Jinki had always been a honest man and he didn't like to lie to someone, even though it was sometimes necessary... To say the truth, he had felt bad for lying to the King about Minho's death but he had comforted himself by thinking that he had done it for Taemin's own good.

It had been harder to lie to Sulli, though. She had been hurt already when Minho had told her that he didn't love her and Jinki's heart had clenched painfully when the doctor had seen her cry in the garden, after the ceremony.

Finally, he had chosen to tell her the truth. Sulli wasn't a bad girl, her only mistake had been to fall in love with the wrong person. Still, he thought that she could understand how much Minho and Taemin loved each other.

But right now, seeing how lost she seemed to be as she walked toward her fiancé and her brother, he wasn't sure anymore that it had been a good idea to reveal that Minho wasn't dead. What if her reaction was really bad ?

He saw the way Taemin tightened his grip on his lover's hand and the older Prince stood a bit in front of him, in order to protect him from any bad reaction.

Eventually, Sulli quickened her pace and she ended up running to Minho, hugging him tightly as she began to cry; the Prince was forced to let go of Taemin's hand to hold her up and his eyes widened as he caught sight of his lover's hurt gaze.

He gently pushed Sulli away and reached out to grab Taemin's wrist, sending him a reassuring glance; then, he looked at the Princess, a bit afraid to know what she would say.

"I... Minho, I'm... I'm so happy to know that you are alive !" she eventually said, trying to smile despite the salty tears running down her cheeks. "I was so shocked when I found you dead in your room, I..."

She didn't finish her sentence but wiped his tears away and sniffled slightly before adding:

"I wanted... I wanted to say goodbye to you... Both of you."

Minho was speechless. So... She had finally accepted his love for her brother ? Had she decided to forgive him ? To forgive them ?

The Princess' next gesture surprised the three men; she suddenly turned to the younger Prince and hugged him, whispering only loudly enough for him to hear:

"I'm so sorry, Taemin. For ignoring you this morning, even though I knew you were so sad... I've been really mean to you but I... I was so jealous from what you had with Minho ! I'm sorry... And I'm sorry for everything you had to go through... I should have been a better sister and do something for you."

Then she stepped back and ran her hand through the long locks of her brother, giving him a sad smile and stating that for once, he hadn't tied his hair in a bun. Right, he didn't need to do that anymore... He would be free... And live far away from her.

"I will miss you." she said softly.

"I will miss you as well, Sulli." Taemin answered with sincerity, looking down.

He was really attached to his sister, even though lately, they hadn't been as close as they used to be when they were younger; still, he was really moved as he saw her cry, and relieved that she had finally given up on Minho.

"I... I'm sorry..." Sulli repeated, fresh tears running down her face as she turned to the older Prince. "For my behaviour and... My reaction when you told me about you and Taemin."

She was about to say something more but Jinki cut her off, hurriedly saying:

"I'm sorry but we don't have a lot of time anymore. The guard will be relieved in some minutes and they will pass in front of this corridor, so we need to get you out of there before they arrive."

He bent over to grab a bag set on the ground and Sulli stepped aside, allowing him to approach Minho and Taemin. He took an outfit out of the bag and handed it to the taller man, who grabbed it and saw that it was a dark red tunic and a black cape with a hood.

"What is that for ?" he asked.

"You are currently dressed with the white tunic usually worn by the dead..." Jinki explained to him. "This isn't a good idea to go out dressed like that. You will be noticed immediately if you pass by any people."

Minho nodded and quickly took off his tunic, only wearing his pants left; he noticed that Sulli had shyly turned around and he was glad that she had done so: he wasn't comfortable being seen half- by a woman. He got dressed with the red tunic and put on the hood, hiding his face with it.

"That's better." Jinki said before handing the bag to Taemin. "Take it, there are some clothes in it and food."

Then, he turned to Minho and said:

"Oh, and here is your sword."

"How comes you are the one having it ?" the Prince asked, dumbfounded, as he took it from Jinki's hands.

"Your father's steward gave it to me." Sulli answered. "He wanted me to have it, like a keepsake from you... But maybe you will need it once you go outside the walls of the City, so I decided to give it back to you... I gave it to Jinki, just in case I wouldn't be able to come tonight."

"Thank you." Minho said with a tiny smile, not really knowing how to act towards the Princess.

Surprisingly, she wasn't mad as he had thought she would be but he knew that she was hurt: it was obvious; still, he didn't want to be too kind to her not to awake her hopes.

"Jinki, what did you plan ? How are we going to walk out without anyone noticing us ?" Minho asked to the doctor.

"You can't cross the castle without being seen..." the older man said. "That's why you are here: in the back of this corridor, there is a door and a passage who lead to an other door and then, outside the walls of the castle. Jonghyun and Kibum are waiting for you there with a horse, so you will go out of the City. Now, leave. The doors of the City are open until eleven o'clock, you don't have much time left."

Taemin entwined his fingers with Minho's and nervously smiled to him, but the Prince brushed his thumb against his hand in slow circle motions, doing his best to reassure his lover.

"Let's go, then." he whispered.

Jinki went ahead and lead them to an old-looking door, that probably hadn't been opened for years. The doctor carefully pulled it open but a loud creak was heard as the heavy wooden door slowly opened and they all froze, hoping that no one was around and had actually heard that noise.

After some seconds, they relaxed a bit and Jinki said softly:

"So... I guess it's time to say goodbye... Good luck."

Taemin began to cry as he hugged his friend tightly and Minho embraced him as well.

"Thank you." he whispered. "For everything."

"Take care of Taemin..." Jinki only answered, patting his back.

The Prince nodded and turned around to see how Sulli had wrapped her arms around her brother's body, silently crying on his shoulder. When she looked up, she locked eyes with Minho and the boy felt guilt rising inside him as he saw her red and puffy eyes. He knew that he was the cause of these tears: because of him, Sulli was losing both her brother and her fiancé. But he had made his choice and he wouldn't change his mind: he belonged to Taemin.

When she let go of her brother, the Princess insensibly hesitated before hugging Minho during some seconds; then, she stepped back and smiled sadly.

"Be happy together, okay ?" she whispered, glancing at Taemin and his lover.

"I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, Sulli." Minho said softly.

"Don't be." the Princess answered with a surprisingly firm voice. "I didn't really love you anyway."

Taemin gasped and Minho's eyes widened, while Jinki bit his lower lip. What did she mean ?

The girl fidgeted a bit, obviously feeling uncomfortable. Eventually, she said on a low tone:

"I don't love you. But I acted as if I did because I... Because I thought it would make things easier for our wedding. I hoped that you would get to like me more if I pretended to love you; then it would have been easier for me to marry you, since you would have cared for me..."

Minho didn't answer, gaping and confused, not knowing what to say. Was it the truth ? He couldn't believe it...

Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from an other corridor and Taemin grew pale, clenching onto Minho's arm.

"Leave !" Jinki whispered. "We will create a diversion !"

He grabbed Sulli's wrist and motioned for the two boys to go through the door while they went back to the front of the passage. The Princess couldn't help but glance behind her shoulder at the lovers, tears flowing down as she saw them disappear in the dark.

Eventually, Jinki led her to the main corridor and they walked away, until they met two guards who were hurriedly running to them.

"Princess Sulli !" one of them exclaimed as he recognized her, immediately freezing and bowing politely. "Are you alright ? We heard some noise and we thought there was an intruder, did you see someone ?"

"N... No." she barely stammered.

"But what are you doing here at this time of the night, Princess ?" the second guard asked in worry. "You shouldn't..."

"She wanted to see the Prince a last time." Jinki gently cut him off, pointing to the direction of the chapel, somewhere behind them.

Sulli nodded vigorously and suddenly turned around to hide her face into the doctor's shoulder, weeping and shaking as she sobbed loudly.

"I... I miss him s... so much !" she cried.

The guards looked down, moved by so much sadness emanating from their Princess' voice, and one of the soldiers finally whispered:

"I... I understand, Princess. We will leave you alone, then. Sorry for disturbing."

They bowed again and turned around, walking away to give some intimacy to the young girl who had to get over the death of her fiancé, the man who would have made her happy if he hadn't been poisoned by the bastard other soldiers were still looking for in the City.

Once they were far enough, Sulli looked up and stepped back, patting Jinki's wet shoulder.

"Sorry for that." she said with a tiny smile.

"You aren't a good liar, Sulli." her friend answered on a serious tone.

"What ?" she said, a bit offended. "But it worked ! They are gone..."

"I wasn't talking about your little act in front of the soldiers." Jinki whispered.

The Princess looked down and bit her lips, obviously aware of what the young doctor meant.

"Sulli, why did you say that you weren't in love with Minho ?" he asked, placing his left arm around her shoulders to show her that he was there to support her. "I know you were lying."

He didn't tell her that she hadn't fooled the Prince either: maybe it was better for her to think she had managed to do so. The young girl didn't answer immediately, closing her eyes to gather enough courage before saying:

"I said that... Because I want them to be happy. If Minho thinks that I love him, I know that he will feel guilty and... I don't want that; they deserve to be happy together and I had to let him go... For once, I did the right thing, didn't I ?"

She stared at her friend with teary eyes and she finally burst into tears as Jinki drew her closer to his chest, wrapping one of his arms around her waist to hug her more tightly.

"Yes, Sulli..." he whispered, gently caressing her hair. "You did the right thing."

***

Taemin let out a muffled scream as he tripped over something, almost bumping into Minho who was only some inches away from him, and he felt his lover's grip on his hand tightening.

"Are you alright ?" the taller man asked in worry.

"Yes." the younger answered, embarrassed to show his weakness to his lover.

Actually, it was really dark inside the passage and Taemin couldn't see anything, except for the blurry silhouette of his lover. They had been walking for about ten minutes now, and the younger boy didn't know where they were nor if they were still far away from the exit... And Jinki hadn't told them how long they would have to walk before going out.

Soon, they felt cold air blowing against their faces and Minho suddenly stopped walking, turning around and placing his hand on Taemin's chest to keep him from bumping into him again.

"I think we are close to the exit..." he said. "I will try to find the door, so walk slowly, okay ?"

"Yes !" his lover answered, obviously excited and impatient.

Minho could totally understand him: when was the last time he had stepped out of the castle ? For how long had he been waiting for the time when he would finally go out, without wearing any mask to hide his beautiful features, and free ?

The older boy let go of Taemin's hand and slowly d his way along, trying to find the door, but he could only feel the cold wall under his fingertips. Eventually, his palms brushed against a wooden surface and soon, he found the handle of a door.

"I found it !" he exclaimed excitedly. "Are you ready ?"

He didn't see it but he was sure that Taemin was nodding, so he slowly half-opened the door, peeking outside to be sure there wasn't any undesirable person out there. He caught sight of a cobbled street and in front of them, in a dark alley, he saw a horse and two well-known boys.

"They are there, Taemin." he said before opening the door, that surprisingly didn't make any noise.

He drew his lover outside and smiled as he saw the happy look on the younger boy's face as he looked all around him, amazed by his surroundings that would have seemed so usual and plain to anyone else.

"Come on..." Minho said tenderly, grabbing his lover's hand to lead him towards the alley.

He could already see how badly Kibum wanted to run in their direction to hug his friend. Eventually, they arrived nearby the two boys and the blonde literally jumped on Taemin, doing his best to speak on a low tone:

"Finally ! I was so afraid something bad happened to you !"

"I'm fine..." Taemin answered with a reassuring voice. "Actually, I've never been happier than now."

He glanced at Minho and smiled widely to him, but Jonghyun ruined this sweet moment as he said sternly:

"Please, can't you act all lovey-dovey with each other once you are outside the City ? Soldiers are patrolling to find your murderer and the doors will be closed soon. By the way, I'm glad to see that you're still alive, Minho. I was afraid that I poured too much poison in you glass."

The taller boy blinked, surprised to hear the slightly harsh tone of Jonghyun. Kibum gently slapped his lover's arm and turned to Minho with a smile on his lips.

"Don't mind him." he said. "He's just acting tough not to show that he is sad."

Jonghyun looked away and crossed his arms on his chest, mumbling:

"As if I was the only one..."

Kibum smiled again and hugged Taemin.

"I miss you already." he whispered in his ear. "But I know you will be happy with Minho... And it makes me feel better."

As soon as he stepped back, Jonghyun rushed at Taemin and hugged him tightly while Kibum untied the knot in the reins of the horse in order to give them to Minho.

"My stallion is still in the stables of the castle." the taller boy said. "Sulli can keep him if she wants to..."

"I will tell Jinki about this, then." Kibum answered, nodding.

Minho got on the horse, that snorted and playfully tried to bite his calf, but it stood still when its rider gathered the reins; Jonghyun helped Taemin to get on the mount as well, right behind his lover.

"I've always ridden side-saddle..." the younger said as an apology as he wrapped his arms around Minho's waist, obviously uncomfortable.

"You will do fine, don't worry." his lover answered.

He looked down and stared at Kibum and Jonghyun with an intense gaze that showed how grateful he was to them.

"Thank you." he said. "For everything you did for us. Take care of yourselves..."

"We will." Jonghyun answered while he wrapped his arms around Kibum, who was slightly shaking. "Goodbye, boys."

He stepped aside and Minho gently kicked the flanks of the horse, that quickly walked away, following its rider's instructions.

Taemin smiled as they passed by his friends, and Kibum felt his heart clench painfully when he waved goodbye at the younger boy. When they turned right at the corner of the street, disappearing, the blonde finally let himself go in his lover's arms and he whispered:

"I feel like crying, Jjong..."

"You are already crying." Jonghyun pointed out with a sad smile as he gently wiped away the younger's tears.

***

Taemin grinded his teeth as he bounced on the horse, the unusual position being hard for him to stand as their mount was trotting down the street. He knew they couldn't walk since they hadn't much time to get out but...

"M... Minh...o..." he tried to say. "Can't... we ga... gallop ? It will b... be more com... comfortable..."

The taller man hesitated a bit: he hadn't galloped so far in order not to seem suspicious if someone saw them hurriedly galloping in the City. Usually, only the soldiers on duty did that, since they needed to quickly carry out the orders given by the King.

But they weren't far away from the doors anymore... It would surely be okay; plus, there weren't lots of people in the streets... Only people who were coming back home after drinking in a tavern, and they weren't awake enough anymore to pay attention to the fugitives.

"Sure." Minho said, gathering the reins in his right hand to squeeze the younger's thigh with his other one. "I'm sorry."

Taemin wrapped his arms more tightly around his lover's waist, feeling a bit more relaxed as the pace quickened but also grew more comfortable.

Minho soon had to slacken their speed though, because they arrived in sight of the big, wooden doors where several soldiers were mounting guard nearby a brazier.

"This is now or never..." the older boy said on a serious tone.

"Let's go, Minho." his lover said firmly. "I can't wait anymore..."

They jumped when the loud sound of bells resounded and Minho's heart sank in his chest as he realized it signified the hour. Eleven o'clock.

"Minho !" Taemin exclaimed, pointing his finger to the soldiers who were slowly heading for the doors in order to close them.

"Hold tight, Taemin !" his lover said as he quickly kicked the sides of the horse, galloping towards the doors, hoping they would get there in time and be able to leave the City.

The horse quickened its pace even more as he felt Minho's calves pressing harder against its flanks and its rider didn't pay any attention to the shouts of the soldiers who had seen them.

"Stop !" one of them shouted as he realized that the boy wasn't going to pull up.

"Minho..." Taemin whispered on a very unsure tone as the guard stood in the middle of the way, spreading his arms out to keep them from going through the doors that were almost closed, maybe one meter apart from each other left.

If the younger boy had been able to see his lover's determinate gaze at that moment, he wouldn't even have tried to talk to him: Minho wasn't listening to him at all, only focused on the doors and his goal. They had to break away from the City.

Taemin closed his eyes and rested his head against his lover's strong back as they arrived right in front of the soldier, who quickly jumped aside and fell on the ground, the horse almost stepping on him as it kept on running and finally went through the doors.

The younger boy slightly jumped as a loud bang resounded behind him and he turned his head to the direction where the sound was coming from; a big smile curled on his lips as he stated that the doors had closed as soon as they had gotten by them. They were free.

Minho didn't slacken their speed though: he wanted to get as far away from the City as he could; he didn't stay on the road and led their horse to the woods nearby, yet not entering the forest, muffling the sound of the hoofs with the grass and hiding in the darkness. He eventually pulled up after ten minutes or so, when he was totally sure they weren't followed, and he said to Taemin:

"We should stop here tonight... Even if they chose to run after us, I don't think they will find us easily."

Or at least, he hoped so. But the soldiers had probably better things to do than running after two boys they had barely seen, in the middle of the night... And Minho hadn't seen any horse nearby the doors, so they would have to get some before following them, and they were far away already.

Taemin nodded and tried to get off of the horse, stumbling a bit on his shaky legs and that was only at that moment that he realized how scared he had been that they didn't manage to leave the City. He jumped when he felt strong arms wrapping themselves around his body and Minho rested his chin on his shoulder.

"Are you alright ?" he asked softly, placing gentle kisses on his jaw-line.

Taemin turned around and put his arms around his lover's neck, smiling.

"Yes..." he said, blinking in order to hold back his tears. "I'm... I'm so relieved, Minho ! I'm finally free and we are together and it is just... It is... Perfect."

He smiled widely, even though he knew they weren't totally safe yet: they would need to find a place to live, a way to make a living but... Right now, he simply didn't care about that. However, he was a bit worried about Minho. His lover could have had everything, the throne, the power, a wife, children... And he had given up on those things for him.

"Are you sure you won't regret it ?" he whispered as he locked eyes with Minho's big, brown orbs.

He knew it was too late now, but he needed to be sure. He flinched when the older boy poked his nose playfully and eventually, Minho leant in to kiss him tenderly, gently moving his lips on top of his partly opened ones. It wasn't a passionate nor a deep kiss like those they had sometimes shared but it wasn't less sincere. When they broke apart, Minho rested his forehead against Taemin's and he gave him a gentle smile, staring at his eyes and whispering:

"I won't, Taemin. As long as we are together, I won't regret anything."

Unbelievable, they are finally free ! The next chapter will be the last one, it will be more like an epilogue.

Any comment for our two lovebirds ? ;)

See you soon !