"I can't resist temptation. That is my curse."
To be the future wife of the Grand Master of the Temple means a life of status, riches, and stability. It means you no longer have to pretend to be a boy, doing criminal acts to take care of your ailin...
Y/N stumbled into the dining room, her eyes barely open.
"Good of you to join us, Y/N."
She squinted, opening her eyes further to focus on the voice that spoke. It was Ningyi's beloved teacher, Jimin, his demeanor soft and gentleman-like as he sipped his hot tea with a relaxed hand.
"Did you sleep well?" Jimin asked.
It was quite nice, thank you, was what she meant to say, but in her groggy state, all she could muster was a grunt and nod. It was too difficult to stay alert in the mid-morning. Her work was from midnight until the early hours, and that was the time that suited her best. So mid-morning breakfast was still too early for her senses.
But she wasn't so asleep that she didn't pick up on Jimin's intricate gestures; his slightly widened eyes feigning a type of innocence as he watched her closely and carefully. He was observant. He had known when she had lifted the bracelet, and he had been following her to the temples in the city. She was lucky enough to lose him each time, but probability was not in anyone's favor. One misstep and he would be able to get her kicked out of the temple. Along with her mother and sisters, if he wanted.
And she hadn't forgotten that he had fought Taehyung without hesitation, and with the same level of skill as a Fallen.
She had to be cautious with Jimin. He was more than he led on.
Y/N sat down and refocused her eyes again, looking around the table. Everyone was already there – Jimin, Ningyi across the table from him, Minxi, and their mother. The only person missing –
"Where's Hoseok?" Y/N asked.
Jimin raised his eyebrow for a moment, then lowered it again. "He's in the meditation room."
"This late?"
"There are times that his meditations run long."
Y/N tapped her finger against the table. Hoseok had been acting strange since Madam Leichu had arrived, and Y/N had spent the last two days trying to figure out why. Madam Leichu was his grandmother on his mother's side, wasn't she? And the Grand Master was his grandmother on his father's side. But there was a rivalry between them. Tension. Anger.
Y/N could smell the desire for bloodshed. After all, the world of the Fallen was no different.
Before she knew it, Y/N was back on her feet. The table looked at her expectantly.
"I'm – I'm going out for a moment," Y/N said in a rush. "Continue with breakfast."
Not waiting for any objections, she turned away from the table, stepping out of the dining room and outside. The air was thick and humid, a sign of a storm coming in tomorrow. She went to the meditation room, her shuffle walk changing quickly to a light jog the closer she got.
She lifted her hand to knock on the meditation room door but thought better of it. Maybe Hoseok was truly meditating, and she didn't want to disturb him. Instead, she opened the door as quietly as possible. To her surprise, he was not positioned in any form of meditation, but instead, sitting with one leg bent and his arm slung over his knee as he looked out the window. She stood and watched him, her hands folded in front of her.
"Sneaking in again?" he asked after a moment, not turning around to face her.
"I didn't want to disturb you."
"I'm already deeply disturbed."
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