𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘

20) Sunoo

I was napping when they came for us.

And I'm a deep sleeper, so by the time the doors to my wagon were broken through and I was dragged out with everyone else, half of the parade had already begun to burn.

Some of the Blessed-Cursed members fought with our attackers, and my blood ran cold as I noticed the deep red of their uniforms.

Royal soldiers.

And a lot of them too.

All of us were forced to our knees, including the few Blessed-Cursed. I hoped they would have the sense to keep their mouths shut and pretend to be a part of the troupe.

I watched in despair as everything we had went up in flames.

Then from the midst of it all, a man emerged.

I knew instantly that I was looking at the king of Akra.

He walked slowly, as if on a pleasant stroll, head held with the kind of height that meant he looked down his nose at everyone around him. Which wouldn't have been hard to do anyway, given how tall he was.

His face might have been handsome, if not for something about his expression that took it away, something in his eyes that was like a window to the rotted soul within.

He came to a stop before us, gaze passing over our group with mild disgust.

"Which one of you is the circus leader?" He eventually asked, almost sounding bored.

My throat went dry.

Silence followed, and Minho took a single step closer, gradually drawing a sword.

"I will only ask once more. Who is your leader?"

I couldn't let him hurt anyone, Jungwon trusted me to look after the troupe whilst he was gone.

"I am." I declared, keeping my voice steady and my gaze fixed straight ahead.

I heard the king's footsteps approaching, and the sound of his sword scraping loosely against the ground as he did so.

I kept my fear in check.

Right until I felt the cold steel under my chin, lifting my face up.

He said nothing for a moment as his black eyes trailed over me, and it felt like insects crawling on my skin.

I tried not to grimace, in case he decided to use the sword for more than just threats.

Inspection finished, he spoke again.

"Where's my nephew?" He asked casually, as if he hadn't just rounded us all up like cattle and set everything on fire.

I decided to play dumb. Jake wasn't here, so perhaps I could make him believe we didn't know anything about him.

"The prince?" I asked, tilting my head as if in confusion.

The blade pressed harder against my throat and I let out a squeak.

"You seem to mistake me for a fool."

My eyes watered and I quickly denied it.

"No no, I'm sorry. I swear I don't know where he is."

Technically, I didn't know where the treasury was, so that wasn't totally a lie.

Suddenly a hand fisted into my hair, hauled me up and started walking. All I could do was clutch at it and follow along towards a tree stump, where the king then seized my wrist and laid my hand flat on its surface.

"This is your last chance." He says calmly.

"Tell me where you're hiding him, or else every time you make me ask again, I'll take one of your pretty little fingers."