The sun was setting as Ji-Hoon approached the gates of the palace, the sky painted in hues of orange and crimson. The grand walls, once symbols of his sheltered life, now loomed ominously before him. He could feel the eyes of the guards on him, their surprise barely concealed as they recognized the figure striding towards them.
Ji-Hoon was no longer the overweight, spoiled prince who had been taken away. His clothes hung loosely on his now lean frame, his features sharp and hardened by the ordeal he had endured. The once soft, naïve expression in his eyes had been replaced by something cold, something fierce. There was no trace of the carefree boy who had left the palace months ago.
As he approached the gates, the guards hesitated. They were unsure whether to let him in, their eyes wide with shock. Ji-Hoon felt a surge of anger rise within him. Did they think he was some stranger, some imposter? Did they not recognize their own prince?
Without a word, Ji-Hoon pushed past them, his gaze fixed on the grand doors of the palace. The guards, too stunned to react, simply let him pass, exchanging nervous glances. Word of his return would spread quickly, he knew, and soon everyone would know that the prince had come back.
But this was not the return of a hero, not the triumphant homecoming of a beloved son. Ji-Hoon walked with purpose, his steps heavy with the weight of his resolve. His anger simmered just beneath the surface, threatening to boil over at any moment.
The palace was just as he remembered it—lavish, opulent, every corner adorned with symbols of wealth and power. But now, it all felt hollow, empty. The luxury that had once surrounded him now seemed like a mockery of the suffering he had endured.
Servants gasped as he walked past, their eyes wide with disbelief. Some whispered amongst themselves, others hurried away, too afraid to meet his gaze. But Ji-Hoon paid them no mind. He had only one destination in mind.
The throne room.
The heavy doors to the throne room loomed ahead, and Ji-Hoon could already feel the anticipation building. He would see his father again, but this time, he would not be the obedient, naive son who had once cowered before him. He would be something else entirely—something his father had created but could never control.
The doors swung open, revealing the grand hall beyond. At the far end, seated on the throne, was his father. The king's face, once stern and imposing, now registered a flicker of surprise as Ji-Hoon stepped into the room. For a moment, there was silence, the air thick with tension.
Ji-Hoon could see the council members and nobles gathered in the hall, their eyes widening in shock as they took in his changed appearance. He relished their reactions, the whispers that broke out as they struggled to reconcile the image of the gaunt, hardened figure before them with the prince they had known.
But his focus was on the king.
"Father," Ji-Hoon's voice was low, almost a growl, as he addressed the man who had once held all his trust, all his respect. "I have returned."
The king's eyes narrowed, his surprise quickly masked by a stern expression. "So it seems," he replied coolly, though Ji-Hoon could sense the underlying tension in his voice. "You look… different."
Ji-Hoon's lips curled into a humorless smile. "Yes. You could say I've changed."
The king rose from his throne, his gaze never leaving Ji-Hoon's. "And what do you expect, Ji-Hoon? A warm welcome? A celebration of your return?"
Ji-Hoon's eyes flashed with anger. "What I expect, Father, is an explanation."
"An explanation?" The king's voice was cold, dismissive. "You were weak, Ji-Hoon. Unfit to be a prince, unfit to rule. What I did was necessary. You should thank me for it."
"Thank you?" Ji-Hoon's voice shook with barely contained fury. "You betrayed me! You sent me to hell, broke me, and for what? To mold me into something you could use?"
The king stepped forward, his expression hardening. "To mold you into something better, something stronger. Look at yourself, Ji-Hoon. Do you think you could have achieved this without being pushed to your limits?"
Ji-Hoon's fists clenched at his sides. The anger, the pain, the betrayal—it all came crashing down on him in that moment. "You didn't do this to make me stronger. You did it to control me, to bend me to your will."
For a moment, the king said nothing, his eyes locked with Ji-Hoon's. Then, slowly, a cruel smile spread across his face. "And it worked, didn't it?"
Ji-Hoon's heart pounded in his chest, his vision blurring with rage. This man, this tyrant, who had once been his father, had no remorse, no regret for what he had done. He saw it all as a necessary means to an end, as if Ji-Hoon's suffering meant nothing in the grand scheme of his ambitions.
The room was silent, the tension so thick it was suffocating. The nobles and council members watched, wide-eyed, too afraid to intervene, too shocked to speak. They had never seen the prince like this—so hardened, so furious, so… broken.
But Ji-Hoon was not broken. Not anymore. He had been reforged, remade in the crucible of his suffering, and now, standing before the man who had betrayed him, he knew what he had to do.
He would not be the tool his father wanted him to be. He would not be the obedient son who bent to his father's will. Ji-Hoon had his own will, his own desires, and his own purpose now.
And it started with taking down the man who had tried to destroy him.
Without another word, Ji-Hoon turned on his heel and walked out of the throne room, leaving behind the stunned silence of the court. The time for confrontation would come, but not here, not now. He needed to plan, to gather his strength, to ensure that when he struck, it would be with precision and finality.
His father may have created this new version of him, but Ji-Hoon would be the one to determine what it became. And he would make sure his father paid for every moment of agony, every tear, and every drop of blood he had spilled.
The prince was no longer a mere pawn in the king's game. He was something far more dangerous.
And his father had just made a powerful enemy.
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To be continued...