"I'm starving, darling
Let me put my lips to something
Let me wrap my teeth around the world"

Eat Your Young - Hozier
This song is sexy, I think of it as Tae's theme song

Spice - O - Meter: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Mainly because of morally gray Tae (he um, likes to talk ya thru it doesn't he) and baddie plotting Leila appearance

Edit: SCRWAMING CRYINF THROWINF UP AT THIS CHAPTER OML I outdid myself tbh

📖🗡️👁️

Only a day and night stood between Leila and the spring solstice.

It felt like forever.

She had made many preparations to the days leading. Talking to the castle seamstresses, creating a dress that was more meaningful than she could ever hope for. Would make a statement so impactful she could never take it back.

Just the thought of the dress, like the ghost of an old friend, made her eyes prick with tears.

But she had little time to think of such things. Much needed to be done before the ball. Lily was meant to come over, in preparation for her outfitting. It was the only way Leila could think to get Lily to her rooms, when she was meant to be setting up for the ball with the servants.

Then, there was to be a meeting with the nobles and higher men of the court. A meeting that Leila had been waiting for expectantly.

As it was another opportunity to make the prince contrite.

Or livid, depending how it went.

She had spent the night before pondering his pretty words, when she had promised herself not to. Because that's all they were. Words to fill a page. They did nothing to soothe the ever growing volatile ache within her.

If he wanted to be without her, she would not do so quietly. Would not be idle as it happened. Especially after all he had admitted the night before.

A knock on her door caused her to slam the book she was pretending to read shut. The princess quickly fished out the Ritual book from under her pillows, yelling for her friend to come in.

Leila quickly stood up, with book in hand, setting herself down on her large lavender and silver etched plush chair. She looks up at the sea glass sky on her ceiling, and begged the deities for some answers. Placing the large book down on the table before when her friend slyly slid through the door with scraps of fabric and a tray. Again, proving that Leila making her a lady in waiting only benefitted the princess more.

Smart.

"Hi Lily." Leila said easily. As if her fate did not depend on the smaller court member's ability to read.

The rich brunette's smile wobbled. She was nervous. That much was clear as the tray clattered as she placed it in the spot before Leila.

"Hi. I brought you some more tea."

Took in it's floral scent. The swirl of light, lavender. Calming her frayed nerves.

"Thank you very much." A pause ensued, with Lily sitting before her. Smoothing down her skirts. A cough, as she eyed the book between them warily. Leila shifted forward, "I do not wish for you to feel uncomfortable, would you like me to leave and give you space?"

And even as the princess attempted to soothe her friend, she felt her own apprehension rise in her throat. Whatever this book revealed, it would not be pleasant. It's secrets were meant to stay hidden, and have successfully.

Until now. 

Lily bit her lip, "No, please stay. Having you here, it helps."

Leila nodded, saying nothing more as the girl pulled parchment from a pocket within her dress. Her hands shook as she placed it on the table, taking a steadying breath with it. When she opened its pages the world did not shift, nor magic groan.

The princess let out a sigh of relief.

Giving a few minutes for her friend to adjust, she left them in silence. Inspecting carefully as Lily scrutinized each page. The first was an ornate drawing, of a bursting sun and moon. She flipped the page to the first part of written language. Her eyes widening at the swirling symbols.

And started to write with an ink pen on the unmarked page next to her hand. 

After a few more minutes of the pen scratching against paper, Leila's curiosity piqued. And her suspicions.

"How did Clarisse teach you?"

Why had Clarisse known what was supposedly a royal family secret?

Lily's eyes narrowed at the page, but her hand did not falter as she entertained Leila's inquiry.

"All of her recipes were in this language. From the time before Taehyung's ancestors arrived. She would make me look at the words, then fetch things for her. It started there, and then soon enough she would not tell me what was on the page. They were lengthy, and often had notes written on them from whoever originally thought of them. It made it easier to learn most vocabulary. I cannot promise I will understand everything in this book though."

From before the prince's ancestors arrived? She would have to ask the prince about that.

She frowned further, knowing she'd have to go through with her plan today if that was the case. She knew the way through to him was anger, envy.

"It is alright. I accounted for that." Leila said sparsely, lost in her own thoughts.

Realizing that Lily worked more slowly when Leila was watching, she paid attention to only her tea. Leila wondered if this was one of Clarisse's magical blends because she was increasingly looking forward to every cup Lily brought.

It tasted like home. It smelled like flowers, but also pine. And the breeze of salty, fresh ocean.

Her eyes widened, and the cup slipped from her off-kilter hands.

"Shit!" She exclaimed, waving off Lily who dropped her materials to help. Leila bit back from saying the only help she wanted was that translation. Instead she insisted she clean up the broken pieces of porcelain herself.

Leila placed down the tray, sliding the jagged edges onto it. When one stray piece sliced across her thumb.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

It does not matter that the tea smells like him.

She hissed, watching the silver slip between the edges of the wound. Pooling. But something was strange.

"Are you alright Leila?" Lily called, only her gaze flickering from the page. Watching the princess carefully. Probably wondering how someone with godly blood could be so clumsy.

The blood had already stopped flowing. The flesh of her finger sealing before her eyes. More quickly than ever before. Leila stuttered, lifting herself and the tray off the floor. Giving no notion as to what just happened. Frankly, she wasn't quite sure herself.

"No, no I'm fine. Carry on, please."

Strange. Not bad, but strange.

Pondering, if maybe through Taehyung's bite she acquired more of his healing. She had already been better off than the average human due to her lineage and powers. But this? She stared down at her healed thumb. Flicking over the wound that no longer existed.

Lily's voice startled her, "Did you know, a certain noble asked me to the ball?"

The princess was truly grateful for the distraction. And that the clueless man had actually listened and went through with it.

"Really?" She did not have to feign her surprise.

Lily lifted from her work, her head cocking to the side. Trying to bite down the smile that was quickly multiplying, "Do not pretend as if it's not your work."

Leila sat back in her chair, placing her feet on the table before them, "Do not pretend to be begrudging about it."

Lily giggled, "I am very grateful princess, you should have seen him. He was more red than a plum. He basically blurted out that you told him to ask after I paused, only for a moment out of sheer shock. Thank you." She said more seriously, a genuine shine in her eyes that hadn't appeared in a while, "I am sure he would have avoided asking me forever out of allegiance to the prince, and out of fear from my brother. I will forever be little Lily to those protective idiots."

"That is sweet, while also being very much annoying."

"Having almost two older brothers is a nightmare." Lily's eyes widened with apology, not wanting to sound ungrateful to Leila, "Sorry."

"I take no offense." It was not a lie. Leila had gained two sisters being here. Maybe a third in Aera, "Anything interesting yet?"

To say she was impatient would be an understatement. While Leila had more time than she could ever hope, she was not sure how quickly their invisible adversary was working. She needed to know about the curse now. Before it claimed them. Lily flipped another page, working faster than Leila had expected.

"Strangely enough, no. At the moment it is reiterating our shared history. How the world was modern and filled with technology, and all of it disappeared after a black out of sorts. How even before the sun fell, our kind were in a dark age of sorts. Left to fend for themselves in a new world of old vices. Right now it is just going through the different deities, and how they began to be worshipped across the globe. Many of Clarisse's recipes held religious rituals and blessings, so I can sort out the names. But, it is a good sign. This type of book is rare to find thanks to Tenebrian rulership. It would be banned elsewhere." Lily judged, shaking her head.

All subjects here would agree. Most of the people in her village too, who missed openly practicing their ancient cultures. At least here they could celebrate openly, since Tenebrian officials weren't stupid enough to fight against beings who saw them as sustenance.

"I think that's interesting. My village really never spoke much about the time before the black sun." Leila gestured, curling her feet up on her chair as she settled in.

"I'll right it down in my notes to you then. I forget, sometimes, how much they kept from you." Lily said with a polite smile, before it turned devious. Looking much more like her twin, "So, who are you taking to the ball? I may have ran into Hoseok and-"

"No." Leila interrupted quickly, covering her blushing face with a pillow. He was handsome but, no. She couldn't imagine leading him on, not when her heart was lost amongst the sea. He seemed to lack that uncaring streak that every other member of their court had.

"What happened? Did you and the prince sort everything out?"

Leila laughed bitterly.

"Somehow the more we talk about it, the more it makes everything worse."

"Oh, I can't even imagine why. You both are both completely level-headed and never let your temper and worries get the better of you," Lily mentioned sarcastically, still writing down more of the translation. Leila narrowed her eyes, glaring though her friend couldn't even see.

Leila sat forward, posture stiffening, "Can you tell me? What happened the night massacre happened? I feel like I am missing something. Because for the life of me, I cannot see how us being apart helps. Not anymore. Only when I thought that maybe us being together would somehow accidentally break the curse before we were ready, and kill you all."

Lily sighed, setting the ink pen down. Leila was too distracted to care. She needed to know something about that night. Anything that would make his words worthy of believing.

Of being something more than a self-righteous excuse.

Lily looked at her with warm brown eyes, hoping the stubborn princess would listen, "Rather than the curse, I think Taehyung is more afraid of not being able to save you and what truth you told him put that into perspective. When I tell you, before you got here, he was dead set on staying the hell away from you. I have never seen that man go back on his word, not once. Until you. I think you challenge his beliefs, his desires. His duty. Let him tell you. Because I know he will. It...was tragic Leila. And Taehyung must regret the relationship he had with his father now. Back then, he was respectful, courteous, but he never let his father in. Not after the age of ten. I am not sure what happened, considering Jimin and I were kept from court activities at that age. But whatever he saw, it changed him."

That empty cavern in her chest filled unwillingly. That she had been able to conquer the resilient man in some way. Dropped a thousand miles, when she thought of him being so young and having the image of his father crushed.

"The King had hardened after that as well, only speaking to him when necessary. Being harsher to him in front of the other nobles. I think it was part of the ruse as well, to be cold towards his son." Her stare was unwavering on Leila, "Which makes things even worse. His father, the King, was powerful. No matter how much Taehyung despised him, he can't deny that fact. And if his own father wasn't able to protect the daughter of the moon, the woman he loved from whatever the curse, or some unknown did...how could he? I do not think he believes distance will save you. I think he believes you will be happier no matter how long you live, away from him."

Leila smiled. A flowery one, that lit up the space within the room. Literally, as her chest began to glow a faint silver.

Against all common sense, because he had been the only person to choose her. Everyone else had wished her dead. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. She willed that swell of happiness in her chest away, remembering her promise to him. To herself. Lily loved the man, so of course she would see the best in him in spite of everything. She could be wrong, in how the prince sees Leila.

And he hadn't done enough. Nowhere near enough. Him wanting her alive was the bare minimum. He was making a choice for her, something he promised to never do again.

"How can you speak on it if you've never been loved?"

Leila injected his cruelty into her veins. Relished in the agony of it. Whether he had lied or not, that is how he chose to reveal he did not share the same feelings. That is how he spoke to her, after they connected through flesh and under moonlight. That is how he desecrated every moment shared between them. Had spit on the wound of her upbringing, and thrown her into the dirt.

Pretty words no longer matter.

She wanted all the proof in the world they could be together. To prove he had made a mistake. That his worries were unfounded, his treatment of her unnecessary. Then, make him grovel. Maybe deny him. She would do just that. And she would enjoy it. Even though her heart sang a finer melody every time she remembered how he wished for his own pain to see her live.

Her body heating every time she remembered the cold of his blade touching her. It was time to parry, and point the blade back.

Because even if it hurt them both, she would be making that choice herself.

"Lily, I should have a date to the ball. Shouldn't I?" Leila whispered between scorned lips, reborn again.

The brunette laughed, her pale cheeks turning pink with mirth and mischief, "Yes indeed, if you want your prince back."

"No, I want him to pay." Leila bit back, her fuller mouth pressing into a line as she thought of all the ways to make him squirm. To break further.

Lily smiled, knowing her friend well enough to figure out that is the same thing. Knowing that Taehyung would enjoy it just as much. As they were two people forged in pain, and were only comfortable to find peace and something darker in each other after.

Her friend's smile drop when she spoke again, "There is something you should know, Leila. The Massacre happened in the Summer. The Solstițiu de Vară. It will be the anniversary of the incident in only a couple months time. The Prince already is more bloodthirsty and sour the closer it gets. He...is unyielding. So, be prepared for what I am about to get you thrown into."

Leila swallowed down the wave of emotion she felt. Though she had never met Sorina or the King, she had mourned their demise. Mourned the pain it had caused so many people within the kingdom, no matter how it happened.

"Lily, I am about to throw myself in." Her eyes were a silver flame as she cast an expectant look towards her friend, "You're attending the council meeting, right?"

"Yes. Many will be in attendance," Lily caught the misconduct of Leila's expression, "Oh, you're plotting something crazy, aren't you? Maybe it isn't the best idea to attempt something today, before the ball. I saw him this morning, he is insatiable for lack of kinder words. He sent more people for executions in surrounding towns. They deserved it, but you might be what sends him over the edge."

It was just what Leila needed to hear. She took the book from Lily, she had done enough, and slammed the cover down. Hid the notes within the large book shelf in her room that was now packed with books that the prince had given her. She pulled the taller girl to her armoire, lifted back the closed doors. Leila smirked, gesturing to the outfit that hung towards the front. What she planned on wearing for their meeting.

It was an important council. One where resources would be sent in the spring, and involved the nobles and lords from smaller towns. People who have never met her before, and had more than likely only heard rumors of the daughter of the moon. Who paraded in their faces as a true royal, instead of cowering in a cage where they wished she would belong.

Lily's pink mouth parted, her round eyes somehow growing bigger.

"Solis blessed...you wouldn't dare." Her friend moved away, grabbing at her brown hair that was pulled into a braided bun. Muttering something about the prince possibly setting a room of people on fire.

Leila grinned wider, Lily's frantic reaction only solidifying her decision.

"Oh yes I would."

•

Leila sauntered down the long, filled hallway with Lily by her side. Exaggerating the sway of her hips, standing high and proud as the light, airy material trailed behind her.

The princess felt the stares, like licks of flame upon her tanned olive skin. From men and women as she breezed through them. They were different from the disapproving, disgusted glares from before. The dynamic had shifted, and Leila didn't need to look back at her subjects to notice it.

She had made sure to dab every pressure point with her oud and amber scent, and brushed her body with gold mica. She even allowed Lily to plait half of her hair, and let the rest wave down her shoulders and back. The crown of her head was fitted with a thin silver diadem, a deep blue jeweled crescent moon dangling onto to her forehead.

Every piece added to make her title known. That she was the princess, a ruler, and daughter of the moon.

They continued quietly, even when they made it to the council room. Leila set her shoulders back, chest up. Her friend turned to her with a harrowed expression. Somewhere between blatant amusement and trepidation.

Lily murmured, "You still have time to change your mind."

Leila smiled, and gestured to the two armed men standing in near the door, "I'd rather not."

The guards promptly opened the large iron doors without any objection.

The room grew louder as she walked in, making even the air still. The prince had been addressing them, his broad black adorned with the same midnight blue of his kingdom. He straightened, and even from behind she could feel his confusion as his court was no distracted.

Leila spotted the nobles to his right. Her sister placed beside Jeongguk, to which Lily scattered to stand next to. Her sister, Jeongguk, and Lily a tattered softly. She swore she saw them exchange coins. The rest of the nobles avoided her eye completely, except Hoseok and Jimin.

The first, sent her a wink. The latter, hurriedly sat down in his seat. She'd never seen the lazy advisor move so quickly. His expression both shocked and a little dazed.

The rest of the table was scattered with about twenty more men she'd never met. All dressed in fine clothes, though much less expensive than the nobles and the prince. They ogled her openly, even as she bowed slightly to acknowledge them. They quickly did the same, alerting the prince to who was behind him.

Leila watched him paused, his hands twitching by his sides. His dark crown tilting on his soft hair.

Look at me. She willed.

Look at me, even if it pains you.

The prince turned, his expression flat and detached as ever. His jaw tight and chin held high in front of all the beings he resided over. He held his hands behind his back, proper as he turned to welcome his wife. Leila could see the stress beneath the untarnished confidence.

His eyes met her own first, sending a pang through her. Then they shifted down. Further and further they went, as his body froze. Memorizing. Engulfing. Leila knew what he saw.

Leila wore a pale, gauzy veil over her hair and body. But had slid it to her shoulders when she walked into the room. It did little to conceal what was underneath. An outfit she would have worn at home, when the weather was warm.

The material was colored a smoky blue, the twin to Taehyung's clothing. A cropped brassier like structure held up her chest. Showing off her tanned stomach, which was completely uncovered and until the lace and dark jeweled lower bodice that held up the skirt. The lace covered her navel, in between her thighs, and the strings curved around her thighs.

Her skirts rested low on her body and were made of the same material as her veil, though thicker. More opaque. They were slit all the way up to her hip bones, exposing all of her long legs. Her sandals had long black ribbons, which were tied up to mid calf.

She felt the burn of his gaze as it charred her skin. When his dark irises dragged reluctantly up to her own, the emotion now shone clearly in them.

Raw fury.

There was no amusement. No approval at the checkmate she had offered. No smirk of aloofness.

The prince tilted his head, almost indiscernibly. War raging in the embers. He worked his jaw, showing the tension in his neck as he stiffly offered his hand.

Leila raised a brow, smiling coyly.

Do you not like my dress? It is not appropriate for a princess, for the occasion?

Taehyung shook his head, simmering as his lips pressed flatter into a line. His eyes alone warning her to tread carefully.

Behave.

Leila took his hand, slyly tracing the middle of his palm with her fingers. The man clenched tightly around her hand, quickly setting her beside him at the head of the long table. Another warning. Letting go of her hand as if she burned him.

He didn't hate her dress.

No, she thought. As he outwardly held himself together, but internally fought deep within. Leila knew to the unsuspecting eye, to the lords, he would appear as composed as always.

A quick glance at the laughing and or fearful looking nobles, his friends, showed that anyone who knew him, knew better than to believe it. And that maybe, maybe they didn't mind. Even if she was the daughter of the moon, their adversary.

Taehyung loved it. From Leila's position she could see his pupils were blown. So close to him.

He hated that others watched her. Took her in and consumed her. And how Leila seemed to bask in it.

His eyes could barely leave her, now matter how cold the feel of his anger was. As it radiated off of him, begged to punish her. No matter how much it seemed like he was holding himself back from screaming at the rest of the room to stop looking. Even though it seemed like in the matter of seconds, he would rip her away from the room and have his way with her.

As the seconds ticked away in silence, the room began to shuffle uncomfortably.

Aera laughed, a sharp but pretty sound. Leila had missed her initially, for she was sitting behind Jin. An impressed, glinting look in her green eyes.

Leila took it as the compliment it was.

And Taehyung needed the sound to wake up and address his extended court. The prince sucked in a breath, taking in one more smoldering glance at Leila before turning to address the room.

Leila was impressed, even as he gripped the table before him so harshly she was sure it would splinter.

But the prince needed something, anything to hold on to.

"I know you have all traveled far to come here and join me and my court. I would like to welcome you, and hope you find your stay for the Solstice to be pleasurable." The man gave the room a disarming smile that didn't reach his eyes, "But, we must discuss important matters first."

Then ensued a tangent of lesser royals offering their inquiries, to which the prince expertly replied. Leila acknowledged reluctantly, that he easily took command over the room. They did not simply fear the man, they respected him. While royalty was urged to be ferocious when necessary, the man never had to raise his voice to get attention.

To have people falling over his every word.

Leila rested herself close to the table head, paying attention to every word. To every new face that spoke. Trying to sort out amongst those who were invited, which were human.

All while being as tempting as possible. She rid herself of dignity, calling upon every single lesson Elder Fareena had given her.

Leila sighed softly, though loud enough to lilt to the men beside them. She leaned forward, so that her cleavage was even more pronounced as she feigned further contemplation of Taehyung's advice. She heard several beings pretend to cough, some avoided looking at her entirely. When they began to discuss military borders, Leila made sure to let her gaze seep across a couple of the lords that seemed to be around their age.

Taehyung paused his speech. Eyes flickering around the room, taking in where and who their eyes latched on to.

Then continued speaking, as if he never noticed at all.

So be it.

Leila was careful to keep her veil held between her elbows, moving the material so that her favorite scent fluttered around the room, intoxicating those around her. Let her had graze along her stomach. Shifting so that more of her shimmering skin showed through the slit in her dress. More eyes were locked on her as she did so.

She fluttered her kohl lined lashes, smiling until a man with blonde hair and ruddy cheeks blushed up to his hairline. More of the strangers started to whisper to each other, elbowing past one another to look at the princess who was adorned in treasures from a territory they have never seen. Leila was encouraged by the small and building disruption she created, that slithered through and around the long table as the attention turned from the prince to his stunning wife.

If you won't look at me, they will.

Leila ran her elegant fingers over the table surface, tracing the grain. She bit her bottom lip, making sure to linger over the plump flesh.

Did the prince even notice?

Listening to the tension that wracked the prince's voice. Shivering under the weight of so many eyes on her. She looked at the prince from her peripheral, to see him stiff and strained.

"Now men," Taehyung started harshly, attempting to pull the focus back on him, "We need to-"

A voice murmured across the room, from a tall noble with chestnut hair. Leila found him easily, down the table and to her lift, his light eyes trained onto her like a tiger held from dangling meat. Loud enough for her to hear, loud enough for immortui who had heightened senses. His thin lips were curled in a smirk, as he leaned down to speak to his shorter friend, "Do you think her ass is as full as her chest-"

"Look at her one more time, and you lose your eyes." Taehyung threatened, stopping his tirade about soldier battalions to loudly interrupt whatever grotesque thing the man pondered. A dangerous edge deepening his voice.

The entire room quieted as they saw him loosen the reins of his restraint. That he even paid the comment any mind. His protection of her honor not going unnoticed.

The taller lord paled, nodding civilly at the waiting prince and taking a step away from the table. His eyes fixed to the floor now instead of Leila.

The authority in his voice made her stomach drop. Knowing what it felt like to be serenaded by it in different ways. Thoughts of moonlight and water and endless heat gallivanting through her mind.

No Leila. No. Not right now.

His defense of her meant nothing. While it was different, to defend the daughter of the moon unlike his father, they knew him to be honorable. This was just a man who did not want his wife to receive the wrong reputation.

She wanted more.

The princess faltered in her seduction, turning her head to look fully at the prince to garner his emotions. But he didn't pay her any further mind, settling back into his princely stoicism. Nor the man who degraded her. The prince's back was set straight, his eyes purposefully avoiding her own. Posture so icy that it was surely because he wouldn't dare to near her at all.

It was time to really set him ablaze.

He started to speak again, before asking Jimin to relay information about their borders. The hazelnut haired man stood, looking extremely bored as he droned on about logistical matters. The prince strained, all his attention placed on his advisor.

But she could see past it, his mask. It had taken a long time, but she could uncover every hidden part of him. How his fingers twitched by his sides, opening and closing. She had seen that twitch often, when he kept himself from touching her. His eyes narrowed slightly, out of anger. Out of want. Out of spite. How his back was too straight, like he could feel her without even being near.

Trying so hard to pretend she didn't exist, that he truly wasn't paying any attention to his friend at all. It was the most vulnerable time to enact her last scheme.

Let's play a game, prince.

Leila felt herself warm, her desire already genuinely peaking as she enjoyed pissing him off. It was easy enough to conjure the image of it in her mind.

Of forcing the prince to sit down in his chair. Ignoring the prying eyes of the court and the loud sounds of outrage. Straddling his muscled thighs, and placing her veil over them. People could still see them, if they so wished. But would have to try much harder to be voyeurs.

His bronze hands would squeeze her thighs that were draped with the smoky blue fabric. He pushed them aside as she sunk down. Lower and lower. Biting her lip and gazes through her thick, dark lashes at the man who would shudder under her touch.

Who was already hard by the time she made it to his pants. She palmed him through his clothes, and he would groan. Showing off his fine neck, and should would reach with her lips and bruise it.

That is until she slinked further and further down. Onto her knees. The man panting and gasping and cursing as she unsheathed him. As she looked into his eyes, and took him in her mouth in front of his entire court—

A veined hand reached out, grabbing her wrist. Leila was attempting to control her own body after conjuring the idea. She hadn't expected for the prince to be so desperate for her to stop, not enough to actually touch her in front of the whole room.

Her fantasy had reached its target.

"Stop." Taehyung strangled out, his high cheeks flushed and his lips parted. His dark eyes glittering, devouring her in ways that made her center pulse. When he was finally losing to the part of him that wished to be benevolent.

Nothing was benevolent about his hungry regard. The tight grip on her wrist, as if he would pull her into his chest.

She lost herself, her breath increasing in pace as he held her gaze longer. The room around them closing in, the voices of many dissipating. Only feeling his relentless touch. Only hearing his fractured voice. Only tasting his resolve snapping.

How badly, did I want it?

His tongue traced his bottom lip, his jaw tightening with a godly vengeance. The look in his eyes clear. Her acting out would not be forgiven.

Terribly so.

The prince let go of her again, the area he touched left tingling and alive. This time the court had continued on around them. Of course the people closest to them eavesdropped. Whispering about what they had just seen. Leila caught Setareh and Lily exchanging more coins, and she wanted to smack both of them.

The prince adjusted his longer jacket around him self, and fixed his attention back to the advisor. Grasping onto the edge of the wooden table for dear life. Breathing sharply and avoiding her eyes, anger and something paler contorting his expression.

Leila became insanely curious.

She slyly looked down and to her right, to see that his ringed fingers actually had carved into the wooden table. Primal. A table that was high enough to cover the length of him that now strained against the dark material of his trousers. Her mouth watered, her skin flushing.

Glorious, feminine delight flooded her senses. As the prince, the royal prince of an entire kingdom, had to hide his erection from his court. Created, and endured by her. For her. And he could do nothing about it, as his blood pooled at the thought of her mouth around him.

I want him. Against his everything he stands for, he wants me.

I don't care about anything else. I want him.

For a sick moment, she wanted to make what she saw come true, seeing him so thoroughly needy for her hand, her mouth.

Not even his princely duties could stop it.

The words left her mouth as she had planned, but she hadn't anticipated actually wanting them, "You'll have to punish me first prince."

The room erupted with snickers at its suggestive nature. At how the prince turned into petrified glass, his head snapping to her. He is livid. Jimin had already finished speaking, waiting for a reply from the prince. Neither ruler had noticed. It had been dead silent when she responded to the prince, skirting around a public flirtation. Her blinked her eyes innocently as he seethed at her, his eyes now a burnished bronze as her curled his lip. A flash of fangs beyond his soft lips.

The prince was lost, only the angel of death in his place.

And she did not diminish under him. Instead, embracing what looked like cold violence in his eyes. Felt it across her lips, over her chest.

One single hand squeezed into a fist, as he lost the battle between their eyes. The man swallowed before addressing the room again, becoming rougher with every new wrangling, "Quiet. Now."

The menace, and pure vitriol in his tone sliced through every voice. Made the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight. No one dared to disobey.

Leila prided herself internally, on her best behavior as the court discussed feeding practices during the holiday. Listening to every grievance, and formulating her own thoughts. While the Prince kept how many supply barrels were left from the previous daughter of the moon, he was surprisingly transparent that they should ration even in the solstice. She craned her neck, looking regal as ever, the opposite of the airy courtesan she had portrayed.

Another Lord stepped forward, a red headed man who declared himself to be from further up North in the territory.

"How do you propose we feed for the ball? Previous years, we were able to fill to our heart's content. With hunting only being replenished weeks ago, how do you propose we get our fill, if not from remnants of the daughter of the moon?" The man asked, careful to only glance at the princess for a moment.

The prince remained silent, glaring at his subject. Who started to falter under his intensity, his quiet brooding.

Leila was not offended, it was a fair question. Especially when they could feel that Taehyung was not making as much use of her blood as he could. There was no way to hide that, when he was at the highest branch of there feeding source. It was also a necessary moment, to show she could offer solutions beside the prince. That she was capable of dictating resources. That she cared enough about their culture, their habits to make the effort.

And that she would not demonize them for their affliction.

That she was not their enemy. That she was not afraid. Even at the offer that she be harvested.

Leila spoke assertively, "I will offer my compromise, and we can take a vote. Feeding should be allowed outside of the ball, considering there is little room to do so inside with the amount of guests. Neighboring halls can be converted into feeding areas if you would like to drink from live offerings. Does anyone mind this?"

The princess paused, looking around the room for any objections or opinions. Her hands folded at her navel, her chin proud. Lily nodded when she caught her eye, and sent an encouraging smile.

It was an innocent question. Anyone would have kept their attention on her, out of respect.

No one said anything, possibly waiting for the prince's confirmation. She continued to glance around, to remember faces, names, and titles. Her eyes breezed by the man who had spoke of her in disgraceful manner. The tall brunette, with a harsh mouth.

But the unnamed lord gazed back at her, out of the corner of his eye. His gaze sterile, but they trailed below her neckline not long after. Leila raised a brow, about to say something herself.

She never got the chance.

Taehyung growled, pulled out his dagger and threw it directly into the man's eye.

Leila froze, watching as the man began to scream. He grabbed at his eye, his head. The blade sticking straight out of his skull. Blood, dark red blood painted his face. A waterfall down his fine, fine clothes.

It happened before anyone had the chance to react. Stunned. In all their possibly long or short lives, they were stupefied by the prince's actions. The whole room quieted to a deathly silence. Lily and Setareh in horror, along with the rest of the nobles who stared between the prince and his prey with wide eyes. Aera, in all of her indifference, stood up from her seat. Her racing thoughts clear from her parted mouth, her trembling hands. Even in a room full of people who drank others blood, this had been barbaric.

She looked back to Taehyung to see him deathly calm. His expression void of anything, as he kept his eyes on the man he stabbed. No one could blame his action on impulsivity. It had been calculated. Meticulously deliberated. This would not kill the man, no. Their kind were harder to kill, as Leila had figured out when she had stabbed at the Prince's chest.

This was not murder, it was a declaration.

Her heart sped up, the ache between her thighs growing. At the power of him, as he commanded the room. The lack of remorse he felt, in protecting her honor. How easily he'd thrown the blade and made his target. Her mouth went dry. How delectable he looked doing it, his body tense and sharpened like a fine blade. Like he couldn't be contained.

It was all for her.

And gods, did she want all of that savagery directed onto her. More heat flooded her center, up her body. Honed on every sense, waiting on his next move.

I am insane. I am very, very deranged.

Taehyung's breath remained level, his eyes piercing darkness as he stalked away from the head of the table.

Avoided the stares of both Leila and his court.

Did not give a single damn, as he strolled over to the terrified Immortui lord. The man whimpered as the prince neared. Stopped, when his height towered over the bowing man. Watching as the man begged, though no one dared to help him. Leila caught herself on the table, pushing her body forth so she could watch. She couldn't pull herself away from the terrifying, gory sight.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'll never look, think of the princess again-" The man cried out, holding onto the end of the dagger as more red blood pooled out. Craning to peer at his tormenter.

Taehyung stared down at him passively, as if inspecting his handiwork. Inspecting the wound from side to side, before letting his hands fall from behind his back to his sides. Leila held her breath, as the prince readied to make his judgement.

"I said both of your eyes." And wordlessly removed the dagger just to plunge it into the other socket.

Some people screamed, though Leila couldn't hear. Blood pounded in her veins, her hands, her mouth, her thighs. All she could see, all she could hear, all she wanted to taste was him.

The prince turned, and fixed his ornate jacket. Calmly pulling out a piece of fabric to wipe the dark blood spatter from his face, his mouth. His hand was coated in it. Leila fell forward more, as he wiped each one of his fingers, careful to keep his silver rings on.

The unaffected prince let the mutilated man's friends gather him, hold him up. His screams still echoed around the room, even as they dragged him out. Turning into phantom sounds, as he was dragged down the halls and more than likely to a healer.

"You're all dismissed." Taehyung called out, not even lifting his head to watch if people heeded the command. He knew they would.

Remaining stuck to her place, she watched as the rest of the room filtered out first. The Lords, almost tripping over themselves to get away from the prince. Keeping their eyes and comments far away from her.

When the nobles filed out, none dared to question their friend. Or his methods. Yoongi just cast a disapproving glance in their direction, rolling his eyes before stalking out. Jeongguk, Lily, and Setareh walked beside each other. The man smirked as he passed, playing with his lip ring. Setareh slapped his arm, urging him faster out of the room. Both Lily and her sister started waving their hands, gesturing for her to leave with them.

Right. She should leave the prince. Her feet started to work, only after her companions had left the room. They had not waited, not even for her. Taehyung had remained turned, his back towards her even when the door slammed shut.

It spurred her to move faster, as she gained distance from the man. She could feel it, even then, the tension that only boiled and festered. Leila heard no footsteps behind her, no movements to prevent her leave. She felt both relief and disappointment. Maybe he would spare her until later, when he was more clear-headed. That would be the only little mercy he spared her.

Wondering if she was fucked up in the head, for enjoying every little thing that had happened between them this day.

The prince slammed into her from behind, her body rushing toward stone. She had little time to move, before the man cradled the move with his hand, only to take it away so her front was pressed flush to cold stone, and pinned by his hard body at her back. Hot and brimming with vexation. With one hand, he anchored himself at the base of her skull, holding on firmly to her hair and yanking it so that her profile was clear to him. So that her neck was wide open, a feast.

His other hand was free by his side, he didn't need it to restrain her.

Her breast scraped harshly into the surface before her, her pulse pounding between her thighs. The feel of his torso slammed harshly against her curves. His height making her stand on her toes to avoid hanging. His knee between her spread legs.

I am deranged. I am a pitiful, hysterical, weak thing.

"I should rip out your throat." The prince threatened, her head turned enough to see his teeth bared and snapping. So close to her neck, her ear, her mouth. His lips brushed up against her skin with the very real commination he made. She could see the wildness in his dark, open eyes.

This. Is the side of the prince he hid away.

He pressed into her more roughly, so that every heaved breath she took made her move into him.

This is what I want.

He had once told her that she was someone to be wholly devoured. That he wanted everything she had to offer. She wanted the same for him to, to realize she could handle everything he was. Everything he thought she would eventually run from.

Leila gasped through a bitter scoff, stone scraping against her face. Making sure every word was contumely, as to shame him further, "Whatever reason for? It is not my fault you couldn't control yourself or your court. Maybe your subjects should know just how much I influence you. How much you crave the daughter of the moon, when you're supposed to be protecting them against me. How would they like to know all you could think about was fucking me when you're leaving them starving? That you covet me so much you'd rather kill your own kind then let them desire your captive wife?"

The man laughed lowly in her ear, making her shiver, her lids almost flutter close. He fixed his grip, practically palming her skull.

Taehyung jeered at her, "Was that your plan Leila? To make me a fool in front of my subjects. To show you just how much I care, Leila?" Her name was a growl against her ear, and her blood only heated further, "To make me harder than I've ever been in my life?"

With an easy tilt of his hips, Leila could feel his honesty, right at her lower back. She gasped, arching into wall. Somehow becoming more intoxicated, more dazed. She needed to grasp, to swim to the surface. To utilize any sovereignty she had left.

But the prince did not leave her any time, or any clemency, whispered his threats like they were the words of a lover, "Well, now you have my attention. And what will you do with it? What do you want Leila? Tell me. We aren't in front of all those prurient, impotent, and unskilled men anymore, there's no excuse to keep my hands away. So where should I put them?"

He used his free hand to wade through the thin fabric of her skirts, from the slits on the side. Brushing his sure, adept fingers over her thighs. Squeezing at the curve just below her ass. "Here?" He teased, voice still determined off the high of his anger. But then she mewled, a soft sound of pleasure as he cupped her. "Here?" He questioned, more unsteady this time. His own breath quickening as he panted against her ear, falling forward into her. She felt the thunderous pound of his heart on her spine, as he slid his hand between her thighs. She cried out, pushing against the touch. His fingers slowly feeling over the soaked silk that covered her, "Or there, Leila."

The princess moaned, pressing herself harder into his touch. Her face was entirely flushed, her whole body perspiring. She hoped it was enough, because she couldn't speak. She turned, just enough to see his face. The prince's lids were heavy, his mouth parted with lust. He leaned down, pressing the softest kiss to her open shoulder. So different from the rough way he held her, she almost caught fire.

His brows lifted, his mouth held tight in barely restrained sanity, "I need to hear you say yes." He rasped onto her skin.

"Yes." Leila managed to exclaim, the word low and whined.

The prince paused, his fingers circling over her the fabric and on her most sensitive part. She cursed, and she could see his conceited smirk form. His words were harsh against her, derisive, "Right, of course you want me. You made me lose my control, so that is all they are able to see. Little do they all know you were soaked for me. And no other man in there could have the privilege, skill, or endurance to do so. To have you so ready, and only from thinking about putting my mouth around me. Well- not only that."

His voice was veiled with amusement, a dark secret. But she couldn't think, not when he moved aside the silk that covered her.

Rimming around the center, before fitting two fingers inside of her, rings and all. Leila moaned lowly, her eyes squeezing shut. The man curled his fingers, working them slowly in and out of her from behind, his own grumble felt from their closeness. Caressing her, feeling her walls clench around him.

Deities, please save me.

It was too much, too much as he ignited every sense she had.

The prince slammed into her with his hand, making stars explode behind her eyes. The tension in her navel built higher and higher as he took her. Taehyung spoke gruffly, sensually, splaying her wide open as his lips slithered along her neck, "How would they like it to know the daughter of the moon is aroused by violence? How would they feel knowing she likes the idea of fangs ripping into her throat, or the threat of a blade against it? How would they accept you if they knew just how much you took pleasure in seeing me almost murder another man for you? Oh, Ignis, how they would despise to know how sadistic you truly are." Leila cried out as his movements turned as harsh as his voice, pushing deeper inside her. Exposing just how much he had noticed about her during their game, "How your thighs slid together, so slippery you could barely keep them closed. How your nipples tightened against the sheer fabric of your dress, if you can even call it that. And I know that little gasp you let out was not from shock, no. You just wanted me to fuck you after, my hands still coated in blood."

Leila grew weak, falling completely at his mercy as his heated words wracked through her. There, there his fingers pulsed into her. Her whole body tensing. Her legs quaking around his hand. Tightening, and racing, up and up and she would be gone, gone if he kept touching her right where-

The prince pulled himself out of her, stepping away. Her body now solely resting on the sharp stone wall, her head falling forward as she willed herself to catch her breath.

She let a frustrated groan leave her lips, a piercing sound. Hitting the hard wall, silver scraping across her palm. Not caring how desperate she seemed, as he had tortured her. Stopped right before she had her release, like he knew exactly when it was going to happen.

Leila lifted her heavy body, pushing out from the wall. Turning to face the man who thought he could out play her.

I am going to kill him.

"What the fuck was that?" Leila yelled at him, unable to control herself. She always lost sight of quiet, lethal intimidation around him.

Taehyung cocked his head, far enough away she couldn't reach out and strangle him. Purposefully done of course.

"Firstly, I am repaying you back for the teasing you did earlier. Secondly, you insulted me Ignis." The man stopped pacing before her, looking her dead in the eye, "I wouldn't dare call what I want to do to and with you something as menial as merely 'fucking'."

Leila was stunned into silence. Unable to conjure anymore witty remarks. She just stood, her chest heaving, vengeance attempting to burn him whole.

The man just raised a brow, his unnerving smirk spready across bitten lips. Leila could see lines of gold, where his fangs had pierced the skin. 'Nothing left to say? He seemed to beckon, making rage flare in her further.

Only to make her collapse inward.

The prince kept eye contact, as he lifted his glistening fingers to his lips. Biding her deliberately, as he traced over the fingers that had been inside her. His lids fluttered, his voice a low sound as tasted her.

Opening his onyx eyes again to pierce through her, that initial anger capturing him and her in it's web.

Her heart jolted, feeling endlessly empty between her thighs.

Only wrath and satisfaction showing in his dark eyes as he explained himself, "A keepsake."

(A/N: SLUT ME OUT SLUT ME OUT-NLE CHOPPA) can actually someone make a solace edit with this song and tag me love yous :) but wait this chapter isn't over!)

The man turned without another word, and walked surely out of the council hall.

Leaving the princess teeming and entirely unfinished.

The princess managed to wait seconds, a minute, before she screamed. Loudly. Tipping over a chair and slamming her fist on the table. And maybe, just maybe, manipulated the moonlight that filtered into the hall.

And used it to crack the long piece of oak that held court meetings in half.

When she finally found her footing enough to leave the throne rooms, she slammed the irons doors so thoroughly, she was sure the whole floor of the castle shook.

Leila hated him, hated him more than ever. Planning his demise as she angrily ripped through the halls. All the way until she made it to her room. Stifling every sound of her distress as to not give the repugnant, vain, devilish, frustrating man anymore satisfaction. To know his entire being bent her to his will, without trying.

She planned his demise. Better than the last time, for he had managed to make everything she did null today with the slip of his fingers and his unholy words.

Leila cursed. Seething and biting and tearing off clothes. Her body still heated as she drew water into her shell-like tub.

She made her bath icy cold, to leach out the fire from her veins. The burning he had made in her. The shame. Of going back on her word, of being strong and then crumbling after a couple words and the graze of his touch.

Stupid, insidious brute.

She couldn't even relieve herself. It wouldn't matter, she thought as she sunk into the water. Her body seeming to even warm the tundra of the bath.

It wouldn't be him.

She shivered. Shivered and plotted. Reminding herself of his cowardice, even as she saw his knife plunge into that man for her. Over and over again. Even as she remembered, his hands barely cleaned of blood as he placed them into her. Deep, so deep. Like he would never leave.

Her fists slammed on the side of the tub, and she felt no pain. None, as she plunged her head below the surface. Trying to drown out the prince. But even without oxygen, he still breathed into her.

Bursting above the water, she gasped for breath. Closing her eyes. Her jaw and her thighs aching.

For minutes, hours, she tried to forget him. A hapless pursuit. Impossible, even for her.

Leila fell asleep, rage burning and lips turned blue by the cold.

I hate him.

I hate myself.

I hate him.

I hate myself.

Ignis. He called me Ignis.

🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

A little boy sat outside of the gem cut prison cell. He sat on his knees, peering between the bars.

His hair was the same blue black, more curly than wavey. It was cut just above his eyes, curling above the soft white shirt he wore. His eyes held less darkness, as they shined ever in the dark. Only ten years of age, as his face was still rounded from youth. His mouth fell into a disgruntled pout, his eyes crossed. Annoyed.

But Taehyung, the crown prince, was never frightened. Not afraid of who lay inside, not like the other adults.

There was nothing to be afraid of, he had realized. After years of sneaking into the dungeon and speaking to the daughter of the moon. They kept her caged, hidden, and called her a witch. He thought it was strange, that the court was afraid of her. When she had never hurt them, and they always did their best to hurt her.

Stubborn and determined, as he spoke back to the woman within the cell, "I want to be king."

Sorina shifted, enough to be seen from behind the bars. The same youthful beauty she had always been. Her eyes softened as she peered at the child's pout, his sweet blissful ignorance, "No. No you don't."

Taehyung only frowned deeper, his small, bronzed face twisting. Looking much like his father when he didn't get what he wanted, "But I have to be."

The daughter of the moon shook her head, leaning closer to the bars. She sat, so that her back was flat against the wall as she instilled all the wisdom she managed to gather through the years, "King's have no freedom. They can't be gentle or kind. They can never cry. Or show their joy. They always have to do what is right for their people, over themselves. It's much better to be a prince."

The child contemplated her words seriously as a ten year old could. Cocking his head, as he thought of how he cried when he tripped over a rock while playing with Jimin. He couldn't imagine not being able to keep his tears at bay, not in pain. And no joy? How could he not laugh when Jimin and he had made Lily play hide and seek by herself while they had went to the kitchens to drink blood.

Being a King sounded boring.

"Then I shall stay a prince, forever." The child declared loudly, looking to Sorina for approval.

Her red lips curled into a heart wrenching smile. Her pale face like the shine of moonlight.

"I would hope so, Ignis."

The little boy paused, kicking at the little gems that shed like pebbles from the floor. He played with the rough edges of the scab on his knee. It hadn't faded from the rough swim in the ocean he had taken days ago.

"Why do you call me that? It's not my name."

"It's a nickname."

"What is that?" The boy questioned sincerely, looking up from his knee and into her familiar silver eyes. The court had also lied, when they spread rumors that she could turn people to stone with her gaze.

Sorina answered starkly, though her pale hand reached through the bars. Running her fingers over his scab, and healing the wound as she spoke with a soothing tone, "A term of endearment. It's for when you have so much love for a person, you come up with another name to call them, because you can't contain what you feel when you say their name. Solis, your middle name, is the sun. And Ignis, is the fire. You're the fiery sun, and I don't want you to forget it as the prince of the eclipse. I want you to remember you're the light, even shrouded in darkness."

"That sounds silly." He said, though his smile grew. An endearment term was better than prince, my liege, or the countless other titles people called him.

Sorina shook her head, softly tapping the little boy's nose. He giggled, making her laugh through the words. "It's not. You know you aren't supposed to be down here. And I'm not supposed to talk to you. Your mother and...J- your father are not fond of me. And I am not allowed to say I love you."

Taehyung dropped his shoulders. He hated that they hated her. That he could only come to talk when everyone left him alone. He hated how cold it was, and that she only had one blanket when he had many.

"But I love you, and you love me."

The older woman sighed, settling back fully into the cell, "Yes, of course little one. But I can't say it, or I might be hurt. You might never be allowed down here again. So instead of saying I love you, I call you Ignis. Because it's my way of telling you I care about you, without anyone else knowing."

"Our secret?" The boy asked happily, excited by the idea. Sorina nodded, her lips twitching up in amusement. Taehyung leaned back, thinking as hard as he could. His eyes opening wide as he discovered a name, "I'll call you Sora then. Sora, Sora, Sora!"

He hoped she liked it. Sora was like Sorina. But shorter. It also meant sister in Romanian. And over the years, the woman had become like an older sibling to him. Someone he had spent more time with than his parents, other than Jimin and Lily.

"Sora it is." Her smile brimmed, letting him know she liked the name just as much as he did. He couldn't see the sullen emotion hidden in her silver irises.

"When will they let you out, Sora?" He asked, as he did every time he visited her.

The daughter of the moon turned gray, somehow more pale and old despite her unlined face, "Maybe one day, Ignis. One day."

Loud footsteps echoed from behind them. Her eyes flashed to the boy, telling him to hide. Taehyung panicked, considering he has never been found here before. If it was his mother, he was sure to get swatted with a large branch.

But the King, his father, stepped into the space before he had time to run. The man had been smiling, his expression falling when he saw his son. The expression that had been so rare to the young boy was gone in a second, turned into the ore that he recognized.

His father walked over to him, so tall he had to step back to peer at him. The boy trembled, but held his ground.

"Taehyung?" The King questioned, his eyes softening as he beheld the way his son cowered beneath him. He never understood why. The strong man turned his head to Sorina, his mouth parting, his dark eyes hazy, "Lunae."

Sorina's eyes flashed, but she lifted herself from the ground without another word.

"King." She bowed to him, her black hair falling around her. Voice emotionless and vengeful. Trying to sharpen the edge of the King's softness.

But the boy had always been perceptive.

He looked between the pair. At her lowered eyes, at how his father couldn't seem to pull away his own.

Taehyung pondered aloud, "My father calls you a nickname, he must-"

Sorina shook her head, urging him to stop talking. He did.

His father turned to him, his eyes narrowed in pain. Taehyung thought that maybe the King should visit the healer, if it hurt so much to be here. The man stepped forward, his mouth opening. His hand reaching out, to touch the child's cheek.

Clarisse and Bianca, strode in during the silence. The guardian of Jimin and Lily, and Jeongguk's mother who trained to take over the position. Bianca looked between the King and Sorina, gauging whether to speak.

His father stepped back, his hand curling. Refraining from his son.

The King spoke clearly, "Bianca, bring him to bed please. Clarisse, you will bring the moon witch with you and meet in the throne room."

The boy let out a groan of frustration, but followed the young servant to his chambers. He didn't want Bianca to stop him from seeing Jeongguk when he visited from their manor house.

It had been a little while later, when he almost fell asleep, that he heard a knock on his door.

"Prince..."

"Mother?"

Taehyung sat up in bed as his mother, the Queen, slithered into the darkness of his room. She urged him to get dressed into proper clothes, and she smoothed the dark beaded dress she wore.

Her silver hair shone like a star in the dark. Her dark blue eyes like the midnight banners of their kingdom. And usually they held a soft delight for him. Now, they were stark. Distracted. The lines of her full mouth pressed together harshly. He wanted to ask what was wrong, why her fangs were out.

But she was not looking at him, only holding and rushing him, "Yes, come along with me. There is something you need to see. It's important."

His heart beat anxiously as his mother pulled him towards the hall, towards the throne room. Her long nails dug into his wrists, but he did not dare tell her. Not as her eyes roamed the hall like a viper ready to strike.

She did not stop, not until she stopped at an inconspicuous spot along the wall next to the throne room. She lifted her palm, cutting it with one of her sharp fangs. The boy cringed away from her, as she ran the bloody mess down the front of the sharp stone.

Her smile was more of a grimace, as black blood trickled down one side of her mouth. The wall moved, a loud groan as it pressed back into darkness. The boy balked, as his mother pulled on his arm and into the secret passage way.

"Mama, please." Taehyung pleaded, as it got colder the further they walked. More dark.

But the Queen ignored him. Coming to a sudden halt when there was a slip of light from a veiled opening amongst the dark rock.

The Queen's voice was cold as she lifted him. Her thin arms lifting him easily as she perched him on the opening. Lifted aside the veil.

"Watch son." She said coldly, as the King and Sorina performed.

The little boy gasped, not being able to understand what he was seeing. There were hundreds of court members. His father and Sorina in the center. She was crying and-

"He hurts her. He hurts her because the curse makes him want her. And she hates it. She's in pain." The Queen poured into him, her voice saccharine.

There were more cries. Chains rattled. His father stood proudly over her.

The boy shook his head, though tears began to careen down his face, "No! She loves him. He calls her by another name, he loves her too!"

The Queen's sharp nails tightened on his shoulders, her voice too honeyed to be true, "Lovely boy, that isn't true. They lie to you. See what is before your eyes."

His father through Sorina to the floor. She fell to her stomach, to her knees. The King sunk down to his own, as the court cheered.

"I need to help her! Let me go,"The boy struggled against her grip, "Let me go!"

"No, you need to see. How vile your father is. He wanted me to show you this. To show you how to be a strong ruler." Her voice was needles against his ears, scraping.

And his eyes, his eyes took in things he did not yet understand. He was scared.

"At least let me close my eyes. Please." The boy cried harder, his throat raw from yelling.

The Queen sucked at her teeth, forcing his head to look forward, "I'm sorry child, but you can't. You must watch."

Sorina looked up by chance. At a spot in the wall, that seemed darker than the rest.

She saw the prince's frightened, confused eyes. Saw the Queen grinning from behind him, petting the top of his raven head.

"Stop! Deities sake Jae, stop!" Her voice cried out in sheer panic, in disgust. Enraged. At how vile and low the Queen had decided to sink, how she could do nothing about it.

The King stopped immediately. Not realizing what she was doing, as she reached her hand out. Closed her eyes, taking a sliver of memory from Taehyung, in case the Queen decided to warp it later.

But the damage had already been done.

The Queen crooned through the child's tears, "You see? You see how she cowers from him? He hurts her, and she is afraid. She is kept in the dungeon, and is only let out to play. That is all she is good for to him, since he must let go of the tension that the curse causes somehow. He will never let her go. Never."

Taehyung made a vow. At ten years old, and he would never break it. A heart forged of the same stone that held the castle. The same jaggedness of the gems that kept Sorina, Sora, locked in place. He would let it grow, that hatred, grow and fester until it took over his body.

He would never show his father love ever again. He would never become a King.

He would be a prince. And he would not let the daughter of the moon suffer.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><>
(A/N: The song for this chapter...When it all gets revealed you all will be like DAMN SO MANY HINTS

Ong I was not lying when I said he was going to be unhinged 🫶🏻🥹 I mean I showed it a little but this is the full proof haha.

And Leila liked it. She a little wacky too we stan.

Also the TEA FROM THE DREAM?!?! A lot of your theories were right about the Queen manipulating his memories. Also could u tell this dream was third person and not first person point of view? Huh.

And what it means for the nicknames and how Tae feels 🥹🫶🏻

This is the image Leila sent to him

Okay okay this veil

And like this combo of dress stuff

Like this for the general outfit

Ooooo mother!! This part for the torso part 😍🥵

Leila? More like Slay - la. You know Tae was quaking, crying, throwing up this chapter lmfao.