The Second Bodyguard || Re-written (Any x oc)

Chapter 41

The Thunder beast had no sense of personal space nor privacy, and Azumi will leave it at that.

"Is it truly okay to leave without my bodyguard? I have strict orders from his majesty to stay beside him at all times, you see, I'm still recovering from an injury and need that extra layer of potential" Azumi lied smoothly, stating something that wasn't exactly wrong but was certainly a lie. She would die if anyone found out that she had done absolutely anything without Jae-ha by her side, that was the very reason her grandpa, Hak and Yoon had let her come here in the first place, and technically she did have some injuries, although they were just the remnants of bruises on her skins and the scab of a couple of scars that were healing nicely.

At her words, Daigo paled considerably and suddenly he was a sputtering mess of concern, his hands awkwardly reaching forward to help her but stopping because he knew that he didn't have the right to approach her, let alone touch her. Azumi sent him a reassuring smile, before gesturing towards the green-dragon who was watching the scene with a surprisingly blank expression.

"There's no need for any concern, Emperor Daigo, I would just prefer to have a bodyguard by my side" Azumi spoke up, majorly to shut him up, which worked effectively as Daigo went quiet before nodding. Then, with a gesture of his hand, Daigo turned and walked off with Eiji, Azumi and Jae-ha behind him. With a bored voice, Daigo led them down a tour just as he had said he would. However, it was obvious to all of his companions that what he had wanted truly was a moment alone with Azumi. Unconsciously, Azumi moved closer to Jae-ha at the thought, and the Green dragon made no move to stop her. There was nothing that Azumi held against Daigo, she truly owed him her life after everything he had done for her, but she got awkward at the thought of the affections he might still hold for her, and despite everyone's expectations, she had noticed the looks he was sending her. She had seen that sort of look in someone's eyes before, and that had ended up with her starved and beaten in a cell. That possessiveness, that was the cause of all her troubles in her life, and she did not want to deal with something like that yet again. She knew what would happen if she was left alone with Daigo, a man who had restrained himself for years after longing for her, and now that she was finally within his reach, Azumi feared what he would do.

During the tour, there was an awkward silence in the air that was only ever broken by Daigo pointing out landmarks that Azumi already knew of, as she had visited this place as a child already. But she kept her mouth shut and politely followed along with the tour while making sure that Jae-ha was always in the corner of her vision. And so, the festival passed like this, With Azumi staying by Daigo's side as visitors came up to talk to him. Many nobles recognised Azumi and started a conversation with her, but the point of this festival was for Kouka to become acquainted with the new king. Daigo would be going over in the next month to meet Soo-won in person if the negotiations went well, but it would most likely happen anyway because this was a small island compared to Kouka Kingdom. Because of Yama Island's placement on the map, it's not as if they could easily contact anyone other than Kouka kingdom, it would be pointless to ally itself with a kingdom like Kai.

As the festivities transitioned into a formal ball, Azumi found herself in a similar position as last time. Getting dressed in the dressing room, except she chose to bother with makeup and her hair this time, and walked out to find Jae-ha in formal armour. The two shared a smile before Jae-ha escorted Azumi out of the room and towards the ballroom they had been in yesterday. Walking in, Azumi's smile became prominent as she walked down the stairs and descended into a night of socialisation yet again. It felt like hours of just standing there with a smile plastered on her face, listening to the ranting and raving of nobles and promising to relay their complaints to Soo-won. Yet again, she felt Daigo's gaze pinned to her back for the entire night, but this time she was prepared and didn't let it affect her. She was completely in control until she heard someone cough to grab her attention.