"They said his wings turned grey because he had a bad intention to our land."
"I can't believe he has a hidden agenda like that."
"Luckily The Executioner came right in time to punish him."
Roseanne could not bear to listen to another negative rumors about Jungkook since the morning she wakes up. Sir Anthony had informed her of the unfortunate incident but she did not believe it. There was no way Jungkook was like that. She had been crying while waiting for him to be brought back to the castle.
Sir Anthony told her that a farmer's wife found Jungkook in their fruit orchard, she was screaming to see his neck stabbed with a blade and he is believed to be dead for a few hours before he was put there.
Roseanne did not listen to the rest of the information. Her eyes watered but she believed that Jungkook was not dead yet. He was immortal, it can't be...
"Step back! Please step back! Do not obstruct our duty or you will be next to be punished!", the royal guards were struggling with the townsfolk that have been crowding the entrance of the castle.
They were all curious to see the lifeless winged-man that had helped them day and night since two days ago. The commotion took place just outside of the main gate of the castle got Roseanne's attention. She stood up as she looked at the gate being opened while the people were swarming the royal carriage that was bringing Jungkook's body back as per her request. When she was stepping down the stairs, Sir Anthony held her hand, stopping her before she acted on her own accord. He shook his head and put up his hand, signalling her to stay and wait.
With tears threatening to spill, she obeyed as the royal carriage came closer while the royal guards pushed the people out of the castle. Once everyone left and the gate is closed again, Sir Anthony told the guards to bring Jungkook out of the carriage. He took two steps back to let Roseanne see the body by herself.
Seokjin and Hoseok dragged his body out of the carriage carefully before laying him to the ground in front of Roseanne. Another royal guard took the blade covered in blood and put it beside his body. Then, he went to Sir Anthony and showed the scroll they found with Jungkook.
"Your Highness, this is what made everyone believed he's a criminal.", Sir Anthony handed the scroll to Roseanne.
'Greetings!
I am The Nomad Executioner who had found that this man with wings was trying to conquer the Kingdom of Eudaemonia. You might have thought he was kind for helping but he actually was faking it. He was the legend they call a monster but do you know he has black magic? With that magic, he can turn anything alive or die anytime. It was all his atrocious plan. I must admit that he was a tough fight but I managed to stop him from his evil plan in this land. I hope this would give relief to you and thank you for the hospitality I received during my stay here.
Regards,
The Nomad Executioner.'
Roseanne's heart broke, her cheeks were wet with tears. She tore the scroll into pieces before throwing it away.
"Cal...wake up, please...you promised me...you said you will take care of yourself...you said I will see you today...this is not...this is not how I want to see you, Cal..."
As she was grieving over the lifeless body in front of her, the door beside the main gate opened and revealed her fiancé. He seemed out of breath as he rushed to her side and looked around at what was happening.
"Rosie..."
"Mingyu...it's not true. This is not true!", she cried as he pulled her into his arms.
"Calm down, calm down, Rosie..", he tried to comfort her.
"He cannot die. He's immortal, how..."
Mingyu nodded, he put his hands on her shoulders to talk to her, "I know, I know. I don't believe it too."
"Look at him, Gyu..he's not moving..."
Mingyu turned his face to see Jungkook's body. He found the sight of the blood on his neck too disturbing to bear.
"I heard The Nomad-"
"No! He's not punished by that vigilante! I don't believe it!", Roseanne hit Mingyu's shoulders a few times before she suddenly collapsed into his arms.
"Rosie? Rosie, wake up.."
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The mood in the castle had been somber since the morning. Even in the afternoon, it was too quiet in the dining hall where King Julius was having his lunch with his future son-in-law, Mingyu. The king, slowly been recovering from his illness, had gotten back to be busy with his duties as the ruler of the kingdom. Today when he heard about what happened to Jungkook, he knew that he had to handle it first before anything else.
"Mingyu?", the king called the young man sitting beside him.
He did not respond.
"Kim Mingyu?", he called again, his hand patted the young man's shoulder softly.
"Ah, oh, uncle. I'm sorry, what were you saying, uncle?", Mingyu replied, he put the spoon down on the plate.
"Are you okay, son?", King Julius asked, he needed to make sure before they begin a discussion involving Jungkook.
"Am I...yes, I'm okay, uncle.", he said. "I'm sorry if I was not listening to you, uncle. It's just that...I'm still trying to digest everything that's going on. Eudaemonia is recovering, The Nomad Executioner, Caladrius' death...and Rosie's unconscious now...", he added.
King Julius nodded, "Everything is coming at once, Mingyu.."
"Yes, uncle."
"Right now, I want to focus on Caladrius first. His body...is in the guest room right now. May I know why you told the castle staff to put him there?", Roseanne's father asked.
He needed a thorough understanding of what was happening so he knew that other than her own daughter who was saved by the winged-man, he needed Mingyu's perspective too since he was the one convincing the townsfolk about Jungkook's genuine nature.
"Oh, yes..I know that he's dead but uncle...I don't think Roseanne will like it to see him gone just like that.", Mingyu answered.
"The body will-"
"Let's just wait until Roseanne wakes up. I actually wanted to talk to her too about this. I mean about Caladrius' death and the Executioner.", he added.
"About that vigilante, do you think he really is in Eudaemonia? I've heard stories about him being a traveler that kills criminal in those places he travelled to but I don't believe that he's here travelling in this kingdom.", King Julius expressed his doubt on the infamous nomadic vigilante.
Mingyu remained silent.
"Do you think it's really-"
The king paused upon the appearance of Alicia, the senior castle staff at the door of the dining hall.
"I am sorry for interrupting, Your Majesty. I am here to inform that the princess has woke up.", she told them.
Both the king and the prince stood up.
✨️✨️✨️
The corridors of the royal palace echoed with distress as Princess Roseanne's chamber became a battleground of emotions. Sir Anthony, Roseanne and Alice struggled to contain the princess, who fought against their attempts to confine her within the room.
Moments later, King Julius, concerned by the commotion, rushed to her chamber accompanied by Mingyu. The sight of Roseanne in disarray, her eyes clouded with turmoil, tugged at their heartstrings.
"Roseanne, my dear," King Julius approached with caution, his voice laced with paternal concern, "Are you alright?"
Tears glistened in her eyes as she struggled to articulate her distress.
"Father, Mingyu..", she gasped, her voice quivering with desperation, "I need to see Cal. Please, I know he's still alive."
The mention of Jungkook's name sent a ripple of concern through the room. King Julius exchanged a worried glance with Mingyu, both men struggling to comprehend her plea.
"My dear, Caladrius..." King Julius started, trying to calm her, "he's no longer with us. You need to rest, Rosie."
But Roseanne's resolve remained unyielding.
"No, he can't be gone. I need to see him!", she implored, her voice breaking with grief.
Mingyu, sensing Roseanne's distress, approached her bedside. "Rosie, my love," he spoke softly, "I believe you, but you need to regain your strength first."
Reluctantly, she nodded, exhaustion weighing heavily on her. She settled on her bed, her emotions in turmoil as she clung to the hope that Jungkook might still be alive. She was still denying the fact that he had gone although she had seen his body herself that morning.
Seeing her calmed down, Mingyu turned to King Julius, seeking permission for a private conversation. "Your Majesty," Mingyu began respectfully, "may I speak with Roseanne alone for a moment?", he asked.
Understanding the importance of the situation, King Julius nodded, signaling for Sir Anthony and Alice to leave the chamber. He then left the room, leaving Mingyu and Roseanne alone. Mingyu sat solemnly beside Roseanne's motionless form, her gaze fixed upon the wall. His voice, tender and filled with concern, broke the hush as he softly called out her name.
"Rosie," he murmured, watching her unresponsive, she seemed lost in her own thoughts. "Cal... he is in the guest room.", he told her.
At the mention of Jungkook's name, her stillness shattered like glass. With a sudden surge of urgency, she rose from the bed, her heart in turmoil at the news. Mingyu, understanding the depth of her emotions, gently urged her to stay and listen before rushing off.
"Please, Rosie," he implored softly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "There's something we need to talk about before you go.", he added.
Tears welled up in Roseanne's eyes as she turned to face him, her heart heavy with a weighty confession she could no longer hold back. In a torrent of emotions, she embraced him tightly, her tears flowing freely as she whispered her heartfelt admission.
"Gyu, I'm sorry..I...I love Cal.", she confessed between sobs, her voice choked with emotion. "I'm sorry for betraying your love, but I can't keep this secret any longer."
Mingyu, his expression softening with understanding, returned the embrace, offering her comfort and solace amidst the turmoil. His warm smile spoke volumes as they parted from the embrace.
"I've known, Rosie," he said gently, his voice filled with a sense of acceptance. "I saw both of you yesterday.", he stated.
"I am so sorry..."
He nodded, "It's okay. I will let you go if that's what you want but...before I let that happen, we need to talk about what happened to Cal."
Roseanne frowned, "What...why? What else happened to him?"
"Okay, I will tell you but you need to relax.", he replied.
"Please tell me, Mingyu..."
"Okay. His body...was discovered this morning. The experts have inspected him, they concluded that he had died since last night. I touched him this morning, his body temperature is warm. Before I came here earlier, I went there again to see if there's any changes. There is none, Rosie.", he explained.
"That..that means he's still alive, right?", she asked him.
He shook his head, sighing, "I am not sure because...did you see his wings? They turned completely grey. Some of the feathers fell off, I don't know...for a creature like him-"
"Don't call him like that. He's still a human...", Roseanne cut him softly.
He apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. To be honest...I have felt like he's a friend to me, Rosie. I believe he is not like what people are saying. It's because of that stupid scroll-"
"The scroll, the..the executioner. I don't believe it. The executioner don't write long letters like that. I've heard about his scrolls before. He only stated that he's helping to catch a criminal and said goodbye. That scroll I tore didn't sound like him.", she told him.
"You've heard about his scrolls?", Mingyu asked.
Roseanne nodded, "You know how I like to read news about him. I am sure that whoever that hurt Cal...it is not him."
"I feel the same. I could go and investigate this if you want-"
"Why is the dead body here?! Throw it away!", the shrieking tone startled both of them.
They walked to the door to see what was happening.
"Wendy, stop! Don't you try to do anything to him!", Sir Anthony rushed over the guest room.
"No..", Roseanne quickly ran to the guest room.
Mingyu followed suit. Her father came out too.
"Why are we keeping this dead man here? He should be buried or sent back to where he came from.", Wendy said to Sir Anthony.
"Wendy, don't touch him.", Roseanne walked in to the guest room and approached Jungkook. "He's not dead yet..", she took his hand, kissing it softly.
Wendy scoffed at the scene, "Look! Father, look at your beloved princess. This dead man is turning her crazy. In front of you and her own fiancé. Shameless!"
"Wendy, stop talking. You don't know anything.", Mingyu tried to defend Roseanne.
"I don't know anything?"
"Uncle, I believe Rosie. Caladrius is not dead yet. His body is warm. It's been more than 12 hours, his body should be cooling down if he is dead.", Mingyu touched Jungkook's warm skin.
King Julius came closer, he put his hand on Jungkook's body.
"He's not human. He might undergo a different process of death-"
"Shh! Keep your mouth shut, Wendy.", King Julius said.
"Uncle.", Mingyu called, he went out of the room, signalling the king for a private conversation.
When they were alone at a corner of the hallway, Mingyu told him that he did not believe that Jungkook was murdered by The Nomad Executioner. He said that Roseanne was thinking the same and he asked permission to go do an investigation on the case. King Julius gave his permission and when Mingyu was ready to leave, he asked the young man a question.
"Do you still love Roseanne?"
Mingyu smiled, "Yes, uncle. That's why I'm doing this for her."
The king nodded.
"I will make sure to come back as soon as possible. See you, uncle.", Mingyu hugged the king before running away to find proof that the murder was not the infamous vigilante's doing. "Nobody should tarnish my name like this...", he whispered to himself as he got on his horse.
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I will be honest. We're not close to the ending yet. My initial plot doesn't have this infamous vigilante. Hehe...but serious question, sad ending or happy ending? Hm...