When the sole heir to the kingdom refused to become King, political conflict within the palace began.
Accusations of slander, treason, bloodshed--all were done to get rid of the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's plan for survival did not include fa...
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Dawn was greeted by Mingyu who hadn't slept. All night he lay awake staring out the window, watching the dark sky change as it slowly began to lighten.
In his hand was an almost empty bottle of alcohol. The only way to get rid of the headache from the many things on his mind was when the sensation of alcohol entered him. He wasn't proud of that fact, but there was no other way for him at the moment.
"They have returned safely." Said the voice Mingyu had been waiting for.
Mingyu's grip slowly loosened. He could breathe easier after hearing the news. The feeling of tiredness that had been suppressed immediately swept over him.
"Good." He simply replied with a small faint smile.
While other people opened the windows to welcome the warm sunlight in, Mingyu did the opposite. He closed the window in front of him tightly, then looked at Minghao who was standing in his room.
"Have you prepared what I asked for?"
Minghao said after two seconds, "..Yes."
"It's unusual for you to sound doubtful." Mingyu put his alcohol bottle away and turned his body on his seat to look at Minghao fully, "Talk, if there's something you want to say."
"My Lord, are you... sure this is what you want to do?" Even Minghao--someone who often looked as calm as water seemed troubled by the current situation, "By doing this, that means I--"
"I know." Mingyu interrupted him, not needing to be reminded of the unpleasant things he already knew, "There are no easy choices. I'm sure this is the best thing to do.. at least for now."
"For now." Minghao repeated, "What makes you so sure there will be later?"
Mingyu was silent. Minghao's answer just now seemed to wake him up from the ambition that was burning within him--the ambition to get you out of the palace conflict. After a moment of silence, he spread his arms, highlighting the splendor of the King's robe he was wearing.
"I'm the King now. If there's no later, I'll simply make one." He smiled but his smile was no longer the same, it no longer made people who saw him smile like before.
Minghao took the time to look deeply at the man he had served for so many years. He knew no matter what he said, he wouldn't be able to convince Mingyu to do otherwise. Slowly, he lowered his head, bowing to the King before his eyes.
"My loyalty is only to obey your orders."
Mingyu felt his face stiffen when he smiled, it showed how hard he forced himself to smile even though he didn't want to.
Even though he knew he could trust his loyal followers, his heart was still uneasy as he sat on the execution ground. The woman's execution schedule that he kept thinking about would take place when the sun was directly above the sky. He had purposely came there early, alone.
