CHAPTER 55
"We made a deal."
Yuhyun's face tightened.
"What kind of deal makes you free someone like him?"
Sihyun's voice lowered, eyes finally meeting his brother's.
"He promised me something… and I promised him freedom. He kept his word."
Yuhyun's fists clenched.
"He'll come for everyone who ever stood against him—including the prince. Including the royals. You think he won't burn it all down?"
Sihyun's voice softened, but his expression stayed resolute.
"That's why I want you to leave with me. We don't belong here. Not among humans."
"What?"
"He's willing to welcome us. Protect us. You and me… we'd be safe. I wouldn't be chained like this anymore."
Yuhyun's heart pounded.
"You want me to follow you into darkness?"
"No,"
Sihyun said quietly.
"I want you to follow me to freedom."
"I don't trust anyone here,"
Sihyun muttered, gaze hard.
"Except Vanyul. He's the only one who hasn't lied to me."
"The prince—"
Yuhyun started.
Sihyun scoffed.
"The prince? Don't even start. He's like the rest of them—playing kind, acting soft. I'm not falling for that."
"He's not like them!"
Yuhyun snapped, stepping closer.
"Can't you see what he's been doing for you? For us? He stopped the king from throwing you into the dungeon! He's trying, Sihyun. And you're just—"
"Trying to keep me on a leash?"
Sihyun cut in bitterly.
"With sweet words and chains? No thanks."
Yuhyun clenched his fists.
"Open your eyes! Everything he's done—it's because he cares! But you're so consumed by revenge and mistrust you can't see it!"
Sihyun's expression faltered just slightly, then hardened again.
"Are you with him now, Yuhyun? Or with me?"
"This isn't about choosing sides,"
Yuhyun replied, exasperated.
"It's about what's right."
A beat passed in tense silence, then Yuhyun's eyes narrowed.
"Let me ask you something."
Sihyun's breath caught as Yuhyun stepped closer.
"Do you even love the prince?"
Sihyun didn't answer.
Yuhyun let out a quiet sigh.
"I'm sorry, Sihyun. But I can't let you leave. I can't let you go back to Vanyul."
Sihyun chuckled softly, leaning back against the wall with a hollow smirk.
"Why do I even bother?"
he said.
"You're human. What was I expecting? Of course you'd side with them."
Yuhyun smiled faintly.
"Maybe. But being lonely seems to suit you better."
Sihyun scoffed, mocking.
"Yeah. I love being lonely. It's great being lonely."
Yuhyun turned to the door, shaking his head with a quiet laugh.
"Then I should leave you in your lonely little state."
"And I hope you never come back,"
Sihyun replied with a sarcastic smile.
"I don't need you. Or anyone."
Yuhyun paused at the doorway, gaze lingering for a moment. Then he stepped out, leaving Sihyun alone.
The moment the door clicked shut, Sihyun's smile faded. His shoulders dropped. The room suddenly felt colder. He curled his knees to his chest, retreating into silence, and let the loneliness wrap around him once more.
The scene shifts to Muwon seated with Dohyun and Taejin in a quiet corner of the palace gardens. The air was tense.
"You should give up, Muwon,"
Dohyun said gently.
"Sihyun's taking your love for granted."
Taejin nodded.
"You've done everything. More than anyone else would. At some point, it's not love anymore—it's just pain."
Muwon looked at the ground, then whispered,
"What about Operation 'Melt the Sorcerer's Ice Heart'?"
He gave a sad smile.
"Are we just going to abandon that?"
They exchanged a look before Dohyun sighed.
"We're sorry. But maybe Sihyun… isn't the person we thought he was."
Muwon was quiet for a moment, then said suddenly,
"I'm jealous."
Both friends blinked.
"Jealous? Of who?"
Taejin asked.
Muwon clenched his fist.
"Vanyul."
Silence.
He continued, his voice low but pained.
"Why did he set him free? Why is it always Vanyul? Why does he run to him, talk about him, trust him? It's always Vanyul this, Vanyul that. Not me. Never me. It makes me angry… and it makes me sad."
Neither friend spoke. The prince's shoulders trembled slightly.
Dohyun and Taejin exchanged a glance before sitting closer to Muwon.
"You're allowed to feel this way,"
Dohyun said gently, placing a hand on Muwon's shoulder.
"You're human too, not just a prince."
Taejin added,
"You've given him everything you could. Maybe he just needs time to see that no one loves him like you do."
Muwon didn't respond, but the pain in his eyes softened as he nodded slightly. The three of them sat in silence under the quiet sky, the weight of unspoken emotions lingering.
Royal Court Hall, Late Night
The atmosphere in the king's chamber was cold and grave. Shamans, ministers, and a few trusted nobles had gathered at the king's call.
"He's hiding something,"
the king said, his voice hard and unyielding. "I don't believe for a second that Sihyun and Vanyul are the only ones. There might be more of them."
A shaman hesitantly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, using the truth serum on a Demon Sorcerer is dangerous—it may—"
"I don't care,"
the king interrupted sharply.
"Prepare the serum. I want him questioned at dawn. If there are other sorcerers hiding in this kingdom, I will wipe them out. All of them. This time, no mercy."
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the room.
"But what of Sihyun?"
a minister asked carefully.
The king's expression darkened.
"He lives… for now. For the prince's sake. The curse mark hasn't been fully healed. But once this is over—"
he paused, his gaze cold as steel,
"—his fate will no longer be in my hands."
Everyone in the room stood silent, the weight of the king's fury hanging in the air like a guillotine.
Midnight.
Sihyun lay quietly in his quarters, the sorcerer's chains glinting faintly under the moonlight. His brows furrowed as if caught in a restless thought.
In the stillness, a voice echoed—calm and coaxing.
"I told you to come with me,"
Vanyul said, stepping out of the shadows.
"Look at you… in chains."
Sihyun's eyes moved slightly under their lids.
"Why are you here?"
Vanyul only smiled.
"It's time to hear them scream."