Yunseo's POV
I drifted in and out of sleep. My body wanted to rest but my mind was too keyed up, fearful I'd hear gunshots and see blood pouring all around me. But the night passed uneventfully, the sweet smell of peach blossoms lulling me into a calm slumber.
I came fully awake when I heard the loud yelling of a man followed by thunderous knocks on a door.
"Wake up sleeping beauty! It's been almost a day already...um...we're coming in!" the loud knocking came to an abrupt stop and a group of men dressed in black hanboks flooded into the room I was in.
I blinked the sleep from my eyes, confusion flooding into my brain as I started analyzing the new habitat I was in.
Apparently, I have been sleeping in a very grand room. It was actually the most luxurious room I have seen in my entire life...
There were so many plush chairs and an unnecessarily large number of gilded mirrors hanging from the bright papered walls. There were ornate windows covering the walls and the canopy bed I was sleeping on was so huge that more than 5 people could sleep on it. But the grandest item in the room was the crystal chandelier hanging on the ceiling. I was pretty sure that real diamonds were hanging from it like flowering creepers. Golden roots and gilded roses stood out from every direction, making the chandelier burn like an orb of enchantment.
The room was ridiculously rich. I felt so small, to be in the presence of such luxury.
How I got to be in such an environment was a massive question.
I gave out a sigh and looked at the group of men who looked like they came out of a historical drama. But upon closer inspection, they actually looked like an organized group of assassins. The dark hanboks which they wore resembled the deadly uniform of a samurai. And to further augment the fury of their outfits, they each had a long silver sword strapped onto their leather belts.
Now this made me wake up from my shocked trance.
"Stay away from me! Please please don't kill me...I'm innocent!" I screamed frantically. Their blazing swords and the emotionless look on their faces were terrifying. I had no doubt that they would pounce at me within any second.
"Relax relax! We're not here to kill you! Master Rowoon asked us to look after you and make sure you were safe," the man who stood in the center of the group spoke rather cheerfully. He was obviously the leader.
"But first, we need to move you from our king's bedroom so please come with us."
"Your 'King'? You guys are joking, right? Are you talking about crazy Rowoon? Wait, is this his room? Haha! No no that's not it...I just know..." I giggled while shaking my head.
"Rule no 1: you must never talk to our Master like that. He is above us all and you can never reach him. Rule no 2: you should thank us for saving your ass. Rule no 3: setting a single foot on master Rowoon's chamber will get you killed so I recommend you to quickly leave this room at once. And finally, rule no 4: just try not to cause any trouble cas that would make it hard for us to do our job," the jolly samurai leader finished his speech with a grand bow like a magician who finished showing his tricks at a circus.
"Fuck! So this is Rowoon's bedroom! Why am I here...I thought it was all a dream! Rowoon he killed that guy and he---Kidnapped Me!!!!??" guess my brain finally sorted everything out, causing me to finally lose my sanity.
I jumped out of the bed and tried to make a run for the door. But the bed was too high so I lost my footing, causing me to dramatically fall on the overly expensive marble floor. Plus the tall hanbok knights weren't being any help at all.
"Aww, he's cute! Did you see the way he fell? Now I see why our King likes him," one of the hanbok Knights clapped his hands and peered at me like a giant who's planning on picking up Thumbelina.
"Aww...look at his pout! hehe...he looks like a puppy."
"Hey stop that! Master Rowoon will beat you to a pulp if he hears your sugar-coated comments. For all I know, this boy is our master's property," the hanbok samurai leader slapped the other giggling samurai's face playfully.
What happened next was a speedy blur...or maybe my intoxication wasn't fully cured.
Two of the well-armed samurai men pulled my body out of the floor and escorted me out of the luxurious room. We marched down so many circulating flights of staircases. I couldn't count the number because apparently, the place I was in was more like a palace than a house.
They placed me in another room, a room which was so deluxe as well. But it wasn't on equal terms with the previous room I was in. This room had a medium-sized canopy bed which was covered by red velvet sheets. There was a big red couch in front of the bed and there was a beaded chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Even the beaded chandelier was a deep red. Everything in this room, including the vanity mirror, the bed, the floor, and the lamps were red. Only the curtain was a mixture of white and gold.
Maybe every room in this place had its own theme. Although this room was so beautiful to the mortal eye, I had a different opinion. All the red brought back the terror from last night. The vision of blood and death was still invading my mind and I couldn't run away from it no matter how hard I tried to push those visions away.
I took deep breaths in order to stop myself from having panic attacks. I couldn't stay in this room for much longer.
I tried to open the door of the room so many times but it was locked from the outside and there were two guards guarding it.
I felt like a prisoner trapped inside a cellar by his arch-enemy. But the cellar is similar to a luxury suite in my case.
Not being able to bear the intensity of the room any longer, I headed towards the balcony. I opened the balcony door without any hesitation and my hands grasped onto the railing, supporting me as I leaned in forward to analyze the new environment I was in. From the looks of it, it looked like I was standing in the middle of a peach blossom orchard.
A peach blossom forest spread around the whole mansion, the pink and scarlet blossoms painting a captivating image in the viewer's eyes. Walking underneath the mass of falling petals would make you feel as if you're in a spellbinding curse. And the ghostly light of the moon added an even more eerie charm to the scene. Looking at the waning moon made me realise that I have been sleeping the whole day...which also explained the reason why my body felt so light and unstable. Whatever Rowoon used to intoxicate me was very strong and he shouldn't have done such a shitty thing.
Now, in order to craft my plan of escape, I had to be smart. But how could I ever escape a place that was similar to an adamantine palace which also had hundreds of guards lining up in every corner? Whatever my escape plan was, it would never succeed.
"Urggg how can I run away from this stupid palace?" I whispered to myself.
"I won't let that happen, princess."
I gasped, spinning around as my hands grasped onto the railing behind me so that I would not fall over in shock.
I brought up a hand to my chest in an effort to steady my thumping heart, while my eyes fell upon a stranger leaning against the doorway to the balcony.
He was tall, towering far over myself and his long black night robe swirled around him, making him look more regal.
A familiar seductive smirk played across his lips and the next words he spoke were sultry and smooth.
"Like what you see little rabbit?"
It was Rowoon.