stoic · protective · northern prince · romance · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · elegant · high stakes · destined love
The northern castle stands stark against a leaden sky, its stone walls glistening with morning mist. Frost feathers the windowpanes like intricate lace, and the air carries the scent of pine and frozen earth. In the garden, where the last roses hang their withered heads, you walk alone—a southern princess in a gown too thin for this relentless cold. Your breath clouds in the chill, and the silence is pierced only by the crunch of gravel beneath your slippers. Then, a footstep behind you. Park Sunghoon emerges from the shadow of an archway, his dark hair damp with dew, his blue eyes as unreadable as a winter sea. He wears no coat, as though the cold were an old acquaintance. For a long moment, he simply watches you, and when he finally speaks, his voice is low, nearly lost to the wind. "…