Citadel of Hearts: The Emperor's Triumph | JC

Chapter 28: Sacrifice for Sel

In the hushed confines of the chamber, Jeonghan's consciousness stirs, gradually awakening to a sharp, stinging pain coursing through his hands. With a slow, groggy awareness, he lifts them, finding them shrouded in layers of cloth, meticulously wrapped to secure the wounded part. The memory of Seungcheol's comforting embrace lingers briefly before darkness once again envelops his mind.

As awareness dawns upon him, Jeonghan's thoughts whirl in a tumult of guilt and apprehension. Has his secret been unveiled? The mere notion sends a surge of remorse flooding through him. No, he had not been discovered, but he had willingly confessed to Seungcheol, bracing himself for the consequences of his actions. Regret gnaws at his conscience, for he had betrayed the kindness of Sel in a blind fury of anger and vengeance. With the looming threat of the Kwon armies growing ever closer, urgency grips Jeonghan, urging him to hasten his actions.

With a resolute determination, Jeonghan rises from his bed, his body suffused with a feverish heat that he scarcely notices in the face of his pressing concerns. Paying no heed to his physical discomfort, he strides purposefully towards the chamber door, each step echoing with the weight of his turmoil. Before swinging it open, he pauses, offering a silent prayer for the well-being of the kingdom, a plea whispered with fervent desperation.

"Where has everyone vanished?" Jeonghan murmurs to himself as he steps into the corridor, his heart quickening with a sense of foreboding. Mingyu and the soldiers are conspicuously absent, their absence a stark reminder of the gravity of the situation. With a sense of urgency compelling him forward, Jeonghan hastens towards the familiar locale, his footsteps echoing in the oppressive silence of the palace.

As he nears the courthouse, dread coils in the pit of Jeonghan's stomach, his senses assaulted by the sight of fallen soldiers strewn across the floor. Their bodies are marred by gruesome wounds, their lifeless forms a haunting testament to the violence that has befallen them. Jeonghan's hands fly instinctively to his mouth, a stifled gasp escaping past trembling fingers as tears well in his eyes.

"Seungcheol!" His cry pierces the silence as he pushes open the heavy courthouse door, his heart lurching at the sight that greets him within.

Seungcheol, forced to his knees before Soonyoung, his proud demeanor stripped away in the face of his captor's cruelty. Soonyoung holds a dagger poised threateningly close to Seungcheol's eye, a malevolent gleam in his gaze. Jisoo, held captive by Soonyoung's guards, struggles against his restraints, his eyes filled with a mixture of defiance and fear. Mingyu and Seokmin, their once-robust forms now battered and bruised, are bound to the pillars of the palace, their faces contorted in pain. Junhui and Wonwoo share in their plight, their bodies bearing the scars of their torment.

As Jeonghan takes in the scene before him, a suffocating sense of guilt washes over him. It is his transgressions that have brought about this tragedy, his actions that have led to the suffering of those he holds dear. His hands tremble at his sides, fingers curling into fists as he struggles to contain the torrent of emotions raging within him.

"Seungcheol!" Jeonghan's voice cracks with emotion as he calls out to his beloved, tears streaming down his cheeks in silent anguish. Seungcheol's head snaps up at the sound of his name, his eyes meeting Jeonghan's with a mixture of relief and despair. His face is a mask of bruises and dried blood, a testament to the brutality he has endured.

"There you are," Soonyoung's voice cuts through the tense silence as he rises from his seat, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. He seizes Seungcheol by the hair, forcing him to meet his gaze with a menacing glare.

"Let go of him!" Jeonghan's voice trembles with barely-contained fury as he takes a step forward, only to be stopped in his tracks by two of Soonyoung's guards.