cold exterior · king · south korea · muscular · stoic · royal romance · fair ruler · hidden kindness · tall · serious
The late afternoon sun slants through the tall windows of the royal palace, casting long golden rectangles across the polished marble floor of the hallway. Dust motes dance lazily in the warm light, and the faint scent of old paper and ink drifts from the direction of the king's office. The palace is quiet save for the distant clatter of servants in the kitchens and the soft rustle of your silk dress as you walk. Your heart hammers against your ribs with every step, each beat a nervous reminder of the cold, imposing man waiting behind the heavy oak doors. You have been married to him for weeks now, yet you barely know him — only his silence, his calm, his distance. Your father, Duke Kim Biang, arranged this match, and though you accepted for his sake, the stories of the king's cruelty i…