CHROME KNIGHT, kwon ohyul
pairing. knight!ohyul x princess!fem!reader
when a newly crowned, isolated princess is assigned a cold-hearted knight. | 2026 ©bbychnlee
genre. one shot, angst, slow burn, fluff, cold ohyul, jealous ohyul, protective ohyul, masked ohyul, strangers to lovers.
warnings. mention of killing
notes. song recommendations ! golden brown by the stranglers – army dreamers by kate bush
you were lying on your stomach on your bed, a book in hand that was supposed to be interesting, but that you found unbearably boring. it was quite ironic, for it had taken you weeks of begging the king – your father – to order his most loyal guards to search far and wide to obtain it for you.
you could hear the birds singing through your window. some nightingales did not hesitate to slip through the small opening you had left to let the air in, coming to lull your ears with their song.
you had been named princess of the kingdom, and the dream life your protective father had promised you turned out to be entirely false. you had become a princess and yet, you had a list as long as your chamber of prohibitions that you were forced to follow strictly, otherwise you would be reprimanded.
forbidden to leave the castle without armed escort, to open doors yourself to strangers, to approach certain towers or abandoned wings, to leave the royal grounds without the king’s permission, to choose your own acquaintances, let alone form romantic attachments, to enter the secret library where the family archives were sealed, and the list was still very long.
since your mother’s passing, you were living through a true ordeal. your father had completely withdrawn into himself, guilt and grief slowly consuming him.
you knew it because you had broken one of the most important rules: not leaving your chamber at a certain hour. you had done it, you had taken a candle and walked down the freezing stairs barefoot, making sure not to make any sound while crossing the entire castle, only to see him in tears as he emptied your alcohol cabinet into your late mother’s old tableware.
that night, when you returned to your chamber, you had not been able to sleep at all.
someone knocked softly at the door, uncertain whether you were awake or not. it could only be rosa, your maid.
she had served the king since your birth and you shared a very particular bond with her, one that had only grown stronger after your mother’s passing.
“lady y/n ? are you awake ?”
“yes rosa, you may come in.” you placed your book not far from you and sat up on your bed.
rosa opened the door and you caught sight of her silhouette in the doorway, your breakfast tray in her hands. she gave you a gentle, almost maternal smile, which you returned.
“i have brought your breakfast, my lady. your father has also ordered me to inform you that he is waiting for you in the main hall, it would seem he is accompanied by a guest… it would be best if you dressed quickly so as not to keep him waiting.”
“a guest ? it has been months since we received anyone at the castle. what did he look like ?” you asked, intrigued and excited at the same time to see a new face.
“i knew you would ask me that, my lady. unfortunately i could not see anything, he was wearing armor.” she placed the tray on your bedside table before raising her arms, frustrated that she could not give you the information she herself would have wished to know.
“i suppose i shall have to discover it myself… thank you rosa, i will eat later. i must prepare quickly or father will scold me again.”
the maid nodded before closing the door. you opened your wardrobe in order to choose a gown. you chose the dress from your coronation, a white gown sewn by hand, adorned with golden details and patterns carefully embroidered into the fabric. you put on a modest pair of heels, along with your diamond crown, before hurrying to your vanity.
sometimes, when your gaze lingered on your reflection, you had the impression that all of this was false, that you were not the guardian of your own soul and that one day you would wake up in the body of an ordinary peasant. but that day never came. you were y/n, daughter of the king and of the former queen of scotland. you were the only child, the one who would have to carry on the lineage.
once everything was in place, you left your room. it took you nearly ten minutes on foot – which said much about the immense size of the castle in which you lived – before you finally reached the main hall.
on each side stood two lines of guards facing one another. at the end of the corridor they formed, your father stood beside the guest. rosa had not lied, the guest was dressed in silver armor, his closed helmet concealing his face. the only thing you could tell was that he was much taller than you.
you walked toward your father under the gaze of the other knights.
“good morning, father.” you bowed before him, glancing briefly at the guest, not even knowing if he was looking at you beneath his helmet.
“good morning, my daughter. today, we welcome an important guest.”
he paused before turning slightly toward the tall man at his side.
“i present to you knight kwon ohyul, formerly in service of the corenthien king, who from this day forth shall become your appointed protector, with the agreement of his kingdom, sealed by the alliance that binds us. to belong to the royal lineage requires many sacrifices, as well as a succession of duties, as you already know. it is now time for you to learn to stand on your own. i can no longer protect you as I once did… ohyul shall do so in my stead. he will accompany you on missions whenever you are required to leave the kingdom.”
the silence was such that your father’s words echoed through the hall. one could almost hear your breathing grow unsteady.
you did not understand why your father had chosen a knight from another kingdom, it was not as though guards were lacking in the castle. they were present everywhere, in every possible corner.
“does this mean i shall soon have to leave the kingdom, father ?”
“i do not know yet, but i am inclined to believe so. you must prepare yourself for the outside world, y/n.”
you nodded, lowering your gaze slightly.
“ohyul, would you escort my daughter back to her chamber ?” asked your father – but it was more of an order than anything else, coming from a king to his knight.
“yes, your majesty.”
a deep voice reached your ears, followed by the metallic sound of his sword as he adjusted it against his armor.
you both left the hall, you walking ahead and him following closely behind, like a shadow that refused to leave your side. his presence felt almost unnecessary, and you could not help but think that your father was abusing his authority.
ohyul was not only your appointed protector, you were convinced that your father had engaged him because he no longer had the time to watch over you as he had when you were younger.
it was his way of making you believe that you were about to bear great responsibilities and that you absolutely needed someone to defend you, when in truth – it was not so, at least, that was what you believed deep down.
you went up the stairs, walked through corridors, opened doors, observed the paintings in each room before finally arriving in front of your chamber. your appointed knight had hardly spoken a word, and you had done nothing to break the silence either.
you had not even been given the opportunity to introduce yourself to him, and neither had he, since your father had done all the speaking.
you opened your door and turned back before murmuring a “thank you”, to which he did not bother to respond. you cast him one last glance before closing the door, yet you could feel ohyul standing still in front of your chamber, his posture straight, watching over your every move without fail.
the hours passed, you had finished the breakfast brought by Rosa earlier that morning and you had remained in your chamber for one hour, two hours, three hours.
through your window, you could observe the blooming garden stretching across several hectares. there was a corner where tall bushes formed a labyrinth, your father used to take you there often when you were little, you loved getting lost within it, running headlong while he tried to catch you, in vain.
night had fallen, revealing a sky covered in small stars. ohyul, under the king’s orders, remained motionless in front of your door, even if you could not hear a single sound, you could feel his presence.
you decided to open the wooden door, it echoed through the long corridor. you almost let out a cry at the sight of his dark silhouette, his armor was very imposing and almost frightened you, especially at night.
as you had expected, not a single word left his lips.
you slowly approached him with a mischievous look and stood on the tips of your toes in order to reach his face. you could feel his breath through the small openings in his helmet.
“i wish to take a walk, ohyul.” you whispered near where you assumed his ear to be, still standing on your toes.
he shook his head from right to left, indicating a firm refusal.
“i am princess y/n, daughter of the king and the queen of scotland, as my father has surely told you. i said that i wish to take a walk. you cannot go against my will.”
“this request goes against the rules his majesty, your father, has given me upon my arrival.” he replied coldly, anchoring his dark gaze into yours. it was the first time your eyes truly met, you had not noticed it.
“yet the word of a newly crowned princess is worth just as much as that of a king. you are my appointed guard, i am in no danger. we would only go to the garden.”
“and if I chose not to fulfill my duty and left you alone in the face of danger ?”
“i do not know what my father has told you, but i do not need you. i am capable of managing on my own, ohyul.”
“your father did not inform me that he had given life to a capricious and arrogant princess, taking every opportunity to break the very rules he himself established within his own castle.”
“not everything is meant to be said.” you rolled your eyes.
you closed your chamber door and began walking along the corridor. ohyul followed you, sword in hand, a faint smile on his lips, satisfied by your audacious nature.
he did not stop you, for you were right, he had nothing to say, he was bound to the commands of the royal family, and if by misfortune anything were to happen to you, it would be his duty to protect you.
you led him toward a secret passage, which led directly to the garden. the path was almost inaccessible, the overgrown weeds reaching nearly half your height, this part of the castle had been completely left in ruins.
ohyul moved in front of you and, with a swift motion, cut down the weeds that blocked your way with his sword, clearing the path for you.
you continued your way toward the very labyrinth you had cherished during your youth. you removed your chamber shoes and began to run in order to escape ohyul, a playful expression on your face. you knew this labyrinth by heart from having observed it so often from the top of your tower, so you took advantage of it to lose him.
“princess y/n !” he put his sword back behind his armor before starting to run after you, but you had already slipped between the bushes.
the sounds of animals and creatures of the night blended with the sound of your footsteps, at times you felt as though he was right behind you, at others his footsteps seemed distant.
your little game lasted for about ten minutes before you took a turn and your head collided straight into his armor.
he grabbed your arms with a firm hand to prevent you from escaping him once again. you lifted your head, your face flushed, your hair completely disheveled and your breathing uneven.
ohyul had only one desire, to scold you and lecture you, but he chose to lock his gaze into yours once more. you understood that your knight was not the playful kind.
“this is where i used to play with mother and father… before she passed.” you explained, trying to justify the childish side of you that sometimes resurfaced.
“as long as you are under my protection, i ask you to not move away from me as you have just done.”
ohyul released his hold on you gently. the moonlight struck his armor, making it almost painful to look at from how brightly the metal reflected the light. you could not help but wonder what kind of face was hidden behind that helmet.
“why do you not remove your helmet ?” your delicate fingers came to rest against it. you traced every detail with unmatched softness. ohyul did not move, but his heart was beating fast.
“his majesty the king has ordered me to keep it on at all times.”
“and i order you to remove it. now.”
“it would not be wise…” he murmured, his cheeks slightly flushed.
at the very moment you were about to lift the helmet with ohyul’s consent, you noticed a point of light, most likely from a lantern not far from the garden, drawing dangerously closer to the labyrinth.
your father ordered the guards to patrol the garden, the forest and the castle every evening.
“we should return to my chamber. the guards have begun their rounds. follow me, i know this labyrinth by heart.”
you began to run toward the castle, followed by your protective knight. with remarkable discretion, you reached your chamber in record time, without raising any suspicion.
“are you not going to rest ?”
“i must watch over you, in case you decide to run out of your chamber as you did earlier.” he replied in a neutral tone, which amused you.
“i am more clever than you might think.”
it felt good to escape and break the rules for once, even if ohyul was not particularly talkative. you remained confined in your chamber constantly, and on top of that, your father had forbidden you from making friends.
the only people you spent time with were your maid rosa and certain members of your family during important banquets. you finally felt alive, if only for an evening, even if it was a short one.
you were about to close the door, but deep down, you did not wish to go to sleep, so you delayed the moment for as long as possible before finally retiring, leaving ohyul in the dim corridor, barely lit by a candle set into the wall.
a few weeks passed and you had grown accustomed to the presence of your appointed knight, he too, even if he did not express it in the same way. he accompanied you everywhere, under your father’s approval, feeding the horses, reading books in the castle library.
your father had begun to grow more lenient with certain rules. indeed, over time, the king had carefully observed ohyul and had come to the conclusion that he posed no danger to you nor to him. he trusted him entirely, which had a great impact on your freedom, something you had regained, much to your delight.
in two weeks, you had still not discovered the face of your protector. the more you grew attached to him, the more the desire to remove his helmet echoed in your mind and fortunately – or unfortunately for him – you were not willing to give up.
you had dressed and styled your hair in a humble manner. your father had an announcement of the utmost importance to deliver to you, rosa had told you herself, as she did every morning while bringing your breakfast.
ohyul was not present in front of your door, much to your surprise. he was most likely with your father or on a mission with the other guards, you assumed.
you made your way to the kitchen accompanied by rosa, where you could see all the dishes carefully laid out, along with an incalculable number of ingredients scattered everywhere; fresh vegetables from the market, fresh meat hunted early that morning judging by the deep red color of the flesh.
“good morning, father. what are we going to do with all this food ? we could feed an entire kingdom with it.” you could not take your eyes off the abundance before you.
your father approached you and offered you a warm smile.
“good morning, my dear daughter.” he placed a kiss upon your forehead while taking both of your hands. “we are hosting a ball this evening in honor of the arrival of king edward, queen margareth, and their son, prince alistair, who has recently been crowned just as you have. we shall also welcome members of both our families. do you already possess the attire required, my daughter ? or shall i ask rosa to place an order with the tailor ?”
“i thank you, father, but everything is already prepared. however, allow me to ask… i know king edward and queen margareth, as well as their son. from which kingdom do they come ?”
“they rule over the kingdom of england.”
the king, your father, paused briefly, as though weighing his words.
“our relations have long been complex. but times are changing, and this alliance must be maintained. their presence this evening is proof of that. as for their son, alistair, he has only just been crowned. a meeting between you was therefore inevitable.”
you knew your father, you knew he had not arranged this ball without ulterior motives. perhaps he wished to marry you to prince alistair ? at the mere thought, a feeling of discomfort spread through your body.
“i understand better.” your hands slipped away from the king’s. “father, where is ohyul ?”
“i sent him to ride around the estate in order to identify any potential dangers. he should not be long. why ? do you require an escort somewhere ?”
you shook your head, offering a faint smile. he was not far, and that reassured you.
“no, i was just curious… i shall return to my chamber, father, i will begin to prepare my attire for this evening.”
you returned to your chamber and to your great surprise, ohyul stood motionless in the corridor. at the sound of your footsteps, he, who had been leaning slightly against the wall, straightened at once.
you quickened your pace, a wide smile upon your lips.
“ohyul, i’ve been looking for you ! my father is organizing a ball tonight with king edward, queen margareth, as well as prince alistair. there will be so much food, and then… there will be classical music, and it will be a wonderful evening !”
you took his hands and began to spin around him, looking delighted.
one detail – just one – had caught the attention of your personal guard, who, as usual, seemed to pay very little attention to whatever you told him.
“prince alistair ?” he repeated while fixing you with an intense stare.
“yes. father told me he has just been crowned, like me, and that this meeting is meant to be unavoidable. i must find a beautiful outfit, the most beautiful of all. please help me.”
“why should I help you ?”
“do not make me remind you of your duties as my sworn knight.”
you forced him toward your bedroom, but he did not take a single step to follow you. you tried in vain to push him – no effect at all.
ohyul was much taller than you, and his armor made him even heavier, so whenever he decided to disobey, you had no real hold over him.
“i am not allowed to enter here. the king was very clear about that.”
“he won’t know. i need an objective opinion to choose my outfit.” you replied, trying to give him your best pleading look, which failed completely.
“do we even speak the same language, you and i ?”
“i believe we do.”
“then what part of ‘i cannot enter’ did you not understand ? and you could always ask Rosa instead.”
“no, it is not the same. you are a man. i want you to see it through prince alistair’s eyes.”
behind his helmet, ohyul frowned so deeply it look like it could have carved lines into his forehead despite his young age.
he despised this hierarchy with every part of his being, the inability to speak his mind freely, the constant need to keep his head down.
the idea of you getting closer to the prince did not please him in the slightest. even if he was not used to openly expressing what he felt, he would certainly not choose his words carefully today.
“please stop comparing me to that prince. he and I have nothing in common.” he replied sharply before entering your room of his own accord.
“would you not happen to be jealous of dear alistair, by any chance ?”
you watched him step inside your bedroom and sit on your bed, a wide smile stretched across your face, happy that your exchanges were finally gaining some momentum.
“i have nothing to envy him for.”
“why are you speaking to me like that ?”
“please hurry up, i do not have all day.” he said, attempting to dodge your question about his sudden change in attitude.
“be careful with the language you use toward me.”
“and if i am not ? would you have the courage to dismiss me ?”
you did not answer and raised a brow, grumbling inwardly. he knew it – and you knew it – you would never dare complain to your father. ohyul was part of your routine now.
with a delicate movement, you began to slip off the straps of your dressing gown. the fabric slid slowly down your skin before pooling at your feet, revealing your lace lingerie soft powder-pink bra and matching panties.
from the mirror, you could see ohyul watching you. his eyes were fixed on you, and he did not look away for a single second, taking in every curve of your body as though his gaze had turned into a scanner.
unlike him, who had suddenly grown more confident, all the boldness you had managed to gather over the past weeks evaporated in a fraction of a second.
you walked toward your wardrobe, sliding hangers one by one along the rail, murmuring inaudible comments, when you felt a presence position itself behind you.
you froze instantly and turned around, only to find yourself face to face with ohyul’s chest.
“what are you doing ?” you asked, barely daring to lift your eyes to meet him.
with a gentle, almost instinctive motion, he took your chin between his fingers. the contact of your skin against the cold enamel of his armor sent a subtle shiver through you. he made you look up at him.
“why are you embarrassed ? i thought we had already learned enough about each other by now.”
“i am not.” you shot back, looking away but each time he guided your chin back toward him.
“liar.”
he bent down slightly so your heads were level. he leaned in, and your eyes intertwined.
“you did not answer me earlier. would you dare complain about me to your father, to have me sent back to my kingdom ?”
you remained silent while ohyul continued to close the distance between you. you were only a few millimetres apart now, your nose brushed against his helmet, and the scent of metal filled the small space between you.
your body was caught in a tension you had never felt before. your eyelids began to lower, and you stopped paying attention to his armor altogether. your mind imagined a man standing in front of you – dark hair, raven-black eyes, a gentle, almost angelic face.
you froze, as if preparing for a possible kiss from your knight.
ohyul watched you with a faint smirk, then stepped back after seeing your vulnerability.
“i think i have my answer,” his rough voice snapped you out of your little dream.
you opened your eyes, completely flushed and flustered.
ohyul had already rushed out of your room, satisfied with the little game he had started after you had pressured him about prince alistair.
now he was certain of one thing, he had absolutely nothing to envy in that prince.
you were near the buffet, picking at a few starters, watching the crowd of people chatting amongst themselves. your father was speaking with cousins and elders of the family lineage.
guards were stationed at every entrance leading into the grand ballroom, ready to draw their swords in case of any breach within the castle.
soft melodies from tchaikovsky’s waltz of the flowers echoed through the vast hall and into your ears, sometimes forcing guests to lean closer to one another just to properly hear each other properly.
you were dressed in an emerald gown with a long train – one your father had likely paid a fortune for – which had earned you a hundred compliments in just a few minutes from various guests.
you had met the king and queen of england as well as their son, the prince. the conversations had revolved around your respective coronations, life as young royals, and various past conflicts with other kingdoms.
it did not interest you, so you had pretended to step away, promising to return, but it had already been a good ten minutes since you broke that promise.
you looked away and noticed a tall figure dressed in a shimmering suit, the same shade as your dress, approaching you. the prince had made his way through the crowd and found you.
“well… are our conversations not of interest to you ?” he asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, already knowing the answer you were thinking but would not admit.
“of course they are, but…”
“i assure you, there is no need to lie about it. i understand you. i would probably be better off in my room as well.”
you lowered your head slightly and returned a shy but sincere smile.
in truth, you also dreamed of returning to your room and locking yourself away until dawn. but it was impossible, you were stuck here for an indefinite amount of time. your father had gone through great effort for this evening; it was out of the question to leave, even for the smallest fraction of a second.
“thank you,” you said softly. “thank you for understanding.”
“we can agree on one thing, your father certainly went all out. do you know everyone here ?”
the prince shifted beside you, leaning lightly against the buffet table in a relaxed posture. it was his way of putting you at ease, and perhaps showing you that with him, there was no need to be overly formal or rigid.
“not really. some of them have been present since my birth, and yet i swear i have never seen them before…”
“that is strange, though i do not recall ever seeing you in my life either.”
“my father is quite strict. i rarely leave the kingdom,” you admitted, which did not fail to make the prince laugh.
he took a glass of champagne from the buffet table. you watched each of his movements, elegant yet effortless. the way he held his glass left no doubt, even if the prince had adopted a relaxed demeanor earlier to earn your trust, the king and queen had clearly instilled discipline and manners in him, and it showed in his aura.
“that is surprising. and you have never thought of rebelling ?”
you stepped closer to him and placed a hand on the back of his neck, gently pressing so he would lean down slightly to your level.
“if i told you, how do i know you would not repeat it to my father ?” you whispered.
and the two of you laughed together, as if you had always known each other.
on his side, ohyul was still standing guard at the castle’s main gates. at times, he watched the moon spilling its light over the castle and the surrounding grounds, or the bridge in front of him that led toward a vast forest and beyond that, his former kingdom.
a guard eventually approached him to take over his shift, pulling him abruptly out of his drifting thoughts.
he made his way back toward the main hall, now alive with music and movement, and was immediately faced with a vast crowd. taking position in a corner of the room, he spotted you.
you were in your emerald gown, accompanied by alistair, both of you dancing to the rhythm of the classical music. your hands were intertwined, your steps perfectly synchronized, and every gaze in the room was drawn to you.
even though everyone had their own partner, no pair could rival yours. there was a real chemistry between you, ohyul had recognized it instantly.
his brows furrowed behind his helmet. the only thing he could do was clench his fists or try to look away to calm himself, but his eyes, like everyone else’s in the room, refused to be spared.
he was fixated on this perfectly executed dance, as though he had just been forced to witness something intimate being taken from him.
you did not spare him a single glance. your thoughts were occupied by the prince, and truthfully, you had not once questioned your knight’s presence.
after long minutes of graceful dancing, the music began to fade, signaling the end of your first dance. only then, over the prince’s shoulder, did you see him standing still.
you could feel ohyul’s eyes locked onto you.
you did not know exactly when he had arrived or how long he had been there, but clearly long enough to decide to leave on his own, his mind completely eaten away by jealousy and frustration at having been unable to intervene.
you bowed politely to the prince to thank him. he tried to hold you back by the arm, but you broke free from his grip with a firm motion before rushing toward one of the exits to follow your knight, under the surprised gaze of alistair and several guests who had witnessed the scene.
you tried to catch up to him. you had even taken off your shoes and gathered your dress in one hand to avoid falling, but ohyul managed to keep his distance.
despite your calls, your knight, who was meant to obey you, did not answer.
you had reached the top of the castle, near the bell tower. the wind lifted your carefully styled hair, but you did not slow down.
ohyul still kept that unbearable distance between you, as though he were running away from you.
he had reached the edge of a narrow balcony, still turned away from you, gazing at the landscape stretching out before him from the height of the tower. the ancient balustrade looked far too fragile to support anything, and yet it was there that he had chosen to stand.
the vast, endless sky unfolded above you. the radiant moon bathed ohyul in a pale light, making the reflections on his armor shimmer and emphasizing the cold distance he was placing between you.
the wind whistled softly between the stone columns, lifting your dress slightly as you approached cautiously, like a child who had done something wrong.
when you tried to place a hand on him, he turned as if he had predicted your movement and grabbed your wrist, immediately breaking the contact you had tried to create.
“ohyul…?”
“do not touch me.”
“why are you so upset ?”
he released your grip and stared down at the ground in silence. you took the opportunity to lift his head with the tips of your fingers.
“you should return to the prince and the guests. you are expected.”
“so that is why you left ? seeing me with the prince puts you in such a state ?”
“stop playing. this is not a game.”
“we are past the age of being childish fools. my father has always told me—”
ohyul cut you off sharply, his voice suddenly authoritative.
“do you truly want to know what is wrong with me ?!”
he stepped closer, but you backed away, horrified to see him losing control, him, who was usually so calm.
“i am not who you think i am. i never wanted to be here ! i was forced into this under threat of imprisonment. your father forbade me from forming any bond with you because i am a murderer.”
he paused. his breathing steadied, as did his anger.
“there was a knight… who did terrible things, but the king appointed him as his sworn protector. he trusted him greatly. unfortunately, i could not allow him to continue what he was doing, so i killed him one night while we were both on duty at the same post. that is why your father strictly forbade me from removing my helmet. he did not want you to be confronted with the face of a man capable of killing in cold blood or to be reminded that such a man stands at your side.”
you stood frozen, speechless in front of ohyul’s confession.
a flood of questions rushed through your mind, yet no sound left your lips. you felt betrayed, angry that he had not told you sooner, but a part of you also understood his suffering and the obligations weighing on him, under the threat of your father’s punishment.
he had already revealed what he had done. so revealing who he was now felt like the least of his confessions.
ohyul took a deep breath, a shiver running through his body. he knew what he was about to do marked a point of no return, but he had nothing left to lose.
slowly, almost reluctantly, he raised his hand towards his helmet.
“look at me.”
you heart skipped a beat.
and, in a slow motion, he removed it.
moonlight slid across his face like a revelation. everything you had imagined – and secretly hoped for without ever daring to admit it – was there, and even more beautiful than you could have expected.
his features were hauntingly harmonious, almost unreal. his eyes, the only part of him you had ever seen through the helmet, were dark and tired, carrying a weight you could never fully understand.
ohyul looked like an angel. and you could not believe that the man in front of you had committed a murder in his former kingdom. it felt unreal, impossible.
“ohyul… i… i do not know what to think.”
he placed his hands at your waist and gently pulled you closer. his medium-length dark hair was slightly damp, falling softly over his eyes.
you blushed. a wave of warmth flooded your body. your exchanges had been brief, but you both knew deep down that your desire was mutual.
he lowered his head slightly before pressing his lips against yours.
a kiss that had started soft quickly turned into something more intense, sensual, tormented. you placed your hands behind his neck, deepening it. you wanted to give yourself completely to him, but it was impossible, so you simply made the moment last.
your fingers tangled in his raven-black hair, and he did not hesitate to trail kisses down your neck before returning to your lips.
your mouths eventually separated, and your eyes devoured each other without noticing that prince alistair stood a little further away, watching the scene unfold.
he had spent the rest of the evening searching for you throughout the castle until he found you there, near the bell, on that balcony.
the prince, burning with jealousy, tried to maintain composure by adjusting imaginary folds in his shimmering suit.
you saw ohyul’s gaze shift slightly. his dark eyes were now fixed on something – or someone – behind you. you turned and saw the prince behind a half-collapsed ivy-covered column.
you gave ohyul one last look as your sworn knight began to put his grey chrome helmet back on.
“my apologies.”
ohyul bowed to you and watched your silhouette fade into the distance as you returned to the prince’s side.
after that ball, you never saw your knight again.
he remained nowhere to be found within the castle. despite your minimal attempts to search and the information you tried to gather from court ladies, none of them seemed to know anything – or if they did, they said nothing. one thing was certain, ohyul had become a taboo subject within the castle.
even your father, the king, assigned you a new knight without explaining such a sudden change.
what you did not know was that prince alistair had, of course, gone to the king the very next day after your kiss with ohyul, reporting your obvious closeness and what he had witnessed. his pride had driven him to hurt you, how could a princess prefer a simple knight over him ? he thought.
ohyul had broken the oath he had sworn to the king – not to reveal himself, and not to develop feelings for his only daughter, the royal princess.
however, you had not lost hope. you tried to contact him despite your father’s strict prohibition. you did not care. ohyul was your first love, and you did everything in your power to see him again, even if it meant turning your back on your family.
you believed that the tears you shed every night while watching the stars would eventually be answered.
every day, you sent a new letter to every nearby kingdom, expressing your love for him and how unbearable your days had become without his presence, hoping one day to wake up to a reply, but nothing ever came.
rosa, your maid, bore witness to your sorrow and shared it with you.
ohyul had completely disappeared, and you were forced to live on, with only the memories of your time in the castle – and the angelic face you would most likely never see again.
