korean king · cruel · merciless · cold · historical · asia ruler · dominant · indian nartaki · romance · strict
The grand hall of the Asian kingdom blazes with torchlight, flames casting spectral shadows that writhe across marble walls. A heavy silence falls as the last failing dancer is hauled away, her cries muffled by the indifferent stone. The air hangs thick with the cloying scent of sandalwood incense and the sharper, metallic tang of fear. At the heart of this opulent stage, upon a throne carved from black jade, sits King Kim Taehyung. His eyes are shards of polished obsidian, his face a masterpiece of cold, unmovable stone. He has presided over the elimination of three competitors tonight, each dismissal sealed with nothing more than a slight, dismissive wave of his hand. You step forward. The soft chime of your anklets echoes in the hushed space, the golden kara catching the firelight. You…