(im jinah, thirty-two, cis woman, she/her) you do not know me but rest assured i know you, LADY MUN SEONGHWA. you are the RULING LADY MUN. you maybe be known for your RESOURCEFULNESS but it is only a mask for the true nature of your RUTHLESS ways. however, i am not here to spread slander on the queenâs jewels, though i suspect you are her PYROPE. the ton says your name reminds them of CREATING SCANDALOUS RUMORS FOR FUN; THAT TANTALIZING LINE BETWEEN SABOTAGING ONESELF AND FEELING ALIVE; RULING WITH AN IRON FIST AND A SLY SMILE. how scandalous! you have been warned, dear reader, that i will prove if this is true and share every last detail.
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Name : Mun Seonghwa.
Birthday / Zodiac : October 29th / Scorpio
Age : 32
Gender : Ciswoman
Pronouns : She/her
Sexual Orientation : Lesbian
Role : Ruling Lady of Mun
Faceclaim : Im Jinah
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Seonghwa is... difficult. She is effortlessly magnetic, endlessly captivating, the kind of person that could make you feel like you are the most important person alive whenever she talks to you. And then the moment ends, and you are back to reality and the fact that you mean nothing to her, not even a little bit. Observant and manipulative to the core, she sees everything as a game that she's determined to win, no matter what it takes and who she has to hurt to get it. And yet, beneath all her rot, lies a woman that would do anything for her loved ones - especially her family and herself.
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Seonghwa was born in the midst of a thunderstorm. That was why her parents used to call her their thunder, their firstborn, their golden child. She came into the world with the roar of the skies, and it seemed only fitting that she grew up with a fire in her veins.
She wanted for nothing. Love and affection were freely given in the Mun household, and under the careful guidance of her tutors, she thrived. Every lesson, every skill, every challengeâshe conquered them all with ease, putting every ounce of effort in everything she did, excelling in everything she touched. But Seonghwa was never content with mere excellence. She was ambitious, ever-reaching, determined to carve her own destiny. She did not want to be just the eldest child of a mere lord. She wanted more. She wanted to be great.
Marriage was never part of that vision.
She had known from a young age that she would never give a man power over herâover her future, her choices, her freedom. From shy kisses exchanged in the darkened halls with a maid to the secret affairs that followed, Seonghwa realized she was drawn to women, ensnared by their beauty, their wit, their presence. And so, as a teenager, she made herself a quiet promise: one day, she would build a life with a woman she loved.
No one had ever expected her to succeed her father. Least of all, Seonghwa herself. Though she had always known she was his favorite, she never imagined he would defy traditionâwould bend the very rules of societyâto pass down to her what should have rightfully been her brotherâs title.
And yet, here she stood, the ruling lady of her house, power resting in the palm of her hand.
It was a good place to be. And she would do whatever it took to ensure it remained hers.
When: Days following Buckingham Palace Ball
Where: Kensington Gardens
"I do apologise for leaving the ball so early. I so wanted to be there to see the night through but my attentions were called for." Elisa was genuinely apologetic but at the same time she had a small smile on her face as she remembered the reunion she'd had when she'd returned that night to her husband. "How was the rest?"
She quite liked the Marchioness, if she was to be honest. Something rare, for sure, but she found herself laughing charmingly at her side. "Oh, utterly dull without you, Lady Sinclair," she said. "You know you are the diamond of every partyâwhether the ton admits it or not."
She flashed a slow, knowing smile. "Do try not to leave me suffering through these events without you, wonât you?"
Cassandra took a deep breath of the cool evening air upon the balcony, her head spinning from all the requests for a moment of her time. She couldn't understand why the gentlemen of the ton coveted just a moment of attention from her when she couldn't be what they all desired. Even if she would attempt to be respectful, she could never yield to them, not truly. Cassandra assumed it was a bit of rebellion in them, trying to figure out who, as a stranger from a strange land, was.
A voice called out to Cassandra and she bowed obediently, "good evening Lady Mun, how is tonight fairing for you?" Cassandra learned of Lady Mun and her standing when she arrived in London. A ruling lady without a man beside her? Cassandra couldn't help but envy the woman who held all the power in her hands.
"My secret? I do hope it's not the one you read in Lady Whistledown as it could not be farther from my truth," the idea that Sir Claremont was courting her was wildly ridiculous and Cassandra hadn't been the one who was touched, it was her mother, but she would bear the burden of that rumor if it meant her mother's name being kept out of the Ton's mouth. "May I ask what you believe my secret to be?"
"Your secret, I believe, is that you donât strike me as someone eager to marry."
Seonghwaâs amusement was clear, but not unkind. That a woman would treat such an ordinary thing as some great, whispered secret? It baffled her. "If you donât wish to marry, why not simply say so?" She shrugged, as if the matter were as simple as choosing tea or coffee.
"I certainly donât." The admission was effortless, unapologetic. "Perhaps not now. Perhaps not ever."
She sipped her wine, utterly unconcerned. "The ton will whisper, of course, but what can they possibly do to me?" A privilege others did not haveâthis, she knew.
Seonghwa tilted her head, thenâher expression shifting, the sharp edges of her usual confidence softening into something rare. "What I mean to say is thisâif you truly do not wish to marry?" A pause. A small, knowing smile. "Then you have an ally in me, Miss Lockridge."
âI think you are utterly correct, Lady Mun,â she beamed before taking a long sip of champagne. âWomen arenât meant to sit idly by their lives just to please men,â she scoffed, âItâs high time ladies were allowed to have the fun that our counterparts get to enjoy. Iâm tired of hearing of âgentlemenâs clubsâ â where are our âladiesâ clubsâ â we deserve fun, too, do we not?â She couldnât help but smirk playfully. Seonghwa had suddenly become Maudeâs new partner-in-crime. âCertainly as the Diamond I can help us forge a new way for women? One where we arenât expected to marry if we donât want to, one where we can stay out in the wee hours of the morning drinking ale with our fellow ladies,â she said excitedly. Once Maude set her mind to something, there was no use stopping her. âWhat do you say, Lady Mun? Will you fight this battle with me?â she asked, a sequence of melodious giggles echoing from her lips. "We could really give Lady Whistledown something to talk about."
Something about Seonghwa was completely captivating to Maude and she couldn't deny it. Maude's eyes lit up with amusement as Seonghwa confided in her the most humorous and devilish of secrets. Her hand covered her mouth as to stifle her laughter. "You did not," she replied, a humored grin on her lips, "My, my Lady Mun you are a delight."
"Those gentlemenâs clubs are insufferable, arenât they?" Seonghwa drawled, lips curling with idle amusement. "So stuffy. So self-important. As if we women couldnât possibly comprehend their grand, dull conversations."
She turned her gaze to Lady Maude, eyes glittering with mischief. "It isnât a wish, my dear. Itâs a right. Letâs claim it. A lesser woman might have hesitated before saying what came next. But Seonghwa was not a lesser woman. "Fuck the ton." She smiled as she said itâbold, unapologetic, electric.
"Weâll gather our fellow ladies, you and I. And if we find Lady Whistledown?" A sly tilt of her head. "We recruit her." A woman with that much reach and that many secrets? She would make a formidable ally.
Seonghwa leaned in, lowering her voice just enough to make it feel like a whispered conspiracy. "It has been some time since Iâve met a kindred spirit, Lady Maude," she admitted. Then, grinning like a woman ready to set fire to the world, she extended a hand. "Shall we officiate this little rebellion?"
"Lady Mun. Of course. My apologies." Edith spoke quickly, not allowing the annoyance at herself to get the better of her and take over the conversation. "Perhaps education is what I need." She nodded. She had thought that she'd have learnt everything she needed by now but ... apparently not.
Edith couldn't help but smile as Seonghwa continued. This had been the most fun that she had been having since she had arrived at the ball. "How could it not?" Edith returned. "I'm sure i'm not the only person to react like that to you."
She chuckled, low and smooth. "A brave little thing, arenât you? So young, yet already so fiery."
Yes, she liked this one. Edith Cooke amused her.
Seonghwa tilted her head, letting her gaze rake over the girl in front of her, assessing, indulging, savoring. "A lesser gentlewoman might be tempted to take advantage of you, Iâm sure," she murmured, voice edged with something close to a purr.
She let the words hang in the airâa quiet little challenge. "And yet... you have your claws, donât you?" A slow, knowing smile. A playful glint in her eyes. "Tell me, are you always this sweet with everyone you meet? Or am I just special?"
Well, this all feels more than a little scandalous. Perhaps she can blame it on the champagne, or the fact that she has not spent more than a passing moment in the company of polite society for well over a decade, but it's all starting to go to her head. The heat, the alcohol, the buzz, the people. She had been trying to pace herself, but there's a certain dizzying sensation passing over her which, in turn, has a flustering effect on her.
"I suspect that if you have your way, Lady Mun, it certainly will not be the last time our paths cross." For certainly, the ruling lady does not strike Violetta to be someone who does not get her way often. Whether that is something she will be grateful for or despairing of has yet to be seen.
She smiled, pleased with herself. "Why, you flatter me so, Violetta."
She let the name roll off her tongue, savoring the way it feltâan intimacy she had claimed without permission. But then, who would dare deny her? Who could? She was Lady Mun Seonghwa, after all.
She leaned in this time, so close that her breath ghosted against the curve of Violettaâs ear, the space between them now intimate, intoxicating. "Do you want to know why I wish to see you again?" A deliberate pause. A whisper-soft smile. "I sense something about you." Another beat, letting the air between them grow charged, heavy. "Something more than beautyâ" A breath of amusement. "âyou are hiding something."
A shift in her tone, playful, yet edged with intrigue. "What is it, I wonder?"
She pulled back just enough to meet Violettaâs eyes, letting her gaze linger, promising, daring. "Alas, you've piqued my curiosity. You shall be seeing me again soon enough, Miss Violetta Mancini."
A smirk. A final parting shot, low and knowingâ"Do remember me, wonât you?" And with that, she was gone, leaving only the ghost of her presence behind.
Juliet looked up to see Lady Mun and a cordial smile went to her pretty lips. "Lady Mun - you quite frightened me, I did not realize anyone was here. For all I knew, you were Lady Whistledown in the flesh." She tried to joke and sighed. "Very much garbage indeed, I dare say, and a frivolous form of entertainment for nothing - to perhaps regal the bored and dull lives of those who dream for gossip. I haven't much time for it, I'm afraid." Juliet tried to convince herself, pausing to think about the things said to her, the fear in her when her mother would get wind of it all.
"They did, indeed. Talked about my scandalous nature speaking to my butler and a rather irritating groomsmen. Utterly provocative, I know." She sarcastically spoke. "Your name did not come up?"
"A shame," she admitted, with the air of someone lamenting a particularly dull evening. "I was quite looking forward to seeing what they had to say about me."
And it was true. If Lady Whistledown deigned to write something amusing about her, Seonghwa would let it be. After all, life was terribly boring without a bit of entertainment. But if there was even a whisper of degrading rumorsâabout herself, or worse, her familyâthen whoever penned those words would find themselves most unpleasantly reminded of their anonymity.
She leaned in then, all conspiratorial smiles and soft intrigue, lowering her voice just enough to suggest secrecy, intimacy. "And tell me, Miss Thorpe⊠is there any truth to it?" A delicate pause. A slow, knowing smile. A tilt of the head, all feigned innocence, before she murmured, "Come now, I shanât tell a soul."
berk was used to people poking fun at him, and while before he would have walked away or even looked afraid he now didn't even look over. "no, thank you, m'lady, i've found one right here that will do just nicely." he said and continued to perfect his mustache before turning to her; looking at her with a bit of a challenging look. he trembled inside and was still that unsure 12-year-old most of the time. yet, he had learned to hide it better and be more defensive. it generally worked.
At his little attempt at a challenging look, Seonghwa triedâtruly triedâto stifle her laughter. Really, she did. It wasnât her fault that she failed. He was simply too adorable and pathetic not to tease.
She inclined her head, all mock seriousness. "Oh, of course you have," she said, indulging him with a gracious nod. "Though, if I may⊠your mustache could use just a bit more twirling. Really sell the look, donât you think?"
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she gaspedâsoftly, theatricallyâand let her eyes widen in feigned innocence. "You know, I have a brother around your age, and he is equally terrible at dressing himself." A delicate pause. A slow, sweet smile. "Would you like my assistance, perhaps, Mister Kara?"
Edith was absolutely waiting for the woman in front of her to tear into her. She would have expected it. Edith wouldn't hesitate usually. And yet, here she was, hesitating. She hated that she had been distracted by a pretty face.
"Yes. I am." Edith nodded her head. "And your Lady Min, right?" She asked, though she was sure that she was correct. She had admired the woman from afar. The way that seonghwa carried herself was something which Edith greatly admired.
A small smile slipped onto Ediths lips at the compliment from the other woman. "The same could be said about yourself, My Lady." She nodded, "Though I suppose you hear that all the time."
The girl was youngâa sweet little thingâbut Seonghwa had never been one to shy away from a bit of flirtation. Especially not when her company was both beautiful and utterly mesmerized by her.
An ego boost, really.
Seonghwa leaned in, her smile turning slow and deliberate, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Itâs Lady Mun, Miss Cooke. I see youâre still in need of a tutor, after all." Her voice dipped, silky and dangerous. "I am, of course, at your service... should you require further education."
The girlâs compliment was expectedâbut still, Seonghwa laughed, light and effortlessly pleased. Tinkling, elegantâlike music. "I do, donât I?" She tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness before letting her gaze flicker back to Miss Cookeâs. "Tell me, then⊠does my appearance make your heart beat faster?"
"it didn't appear that way when you pulled out the claws as i approached." emmett said good-naturedly as they walked closer to their friend and sat down, enjoying the quiet setting of the dark walk. "i do wonder, us being here together unchaperoned... is that allowed now? or not? how does this whole new... marriage decree actually work? does anyone know?"
emmett wanted to start explaining just which women had captured their attention before they were intrigued by the mention of italy. "not particularly. why?" they asked, sensing some intrigue.
Seonghwa rolled her eyes, though the gesture held more amusement than exasperation. "Oh, you know me. I have to rattle them a littleâit keeps my cold, wicked little heart entertained." She smirked, eyes glinting with mischief. "Should I be worried about my virtue around you, Countess Hermance? How scandalous." She let her voice dip, playful, teasing. "Imagine what Lady Whistledown would write. What the ton would whisper."
As if they hadnât already had a little⊠entanglement all those years ago.
She chuckled, shaking her head. "But to your questionâno, I havenât the faintest idea. Perhaps you should ask the Queen." She, personally, couldnât care less. Having the option to marry a woman was lovely, of course, but the thought of marriage itself? Dreadful.
Still, she hesitated, choosing her next words carefully. She refused to sound like a lovesick fool. "I met someone at the ball." Her voice was light, almost casualâalmost. Too casual. "An Italian woman. Mancini. Ring a bell?"
@rulingladymun at the Buckingham Palace, with Seonghwa
"WHAT IS NOT FAIR, MOTHER?" Words echo off the walls like bullets shot with haste. Korbin's eyes are burning with fury, hands waving through the air, the glass with champagne in his hand daring to spill. "That he is the one dying, and that I am not?" In disbelief, Korbin shakes his head at his mother's crocodile tears -- he has seen her cry many times before. He knows when she fakes it, knows when she is trying to get what she wants. "You wanted me to come back. Do not tell me you--" A figure enters the alleyway, and Korbin immediately snaps back into his polite, soft demeanor. Lady Vidura does not spare him a second glance, instead, she disappears, and leaves him behind. Korbin is met with a face he did not expect, and quickly performs his nicest possible curtsy.
"Lady Mun. I did not expect to meet you here, out of all places." Korbin offers a polite smile, though behind his eyes lays something uneasy, something restless. "Have you been enjoying your night?"
One of Seonghwaâs greatest lovesâsecond only to herself, of courseâwas drama. Secrets. Most of the time, she had to dig them up herself, prying into the cracks of polite society. But sometimes⊠oh, sometimes, they fell right into her lap. Like now. The Vidura boy, so recently returned from gods know where, already fighting with his mother. So tragic. So deliciously tragic. To be resented by the very woman who bore youânot for any crime of your own, but because your father was the one dying instead of you.
Seonghwa wouldnât know what that felt like. Sheâd never been so expendable.
She smoothed her skirts, letting the moment stretch, heavy with unspoken understanding, before dipping into a perfectly poised curtsy. "Mister Vidura," she greeted, a slow, knowing smile curling at the edges of her lips. "My night has been just fine, thank you.â A beat. Just long enough for her amusement to settle. âYours, however... seems far less so, doesnât it?"
location: the diamond ball, royal ballroom, buckingham palace, london, england.
eleanor would be lying if she had said she expected to be one of the several women chosen amongst the ton. she knew that the queen had liked her, almost as one of her own, but not this much. making her way over to the dance floor, she quickly pulls out her dance card and smiles at her first suitor. "i assume you are here for a dance?" she asked, although she knew the answer already. "i must warn you, i have two left feet, i'm afraid." she admitted with a small chuckle.
Seonghwa arched a brow, amusement flickering in her gaze. âMy, my. A confident little thing, arenât you?â She leaned in just slightly, studying her with open intrigue. âTell me, do I look like a woman about to ask you to dance, my lady?â Her smile widenedâslow, deliberateâuntil it curled into something sharper. Predatory.
âBut, as I am a gentlewoman,â she continued, voice dipping into something almost saccharine, âI will graciously accept your invitation.â
Then, as though an afterthought, she smirked. âThough, Iâd advise against stepping on my feet. No matter how many left ones you might have.â
"And what fate, pray tell, would you so willingly suffer?" Thayer asks. There is no denying how the Lady Mun holds herself, this thoughtfully carved elegance and grace. He can only imagine where she hides the weapon of such precision. "You possess what many of the ton can scarcely dream of. Even then, their desired are clouded with edges soft with fantasy."
An eldest daughter placed above an eldest son, a tale not for this time but one that unfold in the future. Seonghwa surely stands above them all, and all at once, at the outskirts. Is she a god forced to play along, or just another pawn for men to spite others? Either way, she wears it like more than a birthright.
"What could you find along the dark walk?" Thayer's own endeavors have just barely been satisfied. Musk and sandalwood are heavy on his skin again, the taste of another never taken off his tongue despite efforts that leave trace of his attempts in blushed lipsâ desire, desperation, devotion to such insipid cures. "These gardens are for the discarded, unwanted, under appreciated. What could the ruling Lady of the House of Mun seek out here?"
âWell, Sir, I am not willing to suffer anything,â she said, voice light but unwavering. âAs you so kindly pointed out, I have something many could only dream of. Why, then, should I choose to suffer? That would be rather foolish of me, wouldnât it?â
And foolish, she was not.
She was well aware of her fortuneâan impossible stroke of fate, truly. A daughter succeeding her father? Unheard of. Even she had been surprised. No doubt her brother resented her, at least a little. Not that she cared.
âPeace, perhaps,â she said, tone turning almost indulgent now. âBut you are rather dramatic, Sir. These gardens are just thatâgardens. A quiet escape. And, on occasionâŠâ Her smile turned teasing. âI find interesting company here. Like yourself, of course.â
A pause, just long enough to be deliberate.
âAnd what, pray tell, could a former prince be seeking in a place for the discarded, the unwanted, and the underappreciated?â
starter for: open / lady, friend, former bully...
location: just outside the ballroom, in front of a mirror
berk was nervous. he wasn't sure whether his outfit was good enough, or his hair and he had watched men taller than him, broader than him enter and he wondered if tonight would yet again be a moment he was skipped over. would any woman be interested in a man like him? even if his medals were on proud display. not even wartime stories and bravery had proven to be enough in the past. he was nervously curling his mustache into perfection, thinking no one could see him in his nervous state.
Seonghwa knew of him, of course. The youngest son of Lord Kara. She had never paid him much mindâhe was a man, first of all, and far too dull-looking to warrant her attention.
But watching him now, stiff in his finery, medals gleaming, yet somehow managing to look just as awkward as everâwell, she almost felt bad for him.
Almost.
A laugh bubbled up before she could stop it, light and unapologetic.
âTell me, Mister Berk,â she said, amusement curling at the edges of her lips, "shall I fetch you a mirror?"
Maude was still under the impression that the Queen had made an error in naming her the Diamond â or maybe, she wondered, her father paid the Queen off to keep Maude in the season, to prevent her from running of again. Whatever the case, she decided she was going to make the most of it and maybe â definitely â cause some lighthearted trouble while she was at it. She was not ready to settle down into a dull marriage, she had too much life yet to live.
Maude tossed her curls behind her shoulder, giving Seongwha a wink. "A state of mind and perhaps a red shade of rouge. That is what being a Diamond is all about," she giggled pressing her lips together to accentuate the newest rouge she painted her lips with for the evening, imported from Paris.
"Charming and dangerously beautiful," she mused, "And I love every bit of it." As the young woman leaned it, Maude had to stifle her laughter. It was true, Maude had danced with many men during the course of the ball and almost all of them had two left feet. "Oh, a wonderful question, indeed," she smirked before glancing at an elderly earl who could barely hold himself up, let alone dance and she tilted her head toward him. "He not only stepped on my toes, he accidentally knocked my leg with his cane â I'd say it's time for him to give up on dancing altogether. It was miserable."
Perhaps this Seasonâs Diamond might not be so dull, after all.
Seonghwa had always found demure, rule-abiding ladies utterly tiresome. Give her someone with a sharp tongue, a rebellious streakâ anyone who didnât cling too tightly to societyâs rigid expectations.
Her smile turned genuine now, touched with real amusement. âAs you should, my lady.â She tipped her head, voice warm with approval. âWhatâs the point of being chosen as the Diamond if not to have a little fun?â Her grin widened, her tone dropping to something more conspiratorial. âEspecially with Lady Whistledown lurking about. I say itâs high time we ladies did whatever we pleased. Wouldnât you agree?â
And thenâoh, this one had a bit of bite, didnât she?
Seonghwa let out a rich, unrestrained laugh at Maudeâs story. She leaned in slightly, mirroring the other womanâs playful secrecy, her smirk full of wicked delight. âLet me tell you something, Lady Maude,â she murmured, eyes glinting. âWhen I was younger, I stole that lordâs cane at a ball once. He spent half the night hobbling about, furious.â A pause. A grin. âIt was marvelous.â
kate didn't notice the woman slowly approaching her. she took a sip of her refreshment, lost in her thoughts while her green hues admired the ton. it was when she heard the murmur that she snapped back to reality and turned her head to see the lady standing by her side.
hearing her words made the woman slightly blush as she looked down, a gentle smile coming across her face. "you're flattering me, my lady. however, i do not have any reasons to be known besides my own business." she looked back at her, her green hues looking at her with kindness. "indeed, we haven't been introduced." she clearly didn't know the woman, however, kate bowed her head gracefully and introduced herself formally.
"i am miss kate beckett. i am the jeweler of mayfair, beckett's. and who am i speaking to?"
Seonghwa suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape. Pity. She had always favored women who could challenge her, who knew how to fight backâbut then again, the woman before her might not even favor women at all.
Best not to waste my efforts, she decided, shifting her approach. Her flirtatious tone softened, replaced with one of easy, polite curiosity.
âBeckettâs, you say?â She tilted her head, as if trying to recall. âI believe Iâve purchased a necklace or two from you.â A smooth statementâwhether true or not, she hardly remembered.
She offered a graceful nod, her voice laced with just the right touch of charm. âLady Mun Seonghwa, at your service, Miss.â A pause. A slight smile. âTell meâwhat do you think of the ball so far?â
