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“Unhand my wife.”  That arctic voice unleashed an ice-cold wind to sweep through the dark hallway.  

Jina didn’t know whether to sigh in relief or to cringe in fear.  Her husband was bound to be furious with her for ignoring his instructions.   Her eyes swiveled towards him.  But, of course, he wasn’t looking at her.  He was eyeballing Chanyeol.

“Jina, return to our room.  Now.”  Her husband’s voice brooked no argument.  

She didn’t feel like pushing him tonight, so she stepped around him as Chanyeol released her.  Then she headed for his room.  Their room.  Would she ever think of it as their room?  She sighed.  She didn’t want to face him when he returned.

—

Jungkook’s eyes pierced Chanyeol with a stare as frigid as his voice had been.

“I have had quite enough of you attempting to get under my wife’s skirts.  Take out your sword.  I’m going to dispatch you.  But, at least, I’ll give you a chance to fight.”

Chanyeol felt a tremor of unease.  But then he glanced at the young man standing in front of him.  He was a child.  He had a baby face.  Surely, he couldn’t be an accomplished fencer.  

Chanyeol grinned suddenly.  He was going to teach this boy a lesson.  He was clearly begging for one.  And when he was done with him, he’d go find his wife and show her a thing or two also.

Chanyeol pulled his sword from its scabbard as he circled Jungkook.  For his part, Jungkook was on his guard.  He had dealt with several men like this one.  They always thought too much of themselves and too little of others.  Which meant that they also overestimated their own ability.  He waited for Chanyeol to come to him.  

He did.  He lunged at the exact moment Jungkook expected him to.  Jungkook feinted then parried when Chanyeol responded.  Again, as expected.  This went on for a few moments before Jungkook easily disarmed him.  Jungkook’s sword came up and dislodged Chanyeol’s sword from his hand.  It went flying across the hall and bounced off the wall to lie useless on the floor.

Jungkook thrust the tip of his sword up against the man’s throat and backed him into a corner.  He kept applying pressure until blood began to trickle down Chanyeol’s throat.  

“You didn’t learn your lesson last time, I see.  Thought you’d come back to threaten a defenseless woman again, huh?  How does it feel to be defenseless?  Do you like it?  Shall I make you beg for mercy?  Maybe I should make you kiss her toes?  Hmm?

“You are a despicable excuse for a human being.  Preying on an innocent girl.  Thought you’d steal her virtue, eh?  Then, what?  Move on to your next unsuspecting victim?  You will answer for this, sir.  How about a scar?”

His sword slid along the man’s skin, leaving a tiny cut.  “Or perhaps, I should just cut your head off so you can’t prey on any more innocent girls.”

The man was shaking now, but Jungkook knew desperate men were the most dangerous.  So he kept his eye attuned to him.  

“Need some help, Jungkook?” Tae suddenly appeared around the corner.

Jungkook nodded.  “We need to take this predator to the king.”

“Surely, you won’t wake the king to deal with me tonight,” the man panted.

“Surely, we will,” Jungkook breathed menacingly. 

Tae nodded.  Together, they dragged Chanyeol before the king.  Yoongi left his chambers to enter the hallway.  He didn’t want to wake Moonflower.  His eyes raked Chanyeol.  

“This is not the first time your name has come before me in the last month, Chanyeol.  You seem to like preying on innocent women.  I wonder how you would like to be sent to a prison camp with the most hardened criminals.  Or perhaps, I should just remove your head from your shoulders.”

Chanyeol was shaking as he faced the king.  Jungkook had forced him down on his knees before King Yoongi.

“He has it all wrong.  I wasn’t trying to hurt the girl.”

The flat of Jungkook’s sword suddenly slapped Chanyeol upside the back of his head.

“Lie again, dog, and the king won’t have to remove your head from your shoulders.  I’ll do it for him,” ground out Jungkook between clenched teeth.  

He was furious right now.  This man had dared to threaten Jina twice.  And now he was denying it!  He should not be allowed to live.

Yoongi could see that Jungkook was close to losing it.  He turned towards two of his other guards.  “Take this man to the prison.  Lock him up.”

As they departed, the king murmured, “I will decide his punishment before tomorrow morning.”

“Your Royal Highness, may I speak with you in private?” Jungkook queried quietly.

Yoongi met his gaze.  He nodded.  As soon as they were alone in his outer room, Jungkook turned towards him.

“You forced Jina to marry me simply because she slept alone in my bed when she was sick.  All because of this man, Chanyeol!  You must be just and give him the death penalty.  Twice now he has preyed on my wife.  Had I not been near tonight, I fear he would have hurt her.  Surely he has touched someone else!”

“You saw him with Jina?”

“I saw him grab her around her bottom and drag her up against him.  His hand was reaching under her skirts, and he was verbally threatening her.”

“Did she kiss him?”

Jungkook was furious now.  He turned blazing eyes on the king.  “Do not dare to accuse my innocent wife of luring him!”

“Be careful, Jungkook.  Do not forget you are addressing your king.”

Jungkook inhaled sharply.

His king continued to speak, “I do not believe Jina to be a flirt.  Nor do I believe she has done anything to entice that man.  But he is not without supporters.  And I don’t want them bringing a trumped-up charge before me.  One which they can supply with witnesses.  These are dangerous times we live in.”

“Execute him tonight before they hear of it.  If you find you’ve made a mistake, you can give them your sincerest apologies.”

“I am tempted.  This man seems to be fomenting a rebellion against me in certain quarters.  I’m just not sure I have proof positive yet.”

“Your brother wouldn’t have hesitated to chop off his head.”

Yoongi speared him with a sharp gaze.  “That is exactly what gives me pause.  You know I am nothing like my brother.”

“Or your father,” Jungkook added.  “Yet sometimes swift action is wisdom.  Do not wait too long.  Don’t give your enemies the upper hand, sire.  I am very afraid for Jina should this man be set free.”

“He won’t be set free.  I have the word of my most trusted guard that he threatened his wife.  That alone is enough to lock him up and throw away the key.  The only question is: what do I do with him now?”

Jungkook blew out a frustrated breath.

“Go see your wife.  Make sure she’s all right.  Take the rest of the night off.”

Jungkook turned towards the door.

“Jungkook.”

He faced the king again.

“Go comfort your wife.  I know you may be tempted to scold her for being in the hallway…”

“I warned her to stay in my room in the middle of the night!  Why won’t she listen?!”

“…but she needs your comfort right now,” Yoongi finished.  “She has been mistreated her whole life by men.  Don’t give her a reason to hate you too.”

With that puzzling statement, the king turned and headed for his bedroom.  A deep valley digging itself between his eyebrows, Jungkook stared after him for a moment before he headed for his own bedchamber.  To his disobedient – but, thankfully, untouched – wife.