This was a dream. Jiae could feel it deep within her bones. Yet this dream felt so real that she was doubting herself. She could feel the soft petals between her fingers as the sweet scent of fresh flowers filled her senses. Looking down at her outfit, she was in the usual baby blue dress she always finds herself wearing when she was dreaming. Her hair was also let loose as it flowed freely around her waist.

“What are you doing, my little canary?” A deep, velvet voice from behind her said and she immediately knew who it was. This was not the first time she had dreamt of him. The scene would always be different, but it was always with this one same guy who she had no idea who he was.

Turning around to face him, she saw that he was in his usual white shirt and faded jeans. He was holding onto a transparent umbrella on his right hand. His chocolate orbs lit up with happiness when he saw her, and he reached out to smooth her locks at the back of her head. He was as handsome as usual.

Jiae had so many things to ask him. She wanted to know his name. She wanted to know who he was and why he would always appear in her dreams. She had never met this guy in real life, but somehow, he always appear so vividly in her mind.

“This is a dream, right?” Her doe eyed eyes stared back into his chocolate orbs. He closed his eyes, as if relishing her voice. Opening them, Jiae could see nothing but comfort in his eyes. He said nothing, except to move his hand that was still at the back of her head, and gently pressed it against her cheek.

Jiae froze at the sudden contact. She was not used to any skin contact except from her brother. Yet, there was something special she felt from him. The warmth radiating from the man in front of her gave her a sense of security and all she wanted to do was to get nearer to him.

“I shouldn’t able to feel this, right?” She whispered and he shook his head, but it seemed like he could not believe himself as well.

Jiae shut her eyes tightly. She had been dreaming too much of him that it seemed like he was going to be real. When she realised that he kept appearing in her dreams, she knew that she had to stop it. Jiae was not supposed to allow herself to feel any emotions except for her brother. However, this guy seemed to make her want to feel something more.

Wake up, Yoo Jiae. This is just a dream.

“Noona?” Jiae opened her eyes and blinked at the ceiling above her. She sat up and saw her brother looking at her worriedly. Glancing at the window, she realised the sun was about to rise. “Were you having a dream? You were talking to yourself.”

“I’m okay. Go and sleep.” She mumbled and he nodded sleepily.

Getting out of her bed, she grabbed onto her usual outfit she would wear when she goes on a mission. After taking a quick shower, she wore a black, long sleeved shirt that ended right above her hip. The material stuck to her like a second skin so it would be easy for her to move around. Grabbing her sleeveless hoodie, she wore it on. The hoodie served as an extra protection to her and she would usually keep other weapons in it. Lastly, she wore a pair of black tights and a pair of boots that ended below her knee. She would usually hide her extra daggers in her boots.

One of the female guards of the association entered the shower area and told Jiae she had five minutes. Jiae gave her a short nod before tying her hair up in a ponytail and placing her hood up as she headed towards the door.

++

“Are you okay? You look like .” Sujeong commented as she ducked down before a tree branch could slap her face. They were each on a horse. It had only been a few hours since they had started on their journey to the Red Empire.

“Yea I’m fine.” Kyungsoo tried to sound cheerful but ended up sounding like a grumpy old man.

Sujeong rolled her eyes at his tone. She was used to it. “Did you had a bad dream?”

Kyungsoo thought back about his dream and a small smile crept up to his face. It was a pleasant dream. He had finally been able to the see the face of the girl in his dreams. The one with the straight raven locks and baby blue dress. And he was right. She was as lovely as her voice. He did not know what made him named her ‘canary’, but he felt like she suited the lovely bird. They were both small and had a soothing voice.

But something was different about this dream. In this dream, it looked like she was as confused as him. And he could actually touch her. He was able to physically feel her silky hair and soft cheek. It shocked him that he had reached out to touch her without thinking much. The small interaction felt so natural to him, as if they had done it multiple times.  

“There should be a town in an hour’s time. We could rest for an early lunch.” Sehun informed them.

True enough, the trio had entered one of the many towns residing between the Black and Red Empire. They were in a town called Regan, a popular trading place for the traders of the Black and Red Empire. The Red Empire was different from the Black Empire. Although Regan was a neutral town that did not belong to any Empire, the place was filled with more ambience coming from the Red Empire. And one of the obvious signs were the slaves.

Unlike the other Empires, the people of the Red Empire love to keep slaves. To them, it was a natural thing to do. It was no surprise because the Ruler of the Red Empire was deemed arrogant and obnoxious and no one dared to go up against him because of his strength and power.

Some slaves had their hand and feet cuffed while others only had their neck cuffed. They were dressed in very old clothing that were dirty and torn. Most slaves had fear and sadness in their eyes while some of them just looked like they had given up on life. There were some lucky slaves who were loved by their owners. They were dressed and treated properly. They were more like a servant than a slave.

Kyungsoo had not realised he was clenching his fists so tightly when Sujeong tried to open them before he could hurt himself. “We will fix things.” She whispered only for his ears.

“Yes, we will fix things. No one will have to suffer anymore.” He assured her.

++

Jiae wordlessly checked the carriage for anything that could possibly harm her client. The other guards stood a little further away but kept an eye on her in case she would do something to hurt their King. Jiae never liked working with the Royal Family. If the Royal Family had so many guards who seemed suspicious of her association all the time, then why bother to hire one of them? She was pretty sure the Royal Guards were quite skilful as well.

“His Royal Majesty is coming down.” A guard informed the rest, and everyone stood still and faced their King. Jiae quietly stepped behind the guards. All of the guards were big, strong grown man who easily towered over her.

Bang Yongguk was the current ruler of the Red Empire. The moment Jiae laid eyes on him, she could feel raw power emitting from within his body. He had the authority and the power to make anyone fear him. This was why none of the Empires had ever thought of attacking the Red Empire. Not when the Red King was this strong.

“Where is the hired guard?” His voice was deep and oozing with power.

Jiae knew better than to move too quickly in front of her clients. One reason would be that most of them would get startled, and the other would make her seem like someone who wants to attack the client instead. So, she slowly walked away from the guards, her gaze on the ground. When she felt the Red King’s eyes on her, she briskly made her way to him. She stood a meter away before bowing lowly.

“It’s me, Sir.”

Yongguk raised an eyebrow. He remembered asking for the best assassin they had, not a puny little female. “Just you?”

Jiae could sense the sarcasm in his voice and she raised her head and stared at his chest. The Red King was tall. He was at least a head taller than her. “I’m more than enough, Sir.”

Most assassins call their clients by ‘My Lord’. It was the outmost respect an assassin could give to their client. But Jiae had never once called any of her clients by that title. And the Red King would be receiving the same treatment. None of them were worthy for her to pledge her loyalty to.

Yongguk moved at the speed of lighting. He wanted to test her by attacking her. But Jiae was faster than him. One moment she was standing there and the next, she was one step to her right. At her original spot was the Red King’s fist and it would have made contact with her head if she was not attentive enough.

The other guards were shocked at what just happened. Everything happened too quickly. But Yongguk saw how fast she was. It was like his movements were in slow motion as she studied his attack. He had totally underestimated her.

“Join me inside.” He ordered and entered the carriage.

Jiae wordlessly watched her client as he walked towards the vehicle. She remembered her Boss saying that she was supposed to watch out for the Red King in the shadows, not be by his side. One of the guards nudged her and she quickly went into the carriage.

As they made their way to the destination, Jiae was peeking out of the window to see if there were any unusual activities going on outside. She had no idea where they were going because it was meant to be classified information. All she knew was that her mission was to protect him.

“How old are you?” Yongguk’s deep voice grabbed her attention and she sat down properly. The both of them were alone in the carriage and she sat opposite him.

“I’m 19, Sir.”

He leaned back comfortably as he stared at her. Jiae started to feel uncomfortable at his gaze and averted her eyes back outside. “Come to the palace and work for me.”

“What?” She blurted out before thinking.

“You are good at what you do. Come and be one of my personal guards.” Yongguk repeated.

Jiae frowned as she thought about his words. Bang Yongguk is the Red King. His orders are absolute. The association would gladly agree with just a word from him. She was not allowed to refuse him but she did not want to go with him. The association was not the place for her. All she ever wanted was to escape from the Red Empire with Jiwoo and go to a place where no one recognises them.

Being in the palace would chained her to the Red Empire. There would be no hope once she is locked behind the palace doors.

“You don’t have to answer me right away. Just slowly think about it.” Yongguk spoke and she looked at him, finally meeting his eyes. She could see some sort of determination in them but they were not scary. If it was not for the fact that she was a slave and he was the Red King, she would not be afraid of him.

“You mean I have a choice?” She softly asked.

“Of course. If I force someone to be my guard then he would only do it out of fear and not loyalty. Only those who are loyal will protect me to the end.”

Jiae nodded at his words. He was right, and that was also exactly how Jiae feels every time she went on a mission. She was just doing her job but if something unexpected happened, she would save her life before anyone else.

Jiae wants to escape this place. But there were almost no chances that she would be able to do so. Being with Yongguk sounds like a good thing, but then that would mean that her hopes of being free would be gone forever.

The sounds of footsteps rustling through the trees alerted her and she immediately took two daggers out from her boots. Her main weapon would be her lovely pair of dual katanas, but the katanas would only cause her restriction now that she was in the carriage.

Yongguk realised Jiae had become tensed and was immediately on his guard.

“Be careful. Your enemies are coming.” She told him and the next thing he knew, she was already out of the carriage and on top of it, her dagger plunged deep into the enemy’s chest.

Author's Note

Author-nim loves all of you <3