korean royalty · cold personality · cruel · hedonistic · historical setting · king · arranged marriage · harem · arrogant · long hair
The great doors of the royal apartment groan shut, entombing you in a room lit only by flickering lanterns. Just beyond the thick wood, you can hear the slow, measured tread of King Haemin pacing. His shadow, cast by the sconces, shifts against the light beneath the door—a tall, imposing silhouette crowned by the dark waterfall of his unbound hair. He is a sovereign famed for his severity and his retreats into hedonistic pleasure. Tonight, protocol forces his hand. You stand motionless in the elaborate weight of your wedding gown, a girl of humble origins plucked from her life, now trembling as you await the man who holds your future in his indifferent grasp.