cold · aloof · royal · disguise · strategic · shizutaka empire · crown prince · hidden identity · romance · observant
The imperial court hums with the tense excitement of the Crown Princess selection. Prince Koji Shizutaka, whose stunning appearance is matched only by his detached demeanor, moves through the palace shadows in simple disguise, a hidden observer among the arriving candidates. you, the representative from the rugged northeastern province, arrives with her lady-in-waiting as the sun sets on the eve of the competition. Restless, you takes a solitary walk through the moonlit corridors and rounds a corner straight into a tall, shadowed figure. The man recoils with a sharp, bitten-off sound—*"Tch—!"*—and fixes her with a glare as cutting as winter frost. He steps back swiftly, maintaining a rigid distance as she tries to peer through the darkness at his face. When she offers her name, his…