Pray for the Wicked | ATEEZ

19.

My heart hammered with every step I advanced down the cold marbled floors covering the hallway, but I forced myself to keep my head high, my chin raised, despite all of it.

I made sure to constantly stay a couple of meters in front of the demons behind me, clad in Heeseung and the other heirs' armor to hide their true identities from the servants and guards littering the corridors of the palace.

We had to make them believe they were no different from the other angels here, and they did, indeed, look unrecognisable in the white robes and golden plates.

The only problem was the that, despite the fact that they were walking among enemies, they would not stop arguing, their voices hushed yet agitated, pushing, whispering-

I whipped my head around and came to an abrupt halt as the sharp sound of metal scraping against marble cut through the otherwise painfully silent air, my eyes widening as I watched Mingi move to catch San before he fell to the floor, Yeosang whacking Wooyoung on the head and mumbling something under his breath.

"I'll choke you in your sleep if you don't-" he began, but his words trailed off as all eyes went to me, visibly guilty through the slits in the golden helmets I had forced them to wear.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, already feeling my cheeks burn, when Hongjoong caught me to it.

Or, rather, didn't.

The son of Lilith, standing closer to me than the others, slowly turned around to face the heirs to the Court of Deadly Sins, his court, and whatever had been written across the darkness of his eyes was more than enough to make everyone shuffle back into line.

I took a shaky breath, catching his eye for a second as he offered me a court nod before I continued down the corridor, turning a corner which revealed the gate to the palace; solid and impenetrable and towering several meters above us.

"Your highness," one of the guards, clad exactly like the eight men behind me, quickly bowed his head, greeting me before we even got close enough to make out the details cut into the enormous handles of the door behind him.

"Good morning," I smiled, straightening myself a little as I added, "I'm going out."

I didn't miss the way the guard's eyes momentarily left my face, flickering to the people behind me, lingering there for a moment as if counting and then immediately reaching the conclusion that they were not my usual companions. His hesitance didn't go unnoticed, but I knew he couldn't voice it.

"I'm taking," I paused, "them today. Heeseung and the others have their respective chores to see to. If you could get the horses ready, I'd be most grateful."

"Oh," he croaked, hurriedly getting out of the way and gesturing for the other guard to do the same, no doubt to notify the stable boys, "You don't have to explain yourself, your highness," he quickly added, almost flusteredly. It made me feel embarrassed, knowing that the others had to see it, see what my mother had made of the servants.

"When can we expect your return?" he asked, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Late," I said, offering him the brightest smile I could muster as the enormous doors began to swing open and he bowed again, disappearing out of sight as all I could see was the neverending planes of land stretching into the distance where Illenium lay gleaming, waiting.

Only when the gate had closed completely, I was able to let go of the breath I had been holding, turning around to face the demons and catching Seonghwa's eye as I mumbled, "Please tell me you can ride a horse."

I could see it in the way his dark eyes crinkled slightly behind the helmet that he was smiling as he chuckled, "We most definitely can," and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.