“Cool, so then that makes you my brother-in-law!” Amber said excitedly linking her arm with Donghae’s.

 

 

            “Stupid girl, you mean step-brother. You have the same mother, right?” Ryeowook corrected, subconsciously holding hands with the brunet’s opposite hand.

 

 

            After the king’s long confession, the servant was so distraught that he began to throw a fit. Donghae had ignored the prince’s words and touches to calm him down, and instead the boy threw Eunhyuk to the ground as he was running out of the room. Donghae was too out of it to truly understand everything that was happening.

 

 

            The next thing he knew, and the brunet was on the ground in the castle square. The cool cement bricks cooling his body as he thrashed about, slamming his fists against the pavement. Hot tears streamed down his face, snot dripped from his nose. If anyone had passed by or seen a glimpse of the broken boy, they would have assumed he was cursed.

 

 

            Soon enough, Amber and Ryeowook had found the boy passed out from exhaustion in the middle of the square. It was a good thing that they had taken the boy to guest room, which was never used for its superstitious rumours, before someone had found him.

 

 

            It took a few hours for the two younger servants to wake Donghae. After another hour of feeding him water and porridge, coupled with non-stop questions and pleads as to what had happened, the eldest finally gave in to their requests. It wasn’t as shocking for the two of them that Amber was an illegitimate child of the king, there had been plenty rumours that it couldn’t not be true. What really got them down was when Donghae slowly explained his father’s death, and the real reason why he hated the king and had been reluctant to be with the prince.

 

 

            Donghae was tired. His mind and body were worn out. He blankly stared at each of his friends as they bickered back and forth, like nothing was wrong. Maybe it was just another day for the two of them, his father’s death meant nothing to them, and it’d be weird if it did.

 

 

            Donghae was tired of everything. He was tired of the obstacles he’s had to jump over, one after the other. It couldn’t be helped, the boy was put through more than his simple mind could take. In all of a month he had had his first kiss, fallen in love, coped with his hatred for nobles, witnessed a horrifying execution, found a long lost sister, and was told the reason behind his father’s sudden and cruel death.

 

 

            He had hoped that his father’s death would have been for good reasons, and that he died fighting for the better of the kingdom. What Donghae was slowly beginning to learn was that humans are terrifying creatures. It wasn’t just those that came from royal descent, all human beings came from the same animalistic roots. From the people who would torture an innocent child, to those that would even take a good man’s life for money.

 

 

             What could he say though? He was also a human, he also shared the blood, no matter how small of an amount, of those animals. He was selfish, to leave his mother to save his own life. He left everything behind so that he could learn that his father died for the desire of one filthy man.

 

 

            For some reason, he felt like he needed to leave everything behind. It was too much for him to take in, and Donghae felt like his mind was about to explode. Should I just…give up? He sighed, shaking his head. What exactly would I be giving up, then? My life? I…I can’t do that…

 

 

            “Donghae? Are you alright?” Ryeowook asked, putting a halt in his current argument. The blue haired boy let go of Donghae’s hand to take his temperature. “You don’t look so good.”

 

 

            “Wook, he’s gone through a lot today, of course he’s not okay.” Amber said, shuffling closer to the brunet on the bed.

 

 

            “This really , I have no idea what we can do for him…” Ryeowook said, hanging his head. “I really wish I knew, Donghae,”

 

 

            “I’m more than glad to be your sister, but I think you need to deal with your father’s death in a way other than being treated by us.”

 

 

            “Guys,” Donghae’s voice was thick from his tears, and he had to swallow just to continue. “I really appreciate your help, but I really want to be left alone right now.”

 

 

            “Alright, we’ll go, just don’t do anything rash.” Amber patted the boy’s head, “You know that you have more than enough friends you can go to about this, and don’t forget about the prince, I’m sure he’s more than upset about this.”

 

 

            “Wow, you actually sounded smart there,” Ryeowook joked, then being pushed lightly from the tomboy. “Anyway, Donghae, you two should sort things out when you feel better. I mean, the king did give his permission, and you just got together. I doubt you’ve, uh, you know, done it yet.”

 

 

            Ryeowook was pushed out of the room quickly by Amber. The girl smiled at her new found brother before leaving him alone in the room.

 

 

            Seeing the two cheerful people and listening to their advice among bickering, had somewhat cheered Donghae up. He couldn’t give up, not when he had good friends like them around. It wasn’t right to just stop everything and throw in the towel when things got hard. It’s not a life worth living if everything comes easily.

 

 

 

            Eunhyuk sighed, bringing a hand through his red hair. As much as he wanted to search the entire castle for his dearly beloved and comfort him, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. The prince knew that his father wasn’t the kindest person out there, and he received most of his support out of the fear he struck in people’s hearts. It was only that what he heard was too harsh to bear.

 

 

            When he was a little boy and his mother was still around, he believed that the king, his father, was the most amazing person in the world. Now that he was older, he could see that what drove his own mother into depression and a slow and painful death, was the king’s neglecting and dreadful personality.

 

 

            If Donghae were to fall in love with someone else and secretly see that person behind Eunhyuk’s back, the red head would be devastated. Although it was in his instinct to do whatever he could to get the one he loved back, it must have been harder for his mother, the late queen.

 

 

            The queen was bound to her king until death, no matter how much she loved him, she couldn’t do anything to stop him from taking more wives. He was the king, he could have as many wives as he wanted, although there could only be one queen, he could be with any other women. It must have been painful for Eunhyuk’s mother to stand and watch while her husband longed for another.

 

 

            His father was indeed a terrible person. The prince would see to it that once he was on the throne, things would be different. He had Donghae to thank for that. Donghae… The red head wondered how his servant-turned-lover was doing. He wondered if he should go and look for the boy. It wouldn’t be a good idea to leave him alone after something like this happened, and the prince owed it to him to be there when he was needed.

 

 

 

            Donghae rested his back against the cold stone wall. His head was pounding after hours of crying, and he didn’t dare look into the mirror for horror of seeing his swollen red face. It didn’t take an idiot to figure that he looked like a mess right now, but Donghae didn’t really care at the moment. His thoughts were too consumed in everything that had just happened.

 

 

            It wasn’t too shocking at first, he knew that the king was a terrible man that only cared for himself, but he wasn’t able to accept that his mother had never told him. The brunet would have been upset, but he still would have cared for his mother and done everything in his power to get revenge. Although if he really put his mind to it, the teen would be able to understand that his mother kept everything a secret because she didn’t want revenge.

 

 

            Kim Miyoung didn’t care for anymore unneeded violence, and she especially didn’t want her only son to be killed for her sake. She was depressed that her husband was taken away from her on the same night that her dignity was stolen. Miyoung didn’t tell anyone because she was embarrassed and ashamed that she would be treated that way by someone she would call her best friend, but most of all because she didn’t want her son to worry. It was hard enough to live as the breadwinner of the family at the young age of three.

 

 

            Donghae wasn’t able to see that part of his mother, but he didn’t hate her for keeping it from him. He only wished he could have done something about it, so that he wouldn’t be as foolish as he felt at the moment.

 

 

 

            “Have you seen Donghae, Amber?” Eunhyuk asked, shocking everyone but two people in the servants’ quarters.

 

 

            “So you’re finally going to him, huh?” Amber said instead, placing her hands on her hips.

 

 

            “You’re not answering my question.”

 

 

            “What if I don’t want to?”

 

 

            “This isn’t the time for games, Amber. I really need to talk with him.” The prince pleaded, he didn’t want to get on his knees in front of so many servants, but for Donghae, it seemed he would do anything.

 

 

            “Fine, fine,” Amber gave up, shrugging her shoulders and whispering so that only the prince could hear, “you are my brother-in-law after all.”

 

 

            “Step-brother, I keep telling you, it’s more like a step-brother.” Ryeowook corrected, examining his nails while the two new found siblings talked.

 

 

            “Whatever,” Amber said, hitting the younger on his head. “He should still be in the haunted guest room in the castle. You know it right?”

 

 

            “Yeah, I know it.” Eunhyuk said, turning to leave, “Thanks, Amber.”

 

 

            Eunhyuk walked down the long corridor that lead to all of the rooms reserved for the king’s guests. The room at the very end of the hall was old and never used, every person who stayed in the room ran out after one night. It was said to be haunted, so no one ever dared to go inside.

 

 

            When the red head reached the door, he decided not to knock and just quietly answer. He didn’t want to risk waking up the distraught servant. Slowly, the door opened and Eunhyuk walked into the dark room. There was one candle on the bedside table although it didn’t give off too much light. The only other light source came from the full moon that shone through the window.

 

 

            To Eunhyuk, it felt surreal. Like a scene from a fairy tale or a bed time story. It may not be what he should be thinking about right now, but for the prince, when his eyes laid upon Donghae cast in the moonlight, he could only think of how beautiful he looked. His puffy eyes were shut tight and his brow creased from a nightmare, his cheeks tear stained and his clothes filthy. Thought to the red head, he couldn’t look more wonderful. If the situation was any different, Eunhyuk would consider ravishing the boy right then.

 

 

            But the situation wasn’t different, and he only wanted to comfort the other. Eunhyuk walked over to a chair beside the bed and sat down. He watched Donghae sleep with a frown on his face. He wished that he could do something, anything to make his dear one feel better. Eunhyuk leaned over the bed and placed a kiss on Donghae’s forehead, waiting until the soft whimpers slowly died down and the brunet’s breathing returned to normal.

 

 

            “There, now sleep peacefully without any dreams to bother you.” Eunhyuk whispered softly, sitting back in his chair and gazing on the resting boy.

 

 

 

            It was morning when the brunet stirred from his sleep, the bright sun shone through his eyelids and woke him from a surprisingly calm slumber. Donghae rubbed his eyes, opening them slowly to reveal a white ceiling covered in cobwebs.

 

 

            The servant was about to get up and figure out what to do when he realized that there was something on top of him that wouldn’t allow him to sit up. He looked down and saw a soft head of red hair resting on his stomach. Quickly realizing that it was the prince who was sleeping soundly on top of him, Donghae sighed and attempted to wake him up.

 

 

            “Hmm? Donghae, is that you?” Eunhyuk asked, gradually lifting his head and wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

 

 

            “What are you doing here?” Donghae asked tiredly, he didn’t know how to feel right then, his body was telling him to embrace the man and let his tears flow once again, but his mind didn’t want to see the royal prince. He didn’t want to be reminded of the king, and he didn’t want to blame the prince for something he had nothing to do with.

 

 

            “Are you awake now? How do you feel?” The prince asked, to which Donghae pursed his lips. “I’ll get the chef to make you some breakfast.” Eunhyuk stood up to leave, but he was stopped when a small hand held onto his shirt.

 

 

            He looked back to see Donghae with his head lowered and a hand firmly clutching the prince’s shirt. Sighing, Eunhyuk sat back down, taking the servant’s hand in his and rubbing soothing circles on the soft flesh.

 

 

            “Do you know who used to live in this haunted room?” He asked, looking at the boy who only shook his head. “This was my mother’s room, when she was still alive.”

 

 

            Donghae was surprised at the fact, he hadn’t looked around the room that he was sleeping in, and it came as a shock that it used to be the queen’s room.

 

 

            “My mother was a very innocent and pure woman, I was told that she refused to sleep in the same room as my father until they were married. This was her room until their wedding, and when things got bad for their relationship she would always stay here. In the last months of her life, this is the room she lived in.”

 

 

            “Eu-Eunhyuk…” Donghae mumbled, biting his lip and holding onto the other’s hand tighter.

 

 

            “My mother wasn’t the same around that time, I was just a little boy then, but even a child can tell when something’s wrong with their parent. I only wanted for mother and father to be like they used to, but now I see that it was just an act that father put up to not anger his own father. I guess my mother learned that father didn’t actually lover her, and she became depressed. She would stay in the room day after day, hardly eating, and when I came to see her, she was always quiet and not as animated as she used to be.

 

            She died two months after she moved back to this room. Hung herself from the window for all to see.” Eunhyuk bit his cheek to stop the tears, he blamed his cold and harsh personality for the incident that happened when he was a child.

 

            “Eunhyuk…” Donghae said again, this time lifting his head to cup the prince’s cheek.

 

 

            “I don’t know why I looked forward to the monthly hangings. After seeing my mother with her bent neck strung from a rope of bed sheets, her limp body dangling from the bedroom window, I never thought that such a thing would become a part of me.” Eunhyuk sniffled, wiping his eyes before the tears could fall. “The people who ran from this room said that they saw a ghostly woman with rope burns around her neck and scars on her wrists. I somehow doubt that it’s true, but I’d like to believe it were because then that would mean my mother was still here, looking over me as I grow.”

 

 

            “It’s o-okay, Eunhy-hyuk, I-I’m sure that she – that your mother and my father are both watching us. Guarding us from a-above.” Donghae pulled Eunhyuk closer to him, the prince sliding onto the bed and embracing the younger in his arms.

 

 

            They stayed like that for a while, neither of them saying anything. Words weren’t needed between them, they were together now, brought into each other’s arms by a twisted fate left by their parents.

 

 

            “We can get over this hurdle, right? I don’t want to let you go, not after I just got you, but…this seems too sudden. I just…I just don’t know if I can get over my hatred for royals, and knowing that the one I fell for is the son of my father’s murderer… I don’t know.” Donghae said, clutching Eunhyuk’s shirt and burying his face into the cloth.

 

 

            “Well, you did fall in love with me, even knowing that I’m the prince. What’s changed since the day I confessed? The only difference is now you know why your father died. I don’t want you to think too hard right after what happened yesterday, and I’m not going to make you choose between me and what your heart is telling you.” Eunhyuk brushed Donghae’s hair from his face, leaving a kiss on the top of his head.

 

 

            “I-I do love you…but…” Donghae rubbed his head against Eunhyuk’s chest, he couldn’t bear letting the red head, whom he had grown to love, go.

 

 

            “It’s alright, I love you and that all that matters. I just want you to know, that I’m not my father.”

 

The king killed Hae's dad cuz he liked Hae's mom, the king Hae's mom and Hae's mom had a kid with the king who is Amber. Hyuk's mom killed herself because she was depressed that the king was lying to her about his feelings. The king is a big up and EunHae are grief stricken hopefully adorable children.

 

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