jungkook's pov.

the sun beats down on my back, on my head, eyes squinted to make it through the wavering streets that are always buzzing with life, even in such a warm day. with street venders, shop owners, farmers, day labours and some cunning thieves. those are the commoners down in this part of the kingdom. i'm still not used to everything, but it's working anyhow in the last fourteen days of returning back in schionberg. to be back in my kingdom.

the sight, these people never fail to mesmerize me even though i tell myself that i'm not one of these. can never be one of these. yet everyday i wake up to the reality of being one of them indeed. same struggles, same fate, same lives. if i point at a random person in the street this instant, i'm certain they're fighting against life as hard as i am. or at least close.

huffing out a scoff from my lips, i push through the mass of people in the market, in the slums, hands shoved in the pockets of my ragged vest that i've been wearing ever since i came here. it's not too thick to heat my body up during the day for i've torn the sleeves down, and neither too thin to have me shivering at night when i sleep under the blanket of stars. the blanket henceforth, is not warm at all.

pulling me out of my thoughts, a girl runs into my chest, colliding with a force that makes both of us stumble since i haven't been that attentive of my surroundings. i should be. before she lands on the cobblestone, my hands are flying to get a hold of her, clutching her arm tightly to have her not falling. she recovers from the shock, stepping back quickly and lowers her head, never even meeting my frowned gaze, probably too scared of my obviously bigger and buff body when compared to her tinier one. she must be hardly fifteen years old.

"i'm sorry, mister." she mumbles, pushing past my arm and disappears among the crowd, only to have me realise that she has been running away from the king's men. the imperials, two bullies, clad in their white and maroon outfit decorated with stars and chains, and the flag and motto of the kingdom embroided near their chest, where their heart supposedly sits inside.

the two are enraged, asking around if anyone saw a young girl running this way. i shake my head when they come to me, although it has no use because another one of their kind yells over the crowd, sitting tall in his horse, pointing in the direction where the kid just ran off to. i frown at that, turning my head for the same, observing as they rush their horses forward, tearing through the mass of people, ushering them to leave the way while the unfortunate ones are whipped, or even stepped on by their horses.

they catch on with the girl soon, just a few yards away from where i stand, watching the cruel scene unfolding in the middle of the market, just like many others. the girl has no choice than to stop, clutching her cardigan tightly, tears already streaming down her face as she's being circled by the imperials' horses, the men sitting on them laughing and mocking at her for stealing.

she stole food. and i confirm that when a whip meets her body harshly, making her fall down with a scream of pain and a small loaf of bread wrapped in plastic falls out of her hand, out of her cardigan. it's barely enough to feed on. something inside me ticks with anger, hearing the girl crying and wailing, begging for forgiveness, all because she dared to steal some bread and got caught.

i'm tempted to step in. to stop all this and let those imperials know the consequence of hitting a kid. a woman. an innocent, for that matter. but something keeps me from doing it. my own little sister, who's all by herself all day, sometimes at night too when i can't make it back on time. heaving out a frustrated sigh, i turn on my heels, deciding it's better for me and my sister, and for this girl too, for all i know the imperials don't care about the commoners. about the slummers. and it might just get worse if i try to step in. for now.

walking and filtering through the market, my feet finally come to a halt, to a quieter alley separated by the main street of the slums and supported by a dead end, making it highly unlikely for anyone to stumble this way even accidentally. i chose this place for a reason. there in one corner behind some broken furniture, discarded by others and a few barrels, i see the end of a dirty blanket peeking.

i step towards the place we're forced to call home, stepping accidentally on a tiny stick that crumbles and breaks under my shoe. then comes flying a throwing star, made out of used paper, aimed exactly at my chest. i huff out a breath, but it comes out more as an amused laugh, "you're getting better at aiming." i say, entering inside and kick off my shoes before getting behind the barrels, even though it doesn't make a difference to the dirt already laden everywhere around here. but i have do it nonetheless because my sister believes we don't wear shoes inside homes. fair enough.

she's grinning up at me, displaying her uneven teeth that are almost grown back in place, but still a little out of shape, especially the left one in front of her lower jaw. she had it broken the last for some reason. i sit down, opening my arms, smiling when she quickly climbs on my lap, giving me a welcome-home hug. "were you okay by yourself?" i ask once again ever since we came here, afraid that she might have trouble adjusting to the new place, especially when we don't exactly have a house with four walls and a roof to protect us from the weather at least, if not humans. i can deal with humans very well.

lily looks at my face, nodding her head with a smile and brings up my hand to her head, patting herself as i chuckle, "yeah, good girl." i hum, kissing her cheek, which is when i notice a little mud smudged around her pretty face. i wipe it with my shirt under the vest, smiling contently when the princess is all clean and looking adorable as ever, then i ask, "were you playing outside?"

she gives me a single nod, busy going through my vest, when her hands find something crumbling. plastic. her eyes light up in excitement, not giving a second thought before pulling it out and i imagine the sound her laughter ringing in my ears behind the happy grin stretching her lips. oh, how i miss listening to her laughs and giggles. "that's for my little girl." i whisper, eyes suddenly threatening me with tears as i look at her greedily opening the packet and pulls out the sweet bun she has grown to love.

she takes the first bite, squealing soundlessly, her eyes shut in keenness and the joy of getting something to eat since yesterday. her favourite sweet bun on top of that. i nearly laugh at the sight of her, when she opens her eyes and leans closer to my chest, sitting comfortably like i am some sort of chair for her, throwing her legs over my left thigh, then her little hands hold the bun in front of my face, waiting for me to take a bite.

"i'm good. you can have it."

she frowns, squinting at me and brings the bun even closer, eyeing me with a glare that scolds me and demands that i accept her offer. "so demanding." i shake my head, holding her hand over the bun, tilting my head, letting myself fall into the trap of hunger tearing out a bite from the decent sized bun. it's delicious. or maybe it's my maddened tongue and stomach on not getting anything to eat from yesterday. i fed the last sweet bun to lily.

"so, tell me," i gulp the bun down, cutting off a look at the little girl in my arms, "you were playing outside?" she nods again, this time sparing me a glance. "alone?"

she nods in response, offering me another bite and i accept it thanks to the greedy stomach that grumbles in need. "but i told you to stay inside, didn't i?" lily's eagerness for the bun decreases with the speed of her mouth chewing, as she looks down with a pout, unhappy that she cannot even play outside. i know she likes to play alone or with others. getting to play is something she wants to survive.

"i'm sorry, princess. but you need to understand that i'm only asking you to stay inside for your own safety." i say softly, hugging her close to my chest and lean back against the rough, bricked wall. she tilts up her head slowly, looking at me with saddened eyes, making my heart ache. "i know that you like to play, darling. but there's nothing i can do about it. not yet, at least." i sigh, laying down on the blanket, but lily doesn't like the thought.

her hands push up against my chest, propped on her elbows as she stares at my face. i know that look. she wants to say something. ask questions. argue me for not letting her play outside. she just wants to say something, even if it's just my name. she wants to speak.

i blink my eyes, turning my head away and take a deep breath to calm down, not wanting to shed a tear in front of my angel. it scares her to see me upset and worried. i would know from the past seven years i have spent with her, cherishing her company and every little detail about her.

her hand taps slowly on my shoulder, and i hum in response, meeting her brown eyes with newfound courage, again, like every night. "you don't wanna eat more?" she shakes her head, sitting up and hands her half eaten bun to me. "why? you must be hungry-" i pause on seeing her standing up, gesturing her hand for me to calm down. so, i sigh, getting up as well and follow after her, not knowing where she wants to take me.

"lily, where are you taking me, princess?"

she looks up, holding her arms out when she stops in front of me and i carry her with no complain, switching between glancing at her face and the area around us. it's later afternoon already and the sun has gone to hide behind the clouds, wind blowing gently as of now, but i wonder how long it will stay like that. thankfully our little sleeping place has got a wall high enough to keep the wind out, but we still don't have a roof, means if it rains, i'll have to arrange something.

lily points at the open area, a field where farmers often leave their smaller animals during the day time for foraging. "you want me to go there?" as an answer lily nods, her index finger guiding the direction i move in. soon she has me standing under a big tree with a comparably thick trunk, loads of branches and leaves on them. "what? is there something here?"

i let lily down, watching her running around the old trunk to get behind it. i follow curiously, glancing over my shoulder once making sure there was nothing and nobody that meant a threat, before crouching down beside lily, who's on the ground as well, digging the mud out for some unknown reason. "what are you doing?" i frown, watching her struggling, but finally she manages to dig deep enough like she wants and stops, putting her digging tool (just a thick stick) aside, using her hands to push the mud out of the small burrow she has made.

to my surprise there's something in there, shining silver and maybe a little of gold behind the dirt. my hands reaches out to see what it is, but lily smacks my hand away, glaring at me from the side with what's an angry look according to her. she looks rather kissable and cuddly to me. "okay, sorry. is that your treasure?" i ask, smiling when she nods eagerly. she likes playing treasure hunt and games like that. i remember hiding stuff from her and she would always find it somehow.

cunning little girl.

"what is that? you can show me at least?"

she nods, diving her hand towards the thrift buried and pulls out a dagger, sending my eyes flying open with astonishment. how does she have a dagger? and it's not just any dagger. that intricate designing, the swirling handle and the coating of silver means it belongs to someone from the palace. next lily shows me a throwing star, an actual, heavy, metal star with sharp edges and pointed ends meant to pierce through the flesh of it's aimed prey.

"where did you find these?" i take a hold of the weapons from her innocent, young hands into mine. i don't mind wrath. i don't mind violence. in fact, my return to the kingdom itself is anything but peace and happiness for that dreary palace and its people. red is all i'm going to paint this kingdom in for everything it has shown me, put me, my little sister and my mother through.

lily taps on my hand, showing me a stone. it's a beautiful pebble of purple and blue color that she might have found along the streets or near the pond where i took her a few days back. no wonder it made it to her treasure. she likes vibrant colors, little life in everything that surrounds her and especially if it looks catchy enough to draw her attention, there's no way my lily would leave the object alone.

"did you find it around here?" i look at her for an answer, sighing as she nods, her hand pointing at the throwing star, gesturing towards the street opposite to the one where we live. "you found it there?" and lily nods, making me frown. "why?" is all i ask, a bit angry that she went to a completely different street all alone while i was away.

she tilts her head in confusion, standing up on front of me, holding my hand to pull me up with her, probably wanting to lead me to a new spot. but i stop her, holding her hand in mine, "why did you go that side? i told you not to."

her bubbliness settles down now, again back with the familiar pout that is evident on her face when i scold her for not listening to me. but it's for her own good. "look at me when i'm talking to you, lily." i say, my hand making it under her chin to make her look at me for she kept her head low, not liking that i'm mad at her. "please try to understand, princess. i want you safe and that is the only reason i tell you to stay back inside until i come back."

lily steps forward between my arms, hugging my broader frame and rests her head on my shoulder, making me sigh. "please listen to me, baby. you're all i have left." i whisper, standing up, carrying her with one arm, holding the dagger and star in the other, leaving rest of lily's treasure, which includes some pebbles, a twig of a unique shape, two marbles and a pink ribbon.

i lead us back to our alley, behind the barrels and settle down, holding lily in my lap. the evining is falling faster than usual and i look up, realising it's because of the grey clouds hovering above. the wind has gotten stronger, i can hear it whooshing through things and rumbling the leaves of the trees nearby.

"wait here. i'll arrange something to cover us up, just in case it rains." with that i stand up, leaving lily sitting by the wall, watching me with her curious doe eyes. mother used to say we have the same kind of eyes. but i like to think differently. lily's eyes are far more prettier than mine if you ask me.

she gets up on her feet, running to catch up with me and holds my hand, flashing me a smile that i understand very well. she wants to help.

we stroll around the area in cool wind brushing against us. i'm sure lily is enjoying this little walk with me for she skips on her feet, occasionally taking a bite out of the bun i still have left in my hand. she's eating willingly now, making me sigh in relief that i did not end up believing her when she said she didn't feel like eating more. she would be hungry again soon if she couldn't even finish this.

i tell her about the kingdom, about the streets we're walking through, suddenly having no intention of going back as night falls closer and there's no sign of rain yet. in fact, the clouds from earlier have moved forward, probably raining elsewhere. the direction, from what i know, is north. the wind is colder and it smells faintly of soil, giving away the secret of pouring rain in the blair.

lily tugs on my hand and i look down, seeing her staring up at me, wrapping her arms around herself for a second. "oh, wait." i hum, taking off my vest and make her wear it instead. well, that's all i have to offer. i hope she doesn't get too cold and fall sick at this time. i can't have anything holding me back.

she smiles even though her arms are exposed and i'm sure she's still cold. yet her arms wrap around my hips, giving me a quick hug. that's been her way of saying thank-you for the last three years. she was four when i last heard her talking. actually saying something, saying my name, calling for me, playing with me and laughing when i tickled her feet or sides. that was the last time i heard a voice so vibrant, so lively, so full of joy and blessings, that everything now feels dead. i've become nothing but a synonym of death. alive only when my baby is before my eyes, smiling at me with her happy eyes as if everything is okay. it is, in fact, okay when we have each other.

i've learnt that from her. from this seven-year-old now standing on my shoes that i've had ever since i stopped growing in size.

she wants to be carried again. so, that's what i do. we walk for a little while until we hear the beating of heavy drums followed by sounds of horses walking on the cobblestone, dragging a cart behind them. it's the king's imperials here to announce something. but at this hour?

i move aside with the other people, clearing the way for the imperials. everyone looks surprised, more confused with the sudden arrival of the imperials and the announcement they need to make. lily's one arm circles around my neck, the other one points at the man on the horse not too far away from us. "what about him?" i ask softly and lily turns to face me, too excited to tell me something. i frown, not understanding what she has to say, but when she leans down tugging at the pocket of the vest, almost pulling out the dagger, i move swiftly, keep her hand buried in the pocket, not wanting the imperials or anyone to spot a weapon with us, especially the one we shouldn't have.

"i get it. you don't have to pull it out." i sigh, staring at my sister, closing the gap between us even though she's already in my arms. my hand raises to stroke her hair, tilting my head and lean closer to have my lips near the shell of her ear, "so he dropped it and you found it?"

lily shakes her head, making me frown. "alright?" i arch up a brow, sparing a glance at the man, who's busy telling everyone about an important event supposed to be held in the royal stadium in five days. after that the coronation ceremony of scionberg's new king will be taking place in the palace just next month. and from what everyone has been talking ahout, i know the upcoming weeks are going to be eventful for the entire kingdom.

there's a grand feast organised as the imperial announces it as well. five days from today, at night where all of the kingdom will be decorated and made to look pretty. no less than a festival. i'm not surprised that people are happy with the prince becoming the future king, for they have heard that he's nothing like his father. where the current king lacks empathy for his people, barely acknowledges anyone other than elites and upper class, crushing down the lower ones in the name of irradiating poverty and misfortune for the kingdom. the prince is far more gentle and wise, yet as fierce as a king should be to withstand by his kingdom, by his people.

i doubt that. i doubt if the rumours about the prince are true, for all i know the king had always wanted the princes to grow up to be like him, walk on his footsteps, rule the kingdom like he did and conquer the neighbouring ones by hook or crook. assert their power to distances farther than tomorrow and meet the sun shining all through.

“king is the man of the kingdom, father of his nation, the provider to his people and a warrior against his nemesis. be the greatest king of all, rule by power, virtue and motto, and see the heads bow to your feet. see the throne take you up to where deserve to be.”

i supress the scowl that threatens to twist my expression, itching my hand to just dig to my pocket, grab the damn dagger and burry it deep in these imperials' chests. but no. they are not the ones behind all this. it's the king. the king who wants to eliminate everyone but the powerful, establish his reign like he has been doing all through the years, sending his men to beat up and kill the slummers, the poor and helpless, the weak, the ones who went against him. he treat innocent and criminals alike. i would know.

if a king can have his men stabbing and killing his queen after punishing her with an exile, make her death look like an unfortunate tragedy and her children long forgotten; if a king can cheat to live up to his name when he felt a threat with the throne, with the blood that was being raised with his two princes; if a king can murder his own wife with his very hands, beat up a child as young as two-year-old. he might as well do anything to have his way with ruling.

death means nothing to him. not when i saw his men stabbing my mother, leaving me alone with lily, unconscious in my arms because even if they spared her life that day, they did take her voice forever.

the king. the damn king.

i know it was his order. he was afraid that if he left mother alive, she'd be back to claim what belonged to her, and then i would probably be the king. and if not, i had no problem with it. prince jimin, the eldest son of the first queen would be the king, but i know he would make a good leader, unlike his father. but now after not seeing him for several years, i don't know if he still cares about others as much as he used to do.

all i know now is that the king must die. that my hands should be colored with his blood, and that's only how i'm going to feel better about my mother's death. about my sister's lost voice.

i will be the undoing of the king.

the only reason that i'm back after harsh training, putting myself through hell and maybe lily too because of that. but i regret none of it, for all i crave is the the king's cries ringing in my ears, his blood splattered on the floor and my sword buried in his chest.

the two princes can have their lives spared by my hands, if only they're not like him. but i doubt that will be the case. as of now, i know i'm about to step in for a bloodbath. surprisingly enough, i look forward to it.

midst all my thoughts, i don't even realise when the imperials are gone, beating the drum as they make to their next announcing poll. not until lily taps on my shoulder, holding a sheet of hand crafted paper with some details about the events are mentioned with black ink in tilted cursive handwriting. at the end of the paper is the stamp of schionberg's kingdom. the symbol of the armour swirled with vines exactly in its flag. it represents strength, life and prosperity.

too bad the king doesn't know anything other than cruelty masked under what he calls strength.

lily shakes the paper in front of my face, making me nod, forcing up a smile for her. "okay, we'll go." i hum in response, patting her back. "we should head back now. plenty of walking for today."

lily grins at me, nodding her head and rests her on shoulder as i do the walking, while she takes the time to quietly observe everything going on around us. the street venders have started packing up now, though the stalls and shop owners are still there and market has plenty of people still buying and selling. some stealing too. i sigh as i feel lily's head turning until she straighten's her back, frowning curiously at the little boy, whom i've seen a few times around our alley. he runs past us, grinning in victory when nobody notices the silver coins in his hands. he just stole money. the happiness on his face lets me know that it's his first time not getting caught.

poor kid.

lily stares at him just as i do, although her eyes are more curious, unaware of what he has done. the boy instead of running farther away, stops by to catch his breath, which is when we catch his eye. well, lily to be specific. he stares back for a moment before breaking into a smile and walks towards us. i sigh. when i look at lily, i can tell she's just as surprised as me on seeing the boy approaching.

"do you know him?" i ask and she shakes her head after a moment of thinking. her eyes are still on the boy.

"hello!" the boy chimes, stopping right in front of us, neck straining to greet lily with a beaming smile since she's up in arms.

"who are you?" i frown, giving what i hope is a stern glare.

"i'm suho. i've seen you near the alley." he says, fixing his gaze on me now as he speaks, "who are you mister? are you her father?"

"i don't think you should be talking to strangers. go home." i scoff, almost stepping forward to move through my path, back to our safe place for the time being. but this little boy, barely older than lily, doesn't move from his spot. his face now shows worry, staring at lily and then at me uncertainly. i guess he thinks i've kidnapped my sister. interesting.

"what do you want boy? didn't you just steal enough shillings?"

he gasps and i smirk, arching up a brow as i cock my chin towards his hands gripping the shining silver coins tightly.

"i didn't steal them!"

"right, so you're out here jogging with a bunch of coins in your hand?"

"i-i- yes! that's what i like to do!" he huffs, then points at lily, "she stole a dagger too! i saw it!"

my eyes widen at the information, swiftly craning my neck to look at lily. she's shaking her head, making me sigh. she can't steal. she doesn't know how to steal. "stop lying, boy. just go home." i crack my neck, yet suho keeps still in his place, staring intently at lily. "you—"

"she's lying, mister. she stole from the imperial the other day!"

"shut up!" i give him a glare, warning him to keep his voice low. letting lily down and kneel near the kid, the boy who is accusing my lily of stealing, "first of all, she didn't steal. and second, you better run real fast straight to your house before i let all these people know that you stole money."

"but—"

"i don't give empty threats, kid. mark my words."

and that's enough to scare him. he's just a young child after all. i get back up on my feet, holding lily's hand as we start walking down the street, when after a few minutes i figure out the boy is still following us.  with an annoyed look i turn to him, "what is it that you so desperately need from us? get going before i—"

lily tugs on my hand, interrupting me in the middle only to shake her head, telling me that i shouldn't be like this. okay? rolling my eyes at the boy, we just keep walking until we reach the alley, ready to part ways. however, this time the boy stops us. he's smiling again as if already forgotten what i told him back in the market. "bye, princess!"

did he just call lily a princess?

the scowl on my face this once is far from being hidden and step towards him, grabbing his shoulder, "what did you just say?"

"bye..?" he gulps, moving back.

"no. what did you call her?"

"oh, princess? because she looks like one. she's pretty." he beams, peeking at lily's face and reaches out to touch her cheeks. but i stop him by holding his hand, giving him a warning look. "why doesn't she talk to me?" he asks suddenly, facing me.

"because she doesn't like you. now leave."

i nearly groan with annoyance on recieving a smack on my shoulder from my sister for lying to this boy. "she doesn't know you. you're a stranger, and she doesn't like talking to strangers." i scoff instead.

suho tilts his head, "but i live right across the street. i'm not a stranger. me and princess can be friends."

"stop calling her that." i growl.

"why? i've heard you calling her that."

"that's because i can. you're nobody to her."

"i can be her friend. i saw her playing alone today. that's so lonely and sad."

that's when lily steps beside me, nodding her head eagerly and smiles at the boy. of course she wants a friend to play with her. unfortunately for her, i won't let that happen. a single friend, even this child, can be a threat in the long run, and i don't wish to risk anything. my time here is crucial, especially when all i have is just a month. on second thoughts, this kid also steals. i wouldn't want lily stealing as well. those imperials are inhuman.

"suho!"

before i turn around at the feminine voice, suho's already stumbling on his feet, his eyes widened at the mention of his name from the lady. he steps beside me like the most innocent child, blinking up at me with his clear plea. "please don't tell eomma that i stole." he whispers.

so, that's his mother? i stand up, straightening my shirt as i turn to face her, however my instincts kick in, quickly grabbing the woman's wrist, stopping whatever impact the frying pan would've had on my face if i were even a second late. "let go, you bastard!" she shrieks, glaring at me, "what were you doing to my son?!"

i scoff at the audacity, bringing her hand down enough to look at her face. oh. even though it's dark now, i don't miss the blue eyes shooting killer looks for apparantly trying to hurt her child. her lucious golden bangs adorn the sides of her face, a single strand falling over her eyes due to her struggle against my grip. she's gorgeous. what's more surprising to me right now, is that she's a mother of this boy, who is probably a year or two older than lily. how?

"i said let go!"

"not a bastard anymore?" i mutter, amused with her, but soon i'm doubling up in pain as her knee meets my stomach harshly, pushing me back before grabbing suho's hand and steps away from me. "ow... that was rude." i glance at my sister, who looks a bit worried. she crouches next to me, becoming smaller than she already is and pats my arm with sympathy.

"who's kid is that?" the woman gasps, ready to take lily with her as well, because i assume i look like a kidnapper to her. i wonder what handsome man ever tried to steal her when she was younger.

"mine." i let her know, earning a frown.

"liar."

"why's that hard to believe?"

"you don't look like anybody's father. just be honest and tell me where did you bring her from or else i'm calling the imperials an—"

"geez! woman she is my sister! i have no way to prove that to you." i stand up, nearing her and crack my neck, keeping my eyes fixed on her ocean blue ones. distracting. "you, whatever your name is, just mind your own buisness." is all i say, desperately needing her name, but it's not like i cannot live without that information. so, i take a hold of lily's hand, leading her to the alley, making her look forward when i catch her peeking back.

behind us i can hear the woman alking to her son. i don't mind them having a civil conversation as long as i'm not being a part of it. "how many times do i tell you not to talk to strangers, suho? and this man— he looked like a murderer!" that's what i hear from the woman, making me roll my eyes. that's how i catch a glimpse of lily, confused with the new word that she has heard for the first time. i never said anything violent in front of her before this.

"go in. try to sleep. i'm coming in a minute." i sigh, patting lily's back, ushering her inside the alley.

she looks hesitant, but obeys and i turn around, rolling up the sleeves of my thin shirt, making it to the suho and his beautiful mother. "did you just call me a murderer?" the woman shrieks again, stumbling shockingly into my chest.

maybe i shouldn't sneak up behind people ?

that's besides the point. she just called me a murderer. in front of lily.

"oh my god!" she breathes through her nose, staring at me with her pan clutched tightly, as if looking for an opportunity to smash it on my head.

"look, you and your son have annoyed me enough. take your kid and leave." i say, brushing my hair back, eyes moving from her to suho. "go."

"stop scaring my child, jerk!"

"hey!" i bark, catching her wrist again, saving myself from the attack. "alright, listen here. before i actually prove to be a murderer, i need your pretty legs running back to your house. understood?"

her gaze shivers at my words, stepping back and takes a hold of her son's hand, pulling him behind her. "good. now leave." i scoff, standing with my arms crossed as i wait for the two to walk away. i need to make sure they're not coming back. thankfully, they don't.

i return back, halting on my steps instantly on seeing lily leaning on the wall, an uncertain expression sitting on her face that makes me sick with the thought that she might've heard me talking, well, more like scaring suho and his mother. did you notice i didn't say beautiful this time?

"come." is all i say, taking her behind the barrels. i kick off my shoes and lily removes her worn out sandals as well, sitting down with me.

smiling at her softly, i pull her in my arms, laying down with one arm folded under my head as a pillow and the other, keeping lily warm and close. "i love you, princess. sleep tight." usually after this i give her a kiss and then lily closes her eyes. however, tonight's different. i know who to thank for that.

____________

a/n:- welcome to 'the beginning of end'!!! i know you guys were really about the series ever since i shared the first idea with you. i''m so happy to be able to write it. really. writing this makes me feel a little better about trying my hand in the fantasy genre, which is so wide and everything. it's beautiful. i hope you enjoy the series.

please vote and comment a lot. I'm waiting to see your response at every chapter! 🥺💗✨