Her Poison His cure: Behind The Mask

The palace prison was heavily guarded with royal guards and prison guards. Everywhere looks isolated as there aren’t any single souls in sight except for the guards. They were clad in some kind of uniform and armed with their weapon standing at alert as if searching for a prey to fall in their trap.

The king is seen marching toward the palace prison with the crown prince beside him. All the guards bowed their heads at the sight of them. The head royal guards immediately rushed forward to meet them. He bowed when he reached the king’s front.

“Your majesty” He greeted courteously.

The king nodded acknowledging his greetings.

“Everything is fine right?” He inquired, his eyes scrolling around.

“Yes Your majesty”

The king nodded. He walked further into the entrance and entered the prison with the crown prince trailing behind him.

Everywhere looked darkened inside if not for the fire placed at the entrance of the door that lightened the entrance a bit. One could have stumbled if not careful. The crown prince took a firewood lighter and followed the king leading the way with the lights.

All the cells they come across are empty but one could certainly tell that there have been people there before because of the blood and mistiness in each cell and of course the smell coming from the cell.

They walked until they reached the end of the cell where there isn’t anything except for a wall indicating that they have reached the last cell.

“Father” The crown prince called.

“I didn’t see anyone on our way coming here. Where is the monster? All I know is that there’s a monster in here according to you but I haven’t seen it before.” He asked curiously.

He was expecting to see a huge animal or anything that defines the monster but the place is empty without a single being in view.

The king chuckled.

“Have a patient son. Of course you can’t see it yet. I won’t be careless enough to let such a dangerous animal be seen by people easily” The king replied huskily.

“You will see him soon,” he added, facing the wall and walking down the left side of the wall with his hand placed on the wall as if searching for something.

“Him? I thought it was an animal” He asked

The king laughed lightly without replying and continued what he was doing.

The crown prince nodded in understanding and awaited what magic his father was about to perform, following behind him quietly.

Suddenly the king stopped and removed his hand from the wall. He gestured for the crown prince to bring the light closer. He immediately rushed forward and pointed the light to the wall. To his utter surprise a heavy metal door came to his face.

“Surprised?”

The king asked, pride colored his tone.

The crown prince blinked his eyes several times, his mouth slightly open.

“One would have found it hard to believe if they were told that there is a door here,” He said in utter surprise.

“Of course you are right and this is the best solution to keep the monster under control. If not only heaven knows how much havoc he would cause on the earth”

The king said and opened the big padlock that was used to lock the door with a key that was hung on the wall

The door snapped open making a cricket sound. With that being accomplished he entered followed by the crown prince.

They stroll down the place with the king lurking eyes roaming around the place searching for his prey until his eyes land on a young boy curled up like a cat at the corner of the cell.

The boy looked to be around Nineteen year old. His clothes were torn in several places and soaked in frigid water. At the top of the place he curled up at is a very tiny hole. The water is coming from the hole and at each drop on his body the boy whimpers in pain and shakes as if hot water is being poured on him. There were several wounds on his body, both old and fresh scars were imprinted on his skin.

There wasn’t a ray of sunlight coming in and everywhere was dark, if not for the light that was with the crown prince which erased the darkness.

The crown prince’s mouth dropped open in shock, confusion and pity as he saw the boy where he curled at. To his surprise his father moved closer to him and used a thorned whip that was placed beside the boy to whip him, for him to know there’s someone in the room since he is closing his eyes.

The little boy cried out in pain at the impact of the whip on his body. He opened his eyes slowly, but closed it back immediately because of the light in the room. He wasn’t expecting the light since he was already used to darkness.

The king whipped him again for him to open his eyes. The crown prince shuddered in pain as if he was the one being whipped.

The boy opened his eyes fully after it had adjusted to brightness in the room and a red eyes surface. No! not red, they had the color of flames or the lava from a volcano. Such eyes were rare or maybe even not seen by people before.

The little boy tried sitting up but fell back immediately as a bone in his body made a cracked sound, indicating that the muscle in his body must be weak due to lack of circulation of blood since he has been imprisoned in the same place for a very long time unable to move around not even in the room.

The king picked a long stick from where he picked the whip earlier.

“A monster like you deserves no mercy, but since this is necessary. I guess I am left with no choice but to help you. Used this to stand up” he said and threw the stick at him.

The boy without wasting time picked the stick up with his trembling hand and tried standing up. It was still not easy to stand up with the help of the stick but he tried bearing the pain. More bones in his body started making crackling sounds as he stood. He groaned in pain as it got to the level that the pain was becoming unbearable from the water dripping on him and the crown prince was moved to help him. He rushed forward to help but the king’s hand on his own stopped him. He turned back to his father.

“Let him stand up on his own. We have offered him enough help with the stick” He said his face was void of mercy or sympathy.

“But father the pain he is__”

“I said don’t help him!”

The king thunderous in anger leaving the crown prince with no choice but retard his step back.

“A monster will always be a monster. what if you moved closer and he tried to harm you” he added.

The crown prince eyebrows furrowed “Father he is just a little boy”

The king chuckled

“Little boy you say. Don’t be decisive by look or else you might fall a victim of this kind of people’s wrath” The king replied pointing at the boy where he is still trying his best to stand.

The crown prince frown deepened, he sighed deeply and squinted his eyes looking at the boy.

“No matter how evil he might be. I don’t think he deserved all this maltreatment and what’s that water that’s dripping on him” he asked rhetorically but the king answered anyway.

“That the thing that kept him under control, without those water he would have broken free from here. He doesn’t deserve to be treated as a human because he will always be a bloody monster. You won’t understand even if I tried explaining to you”

“Father___”

“We will end this matter here. As you can see, he is already as good as dead because there’s no way he can have a child without thinking of an heir to succeed his monastery sides” he said, leaving no room for argument.

“Heir? What did he mean by that” The prince wondered mentally.

By the time they are done with their argument. The boy had managed to stand on his own.

“Ahjussi”

The boy called weakly referring to the crown prince, pain lace in his voice.

“How dare you call him ahjussi! That’s my son. The future king of this country”

He shouted and the boy quickly bowed his head courteously.

“Forgive me my king”

“I am not your king, and will never be. I am only a king to my people. Don’t you ever use that Stinky mouth of yours to call me your king again. I can’t be a king to a monster who causes my people nothing but pain” he shouted.

The little boy lowered his gaze down and whimpered in pain by the words.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“You are a monster, always remember that” The king added hatred clouding his face.

After a few seconds of silence the boy raised his gaze up steadily.

“I didn’t ask to be born like this!” he shouted.

The king drew back in surprise. He knew the boy to always be silent no matter what he called him but seeing him like this. He knew he already crossed the line.

“I am not born to ruin havoc on the world as you claimed. I am not a monster!. I am just different from you. This is not my choice I just found myself like. I also want to be born like a normal human being. Do not try to discriminate against me! You should at least fear the heavens!”

He ranted angrily, pouring all his frustration and pain into the words.

“I am not born for any of you to maltreat.” he snivels, dropping the cane offered to him..

Guilty flashed through the king’s eyes, but it was gone in a second. He stormed out without sparing him a glance.

The crown prince inhaled deeply and shook his head in pity before going after his father. The little boy stumped down in a loud thud and began crying.

“Is it my fault that I was born like this?” He whispered to himself and continued crying.