Kingdom

126. Nightfall (12)

The tiger roars in frustration as he springs up to his feet. The all too familiar sight of the forest closes around him. The trees whisper to each other, as if mocking him.

He paces back and forth, anguish rising in his heart. This Princess will ruin his plans. She will fuck up the King. And there is nothing he can do about it. She is using the King's magic against him. And once the marriage is sealed, she will be protected by that same magic.

Fucking Princess. Why did he have to marry her of all people? That day when Prince Namjoon arrived in Seoul, if only it didn't rain, then he and Seokjin would not have been stuck under the same tree, they would not have talked and become friends.

Then Namjoon would have never agreed to this marriage. But magic is cunning. It's magic that brought the Princess to Daegu. Joon-ho knows that; he felt the magic shift when she arrived. He read Nori's history in her magic and saw her power and potential. He knew exactly who she was.

But her heart was cold and hostile, filled with disdain towards the King. Thus, Joon-ho was calm, sure that the witch alone will be enough to ensure those two never form a connection.

Alas, he was wrong. So, so wrong.

Now everything might fall apart. His precious prey, the King of Daegu, might stray out of the path he must follow. He will fall for Nori's pretty eyes and the delicious pain in his heart will be diluted with love and affection.

Bleh, so disgusting. Joon-ho feels sick just thinking about it.

Poor tiger. He suffered so much. He has waited for so long. He is too weak and empty. Hungry and miserable. He hates every stone and every leaf in this forest. He needs more magic, more power. He needs the blood of others to feel strong. Only when he is strong can he spread his gaze far and wide again, spying on people and casting little spells to complicate their lives and laugh at their struggles.

His life is suffocatingly boring otherwise.

He growls and bites on a large branch, tilting his head to the side until he breaks the branch and spits it to the side. He despise this fucking forest! No one in here wants to talk to him anymore, even the fairies avoid him, giggling from afar at the tantrums he occasionally throws.

Fewer and fewer peasants ventured this way. Even fewer remember him.

He needs magic, he needs to feed on other's pain, he needs his power restored.

Joon-ho anticipated the King's return so eagerly and now he is to get nothing but his bitter flesh! No, no, no.... This cannot be. Something must be done. If not, Joon-ho will have to spend another century suffering before a fool like Yoongi falls into his claws again. He can't wait that long.

Something must be done.

Yet, he can't do much while locked in here. Someone else should do the dirty work for him. The option is only one: Yona.

Joon-ho doesn't like the witch, but at least she has been keeping the King's wounds freshly opened for a long time. She should be the only woman by his side. That would ensure that Yoongi's heart never heals, in fact she will freeze his heart and turn him into a bitter and cruel shadow of his former self. Perfect. It's what Joon-ho wants.

But Yona has been too negligent. She is proving herself incapable of keeping the King away from the Ilsan girl. The witch needs some assistance.

The tiger walks to the edge of the forest, looking for prey. He finds a young deer, wandering alone by the river. He consumes its innocent blood, the taste refreshing his senses. He steps into the water, focusing his mind on finding the witch.