MY KNIGHT

40. MANIPULATIONS

JiAh fluttered her eyes open. Her neck felt stiff by spending the whole night on the ground. She rubbed her eyes trying to clear her vision. A sudden memory hit her head. Last night. Someone was there. Yoongi went outside the cave. Panic dawned upon her. She shot herself up looking around in the cave. It was lit by the candle, its flame dancing in the darkness of the cave. Yoongi was sleeping peacefully beside her, his face shining in the golden light. The aching panic subsided when she saw him still present beside her. She lifted her hand, gently stroking her fingers on his left cheek. Yoongi frowned a little. Before she could pull her hand back, he held it close to his face. He slowly opened his eyes, looking at her with the crescents between his two eyelids. He was too sleepy.

JiAh smiled at him. He smiled back, his eyes still not fully open. "You look cute." JiAh giggled.

"You look beautiful." He said in a hoarse voice.

"What happened last night?" JiAh asked. Yoongi could read the worry lines on her face. "Who was there?"

Yoongi sat up, rubbing his eyes to shake of the sleepiness. "One of my trusted man." He spoke while yawning. "Jin sent him."

"Ow! Ouch! Ji- ow... Hey!" Yoongi tried to defend himself from the ceaseless attacks of JiAh, while she punched him hard enough to forget if he was ever asleep. He ducked a punch flying towards his face and stood up to escape the woman.

"You stupid, half-witted, doltish soldier. You scared me to death." She ran for him, as he tried to run away from her. "You have the audacity of telling this to me so casually as if nothing happened."

"Yo-you were asleep by the time I came back." He tried to explain.

"You could have woken me." She yelled at him.

"I thought you must be tired so I let you sleep. I'm sorry!" He begged for mercy, still running away from the mad bull of a woman chasing after him.

Finally out of breathe, both of them sat on the ground. JiAh stretched her legs. She looked at Yoongi who was now staring into space. "You look lost." She complained. Her eyes traced his lips curved into a line of worry. His eyes were boring the ground. JiAh felt uneasy with this serious look of his.

Yoongi took a deep breath before he returned his attention towards her. He smiled, placed a gentle hand on her cheeks.

"Don't worry, its all going to be alright." He assured.

JiAh took his hand and placed her lips on his palm. It was a soft and a simple gesture but already conveyed a thousand words between them. "I don't want you to bear everything on your own. Just tell me whatever is bothering you. I have the right to know."

Yoongi felt a pit in stomach. His smile left his eyes as he tried to form words in his mouth. When he spoke his words came out to be fretted. "The man who came last night was one of the fellow soldier of the Jung army. He told me that Hoseok is not well. He cannot continue to take responsibilities of the emperor due to his deteriorating health so till he recovers and is able to continue his duties as the king, Namjoon is going to be the Regent and continue the duties of the emperor."

JiAh's heart dropped. She could feel her chest aching. "Namjoon?" She confirmed. Yoongi nodded without looking at her.

"Bu- but, what happened?" She panicked, "... How can Hoseok be that ill, what happened to him him? He was absolutely fine few days back."

"They don't know." Yoongi answered. His voice was troubled. Speaking about his best friend's illness pained him to the core. "Illness about the crowned family is usually kept secret."

JiAh felt bad for him. He was visibly hurting inside but she just couldn't do anything for him.

"I'm sorry Yoongi. I didn't meant to hurt you. Its just that I don't understand how can the king be that ill within such a short period of time in spite of having such great security and medical attention." JiAh felt bad for getting so hyperactive when Yoongi was more close to Hoseok and was still silent. She tried to lead the conversation somewhere to lessen the burden of her words. "There must be any sign or anything that would have suggested any chronic illness. He shouldn't have been this ill suddenly."