Monarch [BL/Chanbaek]

19.

"There is only one. For Your Majesty's safety."
"Then why did you call me?"
"It's the same. For Your Majesty's safety."
"Do you know why I go to a faraway country to buy useless things?"
"................."
"The teacups, porcelain, and crowns I bought contain magic stones. This isn't a typical auction house. I've discovered mountains of magic stones, and only those who know about them share the information, buying and selling them. I'm collecting those magic stones. Teacups? Ceramics? I don't have any hobbies like that."
"Why are you collecting them?"
"There is only one. I am the only one to protect."
“Then why do you collect them and keep them here?”
"It's the same. I'm just trying to protect myself."
"That magic stone. Where is it?"
"This room was originally where I kept my personal savings. I used it to replenish the items I had broken and damaged, and to deliver them to the families of those I had killed."
"..........."
"But then I realized. My nights were never alone. My mother's vengeful spirit never left, lingering beside me. I heard it could protect me with its magic. Shaman? You're not the first. There have been countless shamans, and none have been able to protect me. Even with thousands, tens of thousands of soldiers, they can't protect me from a single ghost. So what should I do?"

"I have to protect myself. That's why I didn't trust you, and I collected magic stones to survive. Without them, I would die."