ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗬-𝗦𝗜𝗫
─◌✰್ 𝖻𝖾

You had never felt a wave of relief as strong as you did, right now.

"Tessa, you did it!"

Before you knew it, Lanhua was running towards you at top speed, jumping with her entire 5'8 body, before landing on top of you in a fit of laughs and sobs. JJ followed shortly after, along with your old roomies, Renee and Robin, then the rest of the girls.

"I can't believe you beat him!" Robin cried, as all seven girls squished you in the middle of a tearful, happy embrace.

"And you didn't even have to hurt him??" Renee marveled.

"And you forgave him??" JJ exclaimed in disbelief.

"I'm just so proud of you," Mya sniffed, eyes glittering with unshed tears. "I knew you could do it!"

"You did incredible, Tess." Changbin smiled at you, his tough exterior cracking, letting light shine through, just for a moment. He was one of the guys you were closest to, so seeing him care so much sent emotion pinging through you.

Seven of the guys, finally up off the floor, stood before you, smiling at you with such pride, your heart swelled even further. They move to stand next to their girls, all signs of malice gone from their eyes, only to be replaced with affection, and gratitude. They began checking on one another, making sure that they really were okay after such a harsh fight.

"I'm so proud of you, Tess." Your dad beamed down at you. As much as you had truly forgiven Yeonjun for everything that he'd done, the king was your true father. He had raised you, and made you into the person you were today. Honestly, everything you had done up to this point was thanks, in part, to him.

Extracting yourself from your friends' embraces, you ran straight into your dad's arms, tears of relief already sliding down your cheeks. You hadn't realized just how much the entire conflict had affected you, until Yeonjun and the light spirits had left.

"I love you, dad," you mumbled against him, as he just patted your back comfortingly. "I was so scared that Yeonjun was going to hurt you."

He smiled down at you. "You made sure that he didn't. And you accomplished that by forgiving him, instead of giving into your anger. That made me so proud, knowing that you went against violence."

You shook your head, wiping your eyes. "It's all because of you that I did that. You taught me fighting is wrong, and I should try to bring peace."

He squeezed you one more time, before letting go. "It's not just because of me. You've grown, so much. Sometimes I forget you aren't a girl anymore, you're so mature. You did me, and everyone else here, proud. And you will make an amazing queen."

You wiped your eyes, fresh tears sprouting. You didn't think anyone had ever told you that, outside of your brother, on rare occasion. Your mother had made it abundantly clear she thought that you would never be ready, and your dad had, unfortunately, never said any differently. So hearing him utter those words brought a much-needed tranquility to something you didn't know had been eating you up inside.

"You really will."

Minho stood behind you, a faint smile lighting his scuffed face. Dirt marred his cheeks, but his eyes were shining with emotion. In that moment, you had never seen a more handsome man. And you had never felt more love for another human being.

Before you knew it, you feet were carrying you across the dungeon floor, and into Minho's arms. And he was there waiting for you. He grabbed you around the waist, lifting you straight off the ground and spinning you around. You wrapped your legs around his waist, before pressing your lips to his.

He kissed you back with a ferocity that nearly knocked you out of his arms, but his hold on you was so strong, you didn't even slip. His mouth devoured yours hungrily, all those days of separation, all that pent-up passion, bursting forth like a dam breaking. And all you could do was cling to him, and reciprocate the same passion, those feelings you'd had since the first day you'd met.

When you finally dragged your mouth from his, still fully sitting in his arms, you met his gaze, breathless and absolutely electrified, the sensation of his mouth on yours still tingling.

Before you could speak, Minho beat you to it. "I love you," he stated, like it was a universal fact.

You smiled down at him, and for the first time since you left for the Jang castle days ago, you could actually breathe.

"I love you too," you whispered, pressing another light kiss to his lips. "And... I know that you might have told you before, but I forgive you. For everything. I know that you did it because you care about me, and you wanted the best for me. And I know that Yeonjun manipulated you into lying. I care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone else, and I won't let our past mistakes hold us back."

He smiled, setting you back on the ground, but still keeping hold of your waist. It didn't seem like he was going to be letting go of you anytime soon. "I know that Yeonjun was terrible... until he wasn't, but at the end of the day, it was my decision not to tell you the truth. And I'm so, so sorry for that. If you continue to give me the chance, I will never lie to you again."

You nodded, pondering his words. "I know you won't," you agreed. "I've known you since I was five years old, and I know that you've been a good person your entire life. And I want to be with you, if you still want to be with me."

He chuckled, pressing kiss after kiss on both of your cheeks, causing you to laugh out loud. "Are you kidding me? The fact you want to give me another chance makes me the luckiest man in the whole damn world. I didn't deserve the first two chances you gave me, and I'm sure as hell gonna make the most out of the last one."

"Speaking of chances..." Lanhua appeared behind you, and she was pointing through the bars of the jail cell. Most of the rest of the group had walked out of the cell, and were standing around the dungeon, checking each others injuries, and hugging each other in gratitude. "What's going on with your mom, and your dad?" She gestured first at you, then at Minho.

You glanced at through the bars, and frowned. Your mom and King Lee were standing next to each other, hands cuffed behind their backs. Since when had they been here? Was that what Minho and your dad had been up to before they came down here? You eyed Minho curiously.

He laughed nervously when he caught your eye. "Oh... well, about that..." He chuckled, before guiding you out of the cell, and over to your dad, who was standing next to your mother. "We found out that my dad and your mom were working with Yeonjun to try and take down both kingdoms, and eventually rule over all of humankind. Apparently, Yeonjun offered them both protection if they worked with him. So we need to-"

"We're going to imprison them, so they answer for their crimes," your dad said, both to you and the accused. "They have both committed treason, and just because we defeated Yeonjun does not mean they won't serve their time."

You nodded, skewering your mother with a poisonous look, that she willingly returned. But she was in no position to argue, seeing as she couldn't use her hands. You felt way too much satisfaction at that.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" you asked, crossing your arms over your chest expectantly. Oh, this would be good.

Your mother pursed her lips. "I have nothing to say to you," she sniffed, glowering at you. Her face was so filled of hatred, so unrepentant, it just fueled your hatred for her. "I feel no remorse for what I did. Even if Yeonjun has turned good, doesn't mean that I want to do the same. I always knew that you weren't my real child, and I will never claim you as my own."

Anger bubbled inside of you at her words. How could she stand there, and not even feel a little remorse for what she did? She had never said one nice thing to you during your entire 23 years of living, and now you knew she never would. You had always felt so unworthy around her, like anything you did would disappoint her.

The old you would have cursed her out, told her to go fuck herself, and hope that she would spend the rest of her miserable life rotting in a jail cell. And while you weren't about to let her off the hook, you had taken Jacheongbi's words of advice to heart. You didn't want to let the darkness inside of you win.

So, you looked your mother straight in the eye, and smiled. "Even if you don't feel remorse, mother, I forgive you for all the terrible things you did. Because that's the right thing to do. But don't get it twisted. You will be spending your entire sentence here, in a cell, all alone. And I hope you know that when the time comes, I will make an amazing queen, no matter what you say."

Your dad grabbed your mother around the wrists, and led her into the cell that you all had been trapped inside. Then, he locked the door, and walked away without saying a word, even as she screamed and begged for him to rethink his decision, and to let her out.

At the same time, Minho faced his father, who was still standing there, sweating and panting like a pig.

"How about you, father?" he asked, mouth pulled in a straight line. "Do you have anything to say, before we send you to the Moonstone prison?"

The Obsidian king shifted back and forth, eyes flicking from your mother, to Minho. It was clear he didn't know what to say to save his ass.

"Go on," Minho prodded, no hint of compassion in his voice.

"It was me," King Lee burst out. "I was the one who hired Duke Hwang to kill Duchess Jang."

You gaped, staring at the man. Why would he do that? And why was he admitting this now?

"Obsidian was losing the war, because we were running out of weapons. And as you know, the Jang family manufactures weapons, for Moonstone. But what you don't know is that they sell them on the black market, too. But they would not sell to Obsidian, not even us. They wouldn't even sell to us through the black market, they were so against us. We couldn't find any better weapons manufacturer than them. So I stole their weapons. We were going undetected for years, so we were able to continue the war. But somehow, Duchess Jang found out. She was at the very least suspicious. So... I hired the best assassin in the kingdom, who just happened to be Duke Hwang. I was so disappointed when I heard that he was not successful," he paused bitterly. "Apparently, he isn't as good as he was chalked up to be."

You glanced behind you, looking for JJ and Hyunjin. You saw them, standing with some of the other couples, Jisung and Robin, Renee and Seungmin, and Lanhua and Changbin. When JJ met your eye, you silently motioned her over, and pointed and Hyunjin too. This seemed like something they needed to hear.

As they approached, Minho was still grilling his father with more questions.

"Why would you try to kill her?" Minho demanded. "Did anyone else know? And how do you know that JJ's family sells on the black market??"

Before King Lee could start defending himself, JJ and Hyunjin interrupted.

"I want to say that I wish I never took my first assassin job, all those years ago," Hyunjin began. "From the moment I accepted, I knew that my life was going to change, for the worse. It turned me into a person that I didn't like, and I'm ashamed of everything that I did, and what I tried to do to you." Hyunjin lowered his head, meeting JJ's eyes. "I'm sorry I never apologized to you before. I was just so ashamed, and didn't know how to say it. I want you to know that I've changed, and you are responsible for that." He gazed down at her, eyes full of nothing but honesty.

JJ studied his face, her expression blank. Then, a smile spread across her lips, and she nodded. "I know that I was really upset, and I acted out. Honestly, I was scared of you, and what happened. And it makes sense, I mean I almost got murdered. But you've done nothing but beg for my forgiveness, and show that you've truly learned, ever since that moment. You stood up to the king of your own kingdom just because you knew it was the right thing, and that's something I really respect. When I saw you laying on the ground, I realized I didn't want to be without you. We have so much history, and I didn't want it to end on such a terrible note. So I do, I forgive you for what you've done." She turned to King Lee. "And as terrible as you are, I forgive you, too. I will never understand why you made the decisions you did, but I hold no anger towards you."

King Lee smiled at her, an evil curling of his lips. "Thank you, Duchess Jang."

Minho nodded. "Be that as it may, you will be serving your time."

Your dad, who finally came back from dealing with your mother, approached King Lee, and grabbed him by the wrists, too. "I have hired Soyeon to take you back to my castle, where you will stay."

When King Lee was escorted out of the dungeon, you turned back to Minho. Hyunjin and JJ had moved to the side, and were embracing one another. You smiled at your friend, who smiled back over Hyunjin's shoulder. You were just so happy, seeing everyone content with one another.

Robin and Jisung were laughing with at an inside joke, holding hands. Changbin was massaging Lanhua's head, growling about the dangers of falling rocks, as she kissed his cheek comfortingly. Seungmin held Renee's waist, chin resting on top of her head. Christopher was hugging Riley so tight, she could hardly move. Felix was peppering kisses all over Alaska's face, while Mya and Jeongin were marveling at a bug on the floor, as she clutched his muscular forearm.

"Princess," Minho's voice snapped your attention back to him. He was gazing down at you tenderly, the hint of a smile on his full lips.

"Yeah?" You tilted your head. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He reached out, and grabbed both of your hands, amusement still filling those gorgeous eyes of his. "You're an amazing woman, you know that?" he finally said.

You felt yourself blushing, despite yourself. Weren't you supposed to be a confident person? You never blushed like this. But Minho just affected you differently. "I guess I've heard through the grapevine." You eyed him knowingly.

He stepped even closer, closing the gap between you. "From the day we met, I knew you would play a special part in my life. You just got me, like no one ever has. And when we stopped talking, it felt like a chasm had opened up in my life, and my heart. I realized that I loved you, since I was seven years old. It took me this fucking long to realize the extent of my feelings, and I know that you hated me for that. I should've known that all my pent-up anger I held towards you was really passion, and hurt that we weren't talking. But then we got married, and it wasn't either of our choices. We weren't emotionally ready for that. But now..."

Minho was bending down, so far... until he was on one knee.

Holy shit. You gaped down at him in utter shock, speechless. There was only one reason why a man would be down on one knee in front of a woman like this, right? Unless he was trying to tie his shoe, he was definitely about to-

"Lee Tessa, I know you're already my wife, legally." Minho gazed up at you, with a look so soft, you almost physically folded. "But I want you to be my wife emotionally, too. By choice. That's why I'm going to ask you, for the first time... will you marry me?"

Your smile was so bright, it lit up the dungeon. You bent down, encased his face with both your hands, and pressed your lips to his. His hands slid into your hair, kissing you back with fervor.

When you finally let go, you said, "Hmm. I don't know, I might have to think about that." When he raised his eyebrows, you smirked. "Of course I want to marry you, you idiot!!" And you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him close.

"You're such a little shit," he groaned. "You got my heart racing there for a moment."

"Like you should talk!" Your head shot up to look at him, a playful glower on your face. "You're always fucking with me, it's about time I gave you a taste of your own medicine."

He chuckled, planting a kiss on your awaiting lips. "I think I'll be getting a lot of that, as your husband."

"Oh my gosh, you two are gonna get married again??" Mya gasped. The rest of the group, including your dad, had approached you, watching as Minho popped the question. Now, they gathered around you in an excited bunch.

"That's so romantic." Jisung sighed loudly. "Can I be a groomsman? Or a bridesmaid?"

"You would be a good bridesmaid," Robin agreed, smiling at him fondly.

"Ugh, and Bin and I haven't even gotten our first date!" Lanhua cried, throwing her hands up dramatically.

Changbin nodded seriously. "That's seriously messed up."

"Well..." your dad spoke up, and everyone turned to look at him. He was the king, after all. And now that King Lee was out of commission, he was the only one between the two kingdoms. Consequently, he now commanded the respect of both. "I know I'm no Yeonjun-"

"And we wouldn't want you to be!" Renee piped up helpfully.

"-but I, as the king of Moonstone, would be honored to organize a date for you, right now." Your dad smiled at the couple. "You two deserve it."

Changbin and Lanhua shared an excited look. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into his side.

But the king wasn't done talking.

"And tomorrow, you all must be ready. Because I will be holding another announcement, in the ceremony hall. And I am requiring that you all attend. Because it will be incredibly important, to us, and the future of the rest of our kingdoms."

laska's note —
first, i wanted to apologize for forgetting to publish yesterday! 😖 my parents are visiting this weekend, but i had the chapter all prepared and everything and i completely spaced. i hope you can support the chapter equally as much today 🥰

anyway, this was a bit of a cooldown chapter, but it was much-needed in my opinion 😅 after all the intense fighting and crazy plot twists, it's time for the group to just... chill, and celebrate that they were able to defeat yeonjun, and send the light spirits away successfully. now, changhua will finally get their long-awaited date, and everyone is going to gather for one final announcement. i wonder what king lin has to say this time? whatever it is, i hope it's good, because there are only two more chapters left! 😱 send some guesses for what's gonna happen in the final hours of this fic 🤭

𝖭𝖤𝖷𝖳 𝖴𝖯：
𝟱𝟳 - 𝗵𝗶𝘀
┊ ⇄ ◁◁ II ▷▷ ↻ ┊