Beomgyu's heart dropped into his stomach. Another Mabsuli blood? In Akabri? In the Royal Family of Akabri's castle?
Well isn't this a dramatic turn of events. Like when Mr. Waternoose turned out to be the bad guy and strapped Boo to the—NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE MAKING DISNEY REFERENCES, ME! THERE'S ANOTHER FREAKING MABSULI BLOOD IN THE CASTLE!
"Beom." Yoongi shook the prince's shoulder, snapping him out of his racing thoughts. "It's going to be okay," he said reassuringly despite the panic in his own eyes.
"How?!" Beomgyu exclaimed. "There's been another Mabsuli blood in the castle for who knows how long, and they've been messing with us and possibly the Verdel bloods! And to top it all off, we have no idea who it could be!"
"And we won't if we keep panicking like this. You need to calm down, Beom."
"Yoongi..." Beomgyu ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "I can't let Yeonjun get hurt again. I can't let anyone get hurt."
"They won't." Yoongi gripped both of Beomgyu's arms. "We'll make sure of it. We can start by bringing down the Panic Meter a couple of notches, okay?" Beomgyu nodded, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths. It went on like that for a couple more moments before Beomgyu heaved one last sigh and opened his eyes. "Better?" Yoongi asked. Beomgyu nodded.
"What are we going to do?" he asked, wringing his hands as worry dripped from his voice.
"Well, if the spell was casted on us, it was casted on everyone else too," Yoongi said in a rush, flipping through the spell book again. "Tonight we need to go around the castle and perform the obstructionum spell on everyone. Then we'll need to cast anti-magic in every doorway to make sure whoever this Mabsuli blood is, they can't cast this spell on us again. Then we'll have some time to look for this person."
Beomgyu blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend everything Yoongi just said using his two uncooperative brain cells. "You lost me at 'tonight,'" he said. Yoongi beckoned him over.
"This is the spell I had you perform on yourself," he said, pointing to a page. "Obstructionum. A counterspell that blocks a spell's influence on the brain. We'll need to cast this on all castle staff and your family."
"But won't it hurt them?" Beomgyu asked.
"The only reason it hurt us was because we're half-Mabsulis and were aware of the spell. Everyone else doesn't know, so it won't hurt them."
Beomgyu exhaled and nodded. "Okay. When are we going to do this?"
"Tonight when everyone is asleep." He placed a hand on Beomgyu's shoulder. "This isn't going to be an easy job, Beom. There are a lot of people in the castle, and we only have half the normal power of a Mabsuli blood. This is going to be draining, but no matter how tired you get, you need to keep going, okay?"
Beomgyu forced a chuckle. "Looks like my training's coming in handy after all." Yoongi grinned.
"Consider this your first real test of strength when it comes to magic."
"Like when Ian had to grow the jerry can so they could get more gas?"
"Um... sure."
"He had to use magic."
"I assumed."
"He kinda sucked."
"There's something you and him have in common."
"Excuse me?!"
~~~~
Dinner that night was a tense one.
It wasn't like everyone was uncomfortable. In fact, the table was as lively as it had been since the Verdel bloods arrived. There was chatter and laughter and drinking. Kai seemed to be in better spirits these days. Yeonjun had gotten over his freakout from earlier. Even Soobin was smiling despite his not-so-subtle attempts to distance himself from Princess Seulgi, who sat beside him.
But Beomgyu's mind was racing. Looking at the attendants and his family, sat at the table with their guests, smiling and laughing while oblivious to the fact they were under a spell from an unknown Mabsuli blood was upsetting and stressful. He wasn't at all hungry, but he forced the food down his throat, knowing he would need his strength later. He tried not to dwell on it all too much and act as he normally did, but apparently he wasn't doing as good a job as he thought.
"Prince Beomgyu, are you feeling alright?" Queen Kang asked. Conversations stopped as all eyes turned to the youngest Royal Son, who was quick to straighten his posture and plaster a smile.
"Yes I'm fine, please don't worry," he said brightly, trying not to shudder as he felt King Choi's piercing glare cut into his very soul.
Queen Kang frowned. "You seem quite distant today. Are you feeling sick again?"
"Oh no, nothing like that!" Beomgyu quickly said, noting the panicked expressions that crossed both Yeonjun's and Soobin's faces. "Today I just have a lot on my mind."
"Like what?"
"Oh it's silly stuff, don't worry." Her frown deepened as he said this, and Beomgyu didn't miss the way she glanced at her husband, who was also frowning.
"You can say it," Prince Taehyun spoke up. "We won't judge you." He smiled that darn smile of his, and Beomgyu had to fight really hard to keep his Inner Gay™ contained.
But I'm just saying, if he ran me over with a bulldozer while smiling like that, I would gladly be run over.
"I appreciate the concern, prince, but it's really nothing to be concerned about. Just the usual ponderings of the universe and Disney movies. Nothing to worry about."
"If you say so..." Taehyun spoke slowly, like Beomgyu would suddenly change his mind. Beomgyu kept the smile on his face, but he didn't fail to notice the way Taehyun's jaw tensed and his eyes slightly widened at Beomgyu's last sentence. Nor did he fail to notice the way he looked towards Seulgi, who looked back at him the same way their parents looked at each other just a few moments prior.
Dinner started up again, but it was less lively and carefree than it was before. It wasn't by much, but it was enough that Beomgyu noticed. The way the tense air thickened, the frown each Verdel blood had, the way they glanced at each other with questioning eyes like they were confused about something. He quickly looked over at Yoongi, whose lips were pursed as his eyes travelled all along the table and examined each person. He met Beomgyu's eyes briefly, and both knew the other was thinking the same thing.
The Verdel bloods were acting suspicious. They weren't so innocent after all.
~~~~
"Are you sure you're not feeling sick?"
"For about the three thousandth seven hundred fiftieth time, Bin, I'm fine."
"But are you sure that you're fine—"
"Jun, do I need to break out into I'm Fine by BTS to convince you both that I'm fine?"
"Please don't."
"Exactly."
Soobin sighed. The princes were walking back to their quarters after dinner. Usually it would just be Yeonjun and Beomgyu as Soobin would be escorting Seulgi back to her room. But that night, she had assured Soobin it wasn't necessary, saying that she wanted some private time alone. Soobin didn't argue and rushed off to the other Royal Sons, but not before bidding a good night to Kai. He had seemed tense and troubled as he walked with Taehyun, but had smiled as Soobin walked by. The attendant's smile was endearing, practically making him glow as Soobin walked past. He had wished Soobin a good night as well before walking off with Taehyun.
But thoughts of Kai were pushed out of Soobin's mind as he focused on Beomgyu. The thought of him falling ill like before again frightened him, and he didn't want him to go through that pain again. Despite Beomgyu insisting he was fine, Soobin couldn't help but push him a little more. "You looked tense back there, Beom. Everything okay?"
"Like I told the queen and Prince Taehyun, it's nothing to be concerned about. Just thinkin' 'bout Disney. Did you know that Aladdin is actually from China?"
"Wait, what?" Yeonjun said. "I thought he was from the Middle East."
"Nope. The original story is set in China."
"But... That doesn't..." Soobin was at a loss for words, and so was Yeonjun. They had approximately 3.5 brain cells between the two of them, and none of them could comprehend that shit.
"The more you know!" Beomgyu cheered, jumping in front of the pair and doing jazz hands. The two rolled their eyes while Beomgyu just giggled and resumed walking. By that point, they had reached their rooms, and as Beomgyu wished them goodnight and started towards his bedroom door, Soobin reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey," he said as he turned him back around. "If something's going on, you know you can tell us, right?" Yeonjun was quick to nod in agreement.
If only I could, Bin... You have no idea how badly I want to...
Still, Beomgyu forced a smile, nodded, and said, "I know. Thanks, guys." He brought them in for a quick hug before wishing them one last goodnight and entering his bedroom. The two wished him a goodnight just as the door closed, and Beomgyu heavily sighed and slid down until he was on the floor. With his knees brought up to his chest, he rested his chin on them and stared forward blankly for a bit, everything he had noticed that night running through his head at Lightning McQueen speed.
He didn't know how long it was before there was another knock at his door, but his heart clenched painfully when he found his mother standing in the corridor with a worried expression. "Beomie," she started, "is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Beomgyu was quick to say. Queen Choi only frowned further at that answer.
"You and Yoongi looked pretty worried at dinner. He told me it was nothing, but I know you two. It is something." She took her son's hands gently, "Sweetheart, you know you can talk to me."
"I know," Beomgyu choked out, not looking her in the eyes and instead focusing his attention on the floor. "But, Mommy, you know how you always told me the less people know, the less people get hurt?" He smiled bitterly. "This is one of those times."
"Beomgyu..." Queen Choi heaved a sigh before letting out a chuckle. "Can't argue with my own logic, can I?" She didn't wait for Beomgyu to respond, and she didn't need him to. Instead, she just brought him into a hug he was quick to return. "You know I don't regret anything, right?" she whispered. "I don't regret meeting your father. I don't regret having you. I don't regret the lies. I don't regret bringing Yoongi here. I don't regret anything about you, Beomgyu."
"I know..."
"I'm just sorry you have to hide all because of my own selfishness. You're my son, and I love you, and you deserve your place here. I want you here. But you're in danger here. And by bringing Yoongi here to protect you, I put him in danger too."
"He doesn't mind," Beomgyu was quick to assure her. "I know he wouldn't trade this life for anything. And neither would I." He finally got the courage to pull back and look her in the eyes. With a smile, he said, "I'm grateful to be alive."
With a smile of her own, Queen Choi gently caressed his cheek. "And I'm grateful that you're alive. But please." She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Whatever's going on with you and Yoongi... please stay safe," she begged. Beomgyu could only nod and wish her a goodnight as she set off to her quarters.
"I'm more worried about you staying safe, Mother..." he whispered once she had disappeared around the corner, closing his door again as he blinked away the stinging in his eyes. Though he and Yoongi had agreed they shouldn't tell his mother for her own safety, it still hurt keeping the situation a secret from her. She was the only other person besides Yoongi he could talk to about these things, the only real support he and Yoongi had, and now they were completely on their own.
After a quick scan using Sense, Beomgyu pushed himself off the door and made his way to the side of his bed, where he pushed in the wall and threw a ball of light inside before crawling through.
He found himself back at the crate with the replica. Bowing deeply, he said, "To You, who gave me my Gift, please help Yoongi and I protect my family and the castle staff from the mysterious Mabsuli blood. May they never cause harm to us again after this night. And please... Help us figure out the Verdel bloods."
~~~~
"It could've just been a coincidence," Jungkook said.
"But what if it wasn't?" Taehyun pressed.
The "Verdel" bloods were once again in the king and queen's bedroom for an emergency meeting, silencing magic covering the door. After the events at dinner just a few moments before, they were all feeling concerned and perhaps just a little bit panicked.
"I knew something was off about him since that day we first arrived," Taehyun continued. "Everyone else passed through the magic just fine. Why didn't he?"
"It wasn't just him, remember?" Jimin said. "It was him, his older brother, and his attendant."
"Yeonjun seemed fine after a moment," Taehyung said. "It was the other two that took the most damage."
"Isn't that the least bit strange to you?" Taehyun asked. "And then today, Beomgyu happens to be the person to not respond to our questions. He lied. He wasn't supposed to lie."
"Can it be that because we're outside the kingdom, the magic is weaker?" Seulgi asked. King Kang sighed.
"It could be," he muttered. "Magic has not been used outside of Mabsulle for many years. It could be that."
"Or he could be aware of the magic," Taehyun repeated his theory. Jungkook groaned.
"Tae, please."
"Come on! It doesn't take an Intri blood to figure it out! He's hiding something! This entire family is hiding something!"
"The same could be said for us," Kai said, the first time he had spoken up the whole time. Taehyun shot him a glare.
"That's not helpful, Kai," he spat. Kai fell silent and returned his gaze to his lap.
"Calm down, Taehyun dear," Queen Kang said softly.
"How can I calm down when no one's listening to me?!" Taehyun exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration.
"We're listening, Tae," Taehyung assured him. "It's just we don't want to overreact about the situation and go to the most extreme and detrimental scenario. Like your father said, we don't know how magic works outside of Mabsulle. It could just be weakening."
"I get that, but I don't like how close Beomgyu sounded to the voice of the spell. First he denied there was anything wrong. Then he gave another reason. Then he insisted there was nothing wrong again. That's exactly the pattern the voice disputes thoughts with." He looked around at his family and staff. "Am I the only one who finds that unsettling?"
"Yes," Seulgi deadpanned.
"You guys just don't want our plan to be endangered."
"Kang Taehyun, enough," King Kang snapped. "There's absolutely no need for you to be getting so worked up about this, nor is this any excuse for you to talk so disrespectfully to us." Taehyun bowed and muttered an apology, but his mind was too full of other things to make it sound sincere. Still, his father moved on, turning to address the group. "Tomorrow we shall set the spell again, specifically for Beomgyu."
Kai's eyes widened at that, and he shot his head up. "But don't you remember what happened last time we casted a spell on him?!" he exclaimed. "He was in the clinic, in excruciating pain, for a whole week!"
King Kang fixed him with a stern look. "It must be done, and you know it," he said. "Now is not the time for guilt or hesitation."
"Honestly, why do you care so much about that Akabi blood?" Jungkook sighed, leaning back on his hands. "Things are finally getting interesting around here. We don't need you messing it all up because you hold these feelings."
"I don't care about him!" Kai defended. "I just hate—!"
"Seeing him like that," Seulgi finished with an exaggerated eye roll. "We get it. But you signed up for this. You know what we came here to do."
"Besides, if it gets really bad, just cast the sleeping spell on him again," Taehyung said. "You know, the one you performed right next to the king and queen that could've gotten us caught?" Guilt surged through Kai as he looked down again.
"First thing in the morning, we set the spell again in the doorway to the dining hall specifically for Beomgyu, clear?" Queen Kang asked. Everyone except Kai and Taehyun nodded. She smiled. "Excellent. Please don't worry, everyone. No matter what happens, we will see this plan through until the end. And everything will finally be as it's supposed to be."