Kingdom of Roses | Stray Kids Royal AU

Dictator

800 years ago

Not in the past thousands of years the world had seen such a massacre. An entire nation erased, leaving behind ruins and dust. Everything was executed so fast. The bloody rose lived up to his name and covered the Kingdom of Liliac in a red carpet.

But it wasn't enough. The pain inside him haunted him forever.

He became isolated. A stranger to his people and his brother. The only one allowed to talk to him was his trustworthy Grand Cross Knight.

And to say Changbin was terrified of him was an understatement.

Fiercer than the previous king, Jisung had the ultimate authority.

-Your Highness, this is madness! Minho's mother came to beg for help and understanding. All the immigrants came here. The food is not enough. You burned their ground, their homes and destroyed their resources. Now we split everything. Your Highness, we need to do something! Maybe an alliance with other Kingdoms will solve the problem. Maybe they will help us. We can't live like this anymore!

Jisung was listening to her with empty eyes.

-Then let them starve. Those are the people who killed your son.

-No. You killed all the knights. These are just widows and children with no blame. And as a mother, I cannot stand seeing them die.

-Their nation killed your son!

-And yet I am not generalizing! she raised her voice shamelessly. They have no blame for what their queen ordered. As well as I don't have blame for what you did to their homes.

-You're lucky I owe it to your son. Otherwise, you would be in the dungeon, he threatened.

-Go ahead! Minho would be disgusted by the monster that you've become, she clenched her jaw.

-Get out!

Seungmin was in the hall, listening to the whole conversation and flinching at every argument.

Minho's mother spotted him while exiting. She stopped to take a good look at him, then stated:

-That bloody crown is cursed. Hope it never ends up on your head.

Seungmin couldn't say anything. He was as afraid of Jisung as everyone. He wasn't a king anymore, but a dictator.

-Who is it? Changbin asked.

Seungmin knocked at the door, then slowly pushed it open.

His gaze couldn't raise to Jisung's level. Instead, he was looking at the Knight, asking for support.

-Why are you here, Seungmin?

-I wanna talk about some ideas now that you finished with the neighbor Kingdom.

-Turning into a graveyard? Yes, I love the idea, Jisung laughed.

-No. Hyunjin had this idea of uniting the two Kingdoms, remember? Maybe we can make an orchard there. We can give the immigrants a purpose and stop the hunger. We can build houses in the countryside. We can expand the Kingdom of Roses and make it a powerful exporter. The Kingdom of Liliac had a port. The name of Roses can be everywhere. I looked through Hyunjin's schetckes and he had a bigger vision of peace. Maybe we can start from zero and in a few years...

-Seungmin, stop dreaming!

The latter looked up finally. Jisung was mad.

-That stupid dream is what brought us here. Is what killed Hyunjin! Look outside! Their graves are mocking me ever since. Why would I make a climate for the people who are responsible for their deaths? Just because you are half-royal, doesn't mean you can rule.

That hit Seungmin right in the heart.

Not even once Jisung considered him inferior.

That wasn't Jisung. That wasn't the brother he grew up with.

-Then what's next, Your Highness? You're done killing. If you sit on the throne and do nothing, this Kingdom will die.

-Then it will die with me.

Seungmin was speechless. He was worse than their father.

-I understand you are still mourning Minho, but Hyunjin died too! Felix died too! Prince Chan and Jeongin died too! Yet Changbin and I are still here! We can go through this together! Why are you punishing yourself like that? And why are you dragging us with you too? I loved Hyunjin with my whole being. And I'm trying to keep his memory alive, not bury him! Minho cannot sleep peacefully if you keep up with this madness!

-You wanna die, Seungmin?

-Yes! So I can be with Hyunjin. At least he listens to me! Seungmin said before storming out of the room.

-I'm sorry, Hyunjin... I tried, Seungmin talked to the grave. I brought you flowers. Tulips. Your favorite, Seungmin forced a smile. I am stuck here again. Nothing changed. I buried my mom and got stuck in the castle because of my father. I buried you and now my brother is a maniac. Maybe I am cursed.

The sound of heavy steps approaching made Seungmin whip his head to the left.

-Came to visit Felix? Seungmin asked watching Changbin with pity.

-Yeah. It's been a while. I can barely leave Jisung's side. I had so much faith in him when I placed that crown on his head. Now everything is lost.

-We will die like this. I don't even know why he keeps me alive anymore.

-I could say the same about myself. Your strategy to unite the Kingdoms... It was brilliant.

-Hyunjin's strategy. I just helped with some administrative details. He was the genius, he smiled while sniffing the tulips. I miss him so much. It's gonna be harder and harder to come here.

-I understand. Felix didn't deserve this. Neither of them did.

Suddenly Seungmin felt a suffocating sensation taking over his body. He felt like something just slices the back of his neck.

His eyes widen as the red liquid started dripping on his hands.

He was gasping for air, his voice stopping in his throat. It was stinging him.

He felt his flesh cut open a few times in an amount of unbearable pain.

-You're bleeding! What's happening? Changbin freaked out.

-Jisung... Seungmin managed to say before the pain became numb, giving him the answer he didn't want.

He remembered how he asked Felix to link him to Jisung.

That could only mean one thing...