The Night Belongs to the Moon | Taeyong

33 | Heart of Silver

Chapter Warning: Description of Signs of Violence

Taeyong wasted no time to rush back to his chamber. He had left Dal-ae wrapped safe in an artificial environment he had created around her to aid her healing. She was still unconscious when he returned but he heard her heart beat much steadier than before.

Gently and with a lot of care, he carried her in his arms to the bathroom where he lay her on a soft mat next to the window. Doyoung had insisted that Taeyong let the maids take care of cleaning her but he refused outrightly; nobody was allowed to touch Dal-ae anymore.

Her white dress was in pieces from the lashes she had received; Taeyong had to peel the bits of fabric off her skin one by one, the threads clinging onto the open wounds making her bleed onto the floor of the bathroom. It was then he realized why Doyoung wanted someone else to clean her up because the sight sent a shiver up his spine. There were marks of at least a hundred lashes on her back with her front covered in bruises. The skin on her wrists where the manacles had bound her was completely scraped off to her bones and the image of her struggling against them made him shudder.

Steeling himself, Taeyong soaked a small towel into a pot of warm water to wipe her body. His touch was so gentle, so light that if Dal-ae was awake she would have felt as if a soft breeze was caressing her on a pleasant day. He was meticulous and careful; slow and soothing. He didn't want to hurt her anymore, not even by mistake. When he was done with her skin, Taeyong washed her long hair, scrubbing the matted blood out of her locks before tying them up away from her back.

Not wanting to leave her alone in his room again, he dressed her in his own clothes and laid her back on his bed before creating the same artificial environment around her.

The rain outside had settled into a drizzle now and his room had a faint glow of light streaming through the window. Silently, he walked to the centre and closed his eyes to mutter a charm under his breath. From his body rose a white glimmering beam of light which shot up to the ceiling before it burst in all directions forming a dome shield around the chamber. It was the Veil Charm; when casted over an area, nobody could enter nor exit. It was absolutely impenetrable.

𓆩 𓆪

For three days, Taeyong stayed in his chamber with no contact to the outside world. He focused on nothing but healing Dal-ae. He sealed every gash, eased every pain and erased every mark of the horrors she faced in that dungeon.

On the morning of the fourth day, Dal-ae opened her eyes. Taeyong knew she would wake up today. He had removed the artificial enclosure from around her and was waiting by her bedside, a sad smile on his handsome face. His eyes were distant, blank as if there was nothing but hollowness inside him.

'I am sorry,' he said, when her eyes finally met his. He took her hand in his own and a tear rolled down his cheek. He wiped it off and whispered, 'I am sorry... for everything you have been through.'

Without a word, Dal-ae turned her head away from him. She stared at the ceiling of the bed for a long time, blinking slowly at the velvet drapes. Taeyong could only heal her body but that terrible night was still alive in her mind.

'Water,' she said finally but her voice came out so hoarse that Taeyong could not understand. 'Wa-water' she repeated, louder this time with effort.

𓆩 𓆪

Taeyong was never quite the same after those three days. He was quieter and kept to himself. Often times Doyoung found him sitting alone in a dark room, zoned out, unaware of the time or the place. He appeared to be absent from the world, living in a land he had created for himself alone.

The only times he seemed to be present was with Dal-ae, which, in the days that followed, was quite often. The two never spoke about the incident. Dal-ae never told him about that night and Taeyong never brought it up. After she had regained her energy, Taeyong spent most of his time listening to her talk and simply staring at her when she didn't. The two slept in the same bed, woke up together and apart from the time Taeyong had to spend working, he stayed close to her like her shadow, yet there was something that had shifted between them, something that was not quite like before.

On one of the evenings, Dal-ae was sitting on a cushioned chair in Taeyong's chamber, wrapped in a blanket which he had put over her shoulders. She was staring out the open window, watching the sky change colours while Taeyong's eyes were fixed on her long hair flowing in the winter breeze.

'I want to go to the ball with you,' she said.

Taeyong nodded. 'Then we will.'

'Why do you look at me like that?' she said and turned to face him. In the light of the setting sun, Taeyong's pale face glowed radiant but his eyes were sad.

'Remember the time you asked me about my heart?' he said after a pause.

She stared at him.

'I have given it to you already, Dal-ae,' he said, unblinking. 'Can't you see it?' he wanted to ask but didn't.

Dal-ae saw tears form in the corner of his eyes though he did not seem that he was about to cry. There was nothing she wanted to say to him right now so she nodded and turned to stare at the last ray of sun dying in the sky. It was the most beautiful sunset and the most magnificent rise of the moon she had ever witnessed.

𓆩 𓆪

In the tallest cell among the cluster of the North Towers of the Night Mansion, Taeil was sat with eyes closed and back straight in meditation. The only light was of the moon through a small, unreachable window at the top of the dark bricked walls. The smell of blood was fresh in the air owing to the hundred lashes he had received that evening.

He heard a pair of light footsteps against the damp steps, climbing up. Though he had been stripped of his powers, nobody could take the expertise of a senior away.

'Good evening, Dal-ae,' he said before she even emerged from the shadows.

'You truly are a Senior worthy of the title, Senior Taeil,' Dal-ae said.

'If you have come looking for an apology...' he said harshly, 'then let me make it clear that you won't get one from me ever. You may not be the one who killed Sunghyun, but I still don't trust you. You are a traitor, mortal!'

'I see,' she said. 'You still hold onto your prejudices. But did you really think I am stupid enough to expect an apology from a despicable thing like you?'

Taeil shot his eyes open at the sharpness of her tone. She was still standing in the dark.

Dal-ae scoffed and helped ease Taeil's confusion. 'As I said, Senior Taeil, you are quite worthy of your title,' she said, stepping into the moonlight.

A chill ran up his spine when he saw her fierce eyes narrowed at him.

'You are right,' she hissed. 'I am the traitor, here to kill your Lord.'

Author's Notes:

...

Hi :D

Finally, the big revelation and all. How are we feeling?

Did you guys expect Dal-ae to be a traitor or were you suspecting someone else?

Anyway, that's all I'm going to leave you guys with for this week. Let's wait and find what our characters do next :D

Contest Update

With this chapter, the entries for the contest are now closed. A big thank you to everyone who participated. Your entries made my day and I loved reading them so much! <33

However, the winners (yes, plural) will be announced next week with Chapter 34. There are still some revelations left and I don't want to spoil anything xD

Also, I loved one of the entries so much that I have decided to create a special category for them with a prize and everything!

That's it for now.

Have a great weekend and the rest of the week everyone! I will see you all in the next update. Byeee <33