The King smiled. “You’ve done well, Shua. When all this is over, remind me to reward both you and Seungkwan.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“You should go before anybody gets too suspicious.”

“Yes, your majesty. Please be careful tonight.”

“You, too.”

Shua left swiftly then: Jooheon came near the King, bowing deeply. “Your majesty, it will be difficult to leave the fesitivities for such a length of time. Even though you will have two guards tonight, please be cautious in what you say and how you act. It will be during the fireworks portion of the night your majesty has most chance to escape.”

“Thank you, Jooheon. Mingyu and Hansol?”

“They are both guarding close-by, your majesty.”

The King wrung his hands. “I’m sorry to make you all work so much lately.”

“It is of no importance, your majesty.”

“Suk!”

Both bodyguards flinched.

“Yes, your majesty? Your servant Suk is here.” The eunuch smiled happily, bowing deeply.

“Is my bath ready?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“I’ll leave in a moment.”

His majesty’s entourage was larger than normal, but that was to be expected on auspicious days: they were nearly a funny sight as they followed him in a long line of doubles, all the way to his majesty’s bathhouse.

“No need,” the King muttered, waving his hand at his entourage.

“Your majesty,” Jooheon went bright red. “Please keep a guard with you at all times! Please have Seungcheol follow you. The way things are we can never be sure of your majesty’s wellbeing if you are out of your sight.”

His majesty would have protested loudly, if his entourage wasn’t so big today: he went bright pink in the face, glancing at Seungcheol for half of a second before turning away. “Fine!” And with that, he stomped into the bathhouse.

Chapter Text

“Move!”

The poor maids were shaking by the time they were through the doorway: Suk sighed heavily at his King. “Your majesty, please calm down for your bath. You must be very upset.”

“I’m not upset! You’re upset!” the King nearly screamed. “And what are you looking at, Choi Seungcheol?!”

The bodyguard blinked, looking across to Suk for guidance, finding him just as perplexed.

“Turn around!”

“Your majesty?”

“Turn around to the wall! You can’t even turn back until I say so, do I make myself clear?”

He nodded, unsatisfied, and turned to the wall.

There was the sound of the King being de-robed and sliding into the water: Suk took his garments away to be cleaned, and then returned.

“It’s okay, Suk. You can wait outside.”

“Yes, your majesty.” The eunuch gave his bodyguard counterpart a sympathetic shrug before leaving.

It took him a while.

“Y-your majesty… will I be allowed to move now?”

There was some light splashing before he answered. “Yes.”

When he had turned, the King had lifted part of the wooden top of the bath over it so only his head and shoulders stood out from the water.

He took up stance beside his majesty’s head, clasping his hands behind his back.

“…what are you doing?”

“Guarding your majesty.”

A wet hand almost grasped for his sleeve before it disappeared into the tub again. “So stoic,” the King griped. “You could afford to smile happily around me, you know.”

Seungcheol smiled.

“You know that’s not what I meant! Relax!”

“What if something were to happen to your majesty?” His smile softened to a more genuine grin. “I cannot let my precious King be hurt.”

The King had to hide a smile for a few moments before regaining composure. “Fine, then. At least be a good conversationalist.”

“…would your majesty permit me to ask a question?”

“Yes.”

“…your majesty has never allowed me to be in your bathing room before. Why now?”

The King went bright pink suddenly. “Next question.”

“…please? Your majesty?”

“No.”

He drew a deep breath, remained silent for a few moments as he went back-on-forth on his decision, then very softly whispered, “…Jihoon?”

The sound his majesty made wasn’t entirely human: it was a soft cry that got stuck in his throat. “Why?!” he whined pitifully. “Why can you say it when you want something?”

“Forgive me, your majesty. That was inappropriate.”

The King pouted at him. “…but I liked it.”

Seungcheol had to fight a smile.

“So I’ll reward you this time. I think.” He slid a little deeper into the water, covering his mouth for a moment before he came up. “I don’t want you to see my body.”

The smile dropped off the guard’s face as he sobered at the thought. He became very quiet and solemn for a few moments. “I… I am unforgivable, your majesty, for creating an insecurity around your majesty’s body. Please punish me for daring to make your majesty feel badly about your body.”

This earned him a wet slap to the arm. “Not like that! You’re a fool.”

He hung his head.

“You – I mean, being a soldier, you lived in close quarters with other men?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“So you will have seen a lot of men.”

“…yes, your majesty?”

“I think it must be a disappointment to you to be guarding a small, thin little King like me. You, Jooheon, Mingyu, even Hansol – you’re all tall and strong. I’m nothing compared to any of you. I don’t know how to get stronger.”

“Your majesty.” He finally turned to his King. “Please never change.”

“What?”

“Your majesty is perfect as you are. Your body, your mind, your face, your majesty it is all perfect. From the beautiful hair on your head all the way down. Please do not feel like this. There is no comparison between us and your majesty. Your majesty’s body was made to rule. Mine was made to fight and die. I would be ashamed of myself as a guard if your majesty were to become like me.”

“That’s nonsense.” The King remained with his arms crossed over his chest, as if to hide himself. “I’m just little-”

“Your majesty, please.” He dropped to a single knee. “Please stop this. You are so perfect as you are. Please do not doubt this.”

He bit his lip a little and reached out to make him stand again. “Alright. I’m sorry for saying something hurtful. I… I love you a lot, Seungcheol. I don’t want to feel embarrassed when you see my body. I don’t want it to be something you don’t like.”

“I like your majesty. How you look is irrelevant.”

“Oh? Would you still like me if I wasn’t King, then?”

“Of course.”

“What if I were a dirty beggar? With matted hair and a sooty face?”

“Then I would hold your majesty close as I brought you to my home, I’d clean you carefully, and take care of you as I have until now.”

He had to smile at that. “You really do care for me.”

“I do, your majesty. You are infinitely precious to me.”

“That’s good.”

“I’m glad to have made your majesty smile again.”

“You’re a good man, Seungcheol.” He smiled, leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.

The festivities were abundant, loud, colourful and wonderful: the King genuinely enjoyed himself, eating his food and becoming entranced by dancers and musicians alike. The true star of the evening was the exquisite crystalline swan that his majesty presented his mother, filled with petals of rare flowers.

“Your majesty, there is a problem.”

The King did his best not to stiffen up. “Mm?”

“Something is gone wrong. Seungkwan and the minister of Rites have already left. We are at least half an hour early.”

“What?” He turned.

“He’ll be back soon if we don’t hurry. Mingyu doesn’t know when they left. He just noticed they were gone.”

The King turned back for a moment, eyes darting across the expanse of the courtyard where ministers festively drank themselves pink. “If I leave now, I’ll be noticed.”

There was a moment of building tension as the King began to fidget anxiously in his chair: his feet slid onto his toes, fingers brushing against the armrests of his chair as he squirmed.

Then, suddenly, a golden streak shot across the sky, exploding past its meridian with a spectacular shower of sparks – and the King was out of his throne with near equal speed, rushing to be out of the public eye while the public eye was on the sky. Within seconds he was darting across the palace courts in the black of night, followed closely by Jooheon, Suk limping after them.

Unfortunately, the King rounded the corner with little thought, and came face-to-face with the Minister of Rites, Jeon Wonwoo, who stood staring at a bloody mark on a wall.

“Your majesty,” he quickly muttered, bowing, “please do not be upset by this. I’m sure there is no untoward meaning behind it.”

There was a moment of the King’s surprise and absolute embarrassment at failing to execute his plan properly, before he regained composure. “I see.” He clasped his hands behind his back and turned to the mark on the wall. “What significance does this have? You’re the minister of Rites, you would know, wouldn’t you?”

“F-forgive me, your majesty, I…”

“Well?” The King was sweating. There was no way he could execute his plan now.

“I believe it is meant to summon… vengeful spirits, your majesty.”

“Oh, that’s nonsense. What? Is my beloved sister upset to miss our mother’s birthday? There’s no such thing as spirits.”

And with that, the bloody mark on the stone burst into intense flame, licking in a circle of fire. Even Jooheon jumped at the combustion, although he didn’t skitter back as the King and his minister did. Smoke rose in the night sky, and for a few moments, nothing happened. Then suddenly, it was very cold, and in the flames, a shape came forth.

The Minister breathed hard, leaning in a little. “Is… is that?”

“Jeon Wonwoo!”

The Minister of Rites shrieked, jumping at least a foot in the air, quivering from head to toe. It took a few moments before he knelt on the cold ground, throwing his head forward, hands on the ground. “Ma-ma-ma!”

“Father,” came the awe-struck, confused voice beside him.

“Listen to me!” the flames demanded, a raspy version of what was, undoubtedly, the late King’s voice. “You plan to help my son the King!”

“Ye-ye-ye-yes, y-your-your-your-your!”

“If you go down this road,” the face of flames roared, “you will undoubtedly die. If you stand by his side, you will lose your life.”

There was a moment where only the fire roared: the King glanced at Jooheon, who glanced back with equal anxiety. This was entirely unplanned, and neither was sure what exactly Roa was doing to create this.

“Your majesty.” The minister’s body had suddenly stopped shaking: he didn’t look up, but his voice was suddenly stronger. “I made up my mind to be a true and good minister who served his country first and his King second, long ago. I am sure of the path I wish to follow. If doing the right thing for my country leads to my death, then so be it. I pledged my loyalty to His Majesty the King. I will see that resolve through to the very end. Please inform my ancestors in the underworld: I will finally repay the debt my family has so long owed. They will be able to rest in peace once more.”

The face in the flames nearly exploded: the circle of flames burned brighter and the face in them grew, pulling forth from the wall to lean down at the minister.

“You intend to follow my son, even to your death?”

The minister looked up, only steadfastness in his eyes. “Yes.”

For a few seconds the face receded again: then further and further into the wall, little by little, until the flames began to fade. “Then,” the old King’s voice, murmured weakly, “The First Minister murdered me. See to it that I am avenged.”

“Yes, Great King.”

And within seconds, all that there was left of the flames was a burnt shadow on a wall, ashes still smoking.

It took everybody a few moments to recuperate.

“Minister,” the King said softly, “you should get up, now.”

The Minister of Rites slowly stood, staring at the smoke for a little while longer. “Forgive me, your majesty, to expose you to such a phenomenon. I know… your majesty still misses the Great King and his guidance.”

The King could only nod.

“Your majesty, allow me to afford your majesty the same courtesy.” He bowed deeply. “I pledge to your majesty to protect you and be your right hand. I will follow your majesty’s ambitions to lead the court in ways your grandfather last did. Please allow me to work as your majesty’s man.”

There was a moment of quiet as fireworks blew overhead.

“Even if it will… kill you?”

The minister bowed again. “Your majesty, I am only one man. The derailment and corruption of our court and our country is one that can no longer be given way. If I can provide support, to any end that sees your majesty ruling the people yourself, fairly, without undue concession… then that is worth my life.”

The King thought about it. “What did you mean?”

“…sire?”

“About your ancestors. A debt…?”

Jeon Wonwoo straightened, a little awkwardly. “Your majesty, some five generations ago, your majesty might know there was an untidy revolution that railed against your majesty’s ancestors.”

“Yes, I remember reading about it.”

“My family, then, owned a large amount of men. Due to my ancestor’s tardiness, they did not realize the severity of the situation on time, and sent in troops to protect your majesty’s ancestors too late. As a result of their reluctance to act, the King, his son and seven grandsons were slaughtered, as well as princesses, guards, palace maids and others. As your majesty knows, only the three-month-old grandson remained hidden in a basket in the kitchens, and later grew to be your majesty’s great-great-great-great grandfather.”

The King closed his eyes a moment. The slaughter of the Royal Family was a tale that always brought him horror. “Yes. I remember reading it.”

“It was my family’s dishonour, your majesty. Six of the men and three of the women of my family at the time killed themselves in the disgrace that followed their actions. They could not bear to live, knowing what they had done to their King and Princes. My family was never barred from entering the court, but shame prevented us all from doing so until I realized my desire to serve at your majesty’s court. If possible, your majesty… to give my life in support for the crown… it would bring my ancestors peace to know that the misgivings and wrongdoings of that time have been made right.” The minister couldn’t quite look the King in the eye. “I would like to erase the shame… and pay the debt my forefathers took so many years ago.”

The King’s tense expression relaxed slightly, and he placed a hand on his minister’s shoulder. “Wonwoo,” he smiled a little, “your forefathers have no debt, but I will be glad to have your assistance, in order to bring them peace.”

He bowed his head. “Your majesty. Thank you.”

“Promise me you will always be loyal to me.”

“I swear it, your majesty.”

“And I swear you this.” He turned to look the minister in the eye. “You will not die idle by the hand of my enemy. You will live to see peace restored. You will live. No matter what the dead may say.”

There was a moment of warmth between the two: a nearly mutual understanding passed.

“Your majesty should return to the festivities. They will miss you soon.”

“Thank you, minister.”

The King was almost seated again – nearly showing his face again – before he realized, face draining of all colour. He gripped Jooheon’s arm harshly. “Jooheon.”

“Majesty?”

“…where is Seungcheol?”

Chapter Text

“…where is Seungcheol?”

“Your majesty, please do not tarry.” He pushed the King gently. “We will find him later.”

“Since when has he been missing?!”

“Your majesty. Please. You must be seen. He cannot be far.” And with that, the poor King was tripped onto the stage, and had to take his place on his throne once more.

By dint of some miracle, or blessings from the underworld – whichever – his majesty’s disappearance had gone entirely unnoticed by the party congregation. He took his seat twisting in it to see around himself, eyes darting to find his head bodyguard. His fingers tapped against the armrests, his feet stretched onto their balls, as if he was ready to spring out of his chair at any moment.

“Your majesty,” Suk’s voice murmured at his ear, “please try to calm down. I’m sure he cannot be in any danger.”

“Then why isn’t he here,” the King growled between clenched jaws.

There was no answer, and for the moment, none would come: the party continued on until late in the night, until the ministers were pink-faced with alcohol and the Queen Mother was entirely, but happily, exhausted.

The Queen dared to give her husband a small smile as ministers drifted off, supported by servants. “Your majesty performed well tonight.”

“…thank you, wife.” He worked to look less irked, smoothing his face. “I’m glad you do not seem too tired after the festivities.”

“I am a little fatigued, your majesty. But do not worry. I will be well again for our date of consummation.”

The King bit his lip at the thought. “Indeed.”

“I cannot help but notice, your majesty, that your favourite bodyguard does not seem to be present. Wasn’t he earlier? Did your majesty send him away?”

The King’s face betrayed him with ease – the faux relaxed look dropped to show the tension in his muscles. There was danger in his eyes, there – a kind hitherto rarely seen. “What do you mean?”

“I wonder where he is.” She smiled broadly. “I hope nobody has taken him from you.”

“What-”

“This is where we part, your majesty.” She bowed deeply at the palace crossroads that split her quarters from his. “Please sleep well.”

He nearly barked at her like a dog. “What have you done with my guard, wife?”

The Queen turned, and smiled once. “I don’t know what your majesty means. I have not taken him from you. Please, goodnight, your majesty.”

The King could not have turned away from her in a bigger huff: he stomped off, rushing down the palace pathways with such haste his eunuchs tripped more than once. The doors of his rooms were flung open with fury – only to find Choi Seungcheol there, in the middle of the floor, bowed with his head to the ground.

“…forgive me, your majesty. I disobeyed your order.”

The King stood there in silence for a few minutes, his frame slowly starting to shake. “Get out,” he growled, “and close the doors behind you.”

Jooheon and the eunuchs didn’t dally.

“You,” he spat, “where were you? Where have you been all night?!”

“Forgive me, your majesty, I had to leave your side and I was not able to return. It will not happen again.”

“I don’t care about that.” The King spoke so furiously and quickly his words tripped over each other like waves. “Where have you been? Who were you with? Were you conspiring with the Queen? Were you with her? Why didn’t you come back? Who stopped you? Why did you leave me to start with?”

“Your majesty, please.” He raised his head. “Be calm. Breathe deeply. I have not betrayed your majesty.”

“Then where, were, you?!”

The guard squirmed, guilty. “I noticed the Minister of Rites leaving far too early. I knew your majesty would lose the advantage of time, so I rushed to light fireworks myself. I thought if I could only create a small disturbance, it would be enough. I spoke to Mingyu in haste on the way. It worked and some palace guards chased me for a while – so I had to find a place to hide.”

The King’s eyes closed in a gentle frown before he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Choi Seungcheol,” he whimpered, “do you have any idea… what I thought? What I was thinking? What I was worried about? To have you disappeared so suddenly without word, not knowing where you were… are you sure you weren’t with her majesty?”

“…what possible reason would I have to go to her?” He scowled at the idea. “I’m afraid there were no chances to return to your majesty so I had to wait for you here… after I escorted Roa home.”

“Ah.” The King straightened a little. “She escaped safely?”

“Yes, your majesty.” He paused a moment, then bowed over again. “Your majesty… what wrath you may have for my wife, please take out on me. She only did what she thought would be the best in the situation we were in. Any fault you found with her, please punish me instead.”

“…why would I find fault with her? Why do you think I’ll punish her? Seungcheol?”

When he lifted his head once more, it was a little paler. “…she should never have done what she did, your majesty. She was scared your majesty would become suspicious. She did not mean to hurt your majesty like that.”

It finally sunk in, then, and the King hung his head. “That… wasn’t just an illusion, then?”

“…no, your majesty.”

“She really summoned my father from the dead to make threats from the afterworld.”

Seungcheol couldn’t answer that.

“…well, we can’t go back in time and stop her from doing so.” He took a deep breath. “It’s over now. We won’t speak about it again. Understood?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“I won’t be punishing anybody, either. So let’s leave it there.”

“Yes, sire.”

The King stepped forward, kneeled, and gently leaned over Seungcheol’s bowed body, gripping him with his arms and leaning his cheek on the guard’s shoulder. “I worried for you,” he whispered, “where you might me, what trouble you might be in… whether you were hurt on my behalf again… I couldn’t think of anything else.”

“Your majesty…”

“…yes? Seungcheol?”

The guard simply gave him a weary smile. “I think it is time your majesty went to bed.”

“Please?”

“Sire, please desist.”

“Please? Seungcheol?”

“It’s inappropriate.”

“But I want you to. It’s hard to sleep comfortably without it.”

“Your majesty must make do with me being here.”

“Head.”

“What?”

“Your head.” The King pointed at his chest. “At least lean your head on me so I can feel your presence.”

“Your majesty,” he hissed. “Please.”

The King stared at him. “Normally you’re ready to accept any order I give.”

It was wearing both of them down: they were both exhausted from a hectic schedule and an even worse event, and ready to sleep. Seungcheol would only be afforded such luxury after his shift ended in the morning, but the King had other plans.

“Nobody’s going to try and kill me in my sleep tonight. You could afford to sleep next to me just this once.”

“No, your majesty. Please do not argue with me anymore and sleep peacefully.”

He huffed, puffed, and turned onto his side angrily. “Fine. Goodnight, Seungcheol.”

“Goodnight, your majesty.” There was a pause. “The next time we see each other, your majesty will have slept with your Queen.”

This was cause for the King’s body to freeze into place. “Yes.”

“Then… until the next time we see each other, my King… I wish you blessings in your marriage, and the luck to have a healthy child.”

The King’s chest moved of its own accord: as if he had been struck, heart rendered useless, nauseous and searing, as if flames had enveloped his whole body.

“…be quiet, Tiger Breath,” was all he could make out. “I can’t sleep.”

“Your majesty… it’s not his fault.”

The King picked up a lantern, entirely intent on throwing it in Mingyu’s general direction. Then he saw the look on Mingyu’s face, and he dropped the lantern in shock.

“Mingyu… you’re annoyed with me,” he stated, eyes wide.

Mingyu didn’t answer.

“You’ve… you’ve never been upset with me! I mean… ever! Ah.” He sat quickly, righting the lantern. “I suppose… I’m making a fool of myself.”

“Your majesty could never do such a thing.”

“Keep your lip service to yourself,” he muttered back half-heartedly. “Anyway, I’m sorry for acting like a spoiled brat. You’re right. If I wanted to see him before he left this morning, I should have woken up on time.”

He remained silent in the corner of the room, simply allowing a silence to settle.

“Mingyu.”

“Your majesty?”

“You don’t still feel… that way about me, do you?”

“Naturally I do, your majesty.”

He looked up, jaw dropped, a little apprehensive. “Wh-what?”

Mingyu gave him an earnest look. “Feelings like this cannot be removed so easily, your majesty. Please forgive me.”

“No – it’s not a forgive kind of thing!” His majesty had to look away for a moment. “I – I thought it was nothing, that you would… stop feeling that way about me, if I… rejected you.”

“…no, your majesty. Your rejection means little. I can never be equals with your majesty, and therefore, my feelings are futile. I knew that from the beginning. Nothing has changed since.”

“Oh, God.” The King looked up, eyes stinging, vision blurry. “Mingyu… I’m so sorry.”

The guard wasted little time in nearing and offering his King a handkerchief. “Your majesty, please do not upset yourself over me.”

“But… but you’re my best friend, Mingyu. I’m hurting you constantly… I don’t want to be a source of pain for you. You deserve to be happy… and now I’ve done this…”

“Your majesty, you misunderstand.” Mingyu looked him in the eye. “My happiness is linked to yours. If your majesty is happy, I will be happy too. It does not matter if I am not the one your majesty loves. It is not a requirement. I simply need to take care of your majesty, and see you smile. That is all.”

The King clutched his arm. “Mingyu. Mingyu, I do love you, in my own way. You must know that, don’t you? I couldn’t be without you. I know that’s cruel, I’m a cruel little boy pretending to be a King, and I can’t even protect you like this, I-”

Mingyu kindly put his hand to his King’s mouth. “Your majesty. This is enough. As long as your majesty still likes me, it is enough.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” a trembling voice admitted.

“Well… if your majesty could speak of him a little less when we are alone… that would help.”

The King nodded quickly. “Anything, Mingyu. For you, anything. You know that.”

“Yes, your majesty. I know that. Why are you so emotion- oh. Your majesty hasn’t fed.” He smiled warmly. “Time for second breakfast?”

“It’s been a while since it was just you and me, Mingyu.” He turned in his bed. “I never thanked you properly, I think, for raising me.”

“I did no such thing, your majesty. I only watched over you.”

“Close enough.” He smiled a little. “Thank you.”

“It was always my honour, your majesty.”

He smiled happily for a moment, starting to get sleepy. “I love you, Mingyu. My best friend.”

The guard waited until his King was asleep, before uttering the sinful words. “I love you, too. My Jihoon.”

Chapter Text

The King was put through a series of embarrassing rituals that included his eunuch – a eunuch, of all people – explaining to him in a loud and ridiculous fashion how sex was supposed to happen. He was washed – not left to his own devices this time – and brought gifts of encouragement from the elders of his family.

He pulled on his collar as he left his rooms, giving Jooheon and Mingyu an anxious glance. “I suppose it’s time.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Suk put on a wonderfully brilliant smile. “Please hurry to her majesty’s chambers to consummate your marriage.”

The King fired him a withering look before turning. “I suppose.” It didn’t take him long to bark orders. “Nobody is to be near the chambers.”

“Of course, your majesty.”

“In fact, you’re all to stay far away. Out of earshot!”

“Ye-yes, your majesty.”

“You may approach at first light.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Make sure nobody disturbs us.”

“Yes, sire.”

“And make sure, for sure, that my mother is kept far enough way.”

“Of course, sire.”

“We’ll be wanting tea and snacks before-hand.”

“…”

“Suk!”

“Yes, your majesty! Tea and snacks.”

“Jooheon, the front of the building. Mingyu, the back.”

“Yes, your majesty,” they chorused.

With that, the King stomped towards the Queen’s quarters in stony silence.

The doors opened, the King entered, and glanced over his shoulder. “You know what I said. Get out. All of you.”

“Ye-yes, your majesty.”

The doors closed again.

The King and Queen stared at each other for a long, hard moment, ears straining to listen for the pitter patter of servants scurrying away. Then, after a few moments, breathes of relief were let out, and from behind a screen, he appeared.

“You were already here.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Jeonghan bowed. “It is good to see you once again.”

“…been here long?”

“He had just arrived, your majesty.” The Queen bowed likewise.

The three young adults stood in the room together, awkwardly looking – or not looking – at each other.

The King felt his chest crush a bit under the pain he was inflicting. “…I won’t force you,” he said quietly, staring at the ceiling. “Either of you.”

They were both quiet for a moment, until the Queen finally spoke. “This is the only logical conclusion,” she answered quietly. “I must have a legitimate heir. If you refuse to make it yours, I must get it by a Prince… it is luck that I happened to be fond of the only Prince available.”

The Prince cringed a little, horrified that he was merely a pawn between spouses, but nobody took notice of him.

“Then, I suppose it’s time I took my leave.” The King continued to the other end of the Queen’s room, stopping briefly to hold Jeonghan’s arm. “Brother,” he murmured, “she is very much in love with you, even if she won’t admit it. You love her too, but you’re a bit of a bumbling idiot. Try to be charming.”

They shared a moment, where the King smiled with a very genuine kind of affection, and the Prince was able to understand in only a single second, that this wasn’t just for the King’s selfish reasons.

Jeonghan wasn’t just there to create a questionably legitimate heir to the throne. He wasn’t just there to prove his loyalty to his brother the King. He wasn’t just there as a pawn.

The King had known the Prince and the Queen had a deep, loving connection. This was all he could do for them.

The Prince’s heart made a kind of clunk noise, and he balked forward in an attempt to embrace his baby brother, to thank him, to hold him – anything.

But it was too late.

The King had disappeared.

Mingyu picked him up at the back of the building, as he quietly crept around corners and through half-opened doorways, newly dressed in civilian clothes – both of them dressed as inconspicuously as possible, in dark colours to blend with the night.

“Your majesty,” he breathed, “we must stop and think. There are more guards than I thought there would be.”

“…how much?”

“I think two have followed me, already.”

The King cursed a moment, not daring to make enough sound to disturb even a mouse. “We’ll just have to run for it.”

“That’s unwise. We won’t make it. There are several sentries on our way to the closest wall and I can’t vault the way your majesty can. I’m not a vampire.”

“Hey,” a new voice called from a distance. “You there. Stay where you are.”

The two looked at each other.

“Run.”

They had barely cleared a corner when the King ran straight into Choi Seungcheol’s body, as he stood, waiting.

The bodyguard stared at his King, confused, and clearly upset. “Majesty?”

The return he got consisted of the most heartbroken, guilty look the King had ever made. “Seungcheol,” he whispered, defeated.

“Take him,” Mingyu panted, shoving the King unceremoniously into Seungcheol’s arms. “I’ll draw them off.”

“What?”

“Mingyu-”

“Wait, what?”

Mingyu darted off, across the courtyard, now at least six guards in attendance – the King turned to his guard, eyes like steel once more.

“I need to escape this place. Now.”

“Into the city?”

“Yes.”

Seungcheol instantly worked to hide the King’s frame behind his own, making a brisk walk for the nearest wall. “Can you vault?” was the quiet question.

“Yes.”

There was another shout, and the sound of soldiers, so they broke into a dead sprint, and together, flawlessly vaulted over the palace wall, each landing with pinpoint precision. From there, it was a dead run through the streets.

“My place?”

“No.”

“The mountain cabin.”

“No!” The King broke out into a sweat. If Seungcheol found out about the assassin hidden in the cabin… “Just get me out of the city gates.”

That was some feat that included vaulting into a tree and being flung from tree branches over the wall of the city, which was quickly being closed off with the gates sealed by order of palace guards. It took some time, but long before midnight struck, both vampires were comfortably travelling a small sandy path to a near-by village.

Seungcheol did not speak, face blank, body tense: there was nothing the King could do for it, but try to ignore the acid in his throat and the rotting feeling in his chest. The look of pure betrayal and pain on Seungcheol’s face those first few moments had been nearly too much to bear, and the thought of what he could be thinking was nearly just as bad. The King’s mind reeled, reaching the worst scenarios – ones of Seungcheol’s back shrinking into the horizon, and those stopped him breathing more than once.

“Your majesty, we should not be seen looking for shelter at this hour. In such a small village, that would arouse suspicion.”

“So…?” He looked up, hoping to find some remnant of affection in Seungcheol’s face. He was disappointed to find only an emotionless soldier. “What do we do?”

Seungcheol barely spared him a glance. “We’ll have to inconspicuously borrow a storage hut or liquor cupboard or something. I’m afraid it won’t be very comfortable for your majesty.”

“That’s fine. It’s only for a few hours. I have to be back by first light.”

Seungcheol turned on him, a sharp look on his face. “You have to get back in before dawn?”

The King nodded once, hesitating a little. “Is that a problem?”

“A problem?!” Seungcheol hissed. “The city has been cut off! The palace was in chaos! Back in? Tonight?” He turned away, desperately trying to dampen the furious tone of his voice. “I hope your majesty has a great plan for that, because I won’t be able to do it otherwise.”

“Seung- Seungcheol, are you, you’re-”

The guard simply kept walking, bent forward, frown icy. “Please keep up, your majesty. You should at least get some rest.”

The King followed him in silence, then, as they sought out the village in the darkness, eventually pulling themselves behind large sacks of a rice grainery. There were a few sacks there half-empty that were nearly comfortable to lie on: the King was silently pointed to one, and quickly given Seungcheol’s coat to bundle over his body.

“Won’t you get cold?” he asked, embarrassed at how small his voice sounded.

“Please use it, your majesty.” He sat a small distance away from the King, toward the door. “I’ll be standing guard.”

Awkwardly, the King lay down, curled up on his side, staring at his guard. It took him a long time to find the courage to ask.

“…are you angry with me, Seungcheol?”

“No, your majesty,” he answered too quickly.

“Seungcheol.”

“Furious.”

“What?”

“I’m furious.” The guard never looked his way, even once. “So please do not try to engage me in conversation, your majesty. I do not wish to overstep my boundaries.”

It was as if there had been an audible crack in the room – if the King’s heart had been made of stone, it now certainly was split down the middle. It hurt so much, he had to lie back down properly to soften the ache of the blow.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured gently, holding back the stinging that threatened in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Seungcheol.”

The reply was not as kind. “Sleep, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

“This is a bad idea.”

“Not my fault,” Seungcheol muttered. “Tell his majesty that, instead of me.”

“Stop bickering, both of you. There has to be some part of the city wall that isn’t guarded!”

“Majes-”

“There. There’s a tuft of grass on the other side, I can see it from here. We’ll vault right over.”

Mingyu cringed. “And me?”

“We’ll throw you over.”

“Majesty, I won’t survive that.”

“I’ll catch you.”

It briefly occurred to Mingyu that he was about to become a juggler’s pin for vampires. He quickly had to shake the idea away.

There was little anybody could do to think of anything better: so, as the sky became lighter shades of grey with every passing moment, the three men slid along the city walls. The King vaulted the wall first, then Mingyu was tossed after him, and Seungcheol followed last. They spent precious time circling the palace as inconspicuously as possible too, amidst the chaos inside it, before they found Suk at a small opening towards the kitchen maids’ quarters.

“Hurry, majesty,” was all he got in the time allotted: the sun was already rising, and the King still had to steal into his wife’s quarters.

“Majesty!” one surprised whisper hissed.

“Where have you been?”

The King quickly threw off his outer layers, hurrying himself into his royal robes. “Don’t ask,” he whispered back. “What are you still doing here?”

“I couldn’t leave her alone!”

“Go, before anybody sees you!” The King poked his head out the back door again. “Seungcheol. Make sure my brother gets out safely.”

Jeonghan was barely out of sight when the call came.

“Y-your majesty!”

“That’s the seventh time somebody’s called for you!” the Queen hissed. “Where have you been?!”

“I’ll make it up to you, wife. Promise.” He raised his voice again. “Suk!”

The doors finally opened, and the eunuch, in perfect acting, smiled as if there was nothing wrong. “Good morning, your majesty. Ah, you dressed by yourself?”

“I helped his majesty dress this morning,” the Queen interjected, a surprisingly convincing act of grace. “It only felt fitting.”

“That is so, of course, your majesty.” Suk bowed deeply. “Forgive me, but his majesty has matters to attend to.”

The King was scurried away to his own quarters and brought medicine for weariness immediately, after the so-called active night he had spent in the Queen’s quarters. It was a while before he was finally left alone, in silence, Mingyu at his side.

The bodyguard allowed his sovereign to enjoy the quiet for a few moments, before speaking. “The medicine is a good idea, majesty, considering the night you actually had.”

Slowly, the King turned to him. “I can’t eat, Mingyu.”

“Why not? Majesty?”

Neither of them would admit how much the tears in the King’s eyes stung. “I-… never mind. I promised I wouldn’t.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Just this once then, your majesty.”

He looked away. “I hurt him,” came the haunted whisper. “I hurt him so much.”

Mingyu gently put his arms around him, and gently rocked the King’s body to sleep against his chest. “There, there, your majesty,” he whispered sweetly. “It will all be alright.”

Mingyu was, for sure, not a person Seungcheol particularly wanted to see: to be entirely honest, he didn’t really want to see much of anybody, but the royals were at the top of that list. Both of them. He wasn’t sure which one would be a more gruelling task. If it could have saved him from dealing with the King, he would have gladly welcomed Mingyu at the gates with a smile, but something inside him guaranteed that would not be the case.

Mingyu was unhappy – and his disposition had been decreasing in friendliness for some time now – but who knew what that was up to?

“Sir, can I speak to you for a moment?”

Seungcheol would welcome any conversation that slowed his walk to his majesty’s chambers that morning. “Yes. What is it?”

“In your office, sir.”

The two made a beeline for Seungcheol’s small office, where Mingyu hemmed and hawed politely for a few moments before cutting to the chase. “Sir, may I be frank with you? Not as your subordinate, but as a man?”

“Of course, Mingyu.”

The tall bodyguard changed: the slant of his eyes became sharper, the glint in them more deadly – and not just deadly, but emotional. He had seen Mingyu in battle: dangerous and focussed. This was not that Mingyu. This was an enraged man with little more to desire than to rip somebody apart.

“If you ever,” he hissed, nearly spitting with fury, “ever hurt his majesty again, I will personally see to it you never see him again, do I make myself understood?”

Seungcheol scowled. “Hurt him?”

“We’re not talking about his body here. I mean his mind. His heart. His soul. He expects you to be his bodyguard at your very least. I expect you to be professional in that duty. If you can’t be that, do the right thing and tender your resignation.”

“I’m an excellent bodyguard,” Seungcheol answered, brow still furrowed. “What is this about?”

“This is about what you did to him. Now you’re going to walk in there and apologize to him and take care of him. Because I am sick of cleaning up your messes. Grow up, become a man and face the result of your behaviour head-on.” He offered Seungcheol one more look – one of scorn and distaste – before giving his superior a short bow. “Farewell, sir. I have to go now. Before I become violent.” And with that he turned around and marched right out.

It took Seungcheol a few bewildered moments to gather himself again and slowly start to make his way back to the King’s quarters.

Suk gave him an uncertain look as he approached. “Sir,” he whispered softly, “please be kind to his majesty. He has suffered greatly of late. Please… do not cause his heart more suffering.”

Seungcheol could only give the poor eunuch the most confused look of his life before he was admitted.

If the warnings had served their job, Seungcheol would have marched right to the King and kissed him. He would have held him gently, treated him delicately.

But his face was tainted now. Tainted with mistrust. And Seungcheol could only coldly bow at that face, and take his position as guard at the side of the room.

The King had plotted in secret to betray his country. And he had ordered all his guards to keep the secret from him.

The years of their shared childhood meant nothing. The late-night feedings, the moonlit walks, their shared jokes and games were little more than fond memories of a bond that was, clearly, not as strong as he had thought. The feelings buried deep, deep within his soul had been conquered and made a mockery of.

The King didn’t trust his first bodyguard. There was nothing else that could be said about that.

The idea left a cold hunk of ice where Seungcheol’s heart had once been.

The King fretted – he pretended to read his books, but in reality, he fretted a great deal. He couldn’t absorb the words on the scroll; he couldn’t make sense of the ink patterns; he could only hear the silence in the room, and how it deafened his ears.

A Seungcheol who did not love him. A Seungcheol who did not speak to him. A Seungcheol who, despite everything, would not embrace him. He would only sit there, in the duty he was paid for. He was no longer the King’s companion. Just a guard. Just some guard who sat near.

The silence was too much – it echoed in the King’s ears, reverberated in his stomach, leaving him sick. His hands shook with the absolute nothingness in the air, and he had to scrunch his eyes closed and prize them open again in order to win back his sight from a room that dared to swoop and twirl before him.

It was too much, and it had to stop.

“…were you cold on your way here?” He did not let it show, but he immediately regretted it: his voice was too cold, too sterile. He sounded entirely unattached, the way he had sounded the first day Seungcheol had returned. He sounded like he was making polite conversation with a minister.

There was a beat of more silence, and for a moment, the King wished a hole to hell would swallow him up.

“The walk was warm, your majesty.”

If his query was embarrassing, this simply banished him to oblivion: the response was so cool, so calculated and uninterested that it physically hurt to hear it. And then there was simply more silence.

The worst part was not that it was quiet: not was it the knowledge that he had hurt Seungcheol, or that Seungcheol was angry – no, not angry, furious – with him.

It was that he had every right to be so.

He had been the fool. Him. The King. He had betrayed the only person who really mattered. He had kept secrets from people who should not have such secrets kept from them. He had been the weak link. It was his fault. His plan was wrong from the start. His plan had gone awry. His ideas had fallen through. It was his mistakes that caused this pain.

He should have told Seungcheol from the start. He knew that now. Hindsight was always the better vision. He knew that if he had told Seungcheol from the beginning, he could have taken complete and total loyalty. Nothing less than what he had been shown up until then. But no – he had betrayed Seungcheol. He had spat on everything they had ever had together. Their childhood times of complete co-dependency, their unspoken bond when they were apart, their closeness when they reunited. Seungcheol had been nothing but simply perfect to him, and he had betrayed him.

He had been in Seungcheol’s arms, kissed Seungcheol’s lips, had Seungcheol’s heart ripe for the taking – and he had thrown it all away, in a single night. He had brought another scar to Seungcheol. This one less visible, more deep.

And it was in that pit of self-hatred the King found himself drowning.

“Send her in.” The King put away the scroll he had been trying to read for the last forty minutes – a futile exercise – and looked up to where his wife entered and bowed calmly. “Your majesty.”

“I didn’t expect to see you tonight.” He was able to put on an amicable smile. “Were you able to rest today?”

“Yes, your majesty. Thank you.” She paused, and then sat, and then paused again. “Your majesty dropped this in my chambers.” From a sleeve, she produced a small cotton square. “I felt it would be fitting to return it.”

The King whipped the cloth from her hands faster than even he thought he could – but it made no difference. Seungcheol had seen it. He had seen it exactly.

“Thank you,” he answered her hurriedly.

“I know it is one of your majesty’s most prized possessions. I did not want your majesty to sleep without it.”

“Yes, yes – thank you, wife – are you feeling well this evening?”

“Yes, your majesty, quite well.” She didn’t look at all well – more sober and pale than ever before, expression grave – but she tried not to let it show. “I would like to… thank your majesty. Her majesty the Queen Dowager has been asking me when I will produce your majesty’s heir. I hope I will be able to satisfy her like this for some time.”

“Hm, yes, I agree.” He was barely there, thinking about the cotton square hidden up his sleeve. “Do let me know if you start having any odd cravings.”

“Of course, your majesty. Then, your majesty looks tired. I should depart.”

“Good night, wife.”

“Good night, your majesty.”

There were more moments of eerie silence – a sickening one, worse than before. He pulled the cotton square from his sleeve for a moment, and without looking up, held the handkerchief in the air.

“Do you want it back?”

Seungcheol turned to his King for a moment. “Does your majesty wish for me to take it back?”

“It is no longer mine to keep.”

The bodyguard walked up to the King’s desk, and retrieved the old handkerchief from his King in absolute, pristine silence.

It broke the King’s heart to have the keepsake his beloved had left him all those years ago, when he left for Busan, be taken from him. It broke Seungcheol’s, to have it handed back to him, a symbol that it was no longer wanted.

And so the King called to be put to bed, and wept, silently allowing his tears to wet the pillow the whole night.

Chapter Text

“Please allow me to eat alone.”

“Your majesty…”

“I’m tired of being surrounded by so many people. I’ll call you in if I need you.”

The eunuchs and the kitchen maids looked at each other uncertainly, but eventually backed out: the door closed, and there was some silence.

“Do you wish me to leave as well, your majesty.”

“You may if you like.” The King put down his chopsticks, gently leaning away from the food. “I’m not in danger.”

There was a tangibly annoyed moment in the air before Seungcheol stood and made his way over, picking up a spoon and loading it with rice before offering it up with a bowed head. “Please eat, your majesty.”

“Don’t be like this.” The King took the spoon, but put it down again. “If you don’t care, don’t pretend to care.”

Seungcheol’s head moved a few times, bobbing slightly before he looked up, skin etched, angry and hurt. “I care,” he managed to let out in a haunted whisper. “I care. So much. Too much. More than you. You know that I care more for you than you do for me. So yes, take my pride, take my heart, mock me, torture me, but do not accuse me of not caring. I will care about you until the day I die. And if you mistrust me, I will care about you – if you keep secrets from me, I will care about you. If you mock me, I will care about you. I will never stop caring about you. It’s fine if that’s a one-sided feeling. It doesn’t matter if your majesty scorns me for it, makes me a toy without feelings to feel for it. I have cared for your majesty since you were a child. That may not mean anything to your majesty anymore, but those are my most precious memories, and they brought forth feelings I will have forever. Do not accuse me of apathy, your majesty. I will not accept guilt on such an account.” With a strong sense of rebellion in his eyes, he picked up the spoon, and offered it again. “Please eat, your majesty.”

It was that moment exactly, that the King broke down, flipping the table upright.

“Do you think I am bad?!” he screamed, gripping his guard by the collar. “Do you think I am a monster?! Do you think I feel less than you, hurt less than you, love less than you? Am I an unfeeling creature to you?! Doesn’t even a dog love its master?! I am less than that to you? Am I such a worthless object for you to say that to me? Do you think my memories are any less precious, you animal?!”

Suk rushed in, but there was no stopping the rattling the King gave his guard as he sobbed.

“Am I any less of a man than you?!” he screamed. It was only one slap, but it threw Seungcheol to the floor, holding a hand over his cheek. His majesty bent over him, face bright with upset. “Am I so pathetic in your eyes?! Perhaps you should go serve my enemies, then! You worthless brat!”

“Your majesty!”

The King threw Suk’s hands off him. “Get out,” he hissed, tears hitting the floor. “Just get out. And don’t bother coming back.”

The tension grew in the room as Seungcheol lay there on his side, holding his brightly marked cheek, staring up at his entire world; as the King stood over him shaking; as Suk stood by helplessly, his heart breaking.

Very slowly, Seungcheol kneeled, bowing far enough forward to press his forehead against the floor.

“Farewell, your majesty,” he said quietly. “Please be healthy.”

“Get out!”

Seungcheol stood and turned away.

“Get out! Get out, get out!” the King cried hysterically. With every word, he meant come back, come back, but his pride changed the words in his mouth from bitter medicine to bitter poison. Seungcheol was leaving, and he was forcing him out, and he only wanted Seungcheol to come back, right now, and hold him.

With his head high, he marched out of the King’s life. He wasn’t even out of earshot before the King’s anguished wails for his beloved Kim Mingyu filled the air.

Roa was enough to make him falter in a single step, but he continued to march.

“I said, stop.”

“I have business with your husband.”

“Stop and listen.”

“I don’t have time.”

“He suffers.”

“I don’t give a damn if he-”

“No, you don’t understand.” Roa put a hand on Mingyu’s chest, and the cold of her skin was felt right through the linen, forcing him to stop, one leg in the air. “He suffers.”

Mingyu’s eyes were red and nostrils flared, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt. “Explain,” he growled.

“His heart is calcifying, Mingyu. I don’t know how to stop it.”

His nostrils flared a little more. “What does that mean?”

“There are thousands of legends of the vampire, but for sure, we make a distinction between the human vampires, and the monsters. Do we not?”

Very slowly, Mingyu’s leg lowered, and he stood calmly on the spot. “We… separate… those with reason… from those who are listless… and go mad… only understanding bloodthirst… yes, we make that distinction.”

She looked at him, and suddenly he saw that she was no longer the pretty young girl Seungcheol had married to appease the King. Roa had gotten old, overnight – fine lines settled in the darkness under her eyes, her skin had lost its blush, and her shoulders hunched.

“…come inside.”

“I do want to see him.”

“After I’ve explained.”

Mingyu stared off into where he knew Seungcheol’s quarters were, but then nodded. “Fine.”

“I’ve dissected seven vampire’s corpses.” This was a hard sentence for Mingyu to hear as he tried to eat, but Roa took little notice. “Two had hearts of flesh – hardened, crisped with dried blood surrounding them, unbeaten, but flesh nonetheless. The other five I opened were the bloodthirsty monsters of legend. The ones that went around without reason or master, biting whatever they could, everything they could. Those had calcified hearts. Their hearts had turned to white bone, and crumbled like brittle stone in my fingers as I examined them. I believe that is the difference between the reasonable vampire and the monster: the monster becomes such after his heart turns, quite literally, to stone.”

“And you think this is happening to Seungcheol?”

Her face was pale, despite the warmth of the tea in her hands. “Yes. I’m almost sure of it.”

“How can you tell?”

“I gave him a physical when he came home two days ago. Another this morning. There’s no doubting it. Under his skin, his heart is becoming hard, like rock. His flesh is no longer supple to the touch there.”

Mingyu looked down, thinking about it. As much as he was angry with his chief – as much as he wanted to rip Seungcheol apart for what he had done, as much as he thought he had wished him dead, the idea of Seungcheol turning into a monster was sobering. Not for his own sake – though it would be horrifying to see – but for the King’s sake. As angry as the King was: as hurt and heartbroken as his soul had become, he wouldn’t wish a single hair on Seungcheol’s head harmed. And part of Mingyu hoped he could convince the two to reconcile. That wouldn’t happen if Seungcheol became a rabid bloodsucker.

“Do you know why?”

Roa shifted uncomfortably. “Until now, I had no clues as to how some vampires live as men and others die as feared creatures of the night. Now I have several ideas, and there is no telling which is correct, because I cannot remedy any of them.”

“Tell me anyway.”

She looked up, apologetic for the first time. “Heartbreak can kill a human,” she offered quietly. “I can imagine it does not have a dissimilar effect on the undead.”

Mingyu’s own heart made a soft clunk noise. “If heartbreak can kill a vampire, I’ll need you to examine his majesty, too. There is much hurt there.”

She nodded once.

“What are the other options?”

She blew on her tea for a moment, drinking it slowly before answering. “It could have something to do with the injury he sustained in the fire, and the regrowth of his leg. Maybe it was borrowed time. I’ve never seen a limb regrow like his did, though I have heard stories since. Maybe that takes its toll on his heart. Or…”

“Or?”

Roa sighed. “Seungcheol hasn’t had blood.”

It took Mingyu a moment. “For how long?”

She could barely look up. “This evening will be five days.”

“Five days.” He couldn’t hide the pure dismay in his voice: the King needed blood nearly around the clock, and it was inconceivable what would happen if he didn’t have any for that length of time. “Has Hansol not been around?”

“He’s in there with him now. It’s not that he hasn’t had a chance to feed. He won’t do it. He won’t bite. He refuses. As if he’s too weak to do it.”

“So if he doesn’t feed…?”

“I suspect that if he goes long enough, he’ll become ravenous, and go on a killing spree through the city. Whether that blood will sate him or not isn’t clear, but when was the last time a normal vampire went on a blood spree?”

They both looked at each other.

“I can force him to feed.”

“How?”

“Slit my wrist open. Not much. Just a little.”

She gently pulled up a sleeve and showed the bandage there. “I tried.”

“There can’t be nothing we can do.”

“I’m trying. I haven’t slept. I’m trying everything I have. I’ve tried speaking to the dead, even though they are a useless bunch for information – I’ve tried contacting the fae, though they’re even worse. I don’t know what to do.”

“You need to sleep,” he offered. “You can’t keep going like this.”

“I have to keep trying.” She fought her eyelids a moment. “He’s depending on me.”

“Seungcheol’s condition won’t-”

“Not him. His majesty.” She looked up. “Look me in the eye and tell me the King will be alright if Seungcheol dies.”

Mingyu winced.

“No. And if the King died, Seungcheol wouldn’t wait for his end, either. He’d rather go to hell than live a day on earth without him. They are like sunlight to each other. Let’s both try to keep them both alive.”

He nodded.

“Now, you can see Seungcheol.”

Mingyu’s shoulders sagged. The anger he felt still weight on him just as heavy as the King’s sobbing body had been, but it was subdued, and rather without direction. It didn’t seem fair to be angry with Seungcheol anymore.

“They’re a couple of fools,” she commented, leading him out of the tea room. “Loving each other so much, taking such pride in their feelings, putting the other over themselves, time and time again. If they would communicate in plain words, their problems might be over.” Her voice dropped in pitch. “I love you, your majesty. I love you, Seungcheol.” It turned back to normal. “They make it difficult for themselves by thinking too hard.”

He didn’t answer that.

Seungcheol didn’t look very well. In fact, he looked very bad indeed. The idea that he was becoming a danger with every passing moment seemed too close for comfort. He stared ahead, slumped against the wall, like a corpse.

“I can’t get him to move.” Hansol’s voice was too quiet for the boisterous child. “And he smells… bad.”

Mingyu leaned in, but quickly withdrew after one sniff. “God, he smells like…”

They looked at each other. Neither of them said it, but few corpses had ever smelled pleasant, and Seungcheol wasn’t exactly a human rose petal.

“I tried everything. I even pierced my skin with his fangs.” He showed the space on his wrist. “Nothing.”

Mingyu bolstered his confidence. “If this doesn’t do it, nothing will.” He turned to his former boss. “Choi Seungcheol, the King has been hurt. He needs you.”

There was a glint in his eyes: Seungcheol shifted, propping himself against the wall a little straighter. “Take care of him,” was the slurred command given, before he slumped again.

“I don’t know how much of this we should tell his majesty.”

“Tell his majesty?! You’ve got to be kidding.” Mingyu shuddered, hurrying into the warm sun. “No, news of this doesn’t go beyond these walls. That includes the ministers and Jooheon.”

Hansol nodded slowly.

“…will he be okay here with Roa? If we are at the palace?”

“If he turns into a blood beast, it won’t matter who is here. They won’t be able to stop him. They’ll just have their throat ripped out. Like anybody else.”

They simply stared at each other.

“How long has it been?”

“Twelve days.”

“How is he still alive?”

“I don’t know.”

“Just be quick about this.”

Roa gave a faint, exhausted smile, and in a puff of smoke, disappeared.

She reappeared in a mirror in the King’s room, unseen at first: when she stepped out of it, however, the King nearly had a seizure.

“That’s a terrible way to come into a room!” he hissed.

“I didn’t want to have to explain to the Queen why a random married woman was intruding on her husband’s bedroom in the middle of the night.” Roa glared out the window, where clouds threatened to cover the moon. “I have to be quick if I want to go back this month. Please lie down with your shirt open.”

“I don’t see why this is necessary,” the grumpy monarch huffed. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”

She observed his chest, legs, fangs and eyes – and soon found he was right.

“I had to check, your majesty. There is an odd smell in the air. I couldn’t be sure if it would affect vampires. Some new kind of chemical warfare.”

“Did it affect – affect Hansol?”

They both ignored the hitch in his throat as he refused to say the name.

“Yes, Hansol is feeling ill. Since your majesty is well, I have a feeling it has to do with the bad lamb stew he had at an inn.”

“Oh. I see.”

She bowed.

“Tell him I said get well soon.”

“Yes, your majesty.” She turned, but made a full circle when she felt the hand grab her skirt. “Majesty?”

He couldn’t even bring himself to say the words.

She put on the bravest smile she could. “Your majesty will survive,” was the most truth she could offer. “With or without him, you will survive.”

When she touched the mirror, she was gone.

“And?”

“He’s fine. His heart isn’t calcifying. Is he drinking?”

“He had some this morning.”

“Good.”

“You think it’s the blood, then?”

She shrugged. “Please. I need to sleep.”

“Yes.” Hansol ushered her back into her house. “Sleep tight, Roa.”

“Good night, young one.”

Chapter Text

“Your majesty promised Suk.”

“Are you and I even seeing the same scenery?” The King nudged his guard on the branch beside him. “Look at it. It’s the first stick of snow this winter. I wanted to see it in its glory. Do you know how long it’s been since I was able to enjoy snow like this?”

Mingyu didn’t answer: he simply kept a watchful eye on his King, sat precariously on a tree branch as he was. If the King fell out of a tree, he would never hear the end of it. Literally.

With a deliberate slip, the King dropped from his branch, landing perfectly. “Come on. It’s going to be a lovely morning. We should walk through the market. Enjoy the air.”

“We really need to curb these visits out of the palace, majesty.”

“Oh, nonsense. Anyway, I’m going to meet you-know-who later, so I have some time to kill.”

“Yes, sire.”

The King clasped his hands behind his back, almost happy, as he strolled down the streets back into the city. “A lovely morning indeed.”

They didn’t speak of Seungcheol. They never spoke about much, anymore. The King pretended that all was well, as if before his father had even died: and Mingyu simply allowed him to do so. He didn’t breach the subject, but it always weighed on his mind. Seungcheol’s body sat slumped in a corner of his house, skin turning scaly and grey, slowly rotting. Soon it would be up to him and Hansol to kill Seungcheol – before he murdered too many innocents in the city. And when that time came, he would have to tell His Majesty that he killed him, with his own hands.

The idea was too abhorrent to face. But it lay there, in the back of his mind. Waiting.

“Ah.” The King stopped in the midst of his tracks, jaw slacked slightly.

Yehana stood there with her maid behind her, perusing some herbal medicine. It only took a few moments for her to feel the King’s gaze: she turned, started, and then bowed.

“Damn.”

“Majesty. Do we leave?”

He took a deep breath. “No. I need her.” Bravely, he took a step forward, and neared on her. “Good morning, Miss Yehana.”

“S-sir,” she answered, hesitant.

“Are you ill? To be buying medicine. You should have sent word, I would have asked the royal physicians to make up something for you.”

“N-not at all, your – sir!” She coloured a bright pink. “My brother took a little too well to the drink last night, and has become unwell as a result. I am only here to purchase some medicine for him to take.”

“Oh.” He went very quiet. “I see.”

“It can’t be helped. Merchants seem to be like that when their friends come into town.”

“Mer… oh, oh your eldest brother. I see.”

“Yes, sir.” She seemed to understand not to talk about any other brother. “Forgive me, sir. Please allow me to convey my deepest regrets and condolences for her highness’ passing. It’s been many months, but I still feel her loss is painful. I am sure you must, as well.”

The King nodded slowly. “It’s alright. I am learning to live with it, as we are.” He waited for her to buy her medicine, and then spread an arm. “Are you going straight home, or might we walk for a time?”

She smiled timidly. “It’s been a while since we saw each other, your ma- sir.”

He smiled, comforted by that, and walked beside her happily. “I’ve been thinking recently, Miss Yehana, that we must be better friends than this. It is hard for me to have real friends – without any strange connections or odd pretentions – inside the palace, you know. It is nice to be able to meet you here, and talk as normal friends.”

She bowed slightly. “I’m honoured you feel comfortable around me, maje- sir.”

The King chuckled at that. “I’m sorry, I know it’s hard on you to speak like this to me. Please bear with it a little longer. It’s very comforting to know you are trying hard to help me relax like this.”

“Yes, s-sir.”

“Do you like the snow?”

“Ah – it’s very pretty, don’t you think, sir?” She seemed to cheer up at the idea. “I didn’t think it would stick so early in the year.”

The King began to talk animatedly; the two laughed and talked for a long time, traversing nearly half the city’s merchantries as they couldn’t stop talking about the snow. Once the subject has been going on for long enough though, Mingyu had to intervene.

“Forgive me,” he whispered, “but our previous engagement…?”

“Ah, that’s right. I’m supposed to be somewhere.” He turned to Yehana. “I’m sorry, I overextended myself. I have somewhere I am supposed to be right now. I’ll be late.”

“Then please do not let me keep you waiting, sir.”

“We’ll speak again soon.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How late am I, exactly?”

“Not much, majesty. We did hurry.”

He nodded and looked around shiftily. “Were we followed?”

“No, majesty.”

He nodded again, and quietly slipped into the abandoned house.

“Jeonghan.”

“Your majesty.”

He bit his lip so he wouldn’t say anything. “You look warm.”

“Yes, your majesty, thank you.” There was an awkward moment. “Please, sit. Allow me to pour your majesty some wine.”

“Jeonghan, I’m going to say this to you once.” The King sat down with ease. “We aren’t even supposed to be meeting each other here. Please stop calling me majesty and just act like we’re normal brothers, for one afternoon.”

He paused, hand and wine bottle frozen in the air. “…should… I call you… little brother?”

“That works.”

He continued to pour. “I’ll do my best.”

There was some quiet as they both drank wine: it was awkward, and odd.

“Did my guard see you safely from the palace?”

“Yes majesty, he was most kind. I made my escape with ease.”

“…I have to ask.”

“I have to thank your majesty. I didn’t realize…” It took him a moment to gather his words. “That your majesty understood. About her majesty and myself. I thought it had escaped your notice.”

“We weren’t allowed to speak when we were children, but I often saw you, and often enough with her. I haven’t forgotten how warm and happy both of you looked, taking a walk together. You deserved what little I could give you.”

“Then your majesty… please accept my unfailing loyalty to you.”

He took a moment, but then nodded. “I accept it. Thank you, Jeonghan. For not scheming to take my throne.”

Jeonghan had to smile at the idea. “Your majesty is very welcome. After all… many memories of the palace are not fond ones. For me.”

“Hm, me neither. It’s a bad place to live.”

“…I wanted a little brother, you know. I’m… sorry I couldn’t be the older brother your majesty deserved to have.”

“Jeonghan, these are sentiments of gone-by days. We don’t need to have regrets about things that happened back then. Instead, we should look to the future.”

Jeonghan cocked his head at the tone, then smiled wearily. “I have the feeling that, in that future, your majesty will have me sneak around a lot more than I already have.”

“Sneak!” the King cried, feigning shock. “I’d never have a royal prince sneak…” And then he broke into laughter. “But I may need some snooping.”

“Majesty… we have a problem.”

“…yes?”

Jeonghan had left over an hour ago, making sure they would not be seen together: it had gotten very dark and very cold since, and it was long time the King had gotten back home.

“…there are people outside.”

“For example?”

“The kind with big pointy metal stuff.”

“…okay yes, that is indeed a problem.” He stood. “How do we deal with it?”

“Your majesty is very calm.”

“My life has been attempted upon more often than not. For all I know, this could even be Jeonghan’s doing.”

“You still suspect him?”

“Of course I do. I’m not a fool.” He calmly brushed down his clothes. “Back to the point, what are we going to do?”

Mingyu cursed under his breath. “There are too many. Your majesty must hide.”

“Mm?”

“On the other side of the room, under the rug, is a trap door to an empty liquor storage. Please get down in there and remain quiet until I have returned for you.”

“But Mingyu I-”

There was the sound of something breaking, and they both moved: the King delved for the other side of the old house as his comrade burst from the door. He dived under the rug and slid through the trapdoor lying there.

Shifting amid the straw, walking backwards, as far into the damp, sour-smelling liquor storage as he could, until he tripped and fell against a shivering body, lying in the hay.

Chapter Text

They stared at each other for a moment.

“You look awful,” was all he could breathe. All his anger and pride was set aside – the man looked terrible, and smelled just as bad. His skin was a blue-grey colour, almost silver, and scratched, etched like fish scales. His eyes weren’t just a blood red – they were a sickly orange, pupils dilated to nearly nothing. His body was frozen cold, shuddering and convulsing violently.

White lips quivered, but they made no sound.

“When was the last time you fed?!”

The creature under him made a horrifying noise – shrill and loud, so loud the King had to press his hand over his mouth to dull the sound. “Sh,” he hissed, “you’ll be heard and we’ll both be killed.”

For a moment, there was only the sound of metal clashing above them.

He gently removed his hand, and they stared at each other, a little longer.

The man made some kind of sound – like a blurg – and then shut up again, quivering more. After a few more hushed tries, always staring at his King, he managed to say it. “Love,” he blurted, shaking. “You. Arghhhhhh.”

“How long have you been without blood?” The King quickly removed his coat. “You need to feed. Now.”

“I. Love. You. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” If the King’s eyes were filled with tears, he’d never admit it. He just hurriedly pulled up his sleeve. “You need to eat.”

He shoved his wrist under Seungcheol’s nose and waited, as the guard only stared at him.

“You have to eat.”

His head shook from side to side, only the tiniest bit.

“Why not?”

“Die.”

“You won’t die as long as you feed. Hurry up. You look terrible.”

Seungcheol closed his eyes – but only for a moment, and then they were open again, staring at his King like he was the sky and all the stars in it. “Go,” he rasped. “Before. I turn.”

“Shut up and eat! Here, look! A delicious wrist! Yummy!” The King hurriedly shifted his wrist under his nose again, starting to become frantic. “Seungcheol, you have to eat. Look at you. You have to feed. Please. Please, Seungcheol, feed. Quickly.”

Seungcheol just stared at him a little more.

“Fine. If that’s what you want.” The King began to pull his clothes off, shivering in the cold. “It’s more instinctual in the neck, anyway. Quick. Feed.”

“No.”

“Seungcheol!” The King grasped his head between both of his hands for a moment, glaring down, practically into his soul. “I am your King,” he whispered, “and I command you to feed. Now.”

The King bared his neck, and nothing happened, but that the shaking under him became worse: and then, with a rough thrust, he forced his neck into Seungcheol’s mouth.

The pain was sharp – intense, even – as Seungcheol’s fangs slid over his skin, ripping it open: he cringed, drawing breath, waiting for it to get worse, but it did not. There was a moment of silence as tiny droplets of the King’s blood fell into the mouth of his servant.

“Damn it, Seungcheol,” he hissed, “feed.”

And then, very gently, the vampire bore down, and sucked the blood from the King’s body.

“…better?”

He didn’t answer, and so the King decided not to answer, either: instead, they sat there for a while, as the sound of the skirmish reigned above them. Both comfortable, pressed against each other. It was too natural a position for them not to be comfortable like that, though neither would admit it.

“Why are you here, anyway?”

He didn’t expect an answer, but he got one.

“I came here to die.”

“Well, that’s stupid.” The King put his clothes and coat back on, never moving from Seungcheol’s lap. “Aren’t you supposed to be immortal?”

It took him a moment – through shaky lips that hadn’t quite found their grasp on reality yet. “When a vampire turns into a bloodthirsty monster… the end is quite near.”

The King didn’t know how to answer that.

“So why here? Of all places?”

His voice was very quiet. “I didn’t want to hurt anybody. An abandoned house seemed like a good place for me.”

“Oh. I see.”

He hesitated but, still weak, decided to ask anyway. “May I ask your majesty a question?”

“Yes.”

“…what was the reason you switched places with your brother… the night of your consummation?”

“You first.” He turned. “Why were you there? You were supposed to be at home. Unaware of it all.”

He sighed lightly. “It was an important day. My… protégé… somebody so close to me, somebody I loved, was going to meet his fate. I couldn’t be a part of it… so all I could do was guard your majesty from the outside, and wish you... happiness.”

There was little comeback from that, especially when pretending Seungcheol's voice didn't crack in pain on the last word, so the King said nothing: it was still for a while as the sound of clashing metal seemed to fade into the distance, the battle moving down the small road.

“I am not… a patient man,” the King said slowly. “And I do not have… affection for women in the way that other men do. I had no intentions of sleeping with the Queen – not when we married, nor even now. I didn’t want to give her and her father that kind of leverage over the crown. Didn’t want to strengthen their position… and I wanted to attain my brother’s loyalty. Ministers are constantly creating plots surrounding him, telling me he’s out for my life and my throne. He swore he was not. I always wanted a real brother. This seemed like a very good way to ascertain if he really was loyal to me.”

Seungcheol had to breathe that in for a moment. “He could have lost his head.”

“Mm. Her too.”

The relapsed into silence for a little while longer.

“…I’m glad your majesty was able to complete your wish.”

“Thank you.”

The strain it took each to admit that to the other was lost on neither of them.

“Still thirsty?”

The look in Seungcheol’s eyes was undeniable.

“Go on.” He stuck out his wrist.

“I cannot, your majesty.”

“Sure you can.”

“To drink from your majesty’s sacred body is a sin worthy of death without peace.”

“It’s not like I’ve never drunk your blood.”

“I am not a King.”

They stared at each other in the darkness for a while.

“You won’t drink?”

“No, your majesty.”

He had to look away, then. “Fine. Be like that.” His arm lowered. “You always were difficult.”

“A tiger cannot change its stripes, majesty.” He paused. “Nor its breath.”

The King had to smile at that, no matter how bitter it was.

“…does this change anything?”

“No.” The King’s face was pale. “It doesn’t change a thing.”

There was the sound of footsteps above them, and they both tensed.

“Can you fight?” The sentence was so quiet, it would not have disturbed a feather in the air.

“Until my last,” came the answer.

There was a knocking, and then the opening of the trap door. “Majesty,” a hushed whisper came. “It is safe now.”

The King gave one last nearly silent command. “Stay.” Then he stood out of his old friend’s lap, and headed for the trap door. “Good. Are you hurt?”

“A mere scratch, majesty. Can you jump? I will haul you up.” Mingyu carefully pulled his King from the storage under the building and gently set him down, closing the door behind him. “Are you uninjured, majesty?”

“…yes.” The King ripped his eyes from the closed door. “We should go. Suk will be furious.”

They were half-way back to the palace when he crossed then, stopping for a moment to bow hurriedly.

“Hansol – what are you doing out so late at night?”

The two guards looked at each other.

“Um… a… a chicken escaped… so I’m… chasing it.”

“Escaped?!” Mingyu nearly jumped. “How long did that take?”

“Eighteen days –”

The King pointed back to the road he had just travelled. “That way,” he muttered coldly, before walking on. “Your chicken is that way.”

“Majesty?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Mingyu made a gesture behind the King’s back, and Hansol simply ran.

Chapter Text

After six consecutive feeds had been administered to the patient, Roa began to lightly beat her husband with a broom.

“That’s – what – you – get – for – scaring – me!” she boomed.

“Roa – Roa!” He managed to grasp her hands, and gave her a gentle smile. “I’m sorry for worrying you. Thank you for caring so much and working so hard for me. I wouldn’t have made it without you. You’re a blessing.”

She shook the tears in her eyes away. “You’re an asshole,” she muttered.

He hugged her gently, swaying from side to side. “There, there, best friend,” he cooed gently. “It’s okay now.”

“You have to be careful,” she sniffled. “This never happens again.”

“It will never happen again.”

“I’m next,” Hansol grumped from the sidelines. “You scared me.”

Seungcheol sighed internally. It was going to be a long day.

“Your majesty!”

The King smiled benevolently upon his ministers, secretly wishing them all dead, save one. “Ministers. I hope the recent weather has not inconvenienced you all lately.”

The Minister of Finance smiled broadly. “Not at all, your majesty. We hope your majesty has not felt chilled of late. We know your majesty has a hard time keeping warm… during the winter months.”

The King’s throat closed over a moment. The allusion to vampirism was too close to comfort. “I’ve been very warm, minister, thank you for your concern. Are you on your way to a meeting?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King locked eyes with one of the Minister’s lackeys and smiled happily, regardless of what he saw there. “Then, I won’t keep you any longer. Please convey my regards to the Right Minister.”

He was a little further on his walk when he leaned in to Mingyu ever so slightly. “It’s tonight.”

Mingyu nodded. “I will inform your majesty’s eunuch.”

They continued walking, in the pristine palace snow.

“Majesty! Majesty, majesty, majesty!”

“Yes? Suk, what is it?”

Suk nearly threw himself on the ground, red-faced and stuttering, clambering to get closer to his King. “Your majesty!”

“Well?”

“It’s her majesty.”

He looked up.

“The doctors have been sent for. She is ill.” The doors behind him closed, and he leaned in. “What if she is infectious? What if it’s dangerous? What if… what happens to our plans if she dies, majesty?”

The light in the King’s eyes spelled the opposite of the disaster his close confidante predicted. “She’s not infectious,” he smirked, teeth pushing out over his lower lip. “Quick. I’m going to visit her.”

“Majesty!”

“Quick, quick!”

The King’s entourage was all a-flurry to be moving so suddenly, out of the King’s usual schedule, but they followed him nonetheless, scurrying through the snow to get to the Queen’s quarters with great haste. The doctors met him as they left.

“Your majesty.”

“Well?”

The primary physician smiled as he bowed. “Your majesty must have predicted it well. Your majesty’s joy is guaranteed. Her majesty is pregnant.”

The tension dropped from Suk’s face as the light in the King’s eyes burned brighter. “Excellent! Hah. I’ll have to have another party. Remind me to give you a gift. Is she resting?”

“Yes, majesty, but she is quite strong. You may see her if you wish.”

The King flounced into his wife’s quarters with cruel joy painted on his lips; he bid her not to move, but sat across from her and waited for the doors to close. “I’ve heard the good news,” he smiled, unable to keep the look from his face. “Congratulations.”

The Queen – pale and a little nauseous as she was – couldn’t bring herself to smile back. Instead, she gave him a wary look, full of weak suspicion. “What does your majesty have plotted?”

“Plotted is such a cruel word.” He sat comfortably. “After all, this is my heir we’re talking about. Should I not be happy? I’ve served my country in my primary duty and we are securing this dynasty for some time to come.”

She squinted.

“Fine, so it’s my nephew, not my son. That cannot be helped. Moreover, you need to stay in good health. Take your medicine as the doctors order and eat well. Your most important task is at hand.”

“What if it’s a girl?”

The King stilled at the idea. “Then… I suppose I know a King who will bear more children.”

They both shifted uncomfortably at the idea.

“In any case, this is wonderful news. Be it a boy or a girl… I have to honestly thank you.”

“I did my duty,” she simply stated.

He blinked. “You don’t sound happy.”

“I am very ill.”

“Not that.”

She bared her teeth a moment. “This baby is mine,” she hissed under her breath, “and whatever evil you have planned for it, it will not come to fruition.”

He was disarmed – shocked at the idea. “Evil?” he plainly answered. “I plan no evil. What evil could I plan? How cruel would I have to be to plan evil for a baby that isn’t born yet? I am going to have an heir and child. My mother will no longer haunt me every day whining for a grandchild. My careful planning worked. I am delighted, and excited.”

The Queen seemed somewhat satisfied with that: mostly, she seemed tired.

“I will leave you to rest. Take care of your health, wife.”

He stood to leave, but she stopped him.

“Would you have?” She looked at a bookcase. “Would you have done it? If you had been an only child?”

The King couldn’t answer that.

“…for the rest of my life, I am a fraud.” She glared up at him, with more hate in her eyes than she’d ever displayed. Despite her weakness, the words were spat, as if they contained poison. “And what blood comes from this, be it on your hands. Your majesty.”

He couldn’t answer that, either.

Suk came in, cheerfully carrying tea. “There, your majesty. The excitement of the day has been grand. All the ministers are happily cheering her majesty on. This will help you sleep.”

The doors closed.

He slid forward and handed the King his cup of tea, which was then most unceremoniously thrown into a chamber pot.

“The note Shua handed me this morning was specific that it was midnight. I’m sure they’re worried by now.”

“Your majesty only needs to do as instructed and pretend to send your guard away and pretend to go to sleep. For sure, we will catch him, your majesty.”

“It’s supposed to be somebody close to the minister. Enough to pin on him. Be vigilant, but under no circumstances can my entourage follow you in if you come running. Am I understood?”

“Of course, majesty.”

“Then,” he boomed, raising his voice, “I will be able to sleep now.”

Jooheon waited outside the King’s Quarters, rigid and uncomfortable. Suk waited alongside him, tense and quiet. The King lay in his bed, still and peaceful.

It was all done and over far too quickly. Hansol was far, far too good at his job to let anything happen to the King – and, without more than a few bumps, halted the would-be murderer in his tracks. The King didn’t even get a chance to scream, as he had truly wanted to do, for the drama of it all: within seconds his youngest guard swooped down from the ceiling where he had been lying in wait like a bat, and buried the assassin in enough rope to tie him until doomsday.

Hansol kept a hand over the mouth of the man. “Quiet,” he whispered, “because it would not really harm our cause for me to kill you here and now. And I’m awfully thirsty to try and suck a human dry of his blood.”

“Hansol,” the King scolded in a hush, brushing off his sheets. “no need for that.”

“Then, sire, I think now is a good moment to scream,” he answered, quickly placing another length of rope around his captive’s mouth. “Because this is very squirmy.”

The King inhaled, and let out the most ungodly sound ever: as the doors opened in another room, Hansol quickly rushed his captive to the door where Suk could light his face with a lantern.

There were a few moments of stunned silence as the face, now wide-eyed in terror, was familiar.

“Get him out,” the King simply commanded.

With more stealth than anybody ever had, Hansol and Jooheon dragged the Minister of Finance’s son out of the room, through a back entrance that was mostly unguarded: the struggling man was stuffed into a sack and smuggled out of the palace.

And just like that, it was done.

Chapter Text

“I’m afraid your majesty may have set me an impossible task.”

“That’s quitter talk, General.”

The General wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he drank his tea.

“Anyway, if it makes you feel any better, I have the Minister of Finance’s son tied up in a secret location for trying to murder me in my sleep last week.”

The General stood up in a rush, red in the face, and then sat down again. “Majesty! You should have informed me.”

“Oh? Jooheon didn’t tell you?”

The General suddenly turned sulky. “I raised that child far too well,” he gruffed. “He’s loyal to a fault. Won’t tell me a word of what he does for you.”

“Oh. Well, now you know.”

“Where is he being held?”

“Oh no.”

“Majesty, please?”

“Absolutely not.” He smiled. “You must learn to trust me, General.”

“Then, your majesty must trust me in return.”

He thought about this, then nodded slowly. “Agreed. I will put my full trust in you. Please take care of the situation carefully.”

The General sat there, brewing for a few moments. Then, he could no longer contain it. “There are records missing from the official books.”

“Oh, really? I’m sure you’ll see them restored in time.”

The taunt was too great. “Records of items ferried in and out of the palace are missing, as well as records of the late King’s medical records of the last two years of his life before he became… ill.”

This did not surprise the King, so he remained unsurprised. “I see.”

“Your majesty knew?”

“I had an inkling. Those records did exist – I don’t know if they were removed or destroyed, though.”

“If they were destroyed, there is a possibility we can dismiss ministers from their positions.”

“Losing some documents isn’t enough to ban their families from taking up government positions. Their sons and grandsons will take their places. Jooheon gave you the symbol? Of the eyes, over the fangs?”

“I’ve sent men far and wide. I hope to hear reports soon.”

“I see.”

“I am also tracking down your majesty’s late father’s eunuch.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“I believe he has much light to shed on the subject.”

“…fine.”

They stared at each other.

“I hear I am to congratulate your majesty. You are soon to be a father.”

“Yes.”

“Do you pray for a boy?”

“A girl.”

“Why a girl? A prince would benefit the country better.”

The King quietly stared at his cup. “A Prince would be the next King. The Queen is the daughter of the Second Right Minister, don’t forget. I would have been wed the First Right Minister’s daughter, if she were not ill at the time.” He looked up. “Either way, she may as well be the First Minister’s daughter. If she bares me a Prince, he will belong to his grandfather. That would truly be the end of everything I have worked to procure.”

The General took this information with a dark look on his face. “I understand your majesty’s dilemma. How do you propose to go about it? Your majesty cannot change the gender of the baby.”

The King smiled.

It was the kind of smile that made the General pause for thought. It was the kind of smile that made him feel tendrils of ice shooting into his heart, gripping his soul. A terrifyingly cruel smile.

“I’ll tell you.”

“No.”

“What?”

“Your majesty, you cannot.”

“Of course I can.”

“This isn’t even your baby!”

“It’s not like Jeonghan needs to know.”

“Majesty!” Mingyu threw his hands in the air. “Even killing a baby would be better than that.”

“…kill my son and heir? No, nonsense, I think not. I will have the child brought up outside the palace, due to return when the time is right.”

“And what tale will your majesty spin to have the child return?”

“Oh, you know. A King out on undercover missions. A beautiful woman. The desire to keep her safe from palace intrigue. Allowing the child to live amongst the people he must once rule.”

“Majesty, your scheme to create this child was risky enough. It’s not even yours. But this is too much. Do you know how many people will be in the room when it is born? You cannot simply swap babies.”

The King turned on his guard. “Watch me.”

“Seungcheol wouldn’t let him do it,” he griped. “He’d stop him.”

“They’re not exactly on talking terms,” Hansol muttered into his wine. “Besides…”

They each cringed.

“Yeah. I know.” Mingyu sighed. “Is he doing better?”

“Mm. You can go see him in the morning.”

Mingyu sneered a little into his wine. “I’m not really angry enough to beat him up anymore. Well played, Choi Seungcheol.”

“He seems eager enough to help, though.” Hansol paused. “He asked after the King’s health. That’s something.”

Mingyu frowned, and looked up. “He… still cares?”

“God, don’t you know anything?” He winced. “Seungcheol cares way too much. He’d be a guard again if he thought the King wanted him. As it is, he’s just a huge pain.”

“This is good.”

“Good?”

“A man who doesn’t ever need to be in the palace could work in our favour. Ask Seungcheol if he’d be willing to serve his majesty outside the palace. The majesty doesn’t have to know if Seungcheol doesn’t want him to. But somebody to guard, or to find information… this is good news, Hansol.”

Hansol paused. “We’re on many projects. If Seungcheol could do work for us, it would lighten the load.”

“I’m a genius.”

“Alright, genius, how long do I have keep making up reasons Seungcheol can’t go to his cabin for?”

Mingyu gave him a light hit to the head. “Don’t be mean.”

“Yessir.”

“Ah, Minister of Rites.”

“Your majesty.” The minister bowed low. “Please accept my congratulations on such great tidings. We all pray daily for a prince to be born to your majesty.”

“Don’t you think it’s odd?” he asked in a whimsical tone. “How we always say boys are born to their fathers? After all, it is the Queen who must bear the burden of pregnancy and labour. She must go through considerable discomfort and I reap the benefits. How oddly we do speak of it.”

“Forgive me, your majesty. We are, of course, above all, praying for Her Majesty’s wellbeing. After all, she is working hard. Women are the more hardy sex, as well as the fairest. Is that not so?”

“I suppose so. Ah, I meant to ask. Have you met with the Minister of Warfare lately?”

“The General? Ah, not yet your majesty. We are going out for drinks tomorrow.” The minister bridled awkwardly, his eyes darting behind him, where two secretaries stood, eavesdropping. “It is of utmost importance that all the ministers are able to get on well. I will also visit the First Left Minister this week.”

“I see. That’s very good. I’m counting on you to bring some unity and peace among my ministers. Lately it’s been very busy, but it’s not good for Her Majesty.”

“Of course, majesty. I will do my best.”

Chapter Text

“…I need you to make a raid.”

Seungcheol stared at him for a moment. “I can’t do that,” he broke out desperately, “that’s illegal.”

The look Mingyu served him was unamused at best, and at worst, it wasn’t something he was prepared to stand against.

“Ah, a raid, I understand. Where?”

“I need you to scope documents from the Minister of Finance’s house.”

“Or I could, you know, not do something that will kill me.”

“Listen. The King is giving a celebratory feast in honour of the Queen for getting pregnant. When that happens, all the- …oh.” He looked away a moment, annoyed. “Yes, she’s pregnant. I would have thought that news had spread by now.”

“I don’t listen to town gossip,” Seungcheol’s voice breathed faintly.

Mingyu turned to him. “It’s not his majesty’s real child.”

Seungcheol seemed slightly more comfortable as he was reminded. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“All the ministers will be at the palace. Only his wife and servants will be at home. His son and nephew are secretaries, and they all will be attending. All you have to do is slip in, find the documents, and slip back out with them. You can do this. You’re a vampire.”

Seungcheol pursed his lips at that. “It’s not like I’m invisible you know.”

“I know.” Mingyu shrugged. “But if you’re not going to swallow your damned pride and come back, then this is the least you can do.”

He shot Mingyu a dark look, but didn’t comment. “Fine. What do you need?”

“I need his payment records of paying assassins to break into his majesty’s palace to assassinate him. They may not be that obvious to find, though. And I need his emblem.”

“…his emblem?”

“Yes. The eyes over fangs and crown. We suspect every member of their organization has something with that emblem on it – maybe a painting, or cloth, or another item. For identification purposes, when they meet up. Many criminal groups operate in this way. Look for it, if you can. It’s important.”

“Alright.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Anything else?”

“For now, that’s all. I’ll come again if there’s more I need.”

“Very well.”

Mingyu hesitated. “For the record, sir… Seungcheol. I think you were a fine bodyguard. If you do ever decide to return… know that I’ll be at peace to know you’re the one by his side.”

It was more than he ever wanted to admit, and more than Seungcheol ever thought he’d get.

“Thank you.”

“I should go now.”

“…goodbye.” Seungcheol nodded. “Take care of him.”

“Mingyu?”

He looked up in surprise. “Yes, your majesty?”

“I can’t sleep.”

He neared the bed. “Should I call for Suk, your majesty?”

“No,” he mumbled after a moment. “I don’t think he can do anything to help.”

“Are you thirsty?”

“No. I’m just… too awake to sleep. Does that make any sense?”

“No, your majesty.”

He sighed and sat up a little in his bed. “I think they call this loneliness.”

“Ah.” He was quiet a moment. “Should I find a palace maid for y-”

The King sent him a look.

“Or I could never speak again.” He pursed his lips shut, rolling his eyes in the dark. “How can I help your majesty?”

“I don’t know. I’m frustrated.”

Mingyu sat by silently.

“Don’t worry about it, Mingyu. I’m just being odd. I suppose I’m nervous. Holding a minister’s son captive.”

“He tried to kill your majesty.”

“I can’t prove that until I have document proof.”

“We will find it your majesty. Please do not concern yourself with such details. We will find it.”

He turned to his bodyguard and smiled gently. “You know, you were always too kind a friend.”

The capital was ablaze with light: not just the palace, but those marketeers around it who saw their chance to make a little extra coin, were brimming with light and laughter. There were fireworks in the sky and dancers in the streets and a vampire sliding into a house that was not his own through a back door.

Seungcheol was upset – mostly due to the black cloth over his nose and mouth, making it hard for him to breathe in the cold weather. But he understood that his attire of dark coloured rags had a purpose, and that purpose was to conceal his presence.

He also wasn’t happy with the idea of breaking into a minister’s house while he was away and stealing things, but if it made the King an inch safer, he would do it without question.

Sometimes Seungcheol felt that his morals and ethics needed to be examined more closely. During those times he generally drank enough liquor to drown out the thought.

But there was no time for drink now: he successfully located the Minister’s personal room, and began his search.

He had to be meticulous, thorough, and have a good eye: at no point could there ever be question that somebody had been in the room. It was to be entirely secret, and so any object moved had to be placed back where it was, and any dusty book could not have the dust removed. So carefully, one by one, Seungcheol opened cupboards, removed books, gently flicked through their pages, and returned them to their homes respectively.

After a while, he became less uncomfortable, and more focussed on the task at hand: the house was nearly entirely empty, with only the steward left as the other servants were enjoying the markets at night, so he was virtually safe.

Sixty-two books later there was nothing to be found. Book number 12 had been the Minister’s financial records, but they were clean house records, with nothing out of the ordinary.

It wasn’t until the vampire sat down in a corner with a loud huff that he heard it.

Experimentally, he hefted himself off the ground, and crashed down on it again.

The floor made an audible crunching sound as he did so: not a squeak, but a crunching sound, like autumn leaves underfoot in the forest.

It was short work to pull up the floorboards, as it was clear they were often pulled up in that corner of the room: the space below was a little dusty, filled with an uninteresting wooden box, not unlike the coffins of the poor. An oddly plain piece of ware for a high minister to own.

Inside, atop two ledgers and many letters, sat a pendant on a chain with eyes, fangs, and a crown embossed into it.

“You actually managed it.”

Seungcheol pouted a little. “Don’t use that tone. It makes me think you didn’t think I could do it.”

“This is excellent. Oh. Oh God.” Mingyu’s eyes lit up as he went through the letters. “This is good. We hit the whole damn jackpot.”

“Thank you, Seungcheol,” Seungcheol muttered. “You did a good job, Seungcheol. You’re the best, Seungcheol.”

Mingyu had to smile. “Sorry. Thank you. You did well.”

“M-hm. How’s his majesty?”

“He’s feeling alright. He is mostly stressed about this.”

“Don’t tell him I helped.”

“A promise is a promise.” Mingyu leaned back. “I had better get this to the palace where it can be safeguarded.”

“Mm. Ah, you’re off tomorrow, is that right?”

Mingyu nodded.

“I still owe you drinks.”

Mingyu had to think about it for a moment. “Very well. Thanks.”

Seungcheol smiled warmly.

“Mingyu.” He stopped him at the gate. “We have a problem.”

He paused. “Yes?”

“The minister of Finance has gone missing.”

There was a moment of silence.

“The other ministers are uncomfortable. There’s talk of the Minister’s son going missing, and of the Minister going off to find him.”

Mingyu breathed slowly. “Go to the cabin. Immediately. I’ll follow as soon as I can.”

Hansol took off and he hurried to the King’s rooms, where he very carefully placed the box in its silk ties under the King’s pillow before rushing out again.

“Ah, Mingyu.” The King stopped in the middle of the room. “What were you doing in my room?”

Mingyu was breathing hard. “Your-your majesty, please. I need to go. It’s very important.”

The King and Jooheon gave each other a look. “Off, then. Go.”

And Mingyu dashed out.

“Gone,” he shrieked, breaking a clay pot with a simple kick. “Gone, gone, gone, damn it! Completely gone!”

“They can’t be gone, you’ve been using both of them like open faucets, haven’t you?” Mingyu tore through the little cabin again.

“I drank my fill from both last night, they almost died I was so thirsty,” Hansol whined back. “How could they be gone?”

“They can’t have gotten far. Comb the mountain.”

“Where are you going?!”

“To get help!”

It was an exercise in futility: Seungcheol wasn’t home, and Madam Roa wasn’t about to pretend she knew where he had gone. He only left her with knowledge of what happened, and asked for some divination before he was off to the mountain again.

He and Hansol worked through the night to comb out the forests without success.

Hansol’s eyes rolled back into his skull as he tripped over a stone, and he convulsed alarmingly, shaking in the snow and dirt for a moment, until he opened his mouth.

“Mingyu. Hansol. This will be brief,” he muttered. “The Minister of Finance returned just after you left and requested a brief convention of the ministers and the King. It seems the Minister of Warfare has been active in his investigations and the ministers are about to threaten him. Hurry… God Damn It Roa!” The poor boy jumped up in a hurry, hands scratching all over his body, shaking his head quickly. “That is not okay! You can’t just take over my body to give us a message! Damn it!”

Mingyu paled in the night. “This is bad. If they have good evidences against the Minister, or even weak ones… his majesty has nothing to fight back with. The Minister of Finance couldn’t have found the prisoners and gotten back that quickly, so they must have escaped on their own. Come on. Hurry.”

“Your majesty,” another voice rumbled. “The ministers of this country cannot possibly be asked to sustain such rude tactics! To ask us to abide by such a discourteous member of our own ranking would be to trample upon us! The people will never stand for it!”

The nth of its kind, the thought rose awkward nods and triumphant hollers of agreement, ones that quite nearly made the King go mad. It was late, he was tired, he had guards missing, and his General was being assaulted.

“Your majesty.”

The dim in the throne room stilled as if by magic: the power of the First Right Minister always made others quiet, as if to speak over him would kill.

“We did tell your majesty this would happen. The good Minister of Warfare is not like the rest of us. He does not come from an old house of nobility. His father was a lowly foot soldier before being made noble. It is natural he does not know how to operate within these higher echelons of society. We would humbly request the General be sent back to the borders, where his work is most effective, and he can do the country a much better service.”

The General stepped forward, his voice grating and harsh. “And am I supposed to withstand the filthy rudeness of the First Minister, then? Because your grandfather was a corrupt dog and mine was a-”

“Majesty!”

His Majesty closed his eyes a moment. It was much like bickering children, each pointing at the other. The problem was this was twenty children pointing at one, and they weren’t children they were men who ran the country, and the pointed at child was a man the King was desperately trying to hold onto.

Jooheon suddenly rushed to the King’s side. “Majesty,” he whispered.

The minsters could see little: only a guard whispering into a King’s ear, and the stone that face became.

“Tell Suk to bring me the box from my bedroom,” he whispered back, “and let him in.” He rose his voice. “Forgive me ministers, very briefly, I will have to change the subject. When we are quite done with my news, we can resume our talks about the General. Forgive me, Minister of Finance? Despite this being your official request to send the general away-” he held up the document “-you seem a little preoccupied. You have since said nothing, and simply stare forlornly.”

The Minister of Finance looked up, and stuttered a little, trying to get his initial thoughts in order.

The Minister of Rites tried to reign in his smile as he stepped forward. “Your majesty, please forgive the minister. His son has recently gone missing. As any father would, the minister is very worried about the whereabouts of his son. The paternal feeling will soon be your majesty’s, as well, when Her Majesty bears her child.”

“Missing?” the King exclaimed, in what was a nearly perfect reconstruction of a surprised tone. “Minister, you should have told me! How long has he been gone? You can be sure he’s not just been enjoying the pleasure houses too much?”

The Minister bowed deeply, though the sweat beading on his forehead gave him away. “Forgive me, your majesty. He has been gone two weeks now.”

“How odd.”

“Y-yes… your majesty?”

“I could have sworn I saw him recently.”

“Y-your- your ma-majest-majesty?”

With graceful timing, the doors at the end of the hallway opened, and two men entered: one, the Minister of Finance’s son, the other an unknown man, both in black. Behind them, carefully holding the ropes that bound them both, stood Choi Seungcheol.

He forced the two men to their knees, and bowed deeply. “Forgive me, your majesty,” he muttered. “I am late.”

Chapter Text

It took the King a moment to compose himself: Seungcheol’s face was the kind that made his chest ache, and he needed time to ignore the pain searing through his limbs.

“Not at all. You’re just on time.”

“Majesty! What is this?!” the Minister of Finance cried, glaring at his monarch. “This is my son!”

“Yes. He was also your son when he broke into my room to murder me, wasn’t he?”

The King had a little time to enjoy the absolute ruckus the Ministers made before Suk arrived, handing the little plain wooden box to his monarch with a smile. He stood, and it made the room fall still.

“No, I suppose I don’t have proof your son tried to murder me. Only that I knew he would, I knew when he would because my informant heard it from your own mouth, then my guards were able to catch him before he could escape. After I caught your son, Minister, I thought I would retrieve the proof myself. From your very own home.”

He opened the lid of the box, and pulled out a pendant, with its embroidered emblem on it. “This is a symbol of a group known as the Wolverine Cult. It is a group that has, at its heart, the goal of terrorising the people and taking control of either the throne itself. This box was found in the Minister of Finance’s house. It contains detailed plans of the attempt on my life during the late fire, after which my guards captured this other man you see before you. It contains handwritten notes from the Minister of Finance about my daily activities.” He threw down a ledger. “My conversations.” Another ledger. “Conversations he has had with members of my entourage, eunuchs, and other members of staff in the palace.” Another ledger hit the floor. “The Minister’s home finances, including money served to assassins and spies and his son, and how the money would be balanced in the Minister’s public fiscal records. The money the Minister has been funnelling out of the department of Finances for his own personal gains. The money the Minister has been taking from other ministers.” The ledgers hit the floor and echoed in the otherwise entirely silent room.

“But the Minister is not alone.” He held up a wad of papers. “There are letters here about corruption, the murder of innocent civilians, the rape of and murder of subsequent babies of slaves, dodging of taxes, illegal trade with Japan and China… between the Minister of Finance, the Second minister of Justice, the Head of the Royal Academy, and the first and second Ministers of Personnel. All hand-written and signed in the Minister’s seal.”

“First Minister.” The King turned to a man whose face had been perfectly placed to be a mixture of hurt and surprised. “What do we commonly do with corrupt, regicidal ministers and their murderous sons, and hired assassins, and friends who helped them cover up the truth?”

The First Minister took a moment as they stared at each other, in a long, intense battle. The First Minister could simply come up with some story, and beat the King down; or the King could have him sentence his own men to death.

He gave in. “They will be tortured for a confession, then executed.”

“And the families of corrupt ministers?”

“…may not enter into the King’s ministries again.”

“So be it.” The King turned to the open doorway, where guards had accumulated. “Guards. Arrest the Minister of Finances, his son, the assassin, the Second minister of Justice, and the first and second Ministers of Personnel. Send out a warrant for the arrest of the Head of the Royal Academy.”

There was chaos as men fell to their knees, begging and pleading, saying they had been framed, they had been misled, they had been lied about. Very soon their screams and sobs disappeared into the night as the doors closed and men were removed.

The King carefully put the letters back in the box: Suk picked up the ledgers and took them.

“Take these to the Bureau of Investigation. Be careful.” Once Suk had been sent on his way, the King took his throne again. “This is not something I did not expect,” he told a silent room of ministers. “And I expect many more of you want to continue the legacy of the Wolverine Cult. You want to take the throne, control me, hand me to my brother Jeonghan, and more of the same. I don’t know who you are, but you will be routed out by the same man who routed out the rotten apples in the basket tonight. The Minister of Warfare, General Han, was instrumental in finding the root of the corruption.”

This was not true, but only the King and the General knew that, and neither of them were about to say otherwise.

“Clearly, without the General’s help in this case, not only would you all not know about the corruption in your midst – you would not have a King to herald.”

He let that sink in for a moment.

“As this proposal to send the man who saved my life far away was petitioned by the Minister of Finances, and as the Minister is rather busy being put in jail for crimes against the King and the State, I have no reason to take heed of it. But, for those ministers who have been so abhorred by the General’s lack of invitation to tea of late, I will ask you one time. Who of you, now, still, would have the Minister of Warfare banished to the outer provinces?”

The quiet ruled all, until the Minister of Justice hemmed. “I believe, your majesty,” he answered, “that in light of the present circumstances, the General should be allowed to stay in the capital to serve your majesty’s body. We would heed strict adherence to court mannerisms. Your majesty has… shocked us all tonight. The General’s behaviour should be discussed another day.”

“Good.” The King stood. “I am exhausted and you have all kept me up past my bedtime. Ministers, I hope you all travel home safely.”

“You knew?!”

Seungcheol nodded.

“How long?” Hansol gripped him by his uniform. “How long have you known?!”

“I saw him try to escape from the wine cellar, the first time, when Roa beat him up with a broom.” He at least had the decency to colour pink for his sins. “I figured you were all keeping it a secret from me, and I thought it was for a good reason, so I should just pretend not to know about him. When you moved him I panicked, but I took regular treks up to make sure he was still alive. I found out he was gone just before you did, so I had a head start, and then he was together with the Minister’s son… I put two and two together.”

Hansol had to let him go. “I can’t believe you knew.”

“Why were you keeping him a secret?”

Mingyu pulled himself to his fullest height. “We figured if you got your hands on somebody who tried to kill His Majesty, you’d just kill him. We needed him alive.”

Seungcheol’s colour rose a little more, but he pursed his lips. “I’m not that bad,” he muttered. “You could have told me. I would have reigned it in.”

Mingyu didn’t answer that. “Well, thank you. We would have been in a lot of trouble, and His Majesty would be in more danger too. You’ve helped us a lot today. Some-”

The three guards all fell silent instantly when a forth joined their ranks: followed closely by Suk and Jooheon, he walked in quietly, and looked around the small office.

It took him a moment. “Gentlemen, thank you for your help in this matter.”

The three men bowed with nearly comedic synchronization.

There was an awfully long moment of cringeworthy silence: it was painful to bear for everybody present, as the King eyed Seungcheol up openly, and the vampire did everything he could to not return that gaze.

“Mingyu. It’s very late, and Jooheon has overworked his shift. Would you mind taking over for now?”

“Of course, your majesty. Forgive me not being able to come to your sooner. Sorry, Jooheon.”

“Come on, then.” He half-turned, looking at Seungcheol once more. “Time we left. I suppose.”

The awkward silence wasn’t really relieved until the King’s entourage was entirely gone and Jooheon propped himself up on a chair for a moment before saying it. “Really? You’re really not going to come back?”

“It’s complicated,” Seungcheol said quietly.

“Politics are complicated. Predicting the weather is complicated. Fickle women are complicated. Being in love with a King who obviously loves you back is not. For the love of all that is good in this world, would you just go and kiss him?”

Seungcheol cracked a grin. “You’re swaying. Go sleep. You must be exhausted.”

The poor man could barely salute before leaving.

“I guess it’s time for us to go home.”

“Yes. Time to go.”

“He is right though.” He held the door open for his friend. “You should come back. You could do so much. It’s going to be chaos.”

“After tonight?” He looked up at the sky, ablaze with glittering stars. “No,” he smiled peacefully. “They’ll sit down and plan very carefully after tonight. His Majesty has shown his hand. They know that he knows they are after him. And they know he is a vampire. And they know that he did not show that he knows that they know that he is a vampire, too.”

The poor teenager rubbed his head. “Seungcheol, please.”

“What I’m saying is, with so many dangerous cards on the table, they will have to be very careful from now on. They won’t be able to make such brazen moves on his life anymore. The King will milk this for many months to come. And I think we might find that the Left ministers will have found the champion they’ve been wanting for.” Seungcheol turned to his friend as they passed the threshold of the palace, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Hansol… take care of him. Feed him, keep him warm, comfort him. He will need support.”

“You know the one he really wants is you.”

“Hansol, I’m asking a favour.”

The boy smiled, clasping his friend’s shoulder tightly. “Yes, Seungcheol. I’ll take care of your love for you. Just don’t forget him.”

“Your majesty. Majesty!”

The King made a little grunting noise.

“What is it?” Mingyu whispered.

“Please, your Majesty! You must wake up!”

“What is it?” the poor King muttered, turning over in his bed.

Suk’s voice was a haunted whisper. “…her Majesty has gone into labour.”

Chapter Text

“How can she be in labour?” The King threw his robes on in a furious haste. “It’s only been five months! This can’t be, Suk!”

The eunuch and maids simply hurried the King into his clothes and followed him in his path of fury and speed: he turned the corners so sharply even Mingyu struggled to keep up, but no kind of speed could change what he would find.

In the Queen’s quarters, maids scurried in a chaotic dance across her courtyard, and the Royal Physician sat outside, unable to move from where he stood, unable to hold the box in his hands without his hands shaking.

His Majesty stared at the box, as if the information refused to be accepted in his brain.

“Your majesty… I deserve to die.” The physician bowed deeply. “I regret to inform your majesty… that her Majesty’s baby came forth too early, stillborn.”

There was an eternal wait, a horrific one, full of pain and fear, before he could ask. “…was it a girl?”

“…It was a Prince, your majesty.”

The King was still young – too young to bear it. It wasn’t his child, and it wasn’t born of a woman he loved, but emotions he didn’t know he had began to overwhelm him. “…and her majesty?”

The physician bowed again. “Please forgive her, your majesty. She is heartbroken with the loss of her child.”

The King stood in front of the Queen’s door, one foot half-off the ground, about to enter. It took him a long time to decide whether he was brave enough. Until finally, he stepped forward and the doors opened.

The birthing room had been elsewhere, clearly, or it never would have been cleaned so quickly: the room was absolutely immaculate, with the Queen sitting in the middle of it, hands in front of her face as she drew haggard, laboured breathes.

The King sat down on his knees and put his arms around her shoulders.

It was simply unnatural: for two opposite forces, people who did not like each other, to find solace together. But the moment he touched her, his own tears flowed: and once she was embraced, she clung to him, stifling her sobs in his shoulder.

After what seemed like hours of hysterics on her part and quiet tears on his, she managed in a brief respite, to beg. “Don’t do it again,” she gasped. “Don’t make me go through that again.”

“No,” was the immediate answer. He rocker her gently, patting her back. “No, I won’t make you go through that again. Don’t worry.”

The ‘thank you’ barely made it past her lips in the racking whimpers of mourning, but it was enough.

The spring held no joy that year: the palace felt the pain of a lost Prince far too deeply, and the shame that it brought about was just as poignant. The summer was hot and humid, raising excellent crops, but the Palace stood silent in the haze of it all. There was a depression that could not be lifted, and a pain not so easily erased.

The Royal couple had hoped to be welcoming a child to the world that autumn. Instead they had nothing but a single night they could mourn their loss together. Nothing more.

The leaves changed colour, vibrant greens turning to dazzling reds and golds; the snow piled itself high on the roadsides, and then it melted again. Life continued on, a year after the baby had died, and somehow, some way, spring brought life back to the palace.

Slowly, the royal family began to live again.

And so did those who wished to see them fall.

“Well, that’s just stupid.”

“Do you want to take it up with His Majesty?”

Seungcheol pouted. “Fine. I’ll guard him. It’s only for a few weeks, right?”

“Yeah. Ah, my kid brother is going along, too. Do me a favour and keep an eye out for him if you can. He’s not what you’d call a swordsman.”

“In return, please visit Roa once a week. Hansol will stay here while I’m gone, but they’ll drive each other crazy.”

“Sure.”

“When do we leave?”

“The caravan leaves the palace at noon tomorrow. Please pack your things carefully. There is talk of ambushes along the way.”

Seungcheol smiled, stretching out. “Not on my watch.”

“Then, I’d better go treat my father to drinks before he leaves.” Jooheon stood and bowed. “Sir.”

“You know, you don’t have to call me sir,” Seungcheol attempted again, walking with his friend to the door. “It’s not necessary. I don’t work at the palace.”

“Seungcheol, you’re still my superior, even if we’re the same age. You’ve guarded his majesty far longer than anybody else.”

“That’s not true. Mingyu’s actually done it for longer.”

“Mingyu didn’t kill vampire assassins when he was twelve.”

“And just like that, the conversation is over.” Seungcheol grinned cheerfully. “See you next month, Jooheon.”

“Hansol.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

“Ha-…” It took him a moment. “Never mind.”

Hansol was going to answer the question left unasked, but instead chose to close his mouth instead. He used to ask for Seungcheol every day. He hadn’t mentioned him in months, now. But sometimes he slipped up, and half-asked, hands shaking, sweat beading on his forehead. He wanted to know, so badly. He wanted to know, to hear, to understand.

Hansol wouldn’t go so far as to even pretend to know what was going on with them. Clearly they were crazy about each other, in a really dark and weird way. Unfortunately they were equally stubborn, and Hansol tried to pride himself on the fact that he was neither as flamingly in love with a man, nor as stubborn, as his King and his friend. That was of course, not true, especially not where the Minister’s Assistant Seungkwan was concerned, but that wasn’t really the point.

Hansol shook his head a little, reconsidered, and then reconsidered again. “Yes, Majesty. The General has left for Busan.”

That was all he needed to know.

He was quiet for along time after that – Hansol had thought he was asleep – but then he started again. “Do you miss Busan, Hansol?”

“Not very, your majesty. Being near the water was nice. Very calming. Other than that, well – all the people I had in my life then are here in the capital now. Ah, the seafood was good though.”

“I’m sorry you had to move here for me.”

“Ah… please don’t be, your majesty.”

“Why not?”

“I know your majesty is the King, but… forgive my impudence, I feel like we might slowly be getting closer. I would consider your majesty a friend, even, if things were different. Your majesty is intelligent and passionate, and likes companionship. To be honest, your majesty, even if you weren’t my King, I’d like to guard you and keep you safe. It’s very rewarding for me. I’m… I think the feeling is… grateful. To have your majesty as my King.”

When the monarch finally turned, there were tears in his eyes. “Thank you, little Hansol,” he breathed. “Thank you very much.”

“Ah! Majesty! Please don’t cry!” He hurried towards the bed. “If Mingyu found out I made you cry, my head will have to find a new place to stay, rather than my shoulders!”

At this, his majesty chuckled heartily, wiping the tears with his fingers. “Fine, then, never mind. Sorry. I won’t tell him. My good friend Hansol.”

The vampire beamed happily. “Now, your majesty, it is time to sleep.”

“I haven’t slept well in so long, Hansol.”

“Should I ask Suk-”

He quickly shook his head. “No… it’s nothing either of you can do.”

He sat back a little, thinking about it. “Majesty?”

“Mm?”

“…you could always order him.”

He expected to be reprimanded for breaching the topic, but the King simply looked away, staring at the ceiling, glassy-eyed. “I don’t want to,” he whispered, voice shaking. “He doesn’t want to come back. And I understand why. I won’t force him.”

“It’s not like that-”

“I did a bad thing, Hansol. A terrible thing. And no matter how far he’s willing to go for King and country… I hurt him too much for us to be what we used to be. I messed this up all by myself… and I have to bear the punishment.”

“This is stupid and I hate it.”

“You have no discipline, Choi Seungcheol.”

The guard leapt in the air, spinning instantly to bow deeply. “Forgive me, General. I was not speaking of-”

“Oh please. It is stupid and I hate it too. But this is where the business is being conducted, and this is where we have to root it out.” The General stood at the water beside Seungcheol, staring out to the horizon. “It’s hard to be away from the capital when his majesty could be in danger at any moment. Must be harder for you.”

“I-I’m just a lowly guard, General.”

“Ah, please. You’ve been guarding him his entire childhood. I already know how miserable you two brats are making each other.”

He clenched his jaw. “Jooheon, you traitor.”

“Jooheon’s more tight-lipped than a monk,” the General scowled. “I have two eyes in my head, I can see just fine for myself. Even the late majesty spoke often of it. Your devotion to each other. When his majesty was little. I suppose that’s what happens when you save a child’s life like that. When he found out what had happened to his son, his late majesty broke down for weeks. He couldn’t stand it. It wasn’t until he saw you and him one night in the darkness, when he saw how carefully you cared for him, that he was able to draw strength. He sent me letters about it. He told me that if a boy guard like you was able to take care of and love a monster, why couldn’t a father? He was very hurt to be outdone by you, if I remember correctly.”

Seungcheol had gone bright red, from the tips of his ears to the tips of his toes. “Ma-ma- no no no Gen-General – Gen – General!”

“Oh yes, he knew, and kept me appraised of everything, too. He told me about having fake-silver utensils brought for his son, about the mirrors that were cursed so they would protect him from being found out by those closest to him, and about the elaborate way he had to keep his children apart, lest a vampire not be considered suitable for the throne.” He noticed the look he was getting. “To be honest, I didn’t really believe him. But… here we are. In service of the vampire King.”

Seungcheol simply turned to stare at the horizon over the sea too. “Yes, sir.”

“You’d do well to remember, soldier… you are that King’s entire past. You are equally responsible for his future.”

“How so, sir?”

He paused, sighing deeply. “Vampires gain eternal life.”

“Yes, sir, they do.”

“Then, he will not age.”

“No, he will not age beyond this point.”

“How long can he stay on the throne, then?” He turned to Seungcheol. “Another ten years? Twenty? What happens if he’s still King when he is forty? Fifty? When the maids start whispering about his flawless, tight skin, and when the eunuchs are scared to bathe him because how could a sixty year old man have that body?”

Seungcheol stood still. He’d never thought of it before.

“It will not be long now, Choi Seungcheol, that the King will have to stage his own death. He will sire his son and rear him, and pretend to die, and watch from the seclusion of a far-off land. His children will die, and their children will come to power and die, and his great-great-great grandchildren will tear this country apart for the throne, and he will have to watch from the sidelines. He will have to release his royal burden and become a peasant. Forever, until the end of time, or the world. Do you think he can make a change like that without you?” He leaned in a little, not threatening, almost pleading. “Do you think he can live through eternity without you?”

Chapter Text

Seungkwan darted through the streets at speed until he fell on top of Seungcheol, full-throttle. “Tonight,” he gasped, holding himself on his feet by way of clinging to his new favourite soldier. “It’s tonight.”

“Are you okay?”

“I ran,” he huffed some more, slowly trusting his knocking knees to hold him more bit by bit. “I don’t run.”

Seungcheol held him until he could walk. “Do you know where?”

He nodded. “There’s a ship. On the docks. They’re going to be transported onto it. But I don’t know where.”

“…why a ship? That makes no sense. If the Wolverine Cult are vampires who want to usurp the throne, which we know, and if they want to create an army of ghouls, which we strongly suspect… why take their victims onto a ship?”

Seungkwan shook his head. “No idea.”

“Go get something to eat. I have to go speak to the General.”

Within the hour Seungcheol was flying through the streets of the city he knew so well: he hit the harbour and blended in effortlessly with the crowd, strolling along at a normal pace. At the very end he ducked between the rocks, and slid into the seawater, silent and unnoticed.

It was one hell of a swim, and not one that was enjoyed – vampires had a tendency to sink and it was only that Seungcheol was a strong swimmer that he managed to keep his head above water – but it got him around the ships in the harbour without any nonsense, where he climbed aboard the relevant one, slipping through a porthole with a lot of writhing.

“Oh,” he mumbled to himself as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. “This was… not the plan.”

The cage he had landed in was a crude thing of iron, big enough only for one medium-sized animal: the deck was lined with them, with only a short passageway between them.

“Hey,” a whisper in the darkness fluttered. “Hey mister.”

He turned to his right. There were only two cages on deck that were occupied: his, and the one beside it.

He was hard to make out in the dim light, but he couldn’t have been very old: he was somewhere between a child and a young man, with an ashen face and skinny little arms. “Mister. You’re not part of the crew.”

“No,” Seungcheol whispered back. “Are you… did they put you in here?”

The boy nodded. “There’s two more decks, and some women, but I don’t know who. Hey mister, are you here to sink the ship?”

The delight and hope in the boy’s voice shocked him. “What? No! There are people on board! You’re on board!”

The boy’s shoulders fell. “But I’m not going home alive anyway. I’d rather drown then be sold off to a brothel in China.”

“…a brothel in China?”

He shrugged. “Isn’t that where they’re taking us?”

Seungcheol could only send him a glance of pity.

“Mister, you know something I don’t?”

“Yeah, I know you’re going home alive. I’m going to get you out of here. Wait here and don’t say a word to anybody.” He pressed a hand against the porthole; he pressed a little harder; he shoved against it with all its might.

“It locks from the outside,” the boy answered miserably. “I tried mine but I’m not strong enough to push it open. They’re heavy.”

Seungcheol’s fingers slid around the edges of his cage, but there was no helping it: he really, truly, was trapped.

“Mister, were you supposed to save me? Did you mess up?”

Seungcheol’s lips thinned into a stern line. “Hey. I didn’t mess up. It’s the porthole’s fault.”

“Mister, I-”

Seungcheol gripped his bars and began to pull, triceps and biceps building under the linen of his peasant clothes: slowly, very slowly, the bars inched apart until they were only a tiny bit wider.

“Wow! Mister! How strong are you?!”

Voices interrupted: steps on the stairs did not go down as far as them, but stopped to make a ruckus overhead. Seungcheol exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Listen, kid. You have a name?”

“Chan. Lee Chan.”

“Hi Chan, I’m Choi Seungcheol.” He glanced up at the wood, then to the child next to him. “I’m starting to get a plan here. I didn’t know there were already innocents on board. So here’s the deal. We’re going to set sail tonight. Then we’re going to stop, and they’re going to take us above-board. When I give the signal, I need you to pull keys off the jailer, and run downstairs to free everyone.”

“Mister, you’re crazy.”

“I can bend iron.”

“…true. But won’t the jailer come after me?”

“You leave the jailor to me.” He gently pushed his bars back to where they had been. “In the meantime, it’s a few more hours until we set sail. How old are you?”

“Nine.”

Seungcheol shut his eyes, leaning his head against the wood. “Nine.”

“You can depend on me, though. I’m very dependable. I managed to live this long, didn’t I?”

Seungcheol didn’t answer that. “Think you can be quiet for a while, Chan? I need to think about this.”

The child instantly closed his mouth, sat back, and allowed his new friend to visualize.

The cages had all been filled, and he had been blissfully blown off as another captured child in the dark: they were nearly all filled with children but for two women and a man at the end, sometimes two children to a cage, most of them girls, though there were a few boys. They all shivered and huddled in the dark, all of them too frightened to squeak.

It took some time for them to set sail: with a guard on their deck, Seungcheol could only give the boy next to him reassuring looks.

The time seemed to drag by, endless: the movement to set sail seemed to take hours, and the journey even longer, until finally, the ship stopped again, and orders were huffed to bring the first prisoners up.

Seungcheol was pulled from his tiny cage, as were the adult man and two women; Chan, and three little girls, all younger than Chan. They were hurried away, up several flights until they reached the deck.

It was a little disorienting, to have been in sunlight and now surrounded by darkness, but there were plenty of lanterns on board by which to see, and that did not make it any easier.

The jailer was there, and three or four guards: a man in silk robes, sat in a chair near-by. Beside him stood a man, entirely shrouded in black robes, a long hood covering his face.

“Hurry up, then. Start with one of the girls.”

It was obvious from the look on the child’s face that Chan expected Seungcheol to suddenly become the hero of the day: but that was not something Seungcheol could do.

He watched, cringing, fighting nausea, as the little girl was taken to the edge of the ship, and stabbed through the abdomen. It took a moment for her to die, horrifying as it was, and then she sank to the ground.

The man in the robes began to whisper into a candle as it was lit: the whispers turned to hums, and then suddenly, demonic screeching: he danced horrifically, as if his limbs were held by puppet strings, jerking violently over the body. Then, in one fell swoop, he blew the candle out over the girl’s face.

A moment of silence passed. Then another, and another – until too much time had passed.

“This one is not hated by the living,” the robed man muttered towards his companion. “She is not cursed. She cannot be turned.”

The man in silk turned his head, then jerked it, and with one sweep, the body was thrown overboard.

Seungcheol turned to Chan, about to give him the signal, but he had to stop.

The boy was brimming with silent tears, trembling from head to toe, mouth mashed into an angry line. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he looked up at Seungcheol with a look of pure anger in his eyes.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. You promised to save us were words that were loud in clear in his black eyes.

“Next.”

Now, he couldn’t hesitate: two daggers flew from his hands before he’d even thought about it. The jailor dropped dead instantly, the blade embedded in his glabella; the man in silk was pinned to his chair, gut bleeding out.

It took the boy child a moment before he understood.

Yes, Seungcheol thought as he tackled one of the guards. Yes, I promised to save you. I’m not going back on that now.

The commotion was ultimate: Chan was caught by a guard as he rushed below-deck with the jailor’s keys, and dragged back only to be released, as the guard was a little busy with a blade in his back. As the child rushed away Seungcheol drew more daggers and knives from his person, closely being circled by the last three guards.

Three huge men, the size of lions, fully armed, against one little royal guard with some letter-openers. The poor bastards didn’t stand a chance.

Seungcheol lit fireworks from the port bow: with the signal lit, three ships sailed out of Busan harbour to intercept him.

For a brief moment, Seungcheol stood there, staring at the harbour he hated to love, watching the lights of Busan glow in the distance. I promised him I’d save him. For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he meant Chan, or the King.

And then, suddenly, it all went black.

“Your majesty.”

The King sat happily. “I’m glad to tell you the ministers could find no conclusive proof that you’ve ever been up to anything untoward. They took their precious time, but you are no longer being investigated.”

“Ah, that’s good, your majesty.”

The King gave him a look.

“…sir.”

“I’ll take it. Sit with me. This looks good.” The King poured wine and raised his chopsticks to pile food onto his older brother’s plate. “Hurry up, though, or I’ll eat it all before you get a chance.”

Jeonghan laughed, embarrassed, and sat opposite him. “How have you been?”

“Alright. I…” He paused for a moment, all trace of joviality gone. “I’m sorry. About the baby.”

Jeonghan froze.

“You should have been there for her, and I should never have forced you into that position. Your child died and you did not even get to… I’m sorry.”

It took Jeonghan a moment. “I have mourned my share, majesty. It is now time to look to the future. After all, your majesty cannot be blamed. Babies are lost all the time. We cannot change God’s will.”

The King nodded once before continuing with his food.

“I assume your majesty would like to repeat the process and try for another child?”

He didn’t answer for a moment. “I haven’t decided yet.”

“Oh?”

“I think, for a little longer, we can all go on pretending that it is too much to ask right now. Although… would you mind? If I invited you? Just… her majesty never recovered. Not really. She’s lost her fighting spirit. And though I’d like if it she wasn’t fighting with me, it’s sad to see her like this.”

“I’m hardly in the position to-”

“Jeonghan.”

The brothers stared at each other for a moment.

“Very well, majesty. Then, may I speak with your majesty on an equally sensitive subject?”

“Yes.”

He waited, he bridled, and took a long drink of wine before he managed to blurt it out. “Please stop being so stubborn and order Choi Seungcheol to guard you again.”

The King blanked, hard. The confusion and shock was plain on his face.

“After he resigned he actually came to me to pay his respects. We’ve been meeting on and off lately. He doesn’t share his woes with me, but it’s painfully obvious he pines for you, and I’m no fool. You pine for him too. Please stop making things so unbearable for the people around you and swallow your pride.”

His jaw dropped.

“He’s devoted his entire life to you. To abandon him now is cold-hearted.”

“I didn’t abandon him.” The words came out as whispers. “I hurt him. I can’t ask him to come back after I hurt him so much.”

“It’s not like you asked him to secretly impregnate your wife.” He saw the look he was given and decided not to go down that vein. “It’s no secret to anybody that you have each long forgiven each other for past transgressions, whatever they may be. You’re both so prideful you just can’t see it. You two shouldn’t be apart. You’re miserable, and your making your entire entourage miserable.”

The King stabbed a vegetable with his chopsticks, staring at it for a while. “You don’t know anything about it.”

“…Choi Seungcheol has given up a lot of his life to take care of you. Why, do you think?”

The question irked the King for no reason at all. “Being a King’s guard has a lot of benefits,” he snapped. “It’s lucrative, for one.”

“Do you really think that he cares for you for the money?”

His jaw snapped closed with an audible little crack.

“Majesty- ugh, fine. Sir. He has dedicated himself to you because he sees nobody better for his worship. And we all know you are just as dedicated to him – or you wouldn’t be trying to protect him right now. But enough is enough. Set your pride aside and ask him to stay with you. Forever, this time.”

“Staying with me is dangerous for him.”

“Stop making excuses.” Jeonghan sighed. “Because I’m your brother I’m probably the only one that can say this, but please stop acting like a spoiled child. You are a King. He is your guard. Summon him before your heart breaks to a point where it cannot be healed. You want him by your side and only he will do. So make sure he never leaves you again.”

“I-”

“You’re scared without him. You can’t even bear the idea of falling asleep without him nearby to keep you safe. Your entire world revolves around him. That is something your enemies will find out sooner rather than later, and they will use it against you. You have a greater chance of keeping him safe if he’s close than if he’s far away. He is your only weakness, so keep him so close nobody can hurt him.”

They stared at each other.

“You are in love with him. As King you have the unique opportunity to have him by your side, taking care of you, protecting you and loving you for the rest of your life.” The bitterness in his voice couldn’t be contained. “Don’t let that opportunity be snatched away from you. It’s not worth it. I would know.”

Chapter Text

“My lovely lady Yehana.”

The girl laughed happily, accepting the flower graciously. “Sir, you spoil me. How can you be this charming to random people? Her majesty must be very jealous.”

“You underestimate yourself.” The King smiled at her, entirely ignoring the jab. “You’re the perfect conduit. If we couldn’t meet now and then, how would I ever know what normal life is like for my people? Without you, I wouldn’t be a very good King.”

“Ah, sir, you flatter me too much.”

“Anyway, even if that wasn’t so, do you know how nice this is? Since… my little sister passed away, I’ve missed her presence. I need a little sister to dote on. You’ll forgive me for acting like a brother towards you, won’t you?”

She blushed, but her expression was sad. “Ah, sir… I understand that.”

“Then sit down with me and have something to eat. Buying you a meal is the least an older brother can do.”

Mingyu watched closely as the King sat with Yehana, doting on her. He was right: the King acted as if it was his little sister. It was a heartwarming sight to see him so happy, smiling and laughing, and ultimately, relaxed.

It was because of that happy smile, that Mingyu saw them too late. Too late entirely.

“Majesty,” he hissed. “We have to leave, now.”

The King stood, understanding the urgency of the tone and not questioning its source – he had long learned to trust Mingyu’s directions as if they were God-given law – but it was too late.

He locked eyes with the First Right Minister as he left.

He had been seen.

“Mister?”

The sound from Seungcheol’s throat was nothing more than a guttural yelp, and it took him a few tries before he could regain control over his mouth. “Run,” he begged, hand itching over the wood to find a weapon. “Run, child.”

“I don’t have to.”

“Step away from him!”

“He’s not hurt.” Chan stepped away, voice fading. “The scary demon guy hit him on the head and then ran away.”

Three soldiers hurried to Seungcheol’s side as the others corralled children from one ship to another: it didn’t take long for him to shake it off, and he made it to his feet, knees knocking a little. “What was I even hit with?”

“It was a huge metal staff.” Chan slid forward to stay at his side. “A big silver one. Was it real silver?”

“Could have been,” he hedged, pretending his skull didn’t smell of burnt hair. “Are you okay?”

“Yessir!” The child bowed, his look of anger entire disappeared. There was no sign of his feeling of betrayal left, only happiness. “You did it!”

“Sure, kid.” He patted the boy’s shoulder. “You’re sure you didn’t get hurt much?”

He shook his head happily. “You’re really nice!”

“Listen, go to the other boat. They’ll take you back to the mainland and you can go back to your family. Your mom must be worried about you, right? Go and get a hot meal.”

The light in his eyes dimmer. “Ah, she won’t be so worried…”

It took him a moment. Seungcheol carefully sat down where he stood. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’m only a soldier, so I’m rough around the edges. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“That’s okay mister!” He brightened instantly. “You were so cool! Like, wha-chaaa, and ka-bow! And he went down!” For a couple of seconds, the child pretended to mimic Seungcheol’s martial arts. “I’m going to be just like that.”

“Yeah? How are you going to learn?”

“I’m going to beat up bad guys!”

Seungcheol had to chuckle. “You have to make sure not to beat up good and innocent citizens, though. Sometimes it’s hard to know the difference, but you can’t go around beating people up in the streets. If you do that, you’re no better than a criminal yourself.”

“Ah.” He stopped short. “I didn’t think of that. Would I really be a criminal?”

“Of course! You can’t go around hitting people just because you think they’re wrong.” He looked over at the ship filling itself with children. “Tell you though, when we’re done, there won’t be many bad guys left down here in Busan.”

“Ah, are you going to catch them all?”

“Sure. You won’t have anybody to practise on, then. Oh, but there’s plenty of bad guys in the capital, though.”

“There are? Then I’ll go to the capital!”

“How? It’s a long way from here to there.”

“How long?”

“Well, on foot? Probably a few weeks.” Seungcheol stood, guiding the child over to the ship bound for the harbour. “But, I just happened to know it’ll take us a while to get to the capital with our criminal.” He nodded at where the silk-laden man was fussing against his ropes, being pulled away below deck. “So, if you want to, you can walk with us? Safer that way, too.”

“Eh.” He wrinkled his nose. “I’m not a slave boy though. Just cause I’m a street orphan doesn’t mean I’m a slave. Just a peasant.”

“Who said you’d be a slave?” He followed the boy onto the other ship. “You’d be my friend. You’d be coming as my hero friend who helped all these children get home.”

“Oh.” He rubbed his face for a moment. “That sounds alright then. Cause I can help people in the capital too, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I’d like that.”

“Good. It’s settled, then.” Seungcheol patted him on the shoulder. “Now, do you want to see something really good?”

Gently, Chan turned. Right there, on what seemed to be the edge of the world, the sky was a gradient of black to blue, and on the horizon pink gave way to orange and a fiery red.

He smiled a little. “I watch it come up nearly every day. It’s really nice over the water.”

“I agree. I liked it a lot when I lived here, too. But take a good look. You don’t get sunrise like that in the capital.”

The ship set sail for land once more.

“Ah, we had to hurry forward in front of the others so you could take him to the palace jail later?”

“That’s right.”

“Hey Seung- oh, who is this?”

“Ah.” Seungcheol carefully dismounted and gingerly pulled Chan from his horse. “Hansol, this is my friend Chan. Chan, this is Hansol. Chan helped me a lot in Busan, and wants to learn how to get rid of bad guys, so I thought I’d bring him with me.”

“I see.” Hansol hesitated a moment, then bowed to the child. “Did you tell Roa?”

“Did… did I need to? Did she not… see?”

“I don’t kno-”

A bloodcurdling scream went through the air, and Seungcheol looked a lot more sallow when he realized the scream was simply one curse – his name.

“A fae child?!” she screamed hysterically, rushing through the gates. “You brought a fae child into a witch’s house?! What is wrong with you? You can’t bring a-!”

She stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide, as she stared at the boy.

Chan gave her a somewhat sombre look, quickly staring at his feet. “I’m sorry, lady,” he mumbled. “I don’t have to come in.”

“…fae?” Seungcheol asked.

The fear in Roa’s eyes melted as she approached him gently. “Hello,” she said softly. “I’m Roa.”

“I’m Chan.”

“A Banshee.”

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

She gingerly placed a hand on his head. “…alright. Look at you. It’s been a very long journey for you. You look like your starving. You couldn’t even feed him?” She gave her husband a swat. “You can’t bring a death seer fae boy to my house without feeding him, fool. Come on, Chan. We’ll see about getting you something delicious.” There was something different in the way she walked, guiding the young boy into her house.

Hansol and Seungcheol stood for just a moment.

“What just happened?”

“Ah, I think Banshee is a type of fae that can see the dead and know when people are going to die,” Hansol muttered. “And I think that kid is one. Usually, fae and witches get into scraps together, but… Roa didn’t seem too bothered, actually.”

Seungcheol paused. “She’ll be a great mother one day.”

“I don’t know if you saw her with him, but I think she just adopted him.” He turned. “The rest of the parade is coming. Are you going in?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s talk later, then.”

“Yes, General.”

They stopped in the courtyard as the cage was rolled away towards the jail: the two stood there for a while, talking softly.

“I’m sure the other ministers are already aware of his arrest,” the General breathed. “We should be prepared for any eventuality. Keep your eyes on the palace. You may be needed.”

“Of course, General.”

“They have been rowdy of late, and while the Left ministers have since aligned themselves with his majesty, he has been careful in his selection of ministers he trusts. As a result, enemies are many and allies are few.”

“Yes si-”

“What is it?” The General’s hand automatically slid towards his sword. “What do you smell?”

“Blood.” Seungcheol calmly exhaled, and took in a long breath through his nose. His eyes blew wide, and within seconds, he had disappeared.

The scent of blood wasn’t all Jooheon’s scent. It was the King’s.

Chapter Text

Jooheon was still breathing, and still squirming, even: he waved Seungcheol on, but he didn’t need to. Seungcheol wouldn’t have stayed over his bleeding body for long.

The King had been cut, and that was too much to accept.

The library was otherwise abandoned, but for a masked man, sword brandished and marked, stealthily slipping through the bookcases.

“Hah!” Seungcheol screamed, desperate to detract attention from wherever the King was. “Here, fool.”

The man turned instantly.

Seungcheol pulled his sword equally. “You will not hurt him.”

The fight was fast and furious, and very obviously, between two vampires: the opponent was strong, but with the King’s fresh blood in the air, he would never win against Seungcheol.

It didn’t take long for him to make his escape, sliced up one side with a silver-bladed dagger. He jumped out a window, into a tree, and far off the palace grounds, within seconds – and the fight was over.

His Majesty the King sat curled up, shaking, under a desk.

Seungcheol bent down to him slowly, and reached out his hand. “Your majesty,” he whispered gently, “do you trust me?”

It had been sixteen years since he had done the same thing: bent over the four-year-old prince’s cot, and asked for his trust.

And just like last time, the King shot forward to latch onto his guard, and not let go.

“Seungcheol. Seungcheol, Seungcheol, Seungcheol, Seungcheol!”

“Yes, your majesty.” He dropped his sword to hold him close. “Yes, it’s okay. You’re safe now. I’ve made you safe now. It’s alright. You’re safe now. I have you safe.”

In relief, he cried.

“Mingyu?”

Seungcheol’s nose wrinkled a little. “I can fetch him, if your majesty wants me to.”

A moment of silence passed. “Seungcheol?”

“I am here, your majesty.”

“It’s dark.”

“Your majesty has slept. The wound was not as extensive as it looked, but your majesty passed out and the physician felt it was wise to allow you to sleep.”

“Where are you?”

“Here.”

“Come closer.”

Seungcheol didn’t make a sound as he gently padded to the edge of the King’s bed, kneeling there. “I am here, your majesty.”

The King couldn’t bear to look at him, sitting up in the darkness, staring at the wall. “Stay,” he whispered.

“I will do as you command, your majesty.”

“I am in love with you, Choi Seungcheol.”

For the first time in days, the soldier smiled, his whole heart in it. “I know, your majesty.” They both looked at each other for a moment. “Your majesty is thirsty. Please allow me to feed you.”

He smiled, gently.

“This is nice.”

“It is, your majesty?”

“Do you not like it?”

“I could never be discontent with your majesty safely in my arms. Forgive me. My diligence as a soldier has once again failed you.”

“I didn’t even know you were here and the cut isn’t even deep. Relax. How is Jooheon?”

“He’ll be fine, sire, in a few more months.”

The King tightened his grip on his oldest friend, pulling himself even closer. “Thank you for saving me.”

He smiled, a warm hand brushing his bedmate’s head. “That is not something your majesty needs to thank me for. It was my duty, my honour, and my pleasure.”

The King curled even closer, throwing a leg over Seungcheol’s. “Thank you for staying with me.”

“If it pleases your majesty… I don’t want to leave again.”

“I won’t let you. I won’t hurt you that much again.”

Seungcheol nodded.

The King closed his eyes for a moment of bliss. “I missed you.”

He was very quiet for a moment. “I missed your majesty, too. I’m glad Mingyu was here to safeguard your majesty as you suffered.”

“Mingyu isn’t you.” His voice suddenly became hard. “He’ll never be you. Don’t ever think you’re replaceable to me. You’re not. It can only ever be you.”

“Shhhh.” Seungcheol pressed his forehead against the King’s. “Please do not fret, your majesty. I’m here. I will not leave again. It’s a solemn vow.”

The King’s arms became a fraction tighter. “Good. You’re mine now, Choi Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol could only smile.

“I heard you did well helping the General. Thank you.”

“Of course, your majesty.”

The King suddenly reached up, kissing him – it was a brief, startling little kiss, that seemed to grasp the breath right from his throat. “Sorry, sorry – I just really – I really wanted to.”

Very gently, and very gingerly, Seungcheol leaned in for another.

He was soft – too soft, he knew, for a soldier: how could a man who fought the evils of the world be this gentle? How could his lips be so careful? He kissed the King as if he could drip sweetness into his mouth like that: as if he was holding the most precious thing in the world.

The King gasped when possible, enveloped in the warm feeling, until he finally growled, pushing back and flipping his guard over. Within seconds he was hovering above him, staring down with a fire in his eyes he wasn’t sure of.

Seungcheol has to smile. “Is your majesty going to conquer me?”

The King cringed a little, and Seungcheol instantly flipped him back.

“Perhaps the conquering should be left for another time,” he breathed softly, a single hand hovering over his thigh, “until your majesty’s health has returned fully.”

“That’s not fair,” the King whined while cringing at the stinging on his leg.

“Would your majesty like me to fetch the physician?”

“No – no, there’s no point.” He sighed. “Just stay with me. Right now, that’s what I want. If it’s alright with you.”

Seungcheol mimicked the King’s position, folding the covers over them both again. “I should be executed for this, you know.”

“Never. Never, ever, as long as I live.”

Seungcheol couldn’t wipe the soft smile from his face: he simply stared at his King in a dreamy state, watching his face in the darkness.

Eventually, the King shuffled forward to kiss him sweetly. “I like this whole kissing business,” he mumbled shyly. “We should do it more often.”

“Not in public.”

“Was I born yesterday? No, not in public, you fool.”

He flinched.

“No! Oh, no, no!” He instantly rushed forward, both hands gently holding Seungcheol’s face. “No, I didn’t mean it like that, I love you. You’re my fool. My wonderful, brilliant fool. I’m sorry. It’s been so long, I – I just!”

The smile returned. “Thank you, your majesty.”

“We should sleep.”

“Sleep tight, your majesty. I will diligently watch over you.”

He scowled. “If you don’t sleep how will you be awake tomorrow?”

“I’m afraid I’ll have to be off-duty tomorrow.” He held up a palm against the King’s objections. “I’ve been in Busan for a long time, your majesty. I deserve some time off.”

He pouted, but let it go. “Fine, then. You won’t stay away long, will you? I – I need you with me, Seungcheol.”

He chuckled. “Since when has my beloved King been this clingy? No, sire, I won’t be gone long. With that promise, please sleep soundly.”

Hansol and Seungcheol sat outside, roasting pieces of chicken over the fire.

“So they were stealing children and dumping the bodies that didn’t turn into ghouls overboard so there wouldn’t be a body trail?”

Seungcheol nodded once.

“That’s messed up, even for an evil guild of vampires.”

He nodded again.

Hansol turned the chicken. “Why children?”

Seungcheol sighed heavily. “You and I have strong moral compasses.”

“We do…?”

“How would you feel about mercilessly slaughtering children by the hundreds?”

Hansol sat back down, almost making a plop sound as he did so. “Oh.”

They sat at the fire in silence for a long time.

“He’s down.” Roa happily sat beside Hansol, pushing an empty cup at him to fill. “He gets a lot of energy at the night. It’ll be difficult getting him to sleep at the same time from now on.”

“You’re not his mother, Roa.”

The instant he said it, he knew it was a mistake: the expressions Roa made were quick and difficult to decipher. There was pain there, and longing, and a fierce anger – but eventually she settled on a neutral, almost haughty expression. “Imagine picking a homeless fae child off the streets and giving him a nice cushy home and nice clothes and hot food and not wanting him to be loved by his carers. If your sister and mother knew, Choi Seungcheol, they would be horrified.”

The little segment of shame did the trick: he hung his head, blushing harshly. “Sorry, Roa.”

Hansol flipped the chicken again. “When you think about it, having a fae kid in the house isn’t a bad idea. Especially not a death seer.”

Roa nearly hit him, only stopping herself at the last moment. “This is a child, Hansol. He’s a death seer, but it’s still an emotional process for him. It affects him very strongly. Don’t use him like a pawn.”

The two soldiers shared a look.

“If you use that child, Choi Seungcheol, take a moment to remember what you married.”

Seungcheol made a face, but had to give in – for now. “Sorry, Roa, I’ve been troubling you a lot lately.”

“Go work back at the palace already and stay out of my hair.”

“Alright.”

They both paused.

“You’re really…?”

“Yeah. We agreed I’d come back. Pretend to spy on him for the Queen. All that. I start back tomorrow.”

There were congratulations and drinks, and after the chicken, bed.

“Hey. Seungcheol.”

“Mm?”

Roa patted his back. “…be careful. Things stir in the shadows this spring.”

He nodded. “You, too, Roa. Take good care of yourself.”

The King hurried the last mouthfuls of food, shovelling the rice and vegetables down his throat was embarrassing speed. He could hear the footsteps coming from afar, and he didn’t want to disappoint. The kitchen staff, completely unaware that the love of the King’s life was on his way, were delighted with the sudden increase in appetite.

They were still praising him by the time Seungcheol showed up, which was infinitely embarrassing, and the King hurried them out quickly again. Before long he was curled up in Seungcheol’s lap, nearly purring with happiness, simply leaning against his chest.

“You took too long,” he sighed happily.

“Forgive me, your majesty. I needed a lot of rest.”

“Mm, did you rest well?” He looked at Seungcheol like he was the stars themselves. “Do you feel better now?”

“I feel very well now, your majesty.” His arms around the King tightened slightly. “Was your majesty able to eat well this morning?”

“I thought if I didn’t you might scold me.”

“I would. It’s important you eat well.”

The King smiled. “Call me by my name, Seungcheol.”

The guard leaned in very lightly. “Jihoon,” he breathed, his voice so soft it wouldn’t have moved a feather. “Jihoon, Jihoon, Jihoon…”

This elicited a long, drawn-out, heavy kiss from the King: one that could be felt right down to the toes, and one that could have led to other things, if it hadn’t been interrupted.

“Your majesty! Your majesty, it’s your servant Suk!” His voice was high with panic. “Your majesty, please allow me an audience!”

The King leapt out of Seungcheol’s lap. Suk was rarely so distressed. “What is it?”

The eunuch nearly flew into the room, sweating and stuttering, only daring to utter the words when the doors behind him closed. “Majesty! I don’t understand it!”

“What is it, Suk? Quickly!”

“Your – your majesty!” He looked up, red-faced in terror. “Word has been sent… that your majesty’s Royal Noble Consort has arrived, at the Queen’s order, after having spent the night being blessed by your majesty!”

Chapter Text

Fury was not the word: the King marched down hallways as if the fire of hell itself was under his feet, and most certainly in his eyes. He walked so fast the last members of his entourage had to jog to keep up; the loose folds of his robes flickered in the wind as he stomped through the palace. The wound in his leg seemed to no longer matter.

He burst through the doors without introduction.

“Mother,” his hissed at the woman there, “I need a word with my wife. In private.”

There was some consternation at this, but even the Queen Mother knew not to push the rules of royal civility too far: she took her leave, and was barely out of earshot before he began.

“What exactly are you doing?” he shouted.

The Queen gazed up at him coolly before standing and moving. “Please sit, your majesty.”

“No. No I will not sit. I want you to tell me what I just heard this morning.”

The Queen stood opposite him, watching his rage calmly for a moment. “Several ministers found your majesty in the arms of a woman lately. It became a rumour that went through this place like a flame, that your majesty was holding a mistress outside the palace. That kind of rumour could be a very large scandal.”

It took a moment for the information to sink in, and within moments, he understood. The anger in his face gave way to pure, hurt fear. “It was… her.”

“It was only a matter of time before the ministers brought it up in court. I decided to spare your majesty and myself that kind of humiliation. The girl has been brought to the palace in her own paladin, escorted by palace maids an eunuchs, as is the proper royal etiquette. We have to follow etiquette in matters such as, who the King sleeps with. She isn’t of noble birth, I’ve understood, so I’ve given her the Sukwon title. If your majesty wishes to promote her, I have no problems with that, but you will have to discuss that with the ministers.”

“What are you doing?” His voice was now more aghast than angry. “I haven’t been with her. She’s just a girl. She’s just a nice girl I know. I haven’t slept with her. She’s got nothing to do with this palace. She’s got nothing to do with me.”

“And yet you were seen, late at night, together, in each other’s arms, by ministers of the royal court.”

“We weren’t – ah!” He stared at her in complete abandon, eyes red, hurt and shaken. “How could you, without asking me?”

She looked at him with confusion. “Your majesty has slept with a woman. Surely your majesty cannot be ignorant of the implications. Any woman your majesty sleeps with has to be officially taken as a concubine and consort and brought to live at the palace, as she has been blessed by you.”

“A – A royal concubine threatens your position as queen!” He motioned wildly at her in desperation. “How can you knowingly put another woman in the position to threaten you like that?”

“Somebody has to continue the line and give your majesty an heir.”

“An heir?!” He stumbled backwards in shock.

“Yes, your majesty. Did you forget your majesty’s promise to me?” Her eyes shone with an odd light as her voice deepened. “You promised me you would never put me through something like losing a child again. Your majesty will have to provide the nation with your progeny through another vessel. You never know. She could already be pregnant with your majesty’s child.”

“Pregnant?!” he gasped. “I’ve never slept with her!”

“That is your majesty’s word against the minister’s.”

“Undo it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Undo your summons. Post notice that it was a clerical error.”

“I cannot do something like that, your majesty. Everybody knows your majesty has been with her. To send her away now, when everybody knows you have been with her, would shame not only both of us, but her as well. She would become known as a harlot, and would end up in a pleasure house.”

The King looked at her, fully pained now. “Queen, you don’t know. You don’t understand who she is. What this is going to do to me.”

“Perhaps your majesty should have thought of that before being seen in public with another woman.”

“She’s like a sister to me. How could you put me in this position?”

“I did what was right. I was the one to follow palace etiquette. I was the one to save her from a life of prostitution. She will have a better life now than ever before. She will have servants, eat foods she’s never even seen before, wear the prettiest silks.”

“She’s not –” He had to compose himself a moment. “My father’s reign was torn by the child he had by a concubine. You would make me do the same? You would have me ruin my children, my court, my nation the way he did?”

She looked up, calm once again. “Your majesty will not be producing any more children through the queen. You only have to produce one through Sukwon. I will then adopt the child, and he will grow up as the rightful heir to the throne.”

He simply stood there, shaking his head in anguish. “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

The Queen simply stood there.

He slowly made for the door. “When you die, wife,” he whispered, “I hope God has mercy on your soul for what you’ve done today. Because in this mortal world, I will never forgive you.”

He stood outside the Queen’s quarters for a moment, breathing slowly. He looked at Seungcheol.

Sweet, dear Seungcheol, who searched the King’s face ardently, loyally, for signs of distress. The way he looked at him was of full devotion. “Your majesty… can I help?”

Silence filled the hallway for a moment. “No,” the King answered, almost dream-like. “No, I… cannot be helped now. I… I need to go visit my new consort.”

He couldn’t bear telling Seungcheol. So he simply walked along.

It could not have been any worse for the King. He was hoping to speak to her in private, before unveiling her identity: explain to her what kind of mistake had taken place, ask her forgiveness for the hardship she was about to endure. But she stood in the gardens of her quarters, and turned the moment his entourage arrived.

She was a unique beauty, in her new silks and lovely accessories. The expression painted on her face was confusion, worry, and upset.

“…brother? Your majesty?”

Seungcheol gulped down a single breath. “…my sister?” he whispered in horror. “Your new consort… is my sister?”

The King could not look away from the young girl in the garden. “I am sorry, Choi Seungcheol,” he whispered in equal anguish. “This was not my plan. To hurt her, to bring her here, all of this… I am losing control, and I do not know how to stop it.”

And so he simply walked forth to meet his new Consort.

Chapter Text

“Yehana… I am so sorry.” He couldn’t bear to look at her. “I only wanted a little sister. That’s all I ever wanted. I never wanted such a misunderstanding to take place. I didn’t want to subject you to the pain of palace life. To the horrors and intrigue of this forsaken place. I never meant for you to go through this. Please… I beg your forgiveness.”

The little girl made a squealing sound when she saw the King bow to her. “Your majesty, please don’t bow to me!”

“I have wronged you, little one.”

“That’s not the point!” she squeaked.

He sat back up. “All the same… I swear to you, I did not order this. I never meant this for you.”

“I see… I thought it was a misunderstanding…?”

He looked at her, finally giving up. “I cannot revoke the order,” he told her. “If I did, you and your family would live in shame forever. At least here you will eat, your body will be taken care of, you’ll have servants… at least here, you will not be subject to the men of the world.”

She looked down solemnly. “I see.”

“I’m so, so sorry.”

“Ah, please don’t worry, your majesty.” She tried to put on a bright smile. “After all, this is the King’s palace! These are very pretty clothes, and I can have delicious food, and all of that!”

“Oh, child.” He was utterly heartbroken. “There are hardships, living here, you know nothing of. Ministers and factions will pull at you here then there, until you rip under their duress, in their attempt to influence me. I will be under increasing pressure to put a royal child in you. You will never leave this palace until you die. You will be despised and hated by people you have never met. You will be under constant suspicion by those who love the Queen. This is the palace. It is hell, and there is no escape.”

She took all that in with a very calm expression. “But… your majesty… sees me as if I were your sister. As if Nayoung is back… and her carefree laughter with her. Is… is that really how your majesty feels?”

He nodded.

“Then, your majesty, I am doubly blessed. My brother is a trained guard, and now the King is also my brother. How can I not see how blessed I am?”

“I’m not your brother – I’m your husband. You can never marry. Never be seen in the company of another man.”

She sighed deeply. “I… I’m only a girl, your majesty. I don’t know anything about men, or Kings and Queens, but… if that is the price I must pay to keep my brother, and the brother of my best friend, safe, and help them… then that price is not too high.”

The King swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. “Little one, you’re too kind to me.”

“I’m afraid I will have to depend on your majesty a little. Please forgive me for being a burden.”

“Child, you are not a burden.” He shuddered. “I will do everything I can to keep you safe from those who would harm you. Do you understand? You can count on me to protect you. I got you into this, and I will keep you safe. You have my promise.”

She smiled, unable to hide the hesitation in it. “Then, I’ll leave it up to your majesty.” She fumbled a little, moving a little. “Ah… can I speak to my brother?”

“Yes – ah… I should probably speak to him first. Explain this to him. I think I may have truly hurt him. I need to explain to him that this wasn’t my idea. That I’ve never… been with you.”

She leaned in earnestly. “Please, your majesty. Allow me to explain it to him.”

The King and his bodyguard looked at each other.

“She wants to speak to you.”

Seungcheol hesitated.

“Go.”

“I cannot leave your majesty unguarded.”

“…I will wait for you.”

They stared at each other for a moment longer, and then Seungcheol went in.

The walk back to the King’s Quarters was cold and silent. Spring had slowed its advance, it seemed, for that day, dark and windy.

The King sat in his room, and Seungcheol sat beside him.

He couldn’t bear it for long. “Do you hate me?”

Seungcheol sighed deeply. “No. I wish I could, but no.”

“Explain.”

“Your majesty hasn’t slept with my sister.”

“No, of course not.”

“You hold her dear since your majesty’s sister has passed.”

“Yes. Like a sister.”

“Her nomination to Consort was a move entirely orchestrated by your majesty’s enemies.”

“Yes, I had no hand in it.”

“Then it is not your majesty’s fault she is here.” It took him obvious restraint to say it, and within a few minutes, he was angled towards the King, bowing deeply, voice cracking. “But please, your majesty… please… please save her. Please keep my little sister safe. She is impossibly dear to me.”

“She is dear to me, as well, Seungcheol. I will protect her. In this game… I will most definitely protect her. She will not be harmed. I promised her. I promise you the same.”

He came up from his bow. “May I ask?”

“Ask away.”

“She told me your majesty visited her often, walked with her often, especially of late. Why?”

The King gulped, looking down in shame. “Do not judge me, Choi Seungcheol. You don’t know how much I’ve suffered. You don’t know the pain I was in. You can’t judge me for trying, even a little, to alleviate that pain.”

He waited patiently.

“…I asked her… about you. If you were well, if you were hurt. If you needed anything. I asked her questions about her life, of course, she’s a sweet girl, but I wanted news of you. It was my fault you were gone, I hurt you, but I… I couldn’t live without you. To have you completely gone, without a single trace, from me… it was too much to bear. So I begged your sister for news of you, what little she could give.”

“…your majesty loves me more than I deserve. I’m sorry I caused your majesty to suffer.”

He shook his head, closing eyes. “It doesn’t matter. Your sister is in the great game now. Our first order of business will have to be to protect her. Tell Hansol I want her watched. At least three times a day I want him to know where she is and what she is doing. I want to know who visits her. He shouldn’t be seen. He’ll have leave from duty guarding me until further notice in order to watch her.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“For the record. I’m sorry this has happened. I would never wish such a precarious position on somebody you love so much.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

“I love you, Choi Seungcheol.” The only answer he received was a smile. “I love you so much I could burst. All of our bickering, our anger… I want you to know how much I love you.”

“I have understood your majesty’s love well, sire.”

“Have you?”

“Yes, your majesty. Please do not worry any longer on that account.”

“I do, though.” He looked up. “You were dying in that cellar, last year, and you still tried to tell me how devoted you were to me. I haven’t forgotten that. I don’t know how to tell you how much I feel.”

Seungcheol’s nose wrinkled as he struggled to remember events from more than a year ago. “Your majesty… let’s not remember dark times.”

The King shifted awkwardly before leaning in. “Can I… ask one question about then?”

He slowly nodded.

“You can finally tell me how I taste.”

Blush spread across his face. “Ah, majesty…”

“Please?”

“Forgive me, your majesty, for taking your majesty’s sacred blood.”

“Nevermind that now. Just tell me. Did I taste good?”

He cringed and gave in. “No, your majesty.”

His face fell.

“Rather, your majesty’s blood was delicious… but I could never enjoy it. I could never find joy in taking something from your majesty you needed to survive. I could never hurt your majesty, pierce your majesty’s sacred skin, and find fulfilment in that.”

The King’s shoulders sagged. “You really love me too much, Choi Seungcheol.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Seungcheol… can I ask an impertinent question?”

The bodyguard chuckled. “Your majesty is King. No question is too impertinent. Please ask me anything you desire.”

“Have you ever… slept with a man before?”

Seungcheol instantly began to cough on nothing: it took him a long minute to catch his breath back, face red with exertion, eyes wide. “Ma-majest- your – your majesty!”

“I told you it was impertinent.”

The redness didn’t fade. “I – I don’t even know how to answer your majesty.”

“Ah, you’ve probably slept with plenty of women before, right?”

“Majesty!”

The King’s jaw dropped, as he suddenly remembered a conversation – one they had had in what seemed like another lifetime. “Oh.”

There was a brief silence.

“You… are in love with a woman.” It took him a moment. “When I… forced you to get married… you said there was a woman you were in love with. I… I forgot.” The look he had was heartbroken. “I thought you were loving me in the same way… but you’re in love with a woman…”

“No, your majesty, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“At that time, I was not free to express myself. I did not want to marry, your majesty, because it would take away time I had with you. I love your majesty. More than I’ve loved anybody. In the sickest of ways, I am devoted your majesty above all others. I am not in love with any woman. I am not in love with any man. I love my King, whose name is Jihoon, even though I am not worthy of him.” He cracked a smile. “It is very hard not to fall in love with your majesty, when you are so wonderful.”

“Are you lying?”

“I would not lie to your majesty.”

“You… love me?”

“And only you, your majesty.”

 “How long have you loved me?”

Seungcheol had to look away to think about it. “Since… my first night guarding your majesty, after returning from Busan.”

“Now? Or the first time?”

“The first time, your majesty.”

“You’ve loved me that long?”

“I loved your majesty as your guardian when you were a child. But we are both adults now, and the feeling is changed.”

The King suddenly went bright pink. “Seungcheol…”

“Yes, majesty?” He smiled softly. “Command me.”

“Get over here.” Once he was within reach, the King ripped him from his feet to kiss him, deeply and ardently. One hand on Seungcheol’s shirt, one on his neck, pulling him closer, hotter, harder until the guard had to brace himself and gently disentangle himself from his monarch.

“Sire,” he gasped, “I’ll fall over.”

“Fall, then.” He leaned in, sitting up straighter. “What am I going to do about it? Kiss you more?”

He had to laugh a little. “Sire, it’s inappropriate.”

“I’m King. I get to do whatever I please.”

“Sire.”

The King leaned in to peck him gently on the tip of his nose. “Fine, I’ll let you go for now. But I’ll be wanting more later.”

Seungcheol broke out in chuckles again, and the two giggled at each other happily.

“You never answered my question.”

“What question was that, your majesty?”

“Whether you’ve ever slept with a man before.”

It was most unfortunate that Seungcheol was just taking a sip of tea; he spent a significant amount of time trying to dislodge the drink from throat as he gasped and spluttered.

“No need for such a response,” the King murmured. “It’s just a question.”

He quietly set the cup back on the table as he regained the ability to breathe. “…if I have?”

The King suddenly couldn’t look at him. “I suppose that’s not shocking. You were gone for a long time, after all. Busan is a long way away. What kind of men did you sleep with? Tall, pretty men, like Jeonghan? Or maybe more muscular men like Jooheon? Scholars? Do you like older men?”

Seungcheol was careful not to show any emotion. “…and if I haven’t?”

“What?”

“What if I haven’t slept with any men? How would your majesty feel about that?”

“Are you saying you haven’t?”

“I’m asking your majesty’s opinions.”

The King gave him a sly look for a moment, then straightened a little. “I suppose… it makes me anxious.”

He scowled. “Anxious? That’s not right. Why would your majesty feel anxious?”

He squirmed uncomfortably. “I suppose I’ll be the first. That’s a little anxiety-inducing.”

It took him a moment. “Excuse me?”

“What? You don’t think that makes me nervous?” The King seemed to fumble with his hands for a moment before reaching for his own cup of tea to still his fingers. “I’m a King, you know. I’m supposed to perform well. If neither of us know what we’re doing, isn’t that even worse? Ah, maybe it’s not. At least I won’t have to feel bad all by myself. If I-”

The poor bodyguard looked like he was about to explode. Violently. “Sire!”

“What?”

“I- I can’t! You can’t! I’m not!”

The King looked at him, lips forming a small o shape. “Oh. Do you not want to sleep with me?” He paused for an answer, but no word came from Seungcheol’s shocked lips. “I suppose that’s fair. I can’t imagine I’m anybody’s dream. I’d really like to hear what your ideal man would be like, though. I can’t grow any taller, but-”

“Sire!” he burst again, interrupting him a second time. He was shaking from head to toe, bright red, stuttering and shuddering. “Pu-ple-please-plea-please!”

“What?”

“Just a moment!” Seungcheol buried his face in his hands for a few moments until he was calmer. “Your majesty, pl-please don’t talk about such indecent things. Y-your majesty is anybody’s ideal. B-but sleeping with your majesty would be a great offence, as I am not worthy of it. And for the record, your majesty, I have never slept with a man, or a woman. I have not had any time to think about something like that.”

The King stared at him for a moment, carefully thinking about that. “What about your wife?”

“We only got married because it was your majesty’s will. We do not have that kind of a relationship.”

“I see.” He waited another beat. “Then… you’ve never…?”

“Never, your majesty.”

“Oh.” He rubbed his chin a moment. “But you don’t want to, with me?”

The topic was physically painful to Seungcheol, and it was clearly visible on his face as he cringed, but he withstood it like a champion. “Y-your majesty, I, I couldn’t dream, I – I mean, I mean, your majesty is-”

“I’m not your type? Like I said, I can’t grow any taller. I can’t help the face I was born with, either. If you like older men that’s a problem too. If you like muscular men I can try that, though.”

“Majesty.” His eyes, like his voice, suddenly became soft. “Your majesty is beautiful. Thoroughly, angelically, wonderfully beautiful, and I would not change a single hair on your majesty’s head. Your majesty is completely perfect. Please never feel the need to change your body. As far as my type goes – it is your majesty, through and through.”

“Then… why?” His shoulders seemed to sag a little in defeat. “Have I upset you?”

“This – this isn’t the kind of thing I can have a rational conversation about.” He had to hide his face in his hands again, sweating. “I love your majesty. The idea of holding your majesty like that is… beyond imagination. I could never be worthy of your majesty’s… embrace.”

It finally dawned on him. “You just… don’t want to… because I’m King? Because I’m of a higher rank than you?”

He could barely nod.

“That’s it. I’m abdicating.”

“Majesty, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? Watch me.”

There was a quick scramble; the King made for the door, and his bodyguard made for him: in seconds, the King was grappled up in his guard’s arms, whipped off the floor, cradled carefully to stop him from walking or moving his arms.

“Let me go!”

“Please calm down, your majesty.”

He sighed deeply, relaxing instantly. “Fine,” he growled. “But only because I like being here.”

The guard moved him so he was gently cradled against his chest. “Here?”

“In your arms.”

“Majesty, was this a ploy to get me to hold you?”

“No, but would you be upset if it was?”

He had to think about it. “No.”

“Are you going to let me go?”

“Promise me you won’t abdicate?”

“I promise.”

With very delicate movements, the King was put back down on the floor, still held close to his bodyguard’s chest. “Is that better, my King?”

“Hmm.” The King nodded once, closing his eyes as he leaned in. “You smell nice.”

“Thank you, maje-”

“Your majesty!”

The two men looked at each other, then stepped away. “Yes, Suk? What is it?”

Suk walked in, with more bad news.

Chapter Text

“Excuse me.” He walked out of the room and leaned into his eunuch, his breath so light, nobody else could have heard his words. “Get word to the General. It won’t be long until her personal items are disposed of. He needs to search her personal items, her room, and question her entourage, quietly and quickly.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King returned to his grandmother’s room, and waited until her last breath had been drawn.

It was a late night when the King finally offered himself to his bed: with his bodyguard nearby, he didn’t toss and turn, but simply stared at him.

“Please sleep, majesty.”

“I can’t.” His voice almost broke. “She was my grandmother. She was important. And she probably conspired to kill my father, and probably conspired to kill me, but she was my grandmother. And now she’s gone, and I feel relieved, and I hate myself for feeling relief, but I do anyway. And your little sister has only just come here and now she must pretend for our sakes to mourn the loss of a woman she never met and-”

Seungcheol gently pressed a hand against the King’s lips. “Your majesty feels what your majesty feels. You cannot feel guilty for your own emotions. Grief is… complicated. It hurts, and it liberates. Please do not bear guilt for your feelings, sire.”

“I wasn’t kind to her in life.”

“She loved you like every grandmother dotes on her grandchildren, sire. Though it may not have been in the way you wished.”

“It’s only been a year since Nayoung… and now…”

The King rambled through the hours, venting his frustrations and pain. Seungcheol held him, and gently, carefully, rocked him to sleep.

“I’m afraid he is gone, your majesty.”

“Mingyu!” The King rushed to sit up, already a smile painted on his face, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Good morning! Ah, I’m late getting up?”

“Yes, your majesty. Good afternoon, sire.”

“Afternoon?”

“Everybody felt it would be best to let your majesty sleep a little longer. Mourning will commence soon.”

“Ah, I see.” The King stretched, and then, suddenly, moved to hug Mingyu. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’ve been ignoring you a lot lately.”

“Your majesty has been busy. I missed you. Thank you for remembering me now.” The hand smoothed over the King’s neck, and the man’s face lit up with a soft smile. “You look like you slept deeply.”

“I did.” He didn’t let go of Mingyu for just a few seconds too long. “Very deeply. How are you?”

“I am well, your majesty.”

“You are? I’m afraid you’ll have to work 24-hour shifts again. Hansol has duties elsewhere and Jooheon is still recovering.”

The smile never dimmed. “I’ll be exhilarated to be by your majesty’s side for that time once more.”

The King sighed at him. “I don’t deserve you, Kim Mingyu.”

The smile suddenly became broader and cheekier. “I know.”

“Sire, before the official mourning period starts… the Minister of Finances is here to see you. He is accompanied.”

The King nodded. “Show him in.”

Shua walked through the doors with a familiar glint in his eyes, followed by a young man of nearly equal age. “Your majesty,” he bowed, “please accept my deepest condolences. The whole nation-”

The King had zoned out long before his friend was finished. “Thank you,” he said at length.

“Your majesty, before the ministers’ official mourning begins, I wanted to take the liberty of speaking with you.”

“Yes?”

“Some time ago, before I became the Minister of Finances and was only an assistant, your majesty bid me make friends.”

“I remember.”

“I made a friend.” He smiled. “May I introduce the new Minister of Personnel, Kwon Soonyoung.”

The King almost gasped. He was beautiful.

It was truly, truly embarrassing, to mourn a grandmother he hated, followed by a wife who conspired to burn him in his sleep, and a teenaged consort with whom he had never slept and had no plans to sleep with.

And it was most unfortunate that that particular quandary was what kept him occupied throughout mourning the loss of his grandmother; he had never slept with Seungcheol’s sister, and did not intend to.

The Queen would, no doubt, never accept another night orchestrated with her Jeonghan to secure an heir. That was, most likely, the greatest reason she had Yehana moved to the palace. Somebody had to create an heir, and it wasn’t going to be her, so Yehana had become the new breeding mare. But there was no chance the King would ever sleep with her – not with a girl he thought of as a sister – and the idea of bringing around a random man to… no, it was unthinkable.

There was, of course, a third option – to bring in a third woman as a consort, one in the early throes of pregnancy, and claim it to be the King’s. There would have to be a significant shuffle of money, and the woman would have to be chosen carefully, but it could be done – were it not for the fact that it would bring Yehana’s life and position in the most danger possible, and it would mean a line of bastards on the throne.

Of course, nobody would know it was a line of bastards, save himself, Seungcheol and Mingyu – a trio of men who could keep their mouths shut if there ever were such men. But it still felt wrong to cheat a nation, a dynasty – without it ever knowing about it. It felt like he would be letting generations of Kings before him down. To allow Jeonghan – just as much his father’s son as he – to be the donor for the next heir was one thing. To allow a complete stranger to be one was another thing entirely.

So the Queen would have to bear a child, even though she wouldn’t; or Yehana would have to bear a child, and she shouldn’t have to.

The stress piled on.

“The First Left minister is here to see you, your majesty.”

“Send him in.” The King put away his papers for a moment. “Minister.”

“Your majesty, please forgive my timing of this visit. I should have-” He spared a moment to see the expression on his King’s stormy face, and gave up. “Ah… my apologies, majesty. Then, perhaps I should get to business.”

“Suk!” It didn’t matter how many times anybody heard it: both the Minister and Seungcheol jumped at the shriek. “We want tea.”

The First Left Minister was duly seated at the small table with tea, opposite his King, a little uncomfortable. “I’m afraid I have not had a chance to speak with your majesty regarding her highness the Royal Noble Consort, Sukwon.”

The man in the corner of the room tensed, but the King did not leave such an obvious trace of discomfort show. “Ah, yes. It’s all been a little upheld, but her ceremony has been held.”

“Forgive me your majesty, but isn’t it a little sudden? Your majesty doesn’t have any children yet, but to bring in some woman from the city all of a sudden-”

The King cut him off – before Seungcheol could. “It’s not at all sudden. Palace policy dictates that the women I sleep with be brought to the palace to become official members of the royal household. How could Her Majesty and I go against such rules?”

“Still, your majesty. She is not of noble birth. What if she bears your majesty a son?”

“Then we shall have a lovely little prince scurrying around. Why? You don’t like the idea?”

“Surely the child of a woman who isn’t of noble birth cannot become the mother of the future King.”

“It’s not without precedent.” The King was utterly unfazed. “Besides, Her Majesty and I are having a hard time reconciling after – after the death of our son.” He did his best to cover up the break in his voice. “Until she is mentally prepared to have another child, I find myself rather lonely. As you know, we have not always been the most cordial of friends. Sukwon and I have a much warmer relationship.”

“Ah… is that so?”

“It is.”

“Then, I suppose I cannot protest. After all, even if she does bear children – who is to say it is a bad thing?” The minister had a habit of talking himself around a problem in order to agree with those around him, and it was an affliction the King took advantage of whenever he could. “They say a happy home is one filled with the laughter of children, after all. I will pray your majesty has many children to love and teach.”

“Thank you, Minister.”

“Ah, but, your majesty… how can it be you didn’t tell us about her before-hand? We could have brought her in and surprised the First Right Minister.”

The King had to physically stop himself from grinding his molars. “I was not prepared,” he muttered harshly, “for it to happen so soon. I was caught unawares.”

“I see.”

“Anyway, please look after Sukwon. She’s very young, and perhaps, a little lonely. She’s moved into her permanent quarters, but it’s difficult for one so young to adapt to palace life. It would mean a lot to me if you and the other ministers could favour her a little.”

“Of course, your majesty. Ah, may I ask your majesty… Perhaps it is an impertinent question from an old man but-”

“When am I going to visit her?” The King smiled gently. “I was going to tonight, but then you arrived.”

“Ah, forgive me, your majesty! I should take my leave then.”

“If you must, Minister.” The King didn’t try to hide his smile. “We should talk more in the morning.”

He only gave him a few seconds head start. “Who does he think he is?” Seungcheol growled. “That’s my baby sister he’s talking about. Who does he think he is to have the gall to-”

“He knows she’s your sister.”

“What?”

“He knows she’s your sister. He didn’t come here just to talk to me about telling him when I make a move. He came here to assess your reactions to what he was saying. Other ministers will say worse things about her, for sure. I’m going to have my hands full in the morning convincing the other ministers not to have you removed from my service.”

Seungcheol’s shoulders sagged for a moment. “This was a test?”

“It was.”

“Did I pass?”

The King took a moment. “You failed. Miserably. You had your hand on your sword half the time. You were ready to murder the poor Minister.”

“Oops.”

“Yes, your terrible, terrible, awful temper got the best of you.” Suddenly, the King put his arms around Seungcheol’s neck, and leaned up to kiss him briefly. “Bad Cheollie.”

Seungcheol scoffed a little, laughing to try and hide his embarrassment.

“Really, though. To have Sukwon here as a wife and you, her brother, as my bodyguard, while neither of you are of noble birth – that is a difficult tale to spin to the ministers.”

“It isn’t without precedent. Many brothers, cousins, fathers and uncles of Queens and Consorts have used their connections to become officials.”

“That’s true.”

“Like her majesty’s brother.”

“Ah… right.” He stretched out. “Politics for tomorrow. I’m going to go visit your sister.”

Chapter Text

“Politics for tomorrow. I’m going to go visit your sister.”

The vivacious look on the bodyguard’s face fell. “Majesty? You’re really going to her?”

“I’m not going to touch her!” the King scowled. “But I need to keep up appearances. I’m going to bring a game. Does your sister like games?”

Seungcheol’s lips retracted into his mouth before setting on a mischievous smile. “Doesn’t your majesty know your own wife at all?”

“Choi Seungcheol!”

He laughed. “Yes, your majesty, she enjoys games. She likes to fly kites, and… the one with the arrows…”

“Tuho.”

“Yes, and then, there’s the one, with the sticks?”

“…Yutnori?”

“That’s the one!”

“How do you not even know the names of simple children’s games?” the King scowled at him. “Don’t scold me for not knowing her when you don’t even know the names of the games she likes!”

He lost the smile. “Forgive me, your majesty. While she was growing up, I was busy laying my life on the line for a tiny prince, with tiny prince fangs.”

There was a moment of silence before he burst. “I can’t say anything back to that!” the King whined, giving his guard a scowl. “You can come play with us, but if you win, I’m not kissing you for a whole month!”

Seungcheol just smiled again.

“Suk! I’m leaving! And get my yutnori supplies!”

“You didn’t seem worried.” The King stopped in the middle of the courtyard, watching a bush for a moment. “When it looked like you were going to win last night.”

“Are you sure you didn’t touch her?”

“Go ask her if you’re so worried then!” The King flicked his arm out at his guard, hitting him lightly in the chest. “Answer my question.”

“No, majesty, I wasn’t worried.”

“Why? You’re a very good player. You could have won. If Yehana hasn’t throttled you at the last moment.”

“Why would I be worried to win?”

He scowled at his lover. “You wouldn’t get my kisses for a month, a whole month!”

Seungcheol tried to resist the smile, but it showed up anyway. “Your majesty…”

“Yes?”

“Just because you wouldn’t kiss me, doesn’t mean the opposite is forbidden.”

The King’s jaw dropped. “You sly little- ah.” He waited for him to get closer. “Mingyu, you’re back.”

“Forgive me, your majesty, I expected you to be in your own quarters.” He bowed deeply.

“I was visiting my new consort for the night.”

The look of shock on Mingyu’s face was precious – when his King and colleague laughed, he quickly shook the expression away. “Forgive me, majesty.”

“No, that’s alright. I have a busy day ahead of me. Seungcheol, you can go rest now.”

“Yes, your majesty.” He gave Mingyu a quick nod. “He belongs to you for the next twenty-four hours, then.”

“I’ll try to keep him alive.”

The ministers were, surprisingly, not as frothy as the King had expected them to be – they protested, but soon enough simmered down, and moved on to other matters of state, in a surprise move. It made the King almost uncomfortable that less than five minutes were spent trying to make him uncomfortable, and the paradox was inexcusable.

“Also, your majesty – polio has broken out again, in Changwon.” The minister looked a little pale at the idea. “Officials have closed the city off, but they fear travellers may have come and gone already. Many of the officials have come to the capital since the city was locked, and some would request to see your majesty. We feel there is no reason officials who rarely get to come to the capital city should not meet your majesty, if it agrees with you.”

The King closed his eyes a moment. “It’s not even high summer yet.”

“It’s already May your majesty, and while early, polio is not unimaginable.”

He rubbed his face for a moment. All those children. “How long will Changwon be able to last? They can’t keep the city locked for whole summer… can they?”

“They will keep the gates locked until the polio has seen itself out. It could be a few weeks or a few months. We get reports in every day of increasing sick. Luckily, all the officials who have come here to seek refuge have been checked by a physician and are in excellent health to be received by your majesty.”

“No city can last the whole summer.” The King gritted his teeth. “How long ago did they lock the gates?”

“Two weeks ago, your majesty.”

“Two weeks?” The King bolted out of his throne for a moment. “An entire city was closed off with children dying in it and you have the audacity to keep that from me for two whole weeks?!”

“Your majesty, the nation was in mourning-”

“Our beloved ancestors will stay dead for the rest of time – the State continues to survive, despite you and your friends’ efforts to the contrary, good minister!” he thundered. “News of this magnitude must be reported at once, regardless of the circumstances!”

The poor minister trembled a little – partly from shock, but mostly in pantomime. “Ma-majesty… forgive me… I do not understand… what I have done to upset your majesty…”

“Minister, children die of polio. Hundreds of children can die in a single summer. We cannot let affected cities go without fresh food, water and other supplies. They tell me it’s going to be a very hot summer. We must send supplies to Changwon immediately.”

“Your majesty, we will never convince anybody to walk into a city with polio.”

The King pursed his lips for a cruel moment, glaring elsewhere before turning back. “So we leave the boxes at the gates, and when the soldiers and officials turn around and leave, the city gates can be opened and people can bring in their new supplies.”

“They cannot open the gates, your majesty: thousands would flee, and the nation would be ruined.”

The Minister of Rites cleared his throats. “Thousands do not live in Changwon, sir.”

“You will get them their supplies somehow, for sure,” the King smiled, thinly veiling a threat. “Minister of Finances, we have some food and supplies in storage for national emergencies, don’t we?”

Shua looked at the King for a moment. “…forgive me, your majesty. We only have enough to supply a single city.”

“Then let’s do it!”

“Majesty…” He winced. “We cannot deplete the reserves like that. If travellers really have spread the disease from Changwon elsewhere, supplies may be in greater need in other cities and towns. At the moment, the national treasury does not have the funds to purchase more supplies.”

The King closed his eyes. “And may I ask how, exactly, the national treasury does not have the funds to purchase?”

“…Forgive me your majesty, but many of the provinces and officials have been taxed the correct amount – but crops have been very little, and other obstacles have made it that the taxes have been very low. I was going to bring it up today.”

There were unspoken words in his eyes. People were skimping on their taxes.

“I see. I must have some personal funds, don’t I?”

“Yes your majesty – but from what I have seen of your majesty’s personal budget, only 10% of it can be used, in order to leave your majesty in some dignity.”

“Well, if I donate some percentage of my wealth, perhaps we can convince our dear ministers to do the same?”

“Your majesty.”

It was no longer entirely silent and calm in the room when the First Right Minister spoke – the Leftist ministers tensed up and grumbled to each other, a welcome new sight, from ministers who had gained faith in a King they never knew.

“Your majesty, the ministers would have to vote on whether to request funding from the court and the people.”

It was then and there, that the King knew he had lost the battle – the word vote never went in his favour, nor his father’s. He willed it through, and lo and behold, the ministers anonymously voted against the movement to donate funds.

The King sat back in his throne, pinching the bridge of his nose against a headache. “Minister of Finances,” he murmured, “I will have some of my personal budget moved to the Ministry. Please take it and send whatever you dare to the people of Changwon. Whatever is left, please send it to the next city you hear of that is in need of it.”

“Yes your majesty.” He bowed. “Your majesty’s grace is immeasurable. The people will thank you greatly for it.”

“I certainly hope so.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Your majesty, forgive me, but… the officials? Who want to meet you?”

“Fine.” The King had clearly lost all his zest. “Have them brought, whenever you like. Ah, please coordinate with the Ministers of Personnel and Rites on this, please.”

“Yes, your majesty!”

Suk slid in quietly, and handed over a small piece of paper. “Your majesty, please accept this note from Sukwon’s quarters.”

This made him stop and look up. “Sukwon?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

The King opened up the letter, and scanned it quickly, a smirk beginning to dawn on his face. “Hah… that Yehana… I did not give her the credit she deserves.”

“Majesty?”

The King instantly began to draw up a similar letter. “Suk, please have this letter delivered back to Sukwon.”

The eunuch smiled. “It is nice to see your majesty and her highness trade secret love notes.”

“Oh, Suk, they aren’t love notes. They’re so much better.” He smiled, dazzling. “I didn’t know I could use Sukwon as a political pawn and still keep her innocent.”

Suk gave him a confused look, but then relaxed – it wasn’t his problem. “Yes, your majesty.”

He wainted until the messenger had gone. “Majesty?”

“Kim Mingyu?”

“May I approach?”

“Mm, come here. I need to rest and your shoulder is at an excellent height.”

Chuckling, the bodyguard moved over and helped the King place himself in the seat of his lap for a while. Mingyu rocked him gently, swaying to and fro for a while.

“You know, your majesty…”

“Mm?”

“I can only think of all those officials from Changwon who want to meet-”

“Please don’t put me in a horrible mood.” The King shuddered. “The thought of grown men, supposedly willing to work for their country, running away, risking the lives of others, leaving women and children behind to die… who does such a thing?”

Mingyu smiled. “I agree, majesty.”

“Then why bring it up?”

The smile grew. “I only wish your majesty could tell them earnestly how you felt about their conduct.”

The King froze for a moment. “What are you saying?”

There was a little hum. “My mother scolded me often as a child – so often, I don’t remember much of it. But the scoldings I remember most, the ones that really changed my behaviour, are the ones where she made me feel incredible shame.”

He leaned his head against Mingyu’s shoulder again. “Have I ever told you you’re a genius?”

“Yes, majesty.”

“Good.” He sighed softly, eyes closing. “Mingyu, never become a vampire. The sound of your heart pumping is so wonderful… melodic, sweet, warm… thank you for being human.”

“Ah…” He blushed. “I don’t know if that’s something your majesty can thank me for… but for your majesty, it is my pleasure.”

“Promise me you’ll never become a vampire. Don’t become a monster.”

“I will never become a monster, your majesty. I swear it.”

The King smiled beautifully.

“Your majesty, surely you can see how inappropriate this is!”

“How so?” The King scowled.

“Her highness Sukwon could afford to pay so much more money to a cause! For her to be publicly withholding so much money from the citizens of Changwon is arrogance on her part!”

The King’s eyes lit up. “Ministers, I could only contribute a small amount of money from my personal budget to this endeavour. Her Highness Sukwon matched my donation. My own wife cannot be seen to be richer than me – can she?”

There was a pause as that idea settled.

“And besides that, Ministers, if you refuse to donate anything, you have no mouth to chastise a good woman with. I’m surprised you can all hold your heads high, being shamed by a young woman like Sukwon.”

Within a week, the Queen, and all the ministers, had matched donations.

“Are you… sure about this?”

“It’s your idea. I won’t do it to you if you don’t want me to.”

Chan took a deep breath and nodded. “I do. It could be beneficial, right?”

Roa nodded. “Try not to be frightened. You’ll only be experiencing the future – the future won’t experience you. People and objects may pass right through you. But don’t be scared. Just try to see what you can. It's alright if you don't understand it. Just don't be scared.”

“I’m not scared.”

“Then… here we go.”

Chapter Text

Seungcheol wrapped his arm around his companion. “Are you sure that’s warm enough?”

“Stop fretting.” Jihoon huddled into his coat. “It’s fine.”

“It’s really cold you know. It’s even snowing! Where’s your scarf?”

“I didn’t bring one.”

“Jihoon!”

“Ya, stop nagging.” He leaned up to kiss Seungcheol’s shoulder, dusting off some of the fake snow that had been placed their. “I’ll be fine. It’s not a long walk.”

“What if our precious vocal leader gets a sore throat?”

“I’ll take ginger tea.”

Seungcheol made a whining sound, but didn’t comment when he was given the look – he simply sighed and kept his arm around Jihoon tightly. “Fine then. Ah, we’ll stop off at the corner store, is that alright? I promised Wonwoo I’d bring him back ramen noodles, and you know, when one of them gets noodles…”

The man chuckled. “Sure. Ah, we should get some eggs too.”

They’d barely managed a few steps into the darkness when the figure came out of the shadows: she was diminutive and plain, with large round eyeglasses, clutching a brightly-coloured box.

They tried to smile kindly as she spoke; her words were quick and tripped over each other. Her excitement was bursting forth from her lips, although she tried to restrain herself, she became flushed even in the cold with the exertion.

“Ah, sorry,” Jihoon finally mumbled, holding up his hands. “We’re not allowed to sign albums outside of the official fansigns. We’re really sorry. But if you come to the next fansign, we’ll write something really nice for you?”

Her face fell, as if she had just been stabbed – but she bounced back quickly.

“Sorry – pictures are out too,” Seungcheol told her. “But thank you so much for coming to meet us like this. It means a lot to us. Even though you can’t take a souvenir, you know we won’t forget you, right?”

Her brows had come down from their lofty position of excitement. “Oh,” she muttered. “That’s not really good enough.”

“Sorry,” Jihoon tried again, starting to break out into a sweat. “Our company is really strict, or else we’d take you for Christmas dinner, wouldn’t we?”

“Of course we would.” Seungcheol straightened out a little. “It’s really late and very cold, how long have you been standing out here? You should go home quickly before you get sick. We can’t have a precious Carat getting ill because of us, can we? I’ll write something really nice for you at the next fansigning.”

It took a while, but eventually, the two men were able to continue on – they huddled together against the cold, legs whipping the street as they tried to get out of the cold as fast as possible.

The two enjoyed their time at the convenience store that was laced with fairy lights and baubles – the vast array of ramen noodles was a feast, and they had some difficulty choosing a spice palette before finally making their purchase.

Outside, on the other side of the street, in the darkness, stood a girl in glasses, silently watching them.

Jihoon froze when he saw her, but was quickly moved along by Seungcheol. “Don’t look at her,” he whispered. “She’s just another crazy stalker. Don’t acknowledge her. Just move.”

“She’ll know where we live.”

“Like the staff haven’t made that public knowledge,” he muttered back. “Come on, she can’t hurt us if we get home fast enough.”

He was right, of course; although the unsettling feeling of being watched never really dissipated in Jihoon’s stomach, they saw no more of the girl, and managed to escape to their dormitory without further incident. The apartment was warm – Seungkwan had obviously been blasting the radiators – and they were gleefully welcomed, snacks snatched from their hands.

“Were you able to finish the remix?”

“Yeah.” Jihoon smiled as he handed Mingyu the ice-cream he’d asked for. “I’ll do the last track tomorrow, and then we can start recording at the end of the week.”

Seungcheol scowled at him. “Tomorrow is Christmas Day. You can’t work on Christmas Day.”

“Why not?”

“You promised me a Christmas date.”

Several of the members made loud groaning sounds as they turned away from the gross couple.

“We can have a Christmas date together afterwards. I need to finish work first.”

“You’re always working! Let Bumzu finish the last track, you’ve already done enough. Take a day off.”

Jihoon shook his head.

“…I’ll buy you Coca Cola.”

He paused, but continued on stubbornly. “It’ll only take a few hours. You can lie in in the morning, and then we’ll go eat chicken or something.”

“Fine, I will.” Seungcheol pecked him on the cheek, just to prove he wasn’t mad about it. “You can go to the studio alone.”

“That’s fine.” He shrugged. “Jun, are you done yet?”

“How long do you think it takes to cook thirty packets of noodles? No it’s not done!”

The congregation cheerfully took turns watching the food cook and then sat down to the meal together, Home Alone playing in the background, which they were only half-watching. Most of them had gone to bed before Jihoon dared whisper.

“I love you, you know.”

“Mm.” Seungcheol leaned in to whisper back. “I love you too, Jihoonie. It’s going to be a nice Christmas together. I’ll take you somewhere nice, okay?”

“Okay.” He nodded for a moment. “Hey, Seungcheol? Do you think it’s alright we left that girl behind?”

The man would never admit the horrifying tingling going down his spine at the idea of her. “It’s fine. She’s another sassaeng. Just one more of them. That’s all. It’s fine.”

It took him a moment, but then he nodded. “Okay.”

Seungcheol pressed another kiss to his love before unwrapping the garland of festive tinsel from his neck. “I think it’s time for bed, now.”

“I’m already this old and you’re still sending me to sleep?”

“Yes, your most high, holy majesty.”

Jihoon had to laugh a little. “Very well. Merry Christmas, my soul mate.”

“Merry Christmas, my love.”

Just outside, in the streets, a girl with round glasses waited until the light turned off before she turned away. It would not be the last time they met.

Curled up under a thick duvet, with the music of Christmas carols gently ringing in their ears, Jihoon and Seungcheol slept soundly, waiting for their Christmas date.

The boy was sweating when he woke up. He was given something to drink and eat, and was somewhat back to normal. “That’s all I could see,” he gasped. “It was too strange. Nothing I’ve ever seen before. I don’t even think we were in Joseon anymore.”

Roa frowned.

“I think you sent me too far into the future, Roa.”

“That’s possible. It’s not an exact science, you know.”

Chan’s forehead creased. “If I’m a banshee… I should only be seeing deaths, but nobody died? Why didn’t I see anybody die?”

“Maybe you’re just lucky.”

“Mm… maybe I am.”

“But… they seemed happy enough?”

His smile melted a little. “Yeah. They seemed really happy. All of us.”

Chapter Text

Chan came out of the trance sobbing, screaming, arms flailing and legs kicking – Roa had to physically constrain him before he could stop convulsing, and then she froze.

There was something deeply – deeply – rooted within the very core of her being that couldn’t help but be stunned at the sound. Roa had heard children cry before. She had heard fae children cry. Those cries were not these.

He was hysterical – unearthly screeches rising high from the bed he was on, wild and frenzied, as if he had witnessed something inhuman, unreal, something that could not ever be put right. It took several full minutes of the hysteria for the tears to finally start falling, hot and wet, on Roa’s shoulders as she hushed him.

The child hiccupped through his wails, slowly calming down, coming to terms with his vision: soon the incoherent shouts simmered down to soft bubbling as he kept shaking his head, as if he could shake the images from his mind. And then, through desperately slaked gasps of air, he begged.

“Don’t make me do that again,” he sobbed. “Don’t make me see it again.”

“Whatever could you have seen?”

But he wouldn’t tell her: and she would never find out.

The polio wreaked havoc, and investigations into corruption and tax evasions were slow. The King had little else to do than pretend to sleep in his Consort’s rooms – and then, at the behest of his mother, pretend to spend them with the Queen, as well.

His nights with the Queen were otherwise uninteresting: sometimes, he didn’t even stay the night, instead returning to his own rooms after an hour. With Yehana, he spent his time playing games and reading dirty poetry, which she found hilarious and he found relaxing, and it made Seungcheol grimace and sweat.

So it was odd then, when the temperatures spiked and the heat of summer came on, that the King was bid great news, that was not kept from him.

“Congratulations, your majesty,” they sounded. “Her Majesty the Queen is Pregnant!”

The spouses stared at each other for a moment, then, with poise, grace and an incredible ability to maintain one’s dignity, they crossed each other and sat face-to-face.

She looked at him with an odd semblance of guilt about her – but more than that, she looked suspicious, as if she was unsure what to expect.

He watched her face – the face he had seen so much of, the face he was married to – for signs, clues. There were none.

“Wife,” he murmured softly.

“Husband.”

“…at least, at the very least, tell me this child is my brother’s. Tell me the child has my father’s blood running through its veins. Tell me it’s Jeonghan’s. Tell me somehow, someway, you’ve managed to meet him without me knowing, tell me you’ve managed to sneak out and see him and that he has put this child in you. Please.”

The moment was agonizing.

“Yes.” Her voice was too soft. “Yes, it is Jeonghan’s.”

The King let out a sign of relief that was almost parched. His hand hit his heart a moment as he took deep breathes. “At least that… at least that.” It took a moment for him to continue. “How?”

She shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve had him smuggled in and out of the palace three times this summer.”

The King closed his eyes for a moment. It was unbelievable.

“I didn’t think this would happen.”

“I see.” The King gave her a sharp look. “Do not make rash actions, Queen. If you harm this baby…”

He was surprised to see no defiance in her. She would have snapped at him and cursed him, before, for even suggesting she would hurt her own baby. This time, now, she was ghastly white, pale, terrified.

“You would be wise to bring forth a healthy baby.”

“Majesty.” She stood as he did. “…what of Sukwon?”

“What of her?”

“Is she not… too?”

The King didn’t answer her – he left her, ice-cold and focussed. Half-way across the palace, he gripped Seungcheol by the collar. “You,” he snarled. “You know him. You befriended him. Did you know he was coming here? Did you know my brother was sneaking in here like this?”

Seungcheol took a moment to capture the King’s eyes. “No, sire,” he whispered in sweet tones. “I had no idea. If I thought anything was suspicious of his actions, I would have reported it to you immediately.”

There was no lie in his eyes, and it soothed a minor fraction of the King’s frazzled nerves – he continued to march himself to his Consort’s palace, brooding darkly.

“Your maje-”

“Yehana. I don’t have time to talk.” He lowered his voice, leaning into her personal space. “Are you pregnant?”

The utter confusion on her face was wildly obvious. “…your majesty?”

“It has been insinuated that you are pregnant. Is this true? Have you been seeing men?”

The poor girl locked her jaw. “Your majesty,” she spat, as if she was throwing the words at him with righteous condemnation. “I may only be a merchant’s daughter, but at least I have dignity and regard for my own well-being, my family, and my husband! I have never sought out male companionship, and in this wretched palace where there are only eunuchs, elderly old men in minister’s robes, my brother and a frankly frigid husband, I would have a very hard time finding it! How dare you insinuate such things about me! I know I am only lowly, but I have a sense of dignity you clearly know nothing about!”

He grabbed her by the shoulders. “You’re sure? You haven’t met any men?”

“Where would I even begin to look for one?!” she screeched, throwing his hands off in a quick swipe. “I am not from a pleasure house, you know!”

“Majesty-”

Yehana gave her brother the kind of look he knew all too well. It was pure fire. With a hesitant look, he bowed deeply to the furious girl, and removed his head from the doorway.

“Sukwon, I-”

“Yes, you had better be sorry! I don’t know who has been telling such filthy rumours, but they are utterly untrue! I almost half-wish I really was pregnant, just to spite you!” All at once, her anger was reigned in, almost as if she had suddenly remembered who she was speaking to. She turned away from him, jaw still trembling from anger. “Your majesty is tired,” she muttered. “Perhaps you should go back to your quarters to rest.”

Nobody had ever spoken to the King like that before – he had never met a teenaged girl other than his sister, and even she had had the decency to never really be angry.

He nearly fell out of her quarters, dazed.

“Majesty.” Seungcheol gripped him when it seemed he would fall.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” He put a hand on Seungcheol’s, squeezing it hard, glaring ahead. “Every time I gain one, they gain two. When I lose one, they remain constant. Every time I lose control, I win it back… and I lose it twice as hard again. It’s slipping away, Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol righted him. “What can I do, majesty?”

“Come with me.”

The King marched back to his own quarters and gently placed himself to sit, before curling into a little ball.

Seungcheol broke out into an instant sweat, curling his arms around him. “Majesty, sire please…”

He gently gripped Seungcheol, pawing him gently for a moment before hoisting himself into his lap. “Just hold me,” he whispered. “Just hold me for a moment. I’ll be okay. I just need you.”

“I am here, my King.” Seungcheol’s lips brushed his temple. “I am here.”

The King let himself be gently rocked for a moment. “I had no idea your sister was so fierce.”

“She takes after her mother, your majesty. She can be a mild spring flower for many years, and release all her wrath upon you in a matter of hours.”

“I wronged her today.”

“Yes, you did, your majesty. I could have told you she would never go around with men. And even if she did, Hansol keeps watch on her more than you could imagine. You and I would be the first to know about it if anybody was meeting her. You should not have accused her the way you did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I accept your majesty’s apology, but please don’t tell my sister that. If she thought I was apologizing on her behalf, I’d never hear the end of it. Please apologize to her yourself in due time.”

He nodded for a moment, snuggling closer. “I will. I like your sister. She’s like Nayoung. I don’t want her to be angry with me.”

Seungcheol grimaced a little – it would be harder to gain her forgiveness than it was Seungcheol’s – but simply continued to rock the King slightly.

“Seungcheol, the Queen is pregnant with Jeonghan’s child.”

“Yes, congratulations, your majesty.”

“In a way… I’m almost happy for them. They were able to bear fruit of such love without my intervention, without it being an order. On the other hand… I’ve been struck, Seungcheol. I’ve been struck where I cannot deny the pain.” One of his hands grasped his chest. “And I have been betrayed by those whom I most wished to trust. How can I ever trust him again after this? How am I supposed to believe him? How am I supposed to drink with my brother, knowing what he has done to me?”

“I do not know.” And for the first time, acid leaked into Seungcheol’s voice.

It took the King a moment. “You are angry.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Why?”

“Such a man as I once thought he was, was an illusion. I have been tricked, double-crossed.”

The King moved out of his arms to turn to him a little with a light frown. “I meant to ask you what exactly you were thinking of anyway, befriending my brother without my knowledge. I’m not particularly angry, but it did surprise me to find out you had been meeting.”

“I thought it might come in use to have an informal informant for your majesty. I may be able to extract information that you otherwise could not. I thought that by becoming close to him I would gain intelligence, and substantiate whether your majesty could trust him, and to what extent. It seems he has played a similar game, and instead, used me to his own advantage.”

Jihoon gently rested his head again. “I’m sorry. You have been hurt, too.”

“It is a pain I could bear, were it not for your majesty’s sake.”

The King had to smile. “Thank you.”

“It is my honour, sire.” He didn’t let the silence fall for long. “What can your majesty do now?”

He took a deep breath. “I must make preparations. I will need a list of all the sons of noble houses of seven years and younger in case it is a princess; I will need a contingency if this child, too, meets its end.”

“And if it is a boy?”

The King looked up with wide eyes. “Would you scold me if I had… nefarious plans?”

Seungcheol had to crack a smile. “Will there ever come a day I do not expect your majesty to have nefarious plans, I wonder?”

He at least had the decency to look guilty. “What if I had the child spirited away, pronounced dead at birth, and raised my heir in the city?”

Seungcheol had to close his eyes and hold a deep breath for a few moments before he could answer. “That’s logistically impossible, your majesty.”

“How so?”

“Your majesty, do you know how many female physicians attend the birth?”

“Several.”

“Many, your majesty. You cannot swap the child out for a dead baby. You simply cannot.”

“Seungcheol!”

“What would even be the point of that, anyway?”

“So that the Right ministers couldn’t interfere in his upbringing, of course.”

The poor guard sighed deeply. “There are ways of stopping them.”

“I cannot root out this corruption in nine months, Seungcheol.”

The guard pursed his lips. “It’s not like the child cannot be influenced when it’s a few months old. Evil doesn’t jump so quickly.”

The King’s eyelashes fluttered a moment.

“In reality, for the child to be unduly influenced, he would have to be over three years old. That gives us four years.” He looked at him. “Can we behead them all in four years?”

“It’s too risky.” He shook his head. “My way is best.”

“No, it’s not, and you know it’s not, or you wouldn’t be pulling that face.”

“What face?”

“The one that means you know you’re wrong and about to get caught, but you don’t know what else to do, so you’ll just blindly go along with your plan and hope for a miracle.” He gently pressed his lips to the King’s nose. “Your majesty, if by the Prince’s fourth birthday, we have not undone the years of corruption now seated in the government, I will personally remove the child. I will smuggle him away and bring him up in foreign lands, only to return at your majesty’s behest.”

The King suddenly gripped him. “No. You can’t leave me.”

“Do you trust anybody else for a task like that?”

His shoulders fell.

“And we both trust Mingyu to keep you alive.”

“It’s not my life I’m worried about, it’s my heart.”

Seungcheol sighed. It would be a long day.

“Your majesty… has Seungcheol breached the situation of his household with you?”

“No. Wait. Situation with his household?”

Mingyu’s lips turned into a thin line. “He has adopted a young boy.”

“He has what?”

“A young boy lives with him and his wife. He was brought back from Busan.”

He paused. “How old?”

“Maybe ten. Maybe less.”

He pursed his lips. “It’s none of my business.”

“It will be soon.”

“Why?”

“…the child can see the future.” He had to look away. “Seungcheol adopted a child to see the future. He didn’t tell you?”

It took a moment. “No. No he didn’t.”

"Your majesty!"

"Ah!" He suddenly brightened. "That will be Shua and Soonyoung. Let them in, Suk!"

Chapter Text

Hansol even looked guilty, just saying it. “Yes, your majesty.”

“Does she… is she…?”

“I wouldn’t risk seeing her, your majesty.”

The King bumped his fist off the table once in upset. “That’s annoying. What am I going to have to do for her to get her to forgive me?”

Hansol could only look away.

“She can’t stay angry forever, can she?”

“Uh…”

“No woman can stay angry at her husband forever.”

“Sire, I’d strongly advise against seeing her.”

The King pinched his nose for a moment. “Fine. How is she, otherwise?”

“Sukwon is eating well and takes frequent walks for exercise, your majesty.”

“Good. Thank you, Hansol.” When the boy moved away, the King quickly called him back. “No, wait. I have something else I want to ask you.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

He hesitated, lip trembling for a moment. “I hear Seungcheol has adopted a child.”

The boy bridled. “Not exactly.”

“Then?”

Leaning in, he sighed a little. “When he was away in Busan, gathering information on how the undead were being created and assembled, he saved the boy’s life. He was a street urchin with nowhere to go, so he brought him to the capital, thinking he would be good to send and bring messages and letters to those he needed to speak to. Madam Roa found out the child was fae before he walked through her gate, and took him in.”

“Fae?”

“He can see death before it occurs.”

“Oh.”

“Forgive me your majesty, but why haven’t you asked Seungcheol about this?”

The King wiped his face once. “I don’t know.”

“Yes you do.” Hansol slouched a little. “Sire, do you still mistrust him?”

“No!”

“Then why haven’t you asked him?”

Lips twitched, his right hand rubbed his left arm and he twisted away slightly. “Because of… Kingly reasons.”

“Sire.”

“You’re younger than me and a guard, you can’t scold me!”

Hansol didn’t push him any further, but the look in his eyes said it all.

“I… am… insecure. He should have told me of any great changes.”

The boy blinked slowly for a moment and then straightened out. “And what, your majesty, are you going to do about that?”

“Choi Seungcheol.”

The guard bowed low.

“No, come forward – I want you to meet my new minister of Personnel, this is Kwon Soonyoung.”

They each bowed deeply.

“Soonyoung is in charge of the distributions to areas affected with polio. He has a proposition.”

The casual use of a first name caught Seungcheol off-guard, in the light of the minister’s youthful skin and glittering eyes, but he sat down dutifully.

“Your majesty cannot go yourself, of course, but to send a royal guard incognito together with some lower officials to root out the lowest branches of corruption would be an excellent start. As you know, the investigation from the top down is not coming along as planned. It is simply too risky to ask direct questions of the ministers.”

“What do you think, Seungcheol?”

“Me, sire?”

“You’ve gone undercover on missions before.”

It took him a moment of blinking to understand what was being asked. He slowly bowed. “I will do whatever your majesty commands.”

“Oh? What a boring answer. I thought you would struggle more. Very well then, you’ll leave in a few days with the other candidates. Make sure nobody finds out. Collect what evidence you can.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Ah then, I think that’s all for today, Soonyoung…?”

“Yes, your majesty, unless your majesty still needs me for something?”

“No, that’s alright. We’ll have tea tomorrow, yes?”

“I’m honoured, your majesty.”

The minister exited the room swiftly, and the King turned back to his guard. “I missed you.”

Seungcheol bowed once, unsure what to say.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have been scolded. I am showing the proper atonement.”

“Scolded? When did I scold you?”

“Sending me to Changwon is retribution for not telling you about the boy. That is scolding.”

The King regarded him a moment; bewildered at first, and then observant, for seconds at a time. “It’s not meant as retribution for not telling me about the boy. I’m sorry it seemed that way.”

“Then…?”

“Oh I’m angry about it, I just wouldn’t send you away for it.” He gently held Seungcheol’s face in both his hands and planted a sweet kiss to his lips. “I wouldn’t send you away from my side unless I had no other choice.”

“That’s good to know.” Seungcheol seemed to melt in his hold for a moment. “Then… you are truly upset with me?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I should have told your majesty I had adopted the boy. It was my mistake. I’ve been very busy and have spent little time with him since I’ve been back, so I haven’t thought of it much. It was my mistake.”

“I’m actually not that upset you didn’t tell me. I’m just curious as to why you adopted him.”

“Ah.” Seungcheol looked up, an odd smile on his face. “I didn’t, really. Roa did. Saw him once and then she owned him for all of eternity to come.”

“Aha, I see.”

“She gets lonely when I’m here with you. Ah, I’m so well loved.” He fanned himself with a dreamy look on his face, a clear farce and act. “What should I do? A beautiful woman and my King are jealous of each other over me. What a curse it is to be so well-liked.”

His majesty laughed, loud and bold – and smiled at him fondly. “Who will win, though?”

“Your majesty. Always.” Seungcheol returned the warm grin. “Are you really going to send me to Changwon?”

He gave him a steady look. “I want to say, it’s for the best. But… now that I’ve made the decision, I feel uneasy.”

“You will survive a week or so without me, your majesty.”

“No, it’s not that.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I feel like something might happen while you’re gone.”

“What could happen here?”

“I don’t know. I feel odd. Especially with her majesty being…”

They both squirmed awkwardly at the thought.

“I’ll make provisions for you, your majesty. Nothing will happen. After all, Jooheon is doing better. I was thinking of posting him with Yeha- Sukwon…” He trailed off for a moment. “It’s hard to call her Sukwon when she’s been my baby sister for so long. Anyway, I was going to post Jooheon with her. It should be easy work for him until he is entirely healed, and that way Hansol will be able to guard your majesty. There will be nothing you have to be careful of.”

He sighed. “If you say so.”

“I say so.”

The King gazed up at him, a light curling playing on his lips. “You know, if it weren’t for you, I’m sure I’d go mad.”

“I doubt that, your majesty. You’re far too regal to go mad. After all, you survived the first time.”

“That was different.”

“How, sire?”

“It just was. After all, I wasn’t King yet, either.”

“When I came back to the palace, your majesty had become cold and distant.” Seungcheol looked down for a moment, chuckling a little. “I naively expected you to be the lovely child I had once doted upon. This sullen creature of orders and expectations with little warmth was such a shock to me. I couldn’t forgive myself for leaving for a long time after that.”

He frowned. “Wait, why?”

“The idea that, the moment I had let this precious creature slip from my arms, he became a wooden, harsh person… there was no love, no warmth, no happiness… you were a stoic King. The idea that my removal could have, in any way, contributed to that change in somebody previously so sweet and unassuming and forgiving… I was horrified.”

“Well, I’m sorry to be such a source of horror for you.”

“Don’t say it like that, majesty.”

The King smiled lightly again. “Then… you promise it will be fine? When you go to Changwon?”

“I promise, your majesty.”

Chapter Text

Seungcheol’s heart dragged as he left the capitol at his back. It seemed wrong, somehow, to leave him once more – it was all he seemed to do of late, and it never seemed to go well.

The twisted, sick feeling in his stomach didn’t subside until he met the guards at the gates of Changwon. Then, it started all over again as he tread into the arms of the dead.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“What would you like me to say?”

“I’d like a reason you came here, for one.”

The King straightened out a little more – a feat she would have thought was impossible and yet, it happened right before her eyes. “I’m here because my beloved wife is pregnant with my son and heir. I’m here to look after your wellbeing.”

“And why are you really here?”

“Appearances.” He smiled serenely. “For all intents and purposes, the child is mine. I must say this in order to keep a hold on my reign. You must say this in order to protect your life. Together, we make a wonderful pair of liars.”

“Isn’t it your fault I had to empty my coffers to aid some peasants? Did you think you’d be welcome here?”

The King shrugged, a pretty picture of innocence. “I didn’t force you to do anything. You brought Sukwon, with her generous personality, here.”

She ground her teeth audibly at that.

“What an unladylike sound.”

“That’s hysterical, coming from a liar King.”

“Ah, but liars come best in pairs. Say, wife. I meant to ask you.”

She put her cup of tea down.

“When the ministers abandon you – which they will eventually do, I’m sure – what will you do?”

Her little pink lips parted, eyes sparkling with passion. “That will never happen. They need me.”

“Do they? You seem to be a rather weak link.”

“I am carrying the next heir to the throne!”

“There it is.” He put his cup down, joviality playing out on his face. “An admittance to our favourite little crime. That’s all I really wanted. It comforts me to hear you say the words. Now, about your lies about Sukwon.”

She shifted, squinting slightly. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“You told – no, you insinuated, that she has been seeing men, as well. But you were wrong.”

“Really? I’m shocked.”

The sigh was drawn out, but honest. “Well, once more, you prove yourself to be exhausting.”

She squirmed more, uncomfortably fumbling with her silk skirt between her fingers. “Majesty…”

He waited patiently.

“…what are you going to do to him?” she asked quietly.

There was a shift in his face – she couldn’t look directly at him, dared not, but she could tell his jaw had locked.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

She continued to look at the cup on the table. “You wanted this, you know.”

“There are things here you don’t know anything about,” he answered, dismissing her words briskly. “So don’t ask.”

Her face finally snapped up, eyes bright as they met his. “I know more than you know,” she trembled. She somehow seemed small. “I know more than you want me to know. I know he betrayed you by seeing me. He can’t be a servant to two monarch at the same time. First, it was you. This time, it was me. Next will be you again.”

There was no emotion in his eyes anymore. “That’s not enough, Queen.”

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Only because she knew he was right. It wasn’t enough for her, either.

“I won’t continue to play games with you over my brother. I don’t care enough about either of you to do so. You, for now, have a purpose to me. If he cannot prove himself valuable, he will be cut from the equation.”

Her hands became fists, tendons raised, knuckles trembling with the ferocity running in her veins. “If you kill him,” she managed to grunt, the words spilling from the bile in her throat, “I think your son won’t survive.”

The King cocked his head a little, leaning in infinitesimally, calm and unperturbed. At length, he gave the smallest of bitter smiles. “My dear, sweet Queen. Have I not been married to you for years?” His voice was calm, low, sweet. Deceptively so, but somehow, he sounded like the honeyed words were dripping with pity. “Do I not know, by now… you couldn’t kill a child of his to save your own life.”

Then he stood and left her staring at the cold tea, fists relaxed around her skirts again.

“Suk.”

“Your majesty.”

“I need a favour.”

“For your majesty, I will do anything.”

The King paused in the middle of a hallway. “By first light, there will be a scandal raging through this city like a fire. Make sure it does not enter the palace. Close every entrance. Nobody comes in. Nobody goes out.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“…Suk?”

“Majesty?”

“How many?”

The eunuch’s face strained in pain of the heartfelt kind. “It has been twelve days since Choi Seungcheol left the palace, your majesty.”

“...twelve days,” he murmured. “We’ll hear soon from him, yes?”

“Surely news must come swiftly, majesty. He would not stay away from your majesty’s side for any longer than necessary.”

It wasn’t a yes, and that was all he needed to know. He simply turned a corner, and entered the room where his ministers waited.

“You look like shit.”

The man wiped his brow. It didn’t help. The dirt simply smeared over it. “Yeah.”

“Here.” A bowl was shoved at him. Inside lay a few dark, wet leaves. “Eat.”

He regarded the bowl for a moment, warring with himself. Then, he gingerly put the bowl down. “Maybe later.” He was hungry, yes. Starving. He hadn’t eaten solid food in seven days, blood in four. But with the last remnants of his mind, even he knew it was better to starve to death than risk eating spoiled cabbage.

“Suit yourself.” He took the bowl back and ate the leaves himself, pulling a face after the fact. “Tastes like rainwater and slime.”

His friend looked at his hands. Dirty, chapped and shaking a little. “Don’t eat it, then.”

“This is the only food available,” he clucked back. “The last of the rice is going to the children. Some of them only just survived the polio before the plague came. At least Lord Yu is giving us this much for our work.”

Seungcheol flinched at the idea of his work, but didn’t speak. Dust from the rocks was settled in the fine lines of his hands. It smelled awful, and he was just trying to get through the next few moments. Just a moment at a time. Each moment that he didn’t go mad and drink a man’s blood was a moment of sanity that he held onto for dear life.

Especially Minhyun. He was a good man trying to finish living his life. To take the life of a friend he had made in this godforsaken hellfire seemed worse than anything else possible. But he was close. He was so close. Seungcheol could hear a wet thumping squish inside his breast, he could feel the heat of his blood, and it would be easy. It would be so easy to simply snap his neck – so he would never know the horror of being fed upon – and take what he needed.

Seungcheol wouldn’t last long. He wasn’t going to last another 48 hours like this. He was too weak to last like this. The heat, the dirt, the thirst, the hunger. It was a deadly combination.

Since he had been taken by Lord Yu’s soldiers skulking in the shadows of Changwon and forced to work in and around the mines with the other able-bodied men and children, he hadn’t had a moment of peace from the chaos. He hadn’t been able to do any searching, any investigating. The part of the city that the soldiers and Lord Yu lived in were restricted. And quite frankly, he was losing the memory of what he came here to do. There was only the thirst, the burning of his skin, the pain in his stomach, the sweat on his brow, the dust in his skin.

Without another word, Seungcheol left the shambles of a hut he shared with nine other men and twelve children. It was a room that, in other circumstances, would have been the private room of one individual.

He struggled and stumbled. Not towards the restricted part of the city – there was no point. He couldn’t get through the guard in his condition. He darted out of the way of the children around.

If he was going to do the unspeakable, he couldn’t do it to a child. That was an unforgivable offense. And he would never go back to his little sister, his King, a pregnant queen, or the fae child his wife had adopted, knowing that particular sin weighed on his shoulders.

A single soldier stood, poking and prodding an old man. From what little words the old man was stuttering, it was a question about his daughter.

The soldier didn’t know. Neither did Seungcheol. He hadn’t seen a single woman since he’d been caught. He suspected one or two of the children of being little girls with more sense in their heads to pretend to be boys than others, but other than that, of the hundreds that flocked to the mines every morning for their breakfast, there was not a single woman among them.

“Old man. Go.”

“But-”

Seungcheol put a hand on the old man’s shoulder. “This soldier will kill you if you bother him. How can you search for your daughter if you are dead? Go. They are serving the last meal.”

The soldier spoke, but Seungcheol didn’t hear what he said. He simply snapped the man’s neck, like it was a wooden stick, and dragged him off.

Seungcheol dumped the soldier’s body, still bleeding out a little, in an old ditch at the edge of the city. Nobody went that way. They wouldn’t find him for days. The stench of the body would just mix with the stench of all the other bodies.

But he didn’t feel better. His eyelids were heavier, skin drier, fever hotter. Just before he made it back to the hut, he fell in the street, and let the plague have him.

It took him a moment, squinting in the darkness, to see who had cornered him. Then, he very carefully, sank to his knees and bowed. “Your majesty.”

The King appraised him for a moment. “I think it’s time we had a talk.”

“…as your majesty commands.”

He was calm, serene even – as he clearly expected to be killed very soon. He appraised Mingyu, tall and stoic, by the King’s side. “I suppose you will be the one to do it, then?”

The King looked at his guard.

“If his majesty commands me to take your life, then it is mine to take.”

Jeonghan settled, turning to his little brother. “Your majesty.”

The King looked at his brother, not a single emotion dancing on his face. It was as if – for the first time since Jeonghan had known him – he wasn’t even human. “The day you left the palace, you told me you would not harm me.”

There was a silence.

“I did, your majesty.”

“Yes, I am struck, Jeonghan. I am struck, here.” A hand moved over his breast. “By your hand.”

“I have sinned against your majesty. I deserve the punishment.”

“You cannot be a servant to two monarchs at the same time.” The phrase caught Jeonghan’s attention, but the King wasn’t even looking at him anymore. “My wife, your lover, told me that. You cannot be a servant to two monarchs at the same time. It’s a poetic phrase. I suppose that’s part of a noble lady’s upbringing. She’s wrong, though. You could be servant to two monarchs… if they weren’t her and me. If it wasn’t us… if it were any two other people… you could serve them both, together, and be satisfied. But not us. Not us.”

This vein of thought unsettled Jeonghan.

“I thought you were my brother.”

“I am your majesty’s brother.”

“Our father killed your mother at the behest of mine.”

The Prince shifted in his seat at the reminder.

“And then you impregnated my wife behind my back.” He finally met Jeonghan’s eyes once more. “Where is the loyalty of the man who left me alone at the gates of the palace? Where is his passion as he told me, in such strong love, that he would not harm me? Where is the Prince I longed to love? …what has happened to the boy who believed him? My trust has fallen, Jeonghan. How could I trust you, now?”

It was all there in Jeonghan’s eyes – pain, betrayal, the bitter taste of losing his trust. “Don’t,” he whispered. “Don’t distrust me.”

“How?”

“I love her. It’s not something you could understand. You don’t love anything. You wouldn’t ruin yourself for anything. I’d ruin us all for her.”

“Was she dying?”

“What?”

The King shook his head at his brother. “Was she dying in my palace? Did seeing you bring her back to life? Was she sick, did you heal her from a terminal illness?”

The Prince didn’t know how to answer.

“Then… you didn’t go to her, for her. You went to her for your own selfish ends. Because you couldn’t stay loyal to me in light of her.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

For the first time, the King’s fist came down on the wooden table between them: the table splintered, and buckled. He never took his eyes off his brother, but didn’t speak until the dust settled. “You have no idea, what I have loved,” he whispered, grief leaking into the cadence of his voice. “You have no idea how I have lost, how I have suffered, in losing the person I love. And that is the difference between you and I. You can buckle to your desires, and you can ruin yourself for the one you love. I am King. I do not have your luxuries. I cannot afford your selfishness or your callousness. My actions do not determine my fate, but the fate of this country. I don’t have the luxury of blindly doing whatever I like, like a spoilt child running wherever he likes.”

Slowly, he sank back into his chair.

Jeonghan surveyed the splintered wood. “You are stronger than you seem, little brother.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“I was not disloyal to you. I just wanted to hold her again. My loyalties will always be with my brother and my King.” There was a pause, a silence between them, but much was said through the eyes. “Proof? How do I prove it to you? I don’t know how to prove myself anymore. I don’t know what you want me to do.”

The King never took his eyes off his brother’s. “Mingyu.”

The guard stepped away, opening a door behind the King. Moonlight flooded the next room, illuminating a figure, tied to a chair.

“…who is that?”

“…it doesn’t matter,” the King replied. “His body is the same height and build as yours.”

The Prince shifted again, a warning in his eyes.

The King produced a small, serrated knife. “You are going to clothe him. You will make his face unrecognizable. Then, he will become you. And I will finally be rid of my treacherous brother who plans to steal my throne.”

Jeonghan stared. “I don’t understand.”

“Kill him.” The King stood, and handed him the knife. “Kill this innocent man, then throw his body in the street and make the whole city believe he is you.”

He was beyond words to reply.

“We’ll wait outside for you to finish. When you’re done, we’ll take you to a safe house.”

Jeonghan had aged thirty years in the span of as many minutes. The lines in his forehead were set deep, the pain and sin of his actions etched into his skin for the rest of forever, as he hiked up the mountain behind his brother, the King.

They came to the cabin behind the waterfall.

“You will stay here for a while. I’ll have somebody come up periodically with more food. You can fish in the river. It’s perfectly safe.”

Jeonghan took steps in, but didn’t get far. He turned to the King. “Then… have I finally earned your trust? Brother? Was killing a man, and maiming his face and body, was it enough for you? Have I finally proven myself? Is this how I am to continue?”

The King stared at him. “Almost. Come. You are shocked. I shall embrace you.”

The hug was awkward for a moment. Once Prince Jeonghan’s arms curled around his brother’s back reluctantly, there was a significant piercing pain in his chest.

The King didn’t move for a few moments, making sure to finish the job.

Jeonghan struggled backwards a few steps, sinking to his knees, shaking as blood trickled from his chest. “…what is this?” he whispered.

“You won’t ever be able to meet her again, after this,” the King told him quietly. “She won’t want to meet a monster like you. Now that you’re a monster like one of us, Jeonghan, my brother… you will never betray me like that again.”

Chapter Text

Fire flickered. Movement. Pain.

Not dead. Not alive, not alive for years, but not dead yet. Not dead. Why can’t I die?

Jihoon. Faces flooded his mind’s eye – smiling, crying, frowning, shaking – all the same face, all the same eyes, all the same fangs, the same dimples, the same lips. Jihoon is why I can’t die.

From somewhere, he found the strength to open his eyes, and found the lid of a coffin staring back at him.

He sighed loudly, and only then realized how strong his breath sounded. He sighed again, scowling at how healthy the sound was.

Seungcheol.

He scowled more.

Seungcheol. Are you alive?

Roa?

Get up. Come home. The King needs you.

Her voice in his head dissipated, but her words were all he needed. From deep inside a mass grave, a single hand stuck out from the dirt.

Seungcheol had dug out of his grave, and he was hunting for revenge.

“Your majesty.”

The King slowly put down his spoon. “Hansol. You had better have a very good reason to interrupt me in the middle of my meal, not to mention bursting into my private rooms like this.”

The guard looked at his King. “I do, your majesty.”

They locked eyes for a single second.

“Out!” the King practically screamed. “Out, all of you, out! This second! Leave the food I’ll eat shortly! Go, go, get out! Quickly! Hansol, come here! Out! Suk you can stay. Go!” He almost rattled Hansol as he grabbed his collar. “You have news.”

Hansol nodded.

“What happened to him?”

He waivered for only a second. “Seungcheol contracted the plague, your majesty.”

The fingers clenched around his collar let go. “…what?”

“He got the plague, your majesty, and was buried.”

Mingyu put a hand on Hansol’s shoulder, urgency in his eyes.

“Ah, but! Roa managed to do a site-to-site transferral of disease! Once she had his plague, she cured it easily. She said he is alive and strong again, strong enough to speak for a moment. Majesty, he will come home soon.”

After thirty-seven days, the King fell back, and wept.

When his majesty received word that his personal guard, Choi Seungcheol, had taken over an entire city by himself, freed a hundred women in captivity, and returned food to the citizens rather than where it had been stashed for sale by the reigning Lord, and the supplies the King and his court had sent that had never made its way to the peasants and merchants of Changwon, he only sent brief word back.

Return immediately. Soldiers will meet you and your prisoners at the city gates. Make haste.

There was no second-guessing the brief, stoic tone. His majesty wasn’t angry, and he wasn’t cold. He was desperate, and it was an emotion he knew well. He tried desperately, as the steed under him trotted on, to sooth the raging itch in his heart.

He would be with him soon enough, again.

The King swept through the hallways at a pace, making the maids titter behind him. He took corners without slowing down, and simply looked ahead.

“M-Majesty, it is still early.”

“You can’t keep this news out of the palace for long, Suk. I have to be the one to tell her.”

He didn’t stop until he stood in front of her doors, hesitating for a single second. For a second, he wasn’t sure if he had the heart to say the words.

“Suk. You can have the gates opened now.”

Then, he entered.

“No.”

“Yes.”

She denied it, over and then over again. But what her husband had said – how he had said it – what he looked like this morning – there was no denying it. He was fully, entirely serious.

“You did this.”

He did not reply.

“You did this!” In her shock, and horror, her body backed up away from him. “You did this to him!”

“I didn’t lay a hand on him.”

“You killed him!”

“How could I kill my own brother? It’s not possible.”

“You… you…” Her rage dissipated suddenly, as a fire that raged too hot to support itself, and her eyes finally welled, face pink, expression wretched. “You killed Jeonghan… you… you killed him…”

She faltered for a moment, and in that time the King had already made his way to her side to help, but there was no need: she propped herself up against the wall, trembling, slaking back breathes as she tried desperately to contain the anguish bubbling in her throat.

She looked at him, caught in his arms. “You killed him,” she whispered in horror. “And now I have no choice to die with him.”

He didn’t react the way she thought. She guessed he might be happy at the idea, hopeful, or at least expressionless, without emotion. She was not that lucky. His expression was one of pity, disbelief, and somehow, grief.

“Can you?” he whispered to her gently. “Can you kill yourself, now, wife? Do you have that kind of strength?”

It was in that second that her years of suffering, her pain, her stress and sickness, all bled out in her eyes. For a single second, the King could see her soul in them, and he saw it was tortured. And then she broke.

“Get out!” she screamed, pushing him from her. Her arms clung to the wall as her mouth warped to show the fury in her grief. “Get out, get out!”

As the King left her building, her wails rose in the air like smoke.

“I… I need to bathe, first.”

“His majesty has commanded to see you immediately upon your arrival.”

Seungcheol hadn’t actually managed to make himself look acceptable. From rising from his grave, he immediately went on to find the evidence he needed, capture the men responsible, free goods to the people of Changwon, disband the other miners – and by then, the soldiers had come for the King’s captives. He was, if at all possible, and even uglier mess than he had been before the plague.

And so, he had to walk in like a beggar, and sink to his knees in front of the King and his ministers.

“Your majesty. I have returned with the criminals to your majesty’s state.”

“Choi Seungcheol. Welcome back to Hanyang.”

He never had a chance to look up: Suk suddenly walked forth, unscrolling an edict.

“Choi Seungcheol of Hanyang, loyal subject of His Majesty the King, hear and obey this King’s edict. Choi Seungcheol is hereby immediately promoted in His majesty’s personal guard. He will henceforth bear the duties and responsibilities of the rank of General, and carry out his duties until death, or until his King releases him. Will you obey?”

The words stuck in his throat for a moment, before he cleared it and tried again.

“I will obey. Long live the King.”

“Choi Seungcheol, you smell.”

“Forgive me, your majesty.” He was already backing out of the room he had just entered. “I did not have time to-”

“I’ve already had a bath drawn for you.”

He looked up. “Y-your majesty, I cannot-”

“You definitely can.” His nose was wrinkled. “In fact, I’ll say you have to. Come. Follow me.”

The poor General had no choice but to follow his happy monarch to his royal bathing house: there, the King’s own bath had been drawn, steaming and smelling like a whole garden of flowers.

“In you get.” He pointed at the bath while he walked past it to survey soaps that had been laid out. “Ladies, you may leave.”

The maids briefly looked at each other.

“I have business to discuss with the General. Leave. Now.”

They were gone in seconds.

He turned. “Well? Come on then. Take off your clothes and get in the bath.”

Foolishly, he coloured. “T-take-take-”

“I can’t believe you walked into my palace looking and smelling like that. Take the rags off and get in the water. Quickly.”

He took advantage of the King turning back to his soaps, and quickly undressed, getting into the hot water with a splash. “Y-your majesty…”

“Ah, this one first, I think… and then… Seungcheol, do you like jasmine? I like jasmine. So you will smell of jasmine.” He brought the soaps back to the table near the bath and very simply sat on the edge of the tub, holding a yellow cake of soap. “Give me your arm. I’ll wash you.”

“Ma-majesty!” He pulled away instantly, trying to cover himself. “You cannot! Ple-please, send – send the maids back-back in! The-they- they will be fine!”

Without another word, the King gripped Seungcheol’s wrist and pulled it out before very gently, gliding the bar over his arm. “Hush, Seungcheol,” he whispered. “My lover has suffered greatly on my behalf. Let me wash your body.”

He blushed more at the word lover, but decided not to mention it; he simply let the King gently rub over his skin, first with the soap, then his own hands, gently working away the grime, sweat and dust in silence.

“Ma…majesty?”

“Mm?”

“…forgive me. I was away for too long. I have sinned against you.”

The King’s hand slid over his mouth gently. “Please,” he whispered, “please don’t say that. I am the one that sent you away. I am the one who harmed you. Let me bathe you, and promote you, and ask your forgiveness, instead.”

“Your majesty need not give me anything or ask for anything. I am simply… content to be at your side again.”

The King leaned in slowly to very gently kiss him. “Seungcheol, I do not deserve you.”

“Jihoon… thank you for surviving until I came back.”

He smiled gently, relaxing a little. “I missed you greatly.”

“I missed your majesty, too.”

“Anyway, you really do smell terrible and you look even worse, so let me finish. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Seungcheol shifted in the water, allowing the King to access him better. “Your majesty will not like what I have to say. I’ll have my report soon, but… there are people implicated, that your majesty will suffer for. People you love… could die… if I tell you the truth.”

The King breathed deeply. “I know,” he answered quietly. “I want you to tell me anyway.”

Seungcheol couldn’t look him in the eye, so instead, he stared at the bathwater around his waist. “…Lord Yu had hoarded the relief funds to himself, captured the women, and forced the men to work in the mines to earn rotten food, claiming that no relief funds could be kept.”

The King barely stopped his gentle scrubbing at the idea.

“…He mined a lot of iron ore. I know. I was down there, carrying stones out of the mines. He made a lot. He was planning to arm a private army with it. He had already been in talks with several other provincial lords, trading his relief funds for money to pay off mercenaries.”

“So, Lord Yu was going to start a rebellion?”

Seungcheol was very quiet. “No, your majesty.”

“Then?”

“…the steel and money was for another lord who wanted power. Yang Sungwoo.”

The King rocked away suddenly. “Yang… Sungwoo?”

He nodded slowly.

“First Minister Yang’s… son?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Do you have proof? On paper?”

“I have letters from the Minister’s son asking how much steel was being mined, and how soon mercenaries could be in Hanyang, sire.”

He gripped his guard. “This is good news, Seungcheol. Why would you say this could hurt me?”

Seungcheol looked at his monarch with tragedy in his eyes. “There were funds sent to Changwon two months prior to the polio and plague outbreaks. Similar funds were sent to other provincial lords. Sire… they were sent from the royal treasury.”

He stared, not understanding.

“Sire… apart from your majesty, there are only three other people who can take money from the royal treasury. My sister, Sukwon, who had barely settled in the palace at the time…”

His eyes darkened.

“Your majesty’s wife, who then, was not yet aware of being pregnant, and would have no safety in removing you from power…”

The King’s shoulders fell. “And my mother.”

Chapter Text

They watched each other in silence for a moment, then the King continued with the soap. “Well. I will have to think about that.”

“…your majesty, I am sorry to bring you such news.”

He grit his teeth. “It makes no sense. Why would my mother want me killed?”

“I don’t think she would, your majesty. But… after the passing of her majesty the Grand Queen Dowager… she has lost favour with your majesty. And with losing your majesty’s favour… comes losing power.”

“So she didn’t want me killed, just intimidated and pushed into a corner so that the ministers could take over? Is that it?”

“And, if her majesty bears a male child, he too will be under the Queen Mother’s influence.”

“Turn. I want to clean your back.”

“Really, your majesty, I can wash-”

“Turn.”

He turned.

“…I want your report, and your report alone, full, and in excruciating detail. Use several scrolls if you must. The evidence… keep it in a safe place. I will need you to come forth with it soon.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Seungcheol… thank you for coming back. I heard you were ill.”

“Yes, your majesty. Even vampires don’t seem to be impervious to the plague.”

“Did you suffer much?”

“I was able to come back to your majesty’s side. That was enough.”

The King had to take satisfaction with that.

“How was your majesty when I left? Were you safe? Has anything happened while I was away?”

He didn’t answer.

“Majesty, I am your bodyguard.”

He remained silent.

“…you know, if I ask him, Kim Mingyu will tell me.”

“Fine then.”

“I would much rather,” he breathed, “not hurt your majesty’s trust like that.”

The soap on his back halted for a moment. “Seungcheol… my brother betrayed me.”

Muscles tensed. “He did.”

“He hurt you, too.”

“Yes.”

“…I punished him, according to his sin. I was impulsive, and I was cruel. I was truly cruel to him, Seungcheol. When I tell you what I did… I am scared.” There was a short silence, but he didn’t get an answer, so he simply continued. “I am scared what you will think of me… how you will question me… how you might mistrust me, knowing I can be so cruel…”

“Your majesty surely doesn’t think I could turn on you?”

“No.” His voice was quiet. “But I do think you could start to question me more… and I need you to be my most loyal servant. I need you to do my bidding without question. The day you came back from Busan, the first time… Mingyu told me you were too righteous to follow my orders blindly. He is loyal, and would do anything for me, even if it disgusted him to the point of self-hatred. But you… I don’t think you would go against your own nature for me. Not when you know… how cruel I can be.”

The silence was like a blanket of snow; eerily quiet, uncomfortable, and too still.

“Your majesty… needs me to blindly do your bidding?”

“I do, Seungcheol.”

He straightened with a sigh in the tub. “Then, that is what I shall do.”

“Seungcheol-”

“But, make no mistake your grace.” He turned in the water with a light smile. “That is not what your majesty needs of me. If your majesty must have blind loyalty, you have it in many others. But you do not wash many others’ bodies. You do not kiss their lips, or crave their arms, or cry for their health. You do not love the many others you command. Your majesty… you do not need me to blindly do your bidding. You just need me.”

A fleeting moment of question passed – and then the King’s arms were around his neck, gripping him tightly. “Don’t leave me, Seungcheol.”

“I shan’t, majesty.”

“Don’t leave your King.”

“I shan’t.”

“Don’t leave your Jihoonie.”

“Never.”

“Even when I’m not the King.”

“Not for a second, majesty.”

Seungcheol took several long draws of air, exhaling each one carefully. “Your majesty… has sentenced him, not only to a life as a monster but…”

The King gently dabbed the towel over his skin. “You would have advised against that.”

He said it like a fact, and Seungcheol couldn’t let it slide. “Your majesty… I don’t know what I would have advised. What your majesty has done was intelligence at its best. As far as everybody in the world is concerned, he is dead, and cannot gather forces against your majesty. And her majesty the Queen… well. Her majesty the Queen will never see him again. Even if she did, she would soon notice he was different. He couldn’t keep that from her. And when she knows she is a monster… he can’t ever do that to you again.”

The King nodded, a little more tranquil at this affirmation.

“But, sire…”

He froze.

“What if her majesty bears a girl? How will you procure a male heir?”

“…oops?”

Seungcheol snorted, failing miserably to withhold his smile. “Your majesty will find a way, I am sure.”

He nodded once.

“Uncle.”

“Your Majesty.” The Minister bowed deeply. “It has been some time since we were able to meet.”

“You have been very busy for our country’s sake, uncle. It is difficult for busy people to meet. I am glad we could see each other today.”

The two noted each other as he sat down.

He was ever unchanged – an older man, slowed by gout, greying, and utterly emotionless. She somewhat expected that he could, easily, have his entire family murdered, and wouldn’t even change his expression once.

She, however, was a different creature. When the minister had power played her way into the Royal palace, she had been little more than a girl, and she had grown into a beautiful young woman. Even under the duress of her new husband and their rather passionless arrangement, she had been doing well. But now her forehead was wrinkled, her fists clenched, skin stretched, eyes dark. She had aged thirty years in the span of a few months.

“Your majesty, caring for our next heir to this great nation’s throne is an important task. I hope you understand that I and the other ministers are all cheering you on. Therefore, please take good care of yourself.”

“I am well, minister, simply tired.”

“Ah, then…”

“Uncle, when you originally betrothed me to the late Prince Jeonghan, you meant for me to be the mother of the nation, as well as the next King.”

“Yes.”

“I want to desperately fulfil that task.”

“Y-you are, majesty.”

She looked up, and her eyes were nearly black, but there was something in them – a steeliness, a wall, a wasteland that made the Minister shift uncomfortably.

“I won’t do it while His Majesty the King is alive.”

Neither of them move.

“Are you asking what I think you’re asking?”

“I’m asking you to kill the King.”

The Minister stared at her a while longer. “…if he heard you say that, we’d both be executed.”

“No. I’d wait out my pregnancy, give birth, then be executed. You would be exiled.”

She had thought about this, clearly. The Minister leaned in. “Majesty, we cannot Kill the King.”

“Why not? Haven’t you been trying for years?”

“Prince Jeonghan is dead. Who do you suppose we put on the throne?”

“My son.”

“You don’t have a son. Not yet.”

“But I will.”

“We cannot be sure of that until your majesty gives birth.”

She glared at him. “And then? Will you kill him then?”

“If your majesty gives birth to the King’s son… we can, perhaps, do something to help your majesty’s position.”

She squirmed uncomfortably. “Then, Uncle… there is something else you should probably know.”

“Yes, Your majesty?”

She took a deep breath. “The baby is Jeonghan’s. My marriage is unconsummated.”

=

“Bad idea.”

“What then?!” he cried.

Seungcheol sighed heavily, staring at the jewellery. “Your majesty… I honestly don’t know.”

“She’s just a woman, one woman!”

“Ah.” He stopped staring and suddenly turned. “Your majesty, you must speak with my mother.”

“I already have.” The King slouched, looking like little more than a grumpy teen. “She couldn’t convince her to forgive me, either.”

“No, your majesty – not that.”

“…then?”

“Our mother can give you the recipe for her favourite snack. If you make it yourself, by hand…”

His nose wrinkled – not so much in disgust, but annoyance. “Myself?”

“You want her to forgive you, right?”

“How can she stay mad this long?”

“It’s a talent. Majesty, bribing my little sister with trinkets and gifts is a bad idea. You’ll just upset her more.”

He nodded a little. “Fine. Ah, I’ll send them to your wife.”

“…Roa, sire?”

“Mm. I owe her for saving my lover from death. She took the plague for you and me. The least I can do is send her some pretty silks and beads.”

“Very well, majesty.”

The King moved from where he sat to suddenly grip Seungcheol’s arm. “You’re blushing.”

“When your majesty calls me your lover, it’s very disconcerting.”

“Disconcerting? Why?”

The guard blushed even more. “What if somebody was to hear?”

The King rolled his eyes, and tip-toed in order to plant a kiss on Seungcheol’s chin. “So scared. Who is going to hear me? Suk? Like he doesn’t already know. The Queen? Like she doesn’t suspect. I get to call you my lover any time I like, you know.”

Seungcheol bit his lip. “Yes, your majesty.”

“Besides, one of these days I’ll lure you into my bed. Mark my words.”

The poor bodyguard sighed. It was a brutal fight, trying to force the King to sleep in his bed, rather than pull Seungcheol’s clothes off of his body. The nights that Mingyu and Vernon took over the watch of his majesty were blissful, but far and few between.

“Don’t be upset.”

“I just think your majesty should be getting more sleep than you are. And you’re so focussed on me, you’re getting tired during the day.”

“I’m not tired,” he yawned.

“Ahuh.”

“Seungcheol.”

“Maje-”

“Your majesty!” It was a true wonder how Suk’s voice and lungs managed it all day every day. “Your servant guard, Hansol, has arrived!”

“Let him in.” The King turned to Seungcheol. “I guess you’re going, then.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

He fumbled. “Be kind to him. I did not have the luxury of doing so.”

He nodded, and turned, but within seconds he was turned again, hot lips pressed against his.

It took him a moment.

“Ew, gross. True love.” Hansol grimaced in the corner, but thought it better to not mention any of the other thoughts in his head.

The King ignored him, instead simply breaking off the kiss and looking Seungcheol in the eye. “I love you.”

“I am your majesty’s,” he simply responded.

He looked terrible – genuinely, truly, horrific. He hadn’t bothered bathing, or anything close to bathing; his clothes were torn and shred rags, splattered in dark stains. Remainders of sucked blood had marked his skin on either side of his chin. His hair had fallen out of place, lankily clinging to his skin, and he had gotten thin. He was simply curled up in a ball, barely registering the other vampire in the cabin.

Seungcheol quietly set down the bag he had taken, and unpacked it. “I brought you some food, and soap, incense…”

“You, too.”

“Hm?”

“How do you… cope… with your existence? With the burning in your throat when you… you smell them? How do you drink a person’s blood and not hate yourself?”

Seungcheol became very quiet, pondering the question for a moment. “I… did this to myself, in a way. Selfishly, I did it for another, and I haven’t had the luxury of regretting my transformation, not for a single hour of the day.”

Jeonghan looked up at him with one bloodshot eye.

“I suppose he didn’t tell you.” He sighed deeply, and sat down on the bed Jeonghan had been ignoring. “I understand now, when he said… he had been too cruel to you. I’m sorry he turned you, your highness.”

The curled skeleton in the corner scoffed. “Sure.”

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I’m still angry. I still think you’re living shit for using me to betray His Majesty. But… I don’t think you deserved this.”

He scoffed again. “Monstrosity looks good on me.”

“I mean what this does. You won’t be able to meet her again in this state. You can’t meet her, ever again. To be forever ripped away from the person you…” He suddenly drew a long breath in, making the Prince turn to watch him. “That’s an agony irreversible. I pity you.”

The Prince rocked a little. “…it’s odd, but your pity makes me feel better.”

“…so. Are you… likely? To help him?”

He stared.

“His majesty, the King. Now that he knows you can’t betray him with the Queen… can you be loyal to him?”

He looked up, and he was tortured. “I don’t have anybody else,” he whispered, the irate tone suddenly disappeared. “I don’t have anybody that isn’t my baby brother. He’s the only one I have to lean on in this world. Human beings can’t go through life by themselves. I don’t think vampires can, either. If I lose him… I’m alone, Choi Seungcheol. I don’t have anybody else I can be loyal to.”

He only nodded once.

“Y-Your highness! Hi-his majesty is here!”

Sukwon threw the doors of her quarters open, standing in the doorway over her husband, looking him straight in the eye. “Your majesty. What can you possibly…”

The King held up the small tray he was carrying. “I’ve terrorized the kitchen staff as much as they can endure to make this. It’s probably not right, but you should at least validate my efforts by trying it. I’ve already had Suk eat some, so I promise you won’t die of it.”

She looked at the tray. “Are those… honey rice cakes?”

They looked at each other.

“I… suppose… your majesty… should come in…”

Chapter Text

“Fine. I shall forgive your majesty.”

“I was manipulated by those in the palace that do not love me. It will not happen again with your involvement. I promise.”

She reached out for another rice cake, eating it delicately with two hands.

“You look happy. Do they taste that good?”

“Nope. They taste awful.” She smiled a little. “But, if it came from the royal kitchens, they would have tasted nice. That’s how I know your majesty made them yourself. The effort you went to makes me very happy.”

He had to chuckle at that. She was, deep down, so sweet. “I was rather surprised to hear that these were a favourite snack of yours.”

She nodded emphatically, licking a droplet of honey off a finger. “They remind me of my childhood.”

“Oh?”

“Mm, that summer was the summer my father died. The smallpox was in the city. We didn’t have any money, and everybody seemed to be sick. Our eldest brother couldn’t even move with the fever. Seungcheol went out trying to find work outside the city, but rushed back to get jars. When he came back the second time, he had great big jars of honey. Our mother worked for hours to make us honey riced cakes. We hadn’t eaten in five days. It was the best day of my life. I’ve liked them ever since.”

The King scowled. “But… your father was a merchant. Surely you would have had some money?”

“Mm – it all went to rent, loan sharks, debt collectors, and taxes. If Seungcheol hadn’t found honey that morning, I don’t think any of us would have lived. He saved my whole family.” She looked down at the rice cakes. “I don’t think I ever properly thanked him for that. He probably reckons I was too little to remember.”

The King’s jaw dropped, then closed again – several times, his lips parted and shut as he tried to make up his mind on what to say. “I didn’t know,” he said carefully, “a family could be plucked bare like that. Not a family of good standing.”

“Is your majesty saying if we had been peasants or slaves, your majesty wouldn’t have cared?” she teased, licking honey off another finger.

The comment was light, but the weight of it nearly crushed him.

“General Han! It’s been some time.” The King received his General with a broad smile. “I’m glad you’ve been able to round up the lords I requested.”

The General smiled. “I’m sure your majesty will be receiving complaints soon. Many Lords have been taken to jail, including the First Right Minister’s son. No doubt he will try to resist. I assume your majesty has some kind of proof of his crime?”

“More than enough.” He smiled a little to himself. “Were you… also able to complete that other task I asked of you?”

The General sighed deeply. “Your majesty… the First Right Minister has gathered a lot of power around him, but he has not been foolish. Every trace I follow, ends up a dead end. Your majesty, at this point… it may be too much to ask to uncover evidence that the First Right Minister killed your majesty’s father.”

“That’s not acceptable,” he answered swiftly. “There has to be evidence, somewhere.”

He squirmed.

“Well?”

“Your majesty… I was not able to leave the mainland.”

“…so?”

“Sire… the previous First Right Minister of this country, Yoo Kihyun, served out his exile on Jeju island.”

The King froze.

“He was sent away after being accused of sending assassins to kill your majesty’s late father during the rebellion. Many believed him to be innocent, because there was little evidence to be found. But, if the Southern faction ever wanted to hide evidence… well, exile is a good place to do it.”

He considered it carefully. “The Western ministers came to aid then… but if Yoo Kihyun was innocent, he wouldn’t have evidence.”

“Your majesty, I read the reports of that time myself. He could not have been innocent.”

“There was no evidence.”

“I don’t care. Forgive me, your majesty. But there is no way I could have judged Yoo Kihyun to be innocent at that time. He died years ago in exile, but his home in Jeju remains untouched. I could search it, top to bottom. If there’s evidence – either of his rebellion, or anything else against the Southern faction… then it will be there.”

The two looked at each other.

“You would be gone from the capitol. Since you’ve come here, there have been very few direct attempts on my life. If you leave…”

“Your majesty… how could they kill you? Your majesty is the only living heir to the throne. But…” Worry passed over his eyes. “I’m not sure that’s enough, either. I could leave, briefly, if the ministers were afraid of the consequences of their actions. However…”

The King suddenly looked up. “…you’re saying, I’ll be safe, if they’re afraid of the wrath of God?”

“God… or something worse. Why? Majesty?”

The King’s lips curled slightly. “General… I think I might be able to do that. I’ll need some time. Leave for Jeju next week.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Your majesty…”

The King tried not to be smug. “Yes, First Right Minister?”

“Your majesty, I must ask what is happening in this great nation. From all over your majesty’s kingdom, Lords and officials have been seized and are currently rotting in your majesty’s jail as if they are common criminals! General Han has been going around this great nation, pretending to act upon your majesty’s will, and capture innocents!”

The ministers did like to gossip: and their deep voices echoed in the throne room for quite some time, voicing their outrage at the situation. Even the Western ministers looked uncomfortable, as if unsure how to proceed.

“Majesty! What is the meaning of this treatment of my son?!”

“Minister, if you and your colleagues would do me the grace of being quiet for a moment, I could perfectly explain this situation to you.”

The silence was deafening.

“Suk, I believe you have a proclamation.”

The eunuch unrolled the scroll – and he made no mistake of showing the ministers how much glee there was in his voice, loud and booming as it was.

The list of names was long – and almost boring. It ended with the First Right Minister’s first-born son.

“These individuals have been found guilty of treason against His Majesty the King, embezzlement, inciting rebellion, tax fraud, bribery and illegal slave trade. Five have confessed their crimes under interrogation and implicated others in their scheming. These five – Lee Shindong, Im Junyheok, Han Donggeun, Lee Chanhyuk and Yang Sungwoo – have been sentenced to life-long exile, in accordance with the law. Those who do not-”

“This is preposterous!” The First Right Minister – probably for the first time in his life – lost his composure, interrupting the eunuch. “Your majesty, my son would never admit to a crime he has not committed!”

Suk would have rebuked the minister, had the King not held his hand up.

“Minister. These are letters, signed by your son, some months ago, requesting updates on mercenaries bought to rebel against me. This is his confession, signed in blood.” He held the papers up. “I have had copies made, not only of these, but of all evidences against those accused, for the court’s perusal. Minister Yang, my operatives were unable to find any evidence that you were aware of these actions. Nevertheless, you could lose your position if an investigation were to find reason for it. I have refused the inquest, because you are a competent minister with the nation’s best interests at heart. Please, have some more decorum for the reading of the law.”

And that, seemingly, was the end of that.

The First Left Minister, Minister of War General Han Seongsoo, Minister of Rites Jeon Wonwoo, Minister of Personnel Kwon Soonyoung, and the Minister of Finance Hong Jisoo, were all invited to drinks with His Majesty the King.

They presumed it was to celebrate the slight victory that seemed to have been gained over the Southerners. They were wrong.

After some regular toasting and general merrymaking, the King leaned in.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering if I have anything interesting to say. I do.”

There was a silence.

“General Han will be leaving next week on some business at the coast. The Qing ambassadors are due to arrive in a month’s time for the birth of my child, and to consolidate the friendship between our countries. In between these times, I need assurances that the Southerners will not make any attempts on my life.”

“M-majesty,” the Left Minister spluttered, “s-surely they would not…”

The King breathed deeply, ignoring him. “Therefore… I must tell you all something very important. When the Right ministers hear how often I am seeing Western ministers, how much the Western ministers love my Sukwon, how much time the ministers spend with us, they will be… quite upset.”

“But majesty… we don’t spend time with Sukwon.”

“Well, you will now.” The King gave the Minister of Finance a dark look. “From now on, every single minister will call on her to pay his respects, and you will all engage with her and be interested in her life.”

Hong Jisoo sat back, lips pursed.

“As I was saying, the Right ministers will be upset, and demand I not be so partisan in my company. They will demand equal treatment. I am going to suggest to them that we go on a hunt together. On the first day, I will be with the Right ministers alone, and on the second, the Leftist ministers shall arrive also. And when we leave on that second day for the hunt… I am going to scare the ministers into retreat.”

The ministers looked at each other.

The Minister of Rites was the first to speak; slow, and careful. “Your majesty… may we ask… how?”

The King inhaled deeply, and told them the whole plan.

“Majes-”

“I am telling you this, only because, this one thing is very, very important.” He looked each of them in the eye before speaking again. “Every single Left minister must act as if he sees nothing. On that day, at that time, you must be blind and deaf to that which the other ministers can clearly see and hear.”

There was a long silence.

“Your majesty… Prince Jeonghan… is alive?”

“…yes. I ordered for his supposed murder, in order to claim my brother’s allegiance. He will do as he is bid. You need not further concern yourselves with him. You must only know what will happen on that day. Am I clearly understood?”

The general was the first time smile, nodding his head. “Your majesty… you are truly your father’s son.”

Chapter Text

“General.”

“Ah, General.” Seungcheol still blushed to hear his new rank. “Thank you for your work in bringing in the lords for interrogation.”

“And yours, for the initial investigative work. I was hoping I could buy you a few drinks. You’re not guarding him until dawn, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, come drink with me. I need to speak to you about the Qing.”

“So… I had no choice. It was an unspeakable bond between us. We couldn’t let anybody know what had happened. Neither of us would have survived to adulthood if anybody had found out. When the late King had me moved to Busan to finish training… it was a deliberate attempt to part us, because we were closer than a guard and Prince should be. But they… didn’t understand, couldn’t understand, and so I was removed.”

Prince Jeonghan sat there, breathing quietly for a long time in the silence, mulling the story over.

“How’d you become a vampire?”

“I went looking for them.”

“Looking for them?!”

He nodded curtly. “When I was in Busan I sought them out. I thought if I could capture one he could tell me how to reverse the process. I could return his majesty to his normal state. But instead, I was the one who got turned.”

“…so you really did do it for him. You became a monster for him. Why? I have loved my brother… dearly… but something like that… how do you stand to live, knowing you wouldn’t just die for him, you would become the devil himself for him?”

Seungcheol shrugged very simply. “When he was little, I saw him like a sibling. And a future King. I considered it my own personal duty to see him human again. There was nothing that could have stopped me. I guess I was just that pure back then.”

He straightened a little. “Don’t take this personally, but you don’t look like you see him as a sibling anymore.”

Seungcheol shuddered with a small smile. “No. That’s not the case anymore.”

“…and now? What would you do for him now?”

When Seungcheol looked up, there was a glint of something in his eyes – not fear nor disgust, but some horrified mixture of the two. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I can’t imagine a crime I wouldn’t commit for him. That’s how love works. You know that, or you wouldn’t have done what you did, either.”

Jeonghan looked at him, watching him crumble slightly as his principles were floating away.

“I think I need a bath.”

“Seungcheol… Seungcheol, fucking – Cheollie…”

The poor guard had to remove himself from the situation, breathing heavily, blushing more than he had ever done before. His hands gripped the King’s tightly. “Sire. Please.”

“Why not?”

It was increasingly difficult to reason with him. When he asked why not in such a strong voice, with such a determined, steely look in his eyes, Seungcheol always thought it would be so easy to give in.

“Your majesty, this isn’t how a King should behave.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you.”

He sighed. “For my sake, majesty, please stop trying to unclothe me. Please think of my honour.”

“It’s dishonourable to sleep with the King, is that what you’re saying? That my existence brings you dishonour? Am I that low, that you-”

“No! No, no, no, your majesty, no!” And instantly, the guard was in a deep bowing position, crown towards his protégé. “Your majesty, please do not twist my words like that. I meant my honour and integrity as your majesty’s guard. I cannot do my duty in keeping you safe if I am distracted by you.”

“Frustrating little man!” The King pushed Seungcheol’s shoulders once in a huff, curling into a ball, face screwed into an angry pout. “Fine, do whatever you want.”

Seungcheol’s lips became a straight line. “Forgive me, majesty.”

The King sighed, too. “Am I so hideous I’m not desirable, Seungcheol?”

He looked up at him, and swallowed hard. “Majesty, I cannot fathom how I might ever be worthy of… being with your majesty. Undesirable, hideous… are words your majesty’s self cannot possibly know.”

His lips pursed, but he seemed satisfied. “You really just want me to sleep, huh?”

“It would please me greatly to see you get some sleep, your majesty.”

“Well, I’m not going to. So you can come back here and kiss me some more, or you can be austere over there, but either way I’m not sleeping.” He folded his arms, sitting up straight, the very image of royal stubbornness.

Seungcheol moved back to sit comfortably. “Then, majesty… I would like to speak to you. About something… that has been weighing on my mind recently.”

“You’re really not going to kiss me?”

He didn’t reply.

“Fine.” He relaxed from his stance. “What did you want to talk about?”

“General Han… may have pointed out to me… that your majesty… is a vampire.”

There was a long silence.

“Yeeeees… aaaaand?” he queried. “You were aware of that, were you not? On account of me sucking your blood every other day?”

“Yes, majesty, I was aware.” He had to smile a little. “However, your majesty… you and I, we… we did not plan for the future.”

“Like?”

He bit his lip a moment. “How long does a vampire live, your majesty?”

“Until he dies,” the impatient monarch snapped.

“…how long might a vampire live if he were never sick, never got hungry, never got thirsty, and was served upon hand and foot, every day of his life?”

A confused frown now folded over his face. “Forever, I suppose…?”

He waited, but it didn’t seem to click, so he continued. “And, does your majesty… does your majesty plan on being King forever? When your Queen dies, and your sons die without their chance to the throne, and their sons die, and their sons die too? Will you still be King? Will you sit in a throne, eternally a young man, as palace maids cower to be anywhere near the man who has been King for… a century? Two, three? How long does your majesty plan to keep that throne?”

The truth dawned on the King’s face with a find of horror. “That’s sick.”

“I pray to God your majesty lives forever. I do, I really do. And that I may live that long by your side to keep you from harm, no matter what you and I decide to do. But… I don’t think your majesty can live that long as King. Sooner or later, you will have to leave the palace.”

“A King only leaves the palace if he’s dead,” he whispered.

Seungcheol pursed his lips and nodded.

“Seungcheol, this isn’t something I can think about. The murder of my father, the Qing approval of my son, the tax fraude, my mother trying to do me in, my Queen’s disobedience, there is too much for me to think about. I cannot add this, as well. Until these things have been resolved, and the government is free of its corruption for my heirs to take control of it… I can’t think of leaving.”

He nodded slowly, accepting that reality.

“Speaking of my heirs… now I have something to speak to you about.”

“I will listen diligently, your majesty, to whatever you have to say.”

“Some time ago… you and I spoke about what will take place if Her Majesty has a girl, and what will happen if she has a boy.”

He braced himself.

“I’ve made the decision, that if she bares a boy, that he must be stolen away and raised in foreign lands, until it is safe for him to return.”

It was spoken so gently, so quietly, that the weight of the sentence bore heavier than it seemed.

“I want my nephew, my heir, to never know the pain I knew growing up. It may take me years to pull them out, root and stem, and I cannot let another child grow up amidst this. So… he must be taken away.”

“Your majesty… can you do it?”

The nod of his head was slow and heavy. “I have to. I have to rip a child from its mothers breast before it is a day old, and I have to safeguard him.” He looked up in the darkness. “And, Seungcheol… I love Kim Mingyu, I respect Hansol, I like Jooheon, but… when I was a child, there was only a single person in my life that mattered, because regardless of everything else, he was the only one to take such good care of me. I was able to grow up well because of the lessons you taught me and the love you gave me. And now that I’m an adult, I have grown… and I think it’s time I stopped thinking so selfishly. I need my heir to have the guidance and strength of the man who saved my life. I’ve made it this far. I can live another twenty, fifty years by my own strength alone, if I must. I… Seungcheol I…”

Tears fell down his face, and it was here, at the breaking point, that the King’s face had never been lovelier, more beautiful, or more perfect.

“Seungcheol… please take away my son, and don’t bring him back until he is old enough for the throne.”

“Your majesty. That would mean you would not see me for another twenty years.”

“Yes.”

Every second of Seungcheol’s life that he had lived separate from the King flashed before his eyes, and their agony only tripled, quintupled at what lay before him.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry to ask it of you. I have no idea how I will survive being apart from you for so long. I’m sorry to ask you something so burdensome. But… this is for my country. And I have to be selfless, now, finally.”

“Then, majesty…”

It took the King a moment to wipe away his tears before he could see his guard untying the belt from which his sword hung. “Seungcheol…? What are you-”

“If my time with the only person in the world who matters, is limited to another month… then, majesty… I will remind you of what I said when you first recalled me from my banishment in Busan.” He looked up with a gentle smile. “Please use my body. It is yours to use. Please take whatever part of my body you need. My King, my lover, my Jihoon… take, of my body, any piece you want. If we are to be apart… make tonight worth the next twenty years.”

Chapter Text

When the message came that Her Majesty the Queen had gone into labour, the King had been sitting playing Mahjong with Mingyu for two hours already; he instantly stood, suddenly nervous, but was quickly dissuaded by his eunuch.

“Your majesty, please be calm,” he smiled serenely. “Ladies in the birthing room may take days to produce a child. Her majesty is being cared for by many royal physicians and physician ladies, so please do not worry, and please patiently wait for your majesty’s child to be born.”

The King gave him a look, fingers itching. “How do I wait patiently when I know--?! Suk, get a message to Choi Seungcheol. Tell him I want him here. Now.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Mingyu scowled once the door was closed. “Does he really need to be here for this?”

“Mingyu…” He turned to him with a look. “I have something to confess to you.”

The man gave him a wary look. “I’m not going to like this… am I?”

“…I’ve asked Seungcheol to take the baby away if it’s a boy.”

Seungcheol bowed deeply and then took up a place at the edge of the room peacefully.

“How can you be this serene,” his monarch demanded instantly, “when you know what’s about to happen? A royal baby is about to be born!”

“Your majesty, my wife tells me the birth of a child may take many hours. I see no point in being nervous now.”

“Kch, easy for you to say, it’s not your heir that might be born.” The King’s fists clenched, relaxed and clenched, over and over, for a few minutes. “I’m going to go crazy. I can’t continue this stupid game, Mingyu, I am sorry.”

“That’s fine, your majesty.”

“Stay, though. I need the company.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“I will go crazy! Suk! Is there any news?”

The poor eunuch entered the room for the fifth time in the hour. “N-no your majesty, there has been no news. For now, her majesty is still trying to rest, as the baby is not yet ready to be born just yet.”

“Rest!” the King exclaimed, flopping back a little. “She gets to rest! She has a job to do! I’m here, a body full of nerves, and she’s resting! Suk, I’m going to go mad. You two, get up. We’re going to visit Sukwon.”

“Majesty, visiting Sukwon while her majesty is in lab-”

“We’re going!”

“…and they tell me she is resting! Resting, can you imagine that?! She’s lazing around when she has a duty to perform! How can-”

Seungcheol leaned in. “Sire, sh.”

“Why?”

The guard nodded towards his sister, who was quickly dissolving into fury.

“…what are you angry for?!” he cried, bewildered at her expression. “Yehana! What can you be angry about?”

Yehana’s fist was clenched so hard it was trembling. “Majesty,” she growled between clenched jaws, “you are a pathetic waste of humanity. You have never seen a woman give birth, I understand that, but do not dare to presume that Her Majesty is lazing around. What gives you the right to judge her pain? Women regularly rest in early labour because the pain is excruciating and may continue for days. She needs all the strength she can get. She is working incredibly hard – that’s why it’s called labour!”

The King almost went paler at her outburst.

“Quite frankly, sire, it is a disgraceful misconduct for you to be in my quarters when your wife is in labour of your child, and if you were any other man, I would have removed you from the premises myself for disrespecting your wife like this.”

The King turned to Mingyu. “I… I’m nervous for completely other reasons, now.”

“Your majesty’s Royal Consort is a beautiful albeit terrifying creature, majesty.”

Seungcheol’s face descended into his hands. “I knew this was a bad idea. I knew I shouldn’t have let her come into the palace.”

“If this stupid little King wasn’t so disgustingly in love with you, I wouldn’t have been dragged into it in the first place!” Her palm scuffed the back of his head – lightly. “You should have thought of my benefit before you went around flirting with monarchs. Don’t you ever read romance novels? It never works out well.”

They all sat straight.

“Wait – you know? About these two and their disgusting habits?”

Sukwon turned to Mingyu. “Am I blind?”

“No, your Highness.”

“And I don’t know anything about habits – I just know that sometimes they walk together and look at each other like lovers. And besides that, I’m really pretty, aren’t I?”

“Y-yes?”

“And yet this King hasn’t even touched me once since he married me into the royal family. It’s a good thing Seungcheol is my own brother or I’d be jealous.” She seemed to have calmed down, taking her seat serenely once more. “Anyway, you should all be waiting for her Majesty to give birth. Why are you still here?”

The King locked his jaw a moment. “You’re lucky I like you so much, Sukwon.”

“You’re lucky about a lot of things, your majesty.”

He sighed at her. “That’s true. Fine, I’ll leave you. Ah, Yehana – I meant to ask… do you think it will be a girl? Or a boy?”

She smiled a very small kind of smile. “I think it will be a healthy baby, your majesty. And that is reason to be grateful.”

“I don’t want it to be a boy.”

“If it’s not a boy, you’re going to have to find another way to have an heir. And you can forget your majesty’s brother ever impregnating her again. Once she finds out he’s a monster, she won’t have him in the palace gates ever again.”

“I know.” The King scowled at him, rubbing his temples. “I guess I’ll be having another consort.”

They all cringed at that.

“Ah, look.” His voice was suddenly quiet – not so much composed, as restrained. “Dawn.”

Mingyu and Seungcheol both turned to the window to watch the first pale pink rays flit through it.

“The time of the monsters has passed,” he said. “The sun has risen. The monsters will retreat into their holes and caves now, for they fear the cleansing of daybreak. The world of man is safe once again.”

Either of them would have shaken him from his melancholy – but Suk did the job just as well.

“Your majesty!” He burst through the doors with little decorum. “Congratulations, your majesty! Her majesty has given birth to a baby girl!”

It was an odd, almost painful sensation that swept over him – the child was not his, but it was going to be his, and the pride, the discomfort, the fear and the wonder clutched at him with a thousand talons. For a second he was frozen, and then he was on his feet. “A girl?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“You’re sure? I – I… I have a daughter, is that what you’re saying?”

“Your majesty has a daughter. A princess has been born.”

And in seconds, he was storming through the palace grounds to greet her. It was a fair way to walk, and the King’s legs were far from long, but he took strides at twice the normal pace. Nobody behind him complained – the palace maids, eunuchs and other assorted members of staff were just as happy to go see the child.

A male physician stood outside her majesty’s doors, and bowed low.

“Forgive me, your majesty, but you cannot enter.”

The disappointment on his face was as if a promised candy had been taken from a child – he was forlorn, lost, and sad. “What? What do you mean, I cannot enter? My daughter has been born.”

“Please, your majesty, forgive me, but… it seems… there is another child on the way.”

He stared awkwardly for a moment. “What do you mean?”

There was another horrendous screech from inside the birthing room.

“Her majesty is about to bear another child. It seems your majesty has fathered twins. Congratulations, your majesty.”

It took too long for him to react, after the next scream. “Twins?”

And then, before he could answer –

“A boy!” a voice cried from within. “It’s a boy!”

The King turned to Seungcheol as if he was unsure how to react. Then his eyes turned steely. “Seungcheol,” he said quietly, “go prepare yourself.”

An eternity passed between them, in their eyes.

“Yes, your majesty,” he answered.

The King was ushered into an adjoining room, where a nurse maid very delicately placed a baby, with blood still wet in its hair, swaddled in a thick blanket, in his arms. After some help in positioning his arms, she let off, and allowed him to hold the child by himself.

He had to admit: a newly born baby was not a pretty thing to hold. It seemed to be wrinkly, all scrunched up in itself, red and bloody and bleating. But to hold the bundle of warmth – to feel the softness of its skin, the heat of its heart, to see its tiny nose, little earlobes, it’s small peachy lips stretched in a wide O – it was special, it was a heat spreading through his chest, a burning that was pleasant. Before he knew it, droplets of water were falling on the blanket.

“This is her?” he whispered, incredulous. “This is my daughter?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

Instinctively, his arms began to move gently up and down to calm the child – and within a few seconds she seemed to calm down. And then, suddenly, she opened her eyes.

There were a few moments – just a few – where he was frozen, watching her as she looked back at him with life in her eyes.

And then he felt as if he could scream – and he began to sob in earnest, for a whole other reason.

She had her father’s eyes. And it was him that should be there, holding his daughter, it was him that should have the chance to hold his little girl and see his own eyes reflected in her perfect little face. But Jeonghan would never have the chance – Jeonghan wasn’t here, couldn’t be here to herald the birth of his own children. The King had taken that from him.

The child was handed back to the wetnurse, and the King’s face was buried in his hands.

“Your majesty, please do not feel shame.” Suk tried to smile. “Many a father has cried to meet his children. Your majesty’s father did the same when you were born.”

And by the time he could bear to drag his palms from his face, another child was given to him – a boy, just as loud as his sister, more wrinkled, less pink, and just as perfect. He looked at the baby’s face, and could only think one thing.

“This is my heir,” he whispered. “This boy is going to be the King of Joseon.”

It was several hours later – after the birthing room had been cleaned and cleared, and the Queen had been moved to her own room – that he went to visit her.

She wasn’t laying down, exhausted after the experience, as he had thought she would be: she sat up with a small baby in either arm, tears trailing down her face.

When they were alone, she finally said it.

“He has his father’s eyes.”

The King nodded once, letting out breath that had been held in too long. “Yes. Yes, he looks very much like his father.”

She raised her face to him. “Your majesty,” she whispered, “do not take away my children.”

He looked at her, turned around, and left, without giving her an answer.

“Your majesty.”

Mingyu had to physically stop him before he fell, and when he finally came to a halt, he looked at Seungcheol.

It was only by the smallest amount, but the King shook his head. “I can’t do it,” he said weakly. “I can’t do it, Seungcheol. I take it back. I can’t do it.”

Seungcheol wouldn’t admit it, but as the King walked past him, he smiled.

The King bowed, deeply, with his head to the ground – the only time he had ever bowed so low was at the grave of his own father. It would have greatly concerned anybody else, and flustered most, but Prince Jeonghan held his head high, accepting it with as much grace as he could.

“I can’t forgive you, brother, or forget the offence. But… you are still my brother. And you are still the King. So please. Rise.”

The King breathed deeply as he rose. “I… came here… to congratulate your highness, on the birth of your children.”

Jeonghan’s gaze slid towards his majesty. “…what?”

“Her majesty gave birth this morning to a girl, first, and then a boy, who will be King one day.”

Jeonghan’s shoulders sagged. “…I’m a father?”

“Yes.”

“Twins?”

“Yes.”

“A girl and a boy?”

“Yes.”

His lips parted, horrified. “I wish you hadn’t told me,” he whispered. “I wish you hadn’t told me. Tell me that they died at birth. Tell me not to hate you for never holding my own children. Tell me that, instead of this.”

“I can’t.”

“What have you done,” he whispered.

“I came… to ask for their names.”

“Their names?”

He nodded once. “It is a King’s duty to give royal children their names. But… in this case… I would very much like to honour whatever names you would like to bestow upon your children.”

He buried his face in his hands for a moment. “Call her Eunyoung.”

“What?”

“Name her Eunyoung. Use the hanja Eun for mercy, and Young for brave. She will have to be both to grow up strong in a place like the palace.”

“Eunyoung… that’s pretty. She will grow to make you proud, Jeonghan.”

He looked up. “Will you really call her that?”

“I will. Why?”

He pursed his lips slightly. “It was my mother’s name before she became Sowon.”

The King became very quiet, and then bowed only his head. “My mother killed yours on my behalf,” he said. “I will honour her, by naming her granddaughter after her.”

“Your mother won’t like that.”

“My mother has a lot to answer for these days. She will not usurp this, as well.”

“Then… the boy.”

“Yes?”

“…use the hanja Dae for great, and Jung for middle. He’ll be representative of the middle ground of two men meant to be King.”

“Eunyoung… and Daejung. I will do that.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“…my children will have a good life in the palace.”

“They will be well-cared for. They will never go hungry or cold, never be forsaken, never be treated with unkindness or disrespect. They will live in luxury until the end of their days. He will be crowned King when I am gone. She will have a happy marriage to an upstanding and good man. You may even choose her betrothed if you wish. And… soon, I hope to make a moment for you to see them.”

Jeonghan looked up sharply. “See them?”

“Yes. It may only be minutes, but I will do my best to create a time that you may hold your children to your chest. I pray to God, they make you fall in love with them as hard as they made me do so. I hope you cry twice as much as I did.”

He nearly lunged forward, leaning in. “How? When? When can I see them?”

“Soon. But… I will need something in return.”

“Your majesty, this cannot be.” The minister bowed a little, but was clearly too angry to be deferent. “These ministers have visited Sukwon many times, but have barely visited Her Majesty the Queen and the royal children. That isn’t just a disgrace, it’s an outright offence!”

“Majesty,” another began, “the people may start to think your majesty favours the Left ministers over the Right. Surely, your majesty must seem to be the balancing force of the court? Your majesty must not seem to lean towards one side, or the other.”

The King pretended to be weary. “Ministers, my children are not yet three weeks old, and they are already causing such chaos? May God have mercy on their father.”

“Majesty!”

“Alright!” He slapped his armrest quickly. “Fine. Leftist ministers, please would you go visit the Queen and her children more often?”

The First Left Minister bowed carefully. “Y-yes, your majesty…”

“And to persuade you all that I choose no sides in this court, may I invite the Right ministers to join me for a hunt?”

The First Right Minister shuffled, surprised. He had aged, since his son had been exiled, but was less diplomatic, and more steely, in court. “A hunt, your majesty?”

“Yes. I’ve been meaning to go on a hunt and bring back pheasant. It is one of the Queen’s favourites, and I suppose she deserves the trophy after bearing not one, but two children. You will join me, and let that be the end of this wretched discussion! Eunyoung and Daejung should not be dragged into political scandal yet. They are only babies. Do you accept, minister?”

The minister was clearly unimpressed, suspicious and awkward – but he accepted.

If he had only known.

“Ah, my favourite dumbass. Come in, sit. Thank you, Hansol. Ah, would you visit Sukwon on your way home? She said she wanted to speak to you.”

“Yes, majesty.”

“Seungcheol. Come in. Didn’t I just say that?” He beamed, particularly happy with his evening. “Sit down. I’m just finishing this letter. It’s to myself. To remind myself of all the nice things I want to say to the Qing ambassadors so they give Daejung the title of crown prince.”

Seungcheol sat quietly.

“You don’t sound impressed.”

“I’m sorry, your majesty, I’m distracted.”

“By what?”

“…I’ve had word that General Han will return from Busan soon. He sent a messenger this morning to me directly, rather than to the palace.”

The King frowned, putting down his calligraphy brush. “Why would he send a messenger to you, rather than me?”

The guard bridled. “I think… that maybe, he… has some information that would be best served… being unknown by certain individuals in the palace, your majesty.”

The King’s shoulders sagged a little. “It seems I’m surrounded by people I cannot trust, Seungcheol. You’ll always be with me, though, won’t you?”

“Always, your majesty.”

He nodded, satisfied once more.

“Majesty, I have to ask…”

“Yes?”

“Her majesty, the Queen Mother… you have evidence she financed a rebellion against you, your majesty. I still have the evidence, kept secretly, hidden away. Does your majesty… plan to confront her?”

The weight of the question bore heavily on the King’s brow. “Seungcheol, even if I have the evidence, to confront my own mother, to accuse her and condemn her… isn’t that asking too much? Just because she spent money to… It’s not enough, Seungcheol. One indiscretion isn’t enough. She’s my mother. I have lost my father, my sister and my grandmother. I… I…”

“Hush.” The guard’s arms stilled the young king. “Forgive me, majesty,” he soothed, “I did not mean to cause such turmoil. Forget I ever spoke of it.”

It took him a moment.

“Instead, we should focus on much brighter futures. Such as tomorrow’s endeavours.”

This put a small smile back on the tumultuous King’s face. “I haven’t hunted since I was fifteen. And tomorrow, at least, I can enjoy the hunt. Before the real hunt begins.”

“If this works, your majesty, it would be viable for repetition.”

“Agreed. Have you sent word to him?”

“Yes, your majesty. When we leave for the hunt, he will be able to access the prince and princess for a small amount of time. And yes, your majesty, I warned him about not visiting her majesty.”

“Good.” He nodded. “Then… I suppose it’s almost time for me to go to bed, isn’t it?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Are you coming with me?”

“The night before a hunt? Your majesty needs his rest.”

“Aw, Cheollie-”

“Don’t aw Cheollie me tonight, majesty. Please get plenty of sleep. Or you really will look like a vampire tomorrow.”

“Damn. Seungcheol.”

The arrow passed the King’s ear almost immediately, instantly killing the pheasant that took flight after being scared by the King’s bad aim.

The King’s mouth was nothing but a straight line. He had been missing his target for hours, and Seungcheol had seemed to bag everything with ease. The ministers were not in the least helpful, either – they seemed to hit their targets as often as they missed them, and in their attempts to cheer the King up, they made him even more sour.

By the time the day was done and the part returned to camp, the King was grumpy, hungry, and utterly inconsolable. He was, therefore, not very sociable when the royal cooks finally presented the boar Seungcheol had so accurately shot. Seungcheol would have commented on the King’s mood, but it made the King speak less and eat more, so he remained quiet.

“Just stay over there.” The King glared at him, banishing him to sit near the doorway instead of near the bed. “Somebody with your superior skills should be over there.”

The guard almost chuckled. “Yes, your majesty.”

“What is this?”

“Ah. I decided to make the hunt a little harder.” The King did his best to ignore the chuckling behind him. “I had my eunuchs hang pieces of mirror in the trees. Otherwise, I think my guard will rid the forest of animals to hunt by this time tomorrow. Oh, and…”

The sound of hooves drowned him out for a moment: he continued when they came to a halt.

“The Left ministers were upset, so I invited them for our second and third day of shooting. I hope this hunt will provide a greater sense of unity between us all. For the good of the people of our great nation, let this be the start of a new era.”

There was some grumbling, but in the end, the ministers agreed – most of them had an inkling that keeping the young King satisfied with a show of unity was in their best interest, to lure him into a false sense of security.

They were wrong.

It was at midday exactly, that one minister’s horse suddenly reacted, bucking slightly, stopping in the hunt.

“Right minister of the interior?”

The minister looked shocked, and a little pale, but other than that, he shook his head quickly. “Nothing, sire. I thought I saw something.”

“There.”

The party all turned there heads, but again, there was nothing to be seen.

“No.” The right minister of the interior was suddenly very quiet. “There.”

And there it was; some distance in the forest, between the high grasses, stood a figure. He was clothed in fine silks that were ripped and stained read, his hair was unkempt, falling in filthy, wiry locks past his shoulders. He was pale – too pale, skin casting unhappy black shadows across his face.

“Is that…?”

It was the Right Prime Minister who spoke the words. “Prince… Jeonghan?”

“What are you talking about?” The King was the perfect image of ease. “I don’t see anything. You must be seeing a trick of the light, ministers.”

And then the creature in the distance disappeared, as if too fast for the human eye to track – and reappeared, now shining in several mirrors hanging from the boughs of the trees, closer, more ghostly and gaunt looking than before.

“Majesty, there!”

“What? Minister of Rites, do you see anything?”

“Nothing, your majesty.” Jeon Wonwoo shrugged his shoulders gently.

“There!” another right minister cried. “He’s right there!”

The Left ministers all shared glances full of pretence – as if there was nothing to be seen.

The creature that was Prince Jeonghan disappeared again, and for several moments, was not found – and then he reappeared elsewhere, closer still, shining in at least a dozen mirrors around the party.

“Left Prime Minister, do you see-”

“I’m afraid I also do not know what these ministers are seeing, your majesty.”

And to the right minister’s true horror, the ghost of their Prince raised a single arm, and pointed straight at the right prime minister.

“You tried to kill His Majesty The King,” his voice said, and it sounded like shredding metal and the screeching of a thousand crows. “You killed me.” And then, he repeated it.

“Majesty! What is this game?” The Right Prime Minister’s horse rose a little.

The King gave a slight, very light frown, entirely at peace. “Minister, I don’t understand. What is it you see?” He began to talk through the ghost’s repetitions of accusation. “I can’t see anything.”

And then, all at once the ghost of Jeonghan fell backwards and was engulfed into the forest floor, and disappeared.

Elsewhere on the mountain, the vampire prince reappeared in his cabin, a happily dedicated witch by his side.

“How was that?” she asked.

It took him a moment to regain his faculties, and then he gave a look – not of satisfaction, but of understanding. “He was meant to reign,” he said. “My brother.”

It wasn’t a bit too late – within confused and disturbed seconds of Jeonghan’s disappearance, a eunuch came on foot, huffing and puffing, pulling on Suk’s stirrups. There was a short discussion before the eunuch approached the King.

He was sweating. “Your majesty.”

“Yes?” He turned, and his face darkened a shade. “What is it, Suk?”

“Y-your majesty, it’s, it’s… it’s Sukwon, your majesty. She… she has taken ill. The messenger says she may be dead in hours.”

“…Sukwon?” It was as if the words were oil, and he water: it could not be comprehended. “Ill? …dead in hours?”

Suk nodded once.

“Choi Seungcheol.”

“Sire.”

“Go. That’s an order.”

The stress of the situation was etched on his bodyguard’s forehead – the opposing forces of love for his sister and worry for his King’s safety warred on his skin for a few moments.

The King’s eye became hard. “Go. Now.”

And Seungcheol took off, the steed under him racing forward as if it were a crazed beast, and within seconds he was out of sight.

“Suk. Prepare for departure. We’re going back to the palace.”

Sukwon was a blessed woman to have two Generals bent over her body; one, her brother, joined the first, taking her hand.

“Yehana. Yehana. Sister. Wake up.”

“She won’t.” General Han sat back from her. “She is sleeping deeply in the fever. For now, we must let her rest.”

“What happened?”

“The physicians say it is a simple fever that has taken her. The physicians are wrong.” He looked up. “It’s poison, General. She’s been poisoned.”

Chapter Text

His Majesty the King sat in the corner of the room, without a cushion under him, one arm resting on his knee, the other upright to pinch the bridge of his nose. General Han sat near the opening. Choi Seungcheol sat next to his sister, unable to pull his eyes from her pale, sweating face.

They were, mercifully, alone.

“It is derived from a flower that is native to Jeju island. It can be grown in coastal towns with much hard work and dedication, but the quality is nothing compared to that which is found in Jeju. It was sent for several weeks ago, when her majesty was pregnant. When administered in small doses, the victim will suffer a fever and liver failure; administered in one large dose, the poison stops the heart.”

It was quiet.

“Death is certain, then?”

“No.” General Han shifted. “I’ve already sent your wife all the information I could get, and I’ve sent out men to find the remainder of the leaves in the palace. If an antidote is administered in time, death by slow dosage over time can be overcome. She will never be as strong as she once was, but she may yet live. We were given word very quickly, and that is to our advantage. There may still be time to save her life. However, until we find a sample of the flower used…”

Seungcheol couldn’t answer that.

“General.” The King’s pinch became harder, then loosened, both arms now resting on his knees. “Poisoning a royal noble consort is a crime that requires the death punishment. However, when you speak, it is very obvious whether you have finished dispensing information or not. What other bad news are you going to deliver to me?”

The General squirmed uncomfortably. “Your majesty… please, it will be very painful to-”

“General.” His voice was not ice or stone – it was too heartbroken for austerity, but the steadfastness of the timbre was undeniable. “This woman was brought into this palace, specifically, to be used as a weapon against me. When that happened, I swore to her, that I would not allow her to be harmed. I made a solemn vow to God, myself. And now, because of me, she is fighting for her life. I… I have been struck. And more anguish than this, is not possible in this lifetime. Because my word, as a King, as a man, means nothing… I am weak, and my weakness has caused an innocent, a friend, pain. Do not imagine your news so powerful as to do me more harm now. Speak clearly.”

The General bowed low. “Then, your majesty… I must inform you… Sukwon is now suffering the effects of the plant that killed your majesty’s father, the late King.”

This made the King look up. “Oh?”

“An order was made to Yoo Kihyun in his exile in Jeju, to supply the leaves of these flowers, a month before your majesty’s father passed into the next life. Between those times, no nobles, or members of the royal family, became ill or died. Your majesty’s father died of a heart attack, but there are no details described in medical accounts, only that it was a plague of the heart.”

“That’s hardly evidence.”

“Except that his majesty’s eunuch found leaves of the plant in the King’s tea, and after his death, retired to Jeju island and has been studying them there, since.”

The King scowled. “You spoke to him?”

“Yes, your majesty. He took… some convincing.”

“But?”

“He confirmed… he believes your majesty’s father died of poisoning. At the time, he wasn’t in a position to do anything about it, without any idea who the assailant was, so he retired quietly.”

The King stared at Seungcheol’s back for a few moments. “Do you know who did it?”

“No, your majesty. I have a man following a paper trail.”

“I see.”

The King couldn’t stay with his consort all day and night; he wanted to, without a doubt, but there was much work to be done, and the right ministers would be up in arms again. With the palace physicians not knowing how to treat their charge, Seungcheol was allowed to sit by his sister as she fought the fever burning through her body.

It was the next night before the King returned.

“How is she?”

“No worse. But… no better.”

He simply sat beside Seungcheol, staring at her body. “She’s strong. A fighter. She’s made it this far. She’ll pull through.”

He didn’t answer.

“I’m sorry, Seungcheol. This is my fault.”

“We cannot go back in time, your majesty. Only forward. Please do not blame yourself for past events. All that matters is now, and tomorrow, and the day after that.”

He looked at him. “You were always too good a friend to me, Choi Seungcheol.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“She told me about the day you brought honey to your house. The summer your father died. You’ve been a hero since you were a child. She spoke of you with great fondness. Until that moment, I had imagined you to be my personal guard, my own shield against the darkness. I was wrong. You’re a hero to many other people, as well. Your mother. Your sister. Your wife, too, no doubt. My own sister. Changwon. You even rescued Jeonghan and forced him to eat and drink. You don’t just belong to me. You’re this nation’s general. I’ve been selfishly thinking you belong to me, but… it seems I must share you with others, whom you have loved longer than me.”

Seungcheol didn’t answer immediately – his eyes never left his sister’s body. Slowly, he opened his mouth at length. “There are many Choi Seungcheols for this world to reckon with, majesty. Perhaps… too many.”

“What does that mean?”

“There is the boy Choi Seungcheol, who braved the outbreak to find honey for his family. There is the hero Choi Seungcheol, who freed the city of Changwon. There is the General Choi Seungcheol, who does as his nation’s law commands to uproot fraud and corruption in the government. There is the soldier Choi Seungcheol, who guards the borders when necessary. There is the coward Choi Seungcheol, who cannot explain his feelings, in case he is scolded or scorned. There is the husband, Choi Seungcheol, and the father, too – who is not at home often enough to be either. There is the vampire Choi Seungcheol that seeks revenge for what was done to his childhood friend. There are many Choi Seungcheols in this world. Depending on where you stand, I am a different person, over and over. It’s tiresome to be so many people at once. I don’t like being shared.”

The King thought about this for a while, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together for no reason at all. “What about the man?”

“Hm?”

“What about the man, Choi Seungcheol? What is he known for?”

He laughed once, heartlessly, staring at a droplet of sweat that slid over his sister’s forehead. “He’s known for… living foolishly.”

“How so?”

“Only a fool would devote their whole life to the person they loved, to the point where that person was their reason for living. Only a fool could love so passionately, love so ardently, that such a love made them an extremist. The man called Choi Seungcheol… he lives only to serve and please the person he fell in love with. If that person was no longer alive… the man would cease to exist. Isn’t that foolish of him?” His voice was so quiet – less than a whisper. “Isn’t he a foolish man… to be happy, like that?”

A single candle went out behind Yehana’s body.

“Yes,” the King whispered back. “He and his lover… are both fools… being happy, like that.”

“Your majesty…”

“Shua. Seungkwan. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

Seungkwan’s eyes moved to watch ministers in the pavilion, who were all pretending not to watch him back. He motioned towards the railings. “I was wondering if we could stand here, in front of all these ministers, and speak casually with your majesty.”

Shua moved automatically, without his monarch’s consent, and leaned over the railing a little. “It’s a nice day.”

“It’s cold,” the King muttered, following him. “Summer will be over soon.”

“Your majesty will be warm, I’m sure of it.” Seungkwan joined them. “With the Royal Children to warm up the days, winter will be come and go with haste.”

“Will it?”

“Yes, your highness.” Shua smiled. “All will be well.”

“It wi- oh?” The King turned to see what Seungkwan wanted, but the young man quickly shook his head a tiny bit, only prodding the silk bag further into the King’s palm behind Shua’s back, where only Suk could have seen the exchange.

The King faltered a bit, but grabbed the bag anyway, turning back and lowering his voice. “What have you been thinking lately, minister?”

“Your majesty must be careful who to trust in this palace,” Shua answered, continuing to smile, though it now had a tinge of deceit about it. “When the anecdote is found for her highness Sukwon, we would advise your majesty to be careful about who brews it for her.”

His fist crumpled around the bag. “Oh?”

“Mm. Broths that are too dark in colour may aggravate her condition. Usually, the ill are in need of clear broths.”

It took him a moment. “Thank you for this kind advice.”

“I hope Sukwon becomes well again soon, your majesty. Though… how she may recover entirely is…”

The slight tinge of worry on his brow was enough. “…I know.”

“Your grace, forgive us, we are on our way to meet the Minister of Rites. My father, the General, asked to have an audience with your majesty this evening, if that is agreeable.”

“Yes.” His eyes were flame. “Yes, of course.”

“Then, majesty.” Shua now turned so that his lips couldn’t be read by the faces staring up at them from the courtyard. “If you can, make haste.”

And haste he made.

Chapter Text

The contents of the bag – an assortment of leaves, stalks and other odd pieces of plants – made a very light red-tinged broth, which was duly slid down Sukwon’s throat, little by little, on the end of a spoon.

Seungcheol watched his monarch attend to his newest wife. “You didn’t ask the Royal Physician to do this? None of the physician maids?”

“They were very secretive. They told me to be careful who to trust in this palace. If it had been fine for the Royal Physician to do this, they would have advised me to take it to him, or given me clearer instructions than this. There. It’s done.” He sat back. “Whatever has happened here, the Royal Physician knows about it. To some extent, he has reason not to heal your sister. And he will pay for it dearly.”

“…yes, your majesty.”

“I am going to visit the children, and after the evening meal, I’ll be speaking to General Han.” He sighed heavily. “If you can, get some rest. Now that an antidote has been administered, you should be able to do that much. As her brother, it shouldn’t be a problem, and who else do I trust to keep her in health more than you?”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

The King pressed a gentle kiss to Seungcheol’s forehead. “Try to sleep. It’s a royal order. I will be back before sunrise.”

“Then, majesty, please try to rest as well. Instead of returning, please sleep tonight.”

He nodded once.

“Did your majesty receive the package I sent you?”

“I cooked the broth and administered it myself this afternoon.”

“Your majesty did?”

“Please tell me the full story.”

General Han sat straight. “Your majesty’s father’s eunuch came to Hanyang. He found out this poison had been used again, and came here to help this time, where last he could not.”

“He is here? You should have brought him here to receive my gratitude. I remember him well. Bring him tomorrow.”

“I cannot, your majesty. He is dead.” The General’s shoulders sagged a little. “He was killed in a back alley before the sun rose this morning. The room he was staying in was ransacked and raided. However, he and I had an understanding after our last talk, and I was able to secure a single bag with antidote. After taking a careful look at the insides, my son Jooheon went to the market. He will be back at dawn, after being to an apothecary outside the palace, with several more packages, so that her highness may regain consciousness and strength. But… it is unlikely that she will be as strong, after, as she once was. That is the nature of such a poison.”

“But she will live?”

“Yes, majesty. I am sure of it. Her highness will live.”

The King’s face grew into a smile he hadn’t worn in days. “Thank you.”

“It was my honour, your majesty.”

“However… the royal physician?”

The General’s pleased and pleasant face became stormy. “…after having the records checked, even some of the physician ladies in the palace had questions about what he first diagnosed her highness with, and how he treated that diagnosis. He was contradictory enough that even my son Seungkwan could point out the mistakes made. I had his house watched. A palace maid left a large bag of gold at his door in the middle of the night.”

The King let out a huff of air, inconsolably outraged. “What? He was paid to kill my wife?”

“I do not believe so, majesty. I think he was merely paid not to save her. Not that I think he could have… merely he represented himself as an ultimate fool, that is what he was paid for.”

“…by whom?”

It took a moment, but the General lifted his head, finding the King’s eyes. “Forgive me, your majesty, for bringing this news to you.”

He waited.

“The palace maid that left the gold for the physician… came directly from the Queen Dowager’s quarters. She has already confessed. Because of her confession, we found the paper trail that lead exactly to the Queen Dowager’s personal funds. Your majesty’s mother personally made payments, both for the physician, and for the poison to kill your wife. And…”

“…and?”

“…Mingyu.”

“Your majesty?”

“…how must I do it?”

Mingyu was quiet for a moment, and couldn’t look his oldest friend in the eye. “I do not know, your majesty.”

“That is the woman that raised me. The woman that loved me. The woman that held me, scolded me, loved me… tried to overthrow me… tried to kill my consort… possible, helped to kill my father, her husband… how can such a betrayal exist in one human being?”

Mingyu’s embrace was too welcoming, and too comfortable: once he was seated in it, the King could only cry.

“Wife.”

“Husband.”

The King sat, and his Queen sat opposite him. “You will have heard by now, that Sukwon has woken once.”

The Queen, in daylight, struggled to conceal her shock. “What excellent news, your majesty.”

“It is.”

“Is she well enough to receive visitors?”

“You won’t be visiting her.”

The Queen smiled. “What?”

“You won’t get within 100 steps of that girl. Your maids will not get within 100 steps of her. You will never speak to her, never send her gifts or letters.”

“Why does your majesty-”

“The girl is dead. The maid you used. I already know you had her killed outside the palace, in secret, so that she couldn’t tell anybody what happened. That you were involved.”

The Queen took a moment to absorb this information, and then regained that lovely, shallow smile. “I have no idea what your majesty could possibly mean.”

Unlike before, there wasn’t a trace of a woman left of her, in the King’s eyes – he couldn’t only see the snake, the viper that sat coiled, ready to strike at him. He was beyond seeing the innocent girl who had hoped so much for a good marriage, and beyond seeing the woman that yearned for her first love. He didn’t even see the mother of the next King in her. Only the person that wanted to kill him.

“Then, I’ll be plain. I’m talking about your conspiracy with my mother to kill Sukwon. You are lucky. Because you were willing to stoop to such a disgusting level as murder, I have no proof against you. Without the girl, I cannot prove that you were the one to directly poison my Consort. I don’t pretend to know what hatred you have for her, but this is where it ends. From here on out, you won’t breathe without me knowing about it. And the first next mistake you make…”

He snapped his fingers, and she didn’t even blink.

“You will disappear from this earth like smoke.”

“Mothe-”

“My son, how kind of you to come visit me in m-”

“Stop.” The King’s eyes closed. “Stop, and be quiet. I don’t want to hear your voice right now, pretending to be happy. I don’t want to see your face right now, smiling as if this is a happy occasion. I don’t want to smell the same perfume you’ve worn since I was a child, I don’t want to see the golden threads of a monarch’s wife on your clothes.”

“…your majesty, what can I possibly have done to deserve such words from you?”

He finally looked her in the eye. “You murdered my brother’s mother, you tried to take my throne, you tried to kill me, and then you tried to kill my consort.”

“Your majesty, I would never-”

“This is a courtesy visit. I have every piece of proof I could possibly need. Tomorrow, I meet with the ministers, your sentence will be called out in front of my government, and your sentence will become a fact. I am only here to look into the eyes of the woman I called mother, and ask her a simple question. I don’t want to look at your face, stiff with shock and incredulous, as if you are innocent. I don’t want to see your fury at being accused of something you definitely did. I’m not interested in pretend sentiments. What happens in this room stays in this room, forever, because I have no reason to tell another soul, so only speak the truth. I won’t listen to another lecture, especially not one given to me by a criminal. I’ve thought, long and hard, about what question I would ask you, when it came to this. For a while, I thought I would ask you why you would do something like this. And someday, maybe, I’d like to know. However, what I really want to know is more important than that. I will only ask you a simple question, once. You will answer my simple question, once.

“Mother, did you kill your husband, my father, the King?”

The Queen Dowager’s eyebrows had never been higher on her face – her lips never further apart in shock and arrogance. “Your majesty, how dare you speak to me in this way, how can you – your majesty! Where are you going?!”

The King stopped in front of the doors, but didn’t turn. “I told you I won’t listen to another lecture, if you won’t answer me. Like I said, this was a courtesy visit. By this time tomorrow, you will be a convicted criminal. I came here for your sake, to tell you… you could not be the first criminal to kill themselves, than live with the indignity of such disgrace. This is the last comfort I, as a failing son, can offer you. For the sake of my sister, whom you adored till her last breath, I give you this time. If you want to live with pride… finish that prideful life quickly, before it becomes something that will torment you until the end of your days.”

“You are my son!”

The King took a deep breath. “Goodbye, mother.”

Chapter Text

The King bowed to his wife so deeply, it embarrassed even himself: he sat up from it, but couldn’t look her in the eye. “I lied to you. My actions, from when I first met you up until now, have been intended honourably, but in reality, I have only come to hurt you more and more. Because of me, you almost lost your life. I have nothing I can do or say to repay for these crimes. I-”

“Hey, idiot brother.” She leaned to her side to look at Seungcheol. “How haven’t you already told this idiot King that this isn’t necessary?”

“I already told him, he wouldn’t listen to me.”

“Hey, idiot siblings. Excuse me.” He turned to glare at Seungcheol, and then back to Yehana. “I know it’s cumbersome to listen to, but if I don’t say it out loud, my heart will be burdened, so please listen until the end.”

He rearranged herself to sit neatly again.

“I promised you when you first came into this palace, you wouldn’t be hurt, so now I have lied to you as well. It’s due to my incompetence that you nearly lost your life. Even though, right now, I am powerless to change the past, please accept my humblest apologies, if not for your own sake, then for your family’s, who have been greatly worried for you.”

She sighed. “If you put it that way your majesty, and bring my family into it, I can hardly be upset you made me listen, can I? I’ll forgive your majesty. Both for making me listen, and letting me be poisoned in the first place.”

The King smiled. “You’re too easy to forgive. You should have made me buy you something pretty, first.”

“Oh, are you saying you won’t buy me something pretty to start with? I could have died you know.”

“Look at you. You’re still so weak from being ill and you’re already teasing me. Lie down again.”

Seungcheol slid forward to tuck his sister in under the covers again, and then they took their leave so she could rest.

“Seungcheol… you can go home and rest, if you like.”

“Forgive me your majesty, but… when Jooheon brought me the medicine, he told me what you are going to do today. Where you are going today. What you will say today. And if your majesty needs my support… then I will support your majesty.”

He looked up at him, but then shook his head. “No. It’s alright. I can do this much. I know you’re supporting me inside, and you’ll be back by nightfall to comfort me if I’m not feeling alright. So go sleep. You look ugly without sleep.”

Seungcheol broke out into a smile. “Then, your majesty, until tonight.”

There was something in the Queen Dowager’s eyes as she took her formal seat near the King’s in the throne hallway. Something that challenged her son. Something that seemed like she didn’t believe he could condemn her if she was sitting right there.

It was a challenge to him.

He took it.

“I don’t think she killed my father, though. If she had done it outright, she would have been nasty with me, that day when I told her to commit suicide. Instead, she feigned being incredulous. Makes me think that she knew about it, and simply let it happen, rather than being the one behind it.”

“I see. Your majesty has suffered a lot.”

“We’ve all suffered, lately. Let’s hope it soon ends.”

He nodded carefully.

“Seungcheol… kiss me again.”

The bodyguard smiled. “Maybe I should tease your majesty too. What will happen if I kiss your majesty again?”

The King pouted. “I’ll be happy.”

“Oh? Is that all? I thought your majesty was happy enough when I took off my shirt.”

“I’m very happy you took off your shirt, but I’m happier when you’re loving me.”

“But I’m always loving you.”

“But – but!” He pouted more. “I want to be kissed. Don’t tease me. Or else I’ll get aggressive.”

“Oh? My King, aggressive? I want to see that, just a little.”

“Don’t tease me.”

“Alright.” Seungcheol leaned down to the King he was hovering over and kissed his lips gently. “How was that?”

“Do- don’t ask something like that…”

“I want to know if I did my job well, though… maybe I should try again?” He placed another gentle, delicate, warm kiss on the King’s lips – and another, then another, until the King was grinning from ear to ear.

“Better?”

“Your majesty, the Qing have arrived in the city.”

“Ah.” The King stood, smoothing out his clothes. “How do I look?”

“Very handsome, your majesty, as always.”

He turned from Suk to Mingyu. “What do you think?”

Mingyu nodded. “I always think your maejsty looks handsome.”

“Ts, a pair of flatterers the both of you. Oh well. I didn’t become King because I was good-looking so it doesn’t matter.” He made for the door, fists clenching a little with anxiety. “Is the Queen ready?”

“A maid has been sent to her quarters.”

“Good. Let’s go!”