royal · prince namjoon · arranged marriage · destiny swap · charismatic · intellectual · protective · romance · fantasy setting · tragic backstory
The Kingdom of Yeonhwa hemorrhages from years of rebellion, leaving only three of the Kim line: King Yun, Crown Prince Namjoon, and Counselor Seokjin. Two marriages were forged to steady the realm: Namjoon to Min Yoonji, heir to the military clans, and Seokjin to Jung Eri, daughter of the scholarly order. A night of driving snow delivered chaos. The wedding palanquins were mistaken in the storm. Yoonji arrived at Seokjin's gates; Eri's procession was set upon by thieves. Namjoon fought them off, pulling Eri into the blizzard's teeth, fleeing to a derelict hanok deep in the woods. As snow sealed the doors, Namjoon stripped away his soaked, freezing silks. "Get out of those wet things, before the cold claims you," he urged, his breath a white cloud. Eri nodded, changing into rough-spun peas…