Your Highness

H U N D R E D A N D T E N

C H A P T E R H U N D R E D A N D T E N

Hayoon must have been quite shocked by the sudden appearance of Ki Young. She wasn't prepared to see him, nor was she ready for a goodbye, but all of a sudden it happened at once. She was shaken by the incident, much more than she had expected. It was never easy to say goodbye and the way it happened wasn't the way she had imagined it. Han knew what happened, but could only pretend to not know it.

All he could do was comforting her, and staying by her side throughout the evening. His calm attitude was something she found comforting and grown accustomed to. He didn't push her to tell him what was wrong. He wasn't the type to force the answer out of her but was just there by her side and patiently waiting till she was ready. She disliked his calmness at first, cause in some way he also appeared indifferent and didn't show signs of interest towards her.

Hayoon's personality was completely the opposite of his and hence there has been quite some misunderstanding at first. She couldn't understand him in the beginning and wasn't able to see things from his perspective. With her personality she would always get to the problem of the problem. Learning to wait was a thing she was taught through the time they were together. For a person who wasn't social, she didn't know that people have different paces, but Han taught her that.

To think that two completely opposite things could match each other was surprising for her, just as much as it was for Han.

Hayoon looked worn out today. Maybe it was due to the long journey, or maybe it was due to the crying. She could barely keep her eyes open, hence Han ordered the servants to not disturb her for the rest of the day. He followed her back to her chamber, before retiring to his own.

"Have a good rest," Han said.

"Can't you stay with me?"

"Haven't you passed the age to be afraid of the darkness?" A teasing smile caressed his lips.

"Being at an unfamiliar place makes people nervous,"

"I still have things that I need to take care of. I'll come by and check up on you if you are still not asleep at that time,"

Hayoon could imagine that. It has been years since Han had come to this place, indeed there would be things he had to take care of. She wanted to stay awake with him, but her brain didn't agree. At this state, Hayoon would probably sleep like a dead corpse when her body laid on the bed.

"See you then," Hayoon replied, her voice tired.

"Sleep tight,"

"You too,"

After Hayoon closed the doors behind, Han went to the book chamber in the opposite end. He walked with long strolls at a pace that was faster than his usual. On his way, he met a couple of servants greeting him, but as if he didn't see them he didn't spare them a glance. In the eyes if the servants, he appeared to be one in a hurry.

Reaching the book chamber after some minutes of walking, Han then entered. The chamber was filled with shelves stacked and packed with paper rolls and some thick books which cover was faded in color. Han's eyes weren't searching for a certain book, his gaze never looked in the direction of the shelves but was directed at the window of the chamber which was left open.

A figure was emerged in the darkness, hiding within the shadows of the shelves.

"I believe you received my message," Han said to the man hiding in the shadow.

"I did," The man answered stepping out from the darkness.

"However, I think his highness is hiring the wrong person. My work requires killing, not protecting as you might already know,"

Through the rays of the moon shining through the open window, Han could clearly see the outline of the man. No, rather the assassin who attempted to kill him. Ki Young.

"The moment you failed to kill me your career ended,"

The fate of an assassin that failed to kill their target equals death..l Ki Young was no exception. He failed to complete his duty, and hence he was supposed to die. The only reason why he was still breathing, was because Han decided to save him. When Ki Young was abandoned by his own circle of shadow killers, Han was the one that kept him alive. When his own master made him swallow a lethal poison, Han was the one that saved him. It was a thing that Ki Young wasn't proud of, yet he couldn't change the facts.

Ki Young had become Han's people, and had stayed in this place ever since he woke up from the poison, that was supposed to take his life. The poison that his own master made him swallow when he was imprisoned in the dungeon.

"You are using your status as a benefactor to force me accepting the order?"

"I believe even a killer knows when he is indebted," Han replied.

Besides Ki Young, Han couldn't think of any person more suitable to escort the foreign lady back to the Southern States. He was capable, strong, and moreover a man of word. Although Ki Young wasn't fond of Han, he had no choice but to swore loyalty to the person who saved his life, despite that person being the one he was assigned to kill in the beginning.

There was no way Ki Young could reject the offer. Not even though it hurt his pride.

"I suppose, I don't have a choice then,"

"Good then," Han said, his tone confirming. After relaying his message, Han was about to leave but Ki Young's voice made him stop.

"Why did you take her here?" Ki Young said, his voice filled with pain. A pain which his pride didn't allow him to show, yet, appeared without him knowing.

It was humiliating enough for Ki Young to be saved from the person he tried to kill. On top of that, he had to swallow his pride and work under that person in this damn manor. Now, the prince even took Hayoon to this place to let her witness his miserable defeat.

What was Han expecting of him? It was hard enough to stay under the same roof with Han, and on top of that, he had to live in the same space with Hayoon? How far was Han going to push him?

"To confront you with the truth," Han said. "To make it clear for the both of you. I was thinking of letting you two meet under peaceful circumstances, but apparently your pride didn't allow that," Han's eyes narrowed in accusation at Ki Young, who thought he could enter Hayoon's chamber without Han knowing.

"The trip to the Southern States might be long and a dangerous one. I can't afford to have you distracted by your feelings and neglect your tasks. The emperor assigned this to me, but apparently she doesn't want me to take it. For recommending another candidate, I need to take responsibility for it too."

In all honesty, Ki Young didn't know what this trip meant to Han. Was Han punishing him with a long and dangerous journey, or was Han giving him time to distance Ki Young's feelings from Hayoon?

A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the wait, I've been slightly occupied recently🥲 but I'm back now!💛

Btw,Have you guys seen the new drama, River Were The Moon Rises? I was surprised to watch the first episodes. Like, it started with an emperor who was jealous of a monk, thinking that his consort had an affair with that monk.🧐

It was so similar to Han's story, Funny isn't it?

Anyways, if you like the chapter don't forget to hit the star bottom below and see you very soon in the next update! 💗