"I close my eyes and suddenly, the whole world drops dead. I wish this happened when I was awake, my inner turmoil wouldn't have killed me."

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[Y/N POV]

A sharp pain hit my head as my brows ceased and I slowly fluttered open my eyes, only to find myself encapsulated in a strange place. Everything was dark for a while and steadily, my blurred vision cleared to give me a spectacular view of an alien land- a place that seemed buried deep inside the pages of history. I stood on a land full of grass, the surroundings filled with greenery, the musky aroma of the wet mud hitting my nostrils, a huge waterfall flowed majestically just beside me, and blue butterflies could be spotted at every hook and cranny. Does a place like this exist in reality? Am I dreaming?

The last thing I remember was that I was caught up in that dark dungeon with Jungkook... Speaking of him, he took the bullet for me and collapsed, my body was turning transparent at that moment. My throat hitched with pain as pinpricks hit it, remembering he got injured because of me. Did he survive? Did I survive?

Where is Jungkook?!

Where am I?!

My mind swirled with a bazillion questions until I horrifyingly looked at my hands, my body was still pale and translucent. I took small steps towards the huge waterfall, cold water rippling horizontally down on a huge rock making the water appear like a natural mirror. My hands couldn't help but touch the cold and chilly water as I watched my reflection. I wore a pearly white silk gown, my hair left open till my midriff, the timer was no longer etched on my neck, my skin appeared as pale as ever and my body translucent, as if it's fading slowly. A blue butterfly passed through me touching my hand which passed straightway through the water.

My eyes widened in horror as I gazed at my reflection, I'm more or less like a ghost!

What's happening with me? Why am I here?!

Just as I was about to hit an anxiety attack because of the sudden twist in the events, a voice caught my attention.

"It's beautiful!" Someone exclaimed with joy. I turned around only to see a woman's back clad in an outdated royal outfit, her hair tied up with glass jewelry, the blue and white silk hanbok she wore screamed royalty. She was happily enjoying the view.

Certainly, she appeared to be a princess just by looking at her from behind her back. The most mind-boggling part was her entire body surrounded by blue butterflies as if she were the most beautiful flower, which would give the sweetest nectar.

And then she turned.

My mind was blown away as he slowly walked towards my direction, a graceful smile plastered on her ever so gorgeous face, the butterflies following her every move.

She looked exactly like me- a version of me I never knew, can exist.

Her aura screamed royalty, I touched face but she obviously, didn't feel anything, I was invisible to her. She happily smiled and ran through to me towards another person, whom I failed to notice was here too.

I turned around, only to find the man I was crazily searching for.

Jungkook.

But why is he dressed in historical clothing?!

"Did you like this place, your highness?" He asked in an ever so soft honey tone, to which the woman, who apparently looked like me nodded and gave him a toothy smile. The blue butterflies which were following with her like moths attracted to light, settled on her arms and nape.

Jungkook, no, this man who looked like Jungkook, took calculated steps towards her and then pulled out the sword securely placed around his waist. By the looks of it, he too appeared like some prince, he was clad in luxurious silk clothing and rare jade and gems from top to bottom.

This is the same sword everyone is crazily searching for! The sword of Hwang In Ha!

Did I, perhaps, travel back in time?

Just as I was horrifyingly looking here and there, trying to engulf the situations, the man gave the sword of her and continued speaking, "How can you roam around without your most treasured weapon, your highness?" He taunted, wiggling his brows and she chuckled taking the sword from his hands.

"Congratulations on becoming the queen of this empire! " He smiled happily.

"Thank you, Haewon." She replied back and took out the sword from this case, the metal dazzling due to its sharp blade. A tinge of sadness was visible in her dark brown orbs as she held the sword, her expression didn't go unnoticed by the male.

He was aware of her ordeal, being her closest friend and the son of the man who served her father for his entire life, he had been the person who had been with her since she was a kid. The sudden death of the king of the nation due to heart failure, left the kingdom into shackles. The queen left to the final abode in her early life and Hwang In Ha was the only daughter amongst her three younger brothers. Her loneliness amongst all the responsibilities as a royal blood, made the two of them the best of friends ever. She majestically took over the throne amidst the crisis, rebellions and a large amount of people, against a woman being their queen and became the queen of the nation. Although, some people were against her, they couldn't disagree in her abilities as a great ruler and someone whom the public adored and respected.

That's the flashback I got when I looked at my look-alike and the male, apparently named 'Haewon', who looked like Jungkook. I stood there in a trance as the two of them settled beside each other, unaware of my presence. I'm invisible to them.

"What are your plans now?" He asked as they settled on the grassy land, sitting beside each other.

The woman who appeared to be sad just a while ago, lightened up at the question, a reddish hue made its way on her beautiful face as she replied, "I'm going to get married to Wang Xiomin." She announced, smiling ear to ear and the male's smile dropped for a moment, only to get instantly replaced by a fake smile.

"I'm happy for you." He replied with a curt nod, the tone of his voice in contrast with the pain his eyes portrayed. My hands automatically made their way to touch his face, he looked like my Jungkook... But so much unlike him. He was trying so hard not to let out his tears, his eyes were moist and as much as I wished to wipe those tears, my hands passed through his face, my body was transparent like a ghost.

Jungkook, no Haewon, he was in love with In Ha... I can clearly see that and Wang Xiomin, he was her fiance, the man she loves.

Did Haewon suffer an unrequited love, like me? My heart ached with an alien feeling because of the pain in his eyes... He appeared to be falling apart little by little.

A million questions rang inside my head but before I could understand anything, I was teleported to another place, most probably the chamber of the queen inside the palace.

She stood in front of a man, smiling happily as she hugged him, mouthing soulful words. "I love you, Wang Xiomin." She whispered and the man pecked her forehead. She wore a red hanbok and by the looks of it, they recently got married.

Did I just skip time?

She got to the side and that's when I got a clear look of his face... Jaehoon.

Wang Xiomin looked like Jaehoon!

I took some steps back by shock, what in the world am I witnessing?! What exactly is this?

Their moment and my swirling thoughts got interrupted by the sudden clamping and opening of the thick wooden door, as Haewon walked towards them with hurried steps, his nose flared in rage as he took out his sword and placed it on Xiomin's neck.

"How dare you enter into my chambers and put a sword on my husband?!" In ha kissed her teeth and glared at Haewon, as she took a hold of the sharpened end of the sword, coming in between the two males.

"He murdered the king!" Haewon yelled as he glared at Xiomin, his expressions filled with rage and had it not been for In Ha to be in between, I'm certain he would've sliced the man's throat. Sensing the commotion, the army of soldiers entered inside the chambers, their swords pointed at Haewon while Xiomin stood at bay, almost unaffected by the serious allegation put upon him.

"Another word uttered by you and you'll witness my rage. The man you're putting this weapon on is the king of this region. How dare you spew such baseless allegations on him?!" She took out her dagger from her waist and clashed it on his sword, her blow so powerful that it made his sword fall off his hand and her dagger land upon his neck.

"Your highness, the former king did not die due to heart failure, he planned it all! I can prove it, please provide me with a chance." Haewon begged as he revealed the information but the woman's expression didn't falter, she pressed the dagger even further into his neck and glanced at her husband from the corner of her eyes.

"Since, I need to gain each and everyone's trust in this palace, I'm ready to go through a trail. I'm being wrongly blamed, your highness." Xiomin spoke in his defence and I couldn't help but get eerie vibes from this man, for some reason.

With this, I was once again teleported with another time skip.

There stood Haewon and Wang Xiomin in the royal courtroom, Hwang In Ha settled herself on the throne with an emotionless face, surrounded by various courtesans of high ranks. Her eyes lost the joy, I saw just a few moments ago when she was in that beautiful forest with Haewon. She appeared to be worn out and blank.

"His highness ordered me to poison the late king's food. Have mercy on me, your highness, I was blinded by greed!" The royal cook revealed, earning gasps from the entire courtroom. He grovelled getting on his knees but was dragged away by the soldiers, paying no heed to his pleas.

A chill ran down everyone's spines as the queen glared at her husband, her gaze so rageful that they might shred a person to pieces. Haewon rested his case and the soldiers instantly arrived, putting their swords at Wang Xiomin's throat, but strangely the man remained silent unaffected by the serious allegations put forth upon him. Hwang In Ha certainly looked heartbroken, but she maintained her composure.

Just as the queen was about to announce the punishment, a man's voice interrupted her. "Your highness, pardon me for my intrusion but his highness is not the real culprit." He proposed, bowing respectfully in front of the queen.

She arched her brow at the man and questioned with gritted teeth, "And who you might be?"

"I am Wang Shaofeng." That name was enough to reveal the man's identity- he was the crown prince of the large estate of Fushuan in China and also, the cousin of her husband.

"On what grounds can you say that Wang Xiomin is innocent?" She questioned, not calling him by his rank which means utter disrespect to a royal blood.

"We recently executed some traitors from our kingdom, one of them was our top ranked general, he controlled a major part of the army who were ready to overthrow the king on his command. During the investigation we found various letters from people in his mutual support all around the continent. One of them was received from here, stating that they, along with princes are planning to start a rebellion against the king because he wished to give the throne to his daughter. They could not tolerate a woman ruling over them and so, they wee planning to murder his highness by the dawn of the day." In ha clenched her eyes shut and turned her head to the other side, trying to control her rage, her hand fisted around her sword as she opened her eyes, staring straight into the man's soul.

"Who sent the letter?" She questioned in a low tone. A chill ran down everyone's spine as they witnessed the queen's rage and what they heard afterwards, made their hearts reach up to their throats.

"General Haewon." He revealed. A cold seat broke on everyone's face, hearing him. The original letter was passed towards her, with the seal of Haewon.

He sent this, a year ago.

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POTATO'S NOTE:
Sorry for keeping this hanging for a while. To be honest, I was suffering from a writer's block. Moreover, a lot of things occurred in my personal life which kept me busy.

Anyways, did you guys like it?

Also, A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BUNNY BOY! (who's not really being a bunny anymore, he's turning into a sexy bunny day by day lol)

You see those abs? Sir, respectfully, can I just touch them once? I won't pry in your privacy but I just wanna experience how it feels to be hugged by you. Literally, this guy is my motivation to workout almost everyday! 🥹