Taemin whined as he slowly woke up, feeling like his head was going to explode. He was tired... He was even surprised to state that he had finally fallen asleep. The tears, the tiredness and the burning hole in his heart had probably been too much for him to handle and he had passed out...

Well, at least, it had kept him from remembering his lover being hurt by the soldiers of his father again and again...

His father. He hated him. He hated him for turning his life into a living hell, for destroying every single dream he had once had, for keeping him away from any happiness, for keeping him away from Minho.

The boy fidgeted on his bed and he felt that his pillow was still soaked from the tears he had shed during the night. The tears he had shed as he had thought of his lover, wondering what his father had done to him. He didn't mind being hurt by him - he was used to it anyway - but Minho...

He knew how strong the King was and how badly his beatings could end, and he definitely didn't want to see his lover as hurt as he had been himself, even if there was still the tiny hope that Sulmyong wouldn't do anything to his beloved daughter's fiancé.

Sadly, Taemin was well aware of the fact that harsh words could hurt as much as a punch, without leaving any mark on the body, which his father knew as well...

Minho was a strong person but would he be able to stand the King's words ?

The young Prince sighed and turned around, until he was able to grab Minho's pillow. He hid his face in it and inhaled deeply, already feeling a bit more relaxed as his lover's scent invaded his nostrils.

It was so ironical to think that some hours ago, they were making love, laughing together, whispering sweet nothings to each other in this bed that seemed so empty today... Empty and cold, just like Taemin's heart.

This house had been their hiding-place, the place where they didn't need to hide their feelings, where they could be themselves... Now, it was like a prison.

He wasn't allowed to go out anymore and he couldn't receive any visit, which meant that he wouldn't see his friends anymore. His friends' visit had been his only distraction for years and now, even that simple thing was kept away from him. So, not only he was drawn away from his lover, but also from the last people who could have helped him.

He had tried to find a plan to escape but the more he had thought over it, the more he had felt like it was an hopeless situation.

Taemin suddenly heard some noise coming from outside and he stood up, worried. Usually, the part of the garden where stood his cottage was really calm, except when Jonghyun and Kibum were around...

Was it possible that they had heard about this whole thing with Minho ? Had they come to help him ? But how would they enter the cottage ?

The boy hurriedly ran to the front door, not caring about the dark bags under his puffy eyes, nor his tousled hair; he looked through the window in order to see if his friends were there but he didn't catch sight of them.

The only people he saw were soldiers and strangely, they seemed to be worried about something. Did something bad happen ?

He jumped when someone knocked at the door and he quickly grabbed the mask that was set on a table not far away from where he stood; he tied the ribbon behind his head and shouted:

"Come in !"

To say the truth, he hadn't any other choice: the guards had taken the key of his cottage when his father had decided to seclude him and he knew that they had knocked only to be polite and to signal him that they were going to enter the small house.

He heard the sound of the door being unlocked and soon, three soldiers walked in the detached house; they bowed in front of him and Taemin's lips curled in a sad smile behind his mask. Whenever someone bowed to him, he couldn't help but wonder whether the person truly respected him or did so only because it was their duty.

It was probably because of the second reason... Why would they respect someone like him ? Firstly, the servants and the soldiers knew that the King didn't like him, so why would they bother to respect him if his own father didn't ?

Secondly, he was supposed to be a girl, and girls weren't as respected as boys. But maybe it was better that way. Maybe it was better that they thought about him as a girl, because it was normal for a woman to be weak. Maybe it was better if they didn't know how failed their Prince was.

"Princess, you are free." one of the guards said with a tiny smile. "Your father seems to think that there isn't any reason for you to stay inside anymore."

Free ? Yes, free to stay away from every person he liked in this castle, free to remain in the shadow, free not to annoy anyone by his simple existence... Wait. No reason anymore ? What did it mean ?

"Why did he change his mind ?" Taemin asked carefully.

"I don't know, Princess. He didn't tell me."

The young boy didn't understand. If he was allowed to go out again, it only meant that something had happened between Minho and his father. But what ? Did his lover give up on him ? Had he been forced to do that ?

Taemin was about to ask about the Prince but he suddenly realized that the soldier he had in front of him wasn't there when his father had walked on Minho and him... He couldn't ask the guard. If he didn't know what had happened, no need to tell him. He didn't want his lover to be judged by people who wouldn't understand what it felt like to love someone as much as they loved each other.

He was about to thank the soldier when a loud sound resounded in the garden. A sound Taemin hadn't heard for years, since his uncle's death. The death knell.

The bells were slowly ringing and the young Prince was sure that it came from the chapel of the castle, which could mean only one thing: a member of the royal family had died.

Taemin didn't move, totally frozen. W... Who ? Who was it ? It couldn't be his father, so... His mother ? No way !

"Do you know..." he began to say with a tremulous voice. "Do you know why they are tolling the bell right now ?"

"Sadly, Princess... I know." the soldier answered, looking down. "We lost the young heir during the last night. He has been poisoned."

"The... The heir ?" Taemin stuttered, afraid to know who he was talking about.

The guard nodded.

"Yes, Princess." he said. "We lost the Prince Minho."

The boy stared at the older man, dumbfounded. Minho ? He... He was...

"No !" he suddenly screamed, startling the soldiers. "No ! It's impossible ! This is a lie !"

"This is the truth, Princess. I wouldn't dare lying about this."

Taemin violently shook his head. He couldn't believe it ! He began to shake, his legs growing weak as he took some steps to the soldiers.

"I want to see him !" he said, tears running down his cheeks as the fear of losing his lover came over him. "Please, tell me he is alright !"

He got panicky and hysterical as he saw the soldiers looking down while the death bell kept on ringing, and his world slowly fell apart. It became hard for him to breathe, his chest raising and falling unsteadily as he began to hyperventilate.

He suddenly understood why his father had decided that he could go out from now on. Because Minho was... Minho...

"I'm sorry, Princess, but the Prince is dead."

And Taemin lost it: his sight suddenly became blurry as his legs gave up, and he collapsed on the floor, passing out with a last desperate shout of Minho's name.

***

The chapel of the castle was beautiful. The sunbeams went through the stained glass windows, the colours reflecting on the cold marble floor; there were lots of white flowers on the walls, the altar... And around the coffin.

This beautiful place didn't seem to suit the sad atmosphere emanating from the people gathered here, who were currently attending a ceremony in honour of the Prince, before the burial that was scheduled on the next day, in order to allow Minho's parents to be there as well.

The access to the royal chapel had exceptionally been allowed to the common people, who were eager to honour the memory of the Prince: despite the fact that Minho hadn't had a lot of opportunities to talk with them, the subjects had become really attached to him... After all, they still remembered that day when he had run to a cottage on fire to save a baby.

They were there, sitting behind the ranks of the royal family, the noblemen and the soldiers, who had formed a guard of honour. Sulli was seated next to her mother, her sad features showing to everyone how affected she was by this tragic loss; her father was looking blankly at the coffin with an unreadable expression and Mister Wong, the steward of the Prince's father, seemed as sad as if his own son had died.

Taemin was there as well, clothed with the red dress Minho had once tenderly untied. It was one of those rare times when he felt strangely relieved to wear a mask: no one could see the wet trails on his cheeks.

He had been surprised that the King allowed him to attend the ceremony, until he had remembered that it would have been strange for a member of the royal family not to be there... He didn't know if he should consider it as a torture or an opportunity to say goodbye to his lover.

He was in dread of seeing him, though. The coffin was still open, in order to allow them to see the Prince for a last time, before it would be closed during the night, and Taemin didn't know how he would react to the sight of his dead lover.

Soon, they all got up and headed for the coffin; every person was holding a white rose they would leave with Minho, as a last gift.

Taemin glanced at the rose in his hand, that wasn't white at all. He had decided to give him a red flower. Red, like the colour of passion. The colour of their love.

He saw Sulli placing her rose in the coffin before quickly walking away, her shoulders slightly shaking because of the sobs she was trying not to let out. Taemin could understand her feelings... But he hadn't understood her reaction one hour ago, when he had sat beside her before the beginning of the ceremony: she had stared at him with a strange gaze before suddenly turning her head to the other side and she hadn't paid any attention to him anymore. Maybe she wanted to be alone to deal with her feelings ?

Taemin took a deep breath before stepping in front of the coffin and his breathing hitched as soon as he caught sight of his lover. Minho... Minho looked strangely beautiful. He was dressed with a tunic that was as white as the snow, his eyes were close and he looked relaxed; he was pale but actually, nothing had really changed in his features. He was still handsome and the death even seemed to give him a kind of impressive dignity.

Taemin was relieved that death hadn't changed him on worse: at least, he would remember his lover as he had always been...

But as he stared at him a bit longer, he felt his heart clenching in his chest. It was the last time he could see him. He would never see his smile again, he would never hear him saying his name again, nor that deep voice that could send shivers down his spine... It was the end of everything.

Taemin let out a muffled sob as he hesitated for one second before letting go of the red rose, feeling like it was his heart that was slowly falling in the coffin, instead of the flower.

He looked down and walked away, fresh tears running down his already wet cheeks; he quickly headed for the door of the chapel, not caring about the fact that the ceremony wasn't finished yet. He couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand pretending not to be that sad, when all he wanted to do was crawling over Minho's body and being buried with him. He couldn't stand seeing Sulli being the only one allowed to show her sadness.

He was about to walk out of the chapel when someone suddenly grabbed his wrist and span him round; surprised, Taemin didn't even have the time to realize what was happening: he was quickly drawn to a dark corner of the chapel, between a column and a statue. He couldn't clearly see who was with him, until he recognised Jinki's voice.

"We need to talk, Taemin."

***

Minho felt cold. Where was he ? He opened his eyes when he realized that he had closed them, and furrowed his brows when he saw that everything around him was dark. He blinked several times and he finally adjusted to the darkness, seeing a ceiling with high vaults and columns around him. He still didn't know where he was.

He also realized that he was laying on his back, in a strange thing that looked like a box, and he slowly sat up.

He felt dizzy. What was this scent ? Flowers' scent ? Why was he surrounded by flowers ? What had happened to him ? He didn't clearly remember... Some hours ago, there were Taemin, the King, Sulli and then... Nothing anymore.

He suddenly heard the noise of a door someone opened and he turned his head to the direction of the sound, regretting it immediately: he felt like hammers were hitting his forehead and bells ringing inside his skull.

He heard quick footsteps and understood that the person was coming towards him; he truly hoped that it wasn't an enemy... He felt too weak to defend himself.

He relaxed when he finally saw who was there.

"Hello, Prince." Jinki said softly. "How are you ?"

"Hum... Fine, I guess." he hesitantly answered.

He didn't understand. Why was he there, alone, and why did Jinki suddenly appear to ask him if he was fine ?

"Don't you feel a bit dizzy ? Don't you have any headache ?" the doctor asked again with a knowing smile.

Minho glanced at him, surprised.

"How do you know ?" he whispered.

Jinki chuckled but he didn't answer, only motioning for him to stand up and walk out of the box; he then realized what it really was.

"A coffin ?" he thought out loud, earning a tiny smile from Jinki. "What happened ?"

"Well, some minutes ago, you were dead."

Minho stared at the young doctor as if he was crazy, feeling his headache increase.

"Maybe you should sit down, it will help you to feel better..." Jinki said, walking to the altar some meters away. "And I need to explain a few things to you."

While Minho did as he was told, the older boy kneeled down and lifted up the white cloth in order to grab something that was hidden under the altar. Dumbfounded, the Prince watched him take three big bags that seemed quite heavy.

"What are those for ?" he asked.

"They are full of sand, they will replace you in the coffin." Jinki explained. "We don't want the others to find out that you weren't really dead by leaving an empty coffin, do we ?"

He walked back to the coffin, dragging the bags behind him; then, he put them in the wooden coffin and grabbed a plank that was on the floor to fix it above the box.

"Do you feel better ?" Jinki asked to the younger boy as he came toward him.

"Yeah..."

Minho's mind was a bit clearer than before but he still didn't understand this situation. Why had he woken up in a coffin ? But most important...

"Where is Taemin ?" he asked.

"I knew you would be worried about him." Jinki said with a smile. "He's fine, don't worry... He is waiting for us outside the chapel, we will go to him soon."

Minho nodded and stared at the doctor, eager to have the explanations he had promised to give him.

"Belladonna is a beautiful flower, don't you think ?" Jinki began with a smile. "Really useful: it's a deadly poison but if you manage to use only a small amount of it, it can also be a great way to fake someone's death for several hours. The heartbeat passes unnoticed, the breathing as well... That's what just happened to you, thanks to me."

"You what ?!" Minho exclaimed, shocked. "B... But... How ?"

"It was easy, really." Jinki said, shrugging. "Rumours about you were spread in the castle yesterday and to the kitchens... Kibum can't stand not knowing the truth about something and since you were concerned by this, he was quite fast to found out about everything that had happened between Taemin, the King and you. If I'm right, he got a soldier drunk in order to know the truth... He's so sly."

Jinki chuckled but then, he became serious again.

"He told me everything. We didn't have a lot of time to react, Taemin was secluded and you... Well, we knew that you wouldn't be allowed to see him anymore. That's how we made up this plan. You even helped us by asking a maid to bring you a plate to your room, it was easier for us to poison you there. I made the poison ready and then, I came to the kitchen to give it to Jonghyun, so he would pour it in your food and your glass. Everything was perfect. I just didn't think that Sulli would be the one who would find you... Well, dead."

"Sulli ?" Minho repeated on a low tone, slowly realising what his death really meant. "She must be so sad ! But... Jinki, I still don't understand why you did that."

The doctor looked at him with a fake pitiful glance.

"I thought that you were smarter than that, Prince..." he said with a smile. "Do you think that Sulli is going to marry a dead fiancé ? Of course not. And since everybody thinks that you are dead... You are free, don't you understand it ? Free to run away with Taemin. And that's what you're going to do tonight."

Realisation suddenly hit Minho. Yes, he was free... He was free ! He wouldn't marry Sulli, he wouldn't become the King, he... He was going to live with Taemin, no one would keep them from being together...

"You all ran so many risks for us..." he whispered, glancing at Jinki with a grateful gaze.

"Not really..." the doctor answered. "I mean, who would suspect me ? The King likes me and I'm Sulli's friend. Plus, nobody knows that Kibum, Jonghyun and I were aware of your situation. Don't worry about us, we will be fine. Now, we should go. We haven't a lot of time."

Jinki motioned for Minho to follow him; he walked to a small door at the back of the chapel and he opened it as silently as possible. They were in a part of the castle that the Prince didn't know at all but the doctor visibly knew where he was going despite the lack of light, so Minho trod in his footsteps.

Soon, Jinki turned left, going in a corridor that seemed really old and out of use: Minho could almost feel the thick layer of dust under his feet. He didn't pay much attention to it though, because he had seen someone in this passage. Someone he had thought he would never see again.

"Taemin ?" he whispered.

He didn't even notice that Jinki had stopped and had turned around to give them a bit more intimacy: Minho couldn't focus on someone else than his lover, who wasn't wearing any mask and was dressed with a grey tunic instead of his usual dresses.

He ran towards him as Taemin did the same and the older boy finally took him in his arms, happy tears running down his cheeks as their lips finally crashed on each other's. They kissed passionately, feeling like they hadn't kissed for years, and Taemin grabbed his lover's tunic between his clenched fists, as if he was afraid of losing him again.

"Don't do that ever again..." the younger whispered when they broke the kiss. "I was so sad and desperate when they told me that you were dead..."

"Well, it wasn't my fault..." Minho answered, earning a tiny smile. "But I'm sorry... For everything."

Taemin understood that he was hinting at their kiss in the garden, when his father had walked on them.

"Don't be... We were both too happy to care anyway..." he said.

His lover nodded and then, he asked:

"Where did you get those clothes ? I thought you hadn't anything else than dresses..."

"This tunic belongs to Kibum." he answered with a smile. "It's pretty weird to wear it though... I'm not used to this kind of clothes anymore. Same goes for my masks... I hate them but at the same time, it feels weird not to wear any right now..."

Minho brushed his fingertips against Taemin's left cheekbone and he said:

"You need to get used to this again though... Because you won't wear them any longer."

The younger smiled tenderly and took his hand in his own, entwining their fingers just as Jinki came toward them.

"We are ready to go." Taemin told him.

The doctor nodded but glanced nervously behind his shoulder and he whispered:

"I'm sorry but... You need to wait a bit longer. I couldn't help it, I... I'm her friend as well, Taemin, I hope you can understand. She was so sad at the ceremony, I couldn't make her think that he was dead any longer... Minho had already told her about you, I couldn't stand her being so heartbreaking and I thought... I think she deserves the truth."

Taemin's smile dropped as he slowly understood what the doctor meant. So, Minho had told her about their relation ? No need to wonder any further why she had been so cold to him during the ceremony. But now, she also knew that Minho's death wasn't real ?

His heart began to pound more loudly in his chest as Jinki stepped aside, and he caught sight of a silhouette that was hesitantly coming toward them.

"Sulli..." he whispered, tightening his grip on Minho's hand.

Here you are :) See, Minho isn't dead ! You could trust me XD

Just to let you know, I've made a trailer for this fic, you can find it here.

I hope you liked the chapter and the trailer, see you soon ~