“Unnie!” I screamed, my voice barely audible again. Her eyes connected with mine, and she stared deep into me.

“Crown princess! I beg your mercy, please, spare Jin Wu's life, at least!” I cried.

Hatred.

It filled her eyes. With my body, bleeding and broken, I managed to kneel on my knees respectfully and bowed at her, ignoring all the pain from my body.

The tears that streamed down my eyes stings my bruised cheek, but it doesn't matter. This is what I deserved.

"Jebal! Jebal," I cried once more, until I tasted blood on my throat.

She tore her gaze away from me, and shut her eyes tight.

"Stop talking! Guards! Take her and him away! My decision has been made, you two are two be put in an island where no one can find you with no shelter!" she yelled, her eyes betraying her voice.

She wiped tiny beads of tears that formed in her eyes, after all, I am her sister. The guards roughly pulled me and Jin Wu up roughly, and my eyes met Jin Wu's. His eyes were no longer opened, he fainted — I hope so. I cried harder when I see him in that kind of state, this was all my fault.

I should've never told my sister, the Crown Princess, about my relationship with her fiancee. At least she had a heart, to not behead me. But as I thought again, I'd rather have her kill me in a second rather than torture me and Jin Wu.

Everything that touches my body hurts my body, because my bones and muscles are all broken. I was basically a living dead, I was living to beg for my sister's mercy for Jin Wu.

But she pretended to not hear me. I guess her heart was too hurt to even notice her dying sister. I blinked away my tears as they dragged me into the cell.

The palace guard grabbed me and Jin Wu harshly, and threw us to into the cell. Jin Wu was writhing in pain. I cried at this sight of him, he was tortured way more than I am. Because I am the family member, he is not. His eyes fluttered open slowly, as I slowly leaned my broken body to the cracked bricks stacked together as in 'wall'.

“Jang Mi...” he trailed, waking me up immediately.

“Don't speak!” I croaked, his hair.

His jet black hair, now cut short — he's now a disgrace. They're simply too harsh. He smiled weakly.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

Idiot, even though I'm barely able to move, I'm one thousand times healthier than you right now.

“Stop talking, I'm fine.” I whispered, and placed his head slowly on my lap. His head was dripping with something — and my hand was wet. I can't feel my legs anymore, due to the weight Jin Wu's head gave, it felt like a thousand needles were seeping in, but I pried it away.

I stared at my hand, blood. What? What did the guards do to him? They hit him on the head too?

“Jang Mi, listen to me this once..” he croaked. I bit my lips and nodded towards him.

“I know an escape route from here,” he coughed weakly.

“What?” I whispered back, eyeing the guards.

“Just tell the stupid guards...” he coughed again. I eyed the guards.. There were only one. Note to prisoners: never speak bad towards a guard or they'll finish you right off.

My hands trembled, seeing the suddenly unmoving Jin Wu.

“J-Jin Wu?” I called out.

He opened his eyes and smiled at me.

“Tell the guards I'm dead, under those lump of straws there will be a hole, and that hole leads to the forest,” he coughed. “Outside the forest it'll lead to the village, and the nearest house to the village is Mama's,” he smiled.

Mama, he uses the term 'mama' as his mother, I guess it's Chinese. His mother was so nice to me, she knew about me and Jin Wu and how Se Na unn — Crown Princess and Jin Wu was dating.

Crown Princess basically threatened Jin Wu to date her or else she'll expose to the whole Joseon that Jin Wu and his mother was Chinese and she'll kill his family.

“And I'll meet you tomorrow, I'll escape from the infirmary room, I know a route out,” he smiled. Tears formed on my eyes, I started to cry. He flashed me a smile and let out an assuring wink.

“Y-you're g-g-going t-to be okay, r-right? P-promise m-me,” I lightly sobbed, biting my dry lips that never stop bleeding.

He nodded and flashed me his angelic smile for the last time.

“You're the one that should promise me to be o-okay,” he whispered. I nodded curtly.

“I love you.” He better be okay, he better be. He closed his eyes ever so slowly and his lips curled slowly, and his head lifelessly dropped off my lap. For a second, I panicked. It's just acting, I tell myself again. It's just acting, Jang Mi, get yourself together, don't make him regret this. I held back my sob, and started my act.

I gripped the bars.

“GUARDS! JIN WU IS NOT BREATHING! PLEASE CALL THE PALACE'S —”

“Shut up!” a harsh voice interrupted me.

That voice.. I know that voice from anywhere. Jong Man.

“Jong Man.... Please,” I croaked. He was the only guard there, I assured. “You know Crown Princess, you k-know she loves him so much, right? S-she's only doing this because she hates me. Please, call the palace's maids, whoever, Jin Wu is your friend too,” I demanded. He looked at me for a while and gave up. “Jong Man,” I trembled.

His eyes twinkled with guilt as he stared at my broken state. He is my best friend. With one look, he dashed off and ran away.

“I-I'm r-really sorry,” I cried to myself, knowing that the consequences of them killing Jong Man very big. I'm sorry, mate, I'm sorry. I stared at Jin Wu's body laying.

“You can stop acting now, I-I'm going,” I wiped my tears, trembling. He didn't move. Still keeping the act, eh? His love for me. I smiled weakly.

“I love you,”

I whispered to him, and scrambled my self out of the prison so quickly that the bricks scraped my skin and bruised it more, but I cared less.

I hear yelling sounds and I scrambled onto my feet, and I disappeared into the forest. I don't know if there is wild animals or anything, it was pitch dark but I kept on running, hitting trees and anything else, I have to keep my promise.

I didn't know how I did it, but I came out of the forest alive and into Jin Wu's mother's house. Ever since then, I waited and waited for days, Jin Wu never came. His mother knew that this was going to happen, she just smiles at me and locks herself in every night, crying herself to sleep.

But I'm different. I stayed strong, until one day, someone knocks onto the door. I peeked out warily, to see a short, alarmed girl with a panic look written all over her face. Kyu Young, my friend from the palace. She was a palace maid. I wonder how did she get here? Did the guards sent her? Jin Wu's mother was out to buy food.

"J-Jang Mi, a-are you here?" she whispered lightly. My hands trembled, and I opened it slowly. She better not bring the guards.

Her panic stricken face turns into a happy one as she saw me, and she hugged me. She pushed me in immediately and locked the doors, as if it was her own house.

“Kyu Young..” I trailed warily, hugging her back.

“Jang Mi, I was dead worried, I took my leave for this year and went looking for you, thank goodness I found you, things are chaotic in the palace, but Crown Princess didn't send any orders to look for you. But if they find you, they'll kill you immediately, that's for sure.” she blurted warily.

I frowned.

“How about Jin Wu?” I whispered. Kyu Young froze, and knitted her eyebrows. “Jang Mi you — I thought you were the one that told Jong Man?” she furrowed her brows. My heart stopped beating. “W-what?”

“Jang Mi, Jin Wu died, the night you escaped.”

***

Hello readers! yHan here! Please suscribe to my story! If you find any similarities of my story with yours, well, it's a complete coincidence! This idea is originally mine, please do not plagiarize, thank you. This is my first fic so please cooperate with me <3:)