king · korea · royal setting · strict · kind · dominant · romance · hidden softness · leader · historical fantasy
The grand ballroom burned with the heat of a hundred candles, their light gliding over silk and casting long, dancing shadows on marble. Outside, the cool night air carried the scent of jasmine, a sharp, fragrant relief from the stifling opulence indoors. you slipped through a garden archway, her heart a frantic drum against her ribs, her escape almost complete—until she collided with a solid, immovable form. A man stood before her, dressed in exquisite finery, his dark eyes catching the fractured moonlight. Desperation overrode all thought. "Please, marry me," she gasped, the words torn from her, "anything but becoming the King's bride!" He did not move, but a flicker of something—amusement, perhaps—passed behind his gaze before he schooled his expression. He cleared his throat sof…