CHAPTER 72
The early morning breeze was gentle as the three strolled through the palace courtyard, where the scent of ash still lingered faintly beneath the blooming wisterias. Workers moved quietly in the distance, rebuilding what had been shattered in the battle.
Muwon walked in silence, hands behind his back, gaze distant. Dohyun and Taejin exchanged a glance, sensing his mind was elsewhere.
"You've been quiet, Your Highness,"
Taejin finally said, tilting his head.
"Didn't expect silence after a victory."
Muwon didn't answer right away. He paused near the stone railing, eyes on the horizon.
"I've decided,"
he said quietly.
"Once things settle… I'm going to ask Sihyun to be betrothed to me."
Both Taejin and Dohyun stopped.
"You mean—formally?"
Dohyun blinked.
"Betrothed, as in a royal engagement?"
"Yes,"
Muwon said, more firmly this time.
"Not because of the curse. Not because of duty. But because I love him. I don't want to waste another day pretending otherwise."
Taejin let out a low whistle.
"You don't do things halfway, huh."
Dohyun stepped closer, expression thoughtful.
"Does he know?"
Muwon shook his head.
"Not yet. He's been through enough. But once he's rested… I'll tell him."
Taejin folded his arms.
"You realize what this means, right? The nobles, the king—they won't stay silent about this. Especially after everything."
"I know,"
Muwon said softly.
"But I've made my choice."
Dohyun looked at him for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Then we'll support you. Both of us. Even if the world turns against it."
Muwon nodded once, grateful—but still uncertain. His heart ached with the weight of it all. But this was the one decision he was sure of.
The royal court was filled with a quiet tension, yet a rare sense of unity. The nobles, ministers, and high-ranking shamans had gathered in the great hall, their murmurs fading as King Jinwoon's heavy footsteps echoed across the polished floor. At his side stood Crown Prince Muwon, calm and composed despite the bandages wrapped around his arm. Dohyun and Taejin stood a respectful distance behind, ever watchful.
Sunlight filtered through the high stained glass windows, casting muted colors across the stone floor—symbolic, perhaps, of a kingdom scarred but still standing.
The king stood before the assembly, eyes sweeping across the nobles, his voice resonating with solemnity.
"The palace still stands,"
he began,
"and many lives were spared… because of one person."
A ripple of surprise and curiosity passed through the nobles.
"A Demon Sorcerer,"
he continued, pausing for impact.
"The same race we once hunted without mercy… is the reason this court breathes today."
A few murmurs broke out. Some nobles stiffened. But no one dared interrupt.
"His name is Moon Sihyun. And though his blood is feared by many, it is that very blood that saved my son, and by extension, this kingdom."
The king looked toward Muwon, then back at the court.
"I know not what the future holds for sorcerers… but for now, he deserves to be honored."
Muwon looked up slightly, heart beating faster at his father's words.
"And so,"
the king declared,
"we will hold a royal feast in his honor."
The nobles exchanged startled glances. A feast? For a demon sorcerer?
But before anyone could protest, the king raised a hand.
"This is not a matter of politics. This is gratitude. And I will thank him in person. When Moon Sihyun is ready, I ask that he be brought before me. I wish to look him in the eye… and say the words this crown has never spoken to his kind."
He glanced at Muwon, then spoke the words clearly:
"Thank you."
Silence stretched through the hall. Even the nobles, some with suspicion still in their eyes, could not deny the truth: Sihyun had fought for them.
Muwon bowed his head slightly.
"I'll bring him, Father. When he's ready."
The chambers were quiet, the soft rustling of the morning breeze seeping in through the paper screens. Birds chirped faintly outside, their song a gentle promise of peace returning to the palace.
But peace didn't reach Sihyun.
His body twisted slightly in his sleep, breath coming in shallow gasps. His fingers twitched against the mat, and a sheen of sweat lined his forehead. His brows were furrowed, lips parted in trembling murmurs.
"No… Vanyul, don't… please—don't hurt them…"
His voice cracked, haunted, as if his heart was trapped in a memory. Beside him, Yuhyun stirred, the sound of his brother's restless whimpers tugging him from sleep.
Sihyun flinched suddenly, a soft cry escaping his throat.
"Yuhyun! Muwon! Run, he'll kill you—no!"
"Sihyun?"
Yuhyun sat up quickly, heart racing. He leaned over and gently shook his brother's shoulders.
"Sihyun, wake up. It's just a dream—wake up!"
But Sihyun screamed, jolting upright. His eyes snapped open—bright and glowing with red light, filled with raw magic and fear. His breath came in wild gasps, chest heaving.
Yuhyun's eyes widened at the familiar but unsettling glow.
"Was it… about Vanyul?"
he asked quietly, though the answer was clear.
Sihyun's glowing eyes slowly dimmed, the eerie light fading into his usual tired gaze. He wiped at his face, only to find his hand trembling. His voice was hollow when he finally spoke.
"…Yes. I keep seeing him. In my dreams. Calling out to me. Staring at me like I betrayed him. Like I… murdered him."
Yuhyun didn't say anything right away. He reached forward and gently pulled Sihyun into a tight embrace, his arms protective, grounding.
"You didn't have a choice,"
he whispered.
"You saved us. You saved everyone."
"But I still killed him,"
Sihyun replied quietly, his voice cracking.
"No matter what he did… Vanyul was part of me. He was the only other one like me. The last…"
His shoulders trembled in Yuhyun's hold.
"I think he's haunting me,"
he whispered.
"Like I invited a curse by ending him."
Yuhyun rested his chin on Sihyun's shoulder, eyes glistening.
"Then I'll stay right here. If you're cursed, then I'm cursed too. And we'll face it together."
Sihyun let out a choked breath—half sob, half laugh—as he leaned into Yuhyun's embrace.