"EUN!! WHAT IS THIS BEHAVIOUR?!" The king was enraged as he stormed toward Eunsang.

"Address me as 'Mr. advisor'! You shouldn't call me by my name anymore!" Eunsang stumbled as he spoke.

"What on earth are you talking about?" The king grabbed him by the collar, pulled him towards himself, and sniffed. Eunsang stared at the king's gorgeous jade eyes and then his eyes travelled down to his abs.

"Eun! You're drunk!" He released his collars and took a step back. "Go to your room!"

"What am I to you, Sian?" Eunsang put his hand on the king's bare chest and asked.

"You....you're my friend!" He said looking at Eunsang.

Eunsang hugged him and rested his chin on his broad shoulder. The king was already surprised when Eunsang asked, "Can I be something more than that?"

"Best Friends? Sure!!" The king hesitated for a moment and then hugged him back, patting him on his back.

Eunsang sighed and stayed like that for a while as he felt the king's bare chest against his clothed one. He could feel his calm heartbeat against his restless one. He closed his eyes shut as he let the warmth of the king's body calm his feelings.

"Ahh...Eun?" The king pulled away. "Umm....you're drunk and behaving weirdly again! Go to your room....I'll see you tomorrow!"

The king guided him out of his room, "Guards!!!!"

Two guards quickly came and bowed.

"Guide him to his room! He is drunk!" He ordered and the guards bowed.

"Good night, Eun!" He smiled at Eunsang and closed the door.

Eunsang put his hand on the closed door, "Best friend....hah!" 

"Sir! We shall go!" The guards bowed as Eunsang turned around while stumbling. The guards grabbed his arms and started to guide him toward his room.

...............................................

Soyoung's POV

The suitors, one after the other, were failing as expected but I was feeling very sleepy now. That's when Iseul tapped on my shoulder.

"What?" I whispered.

"Soyoung, t-the s-seven knights a-are h-here!" She whispered.

"WHAT?" I whisper-yelled.

"Yes...l-look at the back! T-they are s-sitting there!" She whispered and I looked towards the suitors. In the end, 7 men were sitting, it was dark and their faces were almost not visible because of the other suitors. I raised my head a bit to get a better look at them, the first man I could see was the one who was sitting right next to the entrance. He had the longest hair among them. Even though it was hard to see his face clearly from here, he still looked handsome and intriguing while his shoulder-length hair swayed in the night breeze.

I've heard that eight men in our kingdom are the most handsome. The 7 knights and the king himself. Even though I hated all of them, still I wanted to see their faces.

"Who is the man sitting right next to the entrance?" I asked Iseul.

"Sir Jeongguk! The youngest yet the strongest knight!"

"I see!" I turned my attention back towards the suitor who was up next to try his luck. He was the last one.

"Soyoung, what should we do? I think the king has sent them for he must have suspected something!" Iseul said anxiously.

"Leave them be! I don't want to drag this out any longer by causing a scene...I'm feeling sleepy. Besides, don't you think if they were here to unveil us, then they would have done it already by now?"

"Then are they here to take part in the game?!" Iseul's eyes widened.

"I know that they are the best warriors but even if they do take part in it, they'll fail because-"

"IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN THIS GAME! LORD SEO, DID YOU CALL ALL OF US TO MOCK US?" The last suitor yelled as soon as he failed.

"Young man-" Father was cut off by another suitor.

"EXACTLY! THE CONDITION OF THE GAME IS UNJUST! HOW CAN SOMEONE SHOOT THAT THING FROM A DISTANCE OF 100 METRES IN THE DARK?!"

As father tried to calm them down, one by one all the suitors stood up against him.

I sighed and stood up.

................................................

Jeongguk's POV

As everyone started to protest Jin hyung signalled to us that it was the perfect time for us to leave.

"It was me who arranged this game!" The place became quiet as Lady Soyoung said that.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT, MY LADY?" A suitor asked.

"Why do you think I did that?" She asked as she walked towards the suitors. "I've spent my entire life learning and becoming perfect! No lady in this world can compete against me! Hence to achieve great things you must pay a great price, isn't it my lords?"

There was a silence of shock that I could sense.

I tilted my head, "Hah! Arrogant much?!"

She continued to speak as she walked in our direction, "But judging by the results of this game, none of the men present here is suited to be my other half!" She glanced at me and then her eyes travelled towards the hyungs.

I clenched my fists.

.....................................................

Soyoung's POV

"I thought that the men who always keep the women under their feet can do anything and everything but seems like they are not so strong after all. They can't even win this simple game!" I smirked as I passed by the knights.

The place became chaotic again as I heard men shouting angrily.

"SOYOUNG STOP!" Father rushed towards me followed by Iseul but I ignored them and was about to exit the garden when I heard the sound of an arrow being shot. As I turned around, I saw in the mirror that the arrow had perfectly hit the target but suddenly I saw another six arrows hitting the target perfectly while piercing each other back to back. A hush fell over the crowd and my eyes widened with shock and disbelief. A servant ran towards the archers with a lantern in hand. As soon as the area lit up, I simply stared at them while everyone else gasped.

"T-the knights?" Father gasped.

Iseul's POV

"I hope you'll not doubt the strength of the men of our kingdom ever again, my lady!" Jeongguk sir gave Soyoung a mischievous grin. I looked at Soyoung and it was hard to make out her mood. She strangely looked calm for the situation that was unfolding in front of her eyes. Is she traumatized?

"We're sorry to spoil this event like this but the young lady shouldn't have looked down upon the men of our kingdom! Anyways! We'll get going now, lord Seo!" Sir Jin, who looked as handsome as a Greek God, bowed towards lord Seo's direction and left followed by the others.

I was left speechless along with everyone else..."Hah! What the-"

Servanrs, "LORD SEO...."

I looked around and found lord Seo in the servants' arms.

"FATHER!!" Soyoung went towards him and checked his nerves.

"He lost his consciousness! I'll go prepare some herbs! You all take him to his room! and Iseul, escort the suitors out of here with Wook!"

The servants all carried lord Seo inside after getting her orders, Soyoung ran inside to prepare some herbal medicine. and Wook and I started the escort of the suitors out with the help of the other servants.

............................................

Jeongguk's POV

"I can't believe we did that without even thinking!" Jimin hyung sighed as we all made our way towards our home.

"I'm sorry! I just couldn't bear her arrogance anymore!" I apologized for they all followed me. "But....why did you all follow me?" I asked.

"So that we can ruin the wedding and you don't have to marry her!" Taehyun hyung said giving me a look.

"Hahaha....our Jeonggukie was a few steps away from getting married tonight!" Hosung hyung wrapped his arms around me and teased me.

"Ok so now what?" Namjun hyung asked.

"We'll expose their doings to the king...the first thing tomorrow." Jin hyung said.

"Best idea! With that, lord Seo will automatically have to take the fall without us even doing anything!" Yunki hyung smirked.

"Right! One down...four more to go!" Jimin hyung smirked.

Iseul's POV

I went inside the mansion after escorting all the shocked and enraged suitors out safely. Lady Soyoung caused the fire and the knights fanned the flames. What'll happen now? What we'll do? What if Soyoung ends up in the harem? Lord Seo is also unconscious...

"Ahh.." I bumped into someone as I was troubled with so many thoughts.

"I'm sorry!" I apologized and looked up and it was Soyoung, she was holding broken pieces of arrows in her hand.

"SOYOUNG! H-how is lord Seo?"

"I gave him the herbs and now he is sleeping!" She said looking at the feathers that were attached at the end of the arrows.

"These are not the arrows that were provided for the game!" She said.

"That means...."

"Yes! They had brought their weapons here! They were here with some other motive!" She said calmly.

"What will you do now?" I asked

"All the seven arrows have different coloured feathers!" She said, her eyes still fixed on the arrows.

"Soyoung....that's not what I'm asking...what is your plan now?" I asked, getting tensed.

"This one has purple feathers, and this is the first one that hit the aim.....so this is Jeongguk's." She said pointing at the purple-coloured feathers.

"SOYOUNG!!" I grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"What?!" She asked looking at me.

"ARE YOU TRAUMATIZED? OR ARE YOU HAVING A FEVER?" I asked putting my hand on her forehead. But her temperature seemed normal like her mood.

She removed my hand and smirked, "I'm fine!"

"SOYOUNG! EVERYTHING'S GOING TO END-"

"This is not the end! This is the beginning, Iseul!" She smirked.

"Wait-what? Don't tell me it was all your plan...." I looked at her, getting surprised.

She smiled at me and said, "It was! As soon as I saw the knights, I thought of this plan!"

"But you said that it'll be impossible for them to win the game!"

"That was to calm you down!" Soyoung shrugged, "After all, they are the best warriors...I had faith in their strength and power!" She winked.

"T-that means-"

"Yes! I intentionally said those words to hurt their manly pride and ego! I knew that at least one of them would take part in the game if I do so...but I was shocked when all seven of them did it. Hah! Egoistic much?!"

"You provoked them to take part in the game? Does this mean you wanted one of them as your husband? B-BUT WHY?"

"Iseul, our target is the king, and to reach him, we must start with his loyal subjects! Lord Cha's house will be the perfect one for our first target-"

"SOYOUNG! YOU CAN KILL THE KING NOW! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING BUT STOP TAKING THESE DANGEROUS STEPS!"

"Iseul, out of all the people, I thought you would understand me.....you know my entire plan! I do not want to kill Sian at once...that would be too merciful. I'll take away everything he has....his subjects, his harem...everything! I'll make him feel the loneliness I've felt throughout these years! I'll make him suffer like the women have been suffering throughout these years and then I'll kill him......." She looked at the pointed tips of the arrows and said. ".....or maybe not? I shall let him live.....he shall live in a living hell!" She chuckled and walked away.

"Huh?! S-she scares me sometimes!"

.......................................................

Next morning, at the palace,

"So you're telling me that Lord Seo had a beautiful daughter hidden in his mansion for all this while?" The king while sipping his wine.

"Yes! That's what our spy said!" Eunsang nodded.

"And that he defied the laws and had educated her?!"

Eunsang nodded.

"And her beauty is out of the world?"

Eunsang nodded again.

The king clenched the glass of wine so hard in his hand that it broke, "Ahh..."

The wine spilled all over and blood started to ooze out from his palm.

"MY KING!!!" Eunsang quickly grabbed his hand, tore a part from his shirt, and bandaged his hand. "You should be careful!"

"Ahh....thank you.....Eun!" The king looked into his eyes and patted his shoulder. "Call Lord Seo and his daughter!" He said and left the place.

Eunsang sighed.

.........................................................

At Seo mansion,

"WHAT WILL I DO? THE KNIGHTS MUST HAVE INFORMED THE KING ALREADY!" Lord Seo was pacing around the room and trying to think of a way out.

"SOYOUNG WHAT MESS DID YOU CREATE!" Lord Seo sat down on his bed, holding his head.

"AHHH...I'm getting a headache..."

"Lord Seo, please have some water!" Iseul said while rubbing his back.

As soon as he took the glass from her hand and took a sip, a messenger came in, "The king has urgently called an audience."

Lord Seo choked.

"And....."

"And what?" Iseul asked rubbing lord Seo's back.

"He asked young lady's presence too!"

"THAT'S IT...WE ARE ALL DYING!" Lord Seo buried his face in his hands.

"Father, let's go....it is not good to keep the king waiting!" The lord and Iseul turned around to see Soyoung.

"I-Iseul...why is this girl dressed like that?" Lord Seo asked.

Soyoung went towards her father and crouched down in front of him, "Father, you've always believed in me till now! Please believe me one more time! I promise that everything will be fine!" Soyoung said.

Lord Seo looked at her for a while then nodded, "I trust you! I've made you intelligent enough to deal with this kind of situation!"

..................................................

Jeongguk's POV

It was early in the morning when we all were informed about the king's urgent meeting. We all rushed to the palace and were waiting for the king.

"His Majesty is entering!" I heard Sir Eunsang and bowed followed by everyone else.

The king rushed towards the throne and sat down, sir Eunsang stood right next to his throne as always.

"Bring them in!" The king ordered and the guards brought in Lord Seo. A lady wearing a white gown walked in after him. Her face was covered in a white veil. I assumed that was Lady Soyoung. Unlike yesterday, today she was dressed brightly even though yesterday was a supposed happy day and today is the day she is going to mourn. What a strange lady...but the thing is....we didn't inform the king anything yet. What's going on?!"

Lord Seo kneeled followed by Lady Soyoung.

"How dare you being a member of the council, defy the laws of the kingdom?" The king asked.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty...please forgive me!" Lord Seo begged.

"I shall do that! After all, I need you....but you deserve punishment too!" The king said calmly.

"Your Majesty, please show your kindness!" Lord Seo bowed more.

"Leave your daughter to my harem and I'll forgive you!" He said and Lord Seo looked up in shock.

Hah! Saw that coming.

"YOUR MAJESTY...PLEASE LEAVE MY DAUGHTER!" He bowed down.

I looked at Lady Soyoung but she strangely looked calm.

"GUARDS! Take the lady to the harem!" The king ordered.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" Lady Soyoung stood up, "You can't do that!"

"And....why can't I do that?" He tilted his head and asked.

"Because according to the law of this kingdom which you have made, Your Majesty.....these seven men have already won me!" She pointed her finger in our direction and everyone in the room gasped. Lord Seo looked at Soyoung with utter shock and me and the hyungs stared at each other in disbelief.

________________________________________

I'll be very honest with you guys.....Sian...the imaginary character I've created.....I have a crush on him💀.

Now, if there's something called the "God's favourite child".....I'll call him the "Author's favourite boy".....now bye💀