It might have been a quarter of an hour, that Aaya stood stupidly, staring ahead.

The image of the person who could who gently smile at her contrasted to the man who mutilated these bodies, was so much in odds that Aaya still could not reconcile the image. Even with the evidence in front of her, she still was incapable to.

Hoseok was coldly elegant, detachedly handsome. With this lean but muscled body and his black sheen of hair tied back with a leather band, his dark eyes had always exuded a calm danger. But it never pushed the boundary of madness.

Unlike this. . .

Was I wrong in understanding him? A person capable of doing this? Even if the killings were in self defense, did this suit the code of a warrior?

And that was the crux of the matter.

That he killed was never something Aaya even felt bothered with. Him being a General was a given position for taking life. But the manner.

The heartless, inhumane, demonic manner he dismembered people. For him to unconsciously fight this way, how much hatred was filled in his heart. And if not hatred, then what was the Darkness that haunted him, shrouding him in the very essence of vicious nature?

Because killing for the sake of winning or defense required just a stab, a slash. This sort of death signified the pleasure a person felt with the power he held over the life of a person. Was this not sick?

Suddenly, amidst the horrific sight of vultures hovering over decomposed mutilated bodies filled with maggots and flies, a beautiful melodious sound of a bird broke through the depression.

Its clear cry was as shrill as it was fresh and enchanting, like a pure silver arrow cutting through the ugliness of death she was witnessing.

That chirp of the bird shook her senses awake.

Aaya blinked rapidly as her breathing stabilized. No one could fault her with being dazed after seeing what she saw, it was human of her to do so.

But remaining in that befuddled state, letting irrational fear colour her to be prejudiced against a person due to only a partial piece of puzzle was definitely not who she was.

No doubt Hoseok was dark, but was that all he was?

Carefully, she rose back again, recalling her own principle, her own words she had spoken but moments ago . . .

"Why should I care about the manner of the death you gave an individual. Rather I would pose a different question."

Right . . . The deaths, were not the only relevant information here. She had just been temporarily blinded to it.

As for her question, the innocence was what mattered. Who were these people?

Raising her skirt, Aaya shakily went towards the scene. From behind her, a sound of rustling leaves alerted her of movement. She looked back, but could not see any animal.

Maybe it was a squirrel.

Not minding anything, she resisted the foul odour and walked towards the cluster of bodies.

The way they were lying on the ground, suggested that they had tried to attack in groups. 2 to 3 bodies were close together, then a few scattered at a distance. Squinting her eyes, she saw a few bodies a little further away at a distance. Those might have been the first to be killed.

They all wore black clothes, their outer robes and inner hanboks just a plain black giving no clue to their identity, but at the same time telling Aaya that these were not the soldiers under Hoseok's command stationed in the borders of their village who were fighting the tribe.

The battle had only just started to wind down, the soldiers would have no time to change their battle clothes to these set. Moreover, the robes and the hanbok showed no evidence of wear and tear except the sword holes where they had been stabbed.

Which meant, that they had not participated in the war. They had to have directly come from somewhere.

Their appearance and the swords lying around them indicated a sophistication, ruling out them being tribes or bandits.

Aaya suppressed the bile rushing in her throat as she studied the swollen bodies. She wanted to go crouch down in front of one surprisingly intact body with just a slit throat, but the smell made even her eyes water through the veil, so she had to contend to stay at a distance.

These many numbers would not be spies from a different province. By nature, spies would have been dispatched few in number.

Then who were they? Why would they have a fight with the pillar of this Kingdom's Defense and Security?

Aaya wanted to know. And she wanted to do something.

If such a thing was presented to her, not investigating till the bottom line was not in her nature. If she wanted to judge's someone's character, then she would damn well leave no stone unturned before forming an opinion.

As it was, Hoseok was . . . . .important to her.

Aaya looked around her at the forest floor until she spied something that was exactly what she required.

Walking towards the periphery where a oak tree stood, she found a large fallen branch on the ground. It took some time, but she broke off a thinner branch from it.

That branch was almost as thick as her wrist and as long as the length from the ground till her shoulders.

Satisfied, she went to the nearest body.

Then, she used the wooden stick to turn the body over. She carefully poked through the robes, parting them a little, patting it with the stick to see if they carried something.

Not finding anything on the first body, she slowly and carefully made her way to the next.

By the time she had checked 9 bodies, another bit caught her eye. All their swords were same. Exactly same.

The hilts of the sword had the same design while the thickness and shape of the blade was identical too. Which meant, all of them had been a unit, under the command of one individual.

A little absent minded, Aaya barely paid attention when she rolled over the 10th body. But from the robes of the body, a medallion fell out.

Seeing the medallion, Aaya yet again came to a stand still.

She recognized the insignia. Everyone in this Kingdom would.

It was the token given from the King to his personal Guards.

These men, were the Imperial Bodyguards solely under the command of the His Majesty.

Which meant, Hoseok, was attacked by a squadron under the King's command, after being lured in the forest away from his unit of soldiers, to be killed.

For some time, Aaya blankly stared at the medallion on the ground. Then, a soft smile bloomed on her lips.

It would seem, the rumors were true. The Royals, were afraid of their General. But were coward enough to not openly command his death. A Royal family who was not answerable to any regarding their decision to take lives or brand a person as a traitor with no basis, was scared of a warrior. Scared enough to not wrong him.

A knot eased in her chest. This small scenario speaking volumes about Hoseok's character to her.

They knew. The court, the Royals, the aristocrats knew he was dangerous. Provoking him might result in their own misfortune. But at the same time, his savageness was directed in the right direction. Hoseok had never killed an innocent, never committed any unforgivable atrocity.

Because if he had, if he had given even the slightest chance by even one unspeakable crime, no matter how small, the paranoid hyenas would have pounced on it to condemn him righteously. They would have exaggerated the crime to bring him to heel, obtaining the excuse to have him beheaded.

Of course, not committing an unspeakable act did not mean he did not have the tendency to. He could be hiding his true desire, cunningly alert over his actions being scrutinized, but that still made her happy.

Because that meant, there was still a chance to let him understand what was wrong. What could never be done.

Hoseok was monstrous, without being a monster.

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By the time Aaya went back to the hut, an hour had passed by quietly. She entered the hut to see Hoseok sitting on the bed, gazing out of the window. His side profile drew her eyes to the chiseled jaw, his olive skin making him seem like a sculpture made by the gods.

His expression was serene.

Aaya smiled, knowing it could not be seen from her veil.

"Please forgive me for the delay." She spoke, "I was caught up in a matter."

Hoseok turned his head, his face, as usual, expressionless, "Did you have any trouble collecting the plants you wanted?"

Aaya sighed dramatically and went to put the basket down, and turned towards the cozy corner having a small kitchen. She started unloading the ingredients she had brough from the village to cook a meal on the slab, "No, everything was fine. As you must know by now, there are no wild animals in this forest."

Not looking at him, Aaya continued, "Its just a shame that some animals must have died due to some disease in the back woods. The smell is permeating the air and truly making me uncomfortable."

There was a silence as she settled down the corner to cook the chicken she had brought.

"Do you happen to know anything about it?" her voice was teasing.

"At this moment I am incapable of investigating." His voice was starkly emotionless, "Posing the question seems a little redundant."

"Oh, forgive me. You are right." Aaya turned back, "Then may I be bold enough to ask for a favour?"

Hoseok had by then swung his legs off the bed, sitting on the edge with his feet on the ground, the robe fastened to show only his neck. He raised an eyebrow at her query.

"The grass of the back woods till the boulder and vines have some weeds which attract insects and snakes. I made sure to wipe my sandals clean before entering the hut, but judging by the smell from yours, you have not. May I ask you to have it cleaned outside?" she asked sweetly.

For a second, A flash of surprise emerged on his face which he could not control before it receded again to the coldly calm façade.

Aaya chuckled a little as she turned back to her task, letting the General come to terms with the fact that his sneaky mission of following her was not a secret.

She felt him getting off the bed to come towards her. before he could say of act Aaya spoke again without turning, "In my basket, I have brought something. I do believe you might need it."

She felt Hoseok stop on hearing her, his burning gaze fixed on her back. Not disturbed by it, Aaya continued making the chicken curry.

She finally heard Hoseok move towards the basket.

He must have found the object. But no other sound came.

For long minutes, the only sound that was heard was the crackling of the fire.

"Why?"

"Because there might be more Imperial Guards chancing upon this area to attack you while you are recuperating." The truth was always something she said.

"Giving this to me, after seeing what you have. Are you not afraid?"

"Why should I be? Are you a madman who kills people without any reason?"

A dark chuckle answered her, "Some say that is exactly who I am."

"Are they right?" Aaya questioned back.

A beat of pause.

"Perhaps." Hoseok's chilling presence came closer to her, "That is the truth. Perhaps, it is not."

The blade of the sword she had brought back and given him was lightly placed on her neck from behind, "Do you wish to find out?"

Unbothered, Aaya continued her task, "Be careful, its sharp. I don't have another veil. If its torn, then I will have to treat other soldiers in my care with my bare face."

Instantly, the blade was taken away.

Smiling, Aaya said, "Should this not answer your question General?"

Hoesok retreated, the sound of the sword being sheathed was clearly heard, "Fear is an invisible weapon which is more effective than actual attack. Even before making a move, it achieves the result that I desire."

"People bow to that Fear General, but that will never give you respect." Aaya answered back.

"Respect will not stop enemies from daring to attack. Respect will never stop eyes from coveting what is mine."

"Fear will not let you find true companions. Fear, will never give way for love. They cannot exist together."

A sneering huff, "What made you believe I am in need of companions?"

Aaya turned back to him, "Are you never lonely Hoseok? Do you not want to hold the hand of a person you know will walk with you till your death? Do you never wish to wake up in the arms of your lover who will smile at you just because her happiness is being able to have a right, to be in your embrace?"

Hoseok's expression closed up while Aaya relentlessly continued, "Do you truly not want someone to love you? You. The you that you are?"

He did not speak for a long time, he only stared at the delicate white figure hidden beneath the veil and clothes, who spoke of the cry he had kept locked within the darkest, deepest corner of his heart.

A love that did not try to change him, a love that would guide him? Even his parents were incapable of it.

At last he spoke, "No. I don't want another."

Aaya tilted her head to one side. when Hoseok did not elaborate and went back to the bed, she wrinkled her brow, not believing his answer and turned back to her task.

Dark eyes of the warrior kept its focus with a burning desire on the Maiden in white.

"I don't want another. I want you." He whispered with a passionate longing in his heart.

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A/N :

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