We followed them, those men who came searching for me.
Wait, hold up. Why were they looking for me again?
Hye seemed unusually excited (okay, she always is, but this time it was next-level). We rode with them on horses, and honestly? I thought I was going to die.
No, really.
My first time on a horse, and the damn thing knew it.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath, gripping the saddle for dear life. The horse tossed its head as if to say, You don't belong here, human.
The familiar guy, the one with that calm, unreadable expression, must have noticed how stiff I was. He said something low to the animal, and miraculously, it settled. Then he took the reins and guided the horse beside his.
Every time I turned my head, I caught him looking at me. Not the kind of glance that's polite, the kind that makes you forget how to breathe. The others stared too.
Fantastic.
I felt like a walking attraction at a museum.
After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence and horse clopping, we reached a village, busy, loud, alive. People buying, selling, shouting. But the moment they saw me… silence. Eyes. Everywhere.
The way they stared, like I was some forbidden spirit that wandered in from a dream.
If eyes could kill, I thought, I'd be mummified already.
We passed through a massive gate guarded by men in gleaming armor. Inside was another world, clean, ordered, royal. The architecture screamed history: carved beams, silk banners, courtyards bursting with life.
Something was definitely up.
The familiar man dismounted gracefully; the others followed suit. I, however, sat frozen on my horse until he offered his hand, silent, patient, like he expected me to fall any second. Which, to be fair, I almost did.
Then it happened.
A young man ran toward us, surrounded by attendants and guards.Wait… it was him. The man I saved from the bandits.
My chest tightened. He looked even more radiant now, confident, dressed in layers of gold and ivory. Royal. Important. His presence made the air itself pause.
Everyone dropped to their knees except me. I just stood there like an idiot, blinking.
He said something in a language I didn't understand. His voice was soft, melodic, but I caught nothing. He took a step closer, eyes scanning me from head to toe, and then, to my complete shock, he reached for my hand.
His fingers were warm. His grip steady, soft.
He said something again and bowed deeply.
Oh. He's thanking me.
Right. I could do that.
So I bowed too.
Then he bowed again.
Then me again.
And before I knew it, we were both locked in this ridiculous loop of gratitude, nodding like two confused pigeons.
Hye tried, and failed, to hold in her laughter.
We were soon led into a grand hall that looked like it had been pulled straight out of a painting. Golden pillars. Red and peach silk curtains. The scent of incense and roses thick in the air.
At the end of the hall stood a throne, an honest-to-God golden throne.Like, Game of Thrones-level drama type-shit.
Every instinct in me screamed, Leave. Leave now.
I started inching toward the door, trying to make my escape quietly, but then,a firm hand caught my wrist.
It was him. The man I saved. His touch was gentle but unyielding.
Why the hell was I trapped in this awkward, royal fever dream? My heart pounded like a drum in my chest as I tried to read the faces around me.
Confusion. Awe. Curiosity. They all stared like I'd stepped out of a prophecy they'd hoped was just a myth.
And then, the King appeared.
Dressed in an ornate robe, his crown gleaming under the candlelight. He studied me with eyes full of strange recognition, as though he'd been expecting me all along.
Before I could react, he stepped forward… and pulled me into an embrace.
I froze.
Completely.
"Wh-what's happening?" I whispered, my voice cracking through the silence.
Hye only smiled, eyes gleaming with something between excitement and fear.
"Don't panic," she said softly. "I think… they've been waiting for you."
"What?!" I asked unsure what she said.