Your Highness

T W E L V E

C H A P T E R T W E L V E

Awaken by the sizzle of the rain, Hayoon sat up and headed to open the window doors. The sky was gloomy but it looked like it soon would clear up. The dull streets were still empty, with no trace of a living being.

"Is it already morning?" Young's voice pulled Hayoon from her trance, she looked back to see him turning his head in her direction. She was surprised. With those wounds and the medicine applied, Hayoon was sure he would be deep asleep.

"I have no reference to time with these blindfold." He added.

Silence.

"Ya, would you die from answering- Mmremmhm" Hayoon stuffed his mouth with a balled handkerchief.

She then sat by the table and brushed her hair, ignoring Young's muffled complaints. Hayoon tied half of her hair in a little bun, while letting the rest gracefully slid down from both side of her shoulder reaching down her waist.

She then grabbed the veil hat and put it on before bending down beside Young and pulled out the balled handkerchief. As she did that, Young let out a refrained huff then pulled his lips into a tight line.

"There is an ointment bottle on the table." She paused brief but he remained silent, just as she did. "apply it regularly then the cuts won't get infected. Before leaving I will place a knife somewhere on the floor, use that to come free."

"Somewhere?" Young said wryly, near annoyed.

"Yes."

"Ya, You-" She stuffed back handkerchief in his mouth.

Hayoon soundlessly placed a knife on the floor as promised before heading out of the room. She headed down the stairs and out of the Inn. It drizzled lightly, but the veil hat shielded her as good as an umbrella. It was strangely quiet by the way, no one was at the front desk to bid customers in or out. The whole building was silent as a graveyard.

Hayoon stopped and looked around. She had this weird feeling as if someone was watching her, but she couldn't see anyone.

"It's her,"

Hayoon moved her gaze ahead to the source of the voice to see Ji Ahn surrounded by a bunch of men. She pointed at Hayoon with a trembling finger, eyes waterd as she with shaky eyes looked back at the men that held her other hand tight.

"What are you doing?" Hayoon said taking a step back as the men walked towards her. Heavy steps splashed the muddles. Hayoon looked back to see another group of men coming from both side of the roads. She was all surrounded.

"Miss, are you the owner of this?" A man from the group stepped out and held up the familiar piece of ornament. Hayoon had no idea what they wanted or what difference it would be if she was the owner of the ornament, but she was afraid if she refused, Ji Ahn would get hurt.

"What If I am?" Hayoon tightened her fist under the long sleeves.

"Then I'll have to ask young miss to come with us," The man said. His invitation sounded more like a declaration with a hint of threat.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we'll take you by force."

The men grabbed their weapon and closed their distance to Hayoon. She looked around at the dozen men. Some held a bat of wooden while others tightened the thick long ropes, they'd spun couple rounds around their wrist. Hayoon was trembling hardly, though she did her best not to let it show.

I'm not scared. Hayoon told herself. I'm not scared.

As it seemed like all hope was lost, a strong wind pierced the air when a man jumped down from the window of the inn. Hayoon's eyes widened as Young landed on his feet just between her and the men with the little knife in his hand.

"What are you-"

"You located the knife a really petty place" He hissed at her half heartedly angry.

"This is none of your business young man," The man from before said as he approached. Young stepped to the side, covering Hayoon's whole figure from the view of the approacher. "Step aside and you won't get hurt."

"Likewise" Young replied shortly.

"What do you think you are doing?" Hayoon whispered at Young.

"Now you're talking to me?" He said looking at her over his shoulder.

"Don't interfere" Hayoon said in audible volume.

"You heard her, step aside." The man demanded. Young shot the knife in his hand in the man's direction, loud gasp of shocks arose among the crowd, but the man didn't even blink an eye when the knife was closing its distance to his face. Vaguely brushing against his skin, the knife slid a little cut on the man's face before crashing to the ground with loud clinging.

Hayoon glanced at Young from the corner of her eyes, his lips pulled in an confident smirk as the middle aged man brushed his finger against the cut to get his finger smeared in red liquid.

"Get the girl." The man sneered as he gestured for the group to attack. Hayoon had nowhere to hide, she couldn't even budge, only Young moved with incredible speed in the limited space and blocked out-comers from touching her. He pulled Hayoon away from the weapons and pushed her away from the men's grasp, not even a second did he let go of her hand.

Men were thrown and fell as pins, but Hayoon didn't had the lightest hope alive. Sweat pearls trailed down his temples and gathered around his chin, Young was drained, his heavy breathing and refrained groaned alerted bad news.

Yoon...Where are you? Hayoon looking in panic searching for a hint of Yoon but in vain.

"Agrrr!!!...." a painful shriek pierced the air as Young lost his stand and fell with one knee to the ground as a man punched his ribs with the wooden bat. Young's hand let go of Hayoon's and wrapped around his bleeding wounds.

As if the men didn't even see Hayoon capable of escaping they didn't even bother to take her right away, but had the leisure to return the grace Young once bestow them before retreating. They exchanged eyes as if they still contemplated of who would get the honour to give the death punch. It was then decided. The heaviest and seemingly strongest man was handed the bat.

Yoon! Where are you?!? Hayoon internally cried as the man came closer. His left hand held the bat tight as he lightly smacked it against his right palm. He was getting closer and closer.

Please.... Hayoon stopped breathing as the man stopped in front of them. His arm raised the bat high as he looked down at Young with a sly grin.

"Yoon! Please help me!!" Fast as thunder and light as the wind, a figure swirled down from the roof and landed just in front of Hayoon and Young.

With a light stroke the thick wooden bat was sliced in half in the air, leaving the attacker gasping, horror evident in those eyes. There wasn't even time to react before realising half of the men was send to the ground with tightened chest pain by a figure of just half their size.

Venomous aura surrounded this person, the murderous gaze that made everyone shudder just by the person's mere presence, and unbeknownst made them crawl back with their weak legs.

It can't be. Hayoon didn't want to admit what she saw.

He's supposed to be dead.