The Cold Emperor

Chapter 14

The second that Yoon wanted to speak, he was suddenly interrupted by the entrance of a messenger. He walked in, unannounced, clearly in a rush to see the emperor. The warrior was wearing a purple-blue uniform; the sign of an elite warrior. He had long, black flowy hair and a powerful piercing gaze. "I have news," he announced in his shockingly deep voice. The Boss's back instantly straightened at hearing the voice, he was visibly trying to focus on the sound.  "And who may you be?" Jungkook interrupted, annoyed at the clear breech of security. "My apologies, Your Highness, for barging in like this," the stranger said with a deep bow, "However, the urgency of the situation required me to forgo formalities." Yoon narrowed his eyes at the warrior, not having missed the Boss' reaction to him. "Speak, what is it that you have to say?" Yoon ordered. "Wait!" the Boss said suddenly, "Please remove my blindfold." You frowned at the strange request and looked up at Yoon for his permission. "Why would I do that?" he asked, sarcasm heavily lacing his voice. "I-I need to know who this warrior is," he stammered.

The wheels in your brain were audibly spinning; Should you comply with his request or not? A part of you felt that it would be a reckless decision, whereas the other part was intrigued to find out more. "Lady Y/N, what do you suggest?" Yoon asked, catching you off-guard. "I suggest to comply with the prisoner's request Your Highness," you answered. Yoon gave a quick nod to the guards holding the Boss down, and they took off the blindfold. The second that his eyes could focus on his surroundings, his gaze locked with the warrior's. His eyes widened and his lips slightly parted for a second, before he immediately hid his expression behind a carefully neutral mask. "Satisfied?" Yoon asked mockingly. The Boss simply nodded, while keeping his gaze on the stranger. "Who are you and what news do you have?" Yoon asked again. "My name is Kim Taehyung, Your Highness," the stranger replied, "I am the captain of the Hwarang warriors."  That's when it finally clicked in your brain. The Hwarang warriors were the most elite and renowned group of warriors in the empire. The warriors were carefully selected in their youth, and only the best of the best made it through the selection.

"Ah Captain Kim, I haven't seen you since you were a little boy," Yoon said with a small smile. "It seems like you have become the warrior everyone thought you would become." Taehyung bowed deeply at the compliment. "I wish I could have visited sooner Your Highness, but as you know, all the tension on the western border has kept us occupied, which is also the reason why I am here today," he said with a deep frown. "Unfortunately, I bear disturbing news," he started. "Mercenaries from the neighbouring empire have been causing disturbance for quite some time now, but it was nothing that we couldn't manage." Taehyung turned his face towards the Boss, looking straight at him, but not showing any form of emotion. "In fact, The Silver Tongues were mainly based in that area and helped us to keep it safe. Ever since their defeat, the area has become a target for the neighbouring empire, as the level of protection was greatly reduced. Now, we have evidence that indicates that they are planning to invade the kingdom with a large army." You gasped in shock at hearing the news; you had just recovered from an attack and now you were expecting a much larger one.

When you looked up at Yoon, he seemed frozen as well. His expressions were carefully calm and collected; but you had gotten to know him very well. Internally, his mind must have been spinning in a thousand directions; trying to process all the information. "Very well," Yoon said, "We will further discuss this matter in private. General Jung, Captain Kim, Captain Jeon and Lady Y/N, please join me to my chambers to discuss this matter," he announced before standing up. "And oh," he said calmly as he turned around again, "Off with his head." "NO!" the Boss immediately yelled out. "You can't kill me, if you do, you will sentence all those innocent people to death!" he uttered distressed. "YOU are pretending to be concerned about innocent lives?!" Yoon scoffed in disgust. "Do you know how many lives were lost with your years of looting and the stunt you tried to pull here?" He asked, unable to contain his fury. "I might not care about the lives here, but the people that live near the western border are MY people and all I have ever done was for their wellbeing." The Boss looked up at Yoon, with his head held high when he spat his words:

"You rich scum don't care about the poor; we have to take care of ourselves. When you as an emperor were not able to save us from the continuous attacks from across the border, I was there to do so." Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and sighed; "If you kill me now, it will be impossible for you to mobilize all the villages near the border and thousands of innocent lives will we taken. Let me live and protect my people, you can do whatever you want with me after that," he said as his head dropped in defeat, hoping that his words were enough to convince him. Yoon's expressions were unreadable and he stood there quietly for a few seconds, trying to process what he heard. "Guards, take him back to his cell," he simply said before turning away and leaving the throne room. The Boss let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding in. As he was being dragged underground again, he hoped that his pleading worked. He was many things and more; but heartless was not one of them. As the emperor and his entourage left, all he could hope for was a miracle.

When the night had fallen, a cloaked figure walked across the palace grounds. The heavy material and large hood completely covered the person inside, making it unable to figure out who it was. Skilfully, the figure managed to avoid all the guards patrolling the area; blending in the blanket of darkness. Silently, the figure walked down the stairs; going deeper and deeper into the ground. As the figure looked ahead, they could see the two guards blocking his passage to the wooden door. This was something that they had expected beforehand. From a hidden pocket in their pants, they grabbed a small vial and poured the content on their gloved hand. As they walked closer, the guards inevitably saw them appearing through the darkness. "You there! What are you doing here?" One guard started yelling. The figure rose his hand and blew the shimmering powder in the guards' faces. Instantly, the guards started to feel drowsy and dropped down on the floor, a deep darkness engulfing their mind. The figure opened the heavy door and stepped inside. When they lifted their hood and showed their face, the guarded mask on the Boss' face crumbled.

"My love, what have you done?" The figure asked as they softy brushed away the silent tears flowing down the Boss' cheeks.