- Hunting Dogs -

The thundering of the hooves on the dirt path was loud in Soomi’s ears, drowning out every other sound in the vicinity. Her eyes darted over the trees rushing by in a blur, looking for a way to shake off their relentless pursuers. The path took a sharp turn, and the assassins on their tail lost sight of them behind the dense foliage.

Baekhyun used this to his advantage, leading the group away from the trail and into the forest. The horses slowed as they had to find their way through the undergrowth, disappearing in the shadows of the trees.

Baekhyun stopped his horse and dismounted, motioning for the others to be quiet. The knights followed his example, Baekhyun lending Soomi a hand when she slid off the saddle. They remained beside their horses, waiting with bated breath and unsheathing their weapons. Soomi flinched when she heard the thundering of hooves in the distance mixed with angry shouts. If their pursuers found them now, what would happen? Would they be slaughtered? Soomi had seen that the group of assassins was significantly larger than theirs. Should they end up fighting, the odds would be in their enemies’ favor.

The loud noises surged as the assassins approached their hiding spot, and Soomi shuddered in fear. In an unexpectedly kind gesture, Baekhyun put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her, offering comfort. She froze at first, not used to receiving the slightest bit of affection from him, but she soon melted in his embrace and hugged him desperately.

“Where the are they?” someone shouted, not far from them.

“We can’t go back without killing at least one of them!” someone else replied angrily. “They have to be somewhere in this forest!”

A low curse reached her ears, coming from one of the knights. Baekhyun’s body tensed as he held her. The voices of the assassins faded when they moved past them, heading towards the northern part of the woods. Nobody dared to speak until the noises were gone.

“That was too damn close,” Chanyeol finally sighed, ruffling his hair and sheathing his sword. “We’re lucky we lost them.”

“How should we proceed?” Kyungsoo asked seriously, looking at Baekhyun and waiting for his orders.

“We head south, leave the forest, and move towards the capital. It isn’t far from here at all; we ought to reach it in forty minutes if we don’t run into more problems,” the prince growled, letting go of Soomi and sheathing his sword.

“What they did is treason,” Junmyeon muttered angrily as he mounted his horse. The otherwise composed knight looked furious—Soomi had never seen him like this.

“We have to find out who’s behind this,” Jongin hissed, the friendliness gone from his voice as he stared coldly into the forest. “You two should take my horse; yours is too tired to carry two riders,” he then suggested, handing the reins of his tall brown horse to Baekhyun, who nodded gratefully.

He helped Soomi mount it before he sat behind her, taking the reins and guiding the horse back on the trail. The others followed them, dead silent to avoid drawing attention.

“Do you think they’re gone?” Soomi whispered, turning her head slightly to look at a scowling Baekhyun.

“It seems they’re under strict orders, so I doubt they’d give up easily. You heard what they said,” he answered, but when he saw her shoulders slump in desperation, he added, “We won’t give up easily either. I hate losing, especially when so much is at stake.”

“There you have it, Your Highness,” Yixing said jokingly, trying to lift the mood. “Not only is the prince a sore loser, but he is also stubborn as a goat.” She heard amused chuckles from all around her, even from Baekhyun, and was surprised he didn’t get angry for being insulted like this. He seemed to be close friends with the knights and used to their jabs.

“Every time we’re playing poker, we have to let him win, otherwise, he gets seriously pissed,” Chanyeol joined in, glad to hear the princess giggling at his words.

“What do you mean, let me win? I always beat all of you with ease!” Baekhyun shot back, glaring at Chanyeol.

“Sure, Your Highness,” he replied cheekily as they left the forest behind. Now, they were out in the open and an easy target, which meant they couldn’t afford to waste time.

They let their horses gallop over the dirt path, dust trailing behind them. Soomi held on to the saddle since it got quite bumpy on horseback. Her long dress forced her to ride sideways, and consequently, she had some trouble keeping her balance at this speed. Baekhyun steadied her with his arms when he noticed her swaying. She was unsure how to feel about their sudden proximity, but she had to admit that she didn’t mind being close to him. Since their outing yesterday, he had been friendlier, and she appreciated the change even if it wasn’t much. His constant coldness had bothered her more than she wanted to acknowledge.

“Not much longer; we’re almost there,” Baekhyun said. The outer wall of the capital became visible in the distance, and with every step the horse took, the relief in Soomi’s heart grew. Their destination was right in front of them. The drawbridge leading into town was open, guarded by two soldiers carrying weapons and wearing heavy armor.

They bowed when the group passed through, sharing astonished glances due to the group's state. The knights looked worse for wear, and seeing a princess on horseback was uncommon, to say the least. The group received equally confused glances from the commoners out on the streets. Many of them dropped what they were doing to look at the royal couple with curiosity and, in some cases, concern.

Hours later, Soomi had changed her clothes and stood in the King’s study with Baekhyun and advisor Wang. They reported what occurred during the festivities and on the way back home. The atmosphere in the room was tense and weighed on Soomi like a heavy blanket.

“I’m proud of you, my son. You acted wisely, and your quick thinking prevented casualties,” the King said, his voice deep and authoritative but strained. He looked pale—his sickness was eating away at him. “Who could have sent these people?”

“Thank you, father. I assume it was the Alliance, and it seems like the person who posed as a duke belongs to them, too,” Baekhyun answered calmly, keeping his posture straight.

Wang’s eyes narrowed at the princess as he gritted his teeth. “Let’s not be hasty, Your Highness. What leads you to think that the princess spoke the truth when she told you about the duke? What if he was a spy of Caelum instead?” he asked cunningly, throwing the King a pointed look. “Maybe she orchestrated all this to spread chaos through Lux, to disrupt the peace!”

Wang sounded like he lost his mind. In Soomi’s opinion, he just wanted to make her look bad in front of the King like he usually did. She hated that man, but she couldn’t let it show. “What do you have to say, Princess Soomi?” the King asked.

“I spoke the truth, Your Majesty. I pledged my allegiance to Lux, and I’m not acting against my word.”

Wang looked appalled while the King nodded, believing her. “I’ve been meaning to speak to you about another matter, but since your lives have been threatened, I will reconsider,” the King continued. “I assigned advisor Wang the task of planning your honeymoon, but it might be better to call it off due to recent events.”

Soomi was surprised to hear this since she hadn’t expected a honeymoon at all. It wasn’t like she and Baekhyun were married because they loved each other; they couldn't care less about spending time together. Unlike her, Baekhyun didn’t look surprised, meaning he had known about this before.

“Your Majesty, I don’t think it’s necessary to call it off,” Wang said, smiling convincingly at the King. “If we keep their location during the honeymoon secret, nothing can go wrong. It’s a long tradition for royal newlyweds, and breaking it would be a shame.”

“Hm, you have a point,” the King muttered, leaning back in his seat to take a long look at Soomi and Baekhyun. They were acting like acquaintances and not like a married couple, standing a whole meter apart from each other. “You ought to get to know each other better. I’m aware that you have been avoiding the princess, my son. You should see it as your duty to be at her side. More effort is needed to maintain a stable union with Caelum.”

Baekhyun didn’t answer the King, staying silent and not revealing what he thought of his father’s words.

“Is there a specific place you would like to visit, Princess Soomi?” the King asked.

“I would love to see the co