Years passed, and Yoongi learned to carry the palace's expectations as if they were woven into her bones. By the time she reached eighteen years of age, she spoke to the council with a calm intelligence that unsettled the older men. She trained with a discipline unmatched by boys twice her size. She studied long into the night, memorizing maps, diplomacy rules, and war histories.
Everyone whispered:
"He will be a powerful king one day."
"He is too quiet, but his mind is sharp."
"He will surpass even King Jae."
No one knew the truth hidden behind every robe, every bow, every ceremonial mask.
Not even her father.
---
A Political Storm Brewing
Bulgul and Hanji had always been uneasy neighbors. Their kings traded smiles at feasts and daggers on the battlefield. Queen Jihwa often told Yoongi, "There are no permanent friends in politics. Only permanent interests."
And Hanji's interests had grown bold.
Reports arrived in the capital: raided villages, disappearing traders, border skirmishes. The council grew restless.
King Jae slammed his fist against the throne table.
"They dare to test me?"
An advisor approached timidly.
"Your Majesty, perhaps… diplomacy first?"
"Diplomacy?" King Jae roared. "Hanji understands only fear."
Queen Jihwa, ever calm, spoke softly.
"Outrage clouds judgment. Bulgul cannot afford impulsive war. Let us speak with them first."
For the first time that morning, the king's anger faltered.
The council agreed.
Hanji sent word that they would host a diplomatic meeting.
A dangerous one.
---
The Day the Palace Fell Silent
Yoongi woke early the morning her parents were to depart. She helped her mother fasten her robe, smoothing the sleeves with trembling hands. Jihwa smiled gently.
"You worry too much," she whispered.
"You are meeting the King of Hanji," Yoongi said. "Everyone worries."
Her mother laughed softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Have faith in wisdom, my girl."
King Jae entered, proud in ceremonial armor. He placed a heavy hand on Yoongi's shoulder.
"Remember your lessons. One day, this responsibility will be yours."
Yoongi nodded, though her stomach twisted.
She hated how confidently he said yours—
as if she were truly the son he believed her to be.
The king and queen mounted horses as the palace gates opened. Yoongi stood beside General Baekron, watching the figures of her parents shrink into the horizon.
A strange wind blew that morning.
Cold.
Ominous.
Wrong.
Yoongi did not know why her throat tightened.
She would soon learn.
---
The Return Without Return
Three days later, the palace bells tolled.
Not for celebration.
For death.
Yoongi was in the training yard when she heard the first scream. A servant rushed across the courtyard, tears streaming down her face.
"The King and Queen—" she choked.
"—have been killed!"
Yoongi's world tilted violently.
"What…? No, you're lying."
But more voices followed.
Soldiers ran.
Advisors shouted.
The air filled with dread.
Yoongi pushed through the chaos, breath sharp and unsteady. The throne room doors were wide open, generals gathered in a circle. She saw her father's blood-stained cloak laid across the floor. Her mother's embroidered hairpin placed beside it.
"No…" Yoongi whispered, falling to her knees. "No, no, no—"
General Baekron knelt beside her.
"Your Majesty," he said, voice trembling, "you must be strong. Bulgul needs you now."
"Need me?" Yoongi gasped. "I'm just—"
But she could not finish.
Because the truth—girl, daughter, child—was a secret that could kill her.
An advisor stepped forward, bowing deeply.
"Prince Yoongi… from this day forward, you are the King of Bulgul."
Thunder rolled outside the windows.
Or maybe it was just the deafening silence inside her chest.
---
The Coronation of a Lie
Preparations happened too quickly for grief to settle. The palace adorned itself in black silk banners. Priests arrived to chant the rites. Soldiers lined the walls in solemn rows.
They placed the robe of kings on Yoongi's small shoulders.
It was too heavy.
Everything was too heavy.
As she walked toward the throne, the crown shimmered under the torches, sharp and merciless. She felt the weight of every expectation crushing her lungs.
She knelt, hands trembling.
The priest lifted the crown.
"You shall be known as King Yoongi of Bulgul."
The metal touched her head—
cold, final, unforgiving.
The court bowed deeply.
Yet Yoongi had never felt so alone.
---
A Night of Quiet Despair
That night, Yoongi sat before her mirror in silence. Her reflection blurred through her tears. She had lost her mother. Her father. Her childhood. Her future. Everything—within three days.
She touched the crown lightly.
"I didn't ask for this," she whispered.
But in the next breath, she wiped her tears away.
Because kings weren't allowed to break.
And girls weren't allowed to exist.
---
Across the Sea…
In Hanji, Kwan knelt before his master as soldiers brought news.
"The King and Queen of Bulgul are dead."
Kwan's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Does that mean—"
"Yes," the master said. "The new king will be vulnerable. You will go to Bulgul soon."
Kwan's lips curled into a calm, obedient smile.
"As you command."
He rose to his feet, unaware of the fragile young monarch he was being sent to destroy.
Unaware that fate was preparing to intertwine their lives so tightly that one would die by the other's hand.