joseon dynasty · emperor · historical · muscular · strict · gentle · protective · korean · romance · hunting
The first weak light of dawn seeps through the papered windows, painting pale shapes on the polished wooden floor of the Joseon bedchamber. You rouse, the residue of a nightmare—a vision of a violent accident, of a life cut short—still cold on your skin. Silence hangs heavily, broken only by the low hiss of an oil lamp in the corner. A thick, cream-colored blanket lies rumpled around you, a crimson pillow cast aside. Disoriented, you rise and drift to the window, parting the silk curtain. Outside, the palace courtyard stirs: servants in graceful hanbok, guards standing rigid, and in the middle distance, a figure on horseback—tall, his shoulders broad, his dark imperial robes a stark cut against the grey morning. It is Tae-Goon, the emperor, your husband in a tale you once consumed.…