Just curious... how many chapters do you think camgirl will have? I really wanna read it but I'm waiting for it to be finished so I can binge the whole thing at once. Your writing is so good, once I start a story I don't wanna stop reading <3
It only has maybe 4, I’m rewriting the ending because I ended up hating the first one I did 😭
Morning came softly in the palace. No rattling pipes. No neighbors screaming through paper thin walls. No market vendors shouting beneath underground tunnel lights before sunrise. Just quiet. Warm sunlight drifted slowly through the massive windows of Y/N’s room, pale gold stretching across polished floors and tangled blankets while the distant hum of Solaria Prime moved far below the imperial tower.
For a few blissfully disoriented seconds after waking up… Y/N forgot where she was. She blinked sleepily into unfamiliar sunlight spilling across the bed, still halfway trapped in dreams and exhaustion. The blankets beneath her were too soft. The mattress too comfortable. Warm air drifted through the room carrying the faint scent of flowers and clean water instead of metal and dust. Her brain tried placing it. Not her apartment. Too quiet. Not the Choi repair shop couch either. Then her eyes landed on the towering glass windows overlooking the city and reality slammed back into place hard enough to make her groan aloud.
“God.” The palace. Mingi. The dinner. The rooftop. The impossible revelation about human cities beyond imperial control. Y/N dragged both hands down her face before flopping backward against the pillows dramatically. This was a nightmare. A very expensive nightmare with incredible water pressure. Sunlight warmed her bare shoulders while she stared up at the ceiling trying to collect herself again. And somewhere beneath the exhaustion and panic…. a strange lingering feeling from last night remained stubbornly alive in her chest. The way Mingi looked stepping in front of her at the dinner. The shift in his voice when he threatened Erevan. The softness afterward on the rooftop. Dangerous thoughts.
Y/N rolled onto her side aggressively like physically moving might knock them loose. The unfamiliar room looked even larger in daylight. The wardrobe remained partially open revealing rows of expensive clothing Mingi bought her for reasons she still didn’t fully understand. Soft ambient lights glowed faintly along the walls while the city stretched endlessly beyond the windows beneath bright blue sky. No underground in sight. No sign humans even existed beneath Solaria Prime at all making homesickness hit suddenly and sharp enough to steal her breath for a second. San was probably already awake helping open the repair shop. Allara was definitely gossiping to everyone in District 5C. Life underground continued while Y/N slept in a bed bigger than her entire old apartment.
The guilt returned immediately after that thought as she sat up slowly with a sigh, sunlight catching the emerald green polish still painted across her nails. Alien nails. Alien clothes. Alien palace. She looked down at herself quietly. “San’s gonna kill me.” A soft chime interrupted her spiraling before she could continue. The room doors slid open smoothly and one of the human attendants stepped inside carrying a silver tray with breakfast. Y/N blinked at her as the attendant blinked back nervously. “Would you like caf?” Breakfast somehow made everything feel even stranger. The human attendant had left quickly after setting the tray down, still visibly nervous around Y/N despite being human herself. Which honestly made Y/N feel worse somehow. Because she understood it immediately. The attendants here survived by being quiet. Careful and invisible.
Meanwhile Y/N had threatened nobles within her first twelve hours inside the palace. She got up and sat cross legged near the windows while sunlight flooded the room and tried not to think too hard about how quickly she was adapting to luxury. After breakfast came another shower that felt unfairly good, followed by twenty solid minutes of standing in front of the wardrobe like it personally offended her. Because what exactly was she supposed to do with all this? Underground life trained people to own only what they needed. Clothes got worn until stitching failed completely. Jackets passed through generations. Shoes mattered more than fashion. Now she apparently had enough outfits for an upper sector socialite.
Y/N stared at the wardrobe with her towel wrapped tightly around herself and sighed dramatically. “This is insane.” The clothes stared back silently and unfortunately… some of them were really cute. Which made this harder. Her fingers brushed slowly through hanging fabrics and layered pieces while sunlight caught metallic stitching and soft dark colors woven through the wardrobe. Mingi had clearly picked most of it intentionally too. That annoyed her most. Because somehow the arrogant alien prince had figured out her taste terrifyingly fast. Nothing looked overly polished or painfully royal. Most pieces felt sleek. Bold. Fitted. Rich darker colors mixed with greens and silver accents that reminded her strangely of underground neon signs reflected in rainwater.
Then she spotted the dress. Short. Dark green and black swirling patterns twisting through the fabric almost hypnotically. Cutouts at the waist. Tight enough to make her nervous immediately. Y/N stared at it. Then around the empty room. Then back at the dress again. “Absolutely not.” Five minutes later she was pulling it on anyway. The fabric hugged her body perfectly, soft and stretchy enough to move with her while the dark swirling green pattern shifted almost liquid like beneath the sunlight. The side cutouts left cool air against her skin while the hem sat dangerously higher on her thighs than anything she’d ever worn underground.
Y/N stood frozen in front of the mirror afterward. Because honestly? Oh no. She looked good. Really good. Which was deeply unfortunate. She turned slightly side to side studying herself with visible suspicion. Underground Y/N would’ve assumed someone wearing this worked in upper sector clubs or was rich enough to never touch manual labor in their life. Now she stood inside an imperial palace wearing it before noon. The culture shock alone might kill her. She tugged awkwardly at the hem again immediately. “How do people sit in this without dying?” Still…. a small reluctant smile almost appeared before she caught herself. Because for the first time in her life, she had choices. Not survival choices. Not ration choices. Style. Identity. What version of herself she wanted the world to see. The realization settled strangely in her chest. Then another realization hit immediately afterward…. Mingi was absolutely going to see her in this.
Y/N groaned aloud and covered her face with both hands. “This man is ruining my life.”
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The palace looked entirely different during the day. Less magical and more alive. Y/N slipped quietly from her room after another ten minutes of debating whether the dress was too much before finally deciding she no longer cared. If the empire wanted to drag her into luxury against her will, then fine. She’d at least be comfortable while having an existential crisis about it. Thankfully, buried near the bottom of the wardrobe, she’d found simple white shoes instead of the torture devices upper sector women apparently called fashion. Small victories.
The hallway outside her room stretched bright and warm beneath sunlight pouring through towering windows while palace staff moved steadily through the corridors carrying datapads, trays, folded fabrics, and stacks of documents. Morning routines. Orderly. Efficient. Controlled. Y/N wandered slowly through the upper levels trying not to look obviously lost while secretly being extremely obviously lost as the dress clung softly against her body as she walked, dark green patterns catching the light every time she passed another window and she kept tugging at the hem instinctively despite there being no actual reason to.
Several attendants glanced toward her curiously while passing by. Humans. Lower class aliens. Workers. The divide between upper and lower sectors revealed itself everywhere once she started paying attention. Alien nobles moved slowly through the palace because they had nowhere urgent to be. Workers moved quickly because standing still too long looked dangerous. Y/N noticed immediately as a group of human attendants bowed their heads automatically when a noble woman crossed the corridor nearby draped in silver fabric and glowing jewelry. The noble barely acknowledged them making Y/N’s jaw tighten faintly.
One lower class alien male hurried past carrying stacked crystal trays nearly taller than he was, pale blue markings glowing faintly beneath his collar while exhaustion sat heavily beneath his eyes. Even aliens had layers inside the empire. That part surprised her less now. The palace itself felt like a machine built from hierarchy. Everyone knew exactly where they belonged. Except apparently her. Y/N turned another corner confidently before immediately realizing she had absolutely no idea where she was anymore. “Fantastic.” The corridor ahead opened into one of the larger central garden sectors inside the palace where water streamed through curved glass fountains surrounded by pale flowering trees beneath an artificial open ceiling. Beautiful. And completely unfamiliar.
Y/N stopped near one of the fountains trying to look like she intentionally wandered here while secretly reconsidering every life choice she’d made recently.
“You look like you’re trying to escape.”
Y/N jumped startled, turning around. Garus stood several feet away near the garden entrance dressed far less formally than the night before, though authority still clung naturally to him regardless. Dark robes draped loosely around him while palace guards lingered farther back respectfully out of earshot and for one horrifying second Y/N wondered if she’d accidentally wandered into somewhere forbidden. Then she noticed it. The slight twitch at the corner of the emperor’s mouth. Amusement. He was trying very hard not to look amused. Because standing in the middle of the imperial palace was a human girl in a dangerously short green dress clearly pretending she knew where she was going while actually looking catastrophically lost.
Y/N crossed her arms immediately. “I’m exploring.” Garus glanced briefly down the hallway she came from. “You passed your corridor twice.”
“You noticed that.”
“It was difficult not to.”
Y/N groaned softly and covered her face for a second. The emperor actually looked younger suddenly trying not to laugh outright at her visible embarrassment. Resembling his son in that moment. Which honestly startled him a little too. Most interactions inside the palace revolved around politics, strategy, control. Y/N somehow made the imperial residence feel strangely normal for brief moments. A dangerous trait. Garus studied her quietly now. The dress. The way she carried herself despite clearly feeling out of place. And unfortunately…. he immediately understood why Mingi looked at her differently already. Because she didn’t move through the palace like someone trying to become part of it. She moved through it like someone refusing to be swallowed by it.
Garus watched her another moment beneath the filtered sunlight of the garden corridor. She stood there trying very hard to look guarded despite the fact she was visibly curious about everything around her when most humans entering the upper class either became submissive immediately or overwhelmingly desperate to belong there. Y/N seemed determined to do neither. “I was about to go to the gardens,” Garus said calmly after a moment. “Join me.” Y/N blinked once in confusion. The emperor of Earth had just casually invited her on a walk through the palace gardens. What even was her life anymore? Her first instinct was suspicion. Second instinct? Mild panic. Because unlike Mingi, Garus felt harder to read completely. Mingi wore emotions openly even when trying not to. Garus kept everything controlled beneath layers of imperial composure.
Y/N narrowed her eyes slightly. “Am I allowed to say no to royal invitations yet or is that unlocked later?” A quiet amused breath escaped him before he turned toward the open garden corridor. “You’re already speaking to me more honestly than most nobles do.” Not exactly an answer. Still Y/N followed anyway. The palace gardens stretched across several open air levels hidden deep within the imperial residence, and the second they stepped fully inside, she forgot how to breathe for a second.
Sunlight spilled through enormous glass ceilings high overhead while waterfalls cascaded between white stone pathways wrapped in flowering vines glowing faintly blue and violet beneath the daylight. Massive alien trees twisted upward with silver bark and translucent leaves that shimmered whenever the breeze moved through them. And everywhere…. creatures. Small glowing things drifted lazily through the air between flowers while tiny fox like animals with elongated ears darted through the lower gardens chasing one another beneath the plants. One creature perched near the edge of a fountain looked vaguely like a bird if birds were made from moonlight and had four eyes.
Y/N stared openly and Garus noticed as she tried hiding the awe almost as soon as it appeared, expression tightening back into practiced neutrality. His mouth twitched faintly in amusement. “You can admit something is beautiful without betraying humanity.” Y/N looked mildly offended he caught her reaction at all. “I wasn’t doing anything.”
“Mhm.” They walked slowly through the gardens together while water echoed softly around them and glowing creatures drifted lazily overhead. Y/N kept trying not to stare. And kept failing spectacularly. One of the tiny fox like animals suddenly bounded directly across the pathway in front of her before stopping near her shoes and Y/N froze immediately as the creature blinked up at her with huge reflective eyes before chirping softly. “What the hell is that.”
“A sylin.”
“It looks illegal.”
Garus actually laughed quietly at that. Not loudly. Not fully. But enough that Y/N glanced toward him in surprise making him stare at her. “What?”
“You laugh.”
“I’m aware.”
“You seem like someone who forgot how.” That earned her a sharper look this time. Not angry. Just assessing and Y/N immediately realized she probably shouldn’t psychoanalyze the emperor of Earth casually. Too late now. Garus looked ahead toward the deeper gardens again as they continued walking. “You think very little before speaking.”
“Thinking first has rarely improved my situations.”
“That much is obvious.”
Y/N snorted softly under her breath before her attention drifted again toward another cluster of alien flowers blooming beside the path. The petals shifted colors every few seconds beneath the sunlight. Beautiful. Alive. And completely foreign. She hated how badly she wanted to touch everything. Garus watched her quietly while they walked. Analyzing. Because he needed to understand exactly what his son saw in her already. So far the answer appeared to be, beauty, honesty, stubbornness and a complete inability to hide genuine emotion. Dangerous combinations. Especially for Mingi.
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Mingi almost never woke up early voluntarily. Which was exactly why Seonghwa already knew something was wrong the second he stepped into the prince’s chambers and found him awake. Again. Sunlight spilled through the towering windows while music played softly somewhere in the background and half finished paint supplies still cluttered one side of the room from the night before. Mingi stood near the wardrobe fastening rings onto his fingers while deciding between jackets with the level of focus usually reserved for military strategy. Seonghwa stopped in the doorway. “I’m getting concerned now.”
Mingi looked over his shoulder lazily. “Good morning to you too.”
“You were awake yesterday morning. You are awake again today. At this point I may need palace medical staff involved.”
Mingi snorted softly before finally pulling on a dark charcoal silk shirt left mostly unbuttoned at the chest paired with loose black pants detailed with silver zippers running down the legs. Rings flashed against long fingers while layered chains rested against his chest and his hair fell messily across his forehead beneath the morning light. He looked unfairly good for someone clearly running on almost no sleep. Unfortunately for Seonghwa, this was normal. The lower class alien crossed his arms. “You’re dressing like you’re about to commit a crime.”
Mingi grinned immediately. “Maybe I am.”
“That is not comforting.”
Mingi ignored him entirely, adjusting one of the rings before grabbing a pair of dark shoes from beside the bed. “I’m gonna go wake up Y/N.” The words came casually. Too casually and Seonghwa immediately regretted existing. “You cannot say things like that while looking like…” He gestured vaguely toward Mingi’s entire appearance. “this.”
“What? Handsome?”
“Like a scandal waiting to happen.”
Mingi looked delighted by that description actually. Then Seonghwa casually delivered the worst possible information. “She’s already awake.” Mingi paused mid step. “What?” Seonghwa leaned against the doorway now, visibly entertained by the immediate attention shift. “She’s in the gardens.” Mingi’s brows lifted slightly. “By herself?”
“With your father.”
Silence. Complete silence. Absolute silence. Then Mingi frowned. “With my father?” Seonghwa nodded once slowly as Mingi stared at him. Because somehow that sounded more dangerous than Y/N escaping the palace entirely. “What are they doing?”
“Walking.”
“That’s suspicious.”
Seonghwa actually laughed quietly at that. “I think your father’s trying to understand why exactly you dragged a human girl into the imperial residence and immediately started acting insane.” Mingi shoved his rings fully onto his fingers now before grabbing a lightweight dark jacket from the bed. “I’m not acting insane.”
“You painted her I see.”
Mingi froze and Seonghwa’s grin widened slowly. “You left the canvas out.” Mingi pointed at him. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
“I live here.”
“That feels invasive.”
Seonghwa looked deeply unimpressed as Mingi’s thoughts had already moved elsewhere entirely. Y/N awake early. Wandering the palace. Now in the gardens with Garus. He immediately pictured her standing among alien plants looking overwhelmed and defensive at the same time. And before he could stop himself he smiled and Seonghwa shook his head. “Oh, you’re doomed.” Mingi rolled his eyes dramatically while moving toward the door. “Relax.”
“You’re smiling at nothing.”
“I smile all the time.”
“Not like that.” That finally wiped some amusement from Mingi’s expression. Because unfortunately… Seonghwa was right. The smile faded slightly as realization settled heavier in his chest again. This was becoming dangerous far faster than he intended. Which naturally meant he still headed straight toward the gardens anyway.
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The deeper into the gardens they walked, the less tense the atmosphere became. Not comfortable exactly. But easier. Garus no longer carried the same cold imperial sharpness from the reception hall last night, and Y/N slowly stopped expecting every sentence from him to become some hidden political test. Mostly. The small fox like creature certainly helped. At some point during their walk, one of the little animals had wandered directly into Y/N’s path again before shamelessly demanding attention by pressing against her leg until she crouched down automatically. Now it sat comfortably in her arms like it had decided she belonged to it. She stared down at the creature curled against her chest while its oversized ears twitched lazily beneath her fingers. “It literally followed me.”
“They tend to do that with people they like.”
Y/N eyed the creature suspiciously. “It has poor judgment.” The tiny sylin chirped indignantly at that and Garus smiled faintly into his tea. They’d settled briefly near one of the upper garden terraces now where waterfalls poured softly between glowing plants and flowering vines curled around pale stone seating beneath the open glass ceiling. Sunlight warmed the entire garden beautifully and for the first time since arriving at the palace Y/N almost relaxed as Garus watched her absentmindedly scratching beneath the sylin’s chin before speaking again. “Mingi used to hide in these gardens constantly when he was younger.”
Y/N glanced up. “Seriously?”
“He hated his lessons.”
“That sounds exactly right.”
A quiet amused sound escaped the emperor. “He’s always been rebellious.” Garus leaned back slightly against the stone bench, gaze drifting toward the city skyline beyond the gardens. “Even as a child.” Y/N listened quietly now. Because strangely… hearing about Mingi before the palace prince version interested her more than it should. “He never wanted the throne,” Garus continued. “Never cared for politics. Or court traditions.” Another small smile touched his mouth briefly. “He wanted ships.” Y/N furrowed her brows. “Ships?”
“He wanted to travel.” Garus shook his head softly like the memory exhausted him affectionately. “Explore colonies. Wander the galaxy.” The word settled oddly in Y/N’s chest. Galaxy. Such a huge concept compared to underground life. Garus exhaled quietly through his nose. “Considering he was born on Earth, he resents the fact he’s never actually been allowed beyond it.” That shocked her. “He’s never left?”
“No.”
“But he’s the prince.”
“Exactly.” The answer made terrible sense somehow. The future emperor didn’t belong to himself. Y/N looked down at the sylin curled comfortably against her again before asking quietly, “What’s it like?” Garus glanced toward her. “The galaxy.” Silence settled softly around them while distant waterfalls echoed through the gardens. Then unexpectedly, the emperor chuckled. Not mockingly but thoughtfully. “I often forget,” he admitted, “that only a handful of humans have ever even been up there.” Y/N frowned slightly. “Some humans have?”
“A few.” His gaze drifted upward toward the open sky visible through the glass ceiling. “Mostly workers. Scientists. Diplomats. Before we got her. They didn’t very far though.” The sunlight caught faint silver in his eyes as he continued quietly, “The galaxy is much bigger than humans know.” Y/N listened carefully. Because suddenly the underground felt smaller than ever. “There are planets where the oceans glow at night. Cities built inside moons. Forests taller than mountains. Entire systems where sunlight looks violet instead of gold.” The images painted themselves vividly in her mind despite herself as Garus looked toward the sky again almost distantly now. “You could spend several lifetimes traveling and still never see all of it.”
Y/N swallowed quietly. Her entire life until yesterday had existed underground beneath what was once Nevada. And now an emperor casually spoke about galaxies like neighboring countries. The scale of it made her dizzy as the sylin shifted in her arms again and Y/N absently stroked its soft fur while trying to process the fact the universe was apparently far larger than humanity had ever been allowed to believe. Garus noticed the expression on her face. That quiet ache curiosity creates. The same look Mingi used to wear as a child staring at ships leaving Earth’s atmosphere just as his son found them.
Mingi expected tension when he reached the gardens. Maybe awkward silence. Maybe Y/N verbally threatening his father. Possibly both. What he did not expect was laughter. He slowed immediately near the upper garden entrance, stopping partially behind one of the towering silver barked trees when the sound reached him again. Garus was laughing. Actually laughing. Not polite amusement. Not court performance smiling. Real laughter that mad Mingi stare in genuine disbelief toward the terrace below where his father sat across from Y/N beside one of the garden fountains. “What the hell….”
Sunlight spilled warmly across the garden while waterfalls echoed softly around them and glowing creatures drifted lazily through the air between flowering vines. Y/N sat curled slightly sideways on the stone bench with one of the sylins sprawled stubbornly across her lap while Garus leaned back across from her looking more relaxed than Mingi had seen him in years. The sight alone felt surreal. Mingi stayed hidden instinctively for another second longer, watching quietly.
Y/N was in the middle of speaking animatedly about something while the sylin kept pawing at the cutout side of her dress trying to climb further into her lap. “…. and then the entire caf machine exploded,” she finished dramatically. “Which, by the way, absolutely proved I was correct about it being haunted.” Garus rubbed a hand across his mouth trying and failing to suppress another laugh. “Mingi once dismantled an entire palace navigation system because he thought it was looking at him wrong.” Y/N whipped her head at him. “See? That’s exactly the kind of behavior I expected from him.”
Mingi looked offended despite nobody knowing he was there. “That happened one time.” He leaned lightly against the tree watching quietly for another second longer than necessary. Y/N looked beautiful in daylight. That thought hit immediately and annoyingly hard. The dark green dress hugged her perfectly while sunlight warmed against bare skin and dark swirling patterns moved almost liquid like whenever she shifted. Her white shoes made the entire outfit look less polished somehow. More her. The sylin chirped suddenly and climbed higher into her lap while Y/N tried unsuccessfully to reposition it. “It’s heavy,” she complained.
Garus looked entirely unbothered. “That means it likes you.”
“That thing met me twenty minutes ago.”
“They choose quickly.”
Mingi’s mouth twitched faintly before a loud voice echoed through the gardens before he could step forward. “Mingi! Where are you? If you disappear before greeting me I’m telling your father you’re avoiding family obligations!” Garus closed his eyes briefly. “There,” he sighed deeply. “And that would be my nephew.” Y/N startled slightly at the sudden shouting while immediately trying to lower the sylin from her lap onto the ground but the creature refused. Tiny paws clung dramatically against the dress while it made an offended chirping sound and buried itself harder against her stomach. Y/N stared down at it in disbelief.
Garus snorted softly. “That one’s yours now.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means it has decided.”
“That is not how ownership works.”
“In this case it is.”
Y/N looked deeply concerned by that information. Then footsteps echoed quickly through the garden corridor and another figure appeared around the flowering pathways. Wooyoung. Like Mingi, his hair gleamed pale beneath the sunlight, though styled messier and sharper somehow. Silver white markings curled visibly around both his arms disappearing beneath layered black sleeveless fabric while jewelry glittered against tan skin every time he moved. Where Mingi carried lazy elegance… Wooyoung carried chaos. His energy filled the gardens instantly. And then he stopped walking completely. Because there was a human woman sitting beside his Emperor uncle holding a sylin like she lived there.
Wooyoung blinked once. Then slowly looked toward his uncle. Then back at Y/N. Then at the sylin. “Why is there a human woman here?” Y/N immediately looked offended. “Wow. Hello to you too.” Wooyoung blinked back as Mingi finally stepped out from behind the trees unable to help the grin spreading across his face now. Wooyoung’s eyes snapped toward him instantly and immediately narrowed. “No.” Garus sighed heavily into his tea because unfortunately his nephew knew Mingi far too well already. Wooyoung pointed between them dramatically. “No no no no. Why does she look dressed by you?”
Y/N looked horrified. “He did not dress me?”
“Absolutely he did,” Wooyoung argued before Mingi could answer. “That man dresses women in his head like it’s a hobby.”
“Woo.”
“I’m right.” Unfortunately… he was.
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By later that afternoon, the palace somehow felt even stranger. Not because it was unfamiliar anymore but because it was starting to become familiar and that realization unsettled Y/N deeply as she moved through the upper corridors slower now, no longer completely lost as sunlight shifted gold across towering windows and polished floors beneath the drifting hum of Solaria Prime outside. And following directly behind her was the sylin. Her sylin now apparently. Which still sounded ridiculous in her head. The tiny creature bounded happily after her through the corridors, oversized ears twitching while soft chirping sounds echoed behind her every few seconds like it needed to constantly remind her of its existence.
At some point after the gardens, Seonghwa had appeared carrying a thin green ribbon like band woven from shimmering metallic fabric. Before Y/N could even ask questions, he’d gently fastened it around the sylin’s neck. “There,” he’d said calmly as Y/N blinked at him. “There what?”
“So palace staff know it belongs to you.”
“Excuse me?”
Apparently within the imperial palace, sylins occasionally attached themselves to people permanently. And once they did that was it. Congratulations on the alien fox cat-child now emotionally haunting your existence. The green band matched her nails which felt suspiciously intentional somehow. Now the creature trotted proudly behind her like it had just inherited property rights. Y/N glanced down at it while walking. “You realize I didn’t agree to this.” The sylin chirped happily. “Yeah well your communication skills are terrible.” Another chirp and honestly it was growing on her against her will.
Y/N turned another corner heading toward her room while palace workers moved around her in practiced routines and human attendants carried folded fabrics and trays between upper sectors while lower class alien staff worked quietly along the corridors adjusting lighting panels and transport systems. The palace never really stopped moving. And Y/N started wondering what exactly she was even supposed to be doing here. Because technically she was Mingi’s subordinate. Right? Except nobody had explained what that actually meant.
So far her responsibilities included, arguing with nobles, getting emotionally manipulated by luxury and accidentally acquiring alien wildlife. Not exactly structured employment. The sylin suddenly darted ahead sniffing curiously near her room doors while Y/N slowed to a stop outside them. “What do you even eat?” she asked it suspiciously but the creature only stared back blankly. “Great. Helpful.” The doors slid open automatically once she approached and the sylin immediately bounded inside like it owned the place. Y/N stepped into the room after it with a sigh before dropping onto the edge of the massive bed dramatically.
Silence settled around her softly. The room no longer felt entirely foreign either. That was the problem. The wardrobe sat partially open still filled with clothes Mingi bought her. Sunlight spilled warm across the floors. The city stretched endlessly outside the windows. And somewhere inside all this Y/N realized she still had no idea why Mingi wanted her here beyond simple fascination. The sylin hopped onto the bed beside her before circling twice and settling comfortably against her thigh and Y/N absentmindedly scratched behind its ears while staring toward the ceiling thoughtfully. “What exactly am I supposed to be doing as his subordinate?” The sylin chirped once before immediately falling asleep. “Useless.”
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By the time Mingi escaped back to his chambers later that afternoon, he was already annoyed with his cousin staying at the palace. Unfortunately, nobody in the galaxy could stop Wooyoung once curiosity grabbed hold of him. Which meant Mingi had barely made it halfway through his doors before his cousin followed directly behind him still talking. “I’m serious,” Wooyoung said while wandering into the room like he paid taxes there. “What is happening?” Mingi tossed one of his jackets carelessly onto a nearby chair before heading toward the drinks table near the windows. “Nothing.”
Wooyoung barked out a laugh immediately. “Oh, so we’re lying now.” Mingi ignored him completely while pouring himself something amber colored into a crystal glass. Wooyoung, meanwhile, looked around the room before immediately spotting the unfinished painting still sitting near the windows. “No way.” Mingi froze mid sip as Wooyoung crossed the room instantly like a shark smelling blood.
“You painted her?” He spun around dramatically toward Mingi. “YOU PAINTED HER?”
“It’s unfinished.”
“That is not remotely the issue here.”
Mingi sighed heavily into his drink because Wooyoung in teasing mode was basically a biological weapon. The younger royal dropped dramatically onto the couch while staring at his cousin in complete disbelief. “There’s a human woman in the palace. You painted her. And uncle Garus apparently likes her enough not to exile her immediately.” Mingi took another slow drink instead of answering and Wooyoung pointed accusingly. “You’re falling for a human.”
“I met her like two days ago.”
“That is not a denial.”
Mingi looked toward him flatly. “You’re annoying.”
“And you’re emotionally compromised.”
“Dramatic.”
Wooyoung leaned back against the couch cushions grinning now. “So,” he continued casually, “where exactly did you get her?” Mingi nearly choked on his drink. “You cannot phrase things like that.”
“What? I’m curious.”
“She’s not a pet.”
“Relax,” Wooyoung waved lazily. “I didn’t say she was. So where’d you find her?”
“The underground.”
Wooyoung blinked once. “You went underground alone?”
“I do it all the time.”
“Yes and one day you’re gonna get stabbed.”
Mingi shrugged. “Probably.” Wooyoung stared at him another second before grinning slowly again. “And she insulted you, didn’t she?”
“She told me to stop staring at her ass.”
Wooyoung lost his mind instantly. Loud cackling laughter filled the room while Mingi looked deeply offended by the reaction. “Oh you’re done for.” Wooyoung wheezed dramatically. “Absolutely doomed.”
“I’m not doomed.” Mingi rolled his eyes and moved toward the windows overlooking Solaria Prime while Wooyoung continued grinning like he’d just uncovered the greatest scandal in imperial history while asking, “So could I get one?” Mingi turned slowly as Wooyoung shrugged innocently. “Preferably male.”
“Woo.”
“What? If we’re apparently collecting attractive humans now, I’d like options.”
“We are not collecting humans.”
Wooyoung pointed toward the unfinished painting. “Evidence suggests otherwise.” Mingi seriously considered throwing him off the palace tower. Unfortunately Wooyoung only grinned wider beneath the city lights glowing outside, remaining sprawled dramatically across Mingi’s couch long after the teasing should’ve ended, still staring at his cousin like he’d personally witnessed the collapse of the empire. Mingi ignored him while fastening the cuffs of his dark silk shirt, silver jewelry glinting beneath the room lighting every time he moved. The loose charcoal fabric hung open low against his chest while black pants draped perfectly over long legs, zippers catching faint light with each step.
He looked unfairly attractive for someone apparently about to emotionally implode over a human girl. “So.” Mingi glanced toward Wooyoung lazily. “So?”
“What are we doing today?”
“We?”
“Yes, we.” Wooyoung gestured dramatically toward himself. “I just arrived. I deserve entertainment.” Mingi grabbed a ring from the table beside the unfinished painting and slid it onto his finger absentmindedly. “We aren’t doing anything.” Wooyoung narrowed his eyes immediately. That tone meant absolutely something. Mingi looked toward him fully. “I’m taking Y/N to see the city.”
“You’re what?”
Mingi was already walking toward the door which made Wooyoung shoot upright from the couch so fast he nearly knocked over a decorative sculpture, following him toward the hallway completely scandalized now while Mingi looked entirely unbothered. “You hate taking people places.”
“I don’t hate it.”
“You once made Seonghwa cry during a museum tour.”
“That was an accident.”
“He asked where the bathroom was!”
Mingi stepped into the corridor with a grin finally breaking across his face again as Wooyoung gaped openly. “Oh my god,” he muttered dramatically. “He’s smiling. He’s genuinely smiling. We are all doomed.” Mingi ignored him entirely while heading toward Y/N’s room. The palace hummed softly around him beneath afternoon sunlight filtering through towering windows. Workers moved carefully through the upper levels while nobles drifted through private sectors discussing politics and trade beneath glittering glass ceilings but Mingi barely noticed any of it. Because all he could think about now was whether Y/N would say yes to leaving the palace with him.
And weirdly… he wanted her to. Not because he needed company. Not because he wanted to show off the city. He just wanted to see her reaction to Solaria Prime beyond palace walls. By the time he reached her room doors, Wooyoung had finally stopped following him somewhere halfway through the halls after loudly declaring he needed alcohol before continuing this conversation. Coward. Mingi didn’t bother knocking. Mostly because rules felt optional to him. The doors slid open automatically as he stepped inside and immediately his thoughts short circuited.
Y/N looked up from where she sat near the windows with the sylin curled beside her. The green dress still hugged her figure perfectly beneath the afternoon sunlight pouring through the room while dark swirling patterns shifted softly every time she moved. Bare legs crossed lazily, white shoes kicked carelessly onto the floor nearby. And somehow she looked even prettier now than she had earlier. The sylin chirped happily the second it spotted him making Y/N glance up. “You know,” she said flatly, “most people knock before entering rooms.”
Mingi leaned lightly against the doorway without shame. “You look good in that dress.” Y/N narrowed her eyes instantly. “You say that like you weren’t expecting me to.”
“Oh, I knew you would.” The honesty hit harder than flirting somehow. Mingi’s gaze lingered another second too long before he finally pushed away from the doorway fully and stepped into the room. “Get your shoes back on.” Y/N frowned. “Why?” Mingi grinned. “I’m taking you to see the city.”
Y/N finally followed him out into the corridor carefully after having to argue with the sylin to stay, trying not to focus on how massive the palace suddenly felt after spending most of the day wandering pieces of it alone. Sunlight poured gold through the towering glass walls while distant city noise drifted faintly upward from Solaria Prime far below. The empire glittered beautifully from up here. Too beautifully. As they walked, Mingi glanced toward her. “We’ve got a couple hours before sunset.” Y/N eyed him suspiciously. “Why does that sound dangerous?”
“Because I’m taking you somewhere first.”
“And then?”
A grin spread slowly across his face. “Then later,” he said casually, “I’m dragging you to the casino strip.” Y/N stopped walking outright. “Oh absolutely not.” Mingi laughed softly and turned toward her fully now, clearly entertained. “What?”
“I do not want more people staring at me like last night.” The memory hit immediately. Nobles whispering. Aliens openly watching her. That horrible moment when everyone in the room realized the prince was interested in a human girl. Mingi stepped closer then, expression shifting slightly softer beneath the sunlight pouring through the corridor windows. His voice dipped lower naturally when he answered, rich and smooth enough to make her stomach betray her immediately. “The only reason they’ll be staring at you,” he murmured, eyes dragging slowly over the green dress hugging her figure, lingering on her bare legs and thighs. “is because of how good you look in that dress.”
Y/N’s brain short circuited for a full second. Because unlike others… Mingi didn’t flirt like he was playing games. He said things directly. Confidently. Like he genuinely meant every word. Heat crawled instantly up her neck and she hated herself for it. “You really enjoy making me uncomfortable.”
“I enjoy making you blush.”
“I am not blushing.”
Mingi’s grin widened slowly. “Sure.” Y/N immediately started walking again just to escape the conversation while Mingi laughed quietly behind her before easily catching up with longer strides. The palace corridors slowly gave way to open transport sectors as they moved lower through the imperial levels, and the farther they descended, the more Solaria Prime revealed itself outside the towering glass walls. This time, unlike when she first arrived… Y/N paid attention. Really paid attention. The city stretched endlessly beneath the afternoon sky in layers of silver towers, glowing bridges, drifting transport lanes, and shimmering glass districts reflecting sunlight like oceans made from metal and gold. Giant holograms floated between buildings while sleek ships moved silently through the skyline overhead.
It was beautiful and devastating. Because now that the initial shock wore off, Y/N could actually see what the empire had done. Old Earth buried beneath alien perfection. Human architecture twisted together with galactic design until it barely resembled the world her grandfather used to describe anymore. Somewhere beneath all this luxury and impossible technology existed the bones of Nevada and California. Hidden beneath empire branding and gold towers. Mingi watched her quietly while they boarded one of the transport lifts leading toward the city levels below. “You’re thinking too loud,” he said softly.
Y/N looked out across Solaria Prime another moment before answering. “I think this city wants people to forget what came before it.” And for once… Mingi didn’t have a clever response ready.
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
Mingi’s idea of somewhere first turned out to be dropping Y/N directly into the most expensive districts in Solaria Prime. The transport lift opened into a massive upper sector plaza lined with curved glass storefronts and glowing silver pathways weaving between fountains and suspended gardens. Everything looked polished to impossible perfection beneath the late afternoon sunlight while aliens dressed in luxury fabrics drifted through the district carrying glowing drinks and shopping bags that definitely cost more than Y/N’s entire apartment underground.
Y/N stepped out beside Mingi slowly, immediately aware of how differently people looked at him here. Not curiosity. Recognition. Respect. Fear. People moved aside instinctively when the prince walked past, conversations lowering subtly while upper sector nobles bowed their heads just enough to acknowledge him without appearing submissive. And through all of it Mingi looked completely unaffected. Like this world belonged to him so naturally he forgot other people found it intimidating.
Y/N shoved her hands into the sides of the green dress awkwardly while following him through the district. “This place smells expensive.” Mingi snorted softly beside her. “That’s because it is.” The first store they entered nearly gave her a nervous breakdown. Everything inside shimmered. Jewelry floated suspended inside glass displays while holographic fabrics shifted colors beneath soft lighting and attendants dressed in silver greeted Mingi instantly the second he walked through the doors. “Your Highness.” Mingi waved lazily toward them. “Relax.” Y/N absolutely did not relax. She followed him cautiously through the store trying not to touch anything because everything looked worth enough money to personally ruin her bloodline.
Meanwhile Mingi wandered casually picking things up with zero concern for price tags. Every time he selected something, attendants simply bowed politely and the items vanished onto transport trays headed elsewhere. Y/N finally frowned. “Where does all this go?” Mingi looked toward her like the answer was obvious. “The palace.”
“You don’t carry your bags?”
“No?”
Y/N stared at him in disbelief. “That is the most spoiled thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I literally live in the imperial palace.”
“That’s not helping your case.”
Mingi grinned. God he loved when she talked to him like this. They moved through several more stores afterward, and despite herself, Y/N slowly started enjoying parts of it. Not the luxury exactly but the experience. Upper sector districts buzzed with life in a way different from the underground. Street performers floated glowing ribbons through the air between crowds while music drifted from rooftop lounges and vendors sold brightly colored foods from hovering stalls. Everything felt too bright. Too alive.
At one point Y/N stopped in front of a massive window display featuring shoes and immediately groaned. Heels. Dozens of them. Tall impossible things designed by people who clearly hated comfort. Mingi glanced toward her reaction instantly. “You hate heels.” It wasn’t even phrased like a question. Y/N crossed her arms defensively. “Humans weren’t designed to walk on stilts.” Mingi laughed softly beneath his breath before abruptly changing direction and grabbing her wrist gently. “Come on.”
Y/N narrowed her eyes while letting him drag her inside anyway. The store looked significantly less terrifying than the others at least. Sleek walls lined with shoes in every style imaginable stretched through the open levels while soft music drifted overhead. Mingi walked directly toward one section without hesitation and Y/N followed behind him suspiciously. Then froze. Sneakers. Boots. Flats. Actual wearable shoes. Mingi casually picked up a pair of sleek white shoes before holding them toward her. “These?”
Y/N stared at him shocked. “You noticed?”
“You looked ready to declare war on those heels.” That unfortunately was true. Y/N looked down at the shoes another second before looking back toward him and suddenly something about this felt strangely intimate. Not the gifts but the noticing. Mingi paying attention to tiny things she didn’t realize mattered. She took the shoes slowly from his hands. “You know this whole rich prince thing would probably work better if you were meaner.” Mingi stepped slightly closer then, grin turning softer around the edges. “Good thing I want you to like me then.”
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
By the time the sun started lowering across Solaria Prime, Y/N had officially lost control of the day. That was the only explanation. Because somehow, somewhere between arguing with Mingi inside luxury stores and accidentally enjoying herself, she’d ended up with multiple pairs of shoes currently being delivered directly to her room in the imperial palace like she was some spoiled upper sector heiress. It felt deeply incorrect.
Y/N walked beside Mingi through the crowded evening streets still mentally processing it while the city shifted around them in waves of gold and neon beneath the approaching sunset. “How many pairs did you even convince me to buy?” she muttered. Mingi looked entirely unapologetic beside her. “Not enough.”
“That answer is ridiculous.”
“You needed options.”
“I needed one pair.”
“You got six.”
Y/N stared at him in disbelief. “Six?”
“You liked the green ones.”
“I liked them emotionally. That doesn’t mean I needed them physically.”
Mingi laughed softly under his breath while guiding her through one of the crowded entertainment districts now glowing brighter as evening settled fully over the city. The Crown Strip transformed completely at night. Towering holograms lit the streets in shifting colors while casino lights reflected off polished black pathways crowded with aliens, tourists, nobles, workers, performers, and humans moving through the district beneath music echoing from every direction. The city felt endless after dark. Alive in a way the underground never could be.
Y/N noticed security drones drifting silently overhead while groups of wealthy nobles disappeared into glowing casinos lined with human workers standing perfectly straight near the entrances. Even paradise here had sharp teeth. Mingi led her toward a smaller rooftop food district overlooking the lower entertainment sectors below. Unlike the giant luxury restaurants surrounding the casinos, this place felt louder. Messier. More crowded with younger aliens and mixed class workers gathered beneath strings of glowing lanterns and floating lights. Music drifted through the warm air while food stalls lined the rooftop edge.
The second Y/N smelled grilled spices and sweet fried dough, her stomach betrayed her completely and Mingi heard it. “You’re hungry.”
“No I’m not.”
“Your stomach just screamed.”
“It’s dramatic.”
Mingi guided her toward one of the vendors anyway while Y/N glanced around the rooftop trying not to look overwhelmed by the city stretching endlessly around them. From up here, Solaria Prime glittered like a living galaxy. Massive casino towers pulsed neon gold in the distance while transport lanes streaked glowing lines through the sky between skyscrapers and drifting ships overhead while somewhere beneath all that light…. Humans still lived underground. That thought never fully left her.
A vendor handed Mingi several skewers of steaming food wrapped in glowing paper while he passed one toward her without explanation and Y/N eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”
“Food.”
“That is not an answer.”
“You’ll like it.”
“That sounds threatening.” Still she took a bite anyway. “Oh my god.” Mingi looked unbearably smug. “Right?” Y/N glared at him while taking another bite instantly. “This better not be expensive.”
“It absolutely is.”
“Evil.”
Mingi leaned casually against the rooftop railing beside her while the city lights reflected softly across his pale hair and silver jewelry beneath the darkening sky. And annoyingly… it suited him. The nightlife. The chaos. The neon lights reflecting in his eyes while he watched her enjoy things she clearly wanted to resist liking. Y/N swallowed another bite before muttering mostly to herself, “I can’t believe I let you buy me six pairs of shoes.”
“Seven.”
She slowly turned toward him. “What?” Mingi looked entirely too pleased. “You forgot the boots.” Y/N genuinely considered throwing herself off the rooftop as night swallowed Solaria Prime beautifully. By the time Mingi led her deeper into the Crown Strip, the entire city had transformed into something almost unreal beneath waves of neon, holograms, and shimmering gold stretching endlessly across the skyline. And then she saw the casino and Y/N actually stopped walking. “Oh.”
The building towered over the district like some futuristic palace built entirely from light and ego. Massive curved glass walls reflected the city around it while holographic constellations drifted across the exterior in shifting colors. Giant glowing rings rotated slowly above the roofline, visible from districts away, while streams of transports moved in organized lines toward elevated landing docks along the upper levels. LUX AETERNA. The name blazed in gold across the entrance as crowds flooded the enormous staircase leading inside beneath fountains shooting glowing water high into the air while music pulsed faintly through the entire structure like a second heartbeat. “This is a casino?” Mingi looked amused beside her. “One of them.”
“One of…” She looked toward him sharply. “How many are there?”
“On the strip?” He shrugged casually. “Hundreds.” That answer physically hurt her. The closer they got, the more overwhelming everything became. Aliens moved through the crowds in every possible shade and variation imaginable. Some had glowing markings trailing beneath their skin while others had metallic toned eyes, silver freckles, luminous hair, or skin tinted soft blues, greens, violets, and gold beneath the lights. Y/N couldn’t stop staring. Underground, aliens mostly stayed separated from humans unless necessary. Workers. Guards. Officials. Up here? The empire looked massive. Interconnected and untouchable. And absolutely beautiful in ways she hated admitting.
Mingi noticed her watching everything carefully while they entered the casino through towering gold doors. The inside somehow looked even more insane. Lights exploded across every level beneath enormous glass ceilings while holographic games floated above circular tables crowded with nobles, wealthy tourists, and upper sector elites. Giant crystal chandeliers glowed overhead while music drifted through the massive open floors lined with bars, gambling halls, private lounges, and elevated performance stages. Human workers moved elegantly through the chaos carrying glowing drinks while alien dealers manipulated floating cards and holographic dice beneath shifting neon lights. The entire place pulsed with excess.
Y/N slowly turned in place trying to absorb all of it. “This place could fund the underground for years.” Mingi didn’t argue. Because honestly? She was probably right. The second people noticed him entering, however, the atmosphere shifted subtly around them. Heads turned. Whispers spread. Staff straightened instantly. And suddenly Y/N got to witness a version of Mingi she hadn’t fully seen yet. Cocky. Not prince cocky. Not teasing cocky. Dangerously comfortable cocky. This was clearly his environment. He walked through the casino like he owned it because technically… he did. Workers greeted him instantly while upper sector aliens called his name from different tables and lounges as they passed.
At one point a beautiful alien woman with glowing lavender skin actually grabbed his arm while laughing about something in a language Y/N didn’t understand before her eyes landed on Y/N beside him. Mingi smoothly untangled himself without even pausing his stride. “Later, Nirel.”
“You disappeared on me last month,” the woman complained dramatically and Mingi grinned lazily over his shoulder. “I do that.” Y/N raised a brow as they kept walking. “You flirt with everyone.” Mingi looked toward her slowly. “I’m charming.”
“You’re a menace.”
“Also true.”
But Y/N noticed something else too. Despite the flirting. Despite the attention. Mingi never actually lingered. Every glance eventually came back to her. Every conversation ended quickly. This was clearly normal for him. People wanted him. Expected things from him. He belonged to this glittering impossible world completely. Meanwhile Y/N still felt like someone who accidentally wandered into it wearing borrowed skin. Mingi finally led her toward the upper gaming floors overlooking the casino below while lights flashed across his hair and jewelry beneath the neon glow. “You’re thinking too much again,” he murmured.
Y/N looked out across the massive casino floor another moment before answering. “I think this city would eat people alive if it could.” Mingi leaned beside her against the railing, gaze drifting toward the endless lights below. “That’s why you don’t let it.” The higher levels of Lux Aeterna overlooked the casino floor below like private heavens built for the rich. Music pulsed softly through the open lounge while glowing games flickered beneath layers of gold and neon light several floors down. Massive windows stretched across the upper levels revealing Solaria Prime glittering endlessly outside while nobles and wealthy tourists lounged across curved velvet seating beneath floating chandeliers.
Y/N stayed near the balcony railing trying not to look too visibly overwhelmed by the scale of everything. The underground had bars. This place had ecosystems. Mingi leaned beside her comfortably like he belonged nowhere else and people kept staring at him. Not because he was the prince this time. But because he was attractive. Y/N noticed the lingering looks from women and men. A few outright checked him out openly as they passed. Mingi either didn’t notice or genuinely didn’t care anymore. Probably because he was used to it.
“I need a drink,” Y/N muttered mostly to herself and Mingi smirked faintly. “That can be arranged.” He pushed away from the railing then, motioning for her to follow him toward one of the upper lounge bars tucked along the casino balcony. The closer they got, the more Y/N noticed the human workers specifically. Beautiful uniforms. Polished smiles. Perfect posture. Everything about them designed to blend seamlessly into upper sector luxury. The reminder sat uneasily in her stomach as Mingi slid easily onto one side of the glowing bar counter while Y/N took the seat beside him and a human waiter approached almost instantly.
And the second Y/N saw him her stomach dropped. No way. The man looked slightly older now than she remembered, hair shorter and posture straighter beneath the sleek black casino uniform, but she recognized him immediately. Jace. Underground District 4B. Used to run with Vernon’s crew years ago before disappearing topside. Y/N hadn’t seen him since she was maybe seventeen and recognition hit him just as fast. His eyes widened slightly when they landed on her. Then immediately narrowed. And suddenly Y/N understood exactly what she looked like from his perspective right now. A human girl from underground sitting beside the crown prince in an expensive dress while glowing casino lights reflected off crystal and gold around them. To someone from below? It looked bad. Really bad.
Mingi either didn’t notice the shift immediately or pretended not to. “Two drinks,” he said casually. “The blue eclipse.” Jace’s expression remained perfectly neutral toward Mingi. Toward Y/N however…. not so much. The dirty look came fast and sharp before he turned toward the drink station and Y/N felt it like a slap. Mingi noticed her expression change instantly once the waiter stepped away. “What?” Y/N looked back toward the casino floor below. “Nothing.”
“Liar.”
She stayed quiet a second too long and Mingi followed her line of sight toward the human waiter now preparing drinks with visibly tense shoulders and immediately clocked the atmosphere. “You know him.” Y/N sighed softly through her nose. “Kind of.” Mingi leaned one elbow against the glowing bar top watching her carefully now. “From where? The underground? Did you date him? I’m the jealous type just letting you know.” He was joking a little as Jace returned a moment later carrying two glowing blue drinks balanced carefully in his hands. He placed them down in front of Mingi and Y/N professionally, though tension still lingered visibly in the tightness of his jaw. Then finally he looked directly at her. “You move up fast.”
The words sounded polite on the surface but they weren’t. Y/N’s shoulders stiffened instantly and Mingi’s expression cooled almost imperceptibly beside her. Jace glanced briefly toward the prince before looking back at Y/N again. “Didn’t expect to see someone from Vernon’s district sitting up here.” There it was. Judgment. Not because she was with an alien. Because from his perspective… she’d crossed lines underground people weren’t supposed to cross. Mingi stayed quiet another second watching the interaction carefully. “Is there a problem?”
Jace immediately straightened. “No, Your Highness.” But Y/N heard it underneath anyway. Disappointment and disgust. And suddenly the glowing casino around her felt uglier than before as Jace walked away. Y/N stared out across the casino floor below while lights flashed endlessly through Lux Aeterna beneath drifting music and holograms. Everywhere she looked, people laughed, flirted, gambled, celebrated. Meanwhile all she could hear was, You move up fast. Like she’d sold something to get here. Like she belonged to Mingi now in the worst possible way. The anger burned hot and familiar in her chest. At herself. At the empire. At the fact a tiny ugly part of her understood exactly why someone underground would look at her like that.
Mingi watched her quietly beside him. Too observant. Always too observant. “You okay?” he asked carefully as Y/N grabbed the glowing blue drink immediately then chugged it. Mingi’s eyes widened in real alarm. “Shit,” he blurted instantly, grabbing lightly for her wrist too late. “Don’t do that.” Y/N slammed the empty crystal glass back onto the glowing counter with a sharp exhale while icy sweetness burned all the way down her throat. For half a second nothing happened. Then warmth exploded through her body almost instantly. Not normal alcohol warmth. Galactic alcohol felt like liquid fire wrapped in sugar and electricity all at once, spreading hot beneath her skin so fast it made her dizzy. Y/N blinked slowly. “Oh no.”
Mingi looked somewhere between concerned and deeply entertained now. “I warned you alien alcohol hits humans harder.” Y/N pointed vaguely at him. “I’m having emotions.”
“That’s generally how alcohol works.”
“No this feels illegal.” The warmth kept climbing fast through her chest and cheeks while the casino lights around her suddenly looked softer and brighter at the same time. Y/N immediately pushed the empty glass toward him. “I need another.” Mingi barked out a disbelieving laugh. “Absolutely not.”
“Yes absolutely yes.”
“You are already drunk.”
“I’m not drunk.”
“You just stared at a chandelier for fifteen seconds.”
“It was a beautiful chandelier.”
Mingi was definitely laughing now. Not subtle amusement either. Actual laughter as Y/N narrowed her eyes at him while trying to ignore the fact his voice sounded deeper somehow through the alcohol haze and the dark silk shirt hanging open at his chest suddenly seemed offensively distracting. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she accused.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re enjoying this.”
“I am enjoying this.”
Y/N slumped slightly against the glowing bar top while the music and lights of Lux Aeterna swirled warmly around them. Somewhere nearby someone won something big because an entire section of the casino erupted into cheers and flashing holograms but Y/N barely noticed. Because now she was too busy glaring at Mingi while he leaned beside her grinning in that unfairly handsome way again. “You did this on purpose,” she muttered.
“I literally told you not to drink it that fast.”
“But you brought me here.”
“That’s not a crime.”
“It should be.”
Mingi shook his head softly still smiling before sliding her untouched second drink farther away from her reach and Y/N looked horrified. “Betrayal.”
“You’ll thank me later.”
“I definitely won’t.” But despite the irritation and alcohol warming her blood… Jace’s words loosened slightly around her chest. Mostly because Mingi kept looking at her like she mattered more than the entire casino around them. The moment stretched dangerously between them. Music pulsed through the casino while Y/N leaned against the balcony railing trying very hard not to focus on the fact Mingi stood close enough now that she could smell the faint spice and smoke lingering against his dark silk shirt. And Mingi looked entirely too comfortable staring at her like that. Slightly drunk Mingi had apparently lost what little restraint he possessed.
“You’re thinking too hard again,” he murmured for what felt like the hundredth time.
“You’re standing too close again.”
“I’m drunk.”
“That’s not an excuse.”
“It’s a fantastic excuse.”
Y/N laughed softly despite herself, head tilting back briefly beneath the glowing casino lights and that was unfortunately the exact moment they got interrupted. “Well this explains why nobody’s been able to find you tonight.” Mingi’s entire expression shifted instantly. Not dramatically. Subtly colder and Y/N noticed right away. A tall alien male approached through the upper lounge levels with effortless confidence stitched into every movement. His dark clothing shimmered faintly beneath the casino lights while silver rings decorated long fingers and sharp dark markings curled subtly beneath one eye disappearing into black hair. Upper class and wealthy. Dangerous in a completely different way than Mingi. The kind of dangerous that smiled too easily.
“Silus,” Mingi said flatly as Silus stopped beside them with a grin that looked charming enough to fool people unfamiliar with him. Unfortunately Mingi clearly was familiar with him. “I leave you alone for one evening and suddenly rumors start spreading through the entire casino about the prince hiding upstairs with a beautiful human.” Silus glanced around theatrically. “Naturally I had to investigate.” Y/N immediately disliked him. His attention shifted toward her then and stayed there slightly too long. Not admiration but assessment. Like he was already imagining exactly what kind of trouble she could become. “Well,” Silus murmured, smile widening faintly. “Now I understand the rumors.”
Mingi stepped slightly closer toward Y/N without seeming to think about it. Possessive enough that even drunk Y/N noticed and Silus definitely noticed too. His brows lifted with visible interest. “Oh,” he said softly. “That’s new.” Mingi looked unimpressed. “What do you want?”
“To say hello.” Silus shrugged lazily before extending one hand politely toward Y/N. “Silus Vaelor.” She shook Silus’s hand carefully. “Y/N.” Silus smiled slowly. “Pretty name.” Mingi looked ready to throw him off the balcony and Silus noticed that too and seemed deeply entertained by it. “What?” he asked innocently toward Mingi. “We’ve entertained the same women before.”
“Not her.” The answer came immediate. Sharp and hostile. Silus blinked once then his grin turned almost wicked. “Oh this is serious serious.” Y/N frowned. “What exactly does that mean?” Silus leaned casually against the railing opposite them beneath the neon lights of the casino. “It means your prince here usually prefers uncomplicated entertainment.” Mingi’s jaw tightened visibly as Y/N looked between them slowly. Silus continued smoothly before Mingi could stop him. “He’s usually allergic to emotional attachment. Very tragic condition.” He gave another amused glance toward Mingi. “Though apparently recoverable.”
Mingi looked one sentence away from violence now. Meanwhile Y/N’s alcohol warmed brain unfortunately latched onto one specific phrase. “You sleep around a lot don’t you.” Silus laughed outright. “Oh he absolutely does.”
“Silus.”
“What? I’m helping.”
Mingi dragged one hand down his face already regretting every decision that led to this conversation. And Y/N suddenly understood why women kept touching Mingi’s arm everywhere they went tonight. Because before her, he probably let them. The atmosphere shifted immediately after that. Not loud enough for the rest of the casino to notice. But Y/N felt it. Mingi’s posture tightened beside her while the flashing neon lights reflected sharply across the glass balcony behind them. Music still pulsed through the casino below and people still laughed around gaming tables several floors down, completely unaware tension had just gone razor thin up here.
Silus, meanwhile, looked entirely relaxed. Too relaxed. The kind of man who enjoyed pushing exactly until people snapped. His gaze lingered openly on Y/N again, dragging slowly over the green dress and exposed skin beneath the casino lights before he smiled faintly. “You know…” he said smoothly, voice almost conversational, “pureblood royals like our prince here can’t taint themselves with humans.” Y/N’s stomach tightened instantly and Mingi’s expression went flat. Silus either didn’t care or enjoyed it. Probably both. He tilted his head slightly while still looking at Y/N. “I however…” His smile widened just enough to become ugly beneath the charm. “Love to.”
The implication landed hard enough to sober Y/N slightly. Not because she felt intimidated. Because suddenly she understood exactly the kind of alien he was. The kind who treated humans like rebellion. Like entertainment. Like disposable thrills to drag through upper sector decadence before tossing them back underground ruined. Mingi hated him for a reason. Silus leaned one elbow lazily against the glowing railing. “Some humans enjoy it, honestly. The parties. The gifts. The corruption.” His eyes flicked knowingly toward Mingi. “Some even start believing they belong up here.” Y/N’s jaw tightened. There it was again. The same accusation from Jace earlier. The same ugly assumption. That she’d traded herself for luxury.
Before she could answer though Mingi stepped fully between them. And suddenly the warmth from earlier disappeared entirely. His voice came low and cold. Enough to cut clean through the music around them. “Watch your mouth.” Silus blinked slowly. Then smiled again like this amused him. “There he is.” Mingi’s eyes locked onto him sharply now beneath the flashing casino lights. “You don’t get to speak to her like that.” Silus lifted both hands innocently. “I’m speaking honestly.”
“No,” Mingi said flatly. “You’re being disrespectful.” For the first time since approaching them, Silus’s smile faded slightly around the edges. Because despite the prince’s reputation for recklessness and charm… everyone knew there were lines. And Mingi sounded dangerously close to one now. Y/N stood quietly behind him watching the tension coil tighter between the two aliens. The difference between them felt obvious suddenly. Silus looked at humans like toys. Mingi looked angry someone implied Y/N could ever be one. That realization hit somewhere deep enough to make her chest ache unexpectedly as Silus finally exhaled softly through his nose before stepping backward slightly. “My mistake.”
Mingi didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Silus’s eyes flicked toward Y/N one last time before the smirk returned faintly. “Careful with him,” he said casually. “The Prince breaks things accidentally all the time.” Then he disappeared back into the casino crowd beneath the glowing lights and music. Silence lingered behind him as Mingi still stood tense in front of Y/N another moment before finally turning back toward her. And the second he looked at her the anger vanished again. “You okay?” he asked quietly. Y/N stared at him for a long second. “You really hate him.” Mingi looked toward the crowd where Silus vanished. “More than you know.”
The casino suddenly felt louder after Silus left, but the tension he left behind lingered stubbornly between Y/N and Mingi anyway. Y/N leaned back against the glowing railing slowly, arms folding tighter across herself while she watched the crowds moving through the massive casino beneath them. Humans serving drinks. Aliens gambling fortunes away. Upper sector nobles laughing beneath chandeliers bright enough to blind people underground. And somewhere inside all of it sat that ugly phrase again. Taint. She hated the word instantly. Mingi stayed beside her quietly now, one hand wrapped around his drink while the other rested loosely against the balcony edge. The anger from earlier still lingered faintly around him beneath the alcohol haze as Y/N looked toward him. “What did he mean?”
Mingi sighed immediately like he already knew exactly where this conversation was heading. “Y/N…”
“No.” She shook her head once. “What did he mean by pureblood royals not being allowed to taint themselves?” Mingi groaned softly and tipped his head back briefly toward the glowing ceiling above them. “There’s no tainting,” he muttered. “Pureblood royals just like pretending they’re better than everyone else.” Y/N watched him carefully. “But it’s still a thing.”
Mingi took another slow drink before finally speaking lower. “Royal houses obsess over bloodlines. Political alliances. Inheritance.” His jaw tightened faintly. “Most of them believe relationships with humans weaken royal legitimacy.” Y/N frowned harder. “That’s insane.”
“Welcome to the empire.” The bitterness in his voice caught her attention immediately. Then another thought hit her. Y/N looked back toward the glowing casino floor for a second before asking carefully, “So if you were to sleep…” She paused briefly, hating how suddenly aware she became of the conversation itself. Because despite the alcohol loosening her up, one thing remained painfully true…. she was twenty two and still a virgin. Not by choice exactly. Not intentionally. The underground just wasn’t exactly overflowing with safe or appealing options. Most men there either worked for people like Vernon or turned cruel the second they smelled desperation.
And Mingi….. Mingi flirted so naturally with her that sometimes she forgot he probably had more experience than entire populations combined. Y/N cleared her throat lightly before continuing. “If you slept with a human,” she said carefully, “you’d what? Be disowned?” Mingi looked at her fully then and some of the humor returned faintly around his mouth. “My father would lose his mind.”
“That’s not technically an answer.”
Mingi leaned one elbow against the glowing railing beside her, close enough again that she could feel warmth radiating from him beneath the cold casino lights. “I wouldn’t get disowned,” he admitted. “But politically?” His mouth twisted slightly. “It would cause problems.”
“What kind of problems?”
“The kind royal houses spend centuries trying to avoid.”
Y/N stared at him another second beneath the neon glow. Then realization clicked slowly into place. “You’ve never slept with a human.” The silence after her realization lasted just long enough to become suspicious and for Y/N’s brows to lift immediately. “You haven’t.” Mingi looked mildly offended suddenly. “I told you that already.”
“I thought you were joking!”
“I was not joking.”
Y/N stared at him openly now. Because honestly? That made absolutely no sense. This man looked like temptation personally designed by a corrupt galaxy and somehow had never crossed that line? Mingi watched the realization spread across her face and immediately understood exactly what she was thinking and his grin returned slowly. “What?” Y/N shook her head once in disbelief. “You’re telling me women and men practically throw themselves at you in this casino and you still haven’t?” Mingi stepped slightly closer beneath the flashing lights, voice dipping lower again naturally. “Humans usually avoid me.”
Y/N swallowed once slowly. Because somehow… the way he said it sounded less arrogant and more disappointed than she expected as a human server drifted past them carrying a floating crystal tray lined with glowing cocktails in impossible colors. Without thinking too hard about it, Y/N reached over and grabbed one. Bright pink. Sparkling and pretty. Terrible criteria for decision making. Mingi was still watching her from too close beside the railing, distracted by the way the casino lights reflected gold and violet across her face while the green dress clung softly against her body beneath the neon glow when his eyes dropped toward the drink in her hand and all the warmth vanished from his expression instantly. “Oh no.”
Y/N blinked at him. “What?” Mingi straightened immediately now, visibly more sober through pure panic alone. “Y/N, don’t drink that.” Naturally, she took a sip that made Mingi actually lunge lightly for the glass too late. “Shit.” Y/N frowned at him while swallowing. “What?” She repeated. The drink tasted incredible. Sweet and icy with something citrus underneath and a strange sparkling warmth already spreading across her tongue.
Mingi looked horrified. “That’s not alcohol.” Y/N looked slowly down at the glowing pink drink. Then back at him. “Excuse me?”
“It’s a stimulant.”
The warmth already blooming through her chest suddenly intensified frighteningly fast. Not heavy like alcohol. But lighter. Sharper and electric somehow. Y/N blinked once slowly. “Oh that feels weird.” Mingi dragged one hand down his face. “Why would you just grab a random glowing drink?”
“It was pink!”
“That is not survival instinct!”
The server carrying the tray visibly noticed the situation now and immediately looked nervous. “Your Highness, I didn’t realize…”
“It’s fine,” Mingi interrupted quickly while taking the remaining drinks off the tray before any more disasters occurred. Y/N leaned harder against the balcony railing suddenly feeling like the entire casino became approximately thirty percent prettier. Music sounded deeper now too. And Mingi…. Mingi looked unfairly attractive suddenly. Like offensively so. Y/N stared at him openly. “You’re glowing.” Mingi closed his eyes briefly. “Oh we’re in trouble.” He knew exactly what kind of drink she grabbed. Upper sector party stimulant. Strong even for aliens. Humans usually only drank tiny diluted amounts and Y/N had just taken a solid swallow directly from the source. Fantastic. The warmth spread faster beneath her skin while the casino lights around them sharpened beautifully into streaks of color and movement. Every sound felt richer somehow and Y/N suddenly smiled.
“Oh no,” Mingi muttered again. Because drunk Y/N had already been a problem. Whatever this was about to become? Far worse. He looked away from her for maybe thirty seconds. Thirty. That was all it took. One casino manager spotted him and started asking some meaningless question about upcoming imperial appearances. Mingi answered distractedly, attention already split in half because somewhere behind him Y/N had gone unusually quiet. Which, considering the amount of alcohol and upper sector stimulants currently in her bloodstream, should’ve terrified him immediately.
By the time he turned back toward her, she was gone. Mingi froze. His eyes swept across the upper lounge instantly. Empty railing. Crowded tables. Strangers laughing beneath neon lights. No green dress. No Y/N. “Fuck.” Real panic hit him so fast it almost felt sobering as he moved immediately through the crowd scanning faces below while his pulse kicked hard against his ribs. Y/N barely knew this city. Barely knew the palace. And right now she was intoxicated enough to follow literally any impulse her brain produced. Mingi pushed through the upper lounge levels quickly now, eyes tracking every corridor and staircase branching deeper into the casino while casino lights flashed violently around him. Nothing. No sign of her and suddenly a dozen terrible possibilities slammed through his head all at once. Someone bothering her. Someone trying to take advantage of her. Silus finding her alone. The thought alone made his jaw tighten sharply as Mingi descended another level scanning through crowds of nobles and tourists beneath giant holographic games flickering overhead. “Your Highness.”
Mingi barely slowed. Then the voice registered. Azura. He turned sharply near one of the lower VIP lounges where Azura Vaelor stood draped in shimmering black fabric beneath the casino lights, silver jewelry woven elegantly through dark hair while subtle violet markings glowed faintly beneath one eye. Beautiful. Regal. Cold. Everything royal houses adored. And everything Mingi avoided. Her eyes tracked his expression immediately. “You look distressed,” she observed smoothly. “I’m busy.” He snapped and Azura smiled faintly like that amused her. “Looking for your human?” Mingi’s patience snapped thinner instantly. “Have you seen her?”
Azura took a slow sip from her glowing drink before answering. “No.” Mingi moved to step past her immediately before she continued. “My brother seems interested in her.” That stopped him cold and the smile on Azura’s mouth sharpened slightly. “There it is,” she murmured. “I was wondering if the rumors were true.” Mingi stared at her flatly now. “Silus is interested in anything with a pulse.”
“Yes,” Azura agreed calmly. “But this appears different for you.” The casino lights flashed softly across her face while crowds drifted behind them. Azura tilted her head slightly studying him now. “You’ve never cared enough to keep a human subordinate before.” There it was. Judgment. Not loud like Silus. But sharper. More controlled. And unlike her brother, Azura didn’t merely dislike humans. She genuinely believed they were beneath her. Mingi knew that look well. He’d spent his entire life surrounded by versions of it. “She’s not yours,” Azura continued smoothly. “If Silus decides he wants her, he’ll pursue it.”
Something dangerous flashed through Mingi instantly. “She’s not a thing to pursue.” Azura’s brows lifted faintly at the sharpness in his voice. “Careful,” she warned softly. “You’re beginning to sound emotionally attached.” Mingi stepped closer before he could stop himself, voice dropping low enough that only she heard it beneath the music and flashing lights. “If your brother touches her,” he said coldly, “I’ll break his jaw.” Azura actually looked surprised. Not because of the threat. But because Mingi meant it completely.
Azura took another elegant sip from her drink before dismissing his warning with a tiny wave of her hand. “Please.” Her eyes moved over him carefully now, sharp intelligence sitting coldly behind perfect upper sector composure. “My father says he’s discussing our joining with the royal council and your father soon.” Mingi’s jaw tightened. The Vaelor family had been circling the throne for years through politics, influence, and strategic marriages. Azura was considered perfect by imperial standards. Pureblood. Educated. Cruel enough to survive royal life. Everything Mingi hated.
Azura stepped slightly closer now beneath the neon lights. “You should hurry up and dispel whatever bored interest you have in this human,” she continued smoothly. “Because once we’re engaged…” Her mouth curved faintly. “If she’s still around…” The pause felt intentional. “I will get rid of her myself.” The world around them seemed to dim for one sharp second. Mingi stared at her and suddenly Azura realized something too late. The prince’s expression had changed completely. Not angry anymore. Worse. Cold. The resemblance hit hardest when he looked like this. Not to Garus. But to his grandfather. The former emperor whose name still lingered through the empire like a scar generations later.
Mingi stepped toward her slowly now, eyes empty of humor beneath the flashing casino lights and when he spoke, his voice came low enough that nobody else around them could hear. “If anything happens to her…” Azura’s confidence faltered slightly for the first time all night. Because suddenly Mingi didn’t look spoiled. Or reckless. Or flirtatious. He looked royal in the oldest, most dangerous sense of the word. “You’ll find out,” he said quietly, “why so many people used to fear my grandfather.” The words landed like ice and Azura actually went still. Because everyone knew stories about the former emperor. Violence. Purges. Executions. Entire districts erased for betrayal. And standing here beneath Lux Aeterna’s glittering lights for one terrifying second…… Mingi looked exactly like him. Not physically but in potential.
The silence between them stretched tight before Mingi finally stepped backward again. Then turned away completely. Azura watched him disappear into the casino crowds with something unfamiliar settling uneasily in her chest. She’d spent years assuming Prince Mingi was soft. Spoiled. Disinterested. Too distracted by pleasure and rebellion to ever become truly dangerous. Tonight she realized something horrifying…. the empire’s future emperor had simply never cared enough about anything before now.
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Mingi tore through Lux Aeterna like a man unraveling. Every level of the casino blurred together beneath flashing holograms and pounding music while crowds moved endlessly around him in waves of glittering fabric and neon light. No Y/N. Every second without seeing her tightened something ugly in his chest harder. He checked the upper lounges again. The gaming floors. The private balconies. Nothing. By the time he reached the lower entertainment levels, genuine panic had started burning beneath his ribs again. Which was insane. He had known her for barely two days. So why did the thought of something happening to her make him feel violent?
The music grew louder the deeper he moved through the casino until eventually he reached one of the massive lower clubs where lights pulsed crimson and gold across packed dance floors crowded with humans and aliens moving beneath clouds of holographic smoke. And then he saw her and instant relief slammed through him so hard he almost staggered. She near the center of the dance floor beneath shifting pink lights. Alive. Laughing. Completely fine. Y/N moved through the music like she’d forgotten gravity existed, loose beneath the effects of the drink still glowing warm in her bloodstream.
The green dress clung perfectly against her body beneath flashing lights as she danced completely lost to the music. And for one stupid relieved second Mingi just watched her. Beautiful and happy. Free in a way he hadn’t seen before. Then he noticed who stood in front of her. Silus. The upper class alien leaned close enough to touch while Y/N laughed at something he said, too intoxicated to notice the calculated satisfaction in his expression. One of Silus’ hands rested low against her waist guiding her lazily through the music while neon lights flashed across his smirk. Like he knew exactly what he was doing.
The relief inside Mingi vanished instantly as something dark snapped sharply beneath his ribs. Hot. Possessive. Ugly. Mine. The thought hit so violently it almost shocked him as Mingi stopped moving completely at the edge of the dance floor while the club lights strobed gold and crimson across his face. He had never felt this before. Not truly. Not with anyone. People flirted with him constantly. Touched him. Fucked him. Wanted him. And he never cared. But watching Silus touch Y/N….. watching Y/N smile drunkenly up at another man while that man looked at her like entertainment…. Mingi felt rage crawl hot beneath his skin so fast it almost sobered him completely.
His jaw tightened hard enough to hurt as scross the dance floor, Silus finally looked up saw him. The smirk spreading slowly across his face afterward made everything worse. Because the bastard knew exactly what he was doing now as Y/N remained oblivious entirely, still laughing softly beneath the flashing lights while music pulsed through the crowded club around them. Then Silus’hand slid slightly higher against her waist and Mingi moved. Fast enough that people stepped aside instinctively when he cut through the dance floor toward them.
The crowd blurred around him. Music thundered through his chest alongside something far more dangerous than anger. For the first time in his entire life Mingi felt possessive enough to become terrifying. Y/N finally noticed him when he reached the dance floor and her face lit up immediately beneath the flashing lights, drunk warmth still glowing through her veins while she smiled lazily at him. “Mingi….” He didn’t say a word. Didn’t even look at Silus. Mingi walked directly up to Y/N, grabbed her effortlessly around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder.
The entire nearby section of the dance floor froze as Y/N shrieked and startled drunken laughter immediately, even Silus actually barked out a laugh. Because this? This was unprecedented. Several upper sector aliens nearby openly stared while Mingi turned without a single word and started walking straight back through the crowd carrying Y/N over his shoulder like she weighed nothing as her brain took approximately five seconds to process what was happening.
“MINGI!”
He kept walking.
“Mingi put me DOWN!”
“No.” The answer came immediate and flat. Y/N blinked upside down beneath flashing casino lights while people openly gawked as the crown prince marched through Lux Aeterna carrying a human girl over his shoulder with visible fury carved into every line of his body. She pushed weakly against his back trying and failing not to laugh because the alcohol and stimulant still humming through her system made this feel approximately seventy percent funnier than it should.
“You’re acting insane!”
“You disappeared.”
“You were talking politics!”
“You danced with Silus.”
Y/N paused upside down over his shoulder. “You sound jealous.” Mingi’s grip tightened slightly against the backs of her thighs and people moved aside rapidly as he carried her through the casino floors. Y/N buried her face against the back of his dark silk shirt trying not to laugh harder. “You just kidnapped me again.”
“You wandered off.”
“I was dancing.”
“With Silus.”
“So?”
Mingi finally stopped near one of the private transport elevators, pressing the access panel sharply before the doors slid open. Then finally he sat her back onto her feet and Y/N stumbled slightly from the sudden movement before looking up at him. And immediately lost some of her amusement. Because Mingi looked genuinely angry. Not at her exactly. At the situation. At Silus. At himself maybe. His eyes stayed locked on her face while his chest rose sharply. “Don’t do that again.” The possessiveness in his voice hit hard enough to momentarily cut through the haze in her bloodstream.
Y/N stared at him. And for the first time since this whole thing started the tension between them stopped being playful. The ride back to the palace blurred together in streaks of gold city lights and lingering adrenaline. She barely remembered getting into the transport. Barely remembered half the things she said on the way back either. The stimulant still pulsed warmly through her bloodstream beneath the alcohol, making everything feel heightened and strange and too vivid all at once. Music from the casino still echoed faintly in her head while Mingi sat across from her inside the private transport looking equally wrecked in an entirely different way.
Because now that the anger faded…. now that Silus was gone… Mingi couldn’t stop replaying what he’d felt seeing her with someone else. Possessive. Violently so. And it unsettled him. Y/N stared at him most of the way back without hiding it either. Every time the transport lights flashed across his face she remembered his hand gripping her thighs while carrying her through the casino. The way he’d looked ready to kill someone. The low dangerous edge in his voice telling her not to do that again. Something about it settled hot and aching beneath her skin in ways the stimulant only made worse.
By the time they reached the palace, both of them felt dangerously untethered. Mingi walked her back toward her room quietly through dim late night corridors while the imperial residence slept around them. The towering windows reflected moonlight across polished floors and somewhere far below Solaria Prime still glittered endlessly through the dark. Y/N stumbled slightly once near her doorway and Mingi caught her instantly. His hand wrapped around her waist automatically steadying her against him. Too close. Way too close.
The doors slid open the second they approached and the sylin immediately chirped excitedly from the bed the moment it saw her return but Y/N barely noticed. Because her entire focus stayed trapped on Mingi. On the warmth of his hand against her waist. The open collar of his dark shirt. The silver chains against skin. The fact he was still looking at her like she was something dangerous to him now too and the room suddenly felt too quiet.
The stimulant buzzing through her veins tangled horribly with every complicated feeling currently lodged inside her chest until she couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. Mingi started pulling his hand away carefully. Big mistake because Y/N grabbed the front of his shirt, fingers moving to grip at his chain. His eyes snapped back to her face as she glared up at him through the haze, visibly frustrated by feelings she couldn’t even fully name right now. “I can’t stand you.” The pout in her voice completely ruined the threat. Mingi’s mouth twitched faintly despite himself. “That’s unfortunate.” Y/N narrowed her eyes harder. Then before either of them could think too carefully about it….
She pulled herself upward by his chain and kissed him making Mingi go completely still. For one split second neither of them moved. Then he broke. His hands grabbed her hips hard enough to pull her fully against him while he kissed her back with sudden reckless intensity that stole the air directly from her lungs. The alcohol still lingering in his system combined with hours of tension and jealousy and wanting her entirely too much finally snapped something loose inside him.
Y/N made a soft startled sound against his mouth when he backed her toward the doorframe without breaking the kiss. His hands slid lower. Over the curve of her waist. Her thighs. Then down to her ass, squeezing once, before he lifted her effortlessly against him. The movement pulled a breathless moan from her while her arms wrapped tighter around the back of his neck as Mingi kissed her deeper instinctively, fingers tightening beneath the fabric of the green dress while every warning his father ever gave him disappeared completely from his mind.
The sylin chirped loudly from the bed but neither of them heard it. Her soft moans against his mouth hit Mingi like gasoline to a fire already burning too hot beneath his skin. Every inch of her pressed against him while her fingers tangled tighter at the back of his neck and the stimulant clouding her thoughts made her cling to him with reckless honesty. He kissed her harder. Hungrier. Like he’d been trying not to do this since the moment she smarted off to him in that alley underground. The room blurred around them beneath low palace lighting while his hands tightened beneath her thighs keeping her lifted against him.
Y/N’s body shifted against his and the friction pulled a rough breath from him when he felt how hard he was and buried against her he was, her dress had slid completely up to her waist. His mouth left hers. He needed air. Needed distance. Instead he buried his face against her neck and Y/N tilted her head back with another breathless moan while he kissed slowly down the soft skin beneath her jaw. The scent of her mixed with expensive perfume and lingering casino smoke wrapped around his head like another drug entirely. And when she moaned again, this time more needy, borderline whimpering…
Mingi actually moaned back against her throat as his restraint snapped thinner. One hand spread against her lower back while the other held firmly beneath her thighs as he kissed lower, slower, teeth barely grazing sensitive skin before sucking gently enough to leave warmth blooming there and Y/N shivered hard against him. “Mingi…” The way she said his name nearly destroyed him. He pressed her tighter against him, hips shifting before he could stop himself and the friction dragged another soft broken sound from her lips as his bulge grinded against her through the growing dampness on her panties. And then suddenly reality slammed back into him hard enough to hurt.
Mingi froze. Because Y/N wasn’t fully here right now. The alcohol. The stimulant. The overwhelming emotions flooding her system. She was intoxicated enough to barely stand without him holding her. “Shit.” The word came rough and quiet against her neck as Y/N blinked dazedly down at him, still wrapped around him while he stood there breathing hard trying to gather the shattered pieces of his self control back together. “Mingi…”
“No.” He swallowed once sharply, forcing himself to pull his mouth away from her skin despite how badly every part of him wanted to continue. “No, no…” Y/N frowned, still hazy and flushed beneath the dim lighting. “Did I do something….” The answer came immediate. Almost desperate. “No. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Fuck. The mark already darkening faintly beneath her jaw nearly made him lose the argument with himself all over again. Mine. He wanted every part of her to be his. Mingi closed his eyes briefly before carefully adjusting his hold on her. Then instead of kissing her again, he carried her toward the bed. Y/N stared at him the entire time like she couldn’t understand why he stopped. Her fingers still curled weakly into the front of his shirt while the room spun warmly around her beneath the lingering effects of the drink.
Mingi lowered her carefully onto the massive bed, hands lingering at her waist one dangerous second too long before he forced himself backward after pulling her dress back down to cover her. He needed distance immediately as Y/N sat there breathless and flushed in the middle of the blankets, green dress slightly rumpled, lips swollen from kissing him while confusion clouded her expression. And Mingi looked wrecked. His hair disheveled. Shirt half ripped. Silver chains shifting messily against his chest while he stood there staring at her like walking away physically hurt him. Which honestly? It did.
Because every instinct in his body screamed to climb into that bed with her. Instead he stepped backward toward the door. Y/N watched him silently now, the haze in her eyes softening into something almost vulnerable as realization slowly began piecing together through the fog in her head as Mingi stopped at the doorway. “Goodnight, Y/N.” And before he could change his mind he left, doors sliding shut behind him softly.
Leaving Y/N alone staring at the empty doorway while her pulse still raced from feeling him against her and the ghost of his mouth lingered hot against her skin where the mark remained.
The transport elevator took fifteen minutes to reach the upper sectors. Fifteen minutes of Y/N standing in complete silence between two imperial guards while her stomach twisted harder with every passing level. At first, the view outside the glass transport walls stayed familiar. Rusted tunnel systems. Crowded lower districts. Concrete packed tightly together beneath endless steel support beams. Home. Then slowly the underground started disappearing.
The higher they rose, the cleaner everything became. Old industrial sectors shifted into mid level transit districts glowing with holographic advertisements and suspended rail systems curving through the city like veins of light. The ceilings above her stretched wider with every level until eventually they vanished entirely and for the first time in her life, Y/N saw the sky. Not a projection. Not a flickering screen pretending to be sunlight. The real sky.
Her breath caught before she could stop it. Blue. Actual endless blue stretched above Solaria Prime interrupted only by drifting transport ships and distant atmosphere regulators shimmering high above the city. Sunlight poured across the glass walls of the transport so brightly it almost hurt her eyes after a lifetime underground. Y/N turned her face slightly toward it anyway. Warm. Real warmth. Something painfully human twisted in her chest as she understood suddenly why upper sector humans almost never came back underground willingly.
The city opened fully around her now as the transport climbed higher through Solaria Prime and God, it was enormous. From below, the capital looked intimidating. From inside it? It looked impossible. Massive glass towers pierced the clouds while suspended gardens bloomed between buildings hundreds of feet above the streets. Waterfalls cascaded down silver structures into glowing canals threading through the city below. Giant holograms shimmered across skyscrapers in alien dialect while elegant transports drifted silently through the air around them.
Nothing looked real. Everything curved instead of standing straight. Buildings rose like sculptures carved from sunlight and metal rather than constructed by engineers. Even the streets far below looked polished enough to reflect the sky. And everywhere….. Aliens. Thousands of them of different heights and colors, moving through the upper sectors in elegant fabrics and shimmering jewelry while humans in pale uniforms worked quietly around them.
Y/N pressed her lips together hard. The contrast made her nauseous. Because the empire didn’t just keep humans beneath them socially. They literally built layers of civilization on top of them. The underground suddenly felt very far away as one of the guards finally spoke after nearly half an hour of silence. “We are approaching the imperial district.” Y/N looked ahead automatically and froze. The palace towered over Solaria Prime itself. From the underground broadcasts it had always looked beautiful but in person it was terrifying.
Massive white structures rose into the sky surrounded by towering glass spires veined faintly with gold. Bridges connected different palace sectors high above the city while giant banners bearing the imperial crest, the picture of a planet unknown surrounded by a ring of fire and stardust, hung from impossibly tall walls that gleamed beneath the sunlight. It didn’t look like a home. It looked like a monument. A declaration that this all belonged to them now.
The transport slowed as they entered the imperial sector, passing through security fields that shimmered blue against the glass before opening into a massive arrival platform lined with guards and everything became quieter here. No crowded streets. No market noise. No music blasting through tunnels. Just controlled silence and the soft hum of advanced machinery hidden somewhere beneath polished floors.
Y/N suddenly became hyperaware of herself. Her clothes. Her boots. The duffel bag hanging from her shoulder. She looked and screamed underground as the transport doors finally slid open and warm air drifted inside carrying the scent of clean water and unfamiliar flowers instead of metal and engine smoke. The guards stepped out first and Y/N followed slower. The sunlight hit fully now. Real sunlight across her skin and for a second she almost forgot to breathe again before she remembered why she was here.
The palace stretched endlessly ahead of her in white stone and glass while servants moved quietly through the massive open corridors beyond the arrival platform. Some glanced toward her curiously. A human from the underground standing in the center of the imperial palace with one worn duffel bag and murder in her eyes probably wasn’t a common sight. One of the guards gestured toward the towering doors ahead. “The Crown Prince is expecting you.” Y/N stared at the palace entrance. At the world above the underground. At the place she never wanted to belong. “I’m going to kill him.” She mumbled under her breath.
Every hallway stretched massive and gleaming beneath vaulted ceilings where artificial constellations shimmered faintly overhead. White stone floors reflected sunlight pouring through towering windows while elegant alien servants moved silently through corridors carrying silver trays and datapads like ghosts haunting a museum. Nobody raised their voice here. Nobody laughed loudly. Nobody argued. Nobody lived loudly. The underground felt alive while this place felt controlled.
Y/N tightened her grip on the strap of her duffel bag as the guards led her through another set of enormous doors and into what looked less like a room and more like an imperial cathedral. Massive windows overlooked all of Solaria Prime behind a raised platform where three figures stood waiting. The emperor immediately commanded attention first. Garus stood tall in dark layered robes threaded subtly with gold, hands folded behind his back while sunlight sharpened the grey beginning to thread through the same shade of pale blonde hair as his son’s near his temples. Calm and composed. Terrifying in the quiet way powerful people often were.
Beside him stood another alien male Y/N didn’t recognize. Beautiful in the unfair upper sector way all of them seemed to be, though less polished than the emperor. Dark hair brushed back from sharp features while pale markings disappeared beneath the collar of fitted black clothing. His expression remained unreadable the second she entered. Then….. Mingi, leaning lazily beside one of the massive council tables dressed entirely in black and white like he’d stepped out of some imperial propaganda campaign. His hair fell messily into his eyes while silver jewelry glinted beneath the sunlight pouring across the room.
And the second he saw her, he grinned. That smug fucking grin. Y/N stopped walking immediately as her glare sharpened into pure disbelief. “YOU.” The word echoed across the massive chamber and the guards visibly stiffened beside her as Garus blinked once slowly and the dark haired alien near the prince looked genuinely startled. Meanwhile Mingi looked delighted. Absolutely delighted. “There she is,” he said casually like this was all perfectly normal.
Y/N looked ready to commit murder. “You kidnapped me!” One of the guards beside her immediately stepped forward nervously. “You will address the Crown Prince respectfully…”
“Actually,” Mingi interrupted cheerfully. “I prefer her just like this.” Silence. Dead silence cascaded around them as Garus slowly turned his head toward his son then back toward Y/N. Then back toward Mingi again and the emperor had expected many things when approving this subordinate assignment under protest. But this? This was not one of them. Because the human girl standing in front of the imperial throne room looked completely unfazed by royal authority. Angry? Yes. Terrified? Not even slightly. And somehow even worse…. Mingi looked fascinated by it.
Seonghwa noticed immediately too. The grin. The posture. The way Mingi’s attention locked entirely onto her the second she walked into the room. Oh no. This was bad. Very bad.
Y/N pointed directly at Mingi now. “You!” She repeated. “Yes,” Mingi replied helpfully.
“You did this!”
“I did.”
“You can’t just drag people out of the underground because you’re curious!”
Mingi tilted his head slightly, visibly fighting another smile. “Apparently I can.” Y/N looked seconds away from launching herself across the room at him before Garus finally stepped in before diplomatic incidents occurred inside his own palace. “That will be enough.” His voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be because the room shifted around it automatically. Y/N finally dragged her attention away from Mingi toward the emperor himself and Garus studied her carefully now. Interesting. Most humans brought before imperial authority immediately folded inward under pressure. Fear alone usually handled obedience before guards ever needed to.
This one stood stiff backed and furious in the center of the palace like she wanted to argue with the entire empire personally. No wonder Mingi picked her. The emperor’s gaze shifted briefly toward his son again. Mingi wasn’t even pretending indifference anymore. “Y/N,” Garus said calmly, “you were selected for direct subordinate assignment due to exemplary evaluation records and educational aptitude…..” He was completely lying.
“She was selected because your son stalked me at a festival.” She snapped making Mingi laugh out loud and Seonghwa closed his eyes briefly as Garus pinched the bridge of his nose once as Mingi pushed away from the council table slowly, moving closer while the silver marking near his eye caught the sunlight again, grinning like this was the best thing that happened to him years. “Hi,” he said as Y/N looked at him flatly. “I hate you already.”
His grin widened instantly as Garus sighed and Seonghwa looked like he suddenly understood exactly why Mingi processed the paperwork before sunrise. The tension in the chamber lingering heavily after Y/N stopped talking. Mostly because nobody seemed entirely sure what to do with a human who openly insulted the crown prince to his face while standing in the middle of the imperial palace. Y/N herself looked seconds away from continuing and Mingi looked like he wanted to encourage it.
Garus decided he’d already had enough chaos for one morning. “Seonghwa,” the emperor said calmly and the dark haired alien straightened immediately. “Show Y/N to her assigned quarters.” Seonghwa nodded once. “Of course, Your Majesty.” Y/N crossed her arms tightly but didn’t argue this time, likely because remaining in the same room with Mingi much longer looked dangerous for everyone involved. “Come with me,” Seonghwa said, gesturing toward the doors and Y/N shot one last glare toward the prince before turning sharply toward the exit.
Mingi immediately pushed off the council table. “I’ll go too.”
“No,” Garus said instantly making Mingi look personally offended. “She’ll get lost.”
“She’s walking down a hallway.”
“She doesn’t know the palace.”
Garus gave his son a deeply unimpressed look. “Seonghwa is with her.”
Seonghwa, meanwhile, was already leading Y/N toward the doors while pretending not to notice any of this but Y/N absolutely noticed though. And somehow the fact the crown prince looked disappointed she was leaving annoyed her even more. Good. He deserved disappointment. The massive chamber doors slid shut behind them with a heavy echo, finally leaving Garus alone with his son again.
Silence settled briefly across the room before the emperor slowly turned toward Mingi. “She insulted you in front of us.” Mingi dropped lazily back into one of the chairs near the council table, entirely unbothered. “I know.”
“She got smart with me.”
“I noticed.”
Garus narrowed his eyes. Because there was something unmistakable in his son’s voice now. Not irritation. Not wounded pride. Interest. The emperor had seen that tone before throughout Mingi’s life whenever something captured his attention fully. Dangerous creatures. Illegal racing circuits. Off world exploration requests. Reckless ideas. Obsessions started exactly like this with him. And unfortunately Mingi did not do anything halfway.
“She hates this palace already,” Garus said carefully as Mingi leaned back in the chair, grinning faintly to himself. “I know.” There it was again. That tone. Garus sighed quietly through his nose. “You like her.” Mingi’s grin widened instead of denying it. “She’s interesting.”
“That is not what I said.”
Mingi only shrugged as the emperor studied him a long moment before speaking again, voice colder this time. “You sleep with her…” He paused deliberately. “I’ll send her right back down.” Mingi’s expression didn’t disappear completely, but it shifted slightly around the edges. More serious now as Garus folded his hands behind his back again as he continued. “You are the crown prince of this empire. She is a human subordinate from the underground districts. Whatever fascination you think this is…” His eyes sharpened slightly. “Do not blur those lines.”
Mingi looked away first this time, gaze drifting toward the towering windows overlooking Solaria Prime. The underground sat somewhere beneath all of that glass and sunlight. Somewhere down there she’d spent her entire life hating those like him. And somehow that only made him want to know her more. “She’s not afraid of me,” he said quietly.
Garus’s expression hardened almost imperceptibly. “That,” the emperor replied calmly, “is exactly the problem.” For a moment, the massive chamber fell quiet again except for the distant hum of Solaria Prime outside the palace windows. Garus remained near the center of the room watching his son carefully while Mingi sat slouched back in the council chair looking entirely too entertained by this entire situation. The emperor already regretted approving the assignment deeply.
Mingi finally pushed himself upright with an easy stretch, black fabric shifting against broad shoulders while sunlight caught the silver marking near his eye again. “Relax,” he said casually, starting toward the doors. “I won’t let her take away my human virginity.” Garus closed his eyes immediately. “Mingi.”
“What?” he asked innocently. “It’s technically true.”
“You are twenty five years old.”
“And yet remarkably untouched by humanity.”
Garus looked physically exhausted suddenly as the prince grinned completely unapologetically as he reached the chamber doors. “I’m serious,” the emperor warned and Mingi waved one hand lazily without turning around. “Don’t worry, Father. She already threatened bodily harm twice. I don’t think seduction is currently on the schedule.”
“That is not remotely reassuring.”
Mingi laughed softly under his breath before the doors slid open around him but just before stepping out, he paused slightly. And despite the teasing tone from moments earlier, there was something more genuine underneath when he said, “I know the rules.”
Garus studied him silently. Because that was exactly what worried him. Mingi knew the rules. He just had a lifelong habit of deciding they didn’t apply to him. The doors sealed shut behind the prince a second later, leaving the emperor alone again in the enormous chamber and Garus exhaled slowly through his nose before muttering to himself, “This is going to become a disaster.”
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Seonghwa quickly learned two things about Y/N within the first five minutes of walking through the palace with her. First, she looked at everything like she expected it to bite her. Second, she absolutely did not know how to stop speaking whatever thought entered her head. “This hallway is bigger than my entire apartment building.” Her voice echoed lightly through the corridor as they walked side by side past towering windows overlooking Solaria Prime below. Sunlight poured across polished white floors while distant transport ships drifted silently between upper sector towers outside.
Seonghwa glanced toward her briefly. Most humans brought into the palace either stared in awe or kept their heads down entirely. Y/N mostly looked irritated. It was… strangely refreshing. “The palace houses several thousand residents and staff,” he explained calmly.
“That’s disgusting.”
“Disgusting?”
“You need all this space for what exactly?”
Seonghwa almost smiled despite himself. Almost. The halls around them stretched impossibly wide compared to the underground tunnels Y/N grew up in. Open air bridges connected different sectors of the palace while suspended gardens bloomed along the upper terraces, filled with alien flowers glowing faintly beneath the sunlight. Y/N hated that some of it was beautiful. That felt like betrayal somehow. She tightened her grip on her duffel bag while following Seonghwa through another massive corridor lined with gold veined glass.
“Do all rich aliens live like this?”
“Not all aliens are rich.”
Y/N looked at him flatly. “You know what I mean.”
Seonghwa hummed quietly in acknowledgment. Unlike Mingi, he understood the divide between upper and lower sectors very clearly. He’d been born lower class himself before eventually entering palace service as a teenager. Not underground human poor, obviously. Alien citizens still existed leagues above most humans socially and economically. But he still remembered what it felt like looking upward at the palace wondering what existed behind all the shining glass. Now he lived inside it. Funny how quickly people adapted to luxury once given access to it.
They stopped outside a set of curved silver doors near one of the quieter palace wings. “This will be your assigned residence.” Y/N frowned immediately. “Residence sounds threatening.” Seonghwa ignored that and pressed his hand against the access panel and yhe doors slid open smoothly. Y/N stepped inside then stopped completely. Seonghwa watched her freeze from the doorway. The room was enormous. Not by palace standards necessarily, but compared to the underground? It looked unreal.
Floor to ceiling windows curved along one entire wall overlooking the city below. Sunlight flooded across dark polished floors and elegant white furnishings while soft fabric curtains drifted lightly in conditioned air. A massive bed sat elevated near the center of the room surrounded by glowing ambient lights built directly into the walls. Beyond an open archway sat a private bathing room larger than most underground apartments. Everything smelled clean. Expensive and quiet. Y/N slowly turned in place taking it all in with visible disbelief. “I could fit multiple apartment units in here.” The words came out genuinely horrified.
Seonghwa leaned lightly against the doorway watching her reaction carefully. Most humans cried seeing upper sector luxury for the first time. Y/N looked offended by the square footage. Her gaze moved toward the windows again where Solaria Prime glittered endlessly beneath the afternoon sun. “You’re giving this to me?”
“It is standard subordinate housing for direct palace assignment.”
“This is standard?”
“For the imperial residence, yes.”
Y/N laughed once under her breath in disbelief before dropping her duffel bag slowly onto one of the chairs. The bag looked painfully out of place here but so did she. A human girl standing in the middle of a room built for people who never worried about survival. “You’ll receive formal schedules soon,” Seonghwa explained. “You are expected to remain within authorized palace sectors unless escorted elsewhere.”
“There it is,” Y/N muttered.
“There is what?”
“The prison part.”
Seonghwa studied her quietly. “You think this is imprisonment?”
“I think being taken from my home without a choice feels pretty close.”
He couldn’t exactly argue that. Y/N wandered slowly toward the windows now, almost cautious about touching anything as sunlight spilled across her face. Below them, Solaria Prime stretched endlessly toward the desert horizon in shimmering gold and glass. And somewhere far beneath all of it… the underground. She couldn’t even see it from here. That realization settled heavily in her chest.
Seonghwa noticed the shift in her expression immediately. “You’ll adjust,” he said carefully as Y/N looked out over the city another long moment before replying quietly, “That’s what I’m afraid of.” The room doors slid open again and she barely turned at first, assuming it was Seonghwa leaving but instead….. Mingi walked in like he owned the place. Which technically, annoyingly, he kind of did.
Behind him followed two human workers dressed in pale upper sector uniforms carrying sleek metallic cases beneath their arms. Neither looked directly at Y/N for more than a second before immediately lowering their eyes again. Mingi, meanwhile, looked entirely too comfortable already. “How are you settling into your forced relocation?” he asked casually. Y/N turned slowly toward him. “I’m considering jumping out the window.”
Mingi glanced toward the glass wall overlooking the city. “You’re thirty eight floors up.”
“Then I’ll probably commit harder.”
One corner of his mouth twitched upward instantly as the two human workers exchanged quick nervous glances before one cautiously approached her carrying a small silver device that projected faint blue light. Y/N frowned immediately. “Excuse me.” The woman hesitated awkwardly. “We just need your measurements.”
“For what?”
Neither worker answered immediately so Mingi did instead. “Relax,” he said, strolling further into the room before completely flopping backward onto the massive bed like it belonged to him. “They’re taking your measurements so they can bring you new clothes.” Y/N stared at him, then at the workers. Then back at him again. “Absolutely not.” The workers froze as Mingi only folded one arm behind his head lazily against the pillows. “You can’t wear underground worker jackets to royal events.”
“Watch me.”
“I probably will.”
Y/N rolled her eyes so hard it physically hurt. Of course upper sector humans had uniforms too. Because apparently the empire couldn’t survive unless everyone visually understood exactly where they ranked socially at all times. She’d seen palace workers before in broadcasts, soft fabrics, neutral colors, perfectly pressed clothing designed to make humans look elegant but unthreatening beside alien nobility. Pretty little accessories to the empire. The woman holding the scanner looked deeply uncomfortable standing between Y/N and the crown prince during this argument. “Please just stand still,” she murmured quietly and Y/N sighed dramatically but stayed where she was while blue light swept quickly over her body in smooth vertical lines and the device chimed softly. Mingi watched the entire thing openly from the bed completely unashamedly. Y/N caught him staring and narrowed her eyes immediately. “What.”
“Nothing.”
“That was definitely a something face.”
Mingi grinned faintly. “You’re shorter than I thought.”
“You’re more annoying than I thought.”
“That’s saying a lot considering your first impression of me.”
The second worker moved toward a nearby table scanning her belongings while entering information into another datapad and Y/N noticed immediately. “Hey.” The woman looked up quickly. “Don’t touch my stuff.”
“It’s inventory registration.”
“It’s my stuff.”
Mingi watched the possessiveness in her voice with growing amusement. The underground really had built survival instinct into every part of her. Nothing here belonged to her. So everything she did own mattered. The measurement device chimed again and the first worker stepped back. “Done.”
“Wonderful,” Y/N muttered. “Can’t wait to dress like a depressed curtain.” Mingi laughed softly from the bed. “You say that now.”
“I mean it now too.”
“You haven’t even seen upper sector fashion.”
“I’ve seen enough.”
The workers quickly packed their devices once finished, clearly eager to escape the tension filling the room. The second they left, silence settled briefly again, then Y/N pointed toward the bed. “You know this is my room now, right?” Mingi looked entirely unbothered stretched across the blankets. “Technically it’s palace property.”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
“Yes,” she replied immediately. “I absolutely do.” Mingi tilted his head slightly watching her stand there in oversized underground clothes looking furious in the middle of a room larger than her entire old apartment level. And somehow… he thought she fit here more than most nobles did. He watched Y/N pace slowly near the windows like a caged animal trying to figure out escape routes. Honestly? It was a little adorable. Mingi finally pushed himself upright with a quiet sigh before standing smoothly from the bed. At his full height he seemed to fill the room effortlessly, black fabric draping loosely from broad shoulders while silver jewelry glinted softly against skin. Y/N immediately looked suspicious again. “What now?” Mingi smirked faintly at her before turning toward Seonghwa near the doorway where he had been standing and watching the entire time. “Make her shower and…” Mingi’s eyes flicked briefly toward her again. “Bring her a dress.”
Y/N frowned instantly. “A what?”
“I want her at dinner with me tonight.” The words came so casually. Like this was normal. Like dragging a furious human girl from the underground into an imperial dinner was a completely reasonable decision. Y/N opened her mouth immediately. “No.” But Mingi was already moving toward the doors. “I’m not going to dinner with…”
“You are now,” he replied smoothly without slowing down.
“You can’t just decide things for me!”
Mingi glanced back over his shoulder then, infuriating grin on display. “Watch me.” Then he disappeared out the doors before she could throw something at him and silence crashed into the room immediately afterward as Y/N stared at the closed doors in disbelief. “He is unbelievable.” Seonghwa sighed quietly from near the entrance. “Yes.” Y/N turned toward him sharply. “You all seriously just let him act like this?” Seonghwa hesitated. Because honestly? Yes. Mostly because stopping Mingi from doing anything once he fixated on it was usually impossible. “It’s best not to argue too much,” he admitted carefully. “Mingi tends to always get what he wants.”
Y/N crossed her arms tightly. “That’s a terrible personality trait.”
“Usually,” Seonghwa said dryly, “yes.”
Y/N started pacing again almost immediately. “I’m not wearing some ridiculous upper sector dress.”
“You probably are.”
“I’m not attending dinner with alien nobles.”
“You definitely are.”
Y/N shot him a glare and Seonghwa remained annoyingly calm. “He’s spoiled like that,” he added after a moment. “The empire has spent twenty five years teaching him nothing is out of reach.” Y/N snorted softly. “Well maybe someone should’ve tried harder.” A surprising laugh escaped Seonghwa before he could stop it and Y/N blinked slightly at the sound. Then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re nicer than the others.” Seonghwa leaned lightly against the doorway, expression unreadable again. “I didn’t say that.” But he also didn’t deny it as outside the palace windows, Solaria Prime glittered beneath the afternoon sun while somewhere deeper in the imperial residence, Crown Prince Mingi prepared for dinner already knowing exactly where Y/N would be sitting. Because Seonghwa was right. Mingi almost always got what he wanted.
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The bathroom alone was bigger than Y/N’s old apartment and that fact irritated her on principle as she stood just inside the doorway staring at polished black stone floors reflecting soft ambient lighting while glass walls separated different sections of the room with almost invisible seams. The enormous bathing area sat near the far wall beneath another set of towering windows overlooking the city, steam already curling faintly through the air from some automatic temperature system.
This was absurd. Nobody needed this much space to get clean. The underground would riot if they saw how much water upper sectors wasted on luxury. Y/N muttered under her breath as she approached the shower controls cautiously. Nothing in this palace looked familiar enough to trust immediately. Especially not alien technology. The wall beside the shower flickered awake when she got close, glowing symbols appearing beneath smooth glass. Y/N stared at them and the symbols stared back. She pressed one and immediately freezing water blasted from somewhere overhead hard enough to make her yelp and stumble backward. “Jesus!” The water shut off and Y/N glared at the controls like they’d insulted her personally. “Okay. Great start.” She hit another symbol and this time steam exploded through the entire shower area so aggressively she nearly coughed herself to death. “Why does everything here have dramatics?”
Third attempt. Nothing happened. Fourth attempt…. soft music suddenly started playing from hidden speakers somewhere in the walls and Y/N looked upward in betrayal. “You have got to be kidding me.” Eventually, after several increasingly hostile interactions with alien plumbing technology, she finally got the actual shower functioning correctly. Warm water poured down from overhead in smooth steady streams while steam wrapped through the room softly. And… Oh no. No no no. It felt incredible. Y/N stood there another second pretending it absolutely did not feel incredible. Then another. Then slowly stepped fully beneath the water and a quiet sound escaped her before she could stop it as heat soaked into muscles she hadn’t realized stayed tense constantly in the underground. The water pressure alone felt unreal. Not weak. Not inconsistent. Not freezing without warning halfway through. Just warm and clean.
The underground barely had reliable hot water half the time. Most showers back home lasted under five minutes before the building systems started protesting. This felt like standing beneath liquid sunlight. Y/N leaned one hand against the smooth black wall letting the heat run down her shoulders while steam clouded the room around her. Annoying. Everything about this place was annoying and privileged. The room. The view. The sunlight. The stupidly soft towels folded nearby. Mingi too. Especially Mingi. Her thoughts drifted unwillingly back toward him again. His stupid grin. His stupid eyes and the way he looked entirely entertained every time she insulted him. Y/N frowned immediately beneath the water. Absolutely not. She was not standing in a luxury alien shower thinking about the crown prince. That felt like the beginning of psychological warfare. Still…. she hated admitting how good this felt. How good any of this felt. Because the underground taught people to survive with less until wanting more started feeling selfish.
Up here, luxury wrapped around every surface so naturally it became invisible to the people living inside it. Warm water. Sunlight. Space to breathe. Things humans below barely had access to anymore and the realization sat heavier than she expected as Y/N tilted her head back letting the water run through her hair while the city shimmered outside the windows beyond the steam and far beneath Solaria Prime, the underground still buzzed with life. San was probably helping clean up festival debris still. Allara was definitely telling everyone she personally knew someone living in the palace. And Y/N…… she stood inside the imperial residence of the alien empire she spent her whole life hating while using the nicest shower she’d ever seen. Life was disgusting sometimes. The bathroom mirror fogged behind Y/N as she stepped back into the main room wrapped tightly in one of the most absurdly soft robes the palace apparently considered normal. Another thing she hated. The robe. Too soft. Too warm and expensive feeling. Everything in this place seemed specifically designed to make humans realize how little they’d had before arriving.
Steam still curled faintly from damp strands of hair as she crossed the room barefoot, only stopping when she noticed Seonghwa standing near the windows waiting for her. And beside him… a dress that Y/N froze immediately upon seeing. The gown hung suspended from a sleek silver stand near the center of the room, soft pastel colors shifting beneath the sunlight pouring through the windows. Pale pink melted into shimmering blues, silvers, and faint iridescent greens like someone had woven sunrise through liquid glass. Tiny reflective strands caught the light every time the fabric moved slightly, making the entire thing glitter softly like stardust. It looked less like clothing and more like something celestial. Y/N stared at it silently before mumbling. “You have got to be kidding me.” Seonghwa looked suspiciously amused by her expression. “The prince selected it personally.” That somehow made this worse. Y/N dragged her eyes away from the dress long enough to look at him flatly. “Of course he did.”
“He also selected several wardrobe sets currently being prepared for your residence.”
“I hate that sentence.”
Seonghwa stepped closer to the dress, adjusting one sleeve carefully. “Tonight’s dinner is political,” he explained calmly. “Representatives from several upper houses are attending.” Y/N crossed her arms tighter around herself instinctively. “Why am I going?”
“Because Mingi decided you are.”
“That’s not an actual reason.”
“It usually is for him.”
Fair enough apparently. Y/N looked back toward the dress despite herself. The fabric shimmered almost hypnotically beneath the sunlight. Soft. Elegant. Beautiful in a way underground clothing never tried to be because practicality mattered more than aesthetics when people struggled to survive. This dress looked like it belonged on someone who’d never worried about food credits in their life. Which made the fact Mingi picked it specifically for her feel strangely personal. “He said this dinner is important,” Seonghwa continued. “Mostly that means nobles pretending to discuss diplomacy while gossiping about one another for three hours.”
“That sounds horrible.”
“It usually is.”
Y/N snorted softly before stepping closer to the gown despite every instinct telling her not to. Up close it somehow looked even more unreal. The material almost glowed faintly beneath her fingertips when she brushed against it lightly. Cool at first touch before warming instantly against her skin. Alien fabric. “Humans wear things like this up here?” she asked quietly. “Not usually.” Y/N’s chest tightened faintly at that realization and stared at the dress another long moment before muttering under her breath, “This is ridiculous.” Seonghwa watched her carefully now. “You don’t have to like the palace.” Y/N laughed once quietly. “That’s good because I definitely don’t.”
“But?”
Y/N glanced back toward the windows where Solaria Prime glittered beneath the afternoon sun. Then toward the gown catching light like a galaxy trapped in fabric. “Your showers are criminally good.” Seonghwa actually laughed at that, short and surprised enough that Y/N looked mildly alarmed hearing it again and for the first time since arriving at the palace, the tension in the room loosened slightly as Y/N stared at the dress waiting for her tonight, one thought echoed louder than the rest…. Mingi picked this. And somehow that felt more dangerous than the palace itself. Y/N stared suspiciously at the dress as the room doors slid open again and the same two human workers from earlier stepped carefully back inside carrying more metallic cases and glowing devices beneath their arms and Y/N immediately narrowed her eyes. “Oh no.” One of the women paused awkwardly. “It’s just preparation services.”
“That sentence sounds deeply threatening.”
Seonghwa looked entirely too calm about this as he moved away from the windows. “One is for your nails.” Y/N blinked once. “My nails?” The workers exchanged another quick glance like they were trying not to laugh. Upper sector humans usually begged for palace preparation appointments. Some spent months trying to earn access to royal presentation stylists. Meanwhile this girl looked personally offended by manicures. The second woman set one of the silver cases onto a nearby table before opening it carefully. Inside sat rows of tiny shimmering tools and projected color palettes glowing softly into the air. Y/N stared at it like it might attack her as the first worker smiled politely. “Do you have a preferred color?” The question caught Y/N off guard more than she expected. Color. Something about that suddenly pulled memories from underground life straight into her chest. Rust stained metal corridors. Dark green market lights flickering over crowded streets. Brown leather jackets worn thin from years of use. The muted dusty colors of the underground because bright things didn’t survive there long. Everything below were mixed shades of survival. Y/N looked down at her own hands for a second then shrugged lightly. “Green… I guess.”
The worker nodded immediately and adjusted the projected palette until different shades bloomed through the air around them. Deep emeralds. Softer sage tones. Metallic greens that shimmered like alien gemstones beneath the sunlight. Y/N stared quietly. Upper sector colors looked richer somehow. Like the world above had access to shades the underground forgot existed. The second worker motioned politely toward one of the chairs near the windows. “Please sit.” Y/N sighed dramatically but dropped into the chair anyway, robe tightening around her legs while the worker positioned one of the glowing devices over her hands as a soft hum filled the air immediately and tiny lights moved carefully over her nails while projected designs flickered rapidly across the screen. “This is ridiculous,” Y/N muttered. “You’ve said that about everything so far,” Seonghwa pointed out from nearby.
“Because everything so far is ridiculous.” The worker smiled faintly while continuing the process. “You’ll get used to upper sector preparation eventually.” Y/N looked horrified. “That sounds like a threat too.” Seonghwa actually chuckled quietly again at that. She’d already made him laugh more in one afternoon than most palace residents managed in months. Meanwhile Y/N watched the green polish settle slowly across her nails beneath the device’s soft lighting. Beautiful. Annoyingly beautiful. Deep emerald shifting subtly darker whenever sunlight hit it. It reminded her vaguely of the old market signs underground after rainwater hit the tunnels and for a second, homesickness punched unexpectedly through her chest. The underground probably smelled like machine grease and festival smoke right now. San was likely closing the shop by now. Allara was absolutely telling every neighbor she’d ever met about this. Life down there continued while Y/N sat in a palace getting her nails painted by imperial staff. The absurdity nearly made her laugh. Instead she glanced toward Seonghwa standing near the windows. “So this is normal for you all?”
“For royalty?”
“For everyone up here.”
Seonghwa considered that carefully. “Normal becomes relative after a while.” Y/N looked back at her hands quietly. Yeah. That was exactly what scared her most about this place. By the time she was finally ready, the sun had started setting over Solaria Prime. Golden light poured through the palace windows in long shimmering beams, reflecting against glass walls and polished floors until the entire upper sector glowed warm beneath the approaching evening and Y/N still wasn’t convinced any of this was real. The dress fit perfectly. Of course it did.
The iridescent fabric flowed around her like liquid starlight, soft pastel colors shifting subtly every time she moved beneath the palace lights. The deep neckline and fitted waist gave way to flowing layers that shimmered silver, pink, blue, and pale green all at once like dawn trapped inside fabric. Her hair had been dried and softly styled against her will. Her makeup remained minimal but somehow made her look unfamiliar to herself. The emerald green on her nails caught the light every time her hands moved. Underground Y/N would’ve mocked this entire situation mercilessly. Current Y/N still wanted to. Unfortunately….. she did look beautiful. Which was honestly irritating. Seonghwa waited patiently near the doors while Y/N adjusted the unfamiliar fabric around her legs for what felt like the hundredth time. “How do people walk in these things without falling?”
“Practice.”
“That’s a stupid answer.”
“It’s the correct one.”
Y/N rolled her eyes but followed him out into the corridor anyway. The palace looked different at night. Softer somehow. Lights embedded into the walls glowed faint gold while the darkening sky beyond the windows painted Solaria Prime in blues and silver beneath drifting city lights. Music echoed distantly from lower entertainment sectors while servants moved quickly through the halls preparing for the evening’s political gathering. Everything felt too elegant. Too polished. Y/N kept catching reflections of herself in glass surfaces and looking away immediately because every single one startled her. Then halfway down one of the massive corridors……
She stopped completely. A towering mirror stood between two curved pillars overlooking the city outside. And for the first time since arriving… Y/N actually looked at herself fully and silence settled around her because yhe girl staring back barely looked familiar. Not because the dress changed her face. Not because of makeup or styled hair. Because for the first time in her life, she looked like she belonged in the world above and that realization hit hard enough to make her chest tighten as Y/N stepped closer to the mirror slowly, eyes moving over the shimmering gown, the polished version of herself standing beneath palace lights instead of underground tunnel flickers. “I look…” she started quietly…. Seonghwa glanced back at her reflection from several steps ahead and finished calmly, “Like an alien.”
Y/N huffed out a quiet laugh despite herself. “Wow. That was almost mean.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.” But she understood what he meant. Humans from the underground wore survival visibly. Practical clothes. Rough edges. Exhaustion carried openly because there was no energy left to hide it. Up here everything softened. Luxury polished people smooth. Y/N stared at herself another moment longer before speaking quietly. “I don’t know if I like it.” Seonghwa watched her reflection carefully. “You don’t have to become this place just because you live in it.” Easy for him to say. He already knew how to survive here. Y/N looked away from the mirror first. Because deep down beneath all the anger and resistance… a dangerous part of her liked how she looked. And that felt like betrayal.
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Night transformed the imperial palace into something almost unreal. Music drifted softly through the grand reception halls while golden lights shimmered against towering glass walls overlooking Solaria Prime below. The city glowed endlessly beneath the darkening sky, transport lanes threading silver and blue through the capital like rivers of light as political dinners in the palace were less about food and more about performance. Power dressed elegantly. Smiles sharpened into weapons. Trade agreements hidden beneath compliments and wine.
Alien nobility filled the massive reception hall slowly as the evening progressed, fabrics shimmering beneath chandelier like light structures suspended high overhead. Royals from lesser houses arrived draped in colors representing their bloodlines while servants moved silently through the crowds carrying glowing drinks and silver trays. Everything smelled expensive and Mingi hated almost all of it. Normally he spent these events half drunk and actively avoiding conversations about succession politics. Tonight, however, he was waiting. And unfortunately his father noticed immediately.
Garus stood near the center of the hall speaking with another noble when his gaze flicked toward his son lounging near the massive staircase overlooking the reception floor. Mingi looked devastating. Which was annoying for everyone around him. The pale cream colored suit draped loosely over his tall frame in elegant layers accented with sharp black satin along the collar and chest. Silver jewelry rested against exposed skin while his pale blonde hair had been pushed back from his face just enough to expose the silver marking near his right eye beneath the palace lights. Royal bloodline beauty always looked slightly inhuman. Mingi especially.
He leaned lazily against the staircase railing with one hand in his pocket, looking entirely too relaxed for someone technically expected to inherit an empire one day. And grinning which made Garus narrow his eyes immediately. Oh no. The emperor excused himself from the conversation and crossed toward his son through the growing crowd. “What are you up to?” Mingi looked genuinely innocent for all of half a second. “Nothing.”
“That expression says otherwise.”
“I’m wounded by your distrust.”
Garus stopped beside him, gaze sharpening slightly. “Why are you standing here instead of avoiding nobles like you usually do?” Mingi’s grin widened instantly. “I’m waiting for my subordinate.” The emperor looked genuinely offended. “Mingi.”
“What?”
“You are not bringing a human subordinate to this dinner.”
“Too late.”
Garus stared at him, eye twitching. Political gatherings like this rarely included humans unless they were staff. Servers. Assistants. Decorations lingering quietly near the walls while nobles ignored them entirely. Bringing a human as a visible personal guest? Especially one from the underground? That invited attention. Questions. Rumors. Exactly the kind of thing Garus specifically wanted to avoid. “She doesn’t belong at this table,” the emperor said lowly.
“She belongs with me.”
“That is not helping your case.”
Mingi laughed softly under his breath as around them, nobles continued filtering into the reception hall while music swelled gently through the palace. A few already glanced toward the prince curiously, likely noticing his unusually attentive mood tonight and Garus folded his hands behind his back tightly. “You are drawing attention to her intentionally.”
“She’s impossible not to notice.”
“That is precisely the issue.”
Mingi tilted his head slightly, still smiling faintly to himself. Because honestly? He couldn’t wait to see her reaction to this place. The dresses. The nobles. The way upper sector royals would stare once she walked in beside him. Most humans became intimidated inside palace gatherings. Y/N would probably insult someone important within ten minutes. And for some reason that thought made him even more excited for tonight. Garus noticed the expression on his son’s face and immediately regretted every decision leading to this moment. “You are enjoying this far too much.”
“Probably.”
“You remember what I said.”
Mingi’s eyes flicked briefly toward his father. About humans. About boundaries. About not crossing lines and the grin softened slightly around the edges before it immediately returned. “Relax,” he said casually. “I’m just bringing my subordinate to dinner.” Garus looked entirely unconvinced. Mostly because Mingi sounded exactly like someone moments away from becoming emotionally attached to a disaster.
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The closer Y/N got to the reception hall, the more she wanted to turn around. The palace corridors grew louder with music and conversation the deeper Seonghwa led her through the imperial sector, soft golden lighting reflecting endlessly against glass walls while elegantly dressed nobles drifted between rooms ahead. Every instinct she had screamed that she did not belong here. And judging by the looks already starting from passing servants and lower ranking attendants… Everyone else agreed.
Seonghwa slowed slightly beside her as they reached the final corridor before the grand hall. “One thing before we go in.” Y/N glanced toward him warily. “Do not let them unsettle you.” That immediately made her nervous. “Who exactly is them?” Seonghwa gave her a look. Then the massive reception doors opened and Y/N froze. The hall beyond looked less like a dinner and more like the inside of a star. Towering chandeliers made from suspended crystal like alien minerals floated high overhead casting shimmering gold light across the massive chamber. Music drifted softly from somewhere unseen while nobles gathered beneath towering glass walls overlooking the glowing skyline of Solaria Prime at night.
Everything sparkled. Jewelry. Fabric. Wine glasses. Alien markings shimmering faintly beneath elegant clothing. And every single conversation stopped the second she walked in. The silence hit first. Then the staring and Y/N felt it immediately. Hundreds of eyes turning toward her all at once. Human. Underground. Different. Doesn’t belong. Seonghwa remained calm beside her as nobles openly tracked their entrance across the reception floor. Some looked curious. Others amused. A few looked vaguely disgusted and Y/N’s spine stiffened instinctively.
Meanwhile across the hall Mingi forgot how to breathe for a second. He’d expected her to look beautiful. What he hadn’t expected was this. The dress shifted around her like liquid color beneath the palace lights, soft iridescent shades catching gold and silver reflections every time she moved. Her hair framed her face softly while emerald green shimmered faintly against her nails whenever her hands tightened at her sides. But it wasn’t just the dress. It was the way she looked standing there. Defiant. Uncomfortable. Trying not to show either. Still carrying the underground with her despite palace luxury wrapped around her body.
Mingi stared openly and Garus noticed immediately. And instantly hated it. Because that wasn’t simple curiosity on his son’s face anymore. That was attention. Focused. Undivided and dangerous. Several nobles nearby began murmuring quietly among themselves as Y/N and Seonghwa descended further into the hall. An older royal standing near Garus finally spoke aloud with thinly veiled amusement. “And whose pet is that?” The words sliced cleanly through the silence. Y/N heard them and her stomach twisted instantly.
Garus’s expression darkened slightly but before he could respond, Mingi moved. He stepped away from the nobles without hesitation, moving towards Y/N while conversations around the hall resumed in low whispers. “She’s not a pet.” His voice wasn’t loud. Didn’t need to be. The older royal immediately stiffened but Mingi barely looked at him while crossing the floor. His attention remained entirely on Y/N as Garus watched the interaction carefully, unease settling heavier in his chest with every step his son took. Because Mingi rarely corrected nobles publicly unless something genuinely mattered to him. And the way he looked at this human girl now…. Too interested. Too protective already….
Y/N stayed rooted beside Seonghwa as Mingi approached through the crowd, nobles shifting out of his way instinctively. He stopped directly in front of her beneath the golden palace lights, silver marking gleaming faintly near his eye while the cream colored suit made him look almost unreal against the glittering reception hall behind him. For a second neither of them spoke before Y/N said quietly through clenched teeth, “I hate this place.” Mingi’s mouth curved immediately. “I know.” Which somehow only made it worse.
Around them, nobles continued staring openly. Because Crown Prince Mingi was looking at a human girl from the underground like she was the most interesting thing in the entire universe. And everyone noticed. The attention in the room only intensified the longer Mingi stood in front of her and Y/N could feel it pressing from every direction. Nobles pretending not to stare while absolutely staring. Whispers moving through the reception hall like static. Curiosity sharpening into speculation by the second. She hated every second of it. Mingi, meanwhile, looked like he was having the time of his life. Of course he was. “You look beautiful,” he said casually.
Y/N narrowed her eyes immediately. “You’re still the reason I’m trapped here.”
“That doesn’t make it less true.”
Somewhere beside her, Seonghwa suddenly became very interested in not reacting. Mingi noticed and grinned wider as he extended one arm toward her in smooth practiced elegance, the gesture so natural and royal it almost looked rehearsed beneath the palace lights. “Come on.” Y/N stared at the offered arm like it had personally offended her bloodline. Then leaned slightly closer to him and hissed under her breath, “I am not being paraded around by you.” Seonghwa made a suspicious choking sound behind them that sounded dangerously close to suppressed laughter which made Mingi look delighted. “Oh,” he said softly enough only they could hear, “you think this is the parade part?”
Y/N glared harder. “Mingi,” Seonghwa warned quietly from behind her, though his voice betrayed amusement now too and that only encouraged him further. The thing about palace nobles was that they spent entire lifetimes speaking carefully. Controlled smiles. Controlled reactions. Controlled conversations polished smooth by politics and etiquette. Then there was Y/N. Sharp edges in the middle of all this glittering diplomacy. And Mingi loved it instantly. He lowered his arm slightly but stepped closer instead, enough that Y/N caught the faint scent of expensive spice and clean fabric beneath the palace air. “You can either walk beside me willingly,” he murmured, “or every noble in this room is going to assume I dragged you here against your will.”
Y/N blinked once, glaring at him. “You did drag me here against my will.”
“Fair point.”
Seonghwa finally looked away entirely now because if he laughed in front of the royal houses, Garus might actually kill him. Across the hall, the emperor watched this interaction unfold with growing concern carved carefully beneath his otherwise calm expression. Because Mingi looked too relaxed around her already. Too open. And worse…. the human girl looked angry enough to keep forgetting she was supposed to fear him. A dangerous combination.
Y/N glanced around the room again, immediately catching several nobles openly watching them now. Some amused. Some judgmental. Some clearly fascinated by the fact the crown prince seemed entirely unconcerned with normal boundaries tonight. Her jaw tightened. God she hated this place. Slowly, and with the expression of someone agreeing to violence instead of etiquette, Y/N finally slipped her hand lightly around Mingi’s arm. “There,” she muttered. “Happy?” Mingi looked down at her hand resting against him. Then at her and smiled in a way that suddenly looked softer than before. Dangerously softer. “Very.”
Y/N instantly regretted everything because the second she took Mingi’s arm, the entire energy of the room shifted. Not dramatically. But enough that nobles immediately noticed. Whispers moved quietly through the reception hall as Mingi guided her through the crowd beneath shimmering palace lights. Elegant alien royals stepped aside instinctively for the crown prince while their eyes lingered openly on the human girl beside him dressed in starlight colored fabric and visible irritation. Y/N felt every stare. Every single one. “This is horrifying,” she muttered under her breath and Mingi looked down at her beside him, visibly entertained. “You’re doing great.”
“I look like I’m attending my own kidnapping.”
“You look beautiful while doing it.”
Y/N shot him a glare sharp enough to wound and Mingi only smiled wider as Seonghwa trailed several steps behind them now, mostly to prevent diplomatic incidents and partially because he didn’t trust Mingi unsupervised anymore. Honestly? Fair. The reception hall opened wider toward the center where floating serving platforms drifted slowly between guests carrying glowing glasses and elaborate dishes that looked almost too artistic to eat. Everything up here felt theatrical. Even the drinks. Y/N immediately noticed them the second Mingi guided her toward one of the suspended serving tables. The alcohol practically glowed. Bright blues. Neon pinks. Shimmering silver liquids swirling faintly inside crystal glasses like captured galaxies. One drink literally sparkled. Y/N stopped walking entirely. “What the hell is that?”
Mingi followed her gaze toward the drinks and laughed softly. “That’s alcohol.”
“No,” she said immediately, pointing. “That’s radioactive.” A nearby servant looked horrified hearing her say that out loud. Mingi, meanwhile, looked delighted again as he picked up two glasses from the floating tray easily before offering one toward her. The liquid inside glowed pale blue beneath the lights and Y/N stared at it suspiciously. “If this kills me, I’m haunting you specifically.”
“It won’t kill you.”
“Comforting.”
Mingi leaned slightly closer before she could drink it. “Small sip,” he warned and Y/N paused. “Why?”
“Galactic alcohol is stronger for humans.”
Her eyes narrowed immediately. “How much stronger?” Mingi tilted his head slightly like he was considering how honest to be. “There was an incident once.”
“That is not an answer.”
“One glass and a human diplomat tried to fight a fountain.”
Mingi ignored him completely as Y/N looked back down at the glowing drink in her hand with growing distrust. “You drink this recreationally?”
“You drink engine cleaner from underground bars.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“We know it’s dangerous.”
Mingi laughed softly again and Y/N hated the fact she was starting to recognize the sound already. Around them, nobles continued pretending not to watch while absolutely watching. The crown prince openly escorting a human through an imperial gathering was already enough gossip to feed upper sector politics for weeks. The fact he looked happy about it made everything worse. Y/N finally lifted the glowing glass carefully and took the tiniest sip imaginable. Then froze. Oh. Oh no. It tasted incredible. Cold and sweet at first before warmth spread instantly through her chest like liquid sunlight. Fruit she couldn’t identify melted with something sharper underneath, sparkling faintly against her tongue. Y/N stared down at the glass in betrayal and Mingi immediately noticed. “You like it.”
“No I don’t.”
“You made that face.”
“What face?”
“The, I hate that this is good, face.”
Y/N took another sip purely out of spite and Mingi grinned openly now. Across the room, Garus watched his son laughing quietly beside the human girl from the underground while she glared at him over glowing alien alcohol. And for the first time all evening, the emperor started genuinely worrying this situation might spiral far beyond simple fascination as the alcohol hit faster than Y/N expected. Not enough to make her drunk. Just enough to soften the sharpest edges of her nerves while warmth lingered pleasantly beneath her skin every time she sipped from the glowing glass. Annoying. Because now she understood why upper sector nobles looked so relaxed all the time.
Mingi guided her easily through the reception hall while conversations and music swelled around them in elegant waves. Nobles drifted between glowing tables and suspended gardens built directly into the palace floor while servers moved silently through the crowds carrying more shimmering drinks and elaborate dishes Y/N couldn’t even identify. Everywhere she looked screamed wealth. Even the air smelled expensive somehow. Y/N stayed close to Mingi mostly because getting separated from him in a room full of alien aristocrats sounded like a nightmare waiting to happen. Not that she’d admit that aloud. “You’re glaring at another chandelier,” Mingi noted casually beside her.
“There are too many chandeliers.”
“There are only seven in this room.”
“That sentence alone proves my point.”
Mingi snorted softly into his own drink. The thing about Y/N was that she reacted honestly to everything. No filtering. No fake politeness. No careful upper sector diplomacy and Mingi found it endlessly entertaining. Several nobles greeted him as they crossed the hall, bowing their heads respectfully while sneaking curious glances toward Y/N beside him who ignored all of them aggressively. Then one older royal stepped directly into their path. The alien male looked ancient by human standards though still elegant beneath layers of dark embroidered fabric shimmering faintly silver beneath the palace lights. Pale markings traced along one side of his throat disappearing beneath the collar of his robes while sharp gold eyes flicked between Mingi and Y/N immediately. “Well,” the older royal said smoothly, “there are certainly rumors tonight.”
Mingi’s expression remained pleasant but visibly less relaxed already. “Lord Erevan.”
“I heard your father is preparing a joining with House Vaelor.” There it was. Politics. Y/N instantly wanted another drink as Mingi only lifted one shoulder lazily. “My father prepares many things.” Lord Erevan chuckled quietly before his gaze shifted fully toward Y/N and hardened. Not openly cruel. Worse, just completely dismissive. The kind of look people gave things they considered temporary. Y/N’s spine stiffened instinctively beneath it. “Interesting company for negotiations involving noble bloodlines,” Erevan remarked lightly and Mingi’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “She’s my subordinate.”
“Mm.” The older royal looked Y/N over slowly again, eyes catching the shimmering dress, the emerald nails, the fact she stood beside the crown prince instead of behind him like palace humans usually did. “Humans become ambitious so quickly in upper sectors.” Y/N blinked once slowly. Oh. That was cute. Mingi noticed the exact second her expression changed and nearly sighed because he already knew she was about to say something catastrophic. “Interesting,” Y/N said sweetly. “Aliens become rude at every altitude or is that just you specifically?” Silence settled immediately. Absolute silence as several nearby nobles visibly froze overhearing it.
Seonghwa nearly inhaled his own drink wrong from across the room as Lord Erevan looked genuinely stunned. Meanwhile, Mingi bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to almost hurt because if he laughed right now his father might actually exile him. Y/N took another calm sip from her glowing drink while staring directly back at the older royal without an ounce of fear. Mingi was doomed. Completely doomed. Because standing there beneath palace lights watching a human girl from the underground insult ancient nobility to their faces while wearing a dress he picked for her… he’d never been more attracted to anyone in his life.
The air around them shifted instantly after Y/N spoke. Nearby conversations faltered. Music continued softly through the hall but suddenly felt distant beneath the tension coiling tight between the small group of nobles now openly watching the interaction. Lord Erevan’s expression darkened slowly. Not outrage. Something colder. Older. The kind of superiority built over generations of imperial rule. He studied Y/N another long moment before speaking, voice smooth and sharp all at once. “Humans had their tongues cut out in the past for daring to speak to us like that.” The words landed heavily and Y/N felt it immediately. Rage. Because the way he said it made one thing painfully clear, he wasn’t speaking metaphorically.
Several nearby nobles went very still. Some uncomfortable. Others indifferent. As though the statement itself wasn’t particularly shocking. That alone made Y/N’s stomach turn as she opened her mouth immediately, fury already rising hot behind her ribs but then Mingi moved. Fast enough to surprise her. One second he stood beside her. The next he stepped directly in front of her, broad shoulders blocking her completely from Erevan’s line of sight. And suddenly the warmth vanished from him entirely. The easy smiles. The teasing amusement. Gone. Mingi’s posture straightened slowly, eyes locking onto the older royal with a stillness that felt dangerous in a way Y/N hadn’t seen before. Royal. Not spoiled prince royal. Future emperor royal.
When he spoke, his voice came out lower than usual. Colder. Heavy enough to silence the nobles nearest them instantly. “You could try.” Silence crashed across the space around them. Erevan’s expression flickered for the first time all evening. Not fear but recognition. Because beneath the charm and recklessness, everyone in this room knew exactly what Mingi was capable of becoming one day. The son of Emperor Garus. Grandson of a tyrant king. Royal bloodline born for command. And right now he looked every inch of it. Y/N stared at the back of him quietly and for the first time since meeting him… she understood why people feared him. Not because he was cruel but because he could be. And everyone in this room knew it.
Lord Erevan recovered carefully, though the sneer from earlier had disappeared completely now. “I meant no disrespect to the crown prince’s household.” Mingi didn’t move. “She’s under my protection,” he said calmly. “Speak to her accordingly.” The hall stayed silent another painful second before Erevan finally inclined his head stiffly. “Of course, Your Highness.” Then the older royal stepped away into the crowd without another word. Only once he disappeared did the tension around Mingi ease slightly. He exhaled quietly through his nose before turning back toward Y/N. And just like that, the colder version of him vanished and his expression softened immediately the second he looked at her again. “You okay?”
Y/N stared up at him. Still processing the sudden shift she’d just witnessed. “You just threatened an old man at dinner.”
“He threatened you first.”
“He was like three seconds from becoming dust.”
Mingi shrugged lightly like that wasn’t a serious statement. “He started it.” From several feet away, Seonghwa looked exhausted. Across the reception hall, Garus watched the entire interaction unfold with growing dread settling heavily in his chest. Because Mingi stepping between her and insult was instinct. Protective instinct. And that was far more dangerous than attraction. The tension from the interaction with Erevan lingered behind them as Mingi guided Y/N further through the reception hall, away from the clusters of nobles now whispering openly into jeweled glasses and behind elegant sleeves.
Y/N could feel the stares following them. More than before now. Because one thing upper sector aristocrats loved more than politics was scandal. And Crown Prince Mingi publicly stepping between a human girl and an elder royal with a threat sitting calmly beneath his voice? That would spread through Solaria Prime before sunrise. “You realize everyone is staring at us now,” Y/N muttered quietly as they crossed beneath another massive chandelier. Mingi glanced toward her lazily. “They were already staring.”
“Yeah but now they think I’m gonna get assassinated.”
“You won’t.”
“You sound very confident about that.”
“I am.”
Y/N looked at him suspiciously over the rim of her glowing drink. It should’ve unsettled her more. The possessiveness in that statement. Instead it just made warmth spread strangely through her chest alongside the alcohol. Which was irritating. Very irritating. Mingi finally led her toward the back section of the reception hall where long floating tables displayed enough food to feed entire underground districts for a week. Y/N stopped dead because the spread looked unreal. Crystal serving trays hovered slightly above polished surfaces while alien dishes glowed faintly beneath soft golden lighting. Fruits in impossible shades of blue and silver spilled from carved bowls while steaming dishes released scents Y/N didn’t recognize but immediately made her stomach growl anyway. Some foods looked vaguely familiar. Others looked like they’d escaped a science lab. One thing shimmered. Another appeared to still be moving slightly. Y/N pointed immediately. “That one’s alive.”
“It’s supposed to do that.”
“That sentence is horrifying.”
Mingi laughed softly under his breath before grabbing one of the translucent crystal plates from the edge of the table. “You eat like someone who forgets meals when annoyed,” he said casually.
“I don’t forget.”
“You absolutely forget.”
“You’ve known me for less than twenty four hours.”
“And yet I’m still right.”
Y/N rolled her eyes but followed him slowly along the table anyway, trying and failing not to stare at everything. The smells alone overwhelmed her senses after growing up underground where most food came packaged, rationed, or fried beyond recognition. This smelled rich. Fresh. Real. Mingi noticed her trying not to look impressed. Which naturally made him more amused. Without asking, he started filling the crystal plate in his hands. A little of everything. Bright sliced fruit. Soft steaming rolls. Thin cuts of some roasted meat glazed in shimmering sauce. Tiny pastries dusted with silver crystals. “You’re just deciding what I eat now?” Y/N asked flatly.
“You’d survive entirely on caf and spite otherwise.”
“That is a deeply rude accusation.”
“Still true.”
Y/N watched him move through the spread effortlessly, clearly familiar with every dish while nobles nearby subtly observed the interaction with growing fascination. Because the crown prince wasn’t acting like this was a subordinate. He was acting attentive. Dangerously attentive. Meanwhile across the reception hall, Lord Erevan approached Emperor Garus with visible displeasure carved sharply across his expression. “You,” Erevan said lowly once beside him, “need to control your son.” Garus didn’t look away from Mingi. Unfortunately, he already knew exactly where this conversation was going. “He publicly threatened me over a human.”
Mingi handed Y/N the crystal plate across the hall, leaning slightly closer to explain something about one of the glowing dishes while she looked skeptical enough to file complaints against the entire empire and Garus exhaled slowly through his nose. “You think I’m unaware?” Erevan’s expression twisted sharply. “The boy has gone mad.” Garus stayed silent. Because the worst part? Watching Mingi now… He wasn’t entirely sure Erevan was wrong.
At first, Y/N refused to admit any of the food tasted good. Purely on principle. She stood beside Mingi near the back of the reception hall balancing the crystal plate in one hand while nobles continued drifting through conversations around them beneath soft music and glittering lights. The first bite changed things immediately. Warm bread practically melted in her mouth. The roasted meat tasted rich and smoky beneath whatever shimmering glaze covered it. Even the strange silver fruit somehow tasted fresh and sweet without being overpowering. Real food. Not packaged protein strips from underground markets. Not reheated ration meals stretched across multiple days. Not festival food bought once a year as a luxury. Real food prepared without limitation. And somehow… hat realization ruined it.
Y/N slowed halfway through another bite, eyes dropping toward the plate in her hands. There was so much food here. Too much. Entire floating tables filled with dishes nobles barely touched before moving onto the next conversation or drink or performance. Servants quietly replaced trays the second they looked slightly emptier while crystal glasses flowed endlessly with glowing alcohol. Underground, families split meals carefully to survive the week. Kids stole ration packs because they were hungry enough to risk arrest. San’s parents closed the repair shop early sometimes just to save electricity credits. And up here? Upper sectors treated abundance like decoration. Guilt curled slowly into Y/N’s stomach beneath the warmth of the alcohol and her appetite faded almost immediately after that and Mingi noticed. Of course he did. “You hate the glowing fruit?” he asked lightly beside her.
Y/N blinked once before realizing she’d stopped eating entirely. “No.”
“Then why’d you make that face?”
She looked back down at the plate quietly. Because suddenly all she could picture was the underground. San leaning across the repair shop counter stealing fries from her paper tray because neither of them could afford separate orders that week. Mrs. Choi cutting meals into smaller portions pretending she wasn’t hungry. Allara getting excited over festival pastries because they only happened once a year. And here Y/N stood in a palace wearing a dress worth more than most underground apartments while servants handed her food rich enough to make her dizzy. The shame hit hard and ugly and Mingi’s voice softened slightly beside her. “Y/N?”
She swallowed tightly before speaking. “Most humans underground can’t even afford this much food in a week.” The words came out quieter than before. Less angry and more tired. Mingi looked toward the untouched tables around them slowly, expression shifting almost imperceptibly. Because despite growing up surrounded by imperial luxury, he wasn’t stupid. He knew the divide existed. He just rarely had to look directly at it. Y/N stared at the crystal plate in her hands another second before setting it down onto the nearest table entirely. “I shouldn’t be here.”
Mingi frowned immediately. “What?”
“This place.” She gestured vaguely around the reception hall. “This dress. All of this.” Nearby nobles laughed softly over drinks while music echoed through the palace behind them and Y/N suddenly felt sick standing in the middle of it. “San would hate this.” Mingi went quiet. “He’d think I sold out in less than a day,” she admitted quietly. And maybe the worst part? A small traitorous piece of her understood why. Because she liked the shower. The dress. The sunlight. The food. And all of that felt unforgivable somehow.
Mingi watched her carefully now, the teasing ease from earlier fading entirely. For the first time tonight, he saw past the anger and sharp mouth and sarcasm. Saw the guilt underneath it. The way humans from the underground carried survival with them even inside luxury. Y/N folded her arms tightly like she was trying to hold herself together beneath all the palace lights. And suddenly the entire reception hall around them felt colder than before as Mingi watched her quietly for a long moment after she set the plate down.
The noise of the reception hall continued around them. Nobles laughing softly. Crystal glasses clinking together. Music drifting beneath the chandeliers while servants floated silently between conversations. But Y/N looked completely disconnected from all of it now. Like she’d suddenly remembered where she came from too sharply and Mingi understood that feeling more than people assumed. Not in the same way but enough. “Come on,” he said softly. Y/N glanced toward him suspiciously immediately. “I have a feeling that sentence never ends well with you.” One corner of his mouth twitched faintly. “I want to show you something.”
“You already showed me kidnapping and public humiliation.”
“That was earlier.”
Y/N stared at him another second before sighing dramatically. “This better not end in another political conversation.”
“It won’t.” And surprisingly… he sounded serious. Mingi gently took the glowing drink from her hand before setting it beside the abandoned plate, then started leading her away from the reception hall. This time without offering his arm. Without teasing. Seonghwa noticed them leaving from across the room immediately and looked toward Garus with visible concern already settling across his face and the emperor followed the direction of his gaze, saw Mingi leading Y/N toward one of the private corridor exits instead of deeper into the reception. And suddenly felt a very specific kind of parental dread.
Y/N followed Mingi through quieter palace hallways lined with towering windows overlooking the city at night. The farther they moved from the reception hall, the quieter everything became until eventually only their footsteps echoed softly through the corridors. “You’re being weirdly calm,” Y/N muttered as Mingi glanced back at her as the palace elevator carried them upward silently through layers of glowing glass and steel until finally stopping near the very top of the imperial tower.
Mingi led her outside. The rooftop stretched massive and open beneath the night sky, warm desert wind catching immediately in Y/N’s hair and the flowing fabric of her dress as she stepped onto polished stone overlooking all of Solaria Prime. And…. God. The city at night looked unreal. Lights stretched endlessly across the desert in glowing rivers of gold, silver, and electric blue while transports drifted between skyscrapers like falling stars. The palace towers rose around them gleaming beneath the moonlight while music from lower entertainment districts echoed faintly through the air far below.
Y/N slowly walked closer toward the edge. From this height, the capital looked infinite. Beautiful. And beneath all of it…. nothing. The underground disappeared entirely from view. No tunnels. No crowded lower districts. No signs humans lived beneath the city at all. Like they’d been erased and that thought made Y/N’s chest tighten as Mingi stepped beside her quietly before pointing toward the southern horizon far beyond Solaria Prime where darkness stretched against the desert. “They don’t want humans here to know,” he said and Y/N frowned slightly. “Know what?”
Mingi looked out across the horizon instead of at her. “That there are still human cities.”
Y/N knew she must of look completely shocked as her gaped and her brows furrowed. “What?”
“If you go south far enough,” he continued quietly, “past imperial territory… or if you had a way to Europe…” His gaze shifted toward distant lights far beyond the capital. “There are still places mostly run by humans.” Y/N stared at him in disbelief. “No there aren’t.”
“There are.”
“The empire controls everything.”
“Most things,” Mingi corrected calmly. “Not everything.” The wind curled softly through the rooftop around them while the city glowed endlessly below and Y/N’s mind raced instantly. Underground broadcasts always framed humanity as fractured remnants surviving under imperial structure. The empire presented itself as inevitable. “You’re lying.” Mingi finally looked at her then and for once there was no teasing in his expression at all. “I’m not.”
Y/N searched his face carefully. The moonlight softened the sharper edges of him out here away from palace politics and reception halls. No audience. No nobles. No performance. Just the crown prince of Earth standing beside her beneath the open sky. “Why would they hide that?” she asked quietly and Mingi’s jaw tightened slightly. “Because hope is dangerous.” The answer settled heavily between them as far below, Solaria Prime glittered brilliantly enough to almost hide the truth buried beneath it. Humans underground. Human cities beyond the empire. Entire worlds Y/N had never even imagined possible.
For the first time since arriving at the palace… she looked at Mingi differently. Not softer. Not trusting entirely. But curious in a way she hadn’t allowed herself to be before. And Mingi noticed immediately.
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The walk back through the palace felt quieter after the rooftop. Not awkward quiet but more of a thoughtful quiet. Y/N stayed beside Mingi through the dimly lit corridors while the palace slowly settled deeper into night around them. Most nobles remained downstairs drowning themselves in politics and glowing alcohol while upper hallways emptied into silence broken only by distant music echoing faintly through glass walls.
Her mind still spun from what he told her. Human cities. Entire places outside imperial control. Hope is dangerous. The words lingered heavily in her chest. “You really hate this empire, huh?” Mingi asked eventually as they stepped into another private corridor lined with towering windows overlooking the city and Y/N snorted softly. “You say that like it’s surprising.”
“It isn’t.” The honesty in his voice caught her off guard slightly. Most aliens reacted defensively whenever humans criticized the empire but Mingi mostly just listened. “That doesn’t bother you?” she asked carefully.
“What part?”
“That I hate… all of this.”
Mingi looked out toward Solaria Prime glowing beneath the night sky through a passing window. The empire. His home. His inheritance. His prison. Then he shrugged slightly. “You’re not exactly wrong.” Y/N glanced toward him sharply. “What?” Mingi asked lightly.
“You say weird things for a prince.”
He grinned faintly. “You say weird things for someone trying not to like me.”
“I don’t like you.”
“Mhm.”
“I mean it.”
“You held onto my arm voluntarily earlier.”
“That was survival.”
“Sure.”
Y/N rolled her eyes hard enough to nearly hurt herself. Unfortunately the warmth from earlier had returned now. Which was somehow more annoying. When they finally reached her room, Mingi pressed his hand against the access panel and the doors slid open smoothly into the softly lit suite beyond. Y/N stepped inside first then stopped immediately because the wardrobe standing against the far wall was open now and completely full.
Clothes spilled through the illuminated shelves and hanging racks in shimmering fabrics and rich colors beneath soft golden lighting. Dresses. Jackets. Structured tops. Jewelry resting inside sleek glass drawers. Shoes lined carefully beneath everything else. “What the hell.” Earlier the wardrobe sat empty except for the single dress she wore tonight. Now it looked like someone robbed an upper sector fashion district. Mingi leaned casually against the doorway behind her, watching her reaction carefully. She looked more overwhelmed than excited.
Y/N stepped closer cautiously, fingertips brushing one of the fabrics hanging nearest to her. Soft. Expensive. Beautiful. And immediately strange. Because these weren’t servant uniforms. Not pale subordinate clothing. Not standard human worker attire. The pieces looked elegant. Stylish and personal. Several even resembled upper sector noble fashion more than palace worker clothing. Y/N turned toward Mingi slowly. “These aren’t subordinate clothes.”
“Nope.”
“You bought these.”
Mingi shrugged lightly without shame. “Some of them.”
“Why?” The question came quieter than before. Because nobody had ever spent this much effort on her appearance before. Not underground. Not anywhere. Mingi stepped further into the room slowly now, hands sliding into the pockets of his cream colored suit. “Because I wanted to spoil you.” Y/N stared at him. That answer somehow felt more dangerous than any flirtation. She turned back toward the wardrobe again trying not to think too hard about what all this meant. Deep greens. Dark fitted fabrics. Silver accents. Soft layered jackets. Clothes chosen intentionally. Mingi had looked at her and imagined how he wanted her dressed. The realization sent something strange twisting low in her stomach that she really shouldn’t had felt.
“This is too much,” she muttered quietly as Mingi continued to watch her stand there beneath the warm room lights in the shimmering dress he picked out, surrounded now by more things than she’d owned in her entire life combined. And for the first time since bringing her here… a tiny flicker of guilt touched him. Because he could already see the conflict on her face. The way part of her wanted to hate all this. And another part didn’t know how. “You don’t have to wear any of it,” he said softer now and Y/N looked over her shoulder at him. “That’s a lie.”
Mingi smiled faintly. “Okay. Most of it.” The warmth in the room vanished almost immediately after that. Y/N stared at the wardrobe another second too long before something sharp twisted painfully in her chest again. Because the clothes were beautiful. That was the problem. Everything here was beautiful. The palace. The city. The food. The rooftop view. The possibility that somewhere out there humans still existed freely. And Mingi kept placing all of it directly into her hands like gifts. It felt dangerous.
Slowly, Y/N turned away from the wardrobe entirely. “You know what the worst part about you is?” Mingi leaned lightly against the doorway, expression still calm. “I feel like several answers exist for that question.”
“You act like this is normal.”
His smile faded slightly at the edge of her voice. The hostility returning as Y/N crossed her arms tightly over the shimmering dress like she suddenly regretted wearing it at all. “Why me?”
Mingi blinked once. “What?”
“Why am I here?” she asked sharply. “Why all this?” She gestured toward the wardrobe. “The clothes. The dinner. Showing me things I’m apparently not even supposed to know exist.” Mingi straightened slowly from the doorway now. “Y/N….”
“No.” Her voice tightened. “Because I know how this works.” The room suddenly felt smaller despite its size as Y/N took a step backward away from the wardrobe like it physically offended her now. “You got curious,” she continued quietly. “That’s it.”
“That’s not….”
“You saw some human girl in the underground who didn’t kiss your ass and suddenly now I’m here wearing expensive dresses while nobles stare at me like I’m your newest toy.”
Mingi’s jaw tightened slightly. “That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?”
Silence engulfed them and somehow that made everything worse. Y/N laughed once softly under her breath, though there wasn’t anything funny in the sound. “You dress me up. You parade me around your parties. You show me pretty things and tell me secrets like it means something.” Her throat tightened unexpectedly. “And then what?” Mingi stayed very still now. Because beneath the anger… there it was. Fear. Not fear of him physically. Fear of becoming temporary. Disposable. Y/N’s voice lowered quieter now. “I won’t let you use me.”
Mingi frowned immediately. “Use you?”
“I’m not some human doll you get to play with because you’re bored in your giant palace.” The words hit harder than she intended. Mostly because part of her hated how much she wanted him to deny it convincingly. Mingi stared at her across the room for a long moment. Then finally moved away from the doorway slowly. “You think that’s what I’m doing?” Y/N looked away first. Because honestly? She didn’t know anymore. Everything about him confused her. He defended her in front of nobles. Threatened an elder royal for speaking to her like property. Looked at her like she mattered. But he was still the crown prince of the planet. And she was still human. History didn’t exactly suggest this ended well.
Mingi stopped several feet away from her, gaze flicking briefly toward the wardrobe before returning to her face again. “You know why I bought those clothes?” Y/N stayed silent. “Because I knew they’d look good on you,” he admitted simply.
“That’s not helping your case.”
“I’m not finished.” His voice remained calm and steady. “I didn’t bring you here to embarrass you. Or own you.” He paused slightly. “And I’m not giving you false hope.” Y/N looked back at him then, brows pulling together faintly. “Hope for what exactly?” Mingi held her gaze another second too long. “That,” he said quietly, “is the problem.” Because he didn’t know either. He just knew the moment she walked into that reception hall tonight, everything else stopped mattering to him for a second. And that should’ve terrified him more than it did.
Silence settled heavily between them after that again. The kind that stretched too tight between two people suddenly standing too close to something neither of them fully understood yet. Y/N stayed near the wardrobe with her arms folded tightly across herself while Mingi stood several feet away beneath the soft golden lighting of the room. Neither looked away as outside the towering windows, Solaria Prime glowed endlessly beneath the night sky. Y/N hated it. All of it. Because she didn’t know what to do with him. He was spoiled. Arrogant. Dangerously powerful. And somehow also the first alien she’d ever met who looked at humans like people instead of statistics.
Mingi watched her quietly for another long second, eyes flicking briefly over the shimmering dress she still wore before returning to her face again. No teasing now. No smug comments. Just that same focused attention that made her feel strangely seen in a way she wasn’t used to and made her swallow once slowly as the room suddenly felt too warm. Mingi seemed to notice the shift too because his expression softened almost imperceptibly before he finally stepped backward toward the doorway. “You should get some sleep.” His voice came quieter than before. Gentler.
Y/N blinked slightly at the sudden retreat. Part of her expected another joke. Another argument. Another smug comment designed to annoy her. Instead he just stood near the door looking oddly thoughtful now. Like he was trying very hard not to stay longer. She looked down briefly at her emerald painted nails catching the soft room light before finally speaking. “You really threatened that old guy tonight.” A faint smile pulled at one corner of Mingi’s mouth again. “He deserved it.”
“He was terrified of you.”
Mingi leaned lightly against the doorway, eyes holding hers steadily. “Were you?” The question landed softly between them and Y/N should’ve said yes. Probably. Instead she answered honestly before thinking too hard about it. “No.” Something flickered across Mingi’s face at that answer as he exhaled quietly through his nose and pushed himself away from the doorway again. “Goodnight, Y/N.” The way he said her name still sounded strange. Careful almost.
Y/N watched him turn toward the hall before the words slipped out before she could stop them. “Mingi.” He paused immediately and looked back. And for one dangerous second the tension snapped tight again. Y/N didn’t even know what she meant to say after calling his name. Thank you? Don’t do this to me? Stop looking at me like that? But nothing came out and Mingi waited anyway. Then finally smiled faintly when she stayed quiet. “Sleep,” he reminded softly before stepping out into the corridor.
The doors slid shut behind him with a quiet hiss and suddenly the massive room felt far emptier than it had a minute ago as Y/N stood motionless in the center of it for a long time after he left. Trying very hard not to think about the fact she already missed the sound of his voice.
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
Sleep completely avoided Mingi. Which honestly wasn’t surprising anymore. His chambers were quieter at night than the rest of the palace. The towering windows overlooking Solaria Prime had dimmed automatically, tinting darker against the city lights glowing endlessly below while soft ambient lighting cast gold shadows across polished floors and scattered fabrics left from earlier. Music played faintly somewhere in the background. Low. Instrumental. Almost haunting. But Mingi barely noticed it as he sat near one of the massive windows wearing loose black pants and an open dark shirt half slipping from one shoulder, hair falling messily into his eyes while paint stained long fingers and the edge of his wrist.
A canvas rested in front of him beneath soft lighting. And on it….. Y/N. Or at least the beginning of her. The shape of her face had already formed through rough brushstrokes while iridescent colors built slowly around the dress she wore tonight. The expression wasn’t finished yet. Neither were the eyes. But even unfinished it was unmistakably her. Mingi tilted his head slightly studying the canvas before dragging another careful streak of color across it. He hadn’t painted in months. Maybe longer. Not seriously anyway. Usually painting only happened when his head got too loud and he needed somewhere else to put the thoughts crawling around inside it.
Tonight every thought somehow led back to her. The rooftop. The anger. The way she looked at the city like it personally betrayed her. The fact she kept expecting him to hurt her eventually. That part sat strangely heavy in his chest now and a quiet sound behind him finally broke the silence. “I was wondering where you disappeared to.” Mingi didn’t jump. Didn’t react at all. Only sighed softly without looking away from the canvas. “Father.”
Garus stepped fully into the room now dressed more casually than earlier, though imperial elegance still clung naturally to him even without ceremonial robes. His gaze moved slowly across the room before landing on the canvas resting in front of his son and stopped as Mingi finally glanced over his shoulder lazily. “You’re staring.” Garus looked back toward him slowly. “You’re painting her.”
Mingi dipped the brush back into dark color calmly. “Very observant.” The emperor moved closer now, eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the unfinished portrait beneath the soft lighting. Not abstract. Not casual. Intentional. Careful. That worried him immediately because Mingi never painted things he didn’t feel strongly about. Garus folded his hands behind his back. “Why exactly are you treating your subordinate like anything other than a subordinate?”
Mingi stayed quiet for a second too long as paint dragged softly across canvas beneath his fingers. “She hates this place.”
Garus blinked once slowly. “That is not an answer.”
“It’s part of one.”
The emperor studied his son carefully now. Mingi looked different tonight. Quieter. Less performative than usual. Which somehow concerned him more than recklessness ever did. “You bought her clothes. You escorted her publicly. You threatened an elder royal over her.” Garus’ gaze flicked briefly toward the portrait again before returning to Mingi. “And now you’re painting her.”
Mingi finally leaned back slightly from the canvas with a quiet exhale. “She looked at the city tonight like she wanted to mourn it.” Garus went still. Because that answer sounded dangerously genuine. The emperor watched his son another long moment before speaking lower now. “You barely know this girl.” Mingi’s eyes returned toward the unfinished painting again. “I know she thinks I’m going to hurt her eventually.”
“And?”
His jaw tightened slightly. “And I don’t like it.”
Silence settled heavily through the room after that and Garus looked at the portrait one last time. The care in the brushstrokes. The attention already forming in unfinished details. Then slowly exhaled through his nose. “This,” the emperor said quietly, “is how problems begin.” Mingi looked back toward the canvas. Toward the painted shape of Y/N standing beneath palace light. And for once… he wasn’t entirely sure his father was wrong.
Garus stayed standing near the painting for a long time after speaking as the room had gone quieter somehow. Only the soft scrape of Mingi’s brush against canvas broke the silence while Solaria Prime shimmered beneath the windows behind them like a galaxy poured across the desert and the unfinished portrait stared back at the emperor accusingly. Too much care already lived in it.
Mingi noticed his father watching the canvas again and finally sighed quietly. “You’re acting like I proposed to her.” Garus’s gaze shifted back toward him. “You are moving toward attachment far too quickly.” Mingi leaned back slightly in his chair, one paint stained hand resting loosely against his knee. “I met an interesting person. That’s all.”
“That is never all with you.” The words landed heavier than either of them expected. Because they both knew it was true. Mingi had inherited many things from his bloodline. His father’s charisma, his grandfather’s intensity and his mother’s reckless heart.nAnd when Mingi cared about something…. his son cared completely. Garus moved slowly toward the windows overlooking the city again before speaking lower this time. “I’m reminding you once more because I need you to understand exactly what is at stake.”
Mingi’s expression shifted slightly at the tone. More serious now as his father kept his eyes on Solaria Prime below. “Lower class aliens may indulge themselves with humans if they wish. Nobles look down on it quietly, but it happens.” His jaw tightened faintly. “Royal blood is different.” Mingi stayed silent. “You sleep with her…” Garus continued carefully, “you cross a line other houses will never ignore.” The words settled cold through the room. “Other royals would consider the bloodline tainted.” There it was. The truth underneath all imperial politics. Not just prejudice. Fear. Royal bloodlines survived through carefully controlled marriages and alliances for generations. The empire wrapped itself around purity, legacy, lineage. Humans existed beneath that structure. Never inside it.
Mingi stared quietly at the unfinished portrait in front of him. Y/N’s painted eyes weren’t finished yet. Still blank beneath rough brushstrokes as Garus looked back toward his son. “If this becomes physical,” he said evenly, “I will send her away.” Not a threat spoken in anger but a promise. A promise that made Mingi’s jaw tighten immediately. “You’d punish her for me?”
“I would remove her before the situation destroys both of you.” The emperor watched his son carefully now. Waiting for recklessness. Argument. Defiance. Instead Mingi only looked back toward the painting again, fingers tightening slightly around the brush in his hand. Because the possibility of losing her landed somewhere deep enough to hurt. Garus turned toward the doorway once the conversation ended, clearly finished with it. Or at least pretending to be. The emperor had spent most of Mingi’s life pretending certain fears didn’t exist as long as nobody said them aloud.
The room stayed quiet behind him except for the soft drag of paintbrush bristles against canvas. Then Mingi spoke again. “You warn me like…” Garus paused mid step. Something in his son’s voice had changed. Less defensive and a little more certain. Mingi stared at the unfinished painting in front of him another second before finally continuing. “like burying myself in her would somehow help keep me from becoming what I don’t want.”
Garus slowly turned back toward him, genuinely having no response to that. Because they both knew exactly what Mingi meant. Emperor. The word sat between them unspoken and heavy. Mingi never wanted the throne. Not secretly. Not rebelliously. Not in some childish phase he’d eventually outgrow. Truly. Ever since he was old enough to understand what inheritance meant, Mingi had looked at the empire and seen a cage waiting patiently for him and Garus understood that better than anyone. Because thirty years ago, he’d inherited the same cage himself.
Mingi looked up from the painting, eyes sharper now beneath the dim lighting of the room. “You think this is some distraction.” Garus said nothing. “That I found a human girl and suddenly I’m going to lose my head because I don’t want responsibility.” Mingi gave a quiet humorless laugh under his breath before setting the paintbrush down entirely. “You know me better than that.” The emperor’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly. Because he did know him better than that. Mingi wasn’t careless with emotions. Not really. Reckless physically? Always. But emotionally Mingi attached slowly and deeply in ways most people never noticed until it was already too late. That was what worried Garus. Not lust but attachment.
The emperor looked toward the unfinished portrait again. Toward the care already buried in every brushstroke. “You looked at her tonight the same way I used to look at your mother.” Mingi went completely still. Garus rarely spoke about her. Almost never. And suddenly the room felt haunted by memory neither of them knew what to do with. “She made me reckless too,” Garus admitted softly and Mingi swallowed once. The empire always spoke of Emperor Garus like he’d been born composed and untouchable. Nobody talked about the woman who apparently once made him dangerous.
“And what happened to her?” Mingi asked quietly already knowing the answer. Garus held his gaze a long moment. “The empire happened.” The answer hollowed the room instantly. Because beneath all the power and luxury and glittering palace walls… The truth neither of them escaped was how the throne consumed people. Mingi leaned back slowly in his chair, eyes drifting toward the city lights beyond the windows again. Somewhere beneath his room, Y/N slept several floors below completely unaware she’d already become the center of conversations powerful enough to alter empires.
The first thing the city heard every morning was the hum. Not cars. Not birds. Those had disappeared from Solaria Prime a long time ago. The hum came from above. Massive transport ships drifting between levels of the capital. Imperial engines vibrating through steel foundations deep beneath the city until the sound became part of daily life itself. Constant, heavy and inescapable. The underground district never truly slept beneath it. Dim neon signs flickered against rusted pipes. Steam curled from vents in the walls and ceilings. The air smelled like overheated wiring, engine oil, crowded bodies, and fried food from the market three streets over. Somewhere nearby, music rattled through thin apartment walls while old transit tunnels groaned beneath thousands of people moving through them like blood through veins.
And above all of it… Solaria Prime glittered. Even from down here. Through the narrow slits between upper sector platforms, pieces of the imperial city could still be seen. Brightly lit towers disappearing into clouds. Holograms large enough to paint color across the night sky. Glass bridges suspended in the air like they’d been woven from light itself. A different world hanging over theirs. Y/N hated looking at it. She adjusted the hood of her worn jacket as she moved through the overcrowded market corridor, shoulder checking past people trying to sell scraps, machine parts, counterfeit upper sector jewelry, stolen ration cards. Overhead screens flickered between advertisements in alien dialect and heavily accented English.
LOYALTY BUILDS PEACE.
THE EMPIRE PROVIDES.
A silver eyed woman smiled down from the screen before the image shifted to the imperial crest burning gold against black. Y/N looked away immediately, remembering how her grandfather used to like telling the story of how he remembered the day the aliens came. The thought drifted through her head automatically, familiar after years of hearing it repeated at tiny dinner tables and during blackouts and every time someone in the underground got too hopeful. He was eight years old. He said the ships blocked out the sun. That they had been peaceful in the beginning. Until they weren’t. That was 74 years ago. He used to tell the story softly near the end. Like if he spoke too loudly the empire itself might hear him. How humans welcomed them at first. How the aliens arrived speaking of knowledge, trade, medicine, peace between worlds. How they looked almost human back then too. Just… better. Ethereal. Beautiful enough to make people trust them immediately. Then came the laws. Then came the military. Then came the emperor before Garus. And by the time humanity realized what was happening, Earth already belonged to someone else.
Y/N stepped around a leaking pipe as two workers argued nearby over credits. Further down the corridor, a group of human workers lowered their heads as three alien officers walked through the market. The crowd shifted instinctively around them, conversations dimming just slightly. Fear still lived here. The officers barely looked at anyone. Tall. Beautiful. One shaded a light blue, the other pale. Silver insignias gleaming beneath market lights. The blue one laughed at something the pale one said as they passed. Y/N’s jaw tightened unconsciously as a child darted past her through the crowd holding a glowing toy ship probably stolen from one of the upper markets. Somewhere nearby, someone cursed as electricity flickered. Above the underground, another transport ship rumbled overhead. She stopped near a vendor station glowing blue beneath faulty lights. “Two wraps,” she muttered, sliding credits across the counter. The old woman behind it gave her a tired look. “Prices went up again.”
“Again?”
“Imperial tax.”
Of course it was. Y/N exhaled sharply through her nose and handed over another credit chip as above them, one of the giant screens flickered again. This time the imperial family appeared. The emperor and his son. The crowd’s reaction was immediate. Some humans looked away while others stared openly. Emperor Garus stood at the center in dark ceremonial robes threaded with gold, calm faced and impossibly composed even through static interference. Beside him stood Crown Prince Mingi. Y/N only glanced once before regretting it immediately. Tall. Broad shouldered. Silver blond hair swept back from his face. He had a faint pale marking near his right eye that caught the light like liquid metal beneath skin. Royal blood. Even through a damaged screen he looked unreal. Like something designed instead of born.
A reporter spoke rapidly in alien dialect beneath subtitles discussing trade expansions and upper sector construction projects. “Pretty, isn’t he?” the vendor muttered absentmindedly as Y/N grabbed the food wraps from the counter. “He’s an alien,” she said flatly and disappeared back into the crowd beneath the glow of Solaria Prime. The lower district quieted slightly the deeper Y/N moved into the residential sectors. Not quieter in sound. Quieter in energy. The market chaos faded behind her, replaced with cramped hallways lit by weak strips of flickering overhead light. Old pipes lined the ceilings like exposed veins, dripping occasionally onto rust stained floors. Apartment doors stacked one over another climbed upward through the massive underground structure, thousands of tiny living spaces crammed together beneath the weight of Solaria Prime above. The hum from the upper city never stopped. Especially here.
Y/N climbed the narrow metal stairs toward the fifth level, boots echoing softly against grated steps. Someone nearby was arguing through paper thin walls. A baby cried somewhere above her. The smell of cheap noodles and machine grease lingered in the air. Home. Or close enough. She reached the top landing just as her neighbor’s apartment slid open. “All right, there you are.” Y/N resisted the urge to sigh immediately as Allara leaned against the doorway holding some glowing tablet in one hand, dark curls piled messily on top of her head while excitement practically radiated off her. Unlike most humans in the underground, Allara loved aliens. Or at least loved the idea of them. She wore imitation upper sector makeup, copied alien fashion trends from underground feeds, and spent most nights watching royal broadcasts like they were entertainment instead of propaganda. Y/N still didn’t understand it “What?”
“All right, first of all,” Allara said, pointing the tablet dramatically at her, “you are not allowed to give me that look because I have news.”
“That sentence alone already makes me tired.”
“You’re always tired.”
“Living here does that.”
Allara ignored her completely, practically vibrating now. “The royals are replacing palace staff.” Y/N paused halfway through unlocking her apartment door. “What?”
“The imperial palace,” Allara repeated. “Upper sector staffing rotation. Apparently a bunch of the emperor’s human subordinates got reassigned or something.” Y/N stared at her. “And why exactly do you know this?”
“Because unlike someone, I pay attention to things happening outside this moldy tunnel.”
Y/N snorted softly, pushing her apartment door open. Inside, the unit was barely bigger than a storage pod. Tiny kitchenette. Fold down cot. Old vent fan rattling near the ceiling. One narrow window screen displaying a simulated desert skyline instead of the concrete wall outside. Allara followed her inside without invitation as usual. “I’m serious,” she said. “They’re selecting humans from lower sectors too.”
“Sounds terrible.”
“It sounds life changing.”
“It sounds like volunteering to become decoration in some rich alien’s house.”
Allara rolled her eyes dramatically. “You are so dramatic.”
“And you’re weirdly obsessed with people who conquered the planet.”
“They didn’t conquer me,” Allara shot back before lowering her voice slightly. “Besides, not all of them are bad.” Y/N tossed her jacket onto the back of a chair. “That’s what everyone says right before getting screwed over.” Allara huffed, then turned the tablet around toward her. A recruitment notice glowed across the screen beneath the imperial crest.
UPPER SECTOR SERVICE INITIATIVE
SELECTED HUMAN APPLICANTS WILL RECEIVE:
* RESIDENCY
* HEALTH BENEFITS
* INCREASED RATION ACCESS
* EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
SUBORDINATES MAY BE ASSIGNED DIRECTLY TO MEMBERS OF THE IMPERIAL HOUSEHOLD.
Y/N immediately looked away. Nope. Absolutely not. “You know they choose based on compatibility profiles now?” Allara continued excitedly. “Personality tests, education records, work history. They literally pull people from all over the city.”
“Great. Sounds invasive.”
“It is invasive. It’s the palace.”
Y/N grabbed one of the food wraps and dropped onto the edge of her cot as Allara studied her for a second before grinning slowly. “You’d actually have a shot, you know.” Y/N nearly choked. “At what?”
“Getting picked.”
Y/N barked out a laugh. “Please. They’d take one look at my file and launch me directly into the sun.”
“You’re educated, you’ve never been arrested, your work reports are good…”
“My attitude alone disqualifies me.”
“That’s fixable.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Allara flopped down beside her dramatically. “Imagine it though,” she said dreamily. “Upper sector views. Real sunlight. Imperial parties.”
Y/N gave her a flat look and Allara grinned wider. “Oh come on. You’ve seen the prince, haven’t you?” Y/N rolled her eyes, taking a bite of her wrap. “Everybody has seen the prince.”
“And?”
“And what?”
Allara leaned closer like she was about to confess state secrets. “He’s hot.” Y/N stared at her. “You need help.”
“He’s objectively beautiful.”
“He’s objectively the face of an empire that treats humans like pets.”
Allara rolled her eyes again. “You’re impossible.” Maybe. But Y/N still glanced once toward the flickering screen on Allara’s tablet before looking away. Sure he was hot but he was still the prince of the entire planet now. Probably spoiled. An asshole. Thinks of humans beneath him.
Dangerous.
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Far above the underground districts, morning in Solaria Prime looked artificial it was so bright. Sunlight spilled across the palace towers in sheets of gold so perfect it almost hurt to look at. Massive glass structures reflected the desert horizon endlessly while floating transport lanes curved through the sky beyond them. Waterfalls poured down white stone terraces into glowing pools hundreds of feet below. Everything in the imperial sector was clean. Polished and silent. Even the air smelled expensive.
Seonghwa hated mornings here. Especially this morning. The doors to the prince’s chambers slid open with a quiet hiss as he stepped inside carrying a datapad beneath one arm. The room was enormous, naturally. Floor to ceiling windows overlooked the entire capital, giving a direct view of Solaria Prime stretching endlessly into the desert. Thin translucent curtains drifted softly in the conditioned air while low music still played somewhere from the previous night. Clothes littered the floor. Jewelry sparkled forgotten across tables.
And in the center of the massive bed, completely unconscious and very naked, lay the future emperor of Earth. Seonghwa sighed. “Your Highness.” Three alien women looked up sleepily from beneath tangled black sheets. Two green skinned. One pale pink with silver markings running along her shoulders. One of them groaned dramatically as Mingi finally surfaced enough to drag an arm over his face. “No.”
“Yes.”
“Tell him I died.”
“He’ll ask for proof.”
Mingi cracked one eye open toward Seonghwa before slowly sitting up, hair completely ruined from sleep and last night’s activities. Even half awake he still looked unfairly ethereal. The silver white marking around his right eye glimmered faintly beneath the room’s soft lighting. Seonghwa hated that. Not the marking. The fact Mingi could look like a divine celestial being while acting like an overgrown menace. “You have ten minutes,” Seonghwa said.
Mingi stretched lazily, completely unbothered by his lack of clothing. “You’re so hostile in the mornings.”
“And you’re impossible.”
One of the women reached for Mingi again only for Seonghwa to immediately point toward the door. “Out.”
“Rude,” the pink skinned alien muttered.
“Very.”
Still, they obeyed quickly. Nobody ignored palace orders. Especially not orders involving the emperor’s son. The alien women gathered their discarded fabrics and jewelry before slipping out of the chambers laughing quietly among themselves as Mingi finally swung his legs over the edge of the bed with a groan. “If this is another lecture about gambling, I’m throwing myself off the palace.”
Seonghwa handed him a dark robe. “It’s worse.”
Mingi blinked slowly. “Impossible.”
“Your father wants to discuss a possible joining between your bloodline and House Vaelor.”
Mingi made a deeply offended noise. “Absolutely not. Azura is fucking crazy.” Seonghwa watched him disappear toward the dressing area before speaking again. “The emperor considers it politically advantageous.”
“Of course he does.” Mingi’s voice echoed from behind the partition now. The sound of drawers opening. Fabric shifting. Jewelry clinking against marble counters. “Do I at least get to reject her dramatically?”
“No.”
“Cruel.”
Seonghwa moved toward the windows overlooking the city below. From this height, Solaria Prime barely looked real. The lower sectors vanished beneath sunlight and glass towers. The underground city wasn’t visible at all from here. Humans became statistics at this level. Numbers inside reports. Workers moving through systems built by people more powerful than them.
Mingi emerged a moment later dressed in loose black layers threaded subtly with silver. Rings glinted along his fingers while the pale marking near his eye caught the light again. Royal and completely untouchable. Spoiled beyond reason. And unfortunately one of Seonghwa’s favorite people in the galaxy. Mingi grabbed a glass from the counter before pausing suddenly. “Tonight’s the Remembrance Festival.”
Seonghwa immediately frowned. Every year humans gathered in lower sectors to remember Earth before the empire. Candles. Music. Stories from survivors and descendants. Quiet resistance disguised as memorial tradition. The palace tolerated it mostly because banning it entirely decades ago had caused riots. “Yes,” Seonghwa said carefully as Mingi took a slow drink before smirking slightly. “I think I’m going.”
Seonghwa stared at him. “Why?” Mingi shrugged lazily. “Why not?”
“Because the lower districts barely tolerate imperial guards, let alone the crown prince wandering through their streets.”
“That’s what disguises are for.”
“That’s what common sense is for.”
Mingi grinned immediately at that. There it was. That reckless curiosity. The thing that drove the entire palace insane. Most royal bloodlines kept distance from humans naturally. Even kind nobles maintained the separation. The empire functioned on hierarchy. But Mingi looked at forbidden things and wanted to walk directly toward them. “Humans are interesting,” he said simply as Seonghwa folded his arms. “Humans hate us.”
“Some do.”
“Most do.”
Mingi only smiled faintly at the city beyond the windows.
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The emperor’s private council chamber sat near the highest point of the palace. Not even because of symbolism. Because Garus liked the quiet. The higher levels of the imperial tower were nearly soundless compared to the entertainment sectors below. No music. No gambling halls. No drifting crowds of nobles filling corridors with gossip and politics. Only stillness. Massive windows curved along the walls overlooking Solaria Prime in its entirety, the desert horizon glowing gold beneath the artificial atmosphere regulators suspended miles above the city.
The doors opened as Mingi entered without announcement. Naturally. Nobody stopped the crown prince from going anywhere. Garus stood near the windows with his hands folded behind his back, dark ceremonial robes flowing around him in sharp elegant lines. Age touched him differently than humans. After thirty years on the throne, he still looked powerful rather than old. Silver threaded faintly through dark hair near his temples while pale markings disappeared beneath the collar of his robes. The resemblance between father and son was obvious. Same sharp eyes. Same unnerving stillness when they chose to use it. But where Mingi carried chaos barely hidden beneath charm… Garus carried control. “You’re late,” the emperor said calmly.
Mingi walked straight toward the drink table. “I was asleep.”
“You were occupied.”
“Also true.”
Garus sighed once through his nose. “I assume Seonghwa informed you about House Vaelor.”
“He did.” Mingi poured himself a drink. “I hated every second of the conversation.”
“This joining would strengthen the southern colonies.”
“It would bore me to death.”
“Mingi.”
“There it is,” Mingi muttered dramatically before taking a sip as Garus turned fully toward him now. “You are twenty five years old.” Mingi immediately groaned. “Not this speech again.”
“You are the heir to the imperial throne. To Earth.”
“And yet somehow still allowed to have opinions.”
“You will inherit this empire. This planet.”
Mingi rolled his eyes so hard it almost looked painful and the emperor’s expression tightened slightly. “You continue treating your responsibilities like temporary inconveniences.”
“Because they are temporary inconveniences.”
“They are your future.”
“No,” Mingi corrected calmly. “They’re your future that you keep trying to hand to me.” Silence settled briefly between them as far below the palace transport ships drifted between towers in glowing streams of light. Garus studied his son carefully. “You still speak of leaving.”
“I still mean it.”
“You would abandon the throne.”
“I would rather explore the outer systems than spend decades arguing trade routes and pretending nobles enjoy each other’s company.”
“You speak like a child.”
Mingi laughed softly at that, leaning back against the table. “No. I speak like someone honest enough to admit he doesn’t want this.” Garus turned back toward the city again. “You think ruling is about desire?”
“I think ruling sounds miserable.”
“It is necessary.”
“For you maybe.”
“For our bloodline.”
Mingi’s jaw tightened slightly at that. Always the bloodline. The empire. The future. Royal heirs weren’t raised as people first. They were raised as continuations of power. Garus’s voice softened only slightly. “When I inherited the throne, I was younger than you are now.”
“And deeply traumatized,” Mingi replied immediately causing his father to look at him sharply and Mingi just shrugged. “You never talk about grandfather unless someone forces you to.” Garus said nothing. Which was answer enough. The previous emperor had ruled through brutality. Entire human sectors burned under his reign during the occupation years. Even alien nobles had feared him. Garus spent three decades rebuilding the empire’s image after inheriting the throne at nineteen. To aliens, he became respected. Measured. Modern. To humans….. less monstrous was still monstrous. “You have freedoms I never did,” Garus said eventually.
“I know.”
“And still you complain.”
“I’m not complaining,” Mingi replied. “I’m telling you I don’t want to spend my life trapped in this palace.”
“You are not trapped.”
Mingi glanced around the enormous chamber. The polished stone. The guards outside every door. The expectations stitched into every wall. Then he smiled humorlessly. “Sure.” Garus watched him for a long moment before changing direction entirely. “You’ve been visiting the lower sectors again.” Mingi froze for half a second before recovering smoothly. “Maybe.”
“You are increasingly careless.”
“I wear disguises.”
“You are six foot three with royal markings.”
Mingi grinned despite himself. “Fair point.”
Garus’s gaze sharpened. “The humans are restless lately.”
“They’re always restless.”
“They remember too much.”
That sentence sat heavily in the room and Mingi looked away first this time. Tonight’s Remembrance Festival. Garus moved toward the council table slowly. “You would do well to remember that curiosity toward humans is not the same as understanding them.” Mingi tilted his head slightly. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” Garus said carefully, “you are attaching to them.” Mingi snorted softly. “That sounds dramatic.”
“You spend enough time among them to become fascinated. Fascination clouds judgment.”
Mingi swirled the drink in his glass lazily. Or maybe humans just seemed more alive than everyone in this palace. He didn’t say that aloud though, instead he smirked slightly. “You’re worried I’ll run away with a human from the underground?” Garus looked entirely unimpressed. “You joke now.”
Mingi only grinned wider.
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
By the time Y/N left her apartment again, the underground had shifted into evening rhythm. The markets were louder now. Busier. Narrow streets crowded with workers finally off shift, neon signs buzzing overhead while steam curled from vents along the walls. Somewhere deeper in the district, music echoed through old transit tunnels mixed with distant laughter and the rumble of passing cargo rails overhead. The Remembrance Festival had already started. Not officially. Officially the gathering wouldn’t begin until later tonight when candles were lit through the lower sectors and stories passed between generations like sacred things. But the feeling of it was already everywhere.
Humans moved differently on Remembrance night. Softer. Sadder. Prouder. Old Earth flags appeared in windows despite technically being prohibited. Someone nearby projected faded images onto a concrete wall of oceans untouched by imperial terraforming. Children ran through the streets carrying paper lanterns while elders watched them with exhausted fondness. For one night every year, humans allowed themselves to remember they used to belong to this planet.
Y/N pulled her hood up slightly as she crossed another crowded intersection before turning down a quieter corridor lined with older businesses. Most of the shops down here barely survived anymore. Imperial imports and upper sector production crushed small human owned places years ago. But some still held on through sheer stubbornness. Including the Choi family repair shop. The glowing sign above the entrance flickered unevenly: CHOI ELECTRICAL & REPAIR Half the letters no longer worked.
Y/N smiled despite herself as the front door slid open with a loud mechanical protest as she stepped inside. Warm air hit her immediately. The smell of machine oil, soldering metal, and fried food wrapped around her in a way that felt dangerously close to home. Parts cluttered every available surface. Old radios sat disassembled beside alien tech stripped for scraps. Music played softly from somewhere in the back while tools clinked against metal. “You’re late.”
Y/N looked toward the voice automatically. San stood behind the main counter holding some half disassembled circuit panel in one hand, dark hair falling into his eyes while grease streaked one side of his jaw. His sleeves were shoved to his elbows, exposing toned forearms covered in tiny old burn scars from years working around overheated wiring. He looked tired. Then again, everyone did these days. “You say that every time I come here,” Y/N replied.
“Because every time you come here, you’re late.”
“I wasn’t aware this was a scheduled emotional support visit.”
San snorted softly under his breath before setting the panel aside. Unlike Allara, San hated aliens almost as much as Y/N did. Maybe more. He just hid it quieter. The Choi family had owned this repair shop before the empire ever reached Earth. San’s grandparents still talked about old Los Angeles sometimes like ghosts lingering in conversation. Y/N practically grew up here after her parents died. Long nights sleeping in the back office while her grandfather worked. Shared dinners. Shared grief. This place was the closest thing she had left to family.
San’s eyes narrowed slightly as she approached the counter. “You look annoyed.”
“I’m always annoyed.”
“No,” he said. “This is specific annoyance.” Y/N leaned against the counter with a sigh. “Allara’s convinced the imperial palace is selecting humans for staffing rotations.” San visibly recoiled. “Disgusting.”
“Thank you.”
“She said I’d probably get picked.”
His expression immediately turned horrified. “You absolutely would.” Y/N stared at him. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m serious.” He pointed at her vaguely. “You’ve got that whole… competent thing going for you.”
“What a romantic compliment.”
“You know what I mean.”
Unfortunately she did. Imperial staffing selections were invasive. They scanned work history, health records, psychological evaluations. Humans chosen for palace service usually disappeared into upper sectors permanently. Some came back richer. Others came back quieter.
San folded his arms now, expression darkening slightly. “My dad says they’ve been increasing selections this year.”
“Why?”
“Political image probably.” His jaw tightened. “Make the empire look generous.” Y/N glanced toward the old holoscreen mounted near the back wall. Static flickered across a news report showing upper sector preparations for some royal gathering. Alien nobles drifted through the screen in glittering fabrics while reporters spoke excitedly. Royal bloodline negotiations.
San scowled. “They make my skin crawl.”
“The royals?”
“All of them.”
Y/N hummed softly in agreement. The thing about imperial broadcasts was that they always looked beautiful. Perfect lighting. Elegant speeches. Ethereal faces staring calmly into cameras while the underground fought over ration credits beneath them. Sometimes Y/N wondered if that was the point. Make oppression look pretty enough and eventually people stop calling it oppression.
“San!” San’s mother yelled. “Did you finish inventory?”
“No!”
“Then do it!”
Y/N barked out a surprised laugh while San groaned. “She’s impossible.” Y/N smiled faintly at that before moving toward the back counter where boxes of festival candles sat stacked beside old Earth photographs. Her grandfather used to come here every Remembrance night. Used to sit at that exact counter telling stories about oceans and stars before alien ships filled the sky.
“You going tonight?” San asked. Y/N looked over her shoulder. “Yeah,” she said quietly, waiting for San to finish up. And by nightfall, the underground city looked almost beautiful. Not polished like the upper sectors. Not sterile and glowing beneath palace lights. This beauty was human. Messy. Loud and alive.
The Remembrance Festival flooded the lower districts in color and noise as thousands of people crowded the old tunnel streets beneath Solaria Prime. Strings of warm lights hung between rusted support beams while lanterns painted the concrete walls amber and blue. Music echoed through the underground from handmade speakers and old instruments humans refused to let disappear.
Y/N walked beside San through the packed festival streets while heat and noise wrapped around them from every direction. Children darted through crowds carrying paper stars. Vendors shouted over one another from glowing stalls lined with old Earth foods and handmade trinkets. Someone nearby projected pre occupation photographs onto the tunnel ceiling, oceans, mountains, cities before alien architecture swallowed them whole.
Y/N always forgot how crowded Remembrance became until she was in the middle of it again. San nudged her shoulder lightly as they squeezed past another group gathered around musicians playing something old and melancholy. “You’re glaring.”
“I’m thinking.”
“Dangerous.”
She rolled her eyes but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly anyway as a smell hit her a second later. Sweet. Warm. Sugared dough and cinnamon. Both of them slowed instinctively. The tiny dessert stall ahead already had a ridiculous line wrapped around it, steam curling into the air while an exhausted old man fried golden pastries behind the counter and San groaned softly beside her. “Absolutely not.”
Y/N looked at him immediately. “You literally stopped walking first.”
“They’re overpriced.”
“They’re once a year.”
“They’re robbery.”
“You’re getting in line.”
San muttered something under his breath but followed her anyway. Some traditions survived everything. Including Remembrance sweets. The recipe supposedly dated back before the occupation. Before Solaria Prime. Before the empire. Nobody even knew if that was true anymore, but every year humans lined up for them anyway like tasting something old enough could connect them to a world they’d never seen. The line moved painfully slow. By the time they finally reached the front, San looked personally victimized by capitalism. “This better change my life.”
“It won’t,” the vendor replied immediately.
“Then why is it twelve credits?”
“Inflation.”
San looked offended enough to start a revolution himself as Y/N laughed softly as she handed over the credits before he could continue arguing. The old man passed them two paper trays piled with warm pastries dusted in sugar crystals that shimmered faintly beneath the festival lights. The first bite nearly burned Y/N’s tongue. Worth it. Warm dough. Sweet cream filling. Cinnamon and spice melting together instantly. San closed his eyes dramatically after biting into his own. “All right,” he admitted. “I forgive inflation.”
“Thought so.”
They moved away from the stall slowly, drifting back into the river of people moving through the underground. Somewhere overhead, distant fireworks from the upper sectors flashed faintly through the cracks between levels of the city. Imperial celebrations for something entirely different. Down here, humans celebrated memory instead. Y/N glanced around as they walked. Elderly survivors sat outside crowded cafés telling stories to younger generations. Candles lined windowsills. Music spilled from old bars packed shoulder to shoulder with workers finally allowed one night to breathe.
And for the first time in a while she felt lighter. Until San suddenly stiffened beside her. Y/N looked over immediately. “What?” He frowned toward the crowd ahead. At first she didn’t understand what he noticed. Then she saw him. Tall. Far too tall to blend into the underground properly. Dressed in black layered fabrics with the hood pulled low over pale blond hair. Most people wouldn’t notice but Y/N did. Something about the way he moved felt wrong for this place. Too graceful. Too composed.
The stranger stood near one of the lantern stalls watching the festival quietly while crowds moved around him. Then he looked up. And even from halfway down the street, Y/N caught the faint glimmer of silver near his right eye beneath the hood. Royal blood. Her stomach dropped instantly as San saw it too. “What the hell is a royal doing down here?” he muttered darkly. But before either of them could move, the stranger’s gaze landed directly on Y/N and he smiled.
Y/N’s stomach tightened. Nope. Absolutely not. “Come on,” she muttered immediately, grabbing San’s sleeve lightly. “Let’s go the other way.” San didn’t argue. One look at the silver glint near that man’s eye and he was already steering them deeper into the crowd. Humans shifted around them shoulder to shoulder beneath strings of lanterns while music echoed through the underground tunnel streets. Behind them, Y/N could still feel it. That gaze. Not threatening exactly. Interested. Which somehow annoyed her more. “Maybe he’ll disappear back to wherever he crawled out of,” she muttered.
San snorted softly. “That was definitely royal blood. Do you think it was the Prince? Couldn’t see much of his face.”
“Maybe.”
“What do you think he’s doing down here?”
“Probably slumming for entertainment.” The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth as they turned another corner into one of the wider market sections where handmade lanterns floated overhead like tiny stars. Up ahead, a crowd had gathered around the festival fireworks station near the old rail platform. Fireworks. Technically. Humans weren’t allowed access to real explosive displays anymore after the occupation riots decades ago, but underground engineers had learned to improvise. The result was usually colorful plasma bursts and enough smoke to make everyone cough for an hour afterward.
San suddenly perked up slightly. “That’s my dad.” Y/N looked over toward the platform where Mr. Choi stood beside a half built launcher arguing animatedly with another older man. Mr. Reynolds. Of course. The two of them nearly started electrical fires every festival. “They’re gonna blow themselves up,” Y/N said.
“Probably.” San handed her the remainder of his paper tray. “Hold this.”
“You trust me with food?”
“No. But I trust them less with explosives.”
Y/N laughed softly as he disappeared into the crowd toward the launcher platform. For a moment she stayed where she was, leaning lightly against one of the old support beams while festival noise swelled around her. Then she saw Vernon and her entire mood crashed instantly. The older man stood near one of the alley entrances speaking to two larger men beside him, thick fingers glittering with cheap rings beneath the lights. Vernon always looked sweaty no matter the temperature, his face permanently twisted into something between annoyance and greed. Loan sharks thrived in the underground. Especially after the empire.
And Y/N still owed him credits from when her grandfather got sick. Wonderful. She turned immediately but Vernon’s eyes locked onto her through the crowd. “Well now,” he called and Y/N muttered a curse under her breath and started walking faster, tossing her and San’s trash from their treats away.
“Y/N!”
She ignored him as people shifted around her in the crowded street while music pounded through the tunnels. She cut sharply down one of the side alleys between vendor rows hoping to lose him. Didn’t work though. Bootsteps followed immediately. Then another set. And another. Y/N barely made it halfway down the narrow alley before Vernon and his men boxed her in beneath flickering overhead lights. The sounds of the festival dulled slightly back here.
Vernon smiled humorlessly. “You’ve been hard to find lately.” Y/N crossed her arms. “Funny. I’ve been trying.” One of the larger men snorted but Vernon didn’t. “You know,” he said slowly, stepping closer, “I tried being civil with you because of who your family was.” Y/N leaned back, folding her arms casually despite the tension curling in her stomach. “Aw. That almost sounded emotional.”
Vernon’s jaw tightened. “Your grandfather was respected.”
“Unlike you.”
The larger man to Vernon’s left stepped forward immediately. “Watch your mouth.” Y/N only rolled her eyes. “Or what?” Wrong answer apparently because the man lunged forward suddenly and Y/N instinctively stepped backward only for her spine to hit something solid behind her. Not wall. Warm. Tall. Very tall. Y/N frowned slightly before turning her head. Black hood. Silver blond hair. And faintly glowing beside his right eye beneath the shadows… that marking. Fuck. San had been right on who the Royal was.
Vernon visibly paled and his men backed up instantly. Every trace of aggression vanished so fast it was almost embarrassing. “Y…. your Highness,” Vernon stammered as behind Y/N, the prince said nothing at first before calmly saying, “Continue.” Vernon looked like he wanted to evaporate. “N…. no, your Highness. Just a misunderstanding.”
“Mm.” That single sound somehow carried more authority than shouting ever could. The alley stayed frozen another painful second before Vernon grabbed his men and practically fled back toward the festival crowd. Cowards. Y/N immediately stepped away from the prince once the alley cleared. “I could’ve handled that.” The words came out sharp automatically. No fear. No bowing. No awe. Just irritation.
Mingi stared at her openly beneath the hood of his disguise. Most humans either froze around him or overcompensated trying to impress him. This girl looked genuinely annoyed he existed. “You’re welcome,” he said finally and Y/N scoffed softly before turning and heading back toward the festival streets with Mingi following without hesitation. “You always talk to royalty like that?” he asked.
“You always follow women into alleys?”
“Only interesting ones.”
Y/N snorted as Mingi’s gaze drifted lower for half a second as they walked beneath the glowing lantern lights spilling into the corridor straight to her ass and of course she noticed. “Stop staring at my ass.” Mingi blinked once before grinning slowly. “I’m not one of the dumb humans who crawls into alien beds,” she added over her shoulder and his grin widened instantly. “I have you know,” he replied lazily, “I’ve never slept with a human before.”
Y/N looked back at him flatly. “Congratulations. You want a cookie?” Mingi laughed. Actually laughed. Bright and surprised and completely genuine beneath the underground lights. And against all logic…. Y/N noticed it sounded painfully human as the festival swallowed sound around them again the closer they moved back toward the main streets. Y/N could already spot San near the fireworks platform arguing with his father and Mr. Reynolds over some crooked launcher tube that looked one bad decision away from exploding sideways into the crowd.
She started toward them immediately while behind her, Mingi fell into step again. Still smiling. Still entirely too entertained by this. “You know,” he said casually, “most people are at least a little nervous around me.”
“That sounds exhausting for them.”
“It has benefits.”
“I’m sure.” She caught San glancing up from across the crowd now, confusion crossing his face immediately at the sight of her walking beside the prince and Y/N moved faster just as Mingi reached for her. Not aggressively. Not enough to stop her. Just fingertips brushing lightly around her wrist to keep her attention for one more second. But the second his skin touched hers Y/N jumped as a sharp pulse shot up her arm like static electricity snapping beneath her skin.
Y/N pulled her wrist back immediately as her pulse kicked harder than it should’ve and Mingi stared openly now, eyes flicking briefly toward the hand that touched her then back to her face. “What’s your name?” The question came quieter this time. Less teasing. Which somehow made it worse. Y/N took another step backward toward the crowd and away from him as around them, festival lights reflected gold and blue against the alley walls while music echoed through the underground tunnels and the crown prince of Solaria Prime stood there beneath human lanterns staring at her like he’d just discovered something fascinating.
Y/N’s survival instincts screamed it immediately. Because this was how powerful people ruined lives. Curiosity first. Possession second. She refused to become some underground story about the prince who got bored with a human girl for two weeks. So instead she tilted her head slightly, “You’re a prince.” Mingi blinked once as Y/N stepped backward into the crowd fully now, already turning away. “I’m sure you can figure it out.” Then she disappeared back into the festival lights before he could stop her again.
And Mingi stood there motionless in the middle of the underground city smiling slowly to himself. Because she was right. He absolutely could.
By the time Y/N reached the fireworks platform again, her heart still hadn’t settled properly. Which was irritating. It was just a touch. One touch. Probably some weird alien static thing from all the tech flooding the underground tonight. Definitely not something worth thinking about. Absolutely not something worth replaying in her head while the feeling still lingered faintly beneath her skin.
San spotted her immediately the second she pushed back through the crowd. Mr. Reynolds chose that exact moment to accidentally trigger one of the launchers, sending a sputtering stream of purple sparks sideways into a food stall that made people scream. “NOT AGAIN.”
San barely looked at the fireworks disaster unfolding behind him. “Why,” he asked slowly, “was the fucking prince talking to you?” Y/N shook her head, brushing it off. “He wasn’t.” San stared at her. “You were literally standing together.”
“He was standing. I was trying to leave.”
“That was Crown Prince Mingi.”
“I know.”
“Why was he following you around the festival like some undercover psychopath?”
Y/N shrugged casually despite the fact her wrist still tingled annoyingly where he touched her. “He’s weird.”
“That’s not an explanation.”
“He probably got bored in his giant evil palace.”
“Y/N.”
She exhaled dramatically. “Vernon cornered me in one of the alleys. The prince showed up. Vernon pissed himself. End of story.” San blinked. Then blinked again. “The prince saved you from Vernon?” He stared at her another long second before groaning and dragging a hand down his face. “This is bad.”
“How is this bad?”
“The crown prince knowing you exist feels bad.”
Y/N snorted softly at that. “Trust me, he’ll forget about me in like twelve hours.”
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
The palace felt colder after the underground. Not temperature wise. Emotionally. Mingi noticed it immediately stepping off the private transport platform high above Solaria Prime. The warmth and noise of the human festival disappeared the second the palace doors sealed behind him, replaced by polished silence and soft artificial lighting stretching endlessly through marble corridors. Everything here echoed. Every footstep. Every voice. Every expectation.
Imperial guards bowed as he passed. Servants lowered their eyes. Mingi barely acknowledged any of it, already halfway distracted by one thing….. Her. The human girl with a sharp tongue and too much attitude who’d looked at him like he was a problem instead of royalty. The faint sensation from touching her wrist still lingered annoyingly in the back of his mind too. That had definitely been strange. Alien sensory instincts rarely reacted unpredictably. Especially not with humans.
Mingi rounded another corner quickly only to stop short seeing his father standing near the central observation hall. Garus turned slightly at his approach, expression unreadable as always. “You were in the lower sectors.” Mingi shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat lazily. “Maybe.” The emperor studied him for half a second. Long enough that most people would’ve started panicking but Mingi didn’t and Garus surprisingly let it go. “Your cousin Wooyoung will be arriving in a few days.”
Mingi blinked once before immediately groaning. “Oh no.” A faint hint of amusement flickered across Garus’s face despite himself. “Your aunt requested he remain here temporarily.”
“That sentence alone sounds threatening.”
“Wooyoung has responsibilities to learn.”
“Wooyoung actively avoids responsibilities.”
“He reminds me of you.”
“That’s deeply insulting to both of us.”
Garus ignored that smoothly. “The southern delegates arrive next month. Behave accordingly.” Mingi nodded distractedly already halfway focused elsewhere. “Mm.” The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. “You are not listening.”
“I’m listening enough.”
“Mingi.”
“Father,” he replied automatically before immediately continuing past him as Garus watched his son disappear down the corridor with visible suspicion. The crown prince almost never moved with urgency unless chaos was involved. Mingi barely noticed the palace around him anymore as he cut through multiple secured corridors toward one of the restricted lower levels beneath the imperial residence. The Interface Room. Technically only authorized for imperial administration and intelligence access. Which for Mingi meant, completely accessible whenever he wanted.
The doors slid open as he approached. Darkness greeted him first. Then light. Massive holographic interfaces flickered awake across the circular room, projecting endless streams of information into the air. Population records. District surveillance. Employment databases. Citizen files. The empire documented everything. Mingi moved straight toward the center console. “Search lower district festival surveillance,” he ordered and the system chimed softly. “Specify target.”
Mingi paused before he smirked faintly to himself. “Human female. Twenty ish. Annoyed at my existence.” The system remained silent as he ran a hand through his hair before focusing properly now. Lower district sector. Approximate location. Festival timestamp. Faces flickered rapidly through holographic screens around him as the system filtered thousands of citizens from tonight’s crowds. Mingi leaned closer impatiently. “Come on…” he muttered. More faces. More names…… the screen froze.
Her. Captured mid turn beneath lantern light, irritation written all over her face and Mingi grinned immediately. “There you are.” The file expanded beside her image automatically.
HUMAN CITIZEN RECORD:
Y/N L/N
AGE: 22
RESIDENCY: LOWER DISTRICT 5-C
EMPLOYMENT STATUS: ACTIVE
FAMILY STATUS: DECEASED
“Y/N…” he repeated her name quietly. The sound of it settling strangely in his chest. Then his eyes flicked lower across the file and slowly his grin disappeared. Because suddenly this wasn’t just some random girl from the underground anymore. Now she was real. Documented. Trackable. Reachable. And Mingi had never been very good at leaving interesting things alone.
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
Morning sunlight poured through the upper palace levels in sheets of gold and white, reflecting endlessly against glass walls and polished floors until the entire imperial residence glowed like something divine suspended above the desert. Mingi hated mornings here. Too quiet. Too clean. Too many expectations waiting behind every door. Usually Seonghwa had to physically drag him out of bed before noon while threatening palace embarrassment and diplomatic incidents.
Today, however, Mingi walked into his father’s private office before sunrise fully dressed and carrying a datapad under one arm. That alone immediately made Garus suspicious as he sat near the massive curved windows overlooking Solaria Prime, already halfway through reviewing council reports while steam curled from a dark cup beside him. His robes today were simpler than ceremonial wear, though simplicity still looked expensive on him. The faint markings near his throat disappeared beneath dark fabric while pale morning light sharpened the tiredness hidden beneath his otherwise composed expression. “You’re awake.”
Mingi dropped into the chair across from the desk lazily. “Tragic, I know.” The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. “I didn’t even have to send Seonghwa.”
“He’ll survive the disappointment.”
That suspicion deepened. Garus had raised Mingi long enough to recognize when his son looked too pleased with himself. Which was often. But this particular expression usually meant problems. Mingi slid the datapad across the desk casually. “I found my new subordinate.” Garus narrowed his eyes. “That quickly?”
“I’m efficient.”
“You are many things. Efficient is rarely one of them.”
Mingi grinned faintly as his father finally picked up the datapad with visible caution. At first his expression remained neutral as the file opened. Human citizen. Lower district. Work history. Then Garus reached the attached image and immediately sighed, gaze flicking back toward Mingi slowly. “Absolutely not.”
Mingi looked offended instantly. “You read that fast?”
“You chose an attractive human woman from the underground after sneaking into the lower sectors during Remembrance Festival.” Garus tossed the datapad back onto the desk. “I do not require additional context.” Mingi leaned back further in the chair, completely unashamed. “She’s qualified.”
“You are incapable of subtlety.”
“That feels unrelated.”
Garus gave him a deeply unimpressed look. The emperor knew his son too well. Knew the recklessness hidden beneath the charm. Knew Mingi’s fascination with humans wasn’t rooted in cruelty or novelty the way it often was for other nobles. That almost made it worse. “She has excellent work evaluations,” Mingi continued smoothly, gesturing vaguely toward the datapad. “No criminal history. High education scores considering district limitations. She’d function well within palace administration.”
“She insulted you, didn’t she?” Mingi went quiet for half a second and Garus sighed again. “There it is.”
“She’s interesting.”
“She’s human.”
Mingi’s jaw tightened slightly at the dismissal in his father’s tone. Not openly cruel. Just instinctive. The kind of ingrained superiority every noble in the empire carried whether they admitted it or not. Garus stood slowly from behind the desk now, moving toward the windows overlooking the capital below. “You become fascinated too easily,” he said calmly.
“She’s not some dangerous revolutionary.”
“That is not what concerns me.”
Mingi watched him carefully as that subtle shift in Garus’s voice whenever the subject turned personal instead of political happened. “You think I’m going to sleep with her,” Mingi said flatly and that made Garus look back at him. “You already brought her to my desk less than hours after meeting her.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
The emperor stayed silent long enough that the answer became obvious anyway and Mingi scoffed softly, standing now himself. “You’re dramatic.”
“No,” Garus corrected calmly. “I know you.” Mingi started pacing lazily instead of arguing outright. The office stretched massive around them, sunlight spilling across polished floors while Solaria Prime glittered beyond the glass. Somewhere below, transports drifted through the air between towers like glowing veins through the city. “She hates aliens,” Mingi said suddenly and Garus raised an eyebrow slightly. “That is meant to convince me?”
“She’s not trying to impress anyone. She doesn’t care who I am.”
“Which is exactly why you’re interested.”
Mingi opened his mouth then frowned because unfortunately his father was irritatingly correct. Garus folded his hands behind his back again. “You are the future emperor of this empire. Of this planet.”
“There’s that sentence again.”
“You cannot afford impulsive fascinations.”
“It’s a subordinate assignment, not a marriage proposal.”
The emperor gave him a long look at that. Because both of them knew Mingi rarely pursued things halfway. Finally Garus exhaled quietly through his nose. “Pick another.”
“No.”
“Mingi.”
“I already submitted the authorization request.”
“You did what?”
Mingi smiled slowly and suddenly Garus realized exactly why his son had arrived before sunrise. The emperor stared at him in disbelief for a full second. “You manipulative little….”
“It should already be processing through palace administration by now.”
Garus looked genuinely offended. “You went around me.”
“You were going to say no.”
“Yes!”
“Exactly.”
For a moment the office filled with silence. Then, somehow impossibly, Garus laughed once under his breath. Disbelieving and almost exhausted. “You are exactly your mother’s child.” Mingi grinned immediately. “I choose to take that as a compliment.” Garus shook his head slowly before glancing once more toward Y/N’s file glowing faintly across the datapad. Human. Lower district. Young. Pretty enough to immediately catch his son’s attention. This was a terrible idea. Which meant Mingi had already fully committed to it.
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
Y/N stood in the tiny kitchenette of her apartment trying to convince herself stale caf and half burnt toast counted as breakfast while the old vent fan rattled overhead loud enough to sound medically concerning. Outside her window screen, the artificial skyline projection flickered twice before correcting itself again. Another perfect day in the underground.
She barely slept after the festival. Every time she closed her eyes she kept seeing silver blonde hair beneath lantern light and hearing, “What’s your name?” Annoying. Deeply annoying. She shoved the thought away aggressively while pulling on her work jacket. The underground already buzzed awake outside her apartment walls. Pipes groaned overhead while neighbors argued down the hall about water credits while somewhere nearby, music blasted faintly through thin metal walls.
Y/N grabbed her bag from the chair just as loud knocking suddenly rattled her front door hard enough to make her jump and for her stomach to tighten instantly. She frowned and crossed the room quickly before sliding the door open and froze. Two imperial guards stood in the hallway and everything inside her went cold immediately. Tall. Silver armored. One blue and one green. Royal insignias gleaming beneath the corridor lights. The entire apartment level had gone silent around them. Doors cracked open all down the hall while neighbors stared openly in shock.
Including Allara who stood halfway out of her own apartment looking seconds away from ascending directly into another dimension. “Oh my god,” she whispered and Y/N ignored her completely as the guards remained expressionless. “Y/N L/N,” one of them said formally and every instinct in her body screamed danger. “Yes?”
“You have been selected for appointment as subordinate staff to the imperial household.”
Y/N blinked once, brows furrowed and confused before shaking her head, scoffing. “No thanks.” Behind her, Allara made a choking sound but the guards didn’t react. “It is not optional.” Y/N stared at them. “What?” The blue guard stepped forward slightly holding a sleek dark datapad. “Per imperial selection authority, you are to be relocated immediately to upper sector royal residency under direct assignment.”
Y/N laughed once in disbelief. “You cannot be serious.” The blue guard continued calmly like she hadn’t spoken. “You have one hour to gather approved personal belongings before transport escort.”
“This is insane.”
“This is law.”
Y/N’s pulse started climbing fast now. “No. No, absolutely not.” She pointed vaguely toward the city above them. “I don’t want to go work for aliens in some giant palace.” Allara looked personally offended by that statement. The guards, meanwhile, remained infuriatingly calm. “Resistance to selection is considered obstruction of imperial process.”
Y/N folded her arms tightly. “So what, you’re kidnapping me politely?” Neither guard answered. Which honestly answered enough. The hallway had gone dead quiet now. Neighbors stared openly from cracked doors. Fear. Curiosity and jealousy. Some humans spent years hoping for selection because it meant escape from the underground. Y/N felt like she was being marched toward execution. Her mind raced immediately. Why her? How her…… Silver blonde hair. Sharp grin. Prince. “I’m sure you can find it.”
That absolute asshole. Her eyes narrowed instantly. Oh he did not. The guard extended the datapad toward her. “Please prepare accordingly.” Y/N snatched the tablet aggressively enough to make Allara flinch. Across the screen glowed imperial authorization codes beneath one line….
DIRECT SUBORDINATE ASSIGNMENT:
CROWN PRINCE MINGI
Her eye twitched as Allara finally lost control completely. “THE PRINCE?” Y/N looked ready to commit a crime. “That smug alien psycho.” One of the guards, the green one, cleared his throat lightly as if he were trying to cover a laugh. “You will address the Crown Prince respectfully.” Y/N looked him dead in the eye. “I’d rather throw myself into traffic.” The blue guard actually hesitated slightly at that. Probably because nobody ever spoke about royal bloodlines like this to their faces.
Allara rushed over immediately the second the guards stepped back down the corridor to allow Y/N time to pack. “Oh my god,” she hissed. “Oh my GOD.”
“This is not exciting.”
“This is literally life changing!”
“This is kidnapping with better lighting!”
Allara grabbed her shoulders dramatically. “The crown prince of the planet picked you personally!”
“I know!”
“How do you know?”
Y/N threw the datapad onto the cot. “Because I met him last night!” Allara stared at her before screaming. Y/N dragged both hands down her face in exhausted disbelief while outside her apartment the imperial guards stood motionless in the hallway waiting to escort her out of the underground forever and the underground suddenly felt different once Y/N knew she was leaving it. Smaller somehow. Temporary. Like every hallway and flickering light and rusted pipe had already started slipping away from her before she’d even gone.
The imperial guards waited outside her apartment while she shoved necessities into an old duffel bag with growing irritation. Clothes. Credit chips. Her grandfather’s old lighter she didn’t even use. A tiny photograph tucked into the side pocket. That was the worst part. They expected humans to just… leave. No warning. No choice. No understanding that people had lives down here. Allara followed her around the apartment practically vibrating with secondhand excitement while Y/N internally spiraled harder every minute.
“You have to take something nice to wear.”
“I own three jackets and a pair of boots.”
“Okay but now you’re going to the palace.”
“I’m going to prison with prettier architecture.”
Allara ignored that immediately. “Do you think he likes you already?” Y/N stopped packing long enough to stare at her in disbelief. “He met me for maybe six minutes and stared at my ass.”
“And?”
“And I insulted him repeatedly.”
“That means yes.”
“Please seek help.” But underneath the sarcasm, anxiety curled tighter and tighter in her chest. Not because of the palace. Not even because of Mingi. Because of San. The realization hit fully once she stepped out into the hallway carrying her bag and saw the guards straighten immediately beside the apartment door. Upper sector assignments were permanent more often than not. Humans selected for palace service rarely returned to the underground except under supervision. Everything suddenly felt too final.
Y/N barely remembered walking through the crowded tunnel streets after that. People stared at the guards escorting her openly. Some with envy. Some with pity. Word spread fast underground. By the time she reached the Choi repair shop, half the damn district probably already knew. The familiar flickering sign buzzed overhead as she pushed inside and the smell hit her immediately. Machine oil. Burnt wiring. Home. San looked up from behind the counter mid sentence while arguing with a customer. His eyes moved from her face… to the bag over her shoulder… to the two royal guards visible through the shop windows outside. The customer wisely decided this was no longer his business and left immediately.
Silence settled heavily through the shop as San slowly set his tools down. “No.” Y/N swallowed hard. That one word hurt worse than she expected. “San…”
“No.” His voice sharpened this time. “No. Tell me this is not what I think it is.” Y/N gripped the strap of her bag tighter. “I got selected.” San stared at her. Actually stared like maybe if he looked hard enough the words would rearrange themselves into something better. “The palace?” She nodded once. “When?”
“This morning.”
“And you’re just leaving?”
“I don’t exactly think the empire accepts scheduling conflicts.”
San swore under his breath violently before turning away from her completely and Y/N’s chest tightened. The shop suddenly felt too small now. Too warm. Every familiar thing inside it twisted painfully because she realized she didn’t know when she’d see any of it again. Or if she ever would. “They picked me specifically,” she admitted quietly and San turned back immediately. “What?”
“The prince.”
His expression darkened instantly. Realizing Mingi meeting her last night apparently wasn’t enough for the prince. San laughed once in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was.” For a second neither of them spoke again after that. Outside the shop, the underground continued moving like normal. Festival decorations still hung through the streets from yesterday while distant music echoed from somewhere deeper in the tunnels. Life continuing while hers suddenly tilted sideways. San dragged both hands through his hair roughly. “This is bad.”
“I know.”
“You can’t trust him.”
“I know.”
“You don’t know what he wants from you.”
“I KNOW.” The sharpness in her voice echoed briefly through the shop before silence crashed down again and Y/N exhaled shakily, looking away first. “That’s kind of the problem.” Because beneath all the anger and panic sat one terrifying truth…. she did know what this was really about. Or at least had feeling what it was. A prince got curious and now her entire life belonged to that curiosity.
San moved around the counter slowly until he stood directly in front of her. “You don’t have to let him change you.” The words caught her off guard as Y/N looked up at him finally. San’s expression had softened now beneath the frustration. Worried. Protective. Angry in the helpless way people got when something bigger than them made decisions anyway. “You’re acting like I’m leaving forever,” she muttered weakly.
San didn’t answer immediately. Which was answer enough. Her throat tightened painfully. The underground had always felt suffocating growing up. Loud and crowded and impossible to escape. Now suddenly the thought of leaving it made her chest ache. “I’ll come back,” she said quietly and San looked like he wanted to believe her. Instead he reached forward and pulled her into a tight hug hard enough to almost knock the breath from her lungs. Y/N closed her eyes immediately.
“You better,” he muttered against the top of her head as outside the repair shop, two imperial guards waited beneath the glowing lights of Solaria Prime’s underground ready to escort a human girl into the world above.
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Morning sunlight spilled through the massive windows of Mingi’s chambers in pale gold sheets, illuminating towering glass walls and polished black floors that reflected the skyline of Solaria Prime beyond them. Transport ships drifted silently between upper sector towers outside while somewhere far below, buried beneath layers of steel and imperial architecture, the underground city continued waking for another day beneath alien rule.
Inside the prince’s chambers, however, there was peace. Unusual peace. Which was exactly why Seonghwa immediately knew something was wrong. The doors slid open behind him with a soft hiss as he stepped inside carrying a datapad under one arm, already prepared for the usual disaster scene, Mingi unconscious, half dressed, probably hungover, and aggressively refusing to attend whatever political nightmare waited for him today. Instead…. Mingi was awake, dressed and lounging across one of the curved couches near the windows looking entirely too pleased with himself.
Seonghwa stopped walking immediately. That alone was alarming. Mingi wore loose black layers beneath an open hooded jacket, silver chains resting against exposed skin while white trousers contrasted sharply against the dark fabric. His hair fell messily into his eyes like he’d barely bothered fixing it after waking up, and sunlight caught the pale silver marking near his right eye every time he turned his head slightly. Worse than all of that though… he was smiling. Not fake public smile smiling. Actually smiling.
Seonghwa narrowed his eyes instantly. “What are you up to?” Mingi glanced up from the tablet in his hands lazily. “Good morning to you too.”
“You’re awake before noon.”
“Tragic, I know.”
“And dressed.”
“I usually wear clothes, Seonghwa.”
“You look,” Seonghwa said slowly, gesturing vaguely toward him, “like your father just informed you you no longer have to become emperor one day.” Mingi barked out a laugh at that. “That would actually improve my mood significantly.” Seonghwa walked further into the room carefully now, suspicion growing stronger the longer he looked at him. Mingi only got this relaxed after causing problems. Usually large ones. “You did something.”
“I do things constantly.”
“Mingi.”
The prince leaned back further into the couch cushions with zero shame whatsoever. “I’m offended by your lack of trust.”
“You once stole a council transport because you were bored.”
“In my defense, it was very boring.”
“You flew it into restricted airspace.”
“Allegedly.”
Seonghwa stared at him flatly as Mingi grinned. The problem with Mingi was that he rarely looked like someone carrying the weight of an empire on his shoulders. Even surrounded by luxury and royal expectations, he somehow moved through life like he was permanently one bad decision away from running off world for fun. Garus carried power heavily while Mingi carried it carelessly. And that terrified palace officials constantly.
Seonghwa set the datapad down onto a nearby table before crossing his arms. “Why do I suddenly feel like I should be concerned?”
“Maybe because you’re dramatic.”
“No. Because you’re in a suspiciously good mood.”
Mingi glanced back toward the skyline outside the windows, smile pulling faintly at one corner of his mouth again. The underground lantern lights from the night before flashed briefly through his mind, thinking about her, how much bite she through at him and his grin widened slightly and Seonghwa immediately caught it. “There it is,” he muttered. “That look.”
Mingi blinked innocently. “What look?”
“The one you get right before palace security has to apologize to someone.”
Mingi laughed softly under his breath before finally standing from the couch in one fluid movement. Tall. Effortlessly graceful. Entirely too aware of the effect he had on rooms without even trying. Royal bloodline genetics made most nobles striking but Mingi weaponized it accidentally just by existing. “You worry too much,” he said casually.
“You concern me too often.”
“Fair.”
Seonghwa eyed him another long second before sighing heavily. “Well whatever you’re planning,” he muttered, “I’d appreciate at least six hours before it becomes a diplomatic incident.” Mingi only smiled to himself again as he wandered toward the massive windows overlooking Solaria Prime while Seonghwa continued watching him with growing distrust. Outside, the capital stretched endlessly beneath the morning sun. Glass towers gleamed gold and white against the desert. From up here, the city looked perfect but Mingi knew better.
He leaned one shoulder lazily against the window frame, turning the tablet in his hands once. “I’ve got a new subordinate on the way.” That immediately got Seonghwa’s full attention. “You what?” Mingi glanced back over his shoulder casually. “New palace assignment.” Seonghwa frowned instantly. “You don’t do subordinates.”
“I absolutely do.”
“No,” Seonghwa corrected flatly, “you avoid them.” Which was true. Most members of the imperial family kept direct subordinate staff constantly. Assistants. Human attendants. Alien aides. People assigned specifically to manage schedules, social appearances, political communication. Mingi burned through them accidentally. Not because he was cruel but because he ignored structure entirely. The last subordinate assigned to him transferred departments after six months claiming the prince was organizationally catastrophic. Mingi still considered that dramatic.
“The last one you had was years ago,” Seonghwa continued suspiciously.
“Maybe I got lonely.”
“You don’t even answer your messages.”
“I answer important ones.”
“You left the southern delegates on read for twelve days.”
“They were annoying.”
Seonghwa dragged a hand down his face tiredly before narrowing his eyes again. “Why now?” Mingi shrugged lightly, though the grin threatening at the corner of his mouth immediately ruined the casual act and Seonghwa once again noticed. “Oh no.”
“What?”
“You’re smiling again.”
“That’s incredibly judgmental.”
“Why are you smiling?”
Mingi looked away toward the skyline again, trying and failing to suppress it entirely. Because honestly? He still couldn’t stop replaying last night in his head. The underground lights. The way she looked at him like royalty meant nothing. That sharp irritated voice. Stop staring at my ass. Mingi grinned again before he could stop himself and Seonghwa looked horrified as he put two and two together. “You met someone.”
“No I didn’t.”
“You absolutely met someone.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then why do you look like this?”
Mingi finally laughed softly under his breath, pushing himself away from the windows. “She insulted me like six times in maybe ten minutes.” Seonghwa blinked looking almost flabbergasted. “Excuse me?”
“And threatened to throw herself into traffic rather than speak respectfully to guards that went to retrieve her I have been told.”
Now Seonghwa looked genuinely confused. “Who is this person?”
“A human.”
“Oh this is a terrible idea.”
Mingi barked out another laugh immediately. “You don’t even know the idea yet.”
“I know enough.”
“She’s interesting.”
“That sentence alone is concerning.”
Mingi dropped back onto the couch lazily, one arm thrown across the back cushions while sunlight cut sharply across his black clothing and pale hair. “She hates aliens,” he admitted.
“Most humans do.”
“She really hates aliens.”
“That still isn’t helping.”
Mingi tilted his head slightly, remembering the way she looked at him in the alley. Not afraid. Just annoyed. Like he was just another problem standing in her way instead of the future emperor of Earth. No one had ever treated him like that before. “It’s weird,” he admitted quietly. “She doesn’t care who I am.” Seonghwa stared at him a long moment before he sighed heavily. “Oh you’re doomed.”
Mingi snorted softly. “Relax. It’s a subordinate assignment, not a bonding ceremony.”
“Mhm.”
“You’re dramatic.”
“You’re the crown prince getting emotionally invested in a human woman from the underground after one conversation.”
Mingi immediately pointed at him. “First of all, emotionally invested is a crazy accusation.”
“You are going to give your father stress related organ failure.”
“He’ll survive.”
“And the human?”
That question settled differently. Mingi’s grin faded slightly for the first time all morning. Because beneath all the curiosity and amusement… he did know this would change her life completely. “She’ll probably hate me for it,” he admitted as Seonghwa folded his arms. “Will that stop you?” Mingi looked toward the towering city beyond the windows again. Somewhere down there, she was probably furious right now. Good. He liked that about her. “No,” he said honestly.
And somehow that answer worried Seonghwa more than anything else.
tumblr said I did too much with this first chapter to my new mingi fic (it’s 42k words 😭) so when yall see 3-4 new chapters of a new story posted back to back it’s because I had to split it up
summary: in which your boyfriend’s best friend wakes up and watches
warning: possessive dom yunho, sub mingi, sub reader, unprotected sex, oral, squirting, masturbation, overstimulation, choking, multiple orgasms, voyeurism, creampie
genre: smut
pairing: idol yunho x afab reader x idol mingi
word count: 4.4k
masterlist
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The hotel room was dim, lit only by the faint amber glow of the city lights bleeding in through the curtains. The hum of traffic far below was a low lull, and Mingi had been out cold for nearly an hour, one arm flung over his head, mouth parted slightly in deep sleep.
You were lying on your side, facing Yunho, your knees barely brushing beneath the sheets. You felt his fingers first, light at your waist, then his breath, warm, sweet with sleep as he leaned in close. “Baby,” he whispered, his voice thick and low, heavy with need, “you’re killing me.”
You whispered back, amused, “He’s right there.” Yunho glanced over your shoulder. Mingi was a statue. If statues snored. “It’s just Mingi,” he said, fingers sliding beneath your shirt, his touch feather light. “Even if he did wake up… he’d probably just turn over and go back to sleep.”
“Or watch,” you muttered under your breath, teasing, joking, half testing him which made Yunho’s dark eyes flick up to yours, slow and heated. “Would that bother you?” he murmured, pressing closer, his hand slipping lower now, to your hip. “If he did?” Your breath caught. “You’d be so quiet for me, wouldn’t you?” he said, voice lower now, lips brushing your ear. “So good.” His fingers moved again, slipping between your thighs now, barely touching, just enough to make your whole body ache as his fingers trailed slow and deliberate down the curve of your hip, barely brushing beneath the waistband of your shorts.
“Turn over,” he murmured, voice husky against your temple. You blinked, breath stalling. “What?” He nuzzled closer, lips skimming your cheek, your jaw. “On your stomach,” he whispered. “It’ll be quieter.” You swallowed hard, eyes flicking toward Mingi’s sleeping form. He hadn’t moved an inch, blanket tangled at his waist, mouth slightly open. Dead to the world. Still… “Yunho…” His hand slid lower, palm heavy as it squeezed your ass beneath the sheets. “You’ll keep your face in the pillow, and I won’t let the bed move.” His voice dipped even deeper, dark and slow like honey. “I’ll fuck you slow, baby. You just have to be good for me.”
You hated how fast your body responded, heat pooling between your legs, your breath already shaky. “But….”
“Do you trust me?”
Your heart thudded as you nodded.
“Then turn over.”
The sheets rustled softly as you rolled onto your stomach, cheek pressed into the cool pillowcase. Your pulse fluttered as Yunho eased the covers down your body, his hand dragging them slowly off your back and your hips. He bent low, lips pressing to your spine. “So quiet for me,” he murmured, kissing a trail down your back. “So good…” his hand slid back up your spine, this time bunching the oversized shirt you wore, his shirt, higher and higher until it was caught just beneath your breasts so he could lean over you, pressing a kiss between your shoulder blades, the weight of his body sinking deliciously against yours.
You felt him shift behind you, the unmistakable brush of him thick and hard, pressing between your thighs as he lined himself up. “I missed this,” he breathed, dragging the tip of his dick through your folds once… twice… before he pushed forward, slow, achingly slow and you gasped because you couldn’t help it as he filled you, the stretch so deep and perfect that your mouth parted in a soft, helpless moan.
Yunho froze for a second, buried inside you to the hilt before he chuckled low under his breath, his lips at your ear. “Baby…” he murmured, amusement laced with warning. “You trying to wake him up?” You whimpered into the pillow, biting your lip as he pulled out just enough to make you ache, then slid back in slow, grinding his hips against you with a low exhale. “I said quiet,” he whispered, his hand slipping beneath your shirt to palm your breast, fingers teasing your nipple until you were trembling. “You can do that for me, can’t you?”
You nodded into the pillow, your hands clutching the sheets as he started to move again, deep, slow thrusts that lit fire across every nerve. “You feel too good not to be loud,” he teased, his voice smug now, hips rolling smoother, harder. “But you don’t want Mingi to know how good I’m fucking you, do you?” Another quiet moan slipped out and Yunho grinned. “Thought so.”
You whimpered as he buried himself deeper. Every slow thrust had your body trembling beneath him, your legs spread just wide enough under the sheets to let him move the way he wanted, deliberate, controlled and deep. His hand remained curled under your shirt, cupping your breast, fingers rolling your nipple until your hips jerked back into him like muscle memory and another moan slipped from your lips, soft, breathy and desperate. And then Yunho’s hand moved. Smooth and sudden, he slid it from your breast up to your mouth, covering it gently but firmly.
“Shhh,” he murmured, lips brushing your ear, voice a slow whisper of smoke. “I told you to be quiet.” Your eyes fluttered shut. The weight of his body behind you, the heat of his hand over your mouth, the slow press of his dick filling you again and again, it was too much, too good, too risky. And across the room, Mingi shifted in the other bed making Yunho go still immediately, still buried inside you, hand frozen over your mouth. The only sound was the hum of the AC and the thunder in your ears.
Then… nothing. Mingi just turned over, muttered something incoherent in his sleep, and settled back into steady, oblivious breathing as Yunho leaned down, his chest against your back now, voice low and sinful. “Told you,” he whispered, lips curving into a smirk against your skin. “Even if he did wake up, he’d just go back to sleep.” But he didn’t pull his hand away. If anything, he pressed it firmer against your mouth, his other hand gripping your hip as he began to move again, slower, deeper thrusts that dragged along every inch of you.
He fucked you like he had all night, like his best friend wasn’t sleeping just a few feet away. Every time you gasped, he gave you a warning squeeze. Every time your body tightened around him, he whispered praise against your neck. “You’re so good for me,” he murmured, his pace never faltering. “So quiet, even when I know you wanna scream.”
Yunho’s thrusts stayed slow, but they’d grown heavier, more intentional. His hand stayed wrapped over your mouth, palm damp with the soundless moans you kept trying not to let out. The other was anchored at your hip now, keeping you in place, guiding every roll of his hips into yours with precision. He was breathing harder now, quiet exhales brushing your shoulder as he bent over you, his chest pressing to your back, his dick dragging deep with each measured thrust. And you didn’t hear it. You didn’t see it. But Yunho did.
A shift across the room. A faint creak of mattress springs. A sudden absence of snoring. Yunho glanced up from the curve of your spine, eyes lifting just over your shoulder toward the other bed and froze. Mingi. Eyes half lidded, face barely visible in the shadows. Awake and watching. He didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just stared across the dark room, one hand resting under the covers, the other loosely curled by his face. His expression was unreadable, half asleep or maybe just mesmerized, but he made no effort to look away.
And Yunho held the stare. His lips curled into the faintest smirk as he gave one slow, deliberate thrust, his hips grinding into you just enough to make your eyes roll back, a soft whimper muffled against his hand. You didn’t notice the shift. Didn’t notice the way Yunho’s attention was split now, half on you, half on his best friend watching silently from the dark as he bent lower again, lips brushing your ear. “You’re doing so good,” he whispered, voice silk and fire. “Being so quiet for me.”
And then, eyes still locked on Mingi’s, he thrust again, deeper this time and Mingi’s fingers twitched beneath the sheet making Yunho’s grin deepen. But you? You were too far gone, blissfully unaware, face buried in the pillow, body arching back into every punishingly slow stroke as Yunho licked his lips, gaze never breaking because he knew exactly what he was doing. He didn’t look away. Not when Mingi’s eyes stayed on him. Not when the blanket over Mingi shifted just slightly, just enough to catch the movement of his hand sliding lower beneath the sheets.
He watched. Controlled. Kept his rhythm steady. All while you writhed beneath him, unaware that your entire body had become a private performance. For him. And now for Mingi as well. You whimpered again, eyes squeezed shut, back arching helplessly against the slow, possessive drag of Yunho’s dick inside you. His hand was still over your mouth, his other gripping your hip so tight it would bruise by morning. His breath hitched once as he watched the outline of Mingi’s hand begin to move, slow and steady, under the blanket.
Yunho’s lips brushed your ear again, voice low, but there was something else behind it now. A sharpness. “You’re taking me so well, baby,” he whispered, just loud enough for both of you to hear. “So wet for me… always so ready.” You let out a muffled moan, head turning toward the pillow, desperate and overstimulated as Yunho’s gaze flicked back to Mingi. Still watching. Still moving under the sheets, hand clearly wrapped around his own dick. Good.
Without warning, Yunho slowly pulled out of you. You whimpered in protest, wriggling your hips back toward him, but he was already moving, shifting, rolling you onto your back with careful hands making You blink up at him, dazed. “Yunho?” He shushed you with a kiss, slow and soft, one hand brushing your hair out of your face. “Shhh. Want to see you.” Before you could answer, his hands gripped your thighs, spreading you open, lifting your legs up, bending them at the knees and hooking them over his broad shoulders.
You gasped. The stretch. The angle. The intimacy of it. Was almost overwhelming as he pushed back in making your hands fly to your mouth, eyes wide as his dick slid back inside you with one slow, perfect thrust. Yunho groaned, quiet but guttural, his eyes never leaving yours. His grip on your thighs tightened, jaw flexing as he pulled almost all the way out and pushed in again, deeper, smoother, harder. “You’re so tight like this,” he rasped. “So fucking perfect.”
You could barely breathe, barely think, caught between the sweet stretch and the shameful thrill of getting fucked just feet away from your boyfriend’s best friend. But he wasn’t sleeping. Mingi’s eyes were wide now, the blanket tugged a little higher up his chest as his hand moved steadily beneath it. He was panting, trying to stay silent, trying not to move the bed. And Yunho was watching every second of it like it was his own personal reward. He looked back down at you, smiling through grit teeth. “Look at you,” he whispered. “Trying so hard not to scream for me.”
You bit your lip hard. Your whole body was coiled tight, legs trembling where they hung over his shoulders, your nails digging into the sheets. And Yunho leaned down, folding you in half more, driving even deeper as his voice dropped to a murmur, for your ears alone. But his eyes stayed on Mingi. “You’re mine.” He murmured against your skin, his voice rough, ragged, but controlled just like everything else about him.
You moaned, quiet and ruined, your hands gripping the sheets like you were trying to stay grounded. And then he grinned. That crooked, dangerous grin he only wore when he knew he had all the power. “And my best friend,” he whispered, dipping closer, his lips brushing your jaw as his voice dropped to a low, amused purr, “is getting himself off to us right now.”
Your eyes flew open. “WHAT?” You tried to turn your head, but Yunho caught your jaw, holding it gently, kissing the corner of your mouth like he hadn’t just detonated a bomb in your chest. “Mmm mmm,” he murmured, voice like velvet sin. “Eyes on me, baby.” And then he started to really move. Not slow this time. Not soft. He drove into you with one powerful thrust, then another, his hips slamming against the back of your thighs with each stroke, the angle hitting so deep it had your mouth falling open in a silent cry.
“Now you’re being loud,” he groaned, burying himself to the hilt. “What happened to being quiet for me, huh?” You whimpered, blinking through tears as your entire body rocked beneath him as he leaned down again, pressing your legs further up, deeper inside you now, your body stretching around him, made to take him like this. “Can’t help it?” he cooed, taunting, lips curling against your cheek. “Knowing he’s over there watching me fuck you like this?”
You finally turned your head and saw Mingi. His eyes blown wide, cheeks flushed, chest rising and falling fast as he sat halfway up in bed now, one hand fisted under the covers, the other braced behind him. He looked wrecked. Desperate. Guilty and aroused all at once. And the sight of it made you choke on a gasp as Yunho kept moving, dragging a hand down your body, rolling your nipple between his fingers as he pounded into you. “Don’t stop now,” he groaned, kissing the corner of your mouth. “He’s already seen everything.”
Yunho was a man possessed now, hips driving into you like he was chasing a high he knew only you could give him. Your thighs trembled where they clung to his shoulders, every stroke sending waves of heat rippling through your core. You were clenching so hard around him, gasping with every thrust, your fingers tangled in the sheets like they were the only thing keeping you tethered. He felt it. He knew you were close. And so did Mingi who was still perched in bed, frozen but visibly falling apart, his chest rising and falling fast beneath his tank top, eyes locked on where Yunho was splitting you open.
Yunho turned his head just slightly, lips parted in a breathless smirk. Then, without warning he ripped the blanket off the both of you and yossed it aside like it was in the damn way. The room was dark, but not dark enough. The lights outside bled just enough silver through the curtains to illuminate your slick thighs, the glossy mess coating Yunho’s length every time he pulled out, and the way your soaked pussy clung to him like a vice, starting to squirt as he kept rutting, pounding into you, grunting, digging his fingers into your waist and slamming into you again, harder, deeper, and your body snapped.
You arched, crying out. And then you broke. A wave of liquid shot out of you, soaking Yunho’s lower stomach, the sheets beneath you, everything. “Fuck,” Yunho hissed, head tipping back as he felt you squirt fully around him, your body twitching violently with the force of it. He looked straight at Mingi, his voice smug, breathless, and absolutely filthy. “She always does that when I fuck her just right,” he groaned. “Makes the prettiest fucking mess.”
Mingi’s mouth parted, his eyes wide and dark, jaw slack as he watched your body convulse under Yunho’s, still trembling, overstimulated and leaking. You were panting, wrecked, barely able to process the aftermath as Yunho leaned over you again, licking sweat from your neck and whispering, “You should’ve seen his face, baby.” And then, with a slow, deep thrust that made you whimper. “He’s never gonna forget this.”
You were shaking, thighs trembling against Yunho’s broad shoulders, your chest heaving, lips parted in a dazed, fucked out expression. And still he didn’t stop. Yunho dragged his dick out slow, savoring the squelch of your soaked cunt clinging to him before slamming back in again deeper making you entire body jolt. “Y….Yunho…” you gasped, a sob laced with pleasure spilling from your throat. “I…. I can’t…”
“Yes, you can,” he growled, thrusting harder now, both hands gripping your waist as he rocked into you. “You’re gonna come again for me, baby. Right here. Just like that.” He shifted one hand lower, thumb slipping between your bodies to find your swollen clit, rubbing tight circles as he pounded into you relentlessly. And the pressure…. it was too much. You shook your head, back arching, voice cracking, “Baby….. it’s…. fuck too much”
“Oh, I know,” Yunho breathed, dragging his teeth over your collarbone. “That’s why it feels so fucking good.” You didn’t even hear Mingi anymore. Didn’t notice the way he was breathing harder, the way the sheets rustled with movement across the room as fucked his hand imagining he was buried inside you along with Yunho. But Yunho did. He lifted his head just enough to glance over his shoulder, eyes locking with Mingi’s and grinned. And then, softly… tauntingly, “You gonna come with her, Mingi?”
Mingi froze, just a beat, before his head tipped back, a low moan slipping out, finally, completely involuntary. The sound of him made you blink, dazed and to clench Yunho a little harder as he leaned in again, voice a low, dangerous hum at your ear. “He’s fucking his fist right now watching me fuck you. And I haven’t even really started yet.” Your eyes flew open, the reality hitting you like lightning as Yunho’s hand slid to your throat, not tight, just there. Possessive. Calming. Claiming. “Look at me,” he whispered. “You’re mine. He knows it. He can fucking watch.”
And then he slammed into you again and you cried out, sharp, loud, broken and Yunho groaned as you clenched around him, your orgasm crashing over you like a wave, body convulsing beneath him as slick poured out of you, your vision going white behind your eyes and Mingi’s moan hit the dark air right after. He couldn’t hold it back. His release ripped through him in silence and shame and awe, his chest heaving, hand still under the blanket, eyes wide and locked on you.
Yunho didn’t stop moving until your legs fell from his shoulders, until you were trembling and gasping and completely ruined. Only then did he slow, finally leaning down, pressing kisses along your jaw, his voice soft now, intimate. “You’re perfect.” Then, louder. For Mingi. “But she’s not done yet.”
Mingi knew he should’ve looked away. The second he opened his eyes and realized what was happening, what Yunho was doing to you just a few feet away, he should’ve rolled over, closed his eyes, pretended to still be asleep. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He laid there in the dark, heart hammering against his ribs, trying to stay still, to stay silent, as he watched you unravel beneath Yunho, sheets pushed aside, shirt bunched at your ribs, legs shaking, gasping and moaning into his hand like it was the only thing keeping you from screaming.
Mingi’s hand had drifted down before he even registered it, sliding beneath his waistband, fingers curling around himself. Yunho was fucking you slow, deep, possessive. Every stroke was like a threat and a promise, and when your body arched and you squirted, Jesus Christ, Mingi nearly came right then. He’d never seen anything so raw. So fucking real. Then Yunho looked at him. Locked eyes across the room. And grinned. Like he knew Mingi would never forget this. Now here Yunho was like the devil incarnate saying you weren’t done yet.
Mingi blinked. Heart stuttering as Yunho turned his head and looked right at him, still inside you, his voice low, cocky, and utterly in control. “Come on, princess,” he murmured. “You already came once. You might as well come help me wreck her.” Your head turned weakly toward Mingi, eyes hazy, lips swollen and parted. You were still panting, your body a trembling mess, but you didn’t say no. You didn’t say anything. And that silence made Mingi’s pulse slam into overdrive.
“You want him, don’t you?” Yunho whispered, tilting your face toward his. “You’ve thought about it. I know you have.” You didn’t answer with words but your thighs clenched involuntarily around Yunho’s waist and he smirked. “That’s what I thought.” He looked at Mingi again. “Take your shirt off.”
Mingi hesitated, his whole body frozen between desire and disbelief. But then he saw the way you looked at him, tired, wrecked, but eyes flicking down his bare chest when he sat up, pupils blown wide with curiosity. With want. So he stood and walked toward the bed slowly and Yunho leaned down, kissed your throat, then looked up at Mingi with a grin that wasn’t just invitation, it was challenge. “You’ve seen what I can do to her,” he murmured. “Now show me what you want to do.”
Yunho's challenge hung in the air, his voice low and commanding as he kept his dick buried deep inside you, the slow grind of his hips never faltering. Mingi hesitated at first, his face flushed deep red, eyes darting between his best friend’s possessive stare and the way your body trembled beneath him. But the tension built thickly in the dim hotel room, the city lights casting faint shadows across all of you. And slowly, Mingi shifted, his own dick still hard and leaking from the earlier release as he dropped to his knees beside your bed, drawn in despite the disbelief etched on his features, until he was right there beside you both.
Yunho's hand stayed firm around your throat, not squeezing too tight but holding you in place with that dominant grip, while his thrusts remained deliberate and unhurried. He pulled back almost all the way before sinking in again, stretching you open inch by inch, making sure you felt every ridge of him. "That's it, Mingi," Yunho murmured, his tone laced with taunt. "Come taste her. She's dripping all over my dick, and I know you want it."
Mingi swallowed hard, his breath ragged, but he moved, positioning his face near where your bodies joined. His tongue flicked out tentatively at first, lapping at your swollen clit with wet, broad strokes that sent sparks shooting through your overstimulated nerves. The sensation layered on top of Yunho's steady fucking, his dick sliding in and out right against Mingi's mouth, and Mingi groaned into you, the vibration rumbling through you. He didn't stop there, his tongue working eagerly now, circling your clit before dragging lower to swipe along the base of Yunho's dick as it plunged into you. The dual sensation was overwhelming, hot, slick pressure on your clit combined with the way Mingi's lips brushed Yunho's dick on every thrust.
Yunho grunted in approval, his hips picking up just a fraction, still controlled but deeper, filling you completely each time as Mingi's free hand wrapped around his own dick again, stroking it with desperate pumps, his fingers slick with his previous cum as he fucked his fist in time with the rhythm. He was overstimulated already, his body twitching from the intensity, yet he couldn't pull away, his tongue lapping messily at both of you, tasting your arousal mixed with the faint salt of Yunho's skin.
Your moans grew louder despite the hand on your throat, muffled only partially as Yunho's fingers tightened just enough to remind you that just because his best friend had joined, you were still his. Pleasure built in waves, your pussy clenching around Yunho's while Mingi's tongue flicked relentlessly over your clit, sucking gently now and then before returning to lap at the spot where Yunho entered you.
Mingi whimpered into you, his hand moving faster on himself, hips bucking into his own grip as overstimulation hit him hard, his dick throbbing, yet he kept going, chasing another release as Yunho watched it all with a dark grin, his gaze locked on Mingi even as he drove into you, the pace dragging out every sensation until your body quivered on the edge again. The minutes stretched on like that, Yunho's thrusts unyielding, each one pushing you higher while Mingi's tongue worked you over, alternating between your clit and the length of Yunho sliding past his lips.
Sweat beaded on Mingi's forehead, his strokes on his own dick growing erratic from the overload, but he didn't stop, his mouth open and hungry against you both. You felt the coil tightening in your core, your walls fluttering around Yunho as another orgasm built, slow and inevitable from the prolonged attention until finally, Yunho's control snapped just enough. His hand gripped Mingi's hair roughly, fingers tangling in the strands to hold him in place as his hips snapped forward harder. "Fuck, that's it," he growled, his dick pulsing inside you as he came, flooding you deep with hot spurts that filled you full.
His throat grip stayed possessive, anchoring you as his release triggered yours, your body convulsed, pussy squeezing him tight while you came hard around him, juices mixing with his own and coating Mingi's tongue who followed right after, his own orgasm hitting with a choked moan, his hand jerking his dick as he spilled again onto the side of the bed, overstimulated and trembling from the shared intensity. Yunho didn't let go immediately, keeping Mingi's face pressed close as the aftershocks rolled through all three of you, the room filling with heavy breaths and ragged gasps.
Then after the silence, a sudden burst of laughter left you, coming out breathless and full of amusement. “What?” Yunho pulled out of you, sitting back on his knees as Mingi moved back on the floor. “Wooyoung and Jongho are right next door.” You snorted because in the end, you were loud, all of you were. “Oh…” Yunho grinned and looked down at Mingi who shook his head, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I hate both of you.”
He absolutely didn’t. And he absolutely was thinking about doing it all over again.
God works hard , Yungistiny works harder THE GOATTT
Any chance of a theives guild or man on fire update 👉👈
I will be waiting super duper patiently promise im just chronically obsessed
already have a long man on fire update ready I just have to proofread and thieves guild I’ve been rewriting the last chapter so it might be a wait on that one
jbbartram-illu
germansingergirl
jacobvanloon
stormborns
tangentwithtanner