THRONE WITHOUT FATE | VKOOK ✓

FOURTY-NINE | DAMN IT

The crown felt heavy on Taehyung's head.It felt as if the weight of everyone's lives had suddenly fallen on him. It felt suffocating to be there, in the throne hall, especially on such a special occasion. They were all seated at the usual circle-shaped table where they hold their meetings. He notices how the five royals were exchanging glances about who should start the game.

''Start fucking speaking, any of you.'' Jeongguk leaned back to the chair, while Taehyung kept a straight posture. Jeongguk has been furious ever since it lit up to him what was going on.

Namjoon swallowed his fear and spoke first, clearing his throat. "When you two left, we predicted it would last no more than two days, at most a week. It's been nearly two months, as you already know. Worry had grown since the council learned as well. They are not, however, informed of the specific reason where and why."Namjoon stopped for a second, and before he started speaking, Yoongi called out.

''Firsty we thought they might have been a misunderstanding at the time difference. There was not, at least judging by old chronicles.'' Yoongi said, looking then at Taehyung, ''Your father has called, afraid by the reason that the war is being delayed unreasonably.''

"Old man would only call out for his own benefit. For months, no one could find me except for the wall. Of course," Taehyung thought.

"So we went deeper...in records, books, and chronicles," Yoongi explained, shifting his gaze elsewhere. "As we learned more about those creatures, we discovered that they are body-shifters, which means they can change their form into whatever and whoever they want. Hah, the way we found out wasn't so pleasant."

"We were already aware of this information." Jeongguk lightly shook his head.

''But not how come they are this way.'' Jimin said, starring at the table, ''We got deeper into records of Taehyung's line.''

"Um, well, those shape-shifters are only known to exist in the past...seventy-two years." Jimin nodded to himself, unable to make eye contact with Taehyung. "Actively attacking, ever since this winter," he licked his lips. Their excitement increased significantly when...when-"

''When I was born, no?'' Taehyung smiled sillily, looking down at his lap. ''It's connected to my birth, no?''

"You see, you were born a hundred and sixty-two winters ago. But when did you actually receive the Shikon Jewel, Taehyung?" Jimin looked at Jin as he called out.

Taehyung frowned and looked up, thinking, "Well...I was ninety winters old, I suppose."

"It was exactly seventy-two years ago." Jeongguk cut in, his breath tense. "What exactly is your point?" He licked the inside of his cheek while glancing at Taehyung.

"It took us a long time to ensure that our..guesses are reliable," Jimin said, pointing to all of them.

"When Taehyung received his jewel, a small piece of the jewel had broken apart during the transfer from his mother to him." Yoongi spoke louder and then paused, nervously bouncing his leg under the table. "For generations, it has happened each time the jewel is transferred from mother to daughter, only that the pieces are not visible to ordinary eyes."

"Now you're going to tell me that a larger part of the jewel broke apart because I ruined the line by being a male?" Taehyung smiled as he noticed their stiffness. He inhaled deeply through his nose while clutching his sleeve. ''It's true, is it not?''

''Taehyung..'' Jimin whispered, "How could anyone know any of this?" Jimin muttered. How could it have been predicted that a clan has been collecting questionable pieces of the jewel for generations and will wait until your birth date to complete their own Shikon Jewel?" Jimin widened his eyes and placed a hand over his mouth, immediately looking away.