Yongguk was stuck in his house and was powerless face the situation. He had no other choice than to watch which was something he wasn't used to do. He was sure it was the mage who had protected his house and so he did with the others, that's why the witch hadn't enter or hadn't even try to burn his or the other houses. It must had been something hard to do. Yongguk knew the mage had did his best to protect all the houses but not with the same resistance on all. That's why some houses burnt. So he didn't understand what people were doing.

They had exited their house and were outside torch in hand bursting to the mage to leave the city. The Royal guard surrounding the boy on the floor were protecting him against the enraged crowd.

“Did you see how dangerous he is ?”

Wrong.

“He brought misfortune on Mato !”

Wrong. Yongguk cringed, his fists against the invisible wall.

“It's because he assisted to the mess this morning !”

They were all wrong and didn't understand anything. Yongguk needed to intervene but so long as that invisible wall would stay he couldn't go out and his bursting were nothing against the crowd's ones.

“We need to warn the King !!

– No need to warn me.” A deep loud and rough voice resounded and the angry mob quickly felt silent and bent on one knee as they recognized their King's voice. They made place for him to approach the mage's corpse on the ground.

Even if he was in his house, Yongguk and his family put a knee on the ground and bowed to the King. Yongguk could felt it and in just one glance he could confirm it. The Queen and the Prince were standing right behind the King. In that one second glance, Yongguk recognized the Prince's mask and coat as he saw them every night in his dreams.

“That young boy just saved the city from a witch's onslaught and that's all you can find to say ? Who would have risk his or her own life to do the same ?”

Me !

Yongguk wanted to burst. He watched up and he saw the Queen watching him, as if she heard him or that she knew he would. Because she was smiling sadly to him. Or maybe all this was only in Yongguk's mind because he felt so proud the Queen was watching toward his direction. But maybe she was just watching his house because it was the one of the poor girl the mage had defended.

He saw a guard whispering something to the King and Yongguk could see the King and the Prince turning toward him before he headed back down. Did the guard had told the King we was watching them just a time ago ? Yongguk gulped hardly waiting for the King to talk.

“From what I heard, a young lady had been captured. That's when our mage had interfere. Why was it to that young boy to do this ? Why wasn't it her father ?”

Yongguk felt ashamed for his father and for all the Matoki listening to the King's speech. He could also feel the population own embarrassment.

“A father who even prevent his own son to save his sister...can we still call him a father ? ...”

Silence was reigning on the city.

“ I may sound harsh but I don't blame you...”

Yongguk's father let out one and single sob, because he was happy and felt relieved the King didn't blame him for what he have or haven't done.

“How can I blame you for something you can do nothing about ? It's not like you could fight against a witch. Most of you had never saw magic events before. So how can I blame you ? I understand perfectly, I'm a father too and I would protect my son, knowing he wouldn't be able to save his sister. Knowing I can't save my daughter I wouldn't let my son going to a certain death. I understand and I don't blame you. I don't blame you so why are you blaming that young boy for something he can't do about ? It's my fault if the city had been attacked. It's my fault if tonight you lost a friend or family. It's my duty to protect the city and I failed, so if you have to blame someone it's me !”

The King felt silent and the population gasped when they lift up their head to see the King, the Queen and the Prince a knee on the ground, bowing apologetic to them.

Yongguk started to be worked up watching the Royal acting this way, and mostly because the Prince he admired had a knee on the dirty ground for something which wasn't his fault. Yongguk was as angry as when people were bursting after the mage. He couldn't tolerate intolerance.

Because people were scared of magic he had always been harsh with the mage, as Daehyun had said, he knew himself that if the boy got upset he would use his power against people, and then he would have to be punished, burned or beheaded ; and Yongguk didn't wanted that. Since the time the mage had grabbed Jongup after the robbing incident. Yongguk remembered well how at the time he had freaked out imagining everything could go wrong within a second, as they didn't know what the mage was capable of. He believed the boy had rode his fear in his mind at that time, after that the mage did all he could to prove Yongguk he was doing right to believe him. That's what Yongguk believed.

But as much as effort the mage did, the population was still afraid of him, first they were afraid he wouldn't be able to control his power as when he burnt his mother. After he passed sixteen, people were afraid he knew too well how to use his power and use it effortlessly against them. That's why, for Yongguk, less contact he had with people, the best it was ; he felt like the young boy agreed to it as he never contested any order Yongguk gave him. That's how their relationship was. Unspoken.

Some times passed before people stand up and so for the Royals. Yongguk noticed then he was the only one left in his house, his father, mother and sister had left to join the other Matoki. So Yongguk thought he could exit too but when he tried there was still that invisible wall. This was weird. He thought the wall had been to prevent magic creature to go in and for his family to go out, but now the creature was gone, his family outside and the mage had out, he started wondering what was going on. Maybe it was a wall which last a certain amount of time. But why for him only ? And since when the wall was here ? Did the mage had put it as soon as they saw the witches in the street ? Did he knew his sister would be attacked ? Did he knew he would do all he could to help his sister ? Yongguk knew he hadn't had any chance against the witch but that wouldn't have prevented him to try to help his sister. He'd rather die than watching someone he cares about die in front his eyes.

Did the mage wanted to protect him ? Why ? Yongguk wasn't type who needed to be protected and even less by a kid !

“If the warlock hadn't be here, things could have went worst. I hope you're all aware that without him you wouldn't even be still here to contest... You thought I didn't know what was going on in my own city ? Am I careless King ? Unwise ?”

The people shook their head, no one ever had never thought like this of the Royals and never would.

“No...If there's that young mage here it's because I allow him to stay. Did you never think about this solution ? Would I let someone dangerous for my people living with them ?”

Population stayed silent thinking deeply of what the King was telling them, slowly they started to understand. They started to understand how disrespectful they had acted, not toward the mage which they didn't care about, but toward the Royals ; thinking they didn't know about the mage's existence.

“Moreover, that you like it or not, he's a children of Mato. He's born here, in the city. Unless many of you ! And you wanted to expel him ? I'm not enough soulless to expel a kid who need help. A KID !”

Yongguk felt a pinch in his heart, it was like the King was talking to him directly. He thought his own duty was to look after the children of the city, he had tried to do it without any preference because everyone deserved to be protected...and he had failed. Miserably.

He hated himself and jealously eat him up when he saw the Prince kneeling down next the mage and petting his head, before a guard take up the body of the poor boy and they started to leave. Yongguk watched them leaving from his house which he couldn't leave. He knew he was jealous as he wanted to go stand between the two to separate them. He knew he was jealous, but why ? And of who ? Was he jealous because the mage was by the Prince's side ? Or was he jealous because the Prince was by the mage's side ? He had always been the only one to approach the mage and he had felt jealous too when Daehyun had tried to talk to the boy. Not really jealously though...Maybe something else, like he was the one allowed to approach the mage. Because the mage was dangerous for the others. That's it ! It couldn't be simply jealousy...not for the mage...and not against the Prince...The Prince he had dreamed the coming so many times...

He watched them walking until they were out of his sight, then he tried to pass his hand through the opening entrance in front him and he could left his house. So it had been only for the time the mage was here. Without loosing any second he ran after the Royals who had left on their big horses, he ran until the Palace. He knew he wouldn't do it in time but he still hoped he would arrived before they entered the Castle. Through the gate he tried to glance into the court but there was no one. He looked at the Palace and then something passed behind him. He turned round but saw nothing and watched back in the Castle's court. He hoped the mage was fine and did a little prier for him, as the young boy was used to do for everything, like the doll of the little girl ; and when he was done he walked to his house.

Even if the curfew had rang since a long time, there were still many people in the streets, talking. They were still afraid and excited by the events. It was also the first time for certain people to see the Prince. He exchanged a glance with Himchan who told him he understood perfectly his situation, but they would talk later because for the moment he was busy with the Doctor running from one survivor to another to heal their wounds. He passed in front Jongup's house which was only two houses from his, the guard boy was with the peasant boy, and he heard the last one whispering. “Yongguk...your cat...” Yongguk didn't watch them and walk directly to his house, from the corner of his eyes he could catch one thing, Jongup holding Youngjae to run after him, and he felt thankful toward the guard boy. He didn't know what to think of the events and needed some times alone.

“People will think we are traitors...because he saved only me...”

Yongguk was leaning on his bed, his sister snuggling against him. She had refused for their father to talk to them, and so did Yongguk. They knew the true reality they were living in, they understood well their parent's decision, but for the moment they needed comfort, which they could only found in the other.

“No, they won't. They know us and they don't blame us.

– You sure ?

– I am.”

Sunhwa wasn't long before she fall asleep, and Yongguk could think calmly about everything. He tried to make a little summary of the events for himself.

1. The cat was the mage and the mage was the cat.

   He blushed thinking at all those moments he had pet and kissed the cat, acting senile with him. The mage must had laughed hard at him, but he never did when he met him in the city. That...was...really embarrassing matter...And he felt himself like burning thinking back at all the times he had spent with his girlfriend, the cat had always been in the room...The ert... Yongguk learned well his lesson : always listen to your girlfriend !

2. The mage was now with the Prince.

   He chuckled thinking back he used to believe the cat to belong to the Prince...and...what if the mage talk about him to the Prince...

We lost Yongguk here and his body was burning that much from embarrassment, his sister, still in her dream, move away from him in the bed. Yongguk removed the blanket he had on him and reached out his hand for the cat to come get his caress. It pleased the cat but it also helped Yongguk to release his stress, because it was what cat were for. Only watching the cat made him relax, sometimes that relax he felt asleep just watching it. He stayed a moment his hand in the air before he sat up wondering what the cat was doing. He was tired and put some times before remembering where the cat has gone. Where his cat has gone. He dropped his hand and even though his sister was by his side, he had never felt as lonely as right now.

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