the tanned beauty sighed looking over his shoulder and having his lips unconsciously tugging upwards at the sight of his father speaking with his friends. donghyuck was on cleaning duty in the restaurant after the lunch service, and his father still happened to be there with a few other men, discussing private matters at a table in the corner, and barely above a whisper.

donghyuck didn't need to sneak on them to know what they were talking about. he had been included in these conversations countless of times in his eighteen years of life, and donghyuck knew very well that each of the men around that table were just like his father: anti-royalists who wished for monarchy to be abolished.

this was how donghyuck had been raised his whole life – well, when he was home that is. outside, donghyuck had to pretend everything was okay, that just like everyone else living in the kingdom, he worshipped the royals that owned their land and that owned them. but whenever he was with his father, and with the circle of people that his father had gathered, he went back to his normal self; a person who had been taught that royals needed to be condemned – but what for? this donghyuck was still trying to understand.

being startled by the sudden sound of chairs screeching against the floor, the tanned male turned around just in time to say goodbye to his father's friends that left the restaurant, the only person remaining at the table being his father.

donghyuck walked to his side, sitting down around the table where the man's friends were previously sitting.

"is everything alright, dad?" the boy questioned with a small smile. "how did the meeting go?"

"everything's good." sangkyu replied with a nod. "it's only a matter of months before we take action."

donghyuck smiled proudly at his dad, knowing how important this matter was to him. this was something that had always amazed donghyuck. no matter how hard it was, and no matter people's opinions, his father had beliefs, rather strong ones, and he fought for them. he knew that everyone wouldn't agree, and he knew that he could get hurt for them, but he didn't care, he wanted justice to be made and he was ready to fight for it.

ever since he was little, donghyuck had seen how his father had been able to lead the anti-royalist movement so well, making sure that they were always in the shadows and that no one doubted them. but his leadership and persuasion skills were amazing, and over the years, he had managed to convince many people who had now joined their side.

the tanned male truly admired his father for all of that, and he was trying to make sure to take the best of his education to become like him one day.

"the heir should be crowned in a few months. we have to hit hard then." sangkyu explained, leaning forward to whisper to his son after checking that there was no one else around.

donghyuck's smile faltered a bit at those words, trying to find a way to ask the questions that had been bugging him for a while, but to which he never had had a clear answer.

"dad...?" the tanned male sighed.

"what is it?" sangkyu looked at his son.

"i just..." donghyuck took a deep breath. "why are we against them that much?"

the adult froze, staring at his child with his eyes almost throwing daggers at him.

it wasn't the first time donghyuck asked this question, and sangkyu had always managed to dodge it, but somehow, curiosity was one of donghyuck's main flaws – something he had gotten from his mother – and his father knew he wouldn't stop asking.

"donghyuck, it has always been like that." his father replied, his tone much colder than before.

"i know." donghyuck nodded. "but you never told me why. neither did mom."

"that's because it is a given fact, son." sangkyu explained, his eyes never leaving the tanned male.

"yes but- "

"you cannot question our principles. you've been raised to honour them since your birth." the adult continued, his voice rising a bit, making the younger boy flinch.

donghyuck stayed silent for a few seconds as his father turned around to check that they were still alone there.

"y-years ago..." donghyuck stuttered, looking up shyly at his father. "you told me i'd understand when i would be older."

donghyuck's father sighed, knowing that this excuse wouldn't be able to last for so long, not with a son as curious as donghyuck. the boy may not speak much, but he had very attentive ears, and he would always be aware of the slightest gossip. he was so curious about everything – and sangkyu had sometimes used this to his advantage, to get exclusive information on some people. so, he knew that at some point, donghyuck would want to understand why.

"donghyuck..."

"i am older now, dad. i am able to understand." donghyuck assured.

his father didn't answer, simply looking in the void while sighing, debating what he could tell his son to make him understand.

"i am not questioning whether our principles are right or wrong. i know they are right, because they're your principles, and you're the person i trust the most." donghyuck explained, now looking fully into his father's eyes. "i know royals are bad. but i just want to understand why..."

the adult sighed staying silent for a few more seconds under donghyuck's expectant eyes.

and before his son could insist again, sangkyu cleared his throat.

"you really want to know why?" he questioned.

donghyuck didn't hesitate to nod his head. "i'm an adult now. i want to help you with strategy and everything. but i can't if i don't know everything." the tanned male explained.

his father let out another sigh. "alright. come with me."

♕

"but i don't understand, dad..." the tanned male spoke again, causing the adult by his side to rub his temples.

he knew very well that this was bound to happen.

donghyuck was another level of curiosity. sangkyu knew very well that donghyuck wouldn't get satisfied with his answers, he knew that it would bring other questions. but sometimes, questions didn't have an answer, and this were just that way. but donghyuck didn't understand that. his young innocent mind couldn't understand that some questions couldn't have an answer and that some things shouldn't be questioned.

"if they are so bad... then why do everyone worship them...?" donghyuck asked with a frown, his eyes never leaving the vast land that his father had shown him; a place where a small village used to exist, the inhabitants of which had been scarified to make more crops.

"because they do not know about all of this. the royals are hiding it from them." sangkyu explained.

"we need to tell them, then. we can't do nothing and- "

"donghyuck." sangkyu spoke sternly, causing his son to stand up straight and shut his mouth. "things aren't that easy."

"but, why not?"

the father turned around, his eyes falling on the castle on a hill that they could see a few kilometres away.

"royals are pitiless and heartless. they don't care about us. all they care about is themselves and their power." the adult explained.

"really...?"

"they don't even consider us humans, donghyuck." sangkyu continued. "to them, we're just pawns, and the second we start bothering them, they don't hesitate to get rid of us. what do you think that is?" he asked, grabbing donghyuck's arm and turning it up to reveal the inside of his wrist, where the word 'AES' had been imprinted on the boy's skin.

"don't all people in the kingdom have this?" donghyuck questioned innocently.

"except for the royals, yes." sangkyu nodded. "it's their way to mark their property. they register every birth and mark the children with a red iron to trap them forever within the frontiers of the castle. and if you happen to be caught outside with this tattoo, you'd be killed mercilessly."

donghyuck let out a small gasp, his other hand wrapping around his wrist and tracing over the scar that had been left by the iron mark he had received years ago.

"do you understand now?" the adult questioned. "the royals have all of the power, and they abuse it by mistreating us."

"mmh..." donghyuck nodded, looking at his father with saddened eyes.

"they destroy everything without a care in the world." sangkyu continued, venom laced in his voice. "villages, families, hope... they're the ones who killed your mother. if not for them, she would still be there with us, fighting by our side to get rid of them. because she knows as much as we do that it's their turn to suffer."

donghyuck swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, trying to ignore the tears that were threatening to roll down from his eyes.

"i-it's horrible..." donghyuck stuttered.

"but it's the life we have. so, we need to fight for it." donghyuck's dad continued, looking at his son in the eye. "do you understand, donghyuck? we need to fight them."

donghyuck sniffed as he nodded, his heart broken by everything he had just learnt.

"b-but dad..." donghyuck started speaking again, looking like a lost puppy.

seeing donghyuck's eyes, the adult could only sigh, knowing that right after this would be coming another question, and that he would surely struggle to find an answer to it.

"w-why do so many people like them if they're so horrible...?"

sangkyu sighed, scratching his head and heaving out a nth sigh before starting to walk away. "follow me."

donghyuck obliged, wiping his tears dry before jogging behind his father, following him silently as they walked for a while.

they stopped behind a small cabin after a dozen minutes, and donghyuck couldn't keep his eyes off the huge castle they were standing right next to.

"just go see for yourself. you'll understand then." sangkyu stated in a whisper, gesturing towards the royal palace.

"s-see?!" donghyuck gasped.

"go, donghyuck." his father nodded.

"b-but t-they'll never let me in and- "

"don't be ridiculous. get inside the cabin and steal some servant clothes. and find a way to get inside the palace." the adult spoke. "look around, listen to their conversations. watch how awful they are to us. and perhaps then you'll understand why we need to get rid of them."

♕

"thank you for attending this meeting, your highness." the person in charge of the preparations for his coronation stated, bowing to the future king which wouldn't be able to stay a second more in this meeting room.

"thank you, sir." mark nodded before standing up from the luxurious chair he was on and heading towards the doors.

"mark." his mother's voice spoke right as the servants pushed open the doors for mark to head out.

"yes, mother?" the future king turned around, trying not to appear as if he didn't want to be there.

"we will discuss more about it tonight."

mark sighed, all of the procedures to follow for his coronation already bothering him despite knowing the even was still a few months away.

nevertheless, the future king bowed slightly. "of course. i'll head out first." he declared before finally exiting this hell hole.

the uncrowned prince let out the longest sigh as the servants closed the door behind him, leaving him alone in the corridors of the giant palace.

his coronation was approaching fast, and so, his mother was constantly bugging him with the various preparations they needed to settle with, whether it was the list of guests, the dinner's menu, the type of flowers he wanted around the palace, or the colour of the napkins and tablecloths.

they had been locked in that room for hours, the preparator suggesting ideas only to have the queen questioning every single of them. to be honest, mark couldn't care less about most of the things the preparator talked about, but the queen seemed to want to make this meeting one of the longest meetings in the history of the silver age.

thankfully, mark had managed to excuse himself after four hours, pretending he was expected at the dojo for a swords-fighting lesson – which definitely was a lie, because his instructor was still in the northern kingdom, but there was no way he'd let anyone know about it.

"god, i'm so hungry..." the king whined as he clutched a hand over his rumbling stomach, crossing the hallways in the direction of his quarters. he really needed to change his clothes right now, his formal gear – that he had been forced to wear because the meeting was an official one – was stuck to his skin and didn't allow him to move as freely as he wanted to even if it was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful clothing pieces the future king owned. plus, the sword that was attached to his waist kept hitting the side of his leg and threatened to trip him – why was he even supposed to wear it when they stayed inside the castle?

deciding that he'd call for a servant to bring him food once he'd be freed of his sword and changed in his room, the uncrowned king continued his journey across the castle, the sound of his heels clicking against the marble floor and resonating in the empty corridors.

and after a few turns in the royal labyrinth in which mark had grown up, he finally reached the corridor in which was his bedroom, a small sigh of relief slipping past his lips at the sole thought of wearing less tight and heavy clothes.

however, just as he was about to push open the door of his bedroom, the door opened on its own, and someone came into view, apparently getting out of the royal bedroom.

mark didn't wait a single second, his reflexes kicking in immediately and causing him to grip on the white robe of the man before pulling him out of the bedroom and slamming him against the wall of the corridor.

he was about to scream at the servant for being in his room when it was common knowledge that no royal servant or guard had the right to step inside the royal bedrooms, but he kept his mouth shut when he realised that he couldn't recognise the servant – not that he was actually able to recognise all of the servants and guards here, but this one seemed like they didn't belong here.

so, mark thanked the gods above that he was in his formal wear and that his mother had insisted on him wearing his sword, because the next second, he let go of the unknown servant and pulled his sword out, holding the end of the blade menacingly a centimetre away from the frightened boy's adam apple.

"who are you and what were you doing inside my room?"