"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," the princess breathes. "That they will be whoever they want to be, and that they'll never ever have to carry a sword wherever they go."
"I live for you," Jeongguk answers. Simply because, he...
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"YOU WERE LUCKY the cuts aren't that deep. It looks like the Jeon boy was holding himself back fairly well."
Taehyung trains his eyes on the ground as the court physician wrapped a bandage around his arm. He let out a quiet hissed when the physician tightens the cloth before tying it in place.
"You should've come here right after the duel. You're risking infections," the elderly physician tells him.
The commandant has his fair share of wounds; from years of training and fighting alongside the royal family. So he can't deny that a small bit of his pride is hurt by that Jeon boy. In fact, his pride hurts more than the cuts on both his arms.
"I had some... duties to attend to," Taehyung finally answers. It's only half true. All he did was wander around the halls until he stumbled onto Namjoon who insisted he get his cuts treated like the Jeon boy.
When the court physician deems him ready to leave, Taehyung thanks him before exiting the room. Two patrolling guards pass by him along the corridor, but stop promptly to give him a bow.
Ignoring the mild stinging in his arms—he's had far worse—Taehyung releases a dragged out sigh before heading towards the stairs. The sun is beginning to set—streaks of embers bursting across the sky of blue, turning into a bright shade of purple and red which he can see through the glass windows in the hall. The warm light seeps in, illuminating the hall in a vibrant orange.
At first, he walks on without any destination in mind. That is, until he finds himself standing at the foot of the stairs leading to the royal hall where the princess supposedly sat with the prince of Karrstad for lunch.
He hears footsteps before anything else.
Turning around, he sees the person in his mind coming to life and standing before him, her eyes ever-so-bright compared to the jewels hanging from the chandeliers on the ceiling.
He doesn't have to ask her how lunch went before she says, "I sent him off."
Taehyung knits his brows, not expecting it at all. He was fully prepared to blurt out a word of congratulations, but apparently she's still willing to uphold her infamous reputation when it comes to finding a spouse.
