Jonghyun felt his eyelids lower. He tilted his chin down, the droning voice echoing in his ears. His eyes slid slowly slid shut. 

"Prince!" A sharp voice snapped him out of his dozing, and he shot his head up, forcing his eyes to open. A stern-faced official was standing in front of him, hands spread flat on the desk, laser eyes boring into Jonghyun. He stiffened his spine, frantically trying to organize his thoughts. His father was dead, the body found this morning. He was in the Commander's conference room. Why was he here? Oh, yes, a conference about his father's death. That had been going on for hours. The Commander stepped back from the desk, his eyes still trained on Jonghyun, before gesturing for the speaker to go on. 

"And so, today, the King has been proclaimed dead by an unknown killer. That such criminal is to be hunted down and given no leverage for his actions. Any known or unknown criminals who are all suspected for this Most Grevious Act of Treason will be hunted down and taken in a secure cell to the castle, where he will be given no comfort, food, etc, until the killer confesses.  He will be hung immediately for his unlawful actions against the Most Gracious King, and The Nation as a whole. Your Highness, do you approve?"

It took a while for Jonghyun to grasp he was now speaking to him, instead of the people gathered around the table, and he nodded his approval, not really caring. He was certain it was the boy from that night, but he knew they would never find him. Might as well lock up all the other criminals in the kingdom. 

The meeting continued until late afternoon, when Jonghyun was thankfully released to do what he wanted. He sat on a chair, his doors locked, all servants sent out, turning the knife over and over in his hands, like it would reveal some truth, something that would help him, but there was nothing.

He would be crowned king tomorrow. He would never escape from this. But he didn't want it. He had never wanted responsibility, never craved to be king. He had always liked his life of doing nothing, of thinking of nothing but himself, and then he was thrown suddenly into the role of a king. When he had the whole kingdom depending on him, to save them, to fix everything. And he didn't know what to do. He had never been so lost in his life, so utterly alone. 

And then, he had an idea. Without thinking about it, without thinking of the responsibilities he had or the people searching for him, he changed into poor, city clothes, tucked the knife into his belt, and slid out the window, climbing down the tree to slip out past the guards.

He didn't know what he was going to do, or where he was going. All he knew was that he was getting out. 

Jonghyun managed to sneak out of the castle by a small door, a wide hood shadowing his figures as he crossed the grounds and slipped out of the castle wall by a small door hidden by overgrown grape vines. 

His heart beating rapidly, he started down the road to the downtown city in the shadow of the castle, suprised at how little people he encountered, and that they didn't even give him a second glance. As much as this relieved Jonghyun, so he wouldn't be hauled back to the castle like an escaped sheep, he still had force the urge down to tell them exactly who he was, and watch them react.

But that was to risky, and so Jonghyun continued on in silence.

As he entered the market, Quiy, if he remembered correctly, the dirtiness of it stunned him. Shouldn't someone take a broom to the streets once a day, or at least not leave trash like that, tied in a bag and dumped on the side of the road?

Containing his urge to shudder as he watched rats scurry into the shadows, he continued on. He had never been down here except for a single time with his father. They had rode in the royal carriage, the people lining the streets, bowing respectfully. But this was real. This was the real Quiy, and Jonghyun was shocked. He never knew that something could be this unclean.

He had walked for maybe a mile when he stopped to buy a meat bun. Sliding over a coin from his purse, the vendor handed it over to him with barely a glance. It was dirty street food, probably with diseases and dirt, but Jonghyun took a bite of it anyway. And promptly spit it out. It was nothing like the food he was used to, cooked and clean and served on a actually plate. 

He started to regret coming out here. This place was for common folk, and here he was, the crown prince and soon to be king, strolling around like he was just the same as them. But he wasn't. He had a noble heiritage, able to trace his lines back to the famous King Ray, who had sent the Barbarians back to the far edge of the world and saved the kingdom and surrounding country's from death. He didn't belong here. 

So Jonghyun had turned back, meaning to sneak back into the castle, no one knowing about his little venture into Quiy, when he was yanked from the road roughly. He opened his mouth to yell, but a hand quickly covered it, trapping his scream in his mouth. A slim arm wrapped around his waist, so Jonghyun was unable to struggle. Did someone find out who he was? Was he going to kidnapped? Killed?

And then he felt hot breath, somehow soothing and terrifying at the same time on his ear, and an all too familiar voice cut through the silence. 

"You lost, sweetheart?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soooooo sorry for the shortness of this chapter:(

I was planning on updating yesterday, but then I sorta got caught up in watching P.O steal fan's phones and Block B trolling in Japan, etc, etc, and then I had TONS of homework to do, so yeah. 

So my school started a couple days ago, but I had a day off so I updated today! And my updates won't be s frequent because I have school and homework and swim practice and two other stories going, but I will still update!

Please comment, tell me what you think, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please. Please. 

Thanks for reading!