(Y/n)'s POV

~Back at Hwarang House~

I was woken by some loud arguing from beside me. My eyes fluttered open, revealing some place other than my room. Was this the infirmary?

"Oh (Y/n), you're awake," exclaimed Ah Ro.

Ji Dwi and Sun Woo were here as well, but they seemed a little tense.

"Ah Ro-"
"Don't talk, you need a lot of recovery time," she said while handing me a bowl of medicine.

I reluctantly drank it, almost coughing because of the disgustingly bitter flavour.

"Ah Ro, do you mind leaving for a minute?" asked Sun Woo.
"Huh? Yeah, sure."

She left after giving me a new change of clothes.

"(Y/n), what are you gonna do now?" he asked with a serious expression.
"Did you hear everything from before?"
"Yeah..."
"J-Ji Dwi, are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, I'm fine since you stopped the light. Thank you," he replied with a small smile.

*blush* Then he must've heard that 'I love you' that I yelled out of nowhere. But it wasn't like I could deny it, it was true after all...

Ugh, my head hurt. The thing that woman said before was ringing in my ears. My purpose was to kill the royal family? Why? Why did I need to do that?

"(Y/n)? Hello? (Y/n), you listening to me?" Sun Woo asked while waving his hand in front of me.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"
"*sigh* Now that I've heard an explanation about everything from Ji Dwi, I think we should go to the palace's library."
"Why? Are you planning to sneak in?"
"Yeah, because we need more information."
"(Y/n), to tell you truth...you're not exactly a human," Ji Dwi reluctantly told me.
"W-what do you mean? That's what that woman said as well."
"This wasn't the first time that someone like you was made, but you are the first since a few decades ago. Apparently, the gods were unhappy with how the royal family ruled over everyone unfairly and created a 'doll' to get rid of them and choose a different heir."
"Oh..is that so?..."
"Maybe it's because of my mother that you were created but that's one thing I'm thankful for. I'm glad I got to meet you."
"Let's meet at the entrance to the palace at sunset," said Sun Woo.

We both agreed before he left the room. Ji Dwi immediately pulled me into a hug. A few seconds later, I felt something wet on my shoulder.

"Ji Dwi?"
"I was so worried about you I couldn't even sleep. Your life is in danger every time you use your power so please, don't do that again," he exclaimed quietly.

After a while, he pulled away. I looked at him and noticed that he had tears sliding down his cheeks.

Before I could do anything, he pulled me into a kiss. It was gentle, but I could taste the tears.

"Hey, you guys done yet?" Ah Ro asked while packing up some of the things.
"H-how long were you there for?"
"I just came in. Oh and get changed. You can't have everyone asking about that blood on your sleeves."

Ji Dwi smiled at me before leaving. Ah Ro smirked straight after he left and had a creepy expression on her face.

"W-what's wrong?"
"What did you do with Ji Dwi? Huh?" she asked while sitting right next to me.
"Nothing."
"*pouts* You're no fun."

I just laughed and went to get changed before she could ask anything else.

~Some time later~

Sook Myung had requested to see me. *sigh* She was most likely going to ask about the incident with the bandits. For some reason, I felt nervous about meeting her.

"(Y/n), come here."

She reached out her hand but I quickly stepped back.

"Don't worry, your powers aren't fully activated now so you won't hurt me."
"Sorry, but I'm not worried about hurting you. I just don't want to use that power anymore."
"Oh, anyway, about that incident yesterday..."
"Was it the queen that set it all up?"
"Yeah."

Ji Dwi's POV

It was already the afternoon but everyone was allowed to rest till tomorrow. (Y/n) was injured, but I didn't know why Sook Myung couldn't train us. Well, it was better this way.

"Hey Ji Dwi, what happened to noona?" Hansung asked.
"It's nothing serious."
"Ugh, you're being just like Sun Woo. He won't say anything either."
"We're doing this for a reason so don't ask too much about it. You'll know about it soon enough."
"But noona's okay, right?"
"Yeah, she's fine now."

He smiled in response before handing me a small bag.

"Noona asked Ah Ro to get these for you. She also said that she'll kill you if you don't eat and worry about her."
"*grins* Okay, tell her I'll eat them."

He walked away, leaving me all alone by the lake. Sunset wasn't too far away, but the time seemed to go slower and slower the more I thought about it.

I still didn't manage to tell (Y/n) about Lulu. She...disappeared but left a small ruby. Its vibrant red colour moved and often changed to a darker red but would eventually return to its natural shade.

"Oi, here. We're not washing these for you," exclaimed Soo Ho.

He handed me my clothes and sat down beside the lake. The others had come too but I just couldn't be bothered to wash them.

"Ji Dwi, why aren't you washing them?" Pa Oh asked while snatching them off me.
"When did you get here?"
"Hey Ji Dwi, who's the old man?" Sun Woo asked.
"Old? I'm only 22," Pa Oh replied.
"Pa Oh, stop joking around."
"But it's true."

I just sighed, causing the others to chuckle. But seriously, why did he decide to appear now?