Page 40 of King Foretold (Realm of Four Kingdoms #2)

“In what universe is this not my fault?” Anger, especially at myself, seems like a safe emotion to lean into.

“I should have apprehended her instead of being distracted by her villainous monologue. Such a rookie mistake. There has never been a gullible gumiho in the history of the Shingae. Until me.”

I stack my arms on top of my drawn-up knees and drop my forehead against them. Ethan smooths his hand down the back of my head, and despite the shitty circumstances, I want to purr. The thought gives me enough rancor to lift my head and straighten my back.

“But there’s no time to dwell on Shim Duna.” I cross my legs and plant my hands on my thighs. “We need to leave for the Kingdom of Mountains tonight.”

“The Kingdom of Mountains?” Jihun arches a brow. “Tonight?”

“Yes and yes.” I glance between Ethan and Jihun. “Please tell me you two came up with a feasible plan to infiltrate the Shinsi Palace.”

“We’re working on it,” Ethan mutters. “It’s not as easy as you make it sound.”

“How hard can it be?” I say drolly. “Tell me what you have so far.”

“Before I tell you anything, I have one question.” He levels me with a steely gaze. “What do you mean we need to leave for the Kingdom of Mountains? Who’s this we ?”

“Don’t be precious.” I roll my eyes at him. “You can’t talk me out of coming with you, so let’s not waste time arguing.”

“You cannot risk your life—” Ethan tries anyway.

“You’re our only hope against—” Jihun has the same idea.

“Shut up. Both of you. We literally have no time to waste.” I glare at them. “Daeseong was telling the truth at Heaven Lake. The King of Mountains has aligned with the Amheuk.”

“No,” Ethan rasps.

“How do you know this?” Jihun looks grim but not surprised.

“Shim Duna said a ‘powerful friend’ told the King of Mountains that Ethan was hiding in the Kingdom of Sky.” I wave my hand impatiently.

“Long story short, everything lines up. Daeseong has to be the king’s ‘powerful friend.’ The assassination attempts started as soon as the dark mudang came out of hiding. ”

“If Daeseong and the king are on friendly terms,” Ethan says, “it doesn’t bode well for the rest of us.”

“The king must have bartered for the information on the prince.” Jihun shakes his head. “Who knows what the dark mudang asked for in exchange.”

“Whatever it is, we have to stop the king from fulfilling that bargain before it’s too late.” I struggle to swallow. We are well and truly out of time. And we don’t even have the sword of light yet. I clench my fists as panic flutters in my throat. “We don’t have a moment to waste.”

“Gods, this is sooner than I’d hoped.” Ethan wipes a hand down his face, then barks a harsh laugh. “But when has the Amheuk ever waited for our convenience?”

I’m not the only one who must soon face an impossible foe. I can’t begin to imagine the conflict Ethan feels at having to overthrow his father from the throne. He might have increased his odds of defeating the tyrant with his training, but I’m afraid his kind heart will make him falter.

“You are ready to face the King of Mountains, my prince.” Jihun nods solemnly at him.

“Ethan.” I grip his forearm. “Shim Duna said something else important. Invincibility is a power the Kingdom of Mountains bestows on its chosen king. I think your father lost that power when you gained it. He can bleed. That is his illness.”

“Even if that’s true, the King of Mountains still has immeasurable powers.” A conflicted frown settles over Ethan’s face. “Even if he can bleed, I don’t know if I can make him bleed.”

“ You have immeasurable power,” Jihun reminds him. “Just moments ago, you enclosed the entire eastern wing in a dome of gi. You’ve mastered your magic.”

“The magic we know of,” Ethan corrects him. “There are powers I haven’t even discovered yet. I know in my gut that I have more.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, remember that you have more than enough magic to defeat the tyrant king. Do not second-guess yourself. I have every faith in you, my prince.” Jihun claps Ethan on the shoulder, then rises to his feet. “I’ll make preparations for tonight.”

“Will you be able to reach our spy in time?” Ethan asks, standing up as well.

“I can only hope.” Jihun offers him a ghost of a smile. “We have everything in place. We’re just moving things a little ahead of schedule.”

So they do have a plan. I sag with relief. Thank gods. I can get the details later. For now, I’m just glad we aren’t winging the whole damn thing. With a good plan, we might even not die. But I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.

“Thank you.” Ethan returns his smile. “I truly appreciate your guidance, Captain.”

“I gave Ben my word—” Jihun’s eyes widen with something as close to panic as I’ve ever seen from him.

“Ben?” I jump to my feet and close in on him. “Benjamin Lee?”

“Did you know my brother?” Ethan stumbles back a step.

“I’m sorry.” Jihun holds up a hand. “Now isn’t the time—”

“Like hell it isn’t,” I growl. “We’re about to leave on a suicide mission. There might not be a better time.”

“Very well.” Jihun pauses to glance at our faces, worry marking twin grooves between his brows. “Benjamin Lee was ... my bonded brother.”

Ethan’s breath stutters next to me, and I demand, “What does that mean?”

“It means that we were bound together by a blood oath, the most powerful kind of spell in existence.” Jihun’s eyes stay on Ethan.

“Ben and I shared a bond that allowed us to speak to each other through our minds, even from two different realms. We exchanged knowledge freely, sometimes unconsciously.

“And we were able to sense each other’s emotions in a rudimentary way, where bursts of simple but intense emotions passed involuntarily through our connection. In many ways, we lived our own lives but lived through each other as well.”

While I try to wrap my head around all this, Ethan drops to his knees. I gasp and crouch down next to him. “Hey, are you okay?”

He shakes his head once, then looks up at Jihun with grief-drenched eyes. “Where were you when Ben died?”

“I was ...” Jihun struggles to swallow. “I was with him.”

The implications of everything he said finally hit home, and I fall limply to my ass.

He must have sensed that Ben was in danger.

He must have figured out what was happening .

.. what Ben intended to do. He was with Ben the entire time .

.. until he felt their bond break ...

until he reached out and felt nothing. Oh Jihun.

I glance up at his stoic, beautiful face, and hot tears fill my eyes.

“Why didn’t you stop him?” Ethan roars. “Why did you let him die for me?”

“Because it was his duty. He was your royal guard.” Jihun goes as still and taut as a statue, then cracks. “Even so—even though I knew it was his sworn duty—I begged him not to do it. I begged him to find another way, but there was no other way.”

“I know that.” Ethan’s voice breaks. “I know , but I wish ... I miss him so much.”

“I do too. Before he died, he asked me to take his place as your royal guard, and I accepted. Ben moved on to the next life knowing he served you well—knowing I would serve you next. He was at peace. I felt it.” Jihun gets down on one knee in front of Ethan and cups the back of his neck, bringing their heads close together.

“I gave Ben my word that I will always stand by your side. Ethan, I will serve you as my prince, but I will love you as my brother. I swear it on my life.”

Ethan leans in the rest of the way and presses his forehead against Jihun’s as silent tears stream down their faces. I cry too, my heart breaking for them.

So much loss. So much sorrow. All because of Daeseong.