𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇. enhypen

six

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A NICE AND PEACEFUL DAY FOR SUNOO.

He had an energizing cup of earl grey tea as soon as he woke up, a delicious and filling breakfast, and an idle schedule for the whole evening.

It was rare for him to have a day where he wasn't bombarded with multiple tasks and overwhelming lessons from his father. Quite similar to the Princess, Sunoo was expected to follow the footsteps of his father and undertake his position as the King's right-hand man. It was a position that held the most power below the King and demanded an ardent successor with much integrity and resilience. For years his father has molded him to become a worthy successor of his dignified position. And Sunoo plans to equal his father when his own time comes to serve the East Kingdom and its subjects.

However, the stress and pressure can truly debilitate a young lad like him. That is why he anticipated to enjoy his day off without a single interruption of the chaotic atmosphere he dwelled in.

But just as he laid down on his bed with a lavender-scented candle burning its aroma in the air, prepared to take a relaxing afternoon nap, Jihye barged into his room with a determined glint in her eyes.

He took one look at her and knew that the nap he was looking forward to wouldn't be happening any time soon today.

"I need your help." She had said as she pulled him out of his room with no other explanation given. He didn't even get the chance to protest.

And now here he was.

Standing, arms crossed in the castle's library as Jihye had her newest spell book sprawled on one of the tabletops. He wasn't too fond of the large space, the tall and wide bookcases made him feel small and suffocated, a feeling he didn't quite roister. Whenever he needed a specific book kept within the library, Sunoo would always request for a servant to fetch it for him to avoid his piffling phobia.

It was another reason why he disliked visiting The Hollow Bookshop back in Acacia, but forces himself to set foot in it as it's Jihye's favorite shop in the entire Kingdom.

"I'm going to try this one out." Jihye tells, pointing at a page titled, 'Velox Devita', which roughly translated to avoid quickly in their native tongue. "It's not entirely teleporting to a far location. The caster only moves a couple of feet or a meter at most from where they were originally standing."

Sunoo hummed, not entirely interested in the unanticipated Magic lesson Jihye decided to teach out of the blue.

"The book says that this spell was created to help Magian knights to avoid the fierce strikes of enemies during battles and wars." Jihye had always admired the Royal Rose Guards of the East, as all of them gave an oath to protect their Kingdom before their own lives. She could only imagine how terrifying it would be to fight in a battle with your life on the line, all for the name of the East. The Velox Devita spell must've gave them at least a sense of security.

It wouldn't do Jihye bad either if she had this spell under her belt. "Could come handy one day." She utters to herself.

"I don't get it." Sunoo pipes up, nearing the table where Jihye stood and giving her a deciphering stare. "If your intended goal is to teleport into Acacia without anyone catching you, why don't you just skip to that spell instead of wasting your time with the other ones?"

Sunoo knew how Jihye hated taking the more complicated course of action, altering the castle's stone walls to create an egress. Although she had already learned transmutation, a sub-magical branch which allowed the caster to transform into any living creature they have seen or come in contact with, she wasn't able to put it to use.

She could transform into one of the many servants that lived in the castle and simply leave through the front gates. But because of her Father's cautious trait, if a servant needed to leave the castle's grounds, they were required to report their leave a day beforehand and recorded within their servant log that was handled by the Royal Council. No servant would be willing to cooperate with her misbehaving schemes in risk of being discovered by the King and receiving an adamant punishment.