A Royal Mess

Part 27

A soft knock on the door stirs me awake from my slumber. I open my eyes & realize that I've fallen asleep on the floor.
"Yes?" I hastily stand up & try to open the door but it's still locked.
A folded piece of paper slides through the narrow gap in between the door & the floor. I readily pick it up & unfold it.
It's a letter from Taehyung.
"I've thought hard about what you said & come to a conclusion that you were right. Please be ready at dawn. I'll show you that I can be a better king than my uncle. Sincerely, Taehyung."
"Oh thank God! Thank you Tae for listening to me." I clutch the letter at my chest & gasp in relief.
I have no idea what Taehyung will show me, but I'm burning with excitement.
Maybe he will pardon them in front of everyone.
Feeling relieved, I lie on the bed & close my eyes.
Nevertheless, I can't seem to go back to sleep because there are too many things running inside my head.
What will Taehyung do to them? Will he send them out of the palace? Will he let them stay & become servants? What will become of me? Will he set me free? Or will he make me stay?
Before I know it, the dawn has started to break. I quickly throw my legs off the bed & get ready.
I put on one of my old dresses & tie my hair into a simple braid. Checking myself in the mirror, I get a glimpse of the old me & that makes me feel hopeful.
"Eomma, please let everything be alright. Please touch Taehyung's heart so that he'll judge with kindness & mercy." I clutch the pendant on my necklace & start praying.
Right then, someone knocks on my door.
The sudden noise startles me, causing me to spontaneously lower my hand & tug on my necklace in the process. I feel the necklace sliding down my chest & hurriedly catch it with my palm. Apparently, I've accidentally snapped the worn-out clasps.
"Oh no!" I gasp as I try to see how I can fix the broken parts.
However, the knocks become louder & louder so I have no choice but to put the necklace in my skirt pocket & rush to the door.
"Yes?"
"Miss Y/n, are you ready?" A male voice calls out.
"Yes, I am."
The door clicks open & I find Chief Kang standing on the other side with a few guards behind him.
"Good morning, Miss. Please follow me." He nods at me before turning on his heel & strides towards the stairs.
"Where are we going? Where is Tae- I mean, His Royal Highness?" I ask.
"You'll see soon." He answers without looking at me.
He seems a little tense, so I don't dare to ask anymore questions & follow him in silence.
"Please get in." He stops in front of a horse carriage & pulls the door open.
"We're going out of the palace?"
"Yes. Please get in. We don't have much time." He commands.
"Oh. Alright." I hesitantly step into the carriage.
Chief Kang follows suit & sits right across me.
"Uhm.. May I know what exactly are we going to do?"
"Something historical." He replies with such a flat tone that it makes me feel uneasy.
I search for the broken necklace in my pocket & clutch it tightly in my palm.
Please let everything be alright. I keep repeating the sentence like a mantra.
We pass through the main road of the city, but it's very quiet. Only a few people are in sight, maybe because it's still so early in the morning.
Nostalgia washes over me as I look out the window. I remember feeling ecstatic when I first arrived. I thought I was living my dream, but turns out that dream isn't as sweet as I expected.
What would've happened, if I had given up & went home that day instead of finding that secret door? What would've happened if I had gotten sick & hadn't come to the palace with Appa? Would my absence in Jungkook & Taehyung's lives change anything?
"We're here." Chief Kang announces all of a sudden.
"A-Ah, yes." I snap out of my daze & get off the carriage.
There are more people in this part of the city. In fact, there are so many people that it seems like the whole city has gathered here.
What's going on?
"This way, please."
Chief Kang guides me to walk around the crowd until we reach set of stairs which leads to a canopied raised stage.
"Do we go up?" I ask, feeling scared of what's to come.
"Yes. Ladies first." He nods.
Hearts hammering, I cautiously walk up the stairs.
"Ah, you're here." Taehyung turns to me & says.
He's sitting on a chair at the center of the stage, wearing his royal outfit, & a crown is perching snugly on his head.
"Your Royal Highness." I bow at him.
"Sit down, please." He pats the seat next to him & I readily oblige.
Once I take my seat, the first thing I see is a large make-shift wooden stage in the middle of the courtyard below. There's nothing on the stage, but the crowd seems to be solemnly gathering around it.
"What are we doing here?" I whisper to Taehyung.
The crowd's sudden loud boos divert my attention. I look down & see three people walking towards the stage. Their hands are tied behind their backs & their heads covered with black muslin bags.
No. No way. Are they-
The guards then take the bags off their heads & reveal their faces.
My heart instantly drops to the pit of my stomach.
Jungkook, Jungah, & their mother stand at the center of the stage, muffled by a piece of cloth tied around their mouths, while the crowd jeers & spits at them.
"Y-Your Royal Highness, I- I don't understand. What are you going to do?" I turn to Taehyung & ask, my voice shaky.
He ignores my question & rises from his seat instead.
"Beloved people of my kingdom, today we gather here to stand against injustice that's been enforced upon us for decades by this family of tyrants! They forced us to pay hefty taxes, worked us to the bones, squeezed out our last pennies only to feed their lavish lifestyle. Moreover, they slandered & murdered my father, the legitimate heir of the throne. They are traitors to our kingdom! Now, it's time for us to rise & punish them for their sins."
The crowd cheers at Taehyung's words, their eyes red with bloody rage.
I scan through the sea of people & catch a familiar figure amongst them. Bora, the girl who lived next to the house where Appa & I settled in when we first came to the city. She's standing next to her father, the blacksmith, shouting & demanding justice to be served. The waves of hatred emanated from the crowd overwhelms me, deeming me speechless.
"Saera, Jungkook, & Jungah, do you have anything to say?" Taehyung inquires.
The guard takes off the cloth around the queen's mouth to let her speak.
"I-I'm sorry. I-I'm so sorry, Baekyong ah. Please forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt you. I lov-"
Taehyung raises his hand & the guard immediately ties the piece of cloth back on, stopping her from speaking further.
"What about you Jungah?" He asks.
She stares at Taehyung with an intense & deadly glare while the guard unties the cloth around her mouth.
"I curse you that you'll experience betrayal ten thousand times more torturous than what you did to me. I curse you that you'll be drowned in sorrow for as long as you shall live. I curse you that, even though you own the rest of the world, you'll never have what your heart truly desires. I swear to God that, Taehyung, you will not get out of this unscathed!" The hostility in her words make them feel like physical attacks.
"Shut her up!" Chief Kang barks & the guard quickly muffles Jungah's mouth.
"It's your turn now, Jungkook." Taehyung snickers.
The sinister expression on his face takes me aback. He looks like a completely different person.
I clasp my hands together anxiously, hoping for a miracle.
Maybe Taehyung won't kill them, only locking them up in the dungeon. Or maybe he will send them somewhere far away from here.
Jungkook says nothing, only blankly staring at us. My heart breaks seeing him like that. Even though I know that he's lied to me & caused so much hurt to Taehyung, there's no denying that he's saved my life & cared for me genuinely.
"You have nothing to say?" Taehyung raises his brow & asks.
Still, Jungkook doesn't say a word.
"Fine. If you don't have any last words to say, we shall proceed with your punishment then." Taehyung flicks his finger & the guards push the three of them down on their knees. Then, a big muscly man, wearing a black mask over his head, step onto the stage with a huge sword in his hand.
That's when I realize what Taehyung is going to do to them.
"Your Royal Highness, please don't do this! I beg you. Didn't you write in your letter that you'd be a better king than your uncle?" I urgently plead.
"Yes, I did. And I'm going to show you that." He coldly replies.
"But you're going to execute them all! How is that better than your uncle?!"
"One mistake that my uncle made was letting me live. I won't make that same mistake." He hisses.
His dark orbs are flaring with such an intense animosity that I take a step back in fright.
"Off with their heads!" Taehyung raises his hand & exclaims.
I gasp loudly & close my eyes as the executioner swings his sword at the queen. When I open them again, she's no longer breathing.
Jungkook's terrified scream is drowned by the crowd's deafening cheer, but I can definitely feel his agony.
"Please, Taehyung ah, I beg you. Please don't do this.   Please!" I grab his arm & shake it desperately.
"Stop whatever you're doing right now or I'll let your father take the stage as well." Chief Kang pulls me away from behind & whispers in my ear.
I immediately clam my mouth shut as terror reverberates through my body.
Taehyung raises his hand again & Jungah is gone in an instant.
I can't hold it in anymore. The violence is too much for me. Acid rises in my throat & I puke out all my stomach's content onto the floor.
"I've saved the best for last. Finally.." Taehyung smirks.
"No! Please! Your Royal Highness, please have some mercy!" I drop down on my knees & beg, tears streaming down my reddened face.
However, that seems to anger Taehyung even more.
"You kneel down for him?! He's a criminal! He doesn't worth your tears!"
"Tae, this is not you. Please. You can still turn this around."
"Too late, Y/n ah. I can't stop now." He mutters before raising his hand.
"No!" I hurriedly run towards the edge & scream.
My gaze locks with Jungkook's. During the brief moment before he breathes his last breath, I can see him mouthing,
"I'm sorry."
And then, everything slips into darkness.