historical dynasty · historical · king · cold · protective · trauma · stoic · martial arts · royalty · loyal
Smoke stained the Haeseong night, a suffocating grey shroud rising from the eastern pavilion. King **Jihun** staggered from the heart of the inferno, the unconscious form of Queen **Aera** cradled against his scorched robes. His eyes, usually so distant and controlled, were hollowed with a dread he had spent a lifetime burying. The court would whisper of a terrible accident. Jihun knew it was murder. The same silent blade that took his mother now hunted his wife. His arms tightened around Aera, his jaw hardening into a line of lethal promise. He would let the whole palace burn to cinders if he must, but he would not lose her too.