~~SANGHEE'S POV~~

Brother?!

Prince Jiun--

What--

This can't be true!

My mind begins to buzz with a series of unanswered questions.

"Looking for me?!" I demand with an awestruck expression, my heart plunging just at the thought of it. What could he possibly want? And why would he need me? Wasn't he the one who locked me up here? "He's your brother?" I add with a dumbstruck expression.

"Jungkook stopped by. He overheard some guards talking about it at the gate. Jiun has been looking for you. It could be rumours. But how would they spread? From what source?"

I run my fingers through my silky hair, trying to organize my scattered thoughts. I warily step back, a headache beginning to swell.

Yoongi narrows his eyes, glaring at me with an icy stare. In fact, his glance is so intense I feel as though I may break under it at any second,

"Sanghee," he pronounces my name, a certain darkness ringing in his chilling voice, "Why is he looking for you?"

I sink back agaisnt the wall, unable to respond. I don't even know why. And how could I tell Yoongi about everything? He woudlnt understand. Are they really brothers?

The more I contemplate it, the more it all makes sense. But I just refuse to believe it's the truth.

"Are you really brothers?" I breathe out deeply, collecting myself.

"Why is he looking for you?" he demands in a surprisingly soft tone.

"Are you really his brother?" I repeat slowly, unable to reconcile with the possible truth, "Are you a prince?!'

"Sanghee, why is my brother looking for you?!" his voice raises, causing me to involuntarily tremble. His eyes are ablaze with anger.

"Answer me, please."

"Sanghee!!" he suddenly cries, my body flinching at the sound of his desperation, "What is going on? You need to tell me--"

"I don't know!!" I burst out, being completely honest, "I really don't know! He sent me here-- why does he want me back? What did I do..." My voice drones off into a low groan.

"How does he know you? How do you know him? What's going on?" he continues to press questions.

How would Yoongi react if I told him about the marriage? What would he do? I'm too afraid to find out... I can't let him know...

"I was a courtmaid, remember?" I reply in a now calm voice, "He accused me of false poisoning-- and sent me here."

Yoongi takes in a deep breath, exhaling and clenching his jaw in pure rage.

"Did he hurt you?"

Yes.

"No," I lie, too afraid to witness what this building anger might result too if I spill the entire truth. The way the prince tried to undress me while faking an illness just so he could forcefully get what he's always wanted. They way he manipulated the king to make such a ridiculous decree just so he could have me. The way he stared me down with lustful eyes and arranged for us to be married.

"I barely know him..." I continue, my stomach plunging, "But he's always hated me.."

"Why does he want you then?" Yoongi snarls through clenched teeth.

"I don't know, Yoongi... It might not be true. It was just guards talking; Please-- lets just not worry--"

"--I already told you, I'm not loosing another person. I'm not letting it happen. Never. He did all of those things, Sanghee. Every single one of them. Killed my mother and brother. Tortured my father. Twins have never been allowed in the royal family, and if so, one of them must be sent away. So my mother kept Jiun. She sent me away. I grew up in a prestigious home, well aware of my true family and where I really came from. But my father was in bad blood with the court after abolishing a nasty tax law for the benefit of the people. Jiun was councilled and taught by my biological father, and once he passed away, Jiun took all of his positions and became Grand Prince at a young age. So he decided to finish off my adoptive family once and for all..." his voice becomes quite, painful memories surging in, "S-so after I found my father's beaten body on the streets, I took my gun--went to the palace--i stormed in--and I--I shot my brother--but only in the leg... It wasn't fatal. The three me in prison right away..."

He getsures to the long scar on his face, "After three days, Jiun came into my cell holding a knife. He said if I ever dared to touch or take anything of his again, he'd kill me on the spot. He said I've always been second. That I'll never have anything he has. I'll always receive the scraps. So he took out a knife, and cut a deep line down my face; stopping at my eyeball, and then continuing after. He told me he wanted me to see the hell I was about to witness with both eyes; so that every night I'd beg for death. But I didn't. I never cried. I never gave up. I built myself a life. I stopped letting people push me around."

He glances straight into my eyes once again, his orbs burning through my skull, "I don't care if it's just a rumour. I'm not letting you die. Not now, not ever. And above all, if anyone was to ever you, it will NEVER be him. I'll make him pay. If he even touched you Hoseok, Jungkook, or Jangmi, I'll make him pay. I'll kill him, Sanghee. I'll kill him--"

Yoongi begins to spin out of control, clearly an emotional wreck.

Completely overwhelmed by the entire backstory, I inhale several times in search of decent air, desperate to calm myself down. The rest of the day neither of us spoke to one another.

We just thought about the past.

And how unbeknownst to us both, we had each told each other a lie.

One that could change everything.

~~MUHYEOK'S POV~~

❗️violence and mention of torture ❗️

"Let's do this the easy way," I sigh with annoyance, knowing this man may seem strong, but it actually a complete fraud. He's just a village rat, running around and doing all the dirty work for a good price. The kind of person we need information from. Even if we have to take it out by force,

"Who has the guns? Is it really Jimin? Who else? Rijeon? Hajoon?"

"I will never tell you anything!" he spits, "Your just a powerless fraud who wants to be at the top. You're no August D, Hyeok. Go and burn!"

"Tsktsktsk," I click my tongue agaisnt the roof of my mouth, shaking my head disapprovingly, "Some people have absolutely not respect, hm? And for your information, I get quite sick of being compared with that monster."

"I said go and burn!" the man snarls, his greasy hair messily scattering over his forehead and he rages.

A villainous smirk spreads across my face as he cusses insults at me.

"Jeongsu!" I call, opening the cell door until I hear him respond, "Bring it."

Jeongsu quickly returns with a rusty metal stick, which has two pinchers at the ends. The man's eyes become tremendously wide at the sight of such a thing.

"Tie him up," I demand, the smirk never leaving my face.

As I expected, he begins to squirm like an animal, fighting and kicking and begging for mercy like a dog.

"We start by removing your nails..." I hum as Jeongsu and some other men tie his arms to bolts in the ground, "And then a nice beating."

I turn towards the bowl of fire beside me, smiling has he quivers with fear, "And then some nice hot coals. Who's going to burn now?"

"Please!!" he screams, thrashing like a fish that's been hooked, "Muhyeok! I didn't mean it! I'll tell you everything! Please! Have mercy!!!"

A tiny pout forms on my lips, "But I don't like bullies. You've been mean to me... So how about you tell us after your punishment, hm?"

He continued to kick and thrash, bellowing and screaming like a feral animal.

"Go straight to the coals," I demand, watching Jeongsu pick up the price of metal and pick a coal from the flaming bowl.

With bulging eyes and a fearful expression, the man shrieked in agony once the hot coals pressed agaisnt his skin.

Maybe I went to hard... Before the night was over, he was dead. Maybe I'll have better luck with the next one...

"Hyeok!" one of my men interrupts, opening the door while the others clean up, "A solider is here..."

"What the hell does he want?" I demand in annoyance.

"You... You've been summoned to the palace, Muhyeok."

"What?"

Changu residents never leave...

Unless.

Unless HE wants me for some strange reason...

I quickly stand up, wiping any extra blood off my skin, "Boys, dump the body on the streets. Jinwook, get my bag ready."

~~SANGHEE'S POV~~

I lay wide awake in bed, shivering head to toe, unable to sleep. My mind won't shut off. Can the rumours really be true?? What could he possibly want from me?

Why would he want me back? He was clearly infuriated when I chose Changu? What could he possibly want from me? He would be shamed by the people if he married a woman from Changu. Would he use me as a concubine? Would he make my life even worse than it already is--

Wait...

Why does... Why does part of me want to stay... Why... Would I rather be with Yoongi... Than Jiun...?

I shift in my blankets, peering at Yoongi's trembling body under the blankets. It pains me so much to see someone in so much pain, even in their sleep. He's haunted by memories of the past... His soft side shows through his sleep. He isn't entirely cold and empty. He still loves them. He cries for them every single night...

"Taehyung," he murmurs worridly, "Eomma. Appa. Where are you--"

I try to ignore his desperate cries, trying to shut out the world around me. I wonder what life would be like if I could have grown up like everyone else... I wonder what life would be like if none of this ever happened--

"Please wake up. Please--"

Could I ever be happy here? Will Yoongi ever make that possible? Happy? Am I insane? Is anyone happy here?

"Eomma. Don't die..."

I close my eyes, tears sudenley springing in my eyes. I have no idea why. Maybe it's the way he's desperately calling for his deceased family. Or his painful past which he can't forget.

I allo them to fall loose, suddenly overtaken by extreme empathy and compassion for him.

Maybe this is why I want to stay. Maybe he needs me. I could protect him, too. I could help him forget his past. If only he would let me...

"Namjoon..." he repeats, "Please. Wake up..."

I suddenly spring out of the bed, thick liquid tears trailing down my cheeks at the sound of his desperation. I wipe them away, but it's no use. More begin to resurface.

"Yoongi," I say in a choked voice, "Yoongi, please. Wake up. It's just a dream--"

I kneel down beside the bed, watching in distain as he struggles to wake up.

"Please, wake up," I find myself begging through tears, "It's not really happening... Yoongi, please..."

I subconsciously reach my hand under his thick blankets, trying to ignore the wave of electric shock that spirals through my body as my skin brushes agaisnt his. I take in a deep breath, fighting back the strange feeling tightening in my core. I hold firmly onto his hand, not even caring about how angry he may be once he wakes up.

I gently shake his arm.

"Yoongi, wake up," I whisper softly, sighing in relief when his eyes groggily flutter open, his breathing ragged and scattered.

To my absolute astonishment, he doesn't pull away.

He doesn't scream.

He doesn't yell.

He doesn't push me away.

He doesn't move.

He slowly tilts his head until our eyes lock in the moonlight, our fingers still intertwined with firm grip.

He doesn't say a word. Yoongi slowly breaths in and out, his eyes never leaving mine. This time he doesn't glare at me with the same iciness. Instead, with fear. Fear of the past. And fear of what may come.

"Yoongi," I utter his name for the hundredth time, shocked from what I'm about to say. I can't even control the words coming from my mouth anymore. I make sure my tone is slow and steady, so he can hear every word of it.

"I'm going to help you forget the past. I'm going to help you remember you're family, but not mourn them in pain like this. I'm not going to let you die..."

I tighten my grip on his hand, about to repeat the words he spoke to me only a day ago.

"And if anyone even tries to hurt you, I'll make sure they die a bloody and painful death."

A/N

heyyy<333

I joel you enjoyed the chapter! I hope it was not too boring.,. I just wanted to explain everything clearly in the first little bit.

And, we hit 1K today!!!xDDDDD

Which ofc woudlnt be possible without you all! So TYSM!! I'm truly so grateful<333

I love you all so much and hope you have an amazing day/night from whenever you are in this big world. ❤️❤️