CHAPTER 58
Just then—the door burst open.
"Your Highness!"
Yuhyun gasped, startled to see the prince. He quickly bowed.
"Forgive me, I didn't know you were—"
"What is it?"
Muwon asked, stepping protectively in front of Sihyun.
Yuhyun's voice came out in a rush.
"The king—he's ordered the truth serum to be used on Sihyun. He wants to know if there are any more sorcerers alive."
Sihyun's blood ran cold.
Muwon's face darkened.
"What…?"
"He plans to wipe them all out,"
Yuhyun said quickly.
"No mercy this time. But he said Sihyun will live... only because of you."
A heavy silence fell.
Sihyun stood frozen, pulse racing. Muwon slowly turned to look at him, a storm brewing behind his calm expression.
"This is worse than I thought,"
Muwon murmured.
As Muwon rushed out of the chamber, the heavy doors slammed shut behind him, leaving only silence—and tension.
Sihyun stood still for a moment, then let out a low chuckle as he slumped onto the edge of the bed.
"Truth serum,"
he scoffed.
"They really are desperate."
Yuhyun stared at him, pacing anxiously.
"This isn't funny, Sihyun."
"Relax,"
Sihyun said lazily, his voice laced with exhaustion.
"I'm a demon sorcerer. No such thing as a truth serum strong enough to break me."
"But you're in chains,"
Yuhyun snapped.
"What if they use something ancient? Something you've never come across before? Your magic is sealed—how would you fight it off then?"
Sihyun clicked his tongue and turned away.
"They're fools for thinking there are more of us out there."
Yuhyun stopped walking and stared. His voice was quiet.
"And whose fault is that?"
Sihyun flinched. The words cut deep—and stayed there.
He said nothing. Just breathed. Slowly. Shakily.
Everything was too much.
Muwon's voice. His presence. That kiss. That gaze.
Setting Vanyul free.
The king's threats.
The ritual night.
His heart was racing with too many thoughts, none of them quiet. None of them safe.
"I can't…"
he muttered under his breath.
Yuhyun's gaze softened.
Then, quietly, Yuhyun crossed the room and sat beside him. Without a word, he pulled Sihyun into a hug.
Sihyun didn't resist.
He leaned in, letting himself be held. His breathing slowed just slightly. His body, still tense from fear and confusion, found a sliver of warmth in his brother's arms.
"I've got you,"
Yuhyun whispered.
"Just breathe. I've got you."
The doors to the royal chamber swung open with a force that made the guards flinch. Muwon strode in without waiting to be announced, his expression dark with fury.
The king looked up slowly from his seat on the dais, a cold smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Storming in like that—have you forgotten your place, Crown Prince?"
"This is madness,"
Muwon snapped.
"Ordering a truth serum for Sihyun? You've gone too far."
The king rose calmly to his feet.
"And you think you have the authority to tell me what's too far? You don't make the decisions around here, boy. I do."
"This isn't a decision, it's a sentence!"
Muwon's voice echoed through the marble hall.
"You're treating him like a criminal when he's the only one keeping me alive!"
"He is a demon sorcerer,"
the king growled, the word bitter on his tongue.
"That alone is a crime in this kingdom."
"He's also my cure,"
Muwon shot back.
"And the one person who has done nothing to harm us."
The king's expression turned ice-cold.
"You've grown soft. Your attachment to him is clouding your judgment. If he has nothing to hide, then the truth serum will confirm it. Or... are you afraid of what might come to light?"
Muwon clenched his fists.
"You're playing with fire. What if it backfires? What if the chains fail or the serum reacts badly with his bloodline? You know nothing about his kind."
"I know enough to fear them,"
the king hissed.
"And that fear has kept our kingdom standing."
Muwon stepped forward, his voice lower, more dangerous.
"No, Father. That fear has made us blind. And if you keep walking this path, you'll lose more than just your pride—you'll lose your heir."
The king narrowed his eyes.
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a truth,"
Muwon said coldly.
"And unlike you—I don't need a serum to tell it."
The tension in the room crackled like a storm, neither willing to back down. Finally, the king turned away with a scoff.
"Do what you will, Muwon. But if he steps out of line, I'll have his head. Curse or no curse."
Muwon's jaw tightened.
"Then I'll protect him myself."
He turned and left the chamber with purpose, the sound of his boots sharp against the stone floor—leaving behind a king who suddenly felt the shadows of change creeping far too close.
As the heavy door closed behind Muwon, silence fell over the royal chamber like a dense fog. The king remained standing, gazing at the empty space where his son had stood moments before, his expression unreadable.
Moments later, the ancient wooden doors creaked open once again. Three royal shamans entered, their cloaks sweeping the floor like whispers of wind. The eldest among them, blind in one eye but sharp with intuition, stepped forward and bowed low.
"Your Majesty,"
he said with quiet reverence.
"We overheard the prince. Do you still wish for us to proceed with the truth serum?"
The king didn't answer immediately.
He moved slowly to the window, staring out at the capital below—the distant rooftops, the faint cries of morning merchants, the illusion of peace. His hands were clasped behind his back, and for a moment, he looked... tired.
But then his voice returned, cold and resolute.
"He is still a Demon Sorcerer,"
the king said.
"And no prince's affection will change what he is. The kingdom must know where his loyalty lies, even if it breaks Muwon to see it."
The shamans exchanged a brief look.
The eldest stepped forward again.
"Then we shall prepare the serum, Your Majesty. It will take time. The mixture must be precise, especially for someone of his blood."
"Do it,"
the king said firmly.
"Bring the sorcerer forth when the time comes."