Samurai ↔ Nishimura Riki

thirty four

quite the cliffhanger we left off! sorry for not updating in two months, for those who did not know, i had a hiatus for my mental health :,)) dont worry im doing a little better, sorry for the long wait guys 😭😭 (took me a while to write even though i planned the rest of the story out, its crazy how much ive gone off script of that)

Why do you love me?

Those five simple words echoed in his mind. He froze, sitting there, unable to say or do anything. It was as if time itself had slowed down. Every muscle in his body seemed to be paralyzed to motionlessness.

How could this have happened? The lingering word that had started this whole mess tasted bitter on his tongue. This had not been the breakup scene he had imagined and rehearsed a billion times in his mind. In his mind, Riki had hoped she wouldn't have taken it too personally. He had hoped that she would've understood why he had to do this and that maybe... maybe they could've stayed as friends? Internally, he cringed at even the idea of it. Even to himself, that sounded insensitive, foolish, and moreover, naive. Hyewon's feelings were valid, they weren't something he could trifle with back and forth.

But nonetheless, he still wished this would've gone as he expected. It would've made things so much easier and less painful to watch.

He could only witness with a pang at his heart as Hyewon stormed out of his room angrily. Every cell in his body screamed at him to run after her, to apologize, to tell her he didn't want this either. Oh, how he yearned to hold her hand and bicker with her, just like the old times, but did he even have a right to, after all he did? But, his mind protested, he had a justifiable reason to.

He had done this for the better good for the both of them. If they had persisted with the relationship, they would only end up deluding themselves of an impossible future. There was no other ending to their story but sadness, resentment, and heartbreak.

Riki had known this all along the whole time, whispering in the depths of his heart. They would've never lasted more than a year. He had allowed himself to think, to believe that a future with Hyewon was possible, only for everything to crash over him like endless waves of the ocean.

He should've kept his distance. Royals and commoners were never meant to mix, and he should've kept that in mind from the start.

But even long after Hyewon had slammed his door shut, he sat there monotonously with a gaping hole in his heart that may never be filled again.

-

Often, when Hyewon was angry, mad, annoyed, or pissed, she would vent out most of it by training, yelling, or in this case, both.

"Nishimura Riki!" she cursed his name over and over again, lunging at the dummy, viciously driving her sword into its stomach. She had been at this for the past hour, but her energy hadn't been depleted at all. It also helped that she imagined the dummy was the prince.

She growled under her breath. Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could she have fallen for his lies? Hyewon should have pulverized him from the beginning. Since when did she get so soft hearted? She blamed him for doing this to her. This was all his fault.

He fed her countless words of comfort and promises and she had been foolish enough to fall for it. Was she really that shallow? Easily convinced and persuaded at such whims? She let out a yell of frustration and spun around, leveling a kick at the already bruised dummy.

Was any of it even real? Were all her efforts in vain? Did any of it mean to Riki at all? No, it probably didn't, Hyewon decided. Not if he could end things so easily, sliding a knife into heart. Oh, what a game he played. The game of love was truly a dangerous one, one that wasn't meant for her. She should've predicted this. She should've known all men were scumbags, they were not meant to be trusted.