"Based on the symptoms I observed, I am afraid she has been poisoned."
"Yes, you both drank the same tea, but nothing happened to you. It means..." he trailed of …
"You don't have the right to complain after what you've done to her."
"Listen, Kim Dokja, if anything happens to her, I will make sure you experience true pain."
Dokja clenched his fist, his eyes squeezing together as the words echoed endlessly in his mind. Coming into this world, as terrifying as it was, he'd thought he'd finally escaped those disdainful looks, always watching and judging.
Never asking before assuming. Their whispers lingered in his thoughts, haunting him.
"To think Sir Dokja would do such a thing."
"They say Sir Dokja loved Lady Seolhwa, yet he poisoned her."
"He harbors hatred towards His Highness, the crown prince. It's out of that anger that he resorted to poisoning Lady Seolhwa."
Stop....
"They say he was a traitor for attacking His Highness, wanting to have our Lady."
Please stop.....
"Then I guess he's a true traitor now."
I'm begging you...
"Well, I never liked him pursuing our Lady from the beginning."
I'm not...
Please...
I'm not a murderer....
Stop...
Dokja's eyes burst open as he heaved in heavy breaths, sweat making his hair and clothes stick to his skin. Curling in on himself, Dokja closed his eyes and tightly covered his ears, trying to block out the world. Now in his own mental bubble, he focused on correcting his breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly, his heartbeat ringing loudly in his ears.
He could feel tears prick at the corners of his eyes, but he didn't bother wiping them off. He probably already looked like a mess anyway.
When his breathing became somewhat more manageable and his heart didn't feel like it was about to explode, Dokja opened his eyes. He was greeted by the inside of his carriage, though it stood completely still.
Looking to his left, the door of the carriage was ajar, revealing his coachman with a panicked look on his face. Passed his shoulders, Doja spotted the entrance of the Underworld manor. Still dazed, Dokja could only faintly make out the driver's frantic questions of if there was something wrong and if he needed to call over the servants.
Not bothering to respond, Dokja stumbled out of the carriage and tiredly staggered his way into the entrance. As soon as he stepped into the mansion, his family rushed to swarm around him, examining his entire body for any signs of injury. The Duchess grasped his face firmly in her hands, her eyes widening in horror at his split lip and the marks around his neck and cheek.
"My son, tell me right now who dared to raise their hand at you?" Persephone's tone was calm, but her teeth were slightly bared as an animalistic look swirled in her eyes.
"Didn't you go out to have tea with Lady Seolhwa, hyung? Did you get into a fight with someone at her palace?" Kim Namwoon's eyes traced over the redness on his brother's face and neck.
"The last time I accompanied you there, His Majesty had also come to visit Lady Seolhwa. Did you encounter him again and engage in combat?" Knight Heewon rushed out her words, her face scrunched up in barely contained distress.
Before Dokja could respond, Sooyoung abruptly grabbed him by the collar, her anger evident. "IS THAT TRUE? DID THAT BASTARD ATTACK YOU?!" she yelled in his face. Feeling overwhelmed by their barrage of questions, Dokja pleaded for everyone to calm down.
Sooyoung released her grip on his collar, allowing him to take a step back from everyone bombarding him. "Before I answer all your questions, can I please just have a bath first?" Dokja muttered out, not able to meet any of their eyes. His head still spun from the onslaught of inquiries.
The group exchanged worried glances, but the Duchess took charge, swiftly calling for the maids to prepare his bath before turning her attention back to her son. "Meet us in your father's office once you're ready to talk about what happened, don't feel as if you need to rush yourself though" she instructed. Dokja meekly nodded and turned away from them, eager to be alone.
Walking down the hallway, he couldn't help but notice the glances from the maids. It was difficult to discern whether their scrutiny was from his injuries or the rumors surrounding him and Lady Seolhwa. Regardless, he walked on, determined to cleanse himself physically and mentally.
Upon entering the bath chamber, several maids were present as they finished up preparing the bath. As soon as they were done, they bowed and left, giving him his privacy. Stepping into the bathroom, Dokja undressed, ready to immerse himself in the warm bath awaiting him.
The soothing scent of lavender filled the air, helping to ease his mind. Lowering his body into the bath, he closed his eyes, letting everything that happened today drain from his body. Dokja wanted to believe that Lee Seolhwa was in the best hands right now, with her family full of trained, professional physicians.
Along with that, Yoo Joonghyuk would probably be keeping a close eye on her. The prince would kill himself before letting anything else harm her. That left Dokja to worry about who exactly chose to poison her. And even before that, he needed to tell his family what happened, to bring clarity to all the confusion and misconceptions.
Bracing himself for that confrontation, Dokja thoroughly washed. his body down. He scrubbed his skin raw, as if it would get rid of the words that echoed in his mind. Lingering in the bath for a long time and allowing himself to absorb the temporary moment of respite, he got out, dried himself and changed his clothes. Taking a deep breath, Dokja headed to the duke's office.
---------
Entering the office, his steps on the wooden floors announcing his arrival. To his left, Han Sooyoung was leaning against a wall containing a decorative painting and a shelf filled with the duke's personal items. To his right, knight Heewon was seated at a small table. Behind her was a shelf wall filled to the brim with books and files extending the length of the room and going up to the ceiling.
Both walls were lined with lamps that lit the room in warm orange light. The back of the room had a large window framed by dark blue curtains, giving a beautiful view of the night sky that was just outside. In front of it was a wide mahogany desk, covered with stacks of signed documents and others yet to be read.
There sat Hades himself, with Kim Namwoon and Persephone on either side of him. A hushed silence enveloped the room, and Dokja took a moment to compose himself before walking to the middle of the room. He was the one to speak first.
"So, where would you all like to begin?" It was the duke who spoke next, his words piercing the stillness.
"While you were bathing, I received a letter from Duke Lee, informing me of the situation that occurred during your meeting with Lee Seolhwa." His hands were clasped together, and he gestured to an open letter resting on his desk. "My son, I only have one question to ask you: Did you poison Lady Seolhwa?" His eyes bore into his son's, searching for the truth.
As the weight of the accusation settled upon him, Dokja stood up straighter and met his father's gaze. "No, Father," he replied with conviction. "I could never do that to Lady Seolhwa. I would never seek to harm her."
The duke's expression remained impassive, giving nothing away. "She rejected you before, did she not? It wouldn't be unusual to seek vengeance."
Feeling a mix of frustration and hurt, Dokja looked down and bit the inside of his cheek, grappling with how to respond. He hated the idea of his family thinking he was capable of stooping that low. "Father... I can't do something like that," Dokja earnestly insisted. "Yes, Lady Seolhwa rejected me, but I value our friendship. I cannot fathom taking the life of my own friend." The duke remained silent, his gaze locked his son's, and finally, closed his eyes as he came to his conclusion.
"… Very well. If my own son maintains his innocence, then I will not be the one to doubt him." Upon hearing those words, Dokja's eyes widened, unbelieving. He had never expected such a reaction from the duke. Besides her husband, Persephone gave Dokja a tender smile and a nod, urging him to accept his father's words. He glanced around the room, trying to gauge if everyone felt the same way.
He was met with similarly encouraging smiles and nods. Sucking in a sharp breath, Dokja was overwhelmed by the realization that they all believed in him. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, not even in his previous life. To be taken at face value by people who put their trust in him.
In his original world, he would always be known as 'Kim Dokja, the murderer's son', and perhaps even in this one, he'd be known as 'Kim Dokja, the manic heir', but right now, in this room, he was simply the precious son of Hades and Persephone.
"Thank you, thank you all for believing in me," he uttered, his head bowed low in gratitude as tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. But the warm atmosphere didn't last long, straining once more as Kim Namwoon spoke out. "But hyung, what about those marks around your neck, and your split lip from earlier? What happened to you? Did it involve Prince Joonghyuk?"
Dokja's smile vanished, his face taken over by a blank expression. He remained silent; his thoughts consumed by the memory of that incident. All eyes turned towards him expectantly. However, he didn't want to reveal the truth about the crown prince's actions, it would only complicate matters and lead to more trouble. He hesitantly responded.
"In my rush to secure help for Lady Seolhwa after she collapsed, I simply tripped over myself , nothing more. And while I did get into an argument with His Highness at the time, we were both in turmoil over Lady Seolhwa's condition, it didn't escalate beyond words."
Sooyoung interjected. "But I overheard the coachman muttering something to the maids. He said he'd heard the Lee Duchy's servants talking about how the crown prince slapped you…" Dokja turned to her, trying to maintain a composed facade.
"Well, the argument between me and the prince was pretty volatile, they most likely overheard us. Given my history" he replied, wanting to brush it off. Han Sooyoung stared at him for a moment, arms crossed. While doubt still filled her eyes, she decided to drop it, turning away from him with a huff. He let out a sigh, grateful that she had relented on questioning him further.
"Well now, with that unpleasant dispute behind us I think it's high time for my son to get patched up and rest, the day has been much too harsh on him" Persephone walked over to gently start guiding him out of the office with a comforting hand on his back, Kim Namwoon following suite grinning widely at him.
"This is exactly why I didn't want him leaving the house in the first place" Hades grumbled.
As he was led out of the room, Dokja turned back to give Hades a grateful smile. His father returned a small smile of his own, though for anyone else it would be easy to miss.
As Dokja crossed the villa back to his room, with Persephone holding his arm, Kim Namwoon and Han Sooyoung bickering behind him, and Heewon overlooking them all, he noticed a familiar maid passing them by in the hallway.
He could've sworn he saw her at the Lee Duchy Manor. Though it was just a hunch, Dokja made sure to file it in the back of his mind. Determined, he made a mental note to investigate further and uncover the truth. Only then could he fully understand the extent of the situation and ensure justice was served