CHAPTER 27
"Everyone was gathered to watch. The nobles, the guards… even my father. And me. I stood beside him, dressed in my ceremonial robes, watching her with the rest of them."
He paused, jaw clenched as if forcing the memory out.
"She didn't scream. She didn't beg. Instead…"
He looked up at Yuhyun.
"She laughed."
Yuhyun blinked.
"Laughed like we were all fools,"
Muwon said.
"And then—she looked straight at me. I didn't even know who she was. I'd never seen her before. But she looked at me with those glowing red eyes and raised her hands."
A chill crept into his tone.
"Before the guards could stop her, she cast a spell aloud for everyone to hear. Said she cursed me—the Crown Prince. That a mark would bloom on my skin and when I turned thirty, it would kill me."
Yuhyun's breath caught.
"The mark appeared hours later,"
Muwon said softly.
"It started small, like ink beneath my skin. But over the years, it grew—just like she said it would."
"What happened to her?"
Yuhyun asked, though the answer was already forming in his mind.
"They burned her alive,"
Muwon replied.
"She laughed until the flames took her."
A heavy silence settled between them.
"She died saying no one would ever find a cure. That the only one who could stop it was something the royal family would never accept."
Yuhyun looked at sleeping Sihyun. His twin's lips were parted slightly, his body slack with unconsciousness.
"And yet here he is,"
Yuhyun whispered.
"The cure they never wanted."
A long silence stretched between them. The firelight danced on their faces, casting flickering shadows.
"Do you hate him?"
Yuhyun asked suddenly.
"My brother. Do you hate him for being what he is?"
Muwon didn't answer right away. He looked toward where Sihyun lay—curled slightly, his hair spilling across his arm.
"…I used to,"
Muwon admitted.
"Or maybe I convinced myself I did."
Yuhyun watched him closely.
"But the truth is,"
Muwon said, voice barely above a whisper,
"I think I've always been afraid of him."
His gaze lingered on Sihyun's face, unreadable.
The sun filtered through the trees, casting golden rays over the campsite. The embers of the fire still smoked faintly, and a soft breeze rustled the leaves above.
Muwon was already awake, waist-deep in the nearby river, water glistening off his bare skin as he calmly washed. A few guards stood watch along the bank, their expressions impassive despite looking slightly hungover from the previous night.
Back at the camp, Sihyun stirred with a groan, still draped in the same position he passed out in. His head throbbed, and the taste of wine clung to his tongue like a bad memory. He rubbed his temple, blinking sleepily before his gaze caught movement through the trees—Muwon, bathing in the river.
A sly grin tugged at Sihyun's lips.
"Oh, how tempting,"
he muttered, slowly sitting up, mischief flashing in his still-glazed eyes.
He lazily extended his hand, fingers glowing faintly with magic, preparing to cast a little spell—a sudden chill in the water, or perhaps a swarm of fish leaping up for a surprise bath companion.
But just as the magic sparked to life—
"Sihyun,"
came Yuhyun's firm voice behind him.
Sihyun jumped a bit, looking over his shoulder like a child caught red-handed. Yuhyun stood there with arms crossed, one brow arched in full older-brother mode.
"Don't,"
Yuhyun said flatly.
"I wasn't going to do anything serious,"
Sihyun defended with a smirk, though he did drop his hand.
"Just a little splash. A playful 'good morning,' maybe."
Yuhyun gave him a look.
"You're still half-drunk and you'll just end up getting yourself chased into a tree again."
Sihyun sighed dramatically and flopped back onto the grass.
"You're no fun."
Yuhyun sat beside him, handing over a waterskin.
"Drink this. You'll thank me later."
Sihyun took it reluctantly, glancing one more time at the river. Muwon had clearly noticed the brief commotion, and though he made no comment, he sent Sihyun a long, knowing look before returning to his bathing.
Sihyun muttered into the waterskin,
"Tch. Ruined my masterpiece."
Yuhyun rolled his eyes.
"You're lucky he finds you amusing."
As Sihyun drank from the waterskin with a sulky expression, Yuhyun watched him quietly for a moment. The sounds of the river and soft rustling of leaves filled the silence between them.
Then Yuhyun leaned in slightly, voice low and laced with curiosity.
"…Do you even remember what you did last night?"
Sihyun paused mid-sip, blinking at him.
"What I did?"
Yuhyun nodded slowly.
"Yes. You weren't exactly in your right mind."
Sihyun squinted at the sky, trying to recall through the haze of his hangover. Bits and pieces came back—drinking around the fire, the guards laughing and passing out one by one, the stars above, the fireworks he created for no one but himself…
And then—
His eyes widened just a little.
"…Oh."
Yuhyun narrowed his eyes.
"So you do remember."
Sihyun's hand went to his lips instinctively.
"I kissed him, didn't I?"
he said under his breath.
Yuhyun nodded again, lips pursed.
"Right in front of me. You waltzed up to the Crown Prince, downed a drink, and kissed him like you were claiming him."
Sihyun looked off toward the trees, clearly trying to piece together how he felt about it.
"And,"
Yuhyun added with even more surprise,
"he kissed you back."
Sihyun's eyes darted to him.
"He did?"
Yuhyun gave him a pointed look.
"Yes. And I'm still trying to figure out what that means."
Sihyun stayed quiet for a long moment, then rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well,"
he muttered, voice unusually quiet,
"that… wasn't part of the plan."
Yuhyun sighed.
"You really are chaos."
Sihyun gave a lazy smirk, though his mind seemed far away.
"Maybe. But it's kind of fun watching the prince get all flustered."
Yuhyun snorted.
"He wasn't flustered. That's what's strange."
Sihyun's smile faltered instantly just a bit at that.