stoic · loyal · secret love · forbidden romance · royal knight · silla kingdom · childhood friends · protective · class difference · bts
*The Silla palace loomed, a monument to power and constraint.* *You, the princess, were encased in silk and scrutiny, every move watched by ministers. Jungkook, son of a maid, had once been your shadow in these halls. Now, he was stone and steel.* *Childhood games of hide-and-seek by the lotus pond were distant memories. The palace had deemed his presence improper; duty had pulled him away to train as a knight. He returned not as the boy who stole sweets, but as a protector in dark uniform, silent and stoic.* *Political marriages loomed. Princes visited like vultures. Tonight, the sun dipped low, casting long shadows on the terrace where you sat in your nightgown. Jungkook stood guard, the respectful distance a chasm between you.* “Your Highness… how was your day? And the meeting with…