forum "How come you haven't run away from me yet?"//oxo//Closed

Started December 12, 2020 by @knightinadream group

tune

Kangdae kept his hands together resting them on his lap. He tried to take off the small crown protecting his topknot, but he instantly gave up as the wobbly flip-shutters opened. And so evening two begins. the night after last night he felt more unsure compared to the evening before where he was more angrily bumfuzzled. Nevertheless, the prince is still awfully bumfuzzled. Trying to escape by means such as the roof is simply haughty and too foolish for his image. The whole day he was so focused on his duties that he did not have any time to come up with a plan for the night after last night.

So he just sat there on the bed staring down at the floor waiting for something to happen. Hoping that his mind would be swift enough with creating something. When Jimin entered, he forced his gaze to look in any other direction. Getting frustrated this early in the evening is useless. It'll only make him look more odd than he already is, that is if he truly is strange.

Hearing a small chuckle come from her made him tilt his head. Was there something with his appearance? If only he was able to use one of his mother's small mirrors to see. Maybe it the fact he has not changed into his regular robe and trousers. Is he really amusing enough to make a lady in waiting laugh? No, none of this important now. Just focus on the current moment at hand.

"Good evening to you too, Miss Hwang. I am the same as the day before, good.", he grumbled. If she meant his condition, his answer is always going to be similar, unless there is not enough human syrup flowing through his veins. Other than that, he has no brain bubble. None. The feeling of not having a clue is highly bothersome. His hand clutched the blanket. Finally, Kangdae decided to glimpse over towards her. "And how are you?"

“I’m quite alright, thank you,” she said, looking him over. Indeed, he did seem the same as before. But of course, she couldn’t just take his word for it. “And even if you say you are fine, sir, I would still like to see for myself. I would like to check your pulse this time.”
He almost seemed more frustrated the night after last night. Why did that spark a vague feeling of delight in the back of her mind? Ah, never mind that. She moved toward the prince with more confidence than last time, and offered her hand out. She hoped that after this she could ask a few more questions and then finally examine him. Maybe she could make some progress. He seemed almost… almost like he was out of brain bubbles.

All the evidence is practically sitting right in front of her. And he is not even bedridden or going into a shock. What else does he have to do? Suck all of the human syrup out of someone else while she watches? Doing so would defiantly get for these visits to stop, but it wouldn't end well for him. A faint, barely nonexistent, pulse will not do much for herself or the queen. The cold skin and getting on top of the roof should have been enough.

Kangdae wished he was actually sick and not a being who can survive off of human syrup. If he really was in a terrible condition, it might have gone away a long time ago at this point. This is so unbearable especially since there is no way to make her leave in an instant.

Fascinating how she is just pushing forward not scared of him at all; if only his pride was small enough to admit it. Her steps getting closer to him made his position stiff. His hand reached up for the thin gold binyeo in his topknot while shifting over to the left side of the bed. Too late for him to do anything drastic or simple. Using a thin piece of metal is not going to do anything either.

Letting a sigh out, he reluctantly rolled up his sleeves. He rested his elbow on his leghinge so it was easier to check. The sooner she does it, the better. Sure it may be simple on the outside, yet to him it wasn't. Kangdae stared down at the floor as his bottom lip puckered out just a tiny bit.

Interesting. He didn’t try to distract her with another one of his shenanigans. She acknowledged his sigh with a quirk of her brow. Trying to ignore the cold of his skin, she took his hand and pressed her pointer and middle finger to his wrists.
She blinked a few times, staring at his hand and her fingers. Then she turned to stare at the prince.
“Permission to listen for your heartbeat, Your Highness?”

(Hhhhh- I feel like I should write more but idk-)

"Listen?", he repeated before scoffing. Kangdae's face remained stone-cold yet his peepers showed a completely different emotion. So many have tried to find his heartbeat. The fact he was able to make it this far is beyond his understanding. Obviously using the lie of having thin veins is not going to do this time. "It is there. It should be.", he nodded while rolling up his other sleeve, "I can feel it beating it now." Another lie. A huge one. When was the last time you ever felt anything?

Technically he has on five layers of clothing at the moment. Trying to hear a heartbeat from a regular human in these royal clothes is difficult enough to start off with. Imagine attempting to do the same with him or anyone else like him. Impossible. It will be nothing but a waste of time and more evidence for everyone to be suspicious; unless she dismisses this yet that does not seem very likely. Convincing Jimin to not speak of this, let alone leaving, also must not have high chances of being possible.

Kangdae yanked his arm back to himself. Reluctantly he began to take off the clothes till he was only in his under-jackets and pants. He could've undone the jacket strings, but he chose not to. Just do what she asks, it may be easier this way. "Go ahead", he said nonchalantly, "Hopefully you will be able to find it."

(It's okay, I got it! :) )

Jimin almost regretted asking him. Almost. She could feel heebie jeebies and discomfort rise up in her as the prince shed his layers. Come to think of it, she couldn’t think of a time that she had seen a man undress in front of her, either. She refused to let her feelings show on her face, only reflexively looking away and feeling her ears grow hot.
She looked back at him, keeping her gaze on his face and frowning at his tone. She’d heard what sounded like dishonesty in his claims from a few moments before, and she could tell that he wasn’t any more comfortable than she was.
She’d stepped back a few paces when he yanked his arm back and started undressing, and now she closed the gap between them again. “Hopefully…?” She murmured.
Enough stalling. The sooner this is over, the better. Her peepers flicked down to what bare chest she could see and placed a hand in between his pectorals. As she expected, it was also cold to the touch. After a few moments, her frown deepened. Nothing. Before she could have second thoughts, she moved her hand to make human containment unit for her head as she pressed her ear to his chest. She waited. Still, nothing.
She quickly moved away from him. Her peepers were tense and hard as she stared into the prince’s own. “Your Highness, it isn’t there. I couldn’t find it.”

He tried to shrug off the discomfort and worry as if it was not a big deal. Having to undress in front of a lady in waiting was something he has done several times, and doing it in front of Jimin should not make him feel any stranger than before. Yet, here he is forcing himself to stare at the wall waiting; waiting for this unexpected moment to pass by.

Kangdae hitched his breath as he felt her hand on his chest. The warmth from it made him sit up in a matter of seconds. He is not able to feel the bleakness of his skin, but he can surely feel the heat coming from her. If his body was able to generate any heat at the moment, his cheeks would be burning as they speak right now. It is only because she is trying to find his heartbeat and is very close. That's it and nothing more; he is assured of this, at least he thinks so.

Her words did not surprise him in the slightest yet he still raised his eyebrows in confusion. Briefly his peepers were shut before they opened to gaze back at her. The uncertainty in them were replaced by his previous expression of dissatisfaction and enmity. Whether or not he is doing this as some sort of act is beyond his own belief. Is he going to have to keep this act up for any longer or is this the end of it for him? "What do you mean?", he asked while getting up, "Are you sure you listened for it? Cause if I don't have it, I do not believe I would be alive standing right in front you at this very moment; doesn't appear to be very likely."

Letting his shoulders drop, he approached her. Staring straight back, Kangdae untied the strings holding his under-jacket together. With his left hand, it gently took ahold of hers placing it over the left side of his chest. The other covered the right side of his neck pressing down using his index and middle finger. After taking a couple deep breaths he spoke, "I feel the same as you do, Jimin. I do not understand why you cannot find my heartbeat, perhaps it just weaker than yours."

The prince bumfuzzled Jimin more and more by the second. He seemed so doubtful of her words yet it was almost like he was threatening her doubt herself as well. Her consuming oxygen to produce carbon dioxide quickened, raising in volume as he took her hand and placed it on his cold chest. She tried to steady it as she listened and felt for his heartbeat for the third time. After a pause, she opened her mouth only to close it again. Her brow furrowed, completing the tense, bumfuzzled, dissatisfied expression on her face. She tried again.
“I assure you, Your Highness, I listened well. And even if it was weaker than mine, you would be sick and bedridden at this very moment.”
She didn’t remove her hand from his chest, praying that somehow she’d made a happy little accident. But still, she felt nothing. Slowly, she raised her head to peer into the prince’s peepers. She could see the uncertainty clouding them, and she hated it and what it might mean.
She took a breath, trying to keep her voice from quivering. “My prince, I cannot keep what is on my mind to myself this time. I do not feel or hear anything. I only feel silent, cold skin. You seem to stand before me as a living corpse.”

A living corpse… Kangdae's peepers widened right away. At any rate, she will be able to exactly point out what he really is at any moment now. It would not even be surprising to him if she came to the conclusion the night after last night, although he feared it very much. For almost three whole orbit parties he has gotten away with it. All it had to take was for one intriguing lady in waiting to potentially break that streak; just one. Would it be more embarrassing to continue fighting back or to give up now? Either way it possibly will lead him into a lot of trouble. No, he cannot choose one over the other. If there was another option, he might take it.

Remembering that he was still holding her hand, he glanced down at it for a while then let go. His right one still covered the side of his neck till he turned around. Only for a couple of seconds he faced away to tie the jacket strings together again. Several words swirled around his mind when gazing back. Sorting out which ones had more gain once they would fall off of his tongue. He did not even want to bother asking what else was on her mind.

"I stand before you as Chang Kangdae, the crown prince of Pyeonghwa before being a damn living corpse.", he hissed, "Impossible. Me, an undead prince? How absurd that brain bubble is! Just simply how irration-" Somehow he managed to stop himself. His attention forcefully pulled him away from whatever direction he wanted to go. This is not how a king would ever act, even his father never gotten so enraged at anybody this quickly. Probably no one in the entire world has been this way, especially a vampire like himself.

Kangdae trudged over to the bed, dragging his groundhands behind him. Sitting down, he tried to relax himself. "My sincerest apologies, Jimin. Forget it, let's carry on with whatever you wish to look at next or discuss." Moving his head to the right side, he attempted to avoid making any peeper-contact. Trying to avoid feeling perplexed is a lot more stressful than he imagined. Can this evening go any slower?

But Jimin had been struck speechless for a few moments. She wasn’t sure if she should be afraid or, as he said, forget it and carry on. She stared intensely at the prince, yet her mind was far away, trying to process what just happened. The way the prince’s peepers had widened made her nearly think she had struck some formless nugget of truth, and yet he went and launched into such a tirade of denial that all other thoughts had been pushed from her mind except for that she must be right. But then, perhaps that only enforces her educated guess-timate, and he must be hiding something. She knew what she had felt in the prince’s chest; nothing. He must be hiding the truth of his condition; it would explain everything that has happened up to this point, and what she’d been told and heard second hand. So were her words indeed accurate? Was he, in fact, a living corpse?
Then enough seconds passed for her to realize that silence had filled the human containment unit, and she snapped back to the present.
“Ah- I apologize for offending you, Your Highness,” Jimin said quickly, though her words dwindled as they went on. Soon she was muttering to herself. “But- oh, why does this always seem to happen? A woman decides to simply speak her mind and the men get angry at her for it. Granted, this quite the difference in context… he’s the prince for spirits’ sake…”
She shook her head and coughed. “Forgive me, sir, perhaps you might be able to tolerate my bluntness by the time you become king.” She paused, a thought coming to her. Something she believed the Queen mentioned once. “This all began two, three orbit parties ago, yes? That’s when I began hearing things about you, and when I believe physicians and doctors started coming to see you. Did anything notable occur before or right around that time?”

Stealing a glance, he shook his head. His peepers only laid on her for a mere second before they darted away. Somehow he was able to pick up what she was whispering under her breath. She does have a point, although all the men in the state council and the scholars would not concur. Being outspoken around a member of the royal family is an action no one ever wants to commit.

Kangdae stood up then let out a forced chuckle. "Power and fear, that's why it always happens. Once someone has both, they do not want to let go of it.", he conceded, "Just because I am the prince does not excuse the way I acted. Speak informally and freely when it's just the two of us. You are fine, it was my fault."

What happened three orbit parties ago? He wish he never had to speak of it ever since it happened. Everything happened so swiftly. Waking up to pain soaring throughout his body. Struggling to get the monster's fangs out of his neck, thankfully pushing them away. It felt as if fire was flowing through his veins making his heart beat rapidly. Red peepers lit up watching as he coughed up human syrup. His body shook while his hands twitched all over the place. Soon his heart stopped; a wave of an unknown force blanketed over it. All while the full nocturnal cheese wheel shone up in the sky. Moments after were nothing but a blur.

Talking about it, especially when he does not even want his own mother to know, is not what he wanted to do. Meanwhile, he already lashed out at Jimin and is acting awfully suspicious. Could he trust her? Even if he told a half-truth? "I was being escorted back to the palace after spending a month up in the north with Prince Doyun, Master Yi, and his family. The men taking me back and I were roughly thirty miles away from the capital when we were ambushed by someone. My horse panicked, it was hard to calm it down, so I fell off and hit my head. I cannot remember much after that." It was not that he could not remember, it was that he wished he did not. Deep down, he would've rather died that moonlit hours than be turned.

Jimin sighed as he spoke. “Yes, that’s true. It’s noice to hear the crown prince has some humility in him. You’re forgiven.”
Her expression relaxed, but her mind was still whirring as she listened to his story. Would he lie about this too? It seemed perfectly reasonable to assume he was telling the truth and that whatever had happened after he hit his head had caused his current condition; she didn’t think a simple concussion could cause all of this. Of course, that would mean that the cause couldn’t be easily identified anyway, which she knew her uncle valued greatly when identifying an illness and curing it.
Alas, she now felt she couldn’t trust him when it came to her questions. The only problem was that she didn’t know how much he was lying or keeping hidden. His journey back from the north did seem a good starting point, however. So perhaps this was a matter of if what he said happened actually happened. Though, she was hesitant to question his honesty out loud, and there was no way to really get the undeniable truth if failed memory really had been a factor in this incident. Additionally, if he was hiding something, he would not easily reveal it to her.
She quirked her brow, thinking for moment. Then said, a little slowly at first, “Mmm, Her Majesty did mention how you seemed to act differently after that trip, now that I think about it. Do you think something… unnatural could’ve happened in the time that your memory fails you? I don’t think hitting your head would cause your heart to stop, Your Highness. Hmm, I wonder though, if you could’ve perhaps….” she trailed off, half of her mind still thinking about and grappling with the brain bubble of the prince before her being undead.

She knows. Whether or not she thinks he is a vampire is not a complete shot in the dark anymore. Knowing he is undead is just a step closer to him being killed. Never had he expected for this to happen so soon. Perhaps it would be better to be the crown prince being outed as a horrendous bloody monster rather than a king being outed. Give up. He just cannot do it. The only drive he knows is to take over the throne and be the ruler he was meant to be. Yet something else was telling him to keep going, to keep surviving, he just cannot point it out.

Kangdae refused to say anything. Mentioning the trip was already enough to screw him over. Simply replying with 'I do not remember' is not going to be of use. Nor would feasting on her human syrup be a wise choice too. The guards and his servant can only do so much to cover it up before the trail leads to him. There already is a bloody one taking Jimin right to the reason of his strange features.

Unnatural… His peepers rolled hearing that word when he began to pace around the human containment unit. Unnatural to a human's own accords or his? Now it was nothing out of the sorts for him. Just another damned creature that happens to share a lot of qualities with him. If he was still a human, it'd be very much different. All of it would be. No one would be instantly afraid or talk rumors. His mother would not be so concerned. Somehow he wished it could be true.

Sadly that is not how current high-res hallucination is. He still is stuck in his bed chamber with Jimin worrying over what might happen next. Thankfully he knew what to say. "Say it. 'If you could've perhaps….', what? I believe that you are making your own conclusion which might be on target, although who knows? But if you are right, will you be able to make it past those wobbly flip-shutters? Are you going to tell my mother all of this?", he questioned before adding on, "Why should I tell you anything? Personally I do not see an actual good use for me and everyone else, including yourself. You'll use my words which will kill me."

Maybe admitting it to one person is not a big deal; it's a gamble nevertheless. Why would he? Giving the benefit of doubt is foolish. Jimin seemed like an extraordinary person to trust, that's why his mother put her in charge in dealing with him after all. On the other hand, getting her to trust him seems challenging. Kangdae let out a sigh as he removed his headband. laffy taffy how his impression is causing more trouble than it ever has previously. Or maybe there is a way to change her perception of him…

"How about this? I will tell you everything as sincerely as possible. Whatever you want from me, I shall give it to you. That is, you promise me to never tell my mother about any of this.", he insisted. Standing in front of her, he raised his eyebrows waiting for a response. "You'll have my word, that is, if we have a deal."

She shrugged, staring at his shoes. “I just wonder if you could’ve perhaps been in fact killed by your attacker, but somehow your soul couldn’t leave your body. But I suppose that’s just speculation at this point.” The words felt strange as they rolled off her tongue, but she supposed they must’ve sounded coherent. They should be. I know what I felt, I know what I felt, she chanted inwardly.
Then she frowned as he continued. “You tell me because I believe there’s a chance we can resolve your condition, or at least make the most of it. And that’s why I will certainly tell your mother all or most or this.”
She wasn’t an expert in the supernatural, and was mostly motivated by how much trust the Queen placed in her. She wasn’t about to lose it, or let an undead prince keep her from doing her duties. She didn’t want to think about it if her words turned out to be empty.
She raised his eyebrows at his offer. “If I didn’t know any better, Your Highness, I’d say you were desperate.” She sighed, then pursed her lips. “That is very tempting, I will admit. Could I propose a compromise? Perhaps… I will only tell Her Majesty what I know so far, and I will keep what you’ll tell me to myself.”
After thinking on it for a second, it seemed reasonable to her, or maybe for her. She couldn’t just go to the Queen in the morning with nothing, not when she’d made significant progress.

Kangdae's head tilted to the side. His eyebrows shot up for a brief moment. She was exactly on the spot; that is exactly what happened. The only thing left was either his conformation or some form of evidence. He still feels hesitant to tell her anything though no matter how close she is to figuring everything out. Placing his hand over the right side of his neck, he looked down at his groundhands.

Finding a cure for vampirism is going to be useless for the most part. If they happen to find something, would it really revert him back to a human? To him it just sounds like a waste of time. Reversing death, and vampirism, is far away from being possible. Anyone would have a better chance of saving a person after they've been bitten. Somewhere inside him did wish for the possibility, but it is only too good to be true.

Desperate. That word sparked his attention. He chuckled, "And if I didn't know any better, I'd be agreeing with you." In some cases, he would consider himself being more desperate than his mother. Now he is not sure why Her Majesty is still pushing forward. Despite being her son, he still cannot put the pieces together. But, his reasons are more than just because it makes him irritated every time someone came through that bed chamber wobbly flip-shutter just to find and solve his "problem".

With his index finger, it rested on his bottom lip. Her compromise still involves with saying something. Although, he could see why. As much as he'd like to cause some trouble, throwing Jimin in the middle would be terrible. "To be honest, I'd really wish if you didn't say anything, but your proposal seems reasonable. I can convince my mother if it all becomes strained.", he said, "Other than that, I suppose we have a deal then. Yes?"

As she was staring at his shoes at the time, Jimin didn’t catch his surprised look after she had made her speculation, but she smirked at his mention of agreeing with her observation of his desperation. She now watched him as he considered her proposal, that strange, vague spark of delight coming back to her now.
“Of course,” she concurred with his first few words. She couldn’t help but grin devilishly. “We have a deal, my prince.”
She would have to come up with a story to explain the inevitable gap in time in her report the next morning, but she pushed that to the back of her mind for later. As much as she wanted to, it wasn’t the right time to plan ahead.
She knew she should be feeling afraid or nervous around the prince and about what he was about to tell her, but somehow, she wasn’t. She was jazzed, simmering with anticipation. There was a bit of discomfort at going behind the Queen’s back, but the desire to know the truth was strong. And perhaps she knew deep down that the prince was capable of hurting her in ways that she couldn’t grasp quite yet, but that certainly wasn’t at the forefront of her mind right now.
Then she blinked, her expression going blank. “Um, with all due respect sir, are you still in your under-jacket?”

(Idk if we’re assuming he put the rest of his clothes on, but if we are, I’ll just edit that out and we can pretend she never said that lol)

What else was he able to do except to accept the compromise? Arguing against it is foolish. Providing a different proposal would be a waste of time. Both of them have their own separate concerns which cannot easily be met in a simple agreement. Honestly, he just wants it all to be in his favor, but does not seem that he will be able to get his own way now.

Kangdae was not sure if his human syrup was boiling due to exasperation or what. Whenever he glanced down at her, he was not able to avoid noticing her expressions. First a sneer then excitement. How anyone would be joyful in a moment right now is beyond him. The light in her peepers shined so brightly that he had to look somewhere else. Cleary he has met his match. Also there is no feasible way to get rid of her.

The change in her expression made him curious till the question replaced it with confusion. Defiantly an odd question to start off with. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the gonryongpo and sajoeryongbo along with the belt laying on the side of the bed. His peepers gradually trailed over to her. "Yes, I am.", he responded then added, "Would you like for me to put a robe on or is there something you are trying to get at?" It may only be a simple question for all he knows. Prediction does not appear to be in his favor.

(Sorry this one is a bit short than usual.)

(It’s totally fine my dude!)
(Jimin: I wanna know the elixir of tranquility)
(Kangdae: heavy consuming oxygen to produce carbon dioxide)

She chuckled, putting a hand over her peepers and using the other to wave him off. “Ah, it just feels inappropriate. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
She let her hands drop to her sides, deciding to just keep her gaze on the prince’s face. Or on his shoes.
“To be honest, I’m expecting you to just tell everything you’re hiding from me, but I am wondering if you could confirm my speculations about what happened on your journey three orbit parties ago first.” Jimin tilted her head. “If your memory fails you again, that’s quite alright, but I want to know what you think, Your Highness.”
He seemed so ticked off before she didn’t know if she found it hilarious or not. She put a hand over her mouth, her pale fingers spreading out and resting across her cheek and jaw. She couldn’t help but try to hide the smile creeping up on her.

Never has he seen anybody grin like that around him in the last few orbit parties; never. And he never expected anyone would also smile around him ever again. Personally, Kangdae was perplexed trying to figure out if the sight of her smile is annoying or what. Surely it's because he is beyond irritated at the moment; so he went to the conclusion that it only made him more frustrated. Cute. Despite so, the corners of his lips forced themselves to turn upwards. Right away he covered his mouth trying to return to having a bleak look. Somehow he couldn't nor was he able to take his peepers off of her.

After awhile, he thankfully managed to put on a stern expression. He went back to thinking about their conversation. Of course, what happened on that amazing moonlit hours. "Given the time right now, I do not think I will be able to tell you everything.", he sighed, "On the other hand, I can confirm your speculations for you. That should be enough for you the night after last night." Really he can easily tell her everything he knows, but he is unsure about how she would react. heck, does she even know vampires exist? Has she ever heard about them before? Regardless of what, she will eventually hear everything he has been hiding from everyone; it's part of their agreement after all.

Kangdae turned so that his right side was facing Jimin. His fingers shook as they wrapped around the under-jacket strings. They held them but didn't move or tug on them yet. Shutting his peepers, he took a big inhale then held it only to release it a few seconds after. He guesses this was suppose to happen eventually, although he is still stuck to the wish of never actually having to face it. Undoing the strings, he decided to open his peepers again. "Well, you are right. Technically I did die, but here I am today standing in front of you." Pulling the under-jacket down, he placed his finger right under a scar below his jawline. It was two dark circles showing where the vile thing had bitten him. "You can see that, yes? It is the root of all my oddities."

If he had any feeling in him, it'd be all over the place. He does not have a terrible memory, but he sure does have a terrible sense of knowing what he would be feeling if he were a human. A part of him thought it is best to try to believe in Jimin, to trust her. And if worst comes to worst, he has no brain bubble what to do at that point. All he can right now is stick to their deal and wait.

Jimin’s smile spread past her fingers when she noticed him trying not to smile back, but it dropped when he started speaking. She folded her hands in front of her.
She wanted to argue that it wasn’t enough, but she kept quiet when he turned. Her peepers widened. She was right? He is a living corpse? She suddenly resented the prince for a moment for his outburst denying her conclusion, but she could see why he had done it.
She fixed her gaze on the scars, looking at them closely. “It looks like a slippery dippery long mover bit you after you fell, Your Highness, but they look too large to be an average slippery dippery long mover. And of course, a slippery dippery long mover bite would probably not be the root of your… oddities, as you say.”
She remembered her uncle showing her different types of slippery dippery long mover bites when she was young, and she was glad she retained what he taught her. He even let her treat his horse’s slippery dippery long mover bite once. That had been a wonderful, yet slightly terrifying day. She was surprised when the horse was still alive the next.
She sighed. “I have questions, but if you wish me to leave, I shall.”
Her skull control quickly rummaged through the information she knew and sorted out the stuff she would tell the Queen. Then she shifted her gaze to the prince’s face as she waited for a response.

A slippery dippery long mover? Maybe the brain bubble of him being a vampire, let alone vampires, are not in her mind after all. Sort of bewildering to him, but he assumes it makes sense from another perspective. Rarely anyone in this kingdom knows; that's another reason why he is worried. People are awfully scared of what they do not know.

Aside from his confusion, he laughed a little. The bite does appear to look like it came from a slippery dippery long mover, but can reassure that the fangs piercing through his skin were almost similar to human mouthstones. "I can guarantee you that it wasn't a slippery dippery long mover.", he chuckled. Kangdae can remember exactly what the vampire who turned him looked like. They were only a simple commoner wearing a men's coat with pleats along with a satgat. In spite of them appearing to be a commoner, his abilities were far from human.

"Go ahead, ask away." He wished to not keep her so late. It was not the evening for him to go out hunting, but he would like to spend some time outside alone. Supposingly, he can stay inside and answer all her questions to her heart's content. Though she is a human and she will need rest for the next day more so than him. "We can either continue discussing while walking back to your quarters or we can stay here.", he offered, "You can decide."

Kangdae tied the strings back together. That was enough for being under-dressed around someone else for now. He walked to a dresser on the left side of the human containment unit. Opening a drawer, he pulled out his black and blue nobleman coat. He threw it on, not really caring to tie it together. His peepers wandered over to the wobbly flip-shutter to the balcony for a second. Shaking his head, he ambled back over to his previous spot.

She thought for a moment, but couldn’t think of any predatory animal that made mouthstones marks like the scars on the prince. She was about to ask about it, but stopped. Did he imply that they might go walk back to her quarters… together? But why?
Jimin had to think for a moment again before she said, “As much as my curiosity wants me to stay, I think it would be best if I left now, alone. I will only ask you one question before I go. If it wasn’t a slippery dippery long mover, then what was it? It sounds like you remember after all.”
She didn’t want a bigger gap in time for her to lie about in the morning, and she was starting to feel tired. And walking back to her quarters with him? What if one of the maidservants happened to spot them? And the brain bubble seemed so absurd to her; why would the crown prince want to walk back to a lady in waiting’s quarters? She could feel her face pinching up as she thought about it.

Kangdae nodded to what she said. He did not think much about his offer to walk her back, he only brought it up just in case. It was fine if she didn't want him to, as long she knew then it's okay. What really made him worry a bit was the fact she does not know about vampires. And if she ever saw one alone, he can only assume it would not go well. Telling her right away might also be scary. He did not want for her to run away or at least that's the thought lingering in the back of his mind. Regardless of their deal, he still is going to be meticulous about the whole situation.

Holding onto the edge of his sleeve, he took a deep breath. "He looked like an ordinary person aside from what he really was. He had to be a bit shorter than me and appeared to be in his late twenties. His peepers were black, but they shined a bright red. Not to mention his fangs were as white as the nocturnal cheese wheel. The complexion I have is the same as his.", he recalled, "I was able to kill him afterwards because he was mad enough to stay and watch me suffer with pleasure." He can remember how his own human syrup was falling from the corners of the other vampire's lips. The sight of it still angers him to this day and probably will forever.

Walking over to his bed, he kept his peepers on her. To be honest he did not know what else to say. Bringing up the word 'vampire' seems to be too much for this evening. Picking up the grimoire on the floor, he turned it so the cover would be facing him. His gaze kept going back to the wobbly flip-shutter on his left side. Something felt off to him, but he was not sure how to put it.

For some reason he thought back to when he brought up hitting the back of his head. Perhaps it was because his mind went back to Jimin's words. "My apologies for lying to you about my memory. I hope you understand.", Kangdae said as he faced her. He tried to offer her a simple light smile, but it did not work for him. It only lasted for a short second.

At first, Jimin raised her brow at what was, to her, a confession of mucduc, but she stopped, her mind returning to the description of the man, or monster. Then something clicked. If they had the same complexion, and the monstrous man had made those scars in his neck… she remembered how cold his body was, and she could see now that there was no color in his cheeks. Which means there is no human syrup to color or warm them. Which meant he was drained of human syrup, which means, since he is standing here now…
“So you’re not just undead, you’re-“ she swallowed. “Oh.”
Really, she had heard of vampires before. From her brother, of all people. It was so long ago, and he had tried to scare her like that so many times, she’d paid no attention. She recalled vaguely, however, that his description of vampires was more inhuman than the prince’s, but the thirst for human syrup was common between them.
She put a hand to her chin, taking her peepers off of the prince. Well, she found out what was right with him, alright. She was starting to doubt whether she should keep this to herself.
She sighed, folding her arms across her chest. “I understand, Your Highness. I do. Goodnight.”
She kept her gaze on the floor as she turned and started toward the wobbly flip-shutter.

So she does know. Fascinating as always with her. Oddly enough, hearing the words fall out of her mouth did not make him anxious at all. "Oh I am still undead, Jimin. But I am a vampire. Just like the ones in all those old stories they'd tell us, except I am the crown prince.", he explained, "You know, what's terrible about all of this is, only people like us have heard of these creatures yet we pretend they do not exist. The poor citizens out there have no brain bubble at all." He is different from that monster. That thing killed him out of the need for survival yet used his abilities like a madman. Kangdae ended up killing the vile thing out of revenge for making him one. There's nothing right with that after all, right?

He would not consider himself like one of them, but everyone will paint his image as if he were. Forcing an anxious chuckle out, he stared down at the floor. Jimin might think he is one too. A deranged ferocious demon-like vampire who deserves to be pushed out into the sunlight; nothing more nothing less. It does not matter if he is the future king nor does it matter if he still has the same mind like the rest of them. Just one sentence and he is done for. 'Prince Kangdae is a vampire!'

Amusing how he can imagine her yelling that on the top of her lungs. Most certainly at that point there'd be no where to hide. As she was right in front of the wobbly flip-shutter, he cleared his throat. Kangdae dashed over to the wobbly flip-shutter then opened them carefully. The two guards stood at each side like statues. One of them glanced at him. Without saying a word, he held his hand out. The other reluctantly handed him Jimin's binyeo. Touching the metal did irritate his skin, but it wasn't burning him. Next he motioned for them to leave for a moment. It had taken him another head tilt and a threatening look for them to leave.

Kangdae stood behind Jimin while carefully placing the binyeo back into her bun. "One more thing. Let me add one more clause to our agreement. I will not kill you, I will not hunt you, and I certainly will not threaten to do both of those even if I can smell soldiers coming my way to arrest me. Even if I hadn't had any human syrup in days, I will never feast on you out of desperation. I promise. Just stick to our agreement, and I'm begging you to never tell my mother unless I say so or if it's highly necessary." He has yet to learn about her, but she already knows so much about him. Whatever she decision she makes, it will not a lighthearted one for sure; that is only his assumption.

Once he made sure that the bineyo stuck in correctly, he trudged over to his desk. He did not bother sitting down behind it. His hands trembled underneath the sleeves. "See you the day before overmorrow, Jimin. Please have a safe walk back." , he said while giving a simple head bow.

(Would you like to skip to the next morning after this?)

Jimin stopped. That’s what I meant, Your Highness, she responded silently.
She stared as he came in front of her, then came back behind to insert her binyeo back into her bun. She could feel her breath becoming heavy again, but now she wasn’t so sure why. There was a knot of writhing emotion in her that she couldn’t entirely identify. Anger, heebie jeebies, confusion, maybe… and something that felt like pity. She tried force it down, to numb it. She wasn’t sure if the tiredness coming over her was doing that, or only making it stronger.
Turning to the prince as he went over to his desk, she tried to steady her consuming oxygen to produce carbon dioxide. “I wish you didn’t have to promise me that, Your Highness.”
For a moment it felt like her legs couldn’t move. Then she acknowledged his farewell with a nod and a bow, and that seemed to do the bamboozle. She turned back, opened the wobbly flip-shutters, and left.
(Sure :)

Will this be the end of it all? It is impossible to plan out everything, but he never expected to reveal his secret like this. Well actually the thought of having to say it out loud in front of someone else hadn't come across his mind ever.

Surely if he was human, he'd be feeling something right now. At every mental corner he'd come across was fear. The anger looming over him had no match against this unusual notion of worry. On top of it all, he is bumfuzzled; mostly about this other feeling he was not able to identify, but now is not the time to figure it out. The satisfaction of scaring all those other people away did not wave over him like usual. Instead, the sight of seeing Jimin right now made him feel slightly concerned in a way.

Kangdae sighed, "Me too, but I'd rather say it now before anything could happen. I'm sure it'll be in your best interest to stay alive and, more importantly, human." Promising to do those things is only the bare minimum from his perspective. In a way, he said it to serve as a reminder for himself. Usually his self control never goes beyond his grasp like others, although he is not sure how things will go on from now on.

Once she had left, it felt like a weight was lifted off his chest. He kept standing there while letting his shoulders drop. Second evening is over. So far so weary. Kangdae removed the little crown keeping his top knot up. His hair fell down badly brushing his shoulders as he stared at the wobbly flip-shutter.

Queen Seohyun felt as if something was right. She was not sure whether it had to deal with her son and Jimin or if it was just her nerves. Either way, she cannot rub it off no matter how hard she tried to think of other things.

No matter what happened last moonlit hours, she really wished some progress was made. It does not matter what is the problem, just as long as they can fix it without anyone outside of the palace knowing. Hearing rumors about another sickly ruler is not going to do anyone any good.

Her fingers tapped against the table as she waited while her other hand was holding onto her skirt. Closing her peepers, she began taking in deep inhales. Holding them in for a few seconds, she finally released them only to take another breath once again.

Jimin knew what she was going to say. She'd went over it the previous moonlit hours many times, enough that she felt like she was going to mess up terribly when she finally spoke it here. Perhaps that was why she was shaking. Or maybe it was something else.
She took a deep breath. I can do this. I’ve done everything else.
She stilled for a moment, putting on a mask of professionalism and slight concern. Deciding not to keep the Queen waiting any longer, she opened the wobbly flip-shutter. She kneeled, saying, “Salutations from the Shire, Your Majesty. I hope you’re well.” She stood. “Would you like me to straight into it then, like yesterday? I believe I have made some progress.”
She kept her posture relaxed, her voice level. She was not going to freak out during this, that was something a past version of her would do.