𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 !? ♡ [BL]

⟢ 02 .

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When you awoke, it was morning.

Your body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat despite the chill biting at your skin and your entanglement in unfamiliar, silky white bedsheets. As more or less a wanderer, you weren't accustomed to luxury, yet you clung to the cool cloth, limbs as heavy as lead as you barely hauled yourself upright. The very clothes you wore radiated expensive, light-colored fabric hopelessly soft under your fingers, yet breathable and fit you well.

... Had you changed clothes before heading to sleep? No, those weren't the right questions — this wasn't your bed, nor were the multitude of hidden daggers you'd sewn into the hidden pockets of your undergarments anywhere to be found.

Your vision was scattered, and your extensively decorated surroundings were blurry and spun every time you blinked. "Ah." Your voice was hoarse like you hadn't used it in a considerable time. "What... the hell?"

No sooner had you closed your mouth did the bright sound of a bell resound from, seemingly, all around you. Jolting upward, you descended back under the covers, pressing your eyes shut and slowing your breaths and the beating of your heart. You could hear the door swing open somewhere to your left, and then the sound of footsteps gradually growing louder, stopping beside your bed.

"Sir Assassin."

Suddenly, all the memories came flooding back. That damn prince's fox-like smile, his dead eyes, and his leering insanity as his gaze locked onto yours, fingers digging into the flesh of your neck and observing you slowly lose your consciousness, eyes tentatively fluttering shut as your senses spiraled away into nothingness.

Fuck, how had you forgotten? Your thoughts swam, muddled, and your usually clear mind felt cloudy, as if submerged.

"Hey, Sir Assassin, I know you're awake..."

"...Fuck you." You dug your head into the pillow, nearly suffocating yourself in the process, but you'd rather not see that conniving man at the moment. Your body felt dirty. He couldn't have done anything to you — he wouldn't have. It was a stupid idea to entertain, for one, your body was without blemish, and second, second-born or not, a scandal was a scandal, and rumors of a prince eloping could hurt even someone like him.

There was a sound — Nikolai clapping his hands together, you inferred, and then the hum of his delighted voice, "Oh, so you really were awake? I was just guessing, but wow, how'd you do that? That little trick of making your heart beat slow down... damn, you actually got me!"

...Shit.

You poked your head up just the slightest, peering at him with half of the face that was not drowning in the pillow. "What do you want with me?"

His beauty was deceptive. The sun's touch lingered on his features, casting a golden glow. He put a finger to his lips, faux doe eyes on full display. "Mm... take a guess?"

"You have an awful habit of never getting to the point."

"Ah ah ah," he tutted, taking a step closer to the bed, to which you shot backward, head hitting the backboard with a dull thud. His plastic expression flickered, but his unrelenting grin remained. "You have an awful habit of never getting the point, your highness. We're in the palace now, so you should address me by my proper title. Unless, of course, you consider the two of us close enough not to... I won't mind if that's the case!"

"...Holy- The palace?" You threw off your covers, eyes blown wide as you seized a nearby flower vase, smashing it against the intricately designed walls and wielding its now broken, sharpened point. "Hey, trashbag of a prince, what the hell do you think you're doing??"