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Jin snatched my knife with a swift movement in a blink and took out his sword. I prepared myself to be killed off but he suddenly held my shoulder, staring into my eyes with a frightening look.

"We have to get out of here, Bada! My people rose up against me and plotted to take over both Wisterean and Leovalon and kill us off here. Where's your knights?!"

I struggled to make sense of what was happening. "My... My knights... Not far."

"I'll get us out of here. You have to stick to your knights, alright?"

He walked to the door but I gripped his hand.

"Wait! What will you do?"

"I have to finish them off for betraying me," he said, sending shivers down my spine. His voice was full of malice.

"But..."

He held my hand and put my knife in it before pulling me to the door. "Stay close and watch out!"

He kicked the door open and I froze at the blood spilled all over the floor and the walls. Screams and yells echoed through the hallway, and people were swinging their swords against each other, ripping each other apart. My stomach churned and nausea crawled up my throat. The smell of blood was pungent and made my head throb with each breath.

One of the men attacked me but Jin shielded me and cut him down quickly. Jin pulled me through the hallway, striking down anyone who came at us and I was beginning to realize just how powerful he was.

"My Queen!"

Sir Sunghoon and my other knights called for me from where they were fighting. The rebels were outnumbering ours even here. No doubt there were countless more through the whole castle. Almost everyone must had betrayed Jin.

"We must leave immediately! We are surrounded by the rebellion," Sunghoon informed anxiously.

I looked back at Jin who just knocked out an enemy. Our eyes met and he paused, thousands of emotions flashing in his.

"Go!" He yelled. "Be careful!"

"Hurry, Your Highness!"

I spun and followed my knights as they fought their way through the rebels. Men after men kept coming and my people were wounded worse and worse. My knights were skilled and their abilities surpassed those of the rebels but we were still outnumbered.

Eventually quantity surpassed quality and my knights held off the rebels while Sunghoon alone tried his best to have me escape. His uniform was tattered and his limbs and abdomen were full of deep cuts.

"Your Highness!"

He jumped in front of me when someone ambushed us and slashed him. Dozens of others suddenly appeared and attacked him all at once. Someone grabbed me and heaved me up before putting the edge of a sword at my neck.

"No! Your Highness!" Sunghoon cried out when he took a glimpse of me during his fight.

"Unhand me!" I struggled to move my hands out of the man's grasp.

"Careful, Princess," he snickered, cutting my neck slightly, earning a gasp from me. It stung and burned. "Our leader would want to have you alive. We will take turns to have you before that. A princess should be different from other women, no?"

"Get your dirty hands off her!" Sunghoon yelled, livid.

I finally gripped the handle of my knife and plunged it into the man's thigh, making him scream. When his hold loosened, I took it out and quickly ripped his neck, blood splattering on his clothes.

"You!"

Excruciating pain burned my back and my skin and flesh were ripped as someone cut me with a sword. I screamed in agony, falling to the floor.

"Bada! Please hold on!"

I trembled and writhed in pain as my heart pounded in my ears. Yells and swords clanging sounded distant as I panted, clenching my eyes shut.

"Your Highness!"

No, Sunghoon... You have to survive...

"You should've just been obedient, bitch."

I opened my eyes to the man who slashed my back raising a bloodied sword at me with a furious and scary look. This was how I was meeting my end.

All of a sudden, an end of a sword pierced through his chest. At the same time, the man managed to cut my abdomen, knocking my breath out and paralyzing me.

Sunghoon dropped to his knees after the man fell and lifted me up with his hand behind my head. Everyone else was already dead, laying on the ground. But...

There was a sword piercing his body.

My eyes were stuck on the sword's hilt and his eyes were on me.

"Sung... hoon..."

The pain spread through me with each syllable.

"Bada..." Blood dripped down his mouth when I looked up at his face. "I'm sorry... I couldn't... protect you..."

Tears rolled down his cheeks and he shut his eyes, his eyebrows knotted in pain.

With bated breaths, I hoarsely whispered, "No... It's... my... fault..."

There was so much I wanted to tell him but the pain was paralyzing me that I could not utter a single word. In the end, he truly gave his life to protect me. My closest friend. My precious beloved.

Please do not cry...

If I tried to escape with you and the others instead of going to Jin, would we have lived?

Sunghoon's eyes suddenly closed and he fell beside me. My heart hurt more than my wounds and my eyes brimmed with tears. I could not move my hands to hold him.

His life slipped away in front of my eyes.

"Bada!"

A familiar voice called out and I was lifted off the floor. When my head turned to the man, his mouth opened in utter shock and anguish crossed his bloodied features.

"I shouldn't have let you go without me," Jin whimpered. "I'm so sorry. Please hold on. Please... Please don't die on me."

My eyelids were growing heavier and the pain that was tormenting me was growing duller and duller.

"We'll get out of here. We have to." He bit his lips and started walking with me in his arms.

The sight of him was becoming hazy.

Jin... leave me and go...

I could not open my mouth.

And soon...

I could not open my eyes.

But then, my body somehow became lighter and the pain had vanished. I opened my eyes and found myself in a drastically different place.

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I'm not a very 'action' person so writing these fight scenes are so difficult lol

Hope you all enjoyed the royalty life lol

Don't forget to vote, sweeties 🫶✨