CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Namjoon tried to speak in between sobs but no words comes out of his mouth. He even attempted to tell Taehyung the story but his heart ached just remembering the scene he witnessed.
Taehyung had an idea about the things that happened with the lady lying in the arms of the Duke. His blood boils down inside his body. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that Jimin would dare do something unbelievable.
"Elisse, I failed you." Namjoon cried out with his voice cracked, pressing his forehead against hers, and letting his tears fall on the cheeks of his soulmate. "I'm sorry."
The Duke was utterly broken, and his heart shattered into two pieces. He felt empty and lost in both physical and emotional. His soulmate just died and his whole soul just died with her.
"Hyung..." Taehyung waited for Namjoon to speak out. It was like he could put himself in the shoes of his hyung. What if it was his soulmate?
He waited for his hyung to calm down and when he did, he finally got to hear what he wanted to hear, yet didn't really expect for it to come out from his hyung's mouth.
"Jimin—he killed her."
With those words, Taehyung's mind was filled with anger that he forgot his relationship with Jimin for a while. He was furious. He couldn't believe it. Part of him wanted to believe what Namjoon said, and another part was hoping that Jimin didn't really do it.
Did Jimin really do it?
Jimin marked the girl yet he was the only one—aside from Taehyung that was capable of killing her even though she was Namjoon's to begin with. Taehyung was sure he didn't touch the girl knowing he spent his time with Ha Na awhile ago.
Nothing was going through Taehyung's mind except for the fact that his own best friend killed his soulmate's best friend. His heart tightened just by thinking about it. Jimin killed her?
He just abruptly went on mad mode as soon as he heard Namjoon crying and sobbing for the death of his beloved. His eyes were now darker than red, his palms has turned into fists, gritted his teeth out of anger and was about to speed to where Jimin is until he turned around, and saw Ha Na standing there with horrified expression.
"Ha Na?" Taehyung's lips parted, caught back by the sight. He stepped forward in an attempt to grab the lady out of the area, but she just took a step backward with palms covering over her mouth.
"E-Elisse?" Ha Na whimpered, eyes started to become blur from the tears.
All she ever wanted was to look out for Elisse as soon as she woke up with the help of Seokjin, and when she did, she wasn't expecting such a frightened sight.
Taehyung's eyes widened as he watched her in terrorized state, and was shaking vulnerably. His queen that he wanted to be the strongest looked fragile right now, and he didn't care about that except pulling her into an embrace to comfort her.
Ha Na started to scream, hitting the firm chest of Taehyung in horror. She was scared and petrified to see her best friend in a bloody mess, and dead.
Taehyung pulled away, cupping her small face with his large hands, forcing her to look at him instead of the intimidating situation. His heart broke at the sight of his beloved.
"Ha Na..." His voice trailed with a gentle tone, trying to ease the lady.
But it didn't help when Ha Na looked at Elisse behind in fear, making Taehyung's heart broke into a million pieces. Her eyes showed how montrous the vampires are.
And it honestly scared Taehyung.
"What happened?!" Her breath hitched, staring at the another lifeless body of her loved one.
Her cries were a broken melody in Taehyung's ears. That made his heart shattered and her tears continue to stream down. The king glanced at Namjoon who was holding Elisse in his arm.
"I—" Her voice shakes, frantically trembling under his touch. "No—This can't be happening to me."
"It'll be alright, okay?" The young man said as he pulled her in his embrace and pulled her face on his chest to prevent her from seeing. His fingertips slides along her silky hair and he hushed her for comfort.
Yet, she was still trembling in his arms and tears started to threaten his eyes as he watched his beloved sobbing because it'll never be okay, everyone left her. This caused her to hate herself even more.
How could everyone she loves leave her? How is it that whenever she loves someone, they'll end up leaving her? Her parents, Yoongi, Jungkook and...now Elisse.
Who is next?
Ha Na dropped herself inside the bath tub full of water with red petals and rose scent on it as she fell lifeless and emotionless.
Tears threatened to form on her eyes again, brows knitted together and not being able feel the warmness of the water hitting her delicate pale skin. She tightly closed her eyes and images started to appear on her mind.
It was Elisse's death.
She witnessed the death of her best friend and that fragmented her whole soul into tiny pieces, almost turning into ashes. She knew too well who was the one who did it—it was Jimin as what they said.
"Why does it have to be you, Elisse?" Her lips parted and looked down as tears dropped to the surface of the water. "Why did I have to lose you too?"
Taehyung sighed deeply, watching his queen staring blankly at the wall across the room while in the tub—of course he didn't see her body, only the shoulder part as he was behind her with a see through wall separating the two of them.
He shook his head, making himself out of the room, and rubbing his temporal. He was surely disappointed at his own best friend. He knows how cruel Jimin is but not to the point where he would kill his fellow's soulmate.
As Jimin's best friend, he would understand everything that he has done. Everything, including killing those blood slaves Taehyung had. However, as a king, knowing that he killed Namjoon's soulmate, he wouldn't tolerate such behaviour anymore.
Namjoon will surely take revenge, and Taehyung would even do the same, if Jimin ever try to hurt Ha Na. Although he knew that Jimin wouldn't hurt her knowing he's also part of the stupid love triangle.
Nothing can explain the disappointment and anger Taehyung had inside him. He has been trying to control himself ever since Ha Na came into his life again. He doesn't want that incident to happen again.
Looking back to the past, he wouldn't blame Jimin's attitude and behaviour. He tried to understand everything. He tried to because Jimin is his best friend...and because of him, Jimin became the way he is right now.
If Taehyung didn't do what he did before, nothing like this could've ever happened. But at the same time, he was relieved, because if he didn't do it, he could've lose Jimin too. And he surely doesn't want to lose his best friend.
He went inside the court room, greeted by both Dukes—Seokjin and Hoseok who was also waiting for him. He sat down on the throne, and discussed the appropriate punishments for Jimin who just sinned.
Hours of discussing, Taehyung gripped the edge of the chair as Seokjin and Hoseok waited for his decision. He doesn't want to hurt Jimin as his best friend but he has too, as a king.
This is a crime, an unpardonable crime.
"What is your decision, Tae?" The eldest Duke asked again for his final answer, in hope that Taehyung won't make any rash decisions.
Taehyung sighed deeply. "Just send Jimin to the dungeons for now."
RISEN
Written by Hannah (daddiehoseok)