In a corner room where people rarely set foot, I met with Hyunwook and my brother.
My brother’s face was deathly pale; he kept wiping his face with his hand as if trying desperately not to show his agitation.
It was a rare sight from someone who was always so composed.
Beside him, Hyunwook watched me with a stiffened expression and tilted his head.
“Do you actually believe Lee Siyoon’s words? I don’t buy it. I might not know him as well as you do, but I was by His Majesty’s side for quite a while. The Emperor I saw isn’t the type to pull such an unreasonable stunt. You’ve already pinned a massive label of distrust on him—would he really repeat the exact same behavior?”
“Yeah. Just like Hyunwook said, His Majesty isn’t someone who repeats the same mistake twice. That’s why it’s better for your own sake to verify it clearly.”
My brother also agreed that he couldn’t comprehend it.
Since I also knew that Joo Minhyuk wasn’t one to make the same mistake twice, I could understand why the two of them found it so questionable.
“I know what you mean. I want to do that right now too, but I can’t. I don’t have the courage to verify it because I’m terrified it might be true. But now that I’ve heard those words, I can’t just sit still either. Besides, you two only know Joo Minhyuk the Emperor—you don’t know Joo Minhyuk the Alpha.”
Joo Minhyuk the Alpha.
He absolutely loathed any other man getting close to me.
He was a man who grew jealous and wary of even my own biological brother, and he minded it terribly whenever Hyunwook, a Beta, was by my side.
On the sole grounds that Han Heesung had shown an interest in me, Joo Minhyuk had openly kept that Omega in check and barred him from even entering the palace.
His jealousy and possessiveness were truly staggering.
“You’re an Alpha too, Brother. You should know how an Alpha acts toward his own Omega…”
“…I wouldn’t know. I’ve never dated anyone…”
Ah, right.
My brother has been single his whole life, hasn’t he?
Despite his fine stature and being a man who wouldn’t be found lacking anywhere, he had been abused by our grandfather and lived his life unable to care about anything else just to protect me.
Since he endured such fiercely rigid and exhausting days, far from dating an Omega, he probably hasn’t even spoken to one properly.
“…You’ll find out once you meet someone later. What kind of emotion that is.”
“True. His Majesty’s obsession was uniquely intense when it came to you. With that level of possessiveness, he is more than capable of doing something like this. It’s not like there aren’t already plenty of social issues caused by Alphas locking up their Omegas in rooms. His Majesty could easily be the same.”
An Alpha’s unique possessiveness toward their own Omega is extraordinary.
It was highly possible he pulled this stunt precisely because of those Alpha tendencies.
Therefore, there was no law stating that Lee Siyoon’s words had to be a lie.
With Joo Minhyuk’s possessiveness, locking me away was well within his character.
Because I knew a side of him that Hyunwook and my brother didn’t.
Given Lee Siyoon’s personality, he might have genuinely spilled the truth beforehand just to enjoy watching me tremble in anxiety.
Even so, shaking over a single piece of information like that was a foolish thing to do.
“…It really would be better to just ask His Majesty directly. Sitting here in anxiety doing nothing but doubting doesn’t suit me. When he returns tomorrow afternoon, I’ll go see him again.”
Since Lee Siyoon is a human being skilled at driving wedges between people, I can’t just dance to his tune and let myself be jerked around.
Tonight was strangely serene.
Night is always like that, but tonight felt exceptionally desolate and quiet.
Furthermore, perhaps because my mind was in such a flutter, I strangely couldn’t fall asleep and the darkness felt terrifying.
Because of that, my brother and Hyunwook decided to sleep in my room with me tonight.
I checked on the two of them, who had spread out mattresses on the floor and fallen asleep because of me. I felt sorry, but my mind was put at ease.
Feeling considerably more comfortable, I tidied my spot, hugged my cat plushie close, and closed my eyes.
How much time had passed like that?
After briefly falling into a deep sleep, I suddenly snapped awake.
Though my eyes were closed, my ears were alert and I could hear a rustling sound.
But the moment a bizarre sensation washed over me, I opened my eyes.
Right before me, the silhouette of an unknown figure appeared, and I instinctively bolted upright.
Who is it?
One thing was certain: it wasn’t my brother or Hyunwook.
Someone had just entered my room.
And then, he lunged forward, stretching his hand out toward me.
It happened in such a fleeting fraction of a second that I couldn’t assume any defensive posture.
It was the exact moment I winced.
“Urgh!”
The man who had lunged at me collapsed limply without a single fingertip ever touching my body, and Hyunwook quickly covered my mouth just as I was about to scream in horror.
“Quiet, Haejoo. It’s okay.”
The person who had struck down the man was Brother Hanbin.
My brother was catching his breath while holding a blood-stained knife.
Then, scanning his surroundings, he spoke rapidly in an incredibly low voice.
“Calm down. It wasn’t just one or two who broke in. I heard the footsteps of multiple people from afar. Those aren’t the foot movements of ordinary people. Check him quickly.”
At my brother’s words, Hyunwook used his cell phone flashlight to inspect the collapsed man.
A covered face, black attire… anyone could see he was an assassin.
As my brother expertly searched his clothes, a gun symbolizing the Imperial Guard of the Army emerged from inside.
This was a weapon possessed exclusively by those who protected the imperial family and the Emperor.
The moment I verified that, my mind was flooded with chaos.
Why on earth did the Imperial Guard attack me?
They are soldiers, but because they are stationed at the palace, they move only on the orders of the Emperor or the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager has been staying at the Suwonsong detached palace ever since the rebellion.
The only person who can move them here at present is the Emperor.
Then why? There is no way Joo Minhyuk would order them to attack me.
Did the Empress Dowager move covertly?
But the Empress Dowager cannot move them single-handedly.
There must absolutely be the Emperor’s sanction.
“…What is this? Ah! Brother!”
Before my thoughts could even finish, a pack of men burst into my room.
As Hyunwook tried to push me under the bed and go toward them, my brother shouted.
“Don’t come out, stay right next to His Highness!”
My brother swiftly picked up the fallen man’s gun, and soon the sound of it being cocked echoed.
But that was as far as I could see.
Hyunwook shielded me and covered my ears.
After a short while, my brother’s voice rang out.
“Let’s get out fast. We have to get out of here first!”
The inside of the room was completely filled with collapsed men, and my brother stripped the bulletproof vests from their clothes, throwing them to us one by one before grabbing a few more guns.
Hyunwook and I followed my brother’s lead by securing firearms, and we immediately slipped out of the pavilion.
“Hyunwook, you know how to shoot this handgun, right?”
“Yes. I haven’t shot one in actual combat, but I learned basic marksmanship.”
“Then that’s enough. If you follow behind me, there won’t be anything difficult. Engaging in hand-to-hand combat in this situation is just a drain on stamina. Once I fire, move exactly as we trained even without specific instructions. This is an emergency situation. Stay sharp.”
“Yes.”
My brother was far too proficient, and Hyunwook, who was taking his instructions, was the same.
But will we be safe once we leave the palace?
Where do we go after getting out of here? What are we supposed to do next?
“Let’s head to my car in the parking lot first. Whether we go to my place or somewhere else, it’s best to get out of here first.”
Even while my brother and Hyunwook rapidly carried out the next steps, my head was spinning.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of anything.
“Haejoo. Finding things out comes after surviving. Think about it after we get out of here. No matter how much you think right now, you won’t get an answer anyway.”
When I couldn’t pull myself together, my brother spoke coldly, and I nodded.
We somehow managed to reach Hyunwook’s car safely, but the next issue was ahead.
How do we get out?
The gates inside the palace must all be locked right now.
While I was agonizing over a method, Hyunwook dialed a call somewhere.
“Mister? You answered? I’m so sorry for calling this late. I’m sorry, but…”
Dad?
‘What’s going on at this hour? Did something happen? I actually had something to tell you too!’
“Mister, let’s hear that slowly. You’re still staying at that hotel right now, right?”
‘No. I’m in a different spot right now, but it’s nearby. Who I’m with right now is…’
“Mister, I’m sorry to interrupt. Haejoo was just ambushed. We barely made it to my car, but we can’t get out. You have to help us, Mister. We need a vehicle. There are many people pursuing us.”
‘…What did you say?’
Hyunwook requested help while scanning the surroundings anxiously.
Dad said he was currently about fifteen minutes away from the palace.
Fifteen minutes.
Just getting from here to the gate would take that much time.
Dad and Hyunwook exchanged specific locations, and my anxiety grew heavier and heavier.
“We can make it out safely, right?”
“Don’t worry. We will get Your Highness out no matter what.”
My brother’s firm voice somehow made me feel even more uneasy.
I will absolutely not leave alone. I am going to make it out with my brother and Hyunwook without fail.
Therefore, I shouldn’t show a weak side.
Snapping myself alert, I rapidly headed toward the palace exit under my brother’s guidance.
But what do we do about the gate guards?
Arriving at the gate with that worry in mind, there was no one there, and even a small side door was left wide open.
Anyone could see this was incredibly suspicious.
There was never a case where the gate was left open without a single soul around, so something was definitely strange.
As if my brother harbored the same thought as me, his movements became cautious.
However, before those thoughts could even finish, men leaped in through the gap of the open door as if they had been waiting, spotting us immediately.
What! An apartment entrance would have tighter security than this!
Does this even make sense?
No, wait, did they deliberately herd us toward this direction?
It seemed they moved while anticipating that we would escape outside.
They swiftly launched an attack on us.
My brother, as if used to this kind of situation, executed defense and offense concurrently with extreme proficiency and precision.
However, all things happen in a mere flash.
The number of personnel attacking Hyunwook—who was protecting me, the target—multiplied, and in that gap, I saw another person rushing toward me with a raised blade.
“Haejoo! Get down and roll!”
A desperate shout echoed, but without even the time to do so, the blade drove right up to my face. Damn it, is it ending like this?
I closed my eyes in a pathetic attempt at defense and awaited the impending agony.
Yet, even though several seconds ticked by, no pain was felt.
Is it because it hurts so much that I’ve lost sensation?
Opening my eyes slightly, absolutely nothing had happened to me.
In front of my eyes, instead of the man with the knife, a broad and unfamiliar back was visible.
Someone had stepped in front of me and was blocking the blade.
Who is it? I couldn’t tell who it was.
“Brother! Are you okay? You aren’t hurt, right?”
Brother…?
The man turning around to look at me with a frantic face was none other than Seojoo.
