.eighteen.
Minji cried out in a high pitched scream and jumped in fear when the stick she was holding was easily knocked out of her hands by one of the attackers. Now the two teenagers were surrounded and had no way of defending themselves against them. The attackers flung themselves at the two, attempting to hurt them and Jung used himself to shield Minji from receiving any injuries. With weapons of their own, they hit him without mercy until both dropped to the ground with Jung still covering Minji. "Are you okay, Jung oppa?" Minji asked her husband-to-be with worry.
He winced in pain, as a wooden stick collided with his shoulder, but was quick to reassure her. "Don't worry, Hak Soon-ah. I'll protect you."
Hajin watched from in between the bamboo trees until she saw another stick on the ground, instantly considering the same idea that Minji had. She picked it up, her hands closing around it tightly, and was about to run into the clearing to join the two teenagers when she felt a hand on her shoulder holding her back. She turned her head slowly in fear but was comforted when she saw someone familiar. The eighth prince stood behind her with Chaeryung by his side. "Stay here, I'll deal with them." He instructed firmly and though Hajin wanted to protest, she was held back by her house servant who grabbed a hold of her arm gently.
While the men continued their assault on Wang Jung, his older brother Wook stepped out into plain sight and fought against them to divert their attention away from his younger brother. The men tried to gang up on him, trying to surround him and intimidate him, but he was stronger and faster than them.
As a prince he had trained in martial arts for a long time, like most of his brothers, and he knew well how to fight. He had managed to take out all of the attackers without even getting winded until there was only one standing--their leader who shot him a taunting grin. It was clear that he had a trick up his sleeve. "Its not wise to be overconfident, your majesty." He said to the eighth prince. Somewhere off to the side, Minji and Jung were on the ground. The fourteenth prince was battered and beat up, was barely able to move, but he wouldn't let go of her. He was willing to put his life on the line for her if necessary.
From the surrounding trees, more men appeared, about twenty more of them. Each of them was armed with sticks and other weapons. Hajin gasped by Chaeryung's side. She knew there was no way he would be able to take them all out on his own.
But he didn't have to.
From behind the two girls came someone else. A prince dressed in black from head to toe, and a mask that concealed half of his face. As he entered the clearing as well, he said with a smirk. "You are right about that." He said, agreeing with what the man had said to Wook about being overconfident. He was riding his horse and looked down on them with a menacing expression on his face. It didn't take much for him to intimidate everyone there.
The other men in the clearing whispered in fear about him. The wolf-dog, they called him and they all wouldn't look him in the eyes. They were too afraid because they had heard the stories. He had once taken out an entire den of wolves and burned down a whole mountain. He never hesitated to kill anyone who stood in his way, and they didn't want to suffer the same fate.
"Even after seeing me, you choose to stay?" He questioned them, a deadly serious tone in his voice.
It served to send a chill down their spines.
They didn't think about it too long and they all scurried off like rats within seconds, leaving their leader alone once again. He shot the princes a glare, swore that this wasn't the last they'd be seeing of him, and walked off, leaving them finally alone.
Wook hurried to his younger brother's side and helped him back on his feet. He wrapped an arm around him for support. "Are you hurt, Jung-ah?" He asked, noticing the way Jung could barely even stand up.
