Ryang Empire 1854
Gat (a traditional Korean historical hat)
Se-ja (Crown Prince)
Jun-ki's POV...
While dodging arrows left and right, my mind kept replaying that Nyota was always meant to be my wife. I don't know how I am supposed to feel about this new information that I learned, but now is not the time for me to be thinking about it. I needed to get back to the palace to make sure that She is alright before worrying about our future. I slipped into one of the small but very busy market stores when I spotted several hooded figures wearing all black and yielding swords searching the marketplace.
Taking off my mask, I stuffed it inside my clothes, then I pulled my Gat down over my face and leisurely made my way through the crowded marketplace with my head lowered. "We have to find her tonight if we don't want to end up like Jian and Gino did an hour ago." I hear a guy tell a group of men standing at the end of a meat market shop nearby. Pulling my Gat further down over my eyes, I walked past the group of scary-looking men unnoticed.
"Why are they after Nyota, and who are they working for?" I asked myself as I made my way back towards the palace. Dozens of the palace's best-trained swordsmen charged out of the gate just as I ducked into the passageway that led to the secret tunnel that was connected to both Nyota and my living quarters.
"Hanuel, I'm worried about Jung-ki. What if he's not alright? What if he's out there hurt or maybe even worse, d-dead?"
"Trust me, he's fine, Nyota. Jun knows how to defend himself better than I know how to defend him and myself." I heard Haneul say before I gave the signature knock that only Nyota and him would recognize. "See, I told you he'll come back unharmed." He says after opening the door and seeing me standing on the other side of it. Before I could step foot inside her room, Nyota charged toward me, almost knocking me over backward. I probably would have been lying on the ground with her laying on top of me if Haneul hadn't reached out and caught the both of us.
"Were you that worried about me?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her tiny waist. She simply nodded yes while at the same time squeezing me tighter. "Hanuel I need you to go report to mom and dad that I'm fine and back inside the palace walls."
"Yes, Se-ja." He says, sounding far too formal for my liking.
"Maybe I should do this more often if this is the kind of greeting I'm going to get from you." I jokingly said to Nyota as soon as Hanuel exited the room.
"Try it if you want to. I promise you'll never willingly put your life in danger again," she replied before playfully punching my right shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, checking me over from head to toe.
"I'm fine, I didn't even have to fight anyone," I replied after grabbing a hold of her arms and holding her still.
"Promise me that you're not hurt anywhere." Nyota sorrowfully utters at the same time her upper lip begins to quiver.
"I promise..."
"Thank goodness you're alright." Mom and Min-sook say as they barged into the room and began to look me over, the same way that Nyota had just done. By the way, they were all acting, you'd think that I'd never left the palace or ever been in danger before.
"Umma and Min-sook, I'm fine," I speak in an exasperated voice.
"Jung-ki did you find out why you guys were being followed?" Appa asked while Umma stood there making a fuss over me, even after she saw with her own two eyes I was physically fine.
"I met a man who resembles Nyota. He said that he was her youngest brother..."
"Did he say his name was Siraj?" Nyota asked in a hopeful tone.
"Yes," I replied, turning to face her. As soon as I said that, her happiness turned into sadness and fear. "What's wrong Nyota?"
"Did he come here to hurt me?" She asked in a scared voice.
"No, he came to tell you that there are people out there looking to harm you." An indescribable pain sliced through my chest when I saw the hope of meeting one of her family members turn into fear right before my very eyes. Turning to face my parents, I asked, "Why did Nyota's brother say that her life will be in danger as long as she's by my side?"
"We'll talk about that later, Jung-ki. Right now, we need to make sure Nyota's hideout here is still safe." Appa says at the same time, Sung-jun walked into the room. "I need you and Hanuel to follow me." He instructed us as he walked out of the room behind Sung-jun.
"Your Majesty, two Kingdoms are searching the streets of Ryang looking for Nyota," Sung-jun announced once we were inside my room.
"Who are they?"
"The Andrecan Empire, and I don't know the name of the other one yet, Your Majesty."
"I need you to find out the name of the other kingdom, and also to find out why the Kingdom of Andrecan is looking for Nyota. I need you to find out if they are looking for her to cause her harm?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Sun-jun says before leaving Appa, Haneul, and me in the room alone.
"Jung-ki, I want you, Hanuel, Nyota, and Minsook to leave the palace for a few days."
"Where will we go, Appa? If we do leave will Nyota be safe outside the palace wall away from the protection of the palace guards?"
"The four of you will be safe in your mom's hometown. She has a secluded hideout there that only sun-jun, Minsook, your mom, and I only know about."
"How are we going to get off the palace premises without anyone noticing?"
"There's a second secret tunnel that leads out of the palace towards your mom's hometown. The four of you will leave at midnight tonight with the assistance of Sun-jun."
"Alright, Appa but before we leave I need to know is what Nyota's brother said about her being my future wife true and that her life will always be in danger because of me?"
"The part about her becoming your wife is true, but the part about her life being in danger because of you isn't. Nyota's life is in danger because of who she is. On the night that her parents died, they were bringing her here to meet her future husband and for her protection."
"Protection... protection from what, and why aren't we already married?" I asked, while the confusion about what in the heck was going on made me feel out of sorts.
"I don't know who she needed to be protected from because her parents were murdered before they could tell your mom and me. You and Nyota aren't married already because I promised her parents that we would wait until she turned eighteen. I know that you have more questions to ask me, Jun-ki but they're going to have to wait. Right now, I need to get you and Nyota to safety."
Hanuel and I silently followed Appa back to Nyota's living quarters. When we entered the room, her things were already packed and ready to go. The grim expression on her face let me know that Umma and Minsook already told her what was taking place tonight.
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