HOW TO LIVE AGAIN (girlxgirlxgirl)

Twentyeight; On the wrong side

"Join me now, or die"
54

🦚

⚠️ violence, near death experiences, mentions of death, death threats, dangerous weapons ⚠️

"Excuse me?"

Yugo snaps his head up with shock. His black hair falls messily in front of his face as he tries to make sense of what the man in front of him just said.

"Don't be like that boy, we're family now. This is in your best interest"

Yugo shivers. He stares up at the senior scholar like he's got two heads instead of one. A cold breeze hits him in the face, as they are seated on one of the many pavilions of the palace of Minerva. Around them the day is fading away, as the sun glides down the sky and takes all the light with itself. Few people are moving around anymore, the palace and the capital itself always falls dead silent once evening falls. Only a few stray servants, like maids scurry across the small red bridges or the dusty paths. A few scholars too, those that have stayed out too long studying, and those who are chasing away the ones that have stayed out too long. But other than that, it's silent.

That's why it came as such a surprise when Belvedere's maternal grandfather asked him to come visit him at the palace right away. He sent a servant to get him and everything, just as Belvedere and him were getting ready to eat dinner in their new shared home. Now, Yugo's stomach growls aggressively from hunger, and his eyes are wide with shock. He had never expected his grandfather in-law to be this kind of person. He never saw it coming.

Here's the thing: Belvedere comes from a outer province noble family, that unlike Yugo became noble because they owned vast amounts of land and not because they held some sort of government position or had a rich and influential family in the capital like Yugo's family. They are from the countryside, just like Aiguo's family, and lead a province of their own. Their province, the Dusky Hills province, is known for its many forests, swamps and meadows that are perfect for growing herbs and exotic plants. It's the southern most province of the gold clan. That is why they run huge medical shops and are obsessed with plants and whatnot.

But that's only Belvedere's paternal side. His maternal side, the noble family of his mother, is completely different. Belvedere might not be apart of them by name, but he is by blood. They are nobles because of Belvedere's grandfather, who is a senior scholar and therefore a government official. Belvedere's maternal grandfather, called Zheng, is rumored to be an old, traditional asshole. A guy who hates the fact that women now have equal rights to men in their clan, and a scholar who hates the fact that there are new female scholars to replace his dead male friends. An old, conservative, backwards grandfather, who now happens to be family with Yugo.

Why? Because... because Yugo married Belvedere. Two weeks ago. They had a beautiful wedding in Belvedere's home province, despite the fact that their parents first opposed them because of Yugo not really being the richest and most powerful noble. But they came around and had a lovely time at the wedding, and now Yugo is close to everyone in his husband's family, and they even gifted the new couple a house in the capital to live in. They are happy, and have been happy for the past five days living in the capital after coming home from the countryside. Until suddenly Belvedere's maternal grandfather wants to see Yugo, alone.

At first the leader of the royal guard, which Yugo is now, after being promoted by the empress herself, was confused over why the old scholar wanted to meet him so late at the palace. It was already suspicious, and it got even more suspicious when he noticed how tense everyone was at the palace. Why? Because the empress has left the palace, and everyone knows that a palace without an empress, even for a moment, is a dangerous place. So the situation was weird and suspicious, confusing and uncomfortable. That on top of his hunger, made Yugo quite irritable. However, nothing could've prepared him for what was about to come.