PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER!

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Sungyeol and Woohyun were the best of friends growing up.

At that time, although Woohyun was the son of the Queen, Her Majesty Maeyoung, and Sungyeol was the son of one of the mistresses, they were both equally loved by people of the kingdom. They were both considered the candidates to be the heir, as they were the only males born by the royal family for that generation. The princesses were not of much importance because they were not going to inherit the throne and all of them were to be used as pawn pieces in the future for negotiation with other kingdoms. Sungyeol and Woohyun were raised in the company of each other and only saw their half-sisters in passing.

Their sisters were all older than the two of them and they no longer lived in the kingdom; they had long been given away in political marriages. Woohyun often wondered if they hated the two of them—the two favoured royal children that everyone knew of, while Woohyun wondered if they even had names—he didn’t know any of their names.

It was not very fair to their sisters but there was not much they could do or say. It was the customs of their kingdom and many other kingdoms in the area, and that was that.

However, it was obvious that Sungyeol was liked more (and still was) by their father--at first, because the King liked the mistress more than Queen Maeyoung. Later on, when Woohyun and Sungyeol didn't get along anymore, when Sungyeol began to change, it was evident that it was because Sungyeol and the King thought alike. Both did not care much if at all for the peasants, the working class, or the nobles. They only cared for wealth. For themselves.

The King ruled with an iron fist and any whispers of a rebellion was dealt with before even a plan for action ensued. He had a trusted War General and Tactics Minister that got a cut of the wealth that the King robbed everyone in the kingdom from. It also helped that the Kim Clan was at his beck and command because they were otherworldly and acted as the eyes and ears of the kingdom. Woohyun was sure that the Kim Clan also got a cut of the dirty money his father was robbing the civilians of the kingdom of.

While the King knew that letting Woohyun succeed the throne most likely meant good-bye to the wealthy and lavish lifestyle he'd been leading, he was sure that if he ever tried announcing Sungyeol as heir and ignore what the Council and the people wanted, it would definitely cause an uproar when the time came. The only reason why the people were obedient was because they saw hope for the future although the situation seemed bleak, so they held onto the bitter seeds they were given. It was only that thread of hope that kept the people satiated and obedient. Had there been no hope, the people of the kingdom would have already started an uprising although they were weak and very, very malnourished. Many had reverted to worshipping the royalty and the ministers in the kingdom in more recent years; to worship and prove worthy of serving the kingdom often meant that you were able to be in good books with the king and the king would ensure that you and your family were cared for.

The people could have left, yes, but to suffer on one's own land than to be subject to xenophobia and suffer somewhere else where there was no history or connection to the land was far better to most. The doors to the kingdom were often open and not many traveled in or out.

The King, as much as he preferred Sungyeol, did not care much for who succeeded the throne after him. It would be preferred if Sungyeol did, because he was sure that he'd get his cut of wealth often after he stepped down from the throne. The King, however, had already foreseen Woohyun being the Council and public favourite, so he'd been slowly embezzling more, privately, without anyone's knowledge, through the years.

Woohyun knew of it because he accidentally stumbled upon the documentation while he was helping his father out with paperwork. Woohyun never brought it up to anyone, in fear of repercussions.

Woohyun often wondered in the past if he should start a rebellion against his own father, after he began understanding how things worked in the kingdom. However, he thought better of it because the people were already suffering and it would end in more bloodshed than he intended.

No one, aside from those who worked in the castle or worked for someone directly underneath the king, could say that they went to bed without being hungry. While hunger could not be ignored in most cases, it could be by fear.

The King was known to be close with the Kim Clan head, who were just thought to be a clan full of exceptional humans who were born into glorified servitude to the kingdom. However, that did not stop the clan head from making decisions that occasionally made the King furious.

"I cannot believe that I have been blindsided like this!" King Jaehoon thundered, grasping one of his exquisite wine glasses still full of red wine and throwing it at the brick wall of his office. The glass shattered by the impact, the shards flying everywhere, and the wine splattered onto the wall and floor in crimson pellets like blood. The wine would surely leave a stain later on everything it had hit, but that was something he didn't even want to bother considering at the moment. His chest heaved up and down, his head ringing.

Sungyeol, who was standing at the doorway, door closed behind him, was the only witness to his father's tantrum. He had just walked in to see his father's display of anger. Once he determined that it was okay for him to speak, he asked, "What is going on, father?"

Seething, the King turned to him, his eyes flashing with anger.

"The Kim Clan is not helping us this time. He says no amount of bribes will allow him to help. He said he doesn't want to tempt Fate since the werewolf clan in the other kingdom would get involved if the vampires go onto their property." He scowled. "That coward. Saving his own hide when I've been saving him all this time."

Sungyeol was thoroughly amused but he didn't want to be at the receiving end of his father's wine glass. Sungyeol may have vied for the throne but do not be mistaken--he did not respect or like his father at all. He found the man stupid, vile and downright intolerable. But for the sake of being in his good graces, Sungyeol was willing to pretend.

He plastered a scowl onto his face though he couldn't quite push the smirk that was threatening to spill, "What will you do then?"

The King was silent as he contemplated his very limited options. A malicious grin spread onto his face.  "I will announce that I will abdicate."

Sungyeol felt a knife dig into his gut. Woohyun was definitely going to get the throne.

"Now, now," his father said, waggling one of his stubby fingers at him. Sungyeol was slightly amused yet disgusted with how stubby and fat it could be when so many people were starving--though it was not his concern anyway. He didn't think that it was his concern how other people were faring--especially when they were the ones that shunned him for that incident that was an accident. No one believed him. Definitely not Maeyoung, Woohyun's witch of a mother. She had always hated him and she had always wanted Woohyun to be king.

"Don't get too angry," King Jaehoon continued, "after all, if Woohyun dies in the war, there's no choice but for people to accept you as the king." His eyes suggested something dark and sinister. While Sungyeol did not like his brother much, he was not one to kill for the crown. He preferred something that did not get his hands dirty. Sungyeol just sneered in response, unsure of how to respond but did not want to reveal his surprise at his father’s words.

"Anyway, I will announce that I will abdicate, only if Woohyun brings us to victory," King Jaehoon said, rubbing his large and grubby hands together. "I will get to sit here and not go to war. I'm not going if the Kim Clan cannot guarantee my safety."

Sungyeol just nodded, not knowing how he could respond. He just then realized in an afterthought that it was ver