A Royal Mess

Part 28

A week later, Y/n POV
I let out a deep sigh as I stare out the window, at the blue cloudless sky.
Until when is he going to keep me confined like this?
A different king has risen to the throne, yet I'm still a prisoner. Worse, I'm not even allowed to go out of my room now.
The guards started to lock my door a few days ago. They only open the door when the court ladies come to bring me food or gifts from Taehyung.
I haven't seen Taehyung in person ever since our argument that day & I'm not complaining. At least this way, I can still let him live in my imagination as the old Taehyung I met in the garden, rather than seeing him as Taehyung the cold-blooded king.
He hasn't let me meet Appa as well, which makes me worried that something bad has happened to Appa.
No, he promised that he'd never hurt Appa. I'm sure that he'll keep his promise. Or won't he?
"Arghh!" I ruffle my hair & grunt in frustration.
How I wish that I could just jump out of this window & run away from here with Appa.
Right then, the door clicks open. Thinking that it's just another court lady, I don't even bother to turn around.
"Just put it wherever." I mumble disinterestedly.
"Y/n ah.."
That voice..
I abruptly turn around & find Taehyung standing there, his shoulders slumped forward, his face gaunt.
It looks like he's aged ten years in a week.
What happened? Does being a king drain him so badly?
A small part of my heart ache for him, but I keep on a straight face.
"Your Royal Highness, what brings you here?"
"I need to talk to you about something.." He says.
Contradictory to his appearance, his voice is firm & stony.
"What is it?"
He pauses for a long moment, making me think that he didn't hear me. But then, he opens his mouth & speaks out words that shudder my world once again.

"We are getting married in three days."
"W-What?" My jaw drops to the floor.
"Y/n ah, we've been through so much. There's no one who's going to stop us anymore. We can finally be together now." He steps closer to me & says.
The manic look in his eyes scares me. It somehow reminds me of the late Queen's gaze.
I try take a step back, but there's no more space to move. All I can do is press my back against the wall to widen the distance in between us.
"I-I don't want to." I stammer in fright.
"Why?! I love you, Y/n ah! I know I've never said that out loud, but you've already known, right? You're the only one I want. Don't you love me too? I saw it in your eyes. You loved me. Have your feelings changed because of that bastard Jungkook?! Why, Y/n ah?! Why?!" He grabs my shoulders tightly  & yells.
"S-Stop. You're hurting me." I flinch.
Realizing what he's doing, he instantly releases his grip.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to- I need to go now. I'll see you at the altar." He hastily retreats his steps & exits the room.
I slide down onto the floor, a hard sob escaping my lips, tears streaming down my face.
What's wrong with him? What has he become?

Taehyung POV
I rush back to my room, utterly frustrated.
The terror in her widened eyes is stuck in my brain.
"Arghh!" I grab a nearby vase & hurl it across the room.
Nevertheless, its shattering noise gives me no release. My mind is still filled to the brim with cacophonous thoughts.
Why is she scared of me? I love her! I do all of this shit for her!
I sit down on the sofa, take out the bracelet from my pocket & rub the star pendant with my thumb.
Is it better if I tell her the truth, like Chief Kang advised? No. I've gone in too deep to let her go now. She's mine. If Chief Kang & I keep quiet, no one will know. Yes, no one will find out the truth.
Then, I put the bracelet into a trinket box, place the box into one of the lowest drawers & lock it.

Flashback, last night, Taehyung's POV
Days have passed since I figured out Y/n's true identity. I've gone from the shocked & disbelief phase to a state of denial.
Maybe Y/n's father was wrong. Maybe he made the whole thing up.
However, deep down I know that he was speaking the truth. It was too much of a coincidence to be just a coincidence.
My emotion & conscience are in a turmoil.
Should I tell her? But if I do, I can't be with her.
What am I going to do with my feelings for her then? I can't love her as my sister.
"Your Royal Highness?" Chief Kang taps his nails on the desk.
"Huh? Oh, yes. You were saying?" I shake my head, trying to focus on him.
"I was telling you about the tax regulation. After much calculation, I think it's best to lower the taxes for the Lords in our kingdom. That way, it will encourage them to open their land for agriculture & other businesses." He further explains in details, but I'm too preoccupied with thoughts of Y/n to care.
"You decide what's best. I trust you." I reply indifferently.
"But, Your Royal Highness-"
"I said I trust you! Isn't that enough?!" I snap, louder than I intended to, & immediately regret it.
"I-I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind lately. I didn't mean to shout at you."
"Is it because of that necklace?" He asks.
Everything becomes perfectly still, as if the earth has stopped rotating for a moment. 
"H-How did you know?" I instantly lift my gaze & look at him, wide-eyed.
"You've been acting strangely ever since I told you about that necklace. You've found its owner, haven't you?"
"I- No, I haven't." I avert my gaze & mutter.
"Well, in that case, let me tell you who the owner is. It's Miss Y/n. I've done some investigation, including interrogating her father, & come to a conclusion that she is your supposedly-dead sister."
My anxiety level reaches its peak at his last word. I feel like a criminal being paraded naked around town, all my insecurities & ugliest secrets exposed.
"N-No, s-she is not my sister. T-That's ridiculous!" I force a laugh, which sounds horribly fake even to my own ears.
"Miss Y/n's father told me that you'd come & talked to him about the necklace too, so you've figured out who she is, don't you? I was waiting for you to tell me the good news, but then it seems like you're more troubled than happy by this discovery." He frowns.
There's no point in pretending anymore. I've been cornered & there's nowhere to run.
"F-Fine. Let's say that she's my sister. So what? It doesn't change anything." I shrug.
"It changes everything! You have to choose another candidate to be your queen, unless you want to marry your blood sister."
"No one knows about her true identity! As long as we don't say anything, it will remain a secret. Forever!" I exclaim.
"But, Your Royal Highness, will your conscience be clear? What if she somehow finds out? She'll probably hate you."
"That's my problem, not yours. All you need to do is keep your mouth shut & make sure that no one else knows about this."
"So you're still going to make her your queen?" His brows knit even deeper.
"Yes. In fact, I'm planning to marry her in.. uhm.. in three days. Please get everything ready. I want it to be the grandest wedding in history." I lift my chin & say confidently, despite the guilt twisting in my stomach.
"I'll do as you command, but I sincerely hope that you'll change your mind. Have a good evening." He nods before leaving the room.
I plop down heavily on the chair, my body trembling from stress.
All of a sudden, I remember Jungah's last words.
"I curse you that, even though you own the rest of the world, you'll never have what your heart truly desires."
Chills travel down my spine, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.
No, her curse won't come true. Y/n & I will live happily ever after. I have to tell Y/n tomorrow about our wedding. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic.