Chapter 41: Chapter 41

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

Taehyung stiffened on his spot at what he just heard—his once dead heart turned upside down as it accelerated so fast it could leap out of his chest because she didn't realised what she just said right in front of him. But all she knew was that her mind was telling her too follow her heart.

"If you do that, I will marry you."

Taehyung stayed frozen as she repeated those words but soon, his lips curved into a smirk, slowly walking towards her before aggressively grabbing her arms.

Ha Na landed on his firm torso as Taehyung wrapped his arms around her making her cringed. She gasped, feeling Taehyung's hot air hitting the flesh of her neck.

He blew on her neck, teasing her before whispering something on her ears. "It's not like you have a choice now love, do we?" His whispers sent shivers down to her spine.

"Stop it." Ha Na hissed, harshly pulling Taehyung away from her.

"Just tell me you won't agree with me. You don't have to this." She groaned and turned around, stomping out of the room leaving Taehyung confused.

Taehyung watched her swayed her hips out of the room before he blinked twice, asking himself what the hell did he just do. He groaned and shook his head, probably regretting what he just did.

It could've been his chance. He could've took advantage of that situation. Even with all the minister's petition, he can still get Jimin out of the dungeon, and with Ha Na asking him to let Jimin out, only then would she marry him. Taehyung could've taken that advantage.

On the other hand, Ha Na went outside the palace and back to the dungeon to where she found Jimin not around inside his cell anymore. She raised an eyebrow and turned around to ask a guard about the whereabouts of the Duke but gasped as soon as she took an insight of him.

"Jimin!" She yelped and ran towards him, who was heavily tortured, panting and barely holding on the guards' shoulders.

She glanced at his facial features, a small cuts was present—slicing his cheek with a small lacerated wound on his eyelids preventing him to open his eyes, lips bruised and purplish. She couldn't recognize that beautiful face anymore. Her eyes landed on his fragile and frail body with massive scratches from head down to his toes.

"What happened to him?!" She panicked and tried to touch Jimin but he flinched away.

"Your Majesty," They greeted, supporting Jimin firmly on his back. "An order was made to torture him for confession."

Ha Na inhaled sharply. "What are you talking about?"

"We were only asked to bring Duke Park to the Torture Room." The guard looked down, not wanting to disrespect their future queen.

"Weren't you supposed to interrogate him before actually torturing him?!" She hissed, glaring at him.

The guard pressed his lips into thin line and didn't answer her. Ha Na couldn’t blame him, it wasn't really their fault since they're just following orders. She cringed at the sight of Jimin who was bloody mess with cuts all over his body.

How could they do this to you? Ha Na wanted to cry out of guilt. She never wanted this. She knows that Jimin has sinned according to them but how could they do this to him to the point where he would suffer to death when he won't eventually die?

He is a Duke for fuck's sake!

"Take him inside the cell and put him on the bed." Ha Na ordered and the guards obeyed her, putting Jimin inside the cell on his bed. "And go grab some medicine kit. Leave us here."

They nodded again and ran to get the medicine. Ha Na glanced at the man who was panting heavily and breathing unevenly. She could see his lips trembling from where she is as she leaned in and tried to touch his cuts but he winced in pain. She bit her lips as tears threatened to fall, watching him in agony. The cuts are still bloody and flesh, and there's nothing she can do to at least minimize the pain he is feeling right now.

"Why would they do this to you?" Ha Na started to feel anxious, scanning every inch of his body as salty tears fell down on Jimin's wounded cheeks making him scream from the agonizing pain.

"Don't cry!" She panicked, trying to comfort him. “It will worsen the pain!”

The guards then arrived and she gestured them to give the medicine kit. She received the kit, and huffed. "You may leave."

"But—"

"Leave now!" She ordered, raising her voice. The guards nodded and eventually left her. She slowly wiped Jimin's tears first to prevent any pain as she slowly cleaned the blood with a cotton and water, he heard Jimin whimpered.

"Hanisha...." He purred making her raised an eyebrow.

"Hanisha?" Her breath hitched—who is Hanisha?

"Ha Na..." Jimin choked out, eyes still closed with heavy lids from the cuts.

Is he dreaming about me?

Even at this situation, she still managed to creep a smile as she slowly and gently washed his body full of blood with water instead of alcohol. While she was cleaning him up, someone out there was watching her with jealousy and aching pain.

A man who loves her was watching them from behind. Just like what he did thousand years ago. All he could do was watch her. He could even remember the first time that they met.

[FLASHBACK]

He was at the field, waiting for his best friend as the wind hits the flesh of his entire body. The weather was a little windy and cold but Taehyung still waited for his best friend to arrive because Jimin wanted to meet him as soon as possible.

In which he agreed even though he was quite busy with his work too but Jimin was rather more important in his life and he is Taehyung's number one priority.

A sigh in relief left his mouth as he continue to feel the weather, forming a smile on his lips.

"Are you perhaps, Kim Taehyung?" A woman's voice asked him from behind making him turn around.

His eyes widened, feeling his heart skipped a beat and froze for a second as if the whole world has stopped for him to take notice of the beautiful young lady in front of him. And what made it more indescribable and unbelievable was how she smiled brightly making the man in front of her fall so fast for the first time in his long life.

Everything seemed so perfect with Taehyung standing in front of the gorgeous woman, locking their eyes together until another voice came in the scene.

"Babe?" Their head snapped at the voice and looked to see Jimin behind the lady.

"Babe." The lady smiled at her beloved as he wrapped his arms around her waist and chest hit the lady's back. He looked at Taehyung and smiled before pulling away, leaving Taehyung confused.

"So you've meet each other?" Jimin asked, raising an eyebrow. "What did you two talked about?"

"Nothing really." She smiled, and Jimin nodded.

"By the way, this is Taehyung." Jimin introduced his best friend for years as she offered her hands to shake.

"And Taehyung, this is my girlfriend, Hanisha." Jimin said with a grin.

"Min Hanisha." Hanisha repeated her name and waited for Taehyung to receive her handshake but the man was just frozen on the spot, baffled by what is happening.

Hanisha awkwardly chuckled, slowly pulling her hands away to avoid embarrassment but the man grabbed it back making her stumble a little bit. She looked to see Taehyung who was gripping his hands while staring at her dark brown orbs.

"I'm Kim Taehyung."

For a full 5 seconds, they locked eyes. It made Jimin smile, thinking that his girlfriend and best friend has just started a great relationship, when in reality, his own best friend has fallen into his own depth of pit where no one would expect that this would cause chaos.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

Taehyung snapped out of his trance and looked back to the scene where he saw that Ha Na has already gone out of the cell, leaving Jimin on the bed. His brows knitted and walked towards Jimin's cell, nodding at the guard before opening it. He stepped forward to see that Jimin has been tortured badly, and he was guessing that Namjoon must've done this.

He couldn't blame Namjoon for his current situation. The elder Duke wanted the truth and needed to know what he did to Elisse. He felt a pang of guilt inside his chest, watching his best friend lying on the bed, barely conscious. He turned around, not wanting to see the sight of Jimin but a voice stopped him.

"Steal her away from me again, Tae. Just like you always do." He froze, eyes widened and his breath hitched.

It was Jimin.

"Taehyung, don't become a nightmare in her beautiful dreams."

RISEN

Written by Hannah (daddiehoseok)