DAECHWITA

twenty three

It turned out that their picnic had been a farewell party of some sort for Yoongi, Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook, who were all heading into the borders, something about trouble with a few soldiers on the other side.

The palace felt slightly empty without their bright, playful presences, and the lack of the Emperor brought somehwhat of a fear to the minds of those who resided within the palace.

Despite his cold exterior, his painfully excruciating eyes, one could not possibly deny the security and safety that radiated around the palace when he was home.

Jangmi shook her head at the thought, a small flush crawling from her neck to her cheeks. Over the last few weeks, she had began to think that the monarch was not so bad as everyone made him out to be. He was not as monsterous and as cruel as the rumours went.

He was beginning to grow upon her.

At their picnic, he had been so much more lighter, so much more relaxed as he surrounded himself with the boys. A smile had graced his lips constantly, and it was at that time, the Choi girl had discovered the Emperor had a gummy smile.

But the girl was interrupted from her thoughts as she heard a loud bang, and what sounded like a glass shattering.

Gathering her skirts, Jangmi raced down the stairs, almost knocking poor Hoseok on the way, he too rushing to see what the commotion was about.

"What's going on?" She asked the Jung boy as they reached the courtyard, Jin, Namjoon and a number of other attendants watching on.

"They've returned," Hoseok mumbled, his eyes set upon the wagon that was trailing in. "With a prisoner,"

Jin groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I never understand why he brings in prisoners. It's bad for the economy of the palace, we have to feed it, wash it, make sure it doesn't die,"

"Spare the details, Jin," Namjoon muttered. "Though, after all the things that Yoongi does, nothing surprises me anymore,"

For some reason, it did not faze the Empress as the three men discussed prisoners and how it was annoying to have them in the palace. For a girl who had grown up rather normally, away from the talks of warefare and bloodshed, it did not make her disgusted. 

As the wagon came to a stop, a servant hurried over to the door, bowing as Taehyung jumped off first, his curly black hair shaking as he grinned at the older boys and girl, blood across his knuckles and arms.

Jimin was next, and dark circles blessed his eyes, scratches and cuts upon his own face. His plump lips were bleeding, but the blond paid no attention to it.

Jungkook followed, and the youngest did not show any signs of exhaustion despite the numerous bruises and gashes upon his muscular arms. His hands gripped the collar of what Jangmi assumed to be the prisoner. 

He wasn't as tall as the boys, and he certainly looked as though he hadn't been eating enough. His form was scrawny in appearence, and he shook in the presence of such high-ranking officials.

Yoongi was the last to exit the wagon, and Jangmi let out a soft gasp as she saw the bloodied, bruised form of the man that was her husband. His clothes were splattered in blood, some that she was sure belonged to both himself, and others. His dark eyes glanced up to Jangmi for a bare second, before flitting back down onto his prisoner.

"Take him to the dungeons," He ordered. "We'll question him later,"

A few guards bowed, dragging the man off the courtyards, his pleas being ignored. 

"You do know how expensive having a prisoner is, right?" Jin had his hands on his hips, glaring at the Emperor. "You couldn't have just done away with him on the border?"

"Night ambushes," Taehyung answered. "We haven't slept for the last few days. We had to be on alert, and it wasn't safe to kill him there and then,"

"Besides," Jungkook yawned. "He was a part of the assassination team all those years ago, and it would only be right if we questioned him,"

Yoongi said nothing as he zoned out slightly from the conversation, but his mind launched back into the shocked orbs of Choi Jangmi's. She had looked so scared, so horrified at the blood and bruises that engulfed his form.

If only she knew that a few of them had been for her sake.