DoHyun was kept behind the bars. She sat on the ground, her eyes void of any emotions.
Her pupils sunken, it was simply unbelievable. How did her plans go from almost successful to this...
What would she do now? What's next? Where had her hope gone?
All these questions came, accompanied by the rush of emotions she should have felt minutes ago.
In the corner, she curled up into a little ball crying. She tried her best, was it truly impossible? What would become of her now?, The mere thought of a stranger touching and having his way with her was terrifying.
She tried to call forth her powers but she couldn't, her mind was restless and her body shuddered with fear.
"Mommy" she called out softly while crying.
What would become of Eiden and the others? Lan couldn't reach them because all the maidens are stuck in the hall, and with guards parading everywhere, it won't be long till they start searching rooms.
DoHyun needed an urgent solution to get them to safety but her mind was a mess.
She just sat there, sobbing quietly.
Hours passed, DoHyun only grew colder although she stopped crying. She made up her mind to burn the man who would come to her.
She would rather suffer the pain of blooming than bed a stranger.
As a flower maiden, when in bloom, there's an abnormal increase in the sexual urge they feel and if not attended to hastily, an excruciating pain follows.
Flower maidens can never bear children, they have wombs yes but their bodies are simply too pure for the formation of a child.
DoHyun had dreamt of having a child to call her own, in order for that to happen, she would have to escape here and make that wish.
She sat there, sulking.
A guard suddenly walked in. He stood facing the bars and this action caught DoHyun's attention.
What now? She thought.
Suddenly, he held the bars and exclaimed "oh wow, it's really made of wood, this is absolutely crazy. I could probably escape this easily".
DoHyun tilted her head at him with furrowed brows, what was he blabbing on about.
He continued, touching the bars "oh wow, I wish you could see this, it's actually made of bamboo sticks tied together and not the normal metal".
This time, DoHyun stood up. Her face perplexed.
The man looked at DoHyun and smacked his forehead, "oh yeah, that's right! Don't be scared kora", he looked left and right, leaned in and said "it's me Gabbie"
Eh??? "G..Gabbie?" She stuttered
The man nodded vigorously while holding the bars.
What was happening now? She believed it must have been Gabbie because first of all, what kind of guard talks in this way and second, Gabbie calls her Kora in a unique way.
But how??, How is Gabbie speaking through the guard? "H..how?"
"Yeah so I just discovered from those books you showed me earlier that I can control people by clouding their mind and emotions, luckily this guy's mind is weak so I was able to control him easily" he explained.
DoHyun couldn't believe her ears and her eyes.
"But this guard.." she inquired.
"I'm not sure but something felt off and you were gone for ages. Three guards used a key and came into your room, we handled them and I used this one to come to you, he had memories of you being dragged out to be locked up"
"Oh.." DoHyun sighed
"What happened though?" He asked.
"I'll explain all I can, do you have the keys?" She spoke hastily for fear of being caught.
"Oh right!" He brought out the keys and opened the door.
Quickly, she stepped out. Observed the area before following him out.
At the entrance, her heart raced at the sight of the two guards at the front. She had been so hasty and now she was standing beside the two of them.
She saw a familiar pair of brown eyes "Eiden?" She called out, unsure.
He grinned.
Derrick by the side also made himself known "I'm here too flame princess" he smiled
Her eyes were mixed with surprise, happiness and hidden relief.
"What are you guys doing here?" She asked
"I told you we'd help you out," said Eiden.
DoHyun couldn't help the smile curling on her lips. She looked behind and the man Gabbie controlled was sitting against the wall unconscious, they had planned everything.
It made DoHyun feel emotional, they were taking risks for her sake.
"The plan is still on right?" Asked Derrick
Oh yeah, she completely forgot. Her face turned serious "no, the Empress discovered our escape route, we'll have to plan something else and fast"
She led them. After successfully dodging the lurking guards, they arrived safely at DoHyun's chambers.
She saw two men, sitting unconscious and tied up, only left in their undergarments.
Gabbie shrugged. She and Jason were seated in the room.
"Gabbie your nose!" DoHyun exclaimed. Her nose was bleeding.
Jason handed her a small piece of cloth, "I told you not to overwhelm yourself, if you had just gone straight to the point instead of admiring bamboo then this won't happen" he scolded
"Yeah thanks dad" Gabbie rolled her eyes.
Now, to business.
"It won't be long before they discover my escape, we need to act fast," said DoHyun.
"What about Miss Li?" Derrick asked
DoHyun exhaled "it will be better to leave Jie Lan out of this".
DoHyun explained why she was locked up and how the Empress' search ruined their original plan.
"Now what?" Jason asked
"We're going to leave through the main entrance," DoHyun responded.
They've got Derrick and Eiden acting as guards, they would just have to be extra careful.
DoHyun prepped her bag again, carrying extra books and magical potions. If she needed to break hell loose to leave the garden then that's exactly what she would do.
In less than five minutes, they were set and ready to go.