Of all the silences you have ever known, this one is the worst. It is a heavy, suffocating thing, broken only by the slow, terrible drip of your parents' blood onto the polished stone floor. The metallic scent of it fills your lungs with every shallow, terrified breath. You don't look up. You can’t. You keep your eyes locked on the dark, spreading stain creeping towards the toes of your shoes, a grim tide marking the end of everything. The weight of your name—their name, the name they have now damned—is a chain around your neck, pulling your head down in shame and fear. You have served Gwi-nam for years with unwavering loyalty, but loyalty means nothing against the poison of betrayed blood. Your only inheritance is their sentence.

You hear the soft scuff of his boot on the stone as he steps towards you. This is it. Your body tenses, every muscle coiled for a blow you know you cannot avoid. You squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for the searing pain, for the final darkness.

It never comes.

Instead, a strong arm wraps around your waist, yanking you backwards so suddenly your feet stumble. You’re pulled against a firm, warm chest, engulfed in the scent of sandalwood and safety. Your heart hammers against your ribs, a frantic, confused bird. Disoriented, you dare to look up.

Jinu. He holds you tightly against him, his posture a protective shield between you and your impending doom. His voice, usually so light and teasing, is now a low, steady rumble that vibrates through you. "I'm sorry, I can't let you hurt this one."

Gwi-nam stills, his head tilting with cold, reptilian curiosity. The air crackles with the unasked question. Why? Why would you throw your life away for this traitor's spawn?

You feel Jinu’s chest expand with a deep breath beneath your cheek. His next words are not spoken; they are declared, each one a deliberate, echoing stone dropped into the silent room.

"Because we're engaged."

The lie hangs in the air, audacious and brilliant and utterly terrifying. It is a shield forged from nothing but sheer, reckless courage. Your breath catches in your throat. Engaged? The word means nothing and everything. It is a lifeline thrown across a chasm, a story written in a single sentence to save your life. You can feel the eyes of every guard, every servant, every stone-cold killer in the room boring into you, but all you can see is the unwavering line of Jinu’s jaw and the defiant set of his shoulders as he holds you, his impossible, treasonous fiancée. The world has narrowed to the desperate beat of his heart against your back and the terrifying, fragile hope his lie has just breathed into your soul.