With each passing day, the investigation unearthed new papers and old messages. The shocking thing was that they all pointed in the same direction,Taehyung. In every document there was somewhere his name, his seal, or something hidden near his chambers. Courtiers were bewildered at how such "coincidental" discoveries kept appearing one after another.
One evening, Lee himself entered the court. His steps were heavy and his eyes fixed straight on Jungkook. A wave of tension spread through the hall. Lee threw a bundle of papers onto the table.
"Look at this, Jungkook. Your companion is not only launching attacks at your border but also at parts of my kingdom. These letters clearly show he informed enemy soldiers of my people's movements."
Silence fell over the hall. Some courtiers began whispering against Taehyung under their breath. Lee's voice rose higher:
"Justice now demands he be sent to my custody as well. Because the crime occurred there too, blood was shed there too. If your kingdom shelters him, my lands will never be satisfied."
Taehyung's heart sank. He stood shackled, his eyes brimming with helpless tears.
"It's all lies… I never harmed your people, Lee. Why are you framing me?"
Lee suppressed a faint smile, but his voice dripped venom:
"I'm only showing the truth."
No one saw the storm raging inside Jungkook, but the strain was written on his face. Before him lay, on one side, the law of his kingdom and bleeding justice; on the other, the soul for whom he would lay down his own life.
"And if all this is false?" Jungkook asked softly but heavily.
Lee narrowed his eyes in reply:
"Then it's your job to prove it false. But until then, justice demands the accused be held where the crime occurred,on my lands."
The courtiers held their breath. For the first time it felt like Jungkook's two worlds, love and kingdom, had collided head-on. And this time the weight of the decision lay more on his heart than his shoulders.
Lee's gaze pressed down on everyone in the court. He repeated again and again that if justice stayed confined within Jungkook's borders, rebellion would rise across the region. Courtiers began to fold under the pressure; some murmured softly:
"Your Highness, if the law isn't kept impartial, the kingdom's balance will shatter."
Jungkook's clenched fists echoed in the chamber. His eyes glowed red as if blood and tears had frozen together. No one heard the scream in his heart, but the command from his lips was heard by all:
"Taehyung will be transferred to Lee's custody."
At those words it was as if lightning struck the hall. Taehyung's heart broke; in a trembling voice he spoke:
"Jungkook… will you really hand me over to him?"
His voice tore through the silence like a fragile thread snapping.
Jungkook turned his eyes away. His lips trembled but spoke nothing. A king's decision had buried a lover's heart.
The soldiers stepped forward, and for the first time a member of the royal family was being led into enemy custody. Courtiers' whispers turned into fear and astonishment. Some put hands to their foreheads, some looked to the sky as if sensing an ill omen.
Lee's lips curled into a victorious smile he tried to hide. He knew, this was not only imprisonment but also a distance driven between Jungkook and Taehyung.
As Taehyung was being led toward Lee's prison, his eyes looked back at Jungkook one last time, there was only one question in the silence:
"Will you really lose me?"