Kingdom

92.Paintings & Pirates (2)

The amulet has been triggered, glowing in full power. That means one thing - the King is coming. Or he was coming. In the past few minutes the light has diminished until it abruptly disappeared, leaving Yona standing angry at the threshold of the Royal Temple.

She ran outside to wait for him soon after the amulet started shining. She never waits for him at the door, but tonight she was too impatient. Yoongi didn't answer any of her notes today and she got news that he spent the entire night with the Princess. This can't be good.

Yona knows the marriage hasn't been sealed, yet she senses a turbulence in Yoongi's magic. She is connected to him in many ways - due to their bond and due to the many magic objects she has placed around him. And thus she knows - something is happening, the magic is shifting.

Moreover, today Yona felt a momentary coldness freezing her hands - that indicates that someone was interfering with her magic and messing with her spells. She felt it twice.

None of this is a good sign.

Yona needs to speak with Yoongi as soon as possible, but most of all - she needs to have him in her arms again before he drifts away any further. Her connection to him is weakening and she senses his magic less and less each day. The downfall of a bond built mainly on physical intimacy is that it quickly fades away when the two parties are separated.

Yona needs to meet Yoongi. Soon. 

But the King has returned to the Palace and who knows when and if he is coming again. Damn that Princess. Damn Seokjin and Hoseok for arranging that marriage.

Damn them all! All was going great before those morons interfered.

Yona inhales slowly, passing her hand over her forehead. She should not get upset over this. If Yoongi turns his back on her, she has another way to get what she wants. Yona is not a foolish woman who puts her life at risk because of the grand promises of a Royalty. Not anymore. She learnt her lesson in the past. Especially in regards to the Min dynasty - a bunch of rotten bastards who should not be trusted.

Yona has a back-up plan, a few back-up plans to be precise. The King won't be able to screw her over. She will win in the end. One way or the other.

Yet, she likes her little toy Yoongi, she doesn't want to lose him because of some pretentious Princess. It hurts her pride to think that —

Squawk! Squawk! One of her ravens returns, loudly announcing its arrival. That must be Eight - the one she sent last. Seven is still missing since the morning - that idiotic bird, it's the dumbest of them all...

Yona's heart jumps as she notices that Eight is bringing a note. Finally some news. The raven hovers over her and she reaches to pull the paper that is tied to his leg. Yet, this is not the answer she expected. Her forehead furrows as she reads the insolent letter that no other, but the harebrained Princess wrote. What the hell! This pompous little rat is trying to bite. Pathetic. Is this the best she can do? Nori must feel pretty insecure if she dared to send such a message. 'Busy' with the King? Doing what? Nori doesn't want to sleep with him; then how does she intend to keep his interest? By reading poetry? Is Nori a complete imbecile? The Princess's behaviour makes no sense.

Nori has apparently read Yona's books and fears any intimacy with the King. The witch takes pride in the way she built Yoongi's image in her novels; and how thanks to those stories every girl in the Eastern Kingdom knows what kind of cruel and possessive lover the King of Daegu is...at least on paper. Nori should try to avoid him, not "have important business with him." What is she planning to accomplish? Boring him to death with pointless conversations?

If Yoongi doesn't get his dick wet he will lose interest pretty quickly. The only thing he cares about is securing the borders of his Kingdom and reinforcing his political power. Leisure and entertainment for Yoongi are like food - he consumes it to keep him going but places no real importance in it. What does the Princess know about any of that? Nothing.