Chapter 2

Scholar who walks the night

       Prince Yoon asks the king to delay the construction of the new palace because the tax burden on the people is too high when there are still starving peasants, but the king refuses his request.

     He instead tasks Yoon with capturing Eumlan Seosaeng to make it clear to everyone that he isn’t conspiring with traitors to clear his father’s name, and even tells Yoon to hold a celebration on the anniversary of his father’s death.

      Areum was getting ready for the celebration when she heard a knock on the door, "Come in" she said. Then the daughter of the minister entered and respectfully bowed to the princess. "Hye Ryung , it's been almost five years since we didn't see each other!" Areum said hugging her friend.

     Hye Ryung smiled which was rare and hugged her back. "I'm happy to see you too." Hye Ryung answered. Hye Ryung and Areum were best friends since they were kids, the princess was one year younger than Hye Ryung, the princess doesn't have a sister so she treats her like one.

     "Come! I brought lots of gifts for you and your mother!" Areum said. At the mention of her mother, at the mention of her mom Hye Ryung's smile disappeared for seconds but it eventually came back. "Show me, your Highness." Hye Ryung told her. 

       "Thank you so much for the gifts, but I'm afraid I have to go now, it's been great seeing again." Hye Ryung politely excused herself before walking away, the princess nodded and gave her a genuine smile.

      Hye Ryung was in the underground castle now, "You're late." Gwi said holding a book in his hands. "I'm sorry my Lord, I've just visited an old friend." Hye Ryung said looking down. "Was it Areum?" Gwi asked raising an eyebrow. Hye Ryung's eyes widened when he mentioned her name. "H-How did you know?" Hye Ryung mumbled. "Her sweet scent is all over you." Gwi answered still looking at the book. 

      Hye Ryung cursed under her breath, her scent must've been transferred to her when they have hugged each other. "You knew her all this time. But you never mentioned her to me,  your father didn't, neither the king, is there a reason I shouldn't know why?" Gwi asked averting his gaze towards the human girl.

      "It's the king who wanted to keep the princess away from here. I know her because she was the one who stood beside me when I was sick for the past four years." Hye Ryung told the vampire. "The King told me that she doesn't know what I am." He sighed. "Yes my Lord, please don't hurt her, she's like a younger sister to me." Hye Ryung begged.

     "You don't need to worry about her, worry about the King and his crown prince." Gwi said before looking back at his book. Gwi reads the fake version of Eumlan Seosaeng’s novel and realizes that Sung-yeol is pretending to be the fake Eumlan Seosaeng to protect the real one, and gripes that he’s really starting to grate on his nerves.

      Meanwhile Areum was looking for Hak Yong 'Crown Prince's best friend' with her servant to greet him but she couldn't find him, he was her ultimate crush and she always thinks about him. Night came and she was still searching for him all alone since she sent the servant off to rest , suddenly she heard quiet laughter, it was a women's voice. She peeked to see who's the lucky woman and she wished she haven't. Hak Yong was flirting with another beautiful woman who looked older than her with couple years. 

     Areum quickly turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Brick by brick, her walls came tumbling down. As she ran from the couple, a pair of tears raced down her cheeks. She sat next to a small fountain and started sobbing. She didn't care who saw. She just broke down. 

     Gwi was loitering around the castle when he saw Areum crying alone, he slowly walked towards her until they were only few feet apart. "Why is the little princess crying alone?" Gwi asked looking at the small girl. After hearing his deep voice she immediately wiped her tears with the back of her hand and stood up. "Excuse me, I have to go." Areum excused herself before walking away but Gwi grabbed her wrist and turned her around.

      Her eyes were bloodshot, her nose was red and tears still stained her red cheeks. "There must be something that made you cry, what is it? Or who is it? I can ki....I mean teach him a lesson for you." Gwi said, careful to not sound like a the killer he was since he was told that she doesn't have to know about his true nature.

      "Let go of me." Areum said pulling her arm but it was no use, his grip became even tighter and she was starting to get anxious "Just tell me." Gwi demanded sternly, the princess refused knowing that If she told him he'll do something to Hak Yong. 
      
     "Let her go." Yoon’s angry voice cuts in, and after turning to see him there, Gwi moves to hold her in a tighter grip, looking almost lover-like as he presses his face close to hers. He inhaled her scent deeply.

       "She smells very nice." Gwi said, Yoon knew what he meant, he wasn't referring to her skin but her blood. "I won't ask another time. Let her go." Yoon demanded, Gwi only smirked at him "Did you find the lustful student?" Gwi asked. "Not yet, we're working on it." Yoon answered. 
       
      "Brother... I'm scared..." The princess mumbled, her body trembling. Gwi frowned but it was quickly replaced by a smirk. He let go of Areum and walked away. 

      The princess quickly ran to her brother and hugged him, he hugged her back. "It's alright, I won't let him hurt you." The crown prince assured his younger sister.

       Yoon walked back his younger sister to her room. She was still scared but not like before. She told her brother that she was fine. He only nodded and left her alone. She sat infront her vanity and started having flashbacks to what happened, Hak Yong flirting with the woman, Gwi's incident until a breeze brought her out of her stance, she looked around and saw a window open.

     After closing in, she turned around only to see a letter on her vanity, "How didn't I see that before..." Areum whispered to herself as she picked up the letter. She opened it and read what was written inside.

     "I'm sorry little princess, I didn't mean to scare you." 
     
     There was no name, but she already knew who sent it. She heard a knock on the door and Hye Ryung went in. The Minister's daughter bowed respectfully to the  princess, "Your highn-" She was cut by Areum, "Do you know someone called Gwi ? he lives in the underground castle." Areum asked grasping the letter in her hand.

      "I...uhh..." Hye Ryung nervously mumbled fiddling with her hands. "You know him?" The princess added. Hye Ryung nodded slowly, she couldn't lie to her best friend because the princess knows her better than anyone. "I want you to take me to him." Areum said standing up. "But If someone sees you, he would report it to the king, and his Majesty won't be happy." Hye Ryung said, she didn't want that innocent girl to get into that dangerous world.

      "Don't worry about it, just take me to him, please." The younger girl pleaded, Hye Ryung hesitantly accepted and told the princess to follow her.

      Gwi was sitting on a bench next to the entrance of the underground castle when all of the sudden he smelt a familiar scent, he easily recognized it as Hye Ryung's but there was another one, a sweeter scent which drew a slight smile on his face. 

      Hye Ryung showed up first and then the princess followed hiding her face under a veil. Gwi approached them and bowed sacrastically, "May I ask what's the Royal Princess doing here?" Gwi asked with his deep voice. "What's this?" The princess asked as she threw the letter on him. Hye Ryung's eyes widened and she could sense Gwi's anger rising up but he hid it with a smirk.

      "Well that's a letter your highness." Gwi said. "I'm not joking around here. What's the meaning of this? You just carelessly went in the princesse's  quarters with no permission. If someone had caught you would've been covered in your blood now." She said sternly pointing at the letter. Gwi's smile only grew wider 'She really doesn't know anything' he thought to himself.
      
      "I just wanted to apologize, but since you were scared of me, I wrote a letter."  Gwi said. "Fine, I'll accept it, just because you saved me that night." Areum said. "I just did what I had to do, you're the princess of Joseon after all." Gwi said. "Your highness, you have to go now, guards and maids might get suspicious." Hye Ryung told her close friend. The princess nodded. "Before I go, here's your cloak." Areum got out a black cloak out of her dress and handed it to Gwi. "And thank you... For... Saving me that night..." She added before leaving them.

      "See you soon, little princess." Gwi smirk staring at her retreating figure until she couldn't be seen anymore. Gwi inhaled deeply, "You wouldn't know how sweet her scent is, how much effort I have to put in to protect her." Gwi said. To change topic, Hye Ryung hands him a flyer, "You should take a look at this, there's a rumour that has spread about you." After what she said, Gwi took the flyer and read it, he was not pleased to say the least.

       Gwi feeds off another of the king’s women, resuming his M.O. to get the king to fall in line. "You should have just killed me." The King yelled, Gwi turned around to the King m, blood bellow his lips, "How would I harm a king? Moreover, you have to catch the Lustful Student." Gwi said with a little bit of sacrasm. The prime minister approached him and gave him one of the flyers. Gwi took it with his bloodied hand and shows it to the King.

      "How did the lustful student know of my identity and write this? I definitely have to find out." Gwi said before he crumpled the paper in his hands and wiped his lips from blood using it. "An important matter like this, you didn't even report to him--" the prime minister started but he was cut off by the King. "It was for protecting my seat. The seat that I even sacrificed my children to keep. Do you think I'd give it up that easily because of that measly flyer?" The King said.

       "Trust isn't made with words." Gwi said before walking to the King then rubbed his bloodied hand on the King's clothes. "Hand over the investigation to the senior immediately. Then if the crown prince that you treasure so much catches the Lustful Student," Gwi said, "The throne you even sacrificed your son to keep, I will think about what I'm going to do with it." Gwi added and threw a pointed look at Sadong’s mummified body.

     The dead woman’s body is snuck back into the palace, and Sung-yeol sees understanding that Gwi will be continuing the killings until he's found Eumlan Seosaeng.

 

 

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Comments

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neenah_03 #1
Chapter 4: I just finished watching the drama and immediately read this. When gwi died and he went mad after killing hye-ryung i went soft for him?? he was way too goddamn y I couldn’t help it HAHAHHSHD so to see this fic made me feel lighter about gwi i hope its a happy ending??
SalmaRose
#2
Chapter 2: I really missed this drama and i felt sad when Gwi died. This fic looks great and i hope to see another side of Gwi and how the princess will react when she finds out who he is...

P.S: please make it a happy ending!!
SalmaRose
#3
Chapter 2: I really missed this drama and i felt sad when Gwi died. This fic looks great and i hope to see another side of Gwi and how the princess will react when she finds out who he is...