Your heart still hasn't left your throat by the time Jaehwan pulls into the subterranean garage of a very tall skyscraper. He drives through several security checkpoints, each requiring a swipe of his ID and a numerical key entered on a nearby pad, but very little of this actually registers.
 
He knows.
 
How is this possible? Were you tailed by the men on the train? There is a singular thought running through your mind as you clench and unclench your hands, still frozen in your seat. 
 
The king knows I’m here.
 
Jaehwan finally arrives at an empty parking spot by a set of elevators. He turns off the engine and sighs, running a hand over his face. He hasn't said anything since entering the city, but by his expression you think he's just as distressed at the turn of events. It's quiet for a moment as the two of you sit, exhausted by your journey and weighed down with worries. Jaehwan finally breaks the silence.
 
“Well then, let's have a chat with our dear prince, shall we?” He opens his door and swings his legs out. You're still stuck in your seat staring at the floor, so mired in dread that you don't notice when Jaehwan opens your door for you, laden with your bags. It takes a call of your name for you to finally snap back to reality.
 
You look at his outstretched hand and extend yours, allowing yourself to be pulled up.
 
“Are you okay?” Jaehwan asks gently. Your hand is still in his, and some disconnected part of you idly notes how small your hand feels in his grip.
 
“I'm fine.” You quickly take your hand back and cross your arms, feeling cold all of a sudden. “Where are we?”
 
“Your dear cousin’s throne. Hakyeon's waiting for us upstairs.” He strides over to the elevators and pushes a button, calling one down. The doors open to elegant carpeting and a mirrored ceiling. You expect a panel of buttons for each floor, but instead there is yet another keypad. Jaehwan enters in a code, and the elevator takes off, unsettling your balance momentarily.
 
You lean against the cool glass wall of the elevator for support. Between the traveling and being on constant guard, you want nothing more than a shower and a soft bed. But you know there are some long overdue words to be had with your cousin first.
 
The elevator dings softly as the doors open, revealing a well-lit hallway with a single door at the end. Leading you out, Jaehwan presses the doorbell next to the entry keypad. The chime barely hits the first note before the door is yanked open, revealing a harried looking Hakyeon. Dark circles under his eyes and wearing a wrinkled dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, the prince looks like he hasn't slept in a while.
 
“I was expecting you this morning,” he says in way of a greeting.
 
“We had some complications,” Jaehwan says, pushing past the prince into the apartment. Hakyeon steps aside, holding the door open for you and giving you a concerned look.
 
“Is everything okay?”
 
You merely shake your head, stepping through. A first look at the place makes your jaw drop open despite your exhaustion. Laid out in an open plan, the penthouse apartment is dripping in chrome and glass and stone from floor to ceiling, with a spiraling staircase leading to a second floor and a full wall of glass looking over the sprawling Capital city. Hakyeon shuts the door behind himself and grins at your expression.
 
“It's yours.”
 
His words catch you off guard. “What?”
 
“This apartment. It's yours.”
 
You look around. You're still standing in the entryway, barely having taken two steps inside. On one side is what seems to be a fully stocked kitchen with glossy stone surfaces and steel appliances, and on the other a living room with leather sectionals and a large screen mounted on the far wall.
 
“I don't understand,” you say blankly, shaking your head.
 
“I have a number of safe houses set up throughout the city, and a couple out in the provinces,” he explains. “I set this one up specifically for you. It's a ten-minute walk to the TirTech branch here so you can still go to work if you want.”
 
Hakyeon looks rather proud of himself, smiling at you benevolently. You shake your head again, muttering under your breath. “Damn rich people.”
 
This elicits a laugh from Jaehwan, who is descending the staircase, apparently having dropped your bags off upstairs.
 
“You're technically one of those damn rich people, you know,” he says, hands in pockets and shoulder bag still slung around his back. Jaehwan claps Hakyeon on the shoulder and heads toward the door. “I really need a shower and new clothes, I'll be back in a bit.”
 
You watch his retreating figure, trying to process all this new information. “Where is he going?” you ask idly.
 
“He has a place a couple floors down.” Hakyeon has a hand at your back, gently steering you inward. “Are you hungry? I haven't ordered dinner yet, what would you like?”
 
You stop, turning around to face him abruptly. “Hakyeon, I need answers. The king knows I'm here.”
 
He frowns. “How do you know?”
 
“There were men on the train looking for me, we had to get off and drive the rest of the way,” you sigh. “The city guard knew who I am.”
 
His frown deepens with worry. “How is that possible?”
 
“You tell me, this was your plan!” Your shout echoes through the empty apartment. This entire city feels like a trap to you, as if the king's soldiers might burst through the door as you speak. You purse your lips and bite down to keep them from trembling.
 
Hakyeon softly calls your name and takes your hand. “Everything will be okay, alright?” he says, leaning down to look you in the eye. “I promised you would be safe. The king doesn't know of this place, I'm sure of it. You're safe here.”
 
The gentle swipes of his thumb over the back of your hand are meant to be soothing, but everything is sensory overload for you right now. The bright apartment, the unfamiliar city outside, everything. You take your hand out of his and back away a step.
 
Hakyeon doesn't press forward, recognizing that you need some space. “I know you're overwhelmed. We can take it one step at a time, okay?” His voice is soft and low, as if speaking to a feral cat.
 
You'd be offended at his patronizing if you weren't so busy getting a grip of yourself. You nod finally in acquiescence, managing to calm your heart a touch.
 
“Would you like to shower and get changed?” he ventures tentatively. “There's a room for you upstairs.”
 
You nod again, not knowing what to say. Smiling at his breakthrough, Hakyeon motions for you to follow. You're led up the spiraling glass staircase to the second floor.
 
The landing has a pair of lounge chairs outside a glass door revealing a wide balcony. Hakyeon turns to your immediate right and opens a door, holding it open for you to step through. The room is simply furnished with a bed, a desk, and a dresser, all trimmed in varying shades of blue, gray and black. You absently wonder if Hakyeon had picked out the interior decoration himself.
 
“There's a bathroom through there,” he says, indicating a door in the far right corner. “There should be plenty of towels and things, but yell if you need anything. I'll be downstairs, so just come down whenever you're ready. Is that okay?” Hakyeon is still looking at you as if you're going to start shouting at him again, and you feel a little bad.
 
“That's fine, Hakyeon. Thank you,” you say tiredly, sincerely. “I'll come down soon.”
 
He beams, pleased to have gotten something right. “Take your time!” he chirps. He heads back down, closing the bedroom door behind himself, leaving you alone in the empty room.
 

A half hour later you're descending the stairs again, freshly showered and changed into a pair of soft pajamas brought from home. With all the strangeness about your new surroundings, the smell of your laundry detergent emanating from your clothes gives you a strange sense of comfort.
 
You're halfway down the stairs, in the process of toweling your hair dry, when you hear Jaehwan's voice. Changed into a new sweater and hair fluffy from his own shower, he's speaking to Hakyeon too low and too rapidly for you to make out what's being said. From the mutinous expression on Jaehwan’s face, however, you can only assume there is a fierce argument happening. Your head quirks to the side in fascination without your approval. An angry Jaehwan is a peculiar sight, his jaw clenched and eyes blazing. Before you can even process the novelty, your approaching footsteps alert the men to your presence, and Jaehwan immediately drops the scowl for his usual easy-going expression.
 
Hakyeon whirls around to face you, arms full of papers. “Ah, you're just in time,” he says quickly, plastering a smile on his face. “I was just clearing off the table for dinner.” He roughly nudges Jaehwan who has a stack of plates in hand. When Hakyeon turns his back to move his laptop, Jaehwan makes a face and mimes hitting him over the head with a plate.
 
You hold back a snort of laughter as you grab some of Hakyeon's documents in an attempt to help. They look like official state letters bearing the royal seal. “What is all this stuff?” you ask, turning one over.
 
Hakyeon hastily takes the letters from you, neatly stacking them at the far end of the glass dining table. “I've been receiving correspondences from Taekwoon. He's stationed with the court of Imsal.”
 
“Taekwoon?”
 
“Jung Taekwoon, you remember him, don't you?” Papers safely stowed away, Hakyeon starts removing several takeout containers from their bags. “Jaehwan, grab some spoons, would you?”
 
“Vaguely,” you answer slowly. A face swims to the forefront of your memories, a boy all sharp angles and averted gaze. “What's he doing in Imsal?”
 
“He's on official court business,” Hakyeon answers simply, pulling a chair out for you.
 
The curt response raises more questions than it answers. You’ve never been to the southern kingdom, in many ways considered a brother to your own. Limited travel opportunities aside, the post-war relations in your little corner of the world haven’t been the friendliest. You're not sure if Taekwoon being there is a sign of improvement or of something worse to come.
 
“You dragged me back for a reason, Hakyeon. What's going on?” you ask, frowning.
 
“All in due time,” he responds, handing you a plate and spoon. “Dinner first. I ordered curry, but I wasn't sure what you'd like so I got a bit of everything.”
 
By the looks of the table, you think he might have bought out the entire restaurant. Jaehwan has already started digging into a large plate of rice and chicken, so you give up and serve yourself some as well. Hakyeon smiles so wide you think you've just made his entire night simply by feeding yourself. He sits himself next to you with his own plate, looking like a doting father watching over his unruly children. You have to hold back a smile at the silly thought as he turns to Jaehwan.
 
“How was your time in the Federation?”
 
“He stalked me at work,” you say casually before Jaehwan can answer, thinking back to the time he showed up uninvited to the cafe.
 
Jaehwan coughs, apparently having inhaled some chicken. Clearing his throat, he fixes you with a deep pout. “I was not stalking you.”
 
Hakyeon furrows his brows. “What's this about?”
 
“Is that not what it's called when someone follows you around?” You take a spoonful of curry, still the picture of innocence.
 
“You asked me to keep an eye on her!” Jaehwan complains in Hakyeon's general direction. “She's just upset her coworker thought we make a cute couple.”
 
It's your turn to choke on your food as Jaehwan's words bring an embarrassed heat to your cheeks. “That's not true!”
 
Jaehwan raises his brows and turns back to his plate. “I rest my case.”
 
Hakyeon chews slowly, eyeing both of you. “I'm starting to think this was a bad decision.”
 
He's answered with a dramatic eye roll from Jaehwan. “I got us both to the Capital in one piece, I'd consider that a job well done,” Jaehwan says, looking like a squirrel with his food tucked away in one cheek as he speaks.
 
“About that,” Hakyeon starts, suddenly all business. “I intend to find out how exactly our plans were leaked. The king should never have known your whereabouts.”
 
Jaehwan is silent, busying himself with his dinner. You suddenly lose all appetite, anxiety crawling its way up your spine.
 
“What are we going to do?” you ask softly.
 
“We will figure it out,” Hakyeon assures. “I made you a promise, I intend to keep it.”
 
You shake your head, confused and overwhelmed. “What am I even doing here, Hakyeon? What’s going on?” It's true you haven't kept up with current events as much as you should, but surely you would have noticed a collapse of your homeland.
 
Hakyeon lays down his spoon, folding his hands together on the glass tabletop. “I'm unsure where to start. The whole situation is a mess.”
 
“The border had no security,” you prompt, remembering the ease you had entering the country. “They didn’t so much as look at me, but then we went circled around half the kingdom trying to get here.”
 
Hakyeon sighs, closing his eyes briefly. “My father has been pulling more and more province guards over the past few years. They all head down south and disappear, and the magistrates have made no move against him.”
 
Politics and court movements were never your interest as a child, but even you can tell this is an ominous sign. “They just, disappear? The Council approves of this?”
 
Recognizing your surprise, Hakyeon explains. “A lot has changed since your father's time. After your parents’ deaths and your—” Here, he falters, unable to find the right words. “Well, after all that, my father ended up replacing most of the High Council.”
 
“And the magistrates?” you ask.
 
Hakyeon shakes his head. “The same deal. One or two remain from uncle's appointment, but the rest are all my father's lackeys. They may pretend to be operating in their own interests, but they’ll roll over the second father says to.”
 
You feel a sense of foreboding. The magistrates generally support the royal family, of course. But the noble houses in charge of the kingdom’s provinces had never been your father’s “lackeys”. 
 
“In the meantime,” Hakyeon continues, “these new magistrates have been the kingdom dry of whatever resource or industry they can get their hands on, and honestly, who knows what the Swords have been up to?”
 
Your eyes shift to Jaehwan briefly, only the crown of his head visible as he bends over his plate. None of this had ever appeared in any of the headlines you occasionally read back in Armistice.
 
“So, who is actually protecting the people?” you ask. You’re reminded of the bedraggled man at the charging station, so grateful over a cheap sandwich. These people aren’t technically your subjects, but you’d spent many a hungry, lonely night yourself in the days after leaving the kingdom.
 
Hakyeon makes a face and runs his hand through his hair. “That,” he says, sighing, “is a very good question. The guards aren’t all gone, but for the most part they’re prioritized to protect nobles and the oligarchs.”
 
“Where are all the protests then? The citizens can’t be tolerating that.” You have half a mind to grab a picket sign yourself, but that half is rather quickly shouted down when you remember where you are.
 
He leans back and crosses his arms. “Not in the Capital. The king has a tight grip on the central and inner belt of the provinces. The southern residents aren’t quite as happy though.” Hakyeon's face is dark as he relays the news. “Protests, vandalism, assaults — there’s even been word of rioting. This unrest can’t go on much longer.”
 
You frown heavily, not sure what to make of the information. “The king won’t abide that for long. What’s he playing at?”
 
Hakyeon sighs. “I don't pretend to understand any of my father's insanity. But I do know one thing.” He sits up straight and gives you a significant look. “Between the civil unrest and my father's negligence, the people are ready for a new ruler.”
 
Jaehwan scoffs, the first sound you've heard out of the normally talkative blond in a while. He pushes back his chair heavily and takes his plate to the kitchen.
 
You're staring at him, even more confused, when Hakyeon places a hand over yours.
 
“I never thanked you for coming all this way. Your help will be invaluable.”
 
Wiggling your hand free, you sigh exasperatedly. “Hakyeon, you never actually told me what I'm supposed to be doing.”
 
“For now, just rest.” Hakyeon stands and collects your abandoned plate, starting to clear the table again. “We can talk more about it in the morning.”
 
For a second you think about yelling again. It's a shock to your system to have spent so many years on your own, only for Hakyeon now to be treating you like a complete child. Mustering all your remaining patience, you say nothing. You’ve never known Hakyeon to take well to pushing, and there’s more than one way to obtain information. Taking this as your dismissal, you leave for bed without another word.
 

An hour later you push your laptop away in frustration, irritated at just how little you’ve managed to uncover. Hakyeon has helpfully supplied you with the wifi password, written on a note stuck to the bedside table complete with a smiley face in his curling, easy handwriting. Taking advantage of this, you’d hit the internet, hoping to find some news of what’s happening in the kingdom. To your dismay, there are no reports of any protests down south, or any word of where the guards are going. You are rewarded, however, with several stories of a Lord Jingyi’s second wedding and an article on some actress’ foray into the world of esports. 
 
You throw the sheets off yourself in a huff, unable to sit still any longer. Wrapping yourself in a ratty old cardigan from home, you descend the stairs again, only to find Hakyeon still sitting at the table, typing away on a laptop. He's alone, so you assume Jaehwan has left for his own apartment. The lights are dimmed, making the city below glitter through the floor to ceiling windows. It strikes you how dark the Capital seems. Where Armistice was awash in neon pinks and yellows and blues, the Capital shines in muted grays and sickly whites.
 
You approach the table slowly, trying not to startle the prince who has his back turned. “What are you working on?”
 
Hakyeon jumps a little in his seat despite your efforts, turning around. “I thought you were asleep,” he says, frowning.
 
You shake your head. “Couldn't get comfortable.” Leaning toward the laptop screen, you see a familiar diagnostic tool you use to analyze the contents of various files at work. “Are you trying to crack something?”
 
“Oh, yes.” Hakyeon turns back around, tilting the screen so you can see it a little easier from where you're standing. “This data is encrypted with something I've never used before. I'm not sure what it is or how to go about opening it up, honestly.”
 
Squinting at the screen, you run through a list of possibilities in your head. You could brute force it, trying all the cracks you have on your laptop, but it might take forever. If only you had access to the systems at work. “I could take a whack at it if you want,” you offer.
 
“Would you? To be frank, I am way in over my head,” Hakyeon admits.
 
“Yes, the elderly and technology don't mix well in my experience,” you tease, biting back a smile.
 
Hakyeon glares. “Hey, I'm only three years older than you.”
 
“Yikes, you're even older than I thought — I thought it was two.” Laughing at his deepening pout, you turn to the glass wall.
 
The lights of the Capital twinkle back at you through your darkened reflection. You're pensive, the laugh dying on your lips. “I don't recognize any of this,” you say to yourself softly.
 
You watch Hakyeon's reflection stand to join you at the window, arms crossed.
 
“A lot has changed in the past ten years.” His words feel like a warning, and you can't help the chill that runs up your spine.
 
“What's that?” you ask, nodding toward a dark tower. It looms over the rest of the city, the glass obsidian against the night sky.
 
Hakyeon's eyes narrow in a glare. “That,” he spits, “is my father's official seat.”
 
“Is that where…?” You can't bring yourself to finish the thought.
 
Hakyeon nods, lips drawn in a tight line. “My father built it over the ruins of the Assembly House.”
 
You clench your teeth, torn between anger and sorrow. The king sits upon your parents’ ashes, wearing the crown that was meant to be yours. You tear yourself away from the window as your gaze becomes watery. Feeling rather pathetic, you hold back a sniffle and blink rapidly.
 
“I really do appreciate your being here,” Hakyeon says softly. “Truly. Thank you.”
 
“I owe you, Hakyeon.” Your voice is hollow, eyes far away. “That's the only reason I'm here. The second we're done, I'm out.”
 
“All the same. Thank you.” Hakyeon smiles and surprises you with a hug, enveloping your smaller frame in his arms.
 
You stiffen, unused to being touched. But Hakyeon doesn't let go, and you allow yourself to relax for a breath.