Anything But Worthless [Akakstuki no Yona Fanfic]

14. Different Paths

¤ Third Person ¤

Soo-Won stepped out to the courtyard, retracing his steps to the room he knew to be where that girl used to live her life. It was almost time for him to be crowned king, people were beginning to enter the castle walls, but his mind remained elsewhere. Last night, Tae-Jun had returned with Yona's crimson locks of hair and the announcement of their deaths. He couldn't get his mind off of it.

The feeling of her hair in his hand, the honest truth that he was the reason she died, it was not the ending he had imagined. He had never wished for them to see him kill their father, he had believed it would be well if they could sleep through the night and wake up as princesses. He had thought it through, he had tried to lay out every outcome but that one never came to mind. He could've done something but he didn't.

Of course, it didn't change the fact that he would have killed their father, but ignorance is bliss. They would never have suspected him and they would continue their lives, the four of them, as they always did. It would be nice if that was possible.

He was the one who stepped over it, he knew that well, and it didn't make him less remorseful though it never showed on his face. He stopped, gazing at the rundown room she had always left and returned to with a smile. There was nothing left of her besides the room but soon, it was to be tore down.

There was no more use for it, she was no longer there. He walked towards the door, pushing it open slightly to reveal the dirty room. She had luxurious goods, from her father he assumed, but many things were broken and torn apart. Unfit for a princess but it was the last connection to her. And it was going to disappear right before his eyes soon.

He was going to truly lose her, such a sweet girl. The girl who always made him smile and the one he could truly relax beside, they both disappeared with the man he had prided in being the close friend of. "I was going to... tell chichue... that if I were queen... you and Yona-nee could wed..."

His fist tightened at his side as he stepped in, finally taking in what she she had hidden away and smiled about. To wed Yona, he had never thought of it before but he had heard it from all three. They were all planning for it. "If you've even given me the slightest consideration, that's enough for now."

"I figured as much. If it was you, Soo-Won-sama, I'm sure you'd be able to convince Il-heika." Had he done that, things would be different. Had he married her, everything would have changed. Did he never consider it?

Could he have married her?

There was no use thinking about it then, everything had ended and he was the one who ended it. He had chosen to step over them, without regarding them or simply ignoring the truth. He had hurt them, all three of them, and he had to live with it. With a glance around, the room was nothing but darkness hidden away from the sun. He could find nothing that reminded him of her and she was dead. Just like that, she had died.

He turned away, leaving the room as he ventured towards the final place he wanted to go before being crowned king. If he went to give his regards after receiving that title, it was nothing short of prancing over their memories and he couldn't bring himself to do it. He offered no words, what words could he say to them? Soon enough, their names would either be forgotten or be spoken with malice befitting a criminal.

With nothing to say, he had no reason to go and yet he did. He wanted to before his plan to reform Kouka Kingdom began. He stopped, glancing back as a colorful thing caught his gaze, a few flowers blooming beneath her window.

Purple in color and small flowers, they managed to capture his attention. Believing they were meant for him was nothing short of conceited but they spoke to him. That was the only reason he needed to take some away with him.