The coronation had ended, but the weight of the crown never did.
Not for a single day.
Not for a single breath.
Yoongi's new life as king was sharp, lonely, and suffocating.
The palace bowed to her.
The ministers obeyed her.
Yet she had never felt more fragile.
At night, when her attendants finally retreated, Yoongi would slip out of her gilded cage and wander the palace grounds alone, wearing a simple cloak and a hood pulled low over her face. It was the only way she could breathe.
One night, shortly after her coronation, she left through a rarely used wooden gate and followed a narrow path until she reached her favorite place: the river that marked the northern edge of the palace land.
It was calm here.
Quiet.
Honest.
Yoongi knelt by the water, dipping her fingers beneath the cool surface. The reflection staring back at her was not that of a king. It was that of a grieving child.
Her voice trembled as she whispered into the night,
"Mother… I hope you are watching."
The river didn't answer.
But someone else did.
---
The First Glimpse
"I didn't expect to see anyone here at this hour," a voice said gently.
Yoongi jerked around, defensive instinct flashing in her eyes. She reached for the dagger she always carried hidden in her sleeve.
A boy stepped from behind the trees.
Tall for his age.
Eyes sharp, unreadable.
A calmness around him that felt unnatural.
He raised his hands slowly.
"Easy. I'm not here to harm you."
Yoongi narrowed her gaze. "Who are you?"
The boy smiled—a practiced, disarming smile.
But beneath it, something cold flickered.
"My name is Kwan," he said. "I've come from a village near the Hanji border. I've been traveling alone."
Traveling alone?
At night?
At his age?
Yoongi didn't believe him for a second.
"What do you want?" she asked quietly.
Kwan tilted his head.
His eyes drifted over her posture—her stance, her hands, her height.
He studied her the way a hunter studies prey.
"I heard rumors," he said, stepping closer.
"That Bulgul's new king is… different."
Yoongi stiffened.
"I came to see for myself."
---
A Dangerous Curiosity
Kwan walked to the riverbank, kneeling beside her as if they were equals.
Yoongi remained guarded, hand hovering near her hidden dagger.
"You're small for a king," Kwan observed casually.
Yoongi's jaw tightened.
"And you're bold for a stranger."
Kwan's lips twitched.
"I've been called worse."
He dipped his hand into the river.
"Bulgul is beautiful," he said. "Peaceful. Almost… gentle."
Yoongi frowned. "Don't mistake quiet for weakness."
Kwan's eyes gleamed with interest.
"Oh, I don't."
There was something unsettling about the way he said it—
as if he already knew her weaknesses
and was taking note of them.
Yoongi looked away from him, her chest tightening.
"You shouldn't be out here alone," she said.
"Neither should you," Kwan replied.
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Accurate.
Yoongi swallowed.
She had no response.
---
The Masked Bond
Kwan stood and offered his hand to help her up.
Yoongi hesitated.
But she took it.
His grip was strong, steady—
unnaturally steady for a boy who supposedly came from a village.
"You and I," Kwan said softly, almost conspiratorial,
"aren't so different."
Yoongi's breath caught.
"What makes you say that?"
Kwan stepped closer.
Too close.
His eyes searched hers with unnerving precision.
"Because you carry something heavy," he murmured.
"Something no one else sees."
Yoongi's heart pounded.
For a terrifying second, she wondered if he knew.
If he had somehow seen through her disguise.
But then Kwan smiled that same warm, false smile.
"Don't worry," he said. "Your secret is safe with me."
Her eyes widened—
a spike of fear shooting through her.
Had he guessed?
Had he seen something?
Or was he trying to manipulate her?
She didn't know.
Kwan turned to leave.
"I hope we meet again, King Yoongi."
The way he said "King" felt like a test.
Or a threat.
Yoongi remained frozen as he disappeared into the shadows.
She didn't know his name was already whispered in Hanji's war rooms.
She didn't know he had been trained from birth to kill her.
She didn't know he had already memorized her weakness:
She was alone.
And he would use that loneliness
to end her.