𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙪𝙢 [𝙫𝙢𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙛]

•Brown Pages Lightened by Cheap Greys•

[Mitski- Working for the Knife]
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Endless shelves of vocabulary that were peacefully drowsing in the silence of the lulling darkness were disturbed by the sudden evasion of two cloaked figures. The familiar scent of books made these two feel at home and sure enough, they did not hesitate to make themselves comfortable on the creaky chairs that were clumsily huddled together. Sharp nails poking out of the wood did not bother them as their buttocks had already learned to endure the slight pinching ache after the years of suffering.

Little illegible words "Minnie + hobi + gi = bess frend ♡" were messily scribbled in the painful handwriting of toddlers on the cracky mustard-colored walls yet they couldn't catch the attention of the two males in the room who had more important matters to focus on. More important matters than the blue butterflies and garlands that were once the highest level of amusement to the 6-year-olds who sneaked out in the lazy summer afternoons to spend their fleeting moments of leisure here.

The stark red locks of the taller man that usually made people feel warm looked dull in the grey lighting of the cheap fluorescence of the dusty lamps. These two familiar yet unfamiliar figures spent a moment of silence, reminiscing about the past; the good times.

Finally, with an abrupt sigh, the sullen trance was broken by the shorter man.

"So, Hoseok, who do you think was eavesdropping on our conversation yesterday?"

With a slight chuckle, Hoseok started, "It's not a surprise that you still understand our codes. I almost thought that after the crowning, you wouldn't have time for me but of course, you think about making me the Defense General. Honestly, I still can't understand from where you get such ghastly thoughts, my family literally questioned my integrity and thought that I blackmailed or brainwashed you when the news reached them, those dishwash-"

"-Hobi, back to the point please?" Although the soft voice interrupted the rambling male, it had a tone of affection.

"Ah yes Jimin, I'm not quite sure who it was but I'm sure I saw a shadow behind the drapes last night. And in any case, it's not like you have the advantage of having fewer enemies, even in your own castle so there's no freedom of discussing important matters with privacy. Anyways, back to those troops, I asked Gi to run a background check on the one we caught last night, and turns out, my hunch was right. It's the Western Lierkans who sent their troops. Although their attack on Hell was expected as their tribe is trying to capture all of the North-East, I did not expect that they would try to attack right at the center."

The man named Jimin said with a laugh, "Do you really think that's their real motive Hae? As you said, I seem to have enemies in my own castle so it's not very far-fetched to assume that this small nameless tribe has a higher power on top of it with alternative motives. For right now, I can't trust even the council so the best option is to keep this to ourselves, including Yoongi. But do start training the defense army harder, in case the worst happens."

"Lëone, do not take my words in the wrong way, but we might have to take assistance from the neighboring kingdoms if war does in fact break out. I know you don't like asking for help but you need to understand that the kingdom is quite sensitive and vulnerable at this moment. Coupled with the last war and it being under no proper King for such a long period of time, the Kingdom is just starting to get adjusted with your rule. On top of that, most of the civilians do not support you as the ruler. Without the power and unity of a kingdom as a whole, we wouldn't be able to get a hold of this situation easily."