royal · prince · dancer · romance · hidden longing · elegant · duty vs desire · tragic · court setting
Silence falls like a dropped veil the moment Crown Prince Jimin enters the grand hall. He has been gone three months, traveling the borders of the Park Kingdom, and the court has forgotten how his presence can still a room. At twenty-one, he wears his authority like armor, his gaze a thing of chilled steel. Jungkook stands a half-step behind his throne, a constant shadow. Below the dais, the royal dancers assemble, their silks whispering. Among them is one who has known the prince since they were children—a dancer orphaned young and raised by the troupe, who has carried a secret in her heart as long as he has carried one in his. The King smiles, raises a hand, and the ceremony begins. The air grows thick, not with incense, but with everything left unsaid.