Kingdom

111. Daydream(5)

Yoongi is sleeping. His lips are slightly opened and his head is tilted to the side. He looks cute and harmless when he sleeps. Nori smiles.

She closes the door and sits in front of him, trying not to make any sound. He flinches in his sleep and his head falls to the side. Sleeping in such a position might make his neck hurt.

Nori takes a smaller pillow to put under his head. She takes his chin to lift it... then things move too fast. A second later Yoongi has her pinned to the ground with a knife pointed at her throat.

"I wanted to put a pillow under your head." Nori says with a shaky voice.

"Sorry..." Yoongi moves back, blinking repeatedly as if trying to clear his vision."You startled me." He hides the knife back into his clothes and adjusts his position to sit more comfortably.

"Do you always sleep with a knife?" Nori asks, sitting up.

He grins at her. "Yes, it's my favorite toy."

The King's voice and expression are hostile and cold. Nori's heart sinks.

"I am sorry I woke you up," she says."Go back to sleep, I will do the same."

She takes the soft blanket that is stored below the window and covers herself with it. But instead of sleeping, she looks down at the pillows spread over the floor. Her mind is a blur of random thoughts. She is sleepy, yet feeling too uneasy to sleep.

"What's wrong?" Yoongi asks with an even tone.

"Nothing."

"You avoid me the whole day."

"I am tired."

Nori wishes to say more but she is not sure what to say. She spent most of her energy talking to Mira and Jungkook and has little strength left. The dimmed light inside the palanquin makes her dizzy. She is not sure where she is going or what part of the day it is. She feels like a cloud that is being dragged over the sky by forces she cannot fight against.

Nori wants to be home. In her room. Back in Ilsan. Where she can sleep peacefully. Without the King staring at her.

"I am sorry..." Yoongi mumbles.

She looks at him. "What for?"

"For last night..." He swallows, guilt creeping into his voice."I am sorry for going too far. And for leaving so rudely... "

"It's okay." Nori pulls the blanket closer to herself. "It's better that you left."

He keeps his eyes on her for a long moment. His expression is blank and unreadable. "Did I scare you in some way?"

Nori shakes her head but the tension in his eyes grows bigger.

"I am not a pervert." he says, his voice turning defensive. "I won't do anything to you that you don't want, I won't–"

"I don't think you are a pervert." Nori says quietly. "I am just tired, let's get some sleep."

"Fine." He frowns. "Sleep if you want."

None of them closes their eyes. The Princess stares down and the King stares at her. His magic is completely hidden. She cannot tell what he feels or thinks. Sad? He appears annoyed and angry instead. Jungkook was making things up. If she can find an excuse to get out of the palanquin, she will hit the guard with something heavy on his empty head.

"Did you feel the magic being weird last night?" Yoongi asks with a blunt, emotionless tone. If statues could talk they would probably sound so disinterested. It's almost scary how unbothered he sounds.