“Princess! Gracious, slow down before you trip over your own hanbok!” Soo-Jin, a maid barely older than you, hollered as she scurried after you through the palace’s moonlit corridors.

Her voice was half plea, half exasperation, her jeogori flapping like a startled bird. “Do you want me to die of a heart seizure before I’m twenty?”

“My lady, this is no way for a princess to carry herself!” Mi-Ran, the eldest maid, barked, her weathered face creased with disapproval. Clutching her skirt, she huffed to keep up. “We must prepare you for bed—and for your meeting with Prince Kim-Lee at dawn! Or do you intend to greet him looking like you’ve wrestled a pig in the market?”

You, the untamed Princess of Joseon, paid their complaints no mind. Your feet moved with purpose, heart racing toward one goal: to slip away from the palace’s stifling rules and find Jinu. The mere thought of him sent a spark through you, like a firecracker set off in a quiet courtyard.

Jinu—the name forbidden to cross the palace threshold, the man whose shadow was said to carry a curse. The one you were ordered to avoid at all costs.

Yet every night, under the veil of stars, you sought him out. Not a single dusk passed without your stolen moments, his low voice weaving through your thoughts like silk. He hadn’t turned you away yet, and you prayed to the heavens he never would. A princess could dream, couldn’t she?

The maids finally caught up, their hands gently but firmly steering you toward the bathing chamber near the old shrine—a place the royal guards had strictly forbidden. Eighteen years ago, Jinu's curse had cast a shadow over Joseon, a prophecy of the red rose that whispered of demons rising to devour the land. The kingdom held its breath, dreading the day the curse would awaken.

But you? Rules were just words on rice paper, easily torn. Where was the joy in a life chained to propriety?

Soo-Jin, her eyes twinkling with mischief, began untying your jeogori with practiced ease. “My lady, what’s the hurry? One moment you’re snarling at the guards, swearing you’d rather marry a radish than Prince Kim-Lee, and now you’re bolting like a horse from the stables. Unless...” She paused, a sly grin spreading as she nudged the other young maids, who giggled like schoolgirls caught sneaking sweets.

Jinu. He was the reason your pulse thrummed, the reason you couldn’t sit still.

The older maids clucked their tongues, ushering you into the steaming bath. The air was thick with lavender’s soothing scent as one maid washed your hair, another scrubbed your back with care, and the rest filled the chamber with their chatter—half gossip, half scolding.

Mi-Ran, her arms crossed like a general, fixed you with a glare that could curdle milk. “Princess, don’t tell me you’re still sneaking off to see that cursed rogue! He’s forbidden—his very name is a blight on this kingdom!”

“Aigoo, Mi-Ran, loosen your topknot!” Soo-Jin teased, her voice light but daring. “Isn’t it a bit... swoon-worthy? A mysterious man, drawn to our princess? I’d wager he’s got eyes like a poet and a smile to melt the snow!” The younger maids erupted into giggles, fanning themselves dramatically.

The older maids eventually departed, leaving you in the steaming bath chamber as darkness fell outside. The rain began to pound against the windows, painting the sky an eerie crimson as you prepared to retire for the night.

Then a whisper slipped through the glass, low and deliberate.

“Let me in.”

“C’mon, Princess.”

Your heart leapt. That voice—smooth, teasing, unmistakably his.

You stood, wrapping a silk robe around your damp frame, your wet hair dripping onto your shoulders. The rain pounded harder as you unlatched the window, cold air rushing in as you stepped back, breath held.

Nothing.

Just the wail of the wind and the drum of rain on the palace roof.

Then, a warm breath grazed your neck, and strong arms slid around your waist, pulling you gently against a familiar figure.

“Such a shitty day today... ” Jinu murmured, his nose digging in your neck as he breathed you in. Like you were his home.

“Why is it always me asking you to let me in..? I should just move in with you. How does that sound?”