"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM YOU MOSTER !?"
The man's voice made me look up and snap out of it. Prince Chan was standing right in front of me while facing his younger brother who slowly stood up and held his back.
"You don't tell me what to do, brother. Why do you even care about that servant?" His eyes were as cold as ice and even when Chan came at him he stayed the same.
"Listen Minho, Jisung is the cousin of Dahyun so he is under my protection. If you ever dare to touch him again, I'll make sure you never enter the palace again." He grabbed the younger by his collar.
"Yeah, that's what all of you want... that I just disappear. This man is just a servant of the palace... I can do anything I want with him."
Before Chan was able to say anything back prince Minho had freed himself and left the room in an instant.
The worried 2nd prince turned around to me instead of heading after him.
I wanted to say something but I didn't know how.
"Prince Chan, don't worry. I'm fi-"
All of a sudden he wrapped his arms around me in a warm embrace.
I wasn't scared or hurt but why were my legs still shaking?
Carefully, I mirrored his action and also put my arms around him. This wasn't like prince Minho... this felt like someone was sincerely worrying about me.
"Jisung... I told you to be carefull. I told you not to make me worry about you but you keep messing with my patience. Minho... what did he do to you?"
He let go of me and put the upper part of my dress back together as good as possibke. I couldn't look into his eyes when I started talking.
"He- he pulled me into this room because he suspected me of being a man. I think he assumes that I have ill intentions toward him."
Chans gaze then fell on the hairpin in my hand and I noticed his muscles tensing.
"Was he the one that tried to strangle you?"
I hesitated with my answer.
"Yes... I think it was because I saw him without his mask."
The prince grabbed my shoulders.
"Jisung. I don't care what his reasons are... my brother is consumed by his delusion of the whole world fighting him. When you see him next time you hide or run or anything else but don't try to talk to him or ask him anything!"
It wasn't like I wanted to talk to him again but I wasn't scared of him either. That prince was very dangerous but I pitied him. Like Prince Hyunjin said, he hid his true self behind a wall and let nobody see it. A serious mental condition didn't excuse his actions but if I thought about how I had felt when everything in my life had went down the hill and the whole world seemed to hate me... I could understand him a little. That didn't mean that I accepted his behaviour though.
"What if-"
"No what ifs!"
He held the front piece of my dress together and gently pushed me out on the hallways.
"Someone's gonna see us! Let me go!" I complained because he was basically hugging me while walking when trying to shield me from the others view.
He kept holding onto me and fastly walked in direction of my room.
"In that ripped dress of yours everyone is gonna see that you're a boy and that'd be a problem so we have to hurry."
He actually had a point, but still... did I really need to be taken care of like that?
"HUH? I knew Chan is doing filthy things to you Jisung!" Chan stopped in his track when prince Hyunjin walked around a corner in the in that moment. He had a knowing smile plastered on his face and raised his eyebrow.
The older prince'a mouth was slightly opened and a light shade of pink was visible on his cheeks. I had warned him.
"Why do you even know him? And no, obviously I'm not doing filthy things to him... a certain someone ripped his clothes and he can't walk around like that."
Another person appeared in the hallway. This time it was Felix accomanied by Lady Lisa who reacted too late to prevent Felix from hearing our conversation.
"Wait... J- Jisa, you are a b-boy?! And why the hell is she, I mean he, in prince Chan's arms?!"
Lady Lisa signed and turned to her brother and prince Hyunjin.
"Prince Hyunjin, I'd appreciate if you kept this a secret and Felix, that counts for you too. Also, don't tell Sophie."
"What it this about?" The still confused guard asked and soon Chan and Lady Lisa were explaining them the whole storry while I changed clothes in my room.
I put on the pants and shirt that I had been wearing when I got here so I immediately felt a lot better.
When I stepped outside again Felix and Pince Hyunjin were already waiting for me excitement written on their faces.
"You look so much better in these clothes." Hyunjin said and Felix took the opportunity to pull me outside to the inner garden.
"I heard something about you before, did you really lose your memory?" He wondered.
"Uhm... actually it's a bit more complicated than that."
I couldn't tell them that I was from the future yet. They wouldn't believe me anyways so I said that I'd explain them in the right moment but not now.
We decided that hiding the fact that I was a boy wouldn't make sense anymore because too many people already knew. So the rest of the day Felix showed me around the training area for the guards and also the kitchen and other rooms where I'd be working as a male servant. Although many people seemed to regognize my face from the posters, no one said or did anything. My wish really had been fullfilled. The king had held his word.
Lady Lisa took care of "Jisa's" dissapearance and told everyone she left to help her ill grandma so instead her brother Jisung was now working in the palace. I was still wondering what would happen if Sophie saw me as Jisung because I knew she'd immediately recognize me but as long as I kept avoiding her there should be no problem.
Felix had left us because Prince Seungmin needed him so Changbin took over. He was currently showing me the 1st princes part of the palace.
And that was when I saw her again...
The old Lady that I had seen in the village and that looked exactly like the homeless woman I had talked to before I died. Without even thinking I ran up to her before Changbin ran after me.
"Hey Jisung where are you going?!"
"Excuse me miss!"
The old woman saw me comming and started walking faster but soon I had caught up to her and blocked the way.
"Excuse me, but I think I know you."
She eyed me suspiciosly before speaking with the same old voice I was familiar with.
"I don't know a young boy like you."
A bit of dissapointment spread in my heart but I wouldn't give up so easily so I whispered the next sentence.
"We're both from the future, don't you remember? I gave you a bottle of water."
Her expression got even more disgusted.
"Are you crazy boy? I didn't know they let weirdos like you walk around the palace!"
Cautiously, I took a step back.
"But-"
"Lady Chaerin! I need your opinion on something, oh... I see you're having a conversation."
When I turned around the 1st prince Wonpil was standing right in front of me. He was smiling at me but the old woman caught his attention first.
"My prince. No, I'm not having a conversation, this weirdo just randomly came up to me saying I'd know him from the future... unbelievable!"
"Jisung what are you doing?!" Changbin shouted. He ran up to me to pull me back from the other two while giving me a warning look.
"I'm sorry Lady Chaerin, Jisung is new in our palace."
"Jisung, hmm..." Prince Wonpil mumbled and stared at us.
"You look like that guy that broke in the princesses bathroom but... you do also resemble the maid Jisa who made this shirt for me... are you her brother perhaps?"
I didn't think he'd still wear the shirt that I made for him.
"Jisa is my sister but she left to help our sick grandmother so now I am working here... and I never heard of a criminal like the one you were talking about, my prince."
"Is that so? You even sound a bit like her...?"
Wonpil took a step closer. From what I heard he was an excelent fighter and also really intelligent so it was almost impossible to fool him. Did he already see through our plan?
Gladly, Changbin broke the silence and put his arm around my shoulder to give me a sign that we'd go.
"Again, we are really sorry for bothering both of you. I still have to show him the rest of the palace so we better go. I wish you a good day."
Before I left with Changbin I turned around one more time. Lady Chaerin was still staring at me like I'd be the reason for everything bad but prince Wonpil still smiled like the sunshine. Something about him made me feel a bit uncomfortable... as if he already knew everything.
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One member is still missing in the storry ;3