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It's silent.

Not the hushed tranquil silence, no, but the defeaning tangible one. The one that's too quiet to the point it's ear-splitting.

There's a soft hum of the wind outside, and the occasional drip-drops of the light drizzling rain around The Royal Palace.

The clouds are dark in the morning, hiding the sun and preventing its rays from seeping through them.

That morning, the weather seemed to mourn in silence, just like all the residents in the castle. All the residents except one black-hearted vicious soul with no sign of regret for the sins it had committed, and is yet to commit.

There's the pit-a-pat of the rain drops on the glass windows, the only sound in the complete quietness.

The King has his head in his hands as he sits on the bed, and his wife stands before him, her hands holding each other in front of her torso to stop them from shaking. There are tears in her eyes, but she refuses to let them down.

"Will you listen to me now?" She speaks in a hushed voice, her voice not low enough to prevent it from cracking.

"Now is not the time, Yisun," Seokjin replies, his voice muffled and it hides how broken it is.

"Do something," She replies in a whisper, "Before you wake up and find everyone dead."

She purses her lips to hold back the tears, swallowing the lump in her throat with great difficulty. Walking out of the room, she shuts the doors behind her, walking down the hallway.

The General walks the opposite way, stopping to bow to the Queen.

"Seokjin will not be able to recieve you now, General," She speaks in a low voice, "Is something the matter?"

"Jungkook, Your Majesty," Yoongi says and Yisun lets out a sigh.

"He should not know." She shakes her head. "Not now, at least. I do not want him to know and I want you to make sure the news does not reach him, do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Get him out of The Palace," She adds, "Take him out of the gates and do whatever until it is settled down a bit. He will not stay in oblivion for too long as long as he is here."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Where's Prince Taehyung?" She asks, this time her voice a little louder, a little harsher as his name rolls off her tongue like spikes on grass.

Yoongi's eyes seem to darken at the mention of the name as he replies, "I believe he is in the library, Your Majesty."

"You are dismissed," She says, and he bows one more time before turning on his heel and walking away.

The Queen continues walking, down another hallway and past other rooms.

She walks down the flight of stairs, and takes a turn, walking down a long hallway before stopping in front of a huge doubledoor.

Pushing them open, she firmly steps in with long strides, marching around the massive hall with the vast bookshelves, lined with books of all colors and textures.

The almost invisible sunrays that escape through the lengthy celestory and bay windows are not enough, and most candles are blown away by the soft wind, leaving the library in a dim silenced atmosphere.

Yisun makes her way through the long bookshelves and stops when she glances a figure to her right.

She turns her body, and her eyes land on the Prince with a book in his hand, his eyes boredly scanning the papers. A small sinister smile makes its way to his face as he lifts his head and turns it to his left, making an eye contact with the Queen.

"Your Majesty," He says, his voice deep and hushed, and not louder than the rain drops somehow.

"What brings you here?" He adds, averting his gaze back to the book and settling it on the shelf. He brushes his finger over another set of books, stopping at one and tapping it lightly.

"Who is next?" She asks, and he falls silent.

A few seconds pass as Taehyung pulls out the book he tapped at earlier, scanning the cover then opening it, aimlessly flipping through the pages.

It comes to the point Yisun doubts he heard her, but she reminds herself that there is no way he did not.

"I see," He finally speaks, "Your hands are shaking, Your Majesty. Are you sure you are alright?"

"You tell me, Prince," She replies, "What do you think?"

He smiles slyly, his lips stretching as he keeps his eyes on the book in his hands.

"You think I am the one who did it?" He asks, closing the book and putting it back on the shelf. He turns around and stands face to face with the Queen, a metre or two between them.

"But let me tell you something, Yisun," He murmurs, "Jumping into conclusions is not beneficial. It is quite possible you might blame someone who is, in fact, innocent."

She scoffs, the edge of her lips twisting. "You are not trying to say you are innocent, are you, Your Highness?"

"If not you," She adds, "Then who? Your wife?"

Taehyung does not reply whatsoever, keeping his eyes in hers with a blank expression on his face.

"Let me tell you something, Taehyung," She speaks in a dull voice, "Neither you nor anyone of your followers shall live in peace, and I will personally make sure of that, because you took more than one member of my family, and most definitely, not the least precious."

"Ambitious." He smiles. "I like that, but dumb, don't you think? You need to enhance your ways; take that as an advice from me."

And with that, he passes by her and walks out, a few more candles blowing out as he moves and disappears from Yisun's sight.

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"I still do not understand why we are going hunting at this weather," Jungkook says as he looks up at the sky, "It might rain harder by the time we arrive at the forest."

"Hunting is not easy while it's raining, I admit," Yoongi says as he mounts his steed, "But what is there that the young prince can not do?"

The words again bring a smile to the Prince's face, and he climbs his horse, too.

"Oh, I almost forgot," He suddenly says, "I did not see Sohye this morning. I should go and tell her I'm leaving first. She might even want to come and watch us."

The General's heart misses a beat at the mention of the young princess, and the enthusiasm in Jungkook's voice.

"I do not think so, Your Highness," Yoongi replies, "She has classes to attend this morning; she will not be able to come with."

The smile disappears from Jungkook's face as he lets out a sigh. He opens his mouth to speak, but is soon interrupted when Earl Park comes on his own horse, stopping right in front of them.

"Your Highness," He bows his head at Jungkook before he turns it to Yoongi, "Good thing you did not leave yet, General. The King is calling for you to discuss the funeral."

Yoongi's grip tightens around the reins as he clenches his jaw, shutting his eyes tightly for a second.

"Whose funeral?" Jungkook asks, his eyes constantly turning from General Min to Earl Park.

Jimin raises an eyebrow in a questioning manner as he looks at Yoongi with a tilted head.

Yoongi glares in return, and Jungkook does not fail to catch their stares.

"Whose funeral?" He repeats with a trembling voice, his heart hammering against his chest and his hands twitching.

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A/N: Angst coming your way in the next chapter uwu