CHAPTER 69
Sihyun dropped to his knees, chest heaving, magic flickering around his bruised frame like dying embers.
Vanyul limped closer, blood dripping from a wound in his side. Despite his injuries, he still had strength—enough to grab a fistful of Sihyun's hair and yank his head up, forcing Sihyun to look at him.
Sihyun winced, lips stained red, struggling to breathe.
Vanyul looked down at him, something fierce and broken in his expression.
"It pains me… seeing us like this,"
he whispered.
"You think I wanted to hurt you? That I wanted to watch your body bruised and your heart… swayed by someone else?"
His voice cracked.
"It breaks me, Sihyun. Watching you bleed because of them."
Sihyun trembled. His lips parted, but no sound came out.
A sudden voice shattered the moment—cold, sharp, and deadly.
"Let him go."
A blade pressed against Vanyul's back.
Muwon stood there, eyes narrowed, face unreadable—but the rage boiling inside him was undeniable.
"Touch him again,"
he said lowly,
"and I'll forget every reason I've had to spare you."
Vanyul didn't flinch. He kept holding Sihyun's hair, but turned slightly toward the prince.
"You finally decided to step in, Your Highness,"
he sneered.
"Or were you hiding behind your guards, waiting to swoop in when Sihyun was too weak to stand?"
Muwon's voice was firm.
"I let him fight because it was his choice. But you've crossed the line, Vanyul."
"Crossed the line?"
Vanyul's eyes glowed faintly red.
"You chained him. You threatened his life. You used his magic to cure your curse. You think I don't know?"
He leaned slightly closer to Sihyun's ear.
"He wasn't supposed to fall in love with you."
Muwon's grip on the sword tightened.
"Let him go. Now."
"Or what?"
Vanyul challenged, eyes flicking toward the blade.
Suddenly, a faint voice cut through the rising tension—
"M-Muwon…"
Sihyun lifted a shaking hand toward him.
"Don't… get close. Vanyul's not done. He's dangerous…"
Muwon's gaze softened briefly, eyes flicking to Sihyun's pale face.
Then, without taking his eyes off Vanyul, he said quietly,
"I know."
The standoff lingered.
Three hearts, once bound by fate, now caught between love, loyalty… and destruction.
Inside the heart of the palace, in one of the heavily guarded inner chambers, the king sat surrounded by a small circle of nobles, high-ranking guards, and two royal shamans. The flames from the brazier danced against the polished walls, casting long shadows, but nothing could warm the chill of unease that had settled in the room.
Despite the protection, the king's hands were clenched tightly on the armrests of his throne.
"Why haven't we heard anything?"
he muttered, voice low but sharp.
"That Demon Sorcerer… Vanyul… he's here. And Sihyun is facing him alone?"
One of the older nobles stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, Prince Muwon and the others are watching from the shadows. If something goes wrong, they'll intervene."
The king's eyes darted to the shamans standing silently in the corner.
"And you?"
he asked them.
"Why can't your visions see anything?"
The female shaman lowered her head in shame.
"Forgive us, Your Majesty. As we've told you before, the presence of a demon sorcerer cloaks all our foresight… even the stars do not speak clearly."
The king stood suddenly, pacing with rigid steps.
"What if this is all a trap? What if bringing Vanyul here has doomed us all?"
The younger noble by the window, Lee Seongjin, whispered,
"But it was Sihyun's idea. He wanted peace."
The king paused, his back to them.
"Peace…"
he echoed bitterly.
"Can a demon ever truly want peace?"
Then he stopped, fists trembling.
"Yet, Sihyun has saved us. He's healed Muwon. He could've destroyed the palace long ago—but he didn't."
He turned toward the rest, his expression conflicted.
"I don't trust Vanyul. But I trust that boy… Even if he is cursed by demon blood, his heart... might be the only thing keeping this kingdom from burning."
He sat back down, but the unease didn't leave him.
Outside, flames had begun to rise.
And for the first time in years, the king felt truly afraid.
Sihyun's knees scraped the bloodied stone as he reached forward, eyes wide in terror.
"Vanyul—stop! Please! You're hurting him!"
But Vanyul's eyes glowed brighter, pulsing with dark red light.
He twisted his fingers mid-air—
CRACK!
Muwon screamed again as his forearm snapped, the sword clattering uselessly to the ground.
"MUWON!"
Sihyun cried out, dragging himself forward despite his own wounds.
"You're going to kill him! That's not who you are!"
"You don't get to tell me who I am anymore,"
Vanyul snarled through clenched teeth, his voice trembling with fury and pain.
"You chose them. So now—"
he yanked his hand again—
another bone shattered—Muwon let out a guttural cry, collapsing fully.
Yuhyun, Dohyun, and Taejin appeared in a blink, standing in a loose triangle, their weapons drawn.
Vanyul turned his gaze slowly toward them. His smile didn't reach his eyes.
"I wouldn't come closer,"
he said softly, his hand still glowing with dark fire.
"Unless you're ready to watch your beloved prince crumble from the inside out."
They froze. Even Dohyun, always the boldest, hesitated.
Vanyul's gaze locked on Yuhyun.
"Yuhyun…"
he said with a mock sigh.
"You know, I didn't even get to see your face until now. I almost missed it."
He tilted his head.
"I missed you."
Yuhyun's jaw tightened, but his voice cracked slightly with fear.
"Let them go, Vanyul. Sihyun… and the prince.
This isn't love anymore. This is madness."
Vanyul's grin faltered. For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes—something familiar, something hurt.
But it vanished just as quickly.
He looked back down at Sihyun, still on his knees, his fingers trembling as they barely held himself upright.
"You made me this way,"
Vanyul whispered,
"when you left me for a cage dressed as a palace."
Sihyun, still on his knees, barely breathing, dug his fingers into the dirt. His magic churned inside him—unstable, flickering—like a dying flame refusing to extinguish.
Vanyul's grip tightened around Muwon's collar.
"Maybe now you'll learn—"