this is a double updates! make sure to check the previous chapter, enjoy! ^^

*** Fidgeting on my feet, I keep playing with the hem of my skirt as we wait for the Council to said something regarding our report of the ambush I’ve experienced the night before. I tried hard to maintain indifferent expression on my face but no avail for  Jimin sensed my anxiety through our shared bound and grasp my hand in his, making me jolt in surprise and whip my head to look at him, wide eyed before let out a weak smile, squeezing his hand back reassuringly. Funny how his presence put me back on ease now when only a month ago we still onto each other neck, literally,
On my right side, SeokJin grew impatient as he continuously exchanging glances with NamJoon who stood not so far away from us with a light crease between his eyebrows. After we tell the Council everything, all they did just starring back at us before discussing to themselves. They don’t seriously doubting my story too, do they? After all the details SeokJin told them,
“this is a serious accusation, you do realize that, don’t you?” the Head of the council finally spoken coldly in his old gruff voice and we look up at the high court where all seven Council members sat above us all along. I hate this position arrangement, they claimed that we’re their future Rulers but see how they look down on us as if we’re nothing but a bunch of children now,
I gritted my teeth out of frustration and scowled “that, we well aware already”. Most of the heads that  present brought their attention on me instantly as soon as I speak my first words ever since we stepped inside the room and I maintain my narrowing eyes while looking back at the high court. I have enough of being doubted, my life’s at stake in this!,
With a slight amused looks, the Head of the Council lean forward to take a better look at me from the highest seat he occupied,
“then, do you have any suggestion on the matter, little one?” he finally answered, I despise how he use that mocking tone of his as he addressed me, its clear for anyone to know that he doesn’t even take me seriously on the matter, even after what they heard. Yoongi ran a calming stoke on my back as he sensed my bubbling rage while SeokJin took a side glance at me quietly,
“sure, threatening one of the throne heirs and heiress life in any way are a fatal crime equaled death punishment, but for you to accuse your own family as the culprit when there’s no such proof are even more uncalled for, what would the common people said if we strike a punishment without a better judgement then?” he smiles sinisterly at me as I balled my fist tight,
Simply put, he’s trying to tell me that public would forever favorited the other party if they given the chance, it doesn’t matter if I was telling the truth or not, I’m losing either way, he just twisting his statement in a way to make it seems more civil for the audience,
Letting out a light hiss, I took one step forward before opened my mouth to answer the old man “that’s why I will bring forth a witness to solidify my charge”,
I watch his smug smile faltered a little as he narrowed his eyes at me for a second before lean back on his seat, gesturing me to continue so I did, “bring Ahn SoHee to the court, she will tell you everything about the night and how she accidently over heard Madam Lee planned everything”, emphasizing how I never call my stepmother as Mother or whatsoever, I’m sure they knew how I’ve never once considered her nor Nara to be my family to begin with,
The old man tilted his head aside and darted his eyes back and forth towards SeokJin and NamJoon as he spoke in a more business-like tones “in other words, you demanded for a formal meeting to clear the case” despite of his center of attention right now, I could perfectly tell just to whom he speaks right now but before I even retorted back at him, he beat me up to it,
“it’s completely crap talk, I’ve known your mother all my life, there’s no way Lady Lee would purposely trying to harm her children” he said harshly and I gave a bitter smile as I turn my head aside, scoffing secretly to myself while the Head Council continue his rant,
“the day your father brought you with him into their house, she swore to took you in and take care of you like her own, now this is how you paid all her deed? Accusing her for a crime like this”,
At this, I felt the string of patience snaps and I whip my head back to him, staring straight into those charcoal black orbs with my own burning silver orbs as I felt the long buried rage came back to life inside me “oh she sure is did a marvelous job then” I spat sarcastically, even the boys taken aback from my sudden outburst. All the stress and pressured feelings finally came to light and I have no intention to holding back again now. No more, not when my life’s literally in line now,
“for your information, sir, I’ve live twelve years under a huge discrimination and I’m sure majority of you who stood inside this room aware of it already, even if you acted like you don’t,” I hissed, looking around the room to each faces, even on the boys, whose all now -minus TaeHyung who put on his usual poker face- fidgeted on their feet under my heated gaze. I scoffed before turn my attention back at the high court in front of me as I continued on,
“she saw me no more than a useless  burden, she never treat me as a member of her oh-so-perfect little family, heck even she won’t treat me as if I’m a person to begin with, whatever vow she took that you said earlier, she broke it or maybe she never meant it anyway from the start”,
I watch as the faces of the Council members hardened and finally one of them snapped, “but that doesn’t meant you could go around accusing her for this  grave crime! You should be grateful that she humble enough to took you into her family!”. I recognized this one, she’s one of my stepmother friends, she came to the house for a tea once in awhile, gossiping and the future Queen’s mother desperately, trying hard to be on her good side so she could harvest the benefit from it one day when Nara took her place as the Queen, too bad for her, I was the rightful one all along. I’m sure she felt as bitter as my stepmother right now, all her attempt wasted away just like that,
Squinting my eyes dangerously, I challenged back her hateful stare as I hissed venomously “you and I both know that Madam Lee has the most reasons to murder me, she have the list going on and on, now that I snatch her dear little princess tittle right from under her nose just a month ago without even need to lift a finger, I’m sure there’s one more reason to add to the list!”,
“she could do that if she want to long ago! Now tell me why would she did that now!?”,
Giving out a huge eye roll, I throw my hands around out of frustration “because she still need me to put on that perfect kind woman of the family façade for the public! She still has a good use of me! ‘the former Head of Council widow sheltering her unfaithful husband half-blood child willingly’, with half of the society hatred for me, it sure is would make a very good image for her and her family, don’t you think so, Lady Son? Because that’s exactly what I’ve heard you and that vile woman talk on and on whenever you came to visit” my venomous words hit it’s target perfectly and the woman face dropped like a slime as she opening and closing repeatedly like a fish out of the water, trying to muster something to retort back at me and denied my statement but she found nothing, so she glared instead,
The heavy atmosphere lingered and the only thing could be heard are just my heavy pant as I literally fuming inside and tried hard to content all the bubbling rage inside me before finally the pregnant silent broken by a slight cough courtesy of the Head of the Council,
“say, if what’s you were said was true, then could we considered the other possibilities here,” he said, face avoid of any emotion as I just stay put to let him continue,
“what if all the theories that you said about your ambush earlier was just a mere result of this pent up pressure you felt and you just wildly accusing Lady Lee as the subject of your hatred, its easy for one who experiencing such near death experience like that to be confused and pull any string available to make out such wild image ”,
Okay, my jaw practically dropped at his illogical statement,
Did he just suggested that I might be just having those baseless hallucination as the aftermath of my murder attempt accident last night?! What kind of bull is this?!
Gritting my teeth out of frustration, I glare up at him as I began to feel my distress pull a rather violent reaction from my shadows, they start forming a dark form around me, darkening the room and those who noticed this shuffled uncomfortably around me but before my shadows grow even more, I felt fingers tangled with my own and I snapped awake from the fury as I whip my head to look at the owner of the hand, SeokJin stare back at me then shake his head slightly as he squeeze my hand, telling me to calm down and I complied grudgingly,
I cleared my throat lightly after ensuring myself to not lashing out again and speak in a more calm voice which surprising even myself  “Ahn SoHee, bring her in because there’s no way I would let myself back inside that hell hole of a house, not when that monsters still out there wanting my head”,
The Head of the Council furrowed his eyebrows at my repeated request “you still on this?” he ask and I was so close to lose it again when NamJoon catch my wrist and tug me back lightly making my back crashed upon his chest. I lift an eyebrow at him as he take the turn to talk now,
“all regarding to the law, you should search for the culprit in any way to assure the safety of your future rulers, that’s one of the reasons why you’re here, right, Council members? Because here I am under the impressions that you aren’t even taking this problem seriously nor you take us seriously altogether” the second Kim drawled casually with a sly glint in his eyes as he hold the staring contest with all the Council members at once and I found myself gawked in amazement at how the boy literally oozing with charisma greater than even his older brother. If SeokJin always concealed his slyness under that angelic façade he always put on, NamJoon was the bold one and charge directly with his more confident and unfiltered attack. Now I know why NamJoon was the one whose handled things when they get out of hands. He’s as savage as Yoongi with his words, except his are even more calculated and precise to hit it’s point,
“or we’ll take the matter into our hands, JooYeon is our mate, and we would keep her safe no matter what or we wouldn’t consider ourselves worthy enough for the throne, so yeah, we demanded a further investigation of the matter, and put the Lees as one of the possible suspect”, I watch the cold mask that the Council members put on crumbled a little as they slightly taken aback at the young man confidence. Even I found myself gaping at NamJoon, feeling a bit touched by his unexpected possessive statements, only SeokJin who smirked lightly at his younger brother action while the rest of the boys were in not so different state as I am, seeing how NamJoon was the one who repeatedly asking me again and again doubtfully last night,
The Head of the Council pondered for awhile, taking a quick glance over to the other Council member before gave a final nod and look back at me with unreadable eyes “very well, if you say so, we’ll look up the case and contact Ahn SoHee,” he began and I let out a slight relieved sigh as I relaxed my unconsciously tightened jaw,
“but for the time being, you’re forbidden to do anything reckless nor defensive until the next court took place, understood?” he said in a final tone and I instantly bit my bottom lip, preventing myself from letting out a snarky comment as it would be a quite foolish moves to do, so instead of doing that, I nod my head. I felt majority of the boys sigh in relief -mainly SeokJin, HoSeok, JungKook and Jimin- at my polite gesture. Only Yoongi who brave enough to let out a soft chuckles behind me and I felt a slight smiles tug each corner of my lips at the sounds, earning an annoyed pout from JungKook who witnessed the whole hidden exchange while TeaHyung roll his eyes at the back, where he just stood there silently, attending the court just because his brothers drag him along with us. However the old Head of the Council decided to break it short as he addressed the oldest one among us next,
“this applied to all of you too, SeokJin, I expect no less from you to keep everything under control” the old man said and the said boy bow his head slightly once to acknowledge the warning,
Leaning back on his seat, the Head Council let out a heavy sigh as he message the bridge of his nose, “send the trackers to investigate this problem further, until then, this case should be put on hold”.

 

*** Gripping my books tightly in front of my chest, I make my way through the hall way and into my first class. Ignoring half the sinister stares that thrown towards me, I casually claim my usual spot in the middle of the room, a seat right beside the open window and put my books on top of the desk quietly before start staring far away through the distance from the window, slightly daydreaming if I’m out there exploring or anything rather than stuck here with a bunch of creatures that eyeing me as if I’m a prey inside a glass box. Seriously, the intensity of the malice in their stares was toned down for a bit now but it’s still there, it’s as if could they be given a chance, they would instantly pounce and rip my guts out of me without hesitation at all. I just knew all those horrible intention as the room practically radiated with those negative emotions, hatred and a slight tinge of pity, with other kind of emotions mixing in between,
But after few time practicing -and after being feed by SeokJin this noon- I finally get to hold the Reaper inside me and took control of it even for a bit as now I could suppress those burning hunger every time I felt emotions near me, they still bothering me but now, rather than suffocating me like how they did before, it just felt like a