-Sehun’s POV-

“Explain. Now,” Shinhye said as we all gathered in the den of Kai hyung’s home. If I didn’t like the fact that the others have kept his departure to the holy shrine of Kindra, she loathed it. It wasn’t that she needed to be kept informed, but she was right. It was an important piece of information and they chose to keep it to themselves. She knew more or less what happened there by reading through his mind, but I guess she was still keeping her rule on not taking sweeps through her mind based on her whims.

“Why don’t you just read his mind?” the Earth Noble suggested, evidently not sensing why she was so wound up about the matter.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “So now you’re suggesting for me to read through his mind and see things I’m not supposed to?”

He didn’t answer and silence engulfed the room.

I sat quietly on my seat, eyeing the three guilty people who knew about it and didn’t even tell us. Apparently, one of them was Chan Yeol hyung. He knew about it, but he also kept it from Shinhye. That was a wonder. How could he have kept something so important from her? The person in question returned my gaze with a rather glacial countenance as he haughtily looked away and just continued looking guilty. I knew what the reason was, but does he actually have to be this immature?

He hadn’t been meeting my gaze since that morning and neither did he have any intention to talk to me. I could feel it with the way he was avoiding me. What now? He couldn’t accept the fact that I was after Shinhye’s heart, too? I knew it would come to him with a hard blow, but he should have expected it from the beginning, if not from me then from someone else among us nobles. He wasn’t the only one and he should accept that.

I rolled my eyes and just continued to wait for D.O. hyung’s answer to Shinhye’s question.

“Well?” she prompted. She looked at the three older nobles and jabbed a finger at them. “And you! What have you got to say for yourselves?” She stood in front of Baekhyun. “I can’t believe you’d keep something like this from me. You’re my best friend. I tell you everything.”

Chan Yeol hyung and I simultaneously stood up and said, “What?!”

She shot us both a glare and we both sat down then he ended up glaring at me. I just arched a brow at him and he looked away.

“I’m so sorry, but Kai made us promise to –” Baekhyun hyung started to explain, but she never gave him the chance.

She turned to Kai hyung then.

“Shin –”

“What if something bad happened to you out there without our knowing? Are you nuts or something?” she stormed at him.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you to worry.”

“I understand, but don’t you think it would be better if you told me?”

D.O. hyung placed his hands on her shoulders and led her to sit down. “Will you calm down?”

She shot him an angry stare. “Don’t tell me to do just that,” she answered.

He shrugged. “Sehun and I weren’t told about it, too, but do you see us getting worked up about it?” he asked, trying to calm down, but was breaking at the seams.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Really now?”

I stood up. I didn’t want this to tarry any longer. Besides, she was just tiring herself thinking about it when everything was done and over with. I placed a hand on her shoulder and made her turn around. “Shinhye, it’s fine. You don’t have to worry about it –”

She swatted my hand away as if she’d been burned. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed, taking a step back. Her face was starting to redden as she looked away.

What? “Shinhye-ah…”

She shut her eyes and shook her head, raising both of her hands in defeat. “I’m out of here,” he muttered then went out of the room, slamming the door shut with a resounding bang.

“Now what?” Baekhyun hyung asked, eyeing me pointedly.

“What did I do?” I asked. I honestly didn’t have any idea why she was behaving that way when the previous night, she was fine although I’ve got to admit that I gave her the shock of her life. She was definitely not expecting me although she mentioned my name once when she was trying to guess.

“You tell us.” Chan Yeol hyung stood up and motioned to leave the room, probably planning to follow Shinhye. That was my plan and now he practically thwarted that by saying what he just did.

“What are you saying?” I demanded, but he pretended not to hear me.

I was about to chase after him, but I was stopped by Suho hyung who narrowed his eyes at me right after he left. “Oh Sehun,” he began.

I just looked at him in disbelief.

“Sit down,” he said calmly, but firmly.

I did as I was told, not wanting to anger him or anything. The four of them who were left in the room stood right in front of me, the Water Noble pacing around without taking his eyes off of me. Silence continued to weigh heavily on me as everyone just stared.

“Do you, perhaps, have any idea as to why Chan Yeol had been acting off towards you since this morning?” the eldest asked.

I looked at him and leaned on the chair with a bored expression. “I don’t have any idea. Why are you jumping to the conclusion that his foul mood is projected towards me? You do know how he could get.”

“That, too,” Baekhyun hyung mused.

I arched a brow at him. “Are you implying something?”

He merely smiled at me. “I wasn’t saying anything of that nature just yet.”

“Yet you’re being guilty about it,” D.O. hyung sustained.

“What?” I protested.

“Are you keeping something from us?” Suho hyung asked, going straight to the point. He had been gentle all the way through that, but it was annoying how his countenance was at odds to his words and intentions.

I straightened up on my seat, a wrong move as they’ve all deemed it to be with just the looks on their faces as their eyes pounded down on me. “Funny how you put it.”

“Shinhye…” He tapped his index finger on his chin, looking thoughtful as he continued to pace around. “Did you fight again?”

“No.”

“Then why did she act the way she did just now?” Baekhyun hyung asked.

“And towards you, too,” the Teleportation Noble chimed in.

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t have a clue,” I lied.

“Honestly, Sehun, are you keeping things from us as well?” Suho hyung asked.

“Why are you even asking? You seem to know what the situation is anyway,” I answered caustically. It was just too irritating for words.

His smile waned. “Is it too bad if I wish to confirm things first before I actually believe in them?” he fired back.

I stood up.

“Sit down, please.”

I didn’t and remained standing, towering over them. “No,” I said softly. “Answer me instead. What do you believe in anyway?”

“I won’t tell you unless I’m sure,” he fired back.

“Playing safe now?”

D.O. hyung shrugged. “Why isn’t anyone in this room honest about anything anymore?” he demanded, looking miffed.

Suho hyung eyed me sternly. “Fine. How are you involved in their dilemmas, if you don’t mind me asking?”

I didn’t answer, moistening my lips with my tongue as I looked away.

“Aren’t you going to answer?” he asked again. “I’ve been honest. Wouldn’t you return the favor, dongsaeng?”

This was just unfair. He was imposing his standing in our circle to get what he wanted. I sat back down and looked down. I didn’t have a choice but to tell them. This is just frustrating. “I’m afraid I am the one causing it,” I stated bluntly.

“What?” Kai hyung asked.

I just nodded.

Suho hyung stayed quiet.

“How can this be happening? Why are you the one causing it?” Baekhyun hyung asked, shaking his head. “I don’t understand.”

D.O. hyung tilted his head to the side, deep in thought. “Well, the only thing that could set Chan Yeol off at this point in time is…” He looked at me then, his eyes wide. “It can’t be!” He got it.

 “What do you mean by that? Do you mean it’s impossible?” I countered. “It’s not. Not for me and definitely not for anyone else.”

“What is?” Baekhyun hyung asked.

Kai snapped his fingers. “Unless you are standing in between them.” His words took time to sink in even to himself. “Are you?”

I leaned forward, looking down at the floor. “Y-you can say that.”

The room broke into chaos the moment I let go of the words.

“No!”

“I knew it.” That would be Suho hyung.

“You’re after my Shin-Shin, too?!”

I looked at all of them in annoyance. “Yes. Yes, I am! Do you have any problem with that?” I stood up once more, not planning to stay there.

The room became silent and they shook their heads.

“Good.” I turned around. “I didn’t mean to…”

Suho hyung placed his hands on my shoulders, giving me a light shake. “Since when, Sehun?”

My shoulders sank. “From the beginning…Shinhye…S-she’s the girl in my dreams, the one I’ve been telling you about?” I shook my head in defense. “I didn’t know it would turn out like this, but…” I sighed. “I guess it’s too late to turn back.”

“You can say that again, but how did Chan Yeol know about it? I mean, we just arrived the previous night,” Baekhyun hyung said.

“It happened last night…” I sighed in frustration, running my fingers through my hair harshly.

“It can’t be helped then.” Suho hyung asked. “How do you explain Shinhye’s odd behavior then?”

“I…” I can’t explain it to them. I can’t possibly tell them about the details of everything that has been going on from the beginning. Baekhyun hyung will probably unleash his powers on me. I just stared at them.

“Yes?” Kai hyung prompted, obviously thrilled by it.

“I must have…given her a shock,” I stated, feeling dead. Damn it, why was I being like this?

“And you’re acting like that, too?” Kai hyung shook his head at me. “You’d better go explain matters to her before matters take a turn for the worst.”

I nodded. “I will.” I turned around, about to walk away.

“And Chan Yeol?” Suho hyung asked me.

I stopped dead on my tracks. I honestly didn’t have any idea how I would deal with him. I glanced at them and breathed in deeply. “I promise to deal with things the best way I can.”

They nodded and I left the room, about to look for Shinhye when I was met with none other than the Flame Noble, the edges of his irises turning red as he looked at me. Resentment and sorrow were reflected in his bright eyes, but his façade was calm, not giving away anything even as his eyes continued to express otherwise.

“H-hyung, I –”

He merely motioned with his head for me to follow him and turned away, taking long strides towards the back gardens. I’ve known better than to disobey him when he was in a foul mood. We’ve all seen how he could get once something sets him off and this time, he had every right to be irate and aggrieved towards me. I haven’t been fighting fairly for Shinhye’s heart until I revealed myself to her. It wasn’t fair for her nor was it fair for him. I was at fault, I would have to admit, but I wasn’t backing down either. I love Shinhye and that was how it was going to be. No one can do anything about it, not even me.

He stopped walking when we were far enough from the palace, standing still as he faced the opposite direction. I can feel his refusal to look at me, but I stood by ground a few meters away from him, staring at his broad back. Once standing so tall, he now hung his head low while his hands balled into fists. The air around him was oppressive, heavy with tension and circulating with heat as his life force became stronger. We both knew what we were fighting for and this time, though we’ve treated each other like brothers from the beginning, it would be rendered useless once it comes to Shinhye.

We had a lot in common, Chan Yeol hyung and I. I was an only child and so was he, both children of the noble bloodlines. We were both proud individuals who would stop at nothing to get what we wanted. We got along very well because of that. He looked after me and I’ve tried to watch his back as well and it wasn’t a surprise that we shared a mutual feeling for one and the same woman. We both felt strongly for her and no one is ready or willing to let go for her sake. I couldn’t and I wouldn’t and sure enough, he had the same mindset as well.

“What is happening, Sehun?” he spoke from where he was, hissing each word out in utter abhorrence, his deep voice slivering through the humid air.

I didn’t answer and just stared at him.

When he didn’t hear me speak, he turned around. “Answer me!”

“Do I really have to?” I asked. “I think you know what is happening.”

“How could you?” he said in all but a whisper, the sound of his voice being drowned by the blowing wind, carried off in broken pieces as he took a step forward.

I was surprised he should ask. “How could I love Shinhye like you do? Is that really what you want to know? Don’t you think you know the answer to that already?”

“You’re unfair.”

I took in a deep breath and nodded at him. “You’re right. I was being unfair for not telling Shinhye, for not being able to show it. I was being unfair for not proclaiming how much I adored her, but I’ve found the resolve and it’s not going to happen anymore.”

He marched towards me, livid as he reached his arm forward, grabbing my collar with both of his hands which were aflame. I could only keep it at bay by dousing it off, but I could smell the fabric of my clothes burning under his palms. His eyes were glassy as t