Chapter 19
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The King stood within the peaceful confines of his bedroom, watching the eldest member of his treasured clan tend to his wife. Upon the clan’s arrival back at their suite, their immediate first order of business was to check on ChaeSoo. No one- except for Hoseok and Jin- was spared from watching Ruth strangle her to near death before throwing her body like she weighed nothing. If Namjoon hadn’t reacted quickly and caught her in the air, she could have taken another serious blow to her body. Now that she was in the clan’s protected suite, a peaceful night of sleep would finally come to her. Anyone could tell that she was utterly exhausted. The Queen had been through a lot in the past few hours, everyone agreed that she deserved some rest in a comfy and warm bed. 

Namjoon kept himself on ChaeSoo’s bedside, sitting idle with no intention of disturbing Jin’s examination. He trusted the eldest clansmen with his wife’s health, by no means did Namjoon know as much as Jin when it came to a demon’s body and their inner workings. As ChaeSoo continued to rest her eyes and mind, SeokJin inspected the painful damage to her neck. He grimaced at the sight of his Queen’s beautiful skin being tainted by that warlock’s touch, dark purple bruises stained her skin and ugly burns accompanied them. SeokJin believed that no woman deserved such injuries on their body and ChaeSoo was no different. She was far too a kind soul to earn such a thing. Unable to stand the damming sight any longer, he gently cupped her neck and summoned his modest healing abilities. 

The room became bathed in a gentle green hue and a feeling of peaceful serenity circulated through the tranquil space. Once SeokJin pulled his hands away, he was pleased that there were no longer any signs of trauma marking her throat. Now that that problem was taken care of, he knew that there was something more important to discuss. 

“I’m sure Hoseok has made you aware of ChaeSoo’s heart problem?” Seokjin asked, pulling the blankets back over her. 

Namjoon nodded with a glum expression, unable to stomach the knowledge of his wife’s heart having the risk of failing. Jin went on to explain that the muscles of her heart are thicker than normal, even suggesting that she had been living with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ever since she came into contact with Ruth. Whether it’s from Ruth’s spell and his influence over her, or if it was written into her blood, the clan needed to help her through this. The spell had already been broken once Ruth was dethroned, but all that was left were the side effects.

Namjoon closed his eyes and tuned his ears to hear the rhythm of his wife’s life. Now that there was room to breathe and hear his own thoughts, he could hear the strain and feel the labour her heart took to keep her alive. He didn’t want to think about losing his wife to such a measly human condition, but now that he’s felt it for himself, he couldn’t push the damning thoughts out of his head. 

“Once we get back to Korea, I’m calling Dr. Park for an appointment,” the King ordered, leaving no room for discussion. 

With one last glance towards the woman sleeping in his bed, Namjoon quietly shut the door behind him and made his way to the living room. When Namjoon and SeokJin first made their way to the bedroom, they left the others to relax and sit back in victory. What they weren't expecting, however, was for half the clan to be passed out drunk on the couches. Though it had only been less than an hour, countless bottles of alcohol- ranging from France’s finest wine to their home country’s soju- were sprawled over the living room. 

The King could only chuckle in disbelief, then moving to the furniture to take a seat and join them. With a glass of his favourite whiskey in hand, he watched the newest sunrise that France had to offer. 

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ChaeSoo found company in the black feline sitting in her lap, running her hand along its smooth and silky back in adoration. She found that its fur mimicked the silk material of her favourite red scarf, where both hung onto the characteristics of being addictive and pleasing to the touch. The cat’s pure black coat fascinated her and absorbed her attention, catching her eyes with the moonlight shining off its back. ChaeSoo found a unique sense of beauty in the feline’s eyes, only able to describe them as genuine stones of jade. While she was caught up in the cat’s simplistic but beautiful nature, she was slow to react to it rubbing its head against her neck. 

ChaeSoo could only smile in delight from the cat’s actions of affection and its loud purring. She’s always had bad luck with any type of cat, but this one, in particular, enjoyed her presence. The moment she woke up, the feline had their sides pressed flush against each other, leaving no space between them. It was a cuddle bug, she could easily deduce that from their first interaction. 

While cradling the friendly feline in her arms, ChaeSoo casually walked around the suite she was taken to by Hoseok. Last night, the thought of exploring evaded her mind; at the time, she valued the pleasure of finally laying down and getting some sleep instead of looking around. However, now that her body felt more energized and relaxed, she was finally in the mood. ChaeSoo wasn’t familiar with France’s fanciest hotels, there wasn’t any immediate need to book a room for the night. Now that she’s seen a grand suite with her own eyes, she liked the posh environment. 

“Good morning love.”

ChaeSoo jumped at the sudden voice, almost dropping the cat resting comfortably in her arms. She whipped her head around towards the source of the sound, immediately meeting the eyes of the demon who kissed her. The woman froze in awe, unable to look away from his warm gaze. She stood still as the demon approached her, moving in closer to press and gentle peck on her forehead. ChaeSoo’s body tingled with a feeling of excitement, but she quickly tamed the feeling. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked in a soft voice. 
“I’m okay,” she replied, keeping her voice at the same volume. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name…” 
The demon only smiled softly and cupped her cheeks with gentle hands. He stared into her beautiful eyes, already seeing the love of his in his embrace. 
“My name is Namjoon, but you can call me Joon or Joonie.”
“Joonie?”
Namjoon chuckled whole-heartedly, feeling his heart pick up at the simple nickname- “Yes, just like that.”

ChaeSoo felt mesmerized by Namjoon’s radiant smile, wanting nothing more than to poke the deep dimples in his cheeks. The longer she stared at his handsome features, the more she began to recognize him. Her mind diverted back to the dream she had while she fell asleep on the bus. ChaeSoo found it particularly odd that her mind could create such a realistic and vibrant dream, especially a dream about a man she had only just met.

“Darling, that wasn’t a dream,” the demon suddenly said as if he were reading her mind. “What you saw and felt was real. I just made it seem like a dream.”
“Why did you… Why are you doing this?”

Namjoon sighed softly and looked into her eyes. 
“Let’s discuss this over dinner. You must be hungry.”