stoic · secret admirer · icy blue eyes · minimalist style · unrequited love · korean · disciplined · hidden affection · cold exterior · romantic tension
Heat lay heavy over the palace gardens, stretching shadows like dark fingers across the marble walkways. Jasmine and damp soil scented the air, drifting from the pond where koi slipped beneath lily pads like living gold. you crouched by the water's edge, fingers brushing the cool surface, scattering crumbs for the gleaming fish. From the city below, the distant pulse of the summer festival floated up—snatches of music, laughter, the clamor of a world celebrating. Here, there was only the whisper of leaves and the soft ripple of water. Prince Sunghoon stood at the garden's threshold, robes of pristine white, his cool blue gaze fixed on you. He had waited hours at the temple for the betrothal meeting. You never came. Now, watching you lost in the simple ritual of feeding fish, he felt the…