Author pov

The King of Daegu stood  in his chamber, gazing at the portrait of his late wife hanging on the wall. That picture was the only tangible memory he had left of her.

"I'm sorry, honey. I failed," he whispered, his voice cracking as he continued to stare at her picture. "I failed as a father."

"How cruel I have been to our own son. If only I had treated Taehyung better, perhaps he would still be here with us in this palace." His eyes filled with tears, and he clutched the edges of the frame, his knuckles turning white.

The memories of his actions came flooding back, and he buried his face in his hands, sobbing. "I regret it so much," he cried, his shoulders shaking with the weight of his guilt and sorrow.

As he sank to his knees, his tears continued to fall, each drop a testament to the deep anguish he felt. "I wish I could turn back time, my dear. I would have done everything differently. I would have been the father he needed."

"Dad."

The voice startled him. He turned to see his elder son, Prince Jin, standing there, his face filled with concern.

Prince Jin knelt beside his father, who had turned his face back to the portrait of his late wife.

"I miss your mother so much," the King said, his voice trembling. "If she were here, she would be ashamed of how I treated Taehyung."

Prince Jin understood his father’s pain. "Father, we all miss her."

"I didn't let him marry the love of his life. I failed to see things from his perspective. How cruel I’ve been to him. Since childhood, I controlled his life, and he never complained, just obeyed everything I said. But after he ran away, I realized how wrong I was. I didn't respect his decisions. I'm cruel, Jin. I'm so cruel." The King's heart was heavy with guilt, and he missed Taehyung deeply.

"I destroyed innocent people, took their lives without mercy. I'm ashamed of myself. I'm so ashamed," he sobbed.

He remembered how he destroyed a whole village years ago, how he killed an innocent couple without mercy, not knowing they were his daughter-in-law's parents. Prince Jin sighed and looked at his father's miserable condition. He patted his back and hugged him comfortingly.

"I'm glad you finally understand what you did was wrong," Jin said, his eyes traveling to the picture of his mother. He missed her dearly.

"But I don't think Mother will ever forgive you for what you did to her little Taehyung." Jin added softly. A loud sob escaped the King's lips, knowing that no one could forgive the sins he had committed.

"I-I know... I just hope Taehyung is living happily with the love of his life. I want to know if he’s okay," the King said, breaking the hug and wiping his tears.

"Yeah, I hope so too," Jin replied, knowing well that Taehyung and his love were now happily married.

The King nodded and sighed in relief, looking at his lovely wife's picture. He clung to the hope that somewhere, somehow, Taehyung had found the happiness that had eluded him here.

_

On the other hand, Doyun was lost in deep thought, his darkened eyes blazing with fury. He was seething with anger after the king had revealed the whole story. The rage he felt towards Taehyung for what he had done to his sister was consuming him.

"I'll kill that bastard! Because of him, every one of our plans failed. Damn it!" he snarled, gritting his teeth. The hunger for power that drove them both was evident in his eyes.

"Calm down, son. We need to think of another way, but we must be careful," the king advised, his voice steady but firm.

"HOW? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN THE GOLDEN CHANCE SLIPPED THROUGH OUR FINGERS, DAD?" Doyun shouted, slamming his palm onto the table. The soldiers present in the room flinched at his outburst, terrified by his fury.

The king sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"You know, I've been contemplating taking over the kingdom," the King of Ulsan said, a smirk curling his lips.

Doyun's head snapped towards his father, who was watching him with a cunning smile.

"What? Are you serious?" he whispered, his brow furrowed in confusion. The king scoffed and nodded.

"Do I look like I'm joking? I want that powerful kingdom in my hands. I'll achieve it by any means necessary," he said, his tone deadly serious.

"Then do you have a plan?" Doyun asked, raising an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Not yet. We need to proceed with extreme caution. One careless mistake and we're finished," the king said, taking a deep breath.

Doyun leaned forward, his eyes locking with his father's. "Then let's make sure we don't make any mistakes. This time, we'll be unstoppable."

The king nodded, the fire of ambition burning in his eyes. "Indeed, my son. This time, we will not fail."

Y/n pov

It had been two weeks since we exchanged vows, and every moment felt like a dream with him by my side. As we walked through the village, the gentle breeze ruffled his hair, and I couldn't help but steal a glance at his side profile, marveling at how he resembled a Greek god in the fading light. The thought of spending eternity with him filled me with a sense of bliss I had never known before.

We had decided to walk around the village because we were bored at home. Now, as the sky darkened, we were heading back to our house.

"I've truly enjoyed today," Taehyung confessed, his boxy smile lighting up his face.

"Yeah,Me too" I replied, chuckling as I remembered how much fun we had doing silly things a few hours ago.

"I can't believe you're such a foodie girl. How did you manage to eat so much?" he teased, remembering my insatiable appetite earlier.

"Oh, food is my everything. I was so hungry I couldn't stop eating," I said, licking my lips at the memory of how tasty the food was. He looked at me in disbelief and chuckled.

Suddenly, Taehyung stopped in his tracks, furrowing his brows. He glanced back, causing me to look at him with confusion.

"What's wrong, Tae?" I asked, my voice tinged with worry. He shook his head, his smile strained.

"N-no, nothing. Can we hurry? It's getting so dark here." he replied, his voice slightly shaky. I nodded, still unsure of what was bothering him.

He held my hand tightly as we quickened our pace, a sense of unease creeping over me. Glancing back, I saw nothing out of the ordinary and shrugged it off, focusing on walking ahead with him.

But just as we thought we were safe, something unexpected happened, freezing me in place.

Princess Hana stood before us, wearing her trademark ugly smirk.

I looked at Taehyung, whose eyes widened with confusion. My heart pounded in my chest as I scanned our surroundings, realizing we were surrounded by a group of men dressed all in black, their faces hidden in the darkness.

Fear gripped me as I sensed that something terrible was about to happen.

"Where do you think you're going, lovebirds?" Princess Hana's mocking voice cut through the silence, sending shivers down my spine.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Taehyung shouted, his eyes darkening with fury. The sight made me gulp, taken aback by the intensity of his duality. From the corner of my eye, I saw one of the men raise his knife toward Taehyung, and tears began to roll down my cheeks in fear.

“Oh, I’m the one who should be mad at you. You’re the one who ran away on our wedding day,” Hana retorted, signaling the men to lower their knives. I sighed in relief.

Taehyung rolled his eyes, his jaw clenching as he gritted his teeth. I could feel the anger radiating from him. The fear inside me was uncontrollable; I had no idea what was going to happen next.

I clung tightly to his arm, trying to hide behind him. He sensed my nervousness and gently caressed my hand with his thumb, trying to reassure me.

“I know you married this bitch, didn’t you?” Hana spat, her eyes piercing into mine.

“DON’T YOU DARE, HANA. YOU’RE THE REAL BITCH HERE,” Taehyung roared, veins popping on his arms from the sheer rage.

"Oh, why are you so angry? Hmm? Today, I came here to take what belongs to me," she said, smirking at Taehyung with a seductive look, making him scoff.

I wondered how she had found us. A sense of dread filled me as I looked at the men staring at us like hungry beasts.

"There's no one who belongs to you, and you won't bother us. Now, leave," he said calmly, glaring at the men who stood like statues.

"Huh, do you think I came here to leave that easily? No, Taehyung. You have to come with me, or I'll kill this bitch."

"I'll never go with a whore like you, and you can't do anything to her as long as I'm alive," he said in a serious tone, tightening his grip around me.

Hana's smirk faded, replaced by a look of sheer determination. The men behind her tensed, ready to act on her command. Taehyung's body was coiled like a spring, ready to protect me at all costs.

"Is this what you really want, Taehyung? To die for her?" Hana taunted, her voice dripping with Hatred.He met her gaze with unwavering resolve.

"I would die a thousand times to keep her safe from someone like you."

I clung to him, feeling the strength of his words boost my courage.  Hana's eyes flickered with uncertainty, sensing that she was losing control of the situation.

"Last chance, Taehyung," she hissed. "Come with me now, or regret it forever."

"Never," he replied coldly.

Hana's face twisted in fury. She raised her hand, signaling her men to advance. Taehyung pushed me behind him, ready to fight.

"Stay back," he whispered to me. "I won't let anything happen to you."

My heart pounded in my chest as the men stepped closer, their knives glinting in the dim light. Taehyung stood firm, a pillar of strength and love, ready to defend us both.

The men rushed at Taehyung, and he fought them fiercely, his movements fast and powerful. I watched in terror as he protected me with everything he had.

A  screamed left from my lip as I watched them overpower him. Suddenly, I saw one of the man stab him in the stomach, then in the chest area mercilessly.

"Taehyung, NO!" I cried, trying to reach him, but one of the men grabbed me, holding me back.

"Let me go." I struggled to free from they're grip.

"This is what you get for defying me, Taehyung." Hana laughed coldly.

Taehyung's eyes found mine, filled with determination and love.He managed  flash a faint smile before struggled to stay on his feet, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. "Run!" he choked out, his voice barely audible.

"Get out of here!"

"I can't leave you!" I cried, tears streaming down my face.

He stumbled, his legs giving out as he fell to his knees. He clutched his stomach, blood pouring through his fingers.

"You have to," he insisted, his voice weakening. "Love, please G-Go"

With one final, brutal stabbed, Taehyung fell to the ground, lifeless.

"TAEHYUNG.. NO, DON'T DO THIS TO HIM ,PLEASE. I BEG YOU." My pleas echoed through the chaos, desperation lacing every syllable as I sank to my knees, my heart shattering into a million pieces.

Hana crouched beside me, her eyes devoid of pity. "Remember this, dear. He chose to die for you."

Tears poured down my face as I stood up, feeling the weight of sadness pulling me down. I walked over to where he lay, lifeless on the ground. With each step, the world blurred around me, But then, his half open eyes met mine full of emotion. I couldn't help but sink to my knees next to him, feeling the world around us fade away.~~

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