#smxgoryeo

[astrxyno]

Snake Eyes ▎Minwoo & Jinyoung

A loud yawning sound made the aristocrat turn his head to find its source and snort when he found it was the sleepy guard who had just started his shift, the male looked away and entered the library, his favourite place in the palace. The library was located in the north western side of the palace away from the noisy parts, especially the entrance and the kitchen. At an early hour like this, few people were allowed to walk freely in the palace and those were either the attendants of the royal family or trustworthy ministers and advisers who would only be allowed in the king's chamber and occasionally the queen's if she asks for them. 

Min Woo happened to be trusted and admired by the royal family, which gave him access to the palace at any time. After gesturing to his personal guards to leave him alone, the male started pulling one roll of paper after another, reading and comparing them and making mental notes of the contradictions, similarities and any questions that come to his mind. He never entered any library with papers and never left with one, no one knew what he read or what he learnt. Min Woo kept it all to himself. 

That day, the palace was filled with whispers in every corner about the prince who had to leave the palace with his mother, a concubine whose name would've been barely remembered if it was not for the chaos she brought to the royal family. The queen was finally fed up with her and together with the king, they made sure that she leaves quietly. Unbeknownst to everyone, the quiet beloved young man in the library was the one behind it all. He was a close friend of Jinyoung and knowing the unfair treatment his mother received and lack of acknowledgement, he used her attendants and even low officials to manipulate her. He knew what to say in front of who to get the results he seek, like a fisherman weaving the wires of his net.

[jxniel-archived]

Imprisoned // Luhan & Junhee

Eavesdropping was an activity she excelled at. Junhee had always been the observant type despite how annoyingly noisy she could be. She had her façade to keep after all, only being ill-mannered when she wasn't in a position to behave like a lady.

When she heard of a prince she hadn’t seen yet, one who was isolated from the public, she knew she must meet him. It wasn’t really out of curiosity. The duke’s daughter always liked to be well informed, but the sources were rather weak and proofs were rare. Only the words of the most convincing ones would reach others, and those who were aware of their skill would comfortably made up stories and lies to back up their beliefs.

How pathetic. People to believe in such stupidities are so easy to be spotted, so easy to ridicule. It’s no fun at this point.

It was always better to do the verification herself. Trust wasn’t in her dictionary.

Junhee easily wandered in the palace, borrowing a servant’s attire to blend in briefly before disappearing in the garden. If the prince is really cursed, he must be placed somewhere no one could easily reach… She pondered and skipped in an eager manner.

Hmm, I wonder how he looks like… Oh! She followed the wavering light from one of the rooms of a hidden building—and cursed under her breath when the window was out of reach.

Why am I small?! Ugh!

“Oi there!” She shouted since no one would really hear her from where she is located. No one seemed to guard this area as well. “A visitor’s here for you! Show your face already, prince! I didn’t come all the way here for nothing, you know!”

[jxniel-archived]

Without a Trace // Chanhee, Dalnim & Junhee

Sneaking out in the middle of the night should have been a piece of cake. Junhee had done that plenty of times and had never gotten caught so far—and she would not let that happen either. But to think lightly of the situation was entirely false.

The guards were patrolling the larger roads, walking with their chest pumped up and proudly revealing their sword’s shaft underneath the layers of clothing. Do they really think all high-and-mighty when they are possibly at the lowest ranks in the military echelon?! Ugh, this is disgusting. She thought with a desire of vomiting intensified abruptly. The duke’s daughter couldn’t help but stare at them in disdain.

Well, it wasn’t her business after all. Subtly taking the narrower roads and the back alleys, she grinned cheekily every time she managed to escape a troop. It was always a good thing to steal male clothes. They were giving her more chances to show her full capabilities in terms of subtlety, speed and agility.

Shi—another guard!

Her thoughts were hard to keep them in her mind. Curses were even harder to restrain. Her desire to spit them out towards the guards was immense, but that would mean bidding farewell to her little trip. She did not want that obviously. The efforts of actually stepping out of her father’s land were not those to be wasted.

She ran down the path and took several detours before turning at an alleyway rapidly. A sigh of relief escaped abruptly, a hand wiping off the sweat from her forehead. A little break sounded ideal at the moment and wouldn’t cause her any trouble—or so she thought.

Someone… Her eyes widened as she sensed a presence she had not felt earlier. Her posture straightened abruptly. A figure… no, wait! There are two! What— One of them fell with the faintest grunt of pain. A lifeless corpse lying at someone’s feet…

Oh—okay, what should I say now? “Hi, I’m just passing by. Don’t mind me?!” “Oh, sorry for crashing the party!?” Oh wait… the last one sounds good—

Even if she spoke or not, Junhee knew they also sensed her presence.

[jxniel-archived]

Playing with Death // Levi & Junhee

Walking up a hill was already a hassle; there was no need to add the attire and flats to make it worse. Holding the hem of her dress, Junhee mumbled insults. Things seemed to go wrongly ever since she woke up. Her father unceasingly complained about her escapades without a servant or a well-trained escort. It was just ‘too dangerous for a frail girl to be wandering when danger is everywhere’.

Lies. The past years proved that she could perfectly avoid death even if she was one to constantly run after it. The duke’s daughter was perfectly confident of managing herself, without any help at all. And it wasn’t like she wanted to show off her social status—the clothes were already doing a perfect and disgusting job.

A sigh of satisfaction slipped past her lips once she finally reached the top. “And another success at escaping everyone from father’s land!” Junhee jumped and twirled to celebrate just like usual, but everything ended abruptly at the sight of a figure moving furtively between trees.

What cannot be seen was easily noticeable to her all thanks to her ability.

“Oh! Look who just rises from the undead!” She shouted in an eager tone while waving a hand enthusiastically. Her smile wide, it was clear her intentions weren’t close to meet an old friend—if they can even be considered as great pals to start with. “What brings the God of the Underworld to get out of his hellhole? Was it too dark? Ah, I understand… but isn’t it too bright? Won’t you go blind or have you already from the lack of brightness down there?”