The Royal Playboy | SUNGHOON

[ XXIV ] WELCOME TO HIS DARK SIDE

THIRD PERSON

The 8-year-old young princess stood at her wide balcony. She felt the warm breeze blowing against her skin, as her golden hair danced along the wind. She slowly looked down when she heard certain whispers and footsteps.

"Alius." Her right brow slowly rose. She saw how his older brother stopped on his tracks, slowly looking up to meet her gaze.

"A-Ari... I didn't know you were there..." His brother nervously responded as if she just caught him committing a heinous crime.

"Why are you hiding?" Her forehead creased when she saw another silhouette, "And who is that?"

Alius started at her for long before heaving an exaggerated sigh. He bit his lower lip and signaled his sister to come down. Ari nodded and left her balcony to meet his brother.

As soon as she arrived, her gaze was immediately locked upon the boy who was boldly staring at her. He didn't even flinch despite the obvious distinction of their social status.

The boy who was with Alius was clothed poorly, unlike them who were in luxurious attire.

"Ari, meet my friend, Heeseung." His brother joyfully introduced his newly met friend to his sister. Ari, on the other hand, squinted her eyes in suspicion.

"My pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." Heeseung said in monotone as he slightly bowed. There was a hint of arrogance in his tone— and Ari sensed it very well.

"Where did he come from?" She asked her brother. She wanted to warn him about becoming friends with just anyone he meets on the street. However, she just remained silent since she didn't want Heeseung to hear that because it seemed a little offensive.

Dates passed by and the three became unexpectedly close. Ari liked Heeseung, despite her first impression towards him. She realized that she judged him too quickly. He wasn't that bad, after all.

"Are you hungry?" Heeseung asked Ari when he noticed that she was staring at this certain apple fruit for a long time. Ari nodded shyly which made him laugh.

"I will climb that tree for you."

Her forehead creased and looked at Alius who was feeding their ponies from afar. Her eyes then returned to Heeseung who was already on the top of the tree.

"Careful, Heeseung." She reminded him. He just chuckled, finding her quite cute.

"Here..." He successfully picked the fruit Ari was staring at. She gave him a genuine smile and was about to bite into it but she realized something.

"I want to cut it and share it with you two." She pouted when she remembered she doesn't have any knife. I mean, first of all, why would she bring a knife along?

"Okay. Let's share it."

She slighted gasped when she saw Heeseung taking out a small knife from his leather belt pouch. He took the apple from Ari's hand and cut it into three pieces.

"Why do you have a knife?" Ari was still astonished. Heeseung halted for a while before looking away. He licked his lower lip before parting his lips to tell a lie but was saved when Alius arrived.

"Thanks." Alius shamelessly took a piece of apple from Heeseung's hand and ate it in one go.

"It's getting darker, Your Royalties. How about we'll go back?" Heeseung smiled at them. Alius agreed to him and walked out first. Ari stayed, as if her feet were glued to the ground, still gazing at Heeseung.

"Ari?" Heeseung touched her arm. She flinched and hesitantly nodded, as she started walking, leaving Heeseung behind.

The smile on Heeseung's face slowly faded. A look of bitterness swept across his face as he watched the two royalties walking ahead of him.

He hated that sight.

He hated the fact that while his friends were born with golden spoons, he was raised in a small, unrecognized town. While they were wearing luxuries, he was wearing a dirty, old clothing.

He also hated the fact that he cannot have the girl he is eyeing, Ari, because of their social status.

He hated it to death.

"Heeseung? Where are we, by the way?" Alius innocently turned around. Earlier, they just followed Heeseung because he told them to trust him. That there is something he wants so to show them. Thus, they did.

They trusted him.

Not knowing that the boy had a plan.

A plan that is evil.

He bended his knees as he slowly picked a huge rock. He scoffed and stood up as he played with the rock he's holding, slowly approaching the two.

"Hey... what are you doing?" Alius started to get nervous. He held Ari's hand and placed her behind his back to protect her.

"I met another royalty. His name was Sunghoon, I think? He was... as naive as the both of you." He laughed mockingly, "Why... why is that? Why are the royalties so naive? So dumb? Or... am I just a great actor?"

Ari was right all along. Her first instinct to him was right all along.

He hit Alius and Ari's heads with the huge rock he's holding. He was unexpectedly very strong that even Alius, who had a proper martial arts training, wasn't a close match to him.

He looked down to the two bodies before crouching to check their pulse. Alius wasn't breathing anymore, while Ari still had the pulse.

He stared at Alius before collecting all his things. That includes his bracelet, whom Ari gave. He also pulled out a strand of Alius' hair, as he believed time will come that he will be needing it. It was as if he already had foreseen the future.

He pushed Alius' dead body to the cliff, while he spared Ari. He will trust his intuition this time. He will risk it and make Ari his alibi.

It was a perfect crime. A perfect, evil plan.

As what he expected, Ari lost all her memories. He also disguised himself as a victim and told the adults that they were being robbed by dangerous bandits.

He also told them that they took Alius with them.

Of course, the adults believed him.

He was just a mere young boy, after all. An innocent-looking 9-year-old boy. They undoubtedly trusted him because it was Lee Heeseung, Ari and Alius' precious friend.

Little did they know, he was a psychopath in an angel's facade. A devil behind his light appearance.

And a villain behind his pretentious, heroic act.

______

Before anyone gets confused, yes, Heeseung and Alius are different. Alius is Ari's real brother while Heeseung is just an imposter. He's pretending as Alius in an aim to manipulate Min Ari.