He blinked at the cuffs, wide-eyed before he urgently tuned back to the guards, "I didn't----His Highness was th—"
"We found the crown prince!" They all heard in the distance. Other royal guards had emerged from the treeline carrying an unconscious Yoo Joonghyuk in their arms.
"Joonghyuk!" Dokja cried as he tried to ran to his side, but he was roughly held back by two guards.
"We fear that you can't, Sir Dokja.," Lee Hyunsung had been the one to speak, looking at him with a steely gaze.
"Why not?!"
"Sir Dokja...you made an attempt on His Highness's life, we won't allow you to get another opportunity to do so," the knight replied, a hint of skepticism creeping in his voice.
"I can't, I didn't—"
"Please tell that to the judge" Hyunsung silenced him as the guards hauled him away. Dokja cast one last desperate glance back to Joonghyuk.
"Kim….Dokja," the prince mouthed in his sleep.
-------
The royal guards on either side of him dragged him across the plaza in the capital, nobility and citizens alike gathering around to stare. He kept his eyes forward, deafening out their whispers. At least in this world there weren't any cameras to blind him, he thought bitterly.
"Kim Dokja!" He turned to see where the frantic voice had come from and saw Han Sooyoung and his family looking on at him, their faces all pinched in worry. Seeing the few people that genuinely cared about him amongst the gossiping crowd made him smile a bit. He gave them a confident nod, trying to convey to them that he was alright. But the royal guard pushed him to walk faster, and he gave them one last look before looking forward again.
-----
Dokja stumbled to the ground as the guards pushed him roughly into the cell. They locked the door behind him and walked away with a sneer, muttering curses at him as they assumed their positions outside the dungeon entrance. He sat down on the chilly floor and leaned against the wall as he stared aimlessly into space. He was sure Joonghyuk would be okay, now that he was back at the castle Lee Seolhwa would be able to take care of the poison in no time.
But now left with nothing but his thoughts, he pondered that attack the assassins had launched against them.The timing was too perfect, how the assassins had trapped them right after they left the village, and how fast the guards had found the prince after the attack had already happened. The assassins most likely already knew they were residing in the village and were just waiting for them to leave so they could get the drop on them.
As for the royal guards… Yoo Joonghyuk had suspected that the archduke was behind all this. If that was true, the archduke probably would have some sway over the royal guards. There could've been a plant inside the search party who was in league with the archduke and working together with the assassins. They would've known the two men were residing in the village from the assassins and could've influenced the royal guard to avoid it until Joonghyuk and Dokja left. Only after the assassins had disposed of the prince would the plant lead the guards to their location, With Kim Dokja looking like the guilty party.
Dokja's fingers inched toward what he'd hidden inside his shirt pocket when footsteps rang from outside his stone cell. He lowered his hand quickly and craned his neck to see who was approaching him, only to be filled with relief as his mother and father entered his vision.
"My Dear?" the duchess called out to him, her voice strained as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. He stood up and placed his hands on the prison bars, leaning towards them with his whole body.
"Mother…" He spoke softly.
Persephone placed her hands over his, "My dear child..." she whispered out, like if she talked any louder, he'd break. The duke wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and reached through the bars to put a comforting hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to ensure you'll be proven innocent." The duke's tone turned dark.
"Even if His Highness dares to try to make you a criminal, we wil—,"
"No!" Dokja rushed to correct his father, "He's not the one who did this, he was with me the whole time. Neither of us are guilty of anything!"
"Are you sure?" Hades asked, his tone making it apparent he was not convinced.
"Yes, the rumor that I pushed him off the cliff is untrue; we both tumbled off the cliff after he saved me from an attack," he replied, nodding. His parents looked at each other, their faces unsure of the truth, but terrified all the same at the prospect. "Please believe me, I'll unveil the truth to both you and the court," their son pleaded.
The duchess bit her lip, contemplating his words, but then looked into his eyes, "Fine...but if anything happens, don't forget that we're here for you. " She put a hand on her husband's back, "As much as we want to stay, our time here with you is limited, so please."
He nodded, "I will, mother don't worry about me," Dokja tried easing her worries as his parents were led away by the royal guards. He gave them a confident smile and nodded as they glanced over their shoulder once more before stepping out of the dungeon. As soon as everyone left the room, his smile vanished, and his face went blank. His hands reached down his shirt and pulled out the letters and pendant where he'd hidden them away.
"This is the only option."
-----
Next Day
"Announcing the entry of Kim Dokja of the Underworld Duchy"
The doors opened to the grand council hall of the palace. Walking through the entrance, the stares of all manner of nobles blanketed over him like a net, making him tense up subtly. Noticing the emblem of a marquis that he recognized, he couldn't help but smirk. He then looked at who was present to represent it, he saw two men.
Based on the attire that they wore, Dokja recognized one of them as the archduke, making the other man Marquis Choi of the Choi family.While Dokja had never personally encountered the marquis before, Han Sooyoung had regaled him with plenty of rants about how he had been trying to haggle the Han Marquis for their gold mines.
The methods he tried employing were apparently pretty underhanded, from attempted bribery and blackmailing to straight up threats of murder. Scrutinizing the room further, he found the Underworld Duchy's emblem on the front of a podium, and there stood the Duke, the Duchess and Namwoon, while Sooyoung, the kids, Sangah, Seolhwa and Jiwon were sitting on the benches behind them.
The guards guided him to stand before the judge's raised bench. After a moment, the judge formally announced.
"His Majesty, the emperor will be absent for the trial and His Highness, the crown prince, is not currently in a state to be able to attend this trial. Therefore, the trial will be overseen by the secretary of the ministry of justice, please raise your hand if you oppose this decision."
When no one objected, the judge continued, "We stand in this courtroom today for the trial of Kim Dokja, who has been alleged to attempt to murder His Highness during the hunting competition, the accusers being the royal guards who have accompanied Prince Joonghyuk that day."
"We will start with the witness' testimony now, Royal Guard Captain Inho. Please step forward."
"Yes, your honor" He went up to the witness stand.
"Do you solemnly swear that as a Soeul Empire citizen you will only speak the truth and only the truth for the trial"
"Yes, Your Honor "Inho replied, sitting down when the judge gestured him to. Dokja observed Inho's appearance,noting that some of his body parts were bandaged, though obscured under his clothes. The captain started telling his recollection of events.
"Before the hunting competition, His Highness, The Crown Prince ordered us to patrol the hunting grounds to protect the nobles in case of trouble. In the middle of the tournament, my men and I stumbled in the middle of His Highness and Sir Dokja, dueling against each other towards the northern end of the hunting grounds. When my men and I tried to intervene, the prince ordered us to not interfere in their duel, so we stood to the side, making sure neither of them would get gravely injured. But when His Highness was caught off guard, Sir Dokja took the opportunity to corner him to the cliff face and pushed him off. Though we attempted to save His Highness, Sir Dokja drew his sword against us and fought back." Inho told the court solemnly.
"How dare he try to kill, His highness"
"He's heartless,"
"He should be in jail"
Dokja said nothing and kept quiet like a mouse. On the other hand, Heewon wanted to cut off the nobles' tongues for speaking ill of her young master, and Sooyoung was glaring daggers at Inho.
Captain Inho continued, his face morphed into a pained expression and his voice regretful, "Unfortunately, us knights were overwhelmed by Sir Dokja's swordsmanship. The next time I opened my eyes, it was already midnight and the archduke's knights found us." Dokja wanted to roll his eyes. This story was somehow worse than some of Han Sooyoung's romance subplots.
In a dramatic show, the Archduke slammed his fist down on his podium and looked over at Hades."I didn't want to say this but Duke Hades, this really the child you raised? For him to cast such a shameful image on your—"
The Duchess interrupted him, her voice cold in contrast to the pleasant smile she wore, "Archduke, I suggest you shut your mouth, lest you want to face the wrath of a parent. With how your own daughter turned out, I'm confident in saying you have no idea how far a true parent will go to defend their child. You know nothing."
The judge reprimanded the Duchess, "Your Grace, please do not threaten the court members again or we will be forced to remove you from the courtroom." The duchess sat down with grace; her face so poised that no one would think she uttered such words just moments before. Next to her, Yoosung and Gilyeong were baring their teeth at the Archduke. The adults around them had explained to the kids what was going on to the best of their ability.
While they were still confused about what was happening, the children refused to allow anyone to speak about their guardian that way.
Hades raised his hand, "Your Honor, may I now question the witness?" With a nod, the judge gave him permission. The duke walked up to the podium at the front and stared hard at the captain."Captain Inho, you claim that His Highness ordered you to go to the forest when the hunting competition started,correct?"
Inho scowled as he stared at the duke and then nodded, "That's right."
"Then why did no one inform us of this? Not one year over the past decades that this tournament has been held were there guards put in place to patrol around the hunting grounds," Dokja noticed how Inho recoiled in his seat a little, his shoulders tense.
"Well, t-that's..." Inho said, attempting to come up with an explanation. "Duke Hades, we all know that His Highness is a very secretive person and— with all due respect to His Highness— tends to take actions on his own without considering the people around him, so—," Captain Inho uttered his words with a strained smile, his face becoming shiny as he started sweating bullets.
The duke shook his head, unsatisfied with his explanation."While I'm sure we are all aware of the royal prince's… unruly disposition, such an order has the potential for exploitation by His Highness. He could've easily told his men to assist him in the tournament. Yet, the event coordinators, the audience, the participants… even if the prince didn't notify them of this change himself, why didn't your knights mention this major decision to anyone?"
When Inho was about to cut into his speech, Hades interrupted him to continue talking, " But since you brought up the problem of the prince's attitude, we all know that such an order is out of character for him. This is a gathering of the most powerful nobles in the country. 'If they think they're powerful enough to compete against him in a tournament, they should be able to defend themselves should trouble come.' That would be the prince's actual logic,don't you think, Captain Ilhun?"
Dokja could feel the corners of his mouth curling up, and the nobles around the courtroom started whispering to each other, now doubting the captain's words.
Everyone turned to look at the duchess when she rose up, "Shall we ask His Highness's Personal Guard about this supposed order then?"
"T-thats..."
The judge interrupted the captain's sputtering to call Lee Hyunsung forward, the knight looking a bit puzzled about what had been stated in the court so far."Sir Hyunsung, promise that you will say only the truth and nothing more," the judge continued.
Captain Inho, The Archduke, and the Marquis Choi all grimaced, their faces hands clenched when the knight nodded and agreed. Hyunsung took the captain's spot on the bench."Then, Sir Hyunsung, did His Highness mention anything about this order to you?" the judge questioned, making everyone in the room hold their breath while they awaited his response.
"No, His Highness never said anything about this topic to me, Your Honor, this is the first time I heard any mention about such an order being given out," Knight Hyunsung held. "Usually if the prince needs anything done, he relies on us, his personal guard, to carry out his needs, rather than the general knights of the royal palace. Though I can't speak for His Highness, I must agree with Duke Hades that this is unusual for him to do…"
The Duchess grinned at the Archduke who was fuming at the knight. Biting his tongue anxiously, he tried to reign in his composure.
The judge turned to face Dokja and stated, "Sir Dokja, you may now proceed to give your testimony." Dokja nodded and replaced Hyunsung on the stand after giving his oath. The room fell dead silent once more as everyone stared at him.
Dokja took a small breath then began explaining, " Everything that Sir Inho has said up to this point is not true at all.Rather than the prince and I getting into a fight, he saved me from a wolf that attacked me." The nobles were shocked by Sir Dokja's claim; why in the world would Prince Joonghyuk save Sir Dokja of all people? They had been under the impression that the two couldn't be in the same room without killing each other. Even during the opening ceremony, the prince was staring at him with what they were sure was malice.
"As he was helping me up, suddenly assassins emerged and attacked us. At first, they only targeted His Highness.But when they noticed me, they turned their blades on me as well, wanting to get rid of any witnesses to their crime."
"An assassination attempt?"
"Is what Sir Dokja said accurate?"
"The prince should've let him be mauled by the wolf."
Whoever said that last comment immediately regretted their words as the full unit of the Underworld duchy turned to them in unison with murderous glares.As nobles' whispers began to deafen the room, the judge had to order the room to quiet down before Dokja could continue.
"They had us both cornered on a cliff edge, outnumbered. Seeing a large river below it, we knew that the only way we'd be able to escape would be to jump off, " The duchess took in a sharp inhale and began scanning his body for any major injuries.
"That's a lie," Inho gritted out as he slammed his palms against the table.
Dokja gave him a sly and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Oh? Sir Hyunsung is His Highness' most trusted knight and yet he has no knowledge of the order you claim you and your men were given. Your words aren't any more credible than mine."
"You… the audacity…" he growled out.
"Shut your mouth, I'm still not done speaking," he cut in, wearing a smile that resembled the Duchess' own. Off to the side, Persephone grinned at him proudly."After we dove from the cliff, we found shelter in a cave and spent days on end trying to navigate our way back to the capital. After days of relentless search, we came across a village in the forest and spent our time there recouping energy and preparing a route back to the castle, hiding our identities all the while. But after we left the village, assassins attacked us once more, and we were split up. In my rush to get help for the prince, I met the royal guards and was apprehended," he finished. He made sure not to mention the vines that appeared in the forest, but had Inho mentioned them, it would've been different.
The archduke scoffed at his story, "You really expect us to believe that not only had his Highness saved you from being mauled, but you two had been able to cooperate with each other to defend yourselves against assassins and survive the forest for days on end even though we all know you two have been at each other's throats for years? The prince is my grandson, and I know he'd rather abandon you to die before working with you" he drawled out, an infuriating smirk on his face.
"The Archduke has a point...."
"That's very suspicious indeed"
Dokja bit his bottom lip as he realized the court wouldn't believe his story. He could tell them that he had already apologized to the prince and had worked to correct himself, but they'd just say that it was an attempt to get closer to Joonghyuk to backstab him. Even if he had his family as witness to his change, the archduke would just say they were only vouching for him to help him escape punishment. Right now, there was only one thing he could think to say that could help him.
"The rumors about the prince and I aren't accurate. The public has misconstrued our actions as hatred for each other because.... because...." He hesitated, "His Highness and I are..." Dokja just knew that Joonghyuk would kill him for this, but it was either this or capital punishment "We were… ex-lovers... our lingering feelings are why we're so bitter to each other in public. But it's also why he saved me from the wolf." He felt like his tongue was burning from lying.
As the nobles present went into an uproar, he heard something breaking. Looking up, Dokja saw that his father had completely broken a table in half, its splintered remnants laying sadly on the floor as the duke stood over at it and stared at him in horror.
"KIM DOKJA!" He howled out, betrayed that his son didn't tell him, and distraught that he'd been in a relationship with that self-absorbed brat of the royal palace.
"Duke Hades, please remember this is a courtroom."
"Sir Dokja and His Highness were once lovers?"
"Is that accurate?"
"Did I just hear that right?"
"Yes, that's right, I, Kim Dokja from the underworld duchy, admit that His Highness, the crown prince of the Seoul Empire was once my lover," he said with a smirk. However, in his heart, he was apologizing to Joonghyuk, knowing he would kill him if he found out. The duchess lowered her head into her hands, feeling a headache coming one. She would have words for her son after this.
Someone slammed their table, drawing everyone's attention. "How are we to be sure that you are not lying," the archduke grilled him.
"W-wait, I have something to say!" Lady Jiwon yelled as she stood up with her hand raised, appearing uncertain about something, Dokja cocked his head in her direction, "Lady Jiwon?"
"Lady Jiwon, I know you are furious with Sir Dokja, but this is a courtroom" the judge reminded her.
Lady Jiwon shook her head, "No, Your Honor, that's not what this is about" She then turned to face Sir Dokja,
"Actually... I'm a witness...I can prove that Sir Dokja isn't lying."
"What did she see?"
"Witness to what?"
The judge then sighed telling her to take the oath, to which she did."I promise...but before I say this...Sir Dokja, I'm sorry." Dokja frowned at her, not knowing what she was referring to. Lady Jiwon took a deep breath. "I saw His Highness and Sir Dokja… engaging with each other romantically, the night the last banquet was being held."
Everyone in the court let out a hushed gasp at that, even Dokja's mind had temporarily checked out after he processed her words.
"Sir Dokja and His Highness."
"I had no idea that..."
"Oh, my gosh."
Everyone witnessed as Sir Dokja slowly blinked out of his daze stupor, taking on a panicked look as he shouted, "You were there?!" At this point, Hades was no longer paying attention to the trial, his countenance faint as he started swaying in the face of the revelations. Kim Namwoon and Persephone had to help support him, ushering him to sit down. To the side Jung Heewon was gaping at her young master, similarly not believing what was being said.
Sooyoung recalled the day following the banquet and how she saw Dokja's body; the pieces finally fit themselves together in her mind. She slapped her hands on the table and exclaimed, "I can be a witness too!" drawing everyone's attention.
"The day after the banquet, I saw his body and there were... bite marks, handprints, and hickeys all over his whole body."
"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed, but the duchess' shout was heard over the rest as she looked like she was going to go murder the royal prince herself at that rate. Kim Namwoon requested Jung Heewon to go get a glass of water for both his parents. To the side, Yoo Sangah was covering the children's ears, looking tired as they looked around, confused about what everyone was freaking out about.
Dokja, feeling faint from how his friends had just outed him in front of all the nobility, despite it helping his case, shook his head and looked at the judge.
"Your Honor, with the archduke's concerns addressed, can we return to the main topic?" he asked, his tone edging on pleading.
"…Yes, we shall," the judge replied after a few blinks, dumbfounded at the state the courtroom had devolved into.