The sun had long ago set down and Jiae quietly ate her dinner. Glancing up, she noticed the Red King on the bed was also consuming his food in silence as a frown was apparent on his face. Jiae did not know if it was because the food was not to his liking or because they had to be in such a rundown inn.

The Red King felt like someone was staring at him and he shifted his eyes to the girl sitting on the floor. Jiae quickly looked away when their eyes met. Shoving the food down , she quickly finished her dinner. Grabbing onto her empty bowl, she stood up abruptly.

“I’ll go take a shower first.” She placed the bowl down on the table beside the bed. Heading into the bathroom that was in the room, she locked the door. The thought of the Red King protesting to share a shower with her did not cross her mind.

Yongguk heard the shower being and continued with his food. He does not know what was going on in Jiae’s mind. Maybe it was because she was trained to be an emotionless creature, but Yongguk found her mysterious and interesting. He was not in love with her, nor did he have any romantic feelings towards her. He just wanted to keep her around to slowly discover the real her. And her skills proved herself to be more than worthy to stand by his side.

The sound of water running was soon gone, and a minute passed by when the door to the bathroom was swiftly opened. Jiae’s eyes widened a little when she realised Yongguk had been staring at the direction of the bathroom, as if waiting for her to come out. Yongguk did not know if Jiae had always been like this, but he found her actions to be somewhat awkward most of the times.

Jiae cleared and went back to her spot, on the floor. She could feel the Red King’s eyes and her and did not know why he found her so interesting to look at.

Yongguk saw that Jiae was still wearing the same clothes, except for her hoodie and her katana holder. Her hair was dripping wet from her shower as she attempted to dry it with a towel. He then wordlessly placed his empty bowl beside hers and headed to the bathroom as well.

While Yongguk was in the shower, Jiae thought about what he had said to her earlier in the morning. Yongguk wanted her to be working for him, not the association. But that would not change her status, nor her brother’s. They would still be slaves and would most probably be slaves for the rest of her lives. Maybe Yongguk would be able to lift her slave status off if she pleased him enough. But that would only mean she would have to repay him for the rest of her life.

She would have to protect him until her last breath. And by protecting him would mean that she would have to continue killing. That was not what she wanted for herself and Jiwoo.

Don’t forget that he had continued to allow slavery. A voice at the back of her head told her.

Remembering about that fact, she clenched onto her fist tightly. She was stupid for forgetting it. If it was not for the Red Empire or the previous Red Kings, she would not have to be a slave. She had been out of the Red Empire enough times to realise that only the Red Empire had slaves like it was the most natural thing. Slaves in the Red Empire were treated even worst than pets.

Slavery has been going on for decades in the Red Empire. But the fact that Yongguk did not stop it when he rose to the throne explained enough about his personality.

He is one of those sick people who does not see slaves as a human. Who knows? He might be bored of me soon and that might even mean my death. At least the association appreciates my talent.

Yongguk came out of the shower and she continued to stare at the floor. He might have wavered her heart a little at the thought of someone so powerful appreciating her, but he was still the heartless King the world deemed him to be.

It was then she was determined to not follow him no matter what he may offer.

++

Jiae ordered a cup of coffee for herself and another for Yongguk. It was already seven in the morning, yet she was still feeling sleepy. She knew that she had to focus as any negligence would cause the mission to fail. Once she had gotten the coffee, she went back to Yongguk’s room with the key that was provided by the inn.

When she entered the room, she saw that Yongguk was already up and was in the bathroom. Placing the cup of coffee on the table beside his bed, she slowly sipped on hers while ensuring every weapon she had was still with her.

Yongguk soon came out and took the coffee before gulping it down, as if it was a cold drink. Jiae watched him while she slowly drank hers. When he was done, he placed the empty cup down and Jiae tried to finish hers as quickly as possible.

“You will follow me into the café alone. My other guards will be near us for extra security.” Yongguk explained as he wore his coat and sunglasses. Jiae nodded and put on her hoodie.

When the both of them entered the café, Yongguk took a seat that was near to the emergency exit, yet not too near for it to be obvious. Jiae leaned against the wall behind Yongguk as she folded her arms across her chest. Soon, a shorter man with gold chains dangling from his neck entered the café and they seemed to recognise each other. From that point, Jiae started to zone out on their conversation but still kept an eye on the other man. She was trained to not eavesdrop on her client’s conversations.

As she continued to zone out, the door to the café opened, followed by a chuckle. The familiar voice somehow drew Jiae back to reality. She recognised that voice. It was a voice she grew to remember by heart. Snapping her head up, she shifted her attention to the door.

Unfolding her arms and standing up straight, dropped a little. She could not believe her eyes. She thought that because he had appeared so many times in her dreams, she was seeing things. But there he was, standing right in front of her, and she knew that there was no way she was dreaming right now.

He was the same as she remembered. Wearing a white shirt, the top two buttons were undone, and his sleeves were folded till his elbows. Going along with his white shirt was the familiar pair of faded blue jeans. He was holding a transparent umbrella on his right hand. She then realised he had been staring at her like how she was looking at him.

A small smile grew on his lips when his eyes met hers, as if they were acquainted. His brown orbs was deep and dark, and he looked into her gaze as if he was trying to stare right into her soul. It was not the first time she had felt like this, and she knew they were more than just acquaintances. But she has never met him before, not in real life anyway.

“Are you okay?” Yongguk spoke, breaking her train of thoughts and she saw that he was standing in front of her. The man with the gold chains was long gone, and it was only them left. Jiae nodded in response to his question and they headed towards the door.

The man in white stepped aside for Yongguk to exit, and Jiae quickly followed him. Just as she was about to walk past the man in white, he whispered loud enough only for her ears. “We’ll meet again very soon, my little canary.”

A shiver ran down Jiae’s spine, but in a good way. Just a sentence from him made her heart skipped a beat. It was not just what he said, but also the way he said it. His voice sounded even better up close. It was deep and smooth like chocolate.

If Jiae did not know better, she would have thought the man in white was trying to seduce her with that tone of his.

Shaking her thoughts away, Jiae chose to block out his words as she stuck closer to Yongguk. She had always thought he was an imagination, but there he was, flesh and blood in front of her just now. And she was using whatever resistance she had in herself to ignore him. She found it hard doing so, because all she wanted to do was to drag him to an empty place and talk to him so she could listen to his voice the whole day.

No, Jiae. Focus on your mission so you can hurry back to Jiwoo.

“Do you know her?” Sujeong asked Kyungsoo. She was pretty sure Kyungsoo had said something to the lady in black just now. Kyungsoo shrugged his shoulders and went to a random table in the café. However, the smile on his face did not go unmissed by Sujeong. “Seriously Kyungsoo, who was that girl? Is she even safe to be around?”

Her last question struck Kyungsoo. His best friend was right. He does not even know who she was and yet he could not get her out of her mind. The most dangerous part was what if she was not what he thinks she is? What if she was just getting into his head for her to only strike him in his back?

But Kyungsoo somehow knew that she would not harm him. He does not have an explanation for feeling that way, except that it might be his intuition. Although Kyungsoo knew he was not obsessed with her, he needed to talk to her at least once. Seeing her in the café again just confirmed that feeling.

She was not allowed to get into his head and leave just like that without knowing her real identity.

“Gahyun said that we have actually met one of the pieces, right?” Kyungsoo looked at his best friend in her eyes. Sujeong immediately understood what Kyungsoo was trying to explain to her.

“She also said that the pieces had a birthmark. If you think she is the one, how are you going to confirm?”

Kyungsoo had to think about that problem. It would be weird to suddenly ask a stranger if they had a birthmark. And she could lie about it too. He needed to see it with his own eyes. He found it strange that he was starting to believe in Gahyun’s words. Gahyun was a total stranger to him, even though she might have been friends with his father. But then again, it has been 10 years since his father passed away. 10 years was more than enough time for Gahyun to switch sides.

“I think the sorceress is right.” Sehun spoke and they shifted their attention to him. “You have a very strong intuition. Even if she was not, I believe you should follow your intuition. It has, after all, been the thing that was keeping us alive all these while.”

Sehun was right about Kyungsoo’s intuition. The young King somehow could always feel when danger was near them, and that was how they always managed to escape from grave danger for the past few years. Their enemy’s identity was still unknown to them, and that fact only put the trio in more danger.

“You have to be careful. She does not look like a simple girl.” Sujeong warned Kyungsoo and the latter nodded.

Jiae absentmindedly checked the carriage. It was something she was used to doing. As the carriage would be left outside of the inn, someone could have planted something harmful in it to harm her client. Yongguk told her that they could head back to the Red Empire now and she was more than happy to do so. She needed to know how her brother was doing.

Her mind went to the man in white. She had always thought he was just an imagination or a character she made up in her dreams. And when she saw him in the café earlier, she was more than just shocked. What made her stunned the most was that it was like her dream was not a dream. If not, he would not have recognised her or even called her by the nickname he gave her.

What the hell is going on with me?

The man in white was a stranger. But Jiae felt that she needed to talk to him soon.

Looking around, she saw two of Yongguk’s Royal Guards standing near her, watching her movements carefully. Although she had proved herself when she killed the enemies chasing them, they could not let their guard down on an outsider.

Yongguk soon came down and they prepared to set off.

The carriage was silent on the way back to the Red Empire. Jiae was staring at her shoes like it was the most interesting thing while straining her eyes for any unusual sound. Whereas Yongguk had his gaze on her. There was nothing to do while he sat comfortably in the carriage. So, he decided to watch Jiae. It was not like he could just sleep as well. It would be better if there was one more person on the lookout.   

“Have you thought about my offer?” Yongguk broke the silence in the carriage. Jiae’s head snapped up to meet his eyes when she heard him speak.

“I’m sorry. But I refuse.” She softly spoke. Jiae was afraid. Yongguk was the Red King. He could easily end her life and there was nothing she could do about it. She could run away, but she would not risk her brother being in danger for the rest of their lives.

“Why? Isn’t better than where you are right now?” A frown was brought upon the King’s face. He had expected her to accept his offer. Many people would die to work in the palace. “The place you sleep, the food you eat, will all be better than what you have now.”

“That still does not change my status. I am a lowly slave and will always be a lowly slave.” She clenched her fists tightly at the thought of that.

Yongguk shook his head. Why doesn’t she get it? It’s not like her status will change even if she stays in the association.

“You said you wanted a loyal protector.” Jiae reminded him and he slowly nodded his head. “I am not willing to be loyal to you right now. After this mission ends, I will go back to doing what I do best. I am an assassin, not a bodyguard. Assassins does not feel for anyone.”

Yongguk wanted to rub his temples. Jiae was giving him a headache. This was the first time he had actually requested for someone to join his personal guards, yet the person could not even give a damn about him.

“Fine. Then I will keep hiring you until you want to be my side.”

Jiae pressed her lips into a thin line. He was being ridiculous, and it was irritating her. He said she had a choice. But now, it seemed like he would do whatever it takes for her to join him.

“Whatever.” She muttered to herself, but he heard her.

Jiae finally made herself comfortable and leaned against the soft cushion that was attached to the seat. Her mind drifted off to her man in white and started planning to find a chance to find him again.

Author's Note

Hehe yup they have met! Things will start to get more interesting from the next chapter onwards.

Hopefully.

Hehe