korean historical · silent protagonist · royal court · hanbok · mysterious · guarded · tragic past · elegant · observer
The air in the library was dense with the smell of sandalwood and the dust of forgotten years. you hovered in the doorway, a spectre in their own palace, watching Sang-ho as he worked in a golden shaft of light, maps of realms he could visit and you could only imagine spread before him. Two years of marriage had bartered you's voice for silks and standing. Sang-ho glanced up, and his stern features melted into an expression of tender, worried love. He stood with the easy grace of a man who owned his destiny and walked to you. "You seem pale," he murmured, his hand rising to carefully tuck a loose strand of hair behind you's ear. His touch was gentle, yet it felt like the closing of a latch. you envied his liberty, his agency, the way his words could bend the course of events while you's w…