@驸马⁴ ❀ tonglun ᵈᵒⁿᵍʳʸᵘⁿ After chaos had ensued in the grand hall— albeit unintentionally, the fire had given everyone quite a scare, but luckily no one had been gravely injured, at least not to the knowledge of the doctors and staff that came to check by on the guests when the fire was put out. Bitna gave thanks to the heavens that no second tragedy followed the already devastating news of her father. But the small relief she felt was short-lived, and in a matter of minutes, the Emperor’s personal imperial physicians and the Chief Eunuch informed the royal family that His Majesty was unable to wake.
What…did that mean exactly? Unable to wake as in, he was in some sort of comatose state or unable to wake ever again? She would not be put at ease until she saw her father with her own eyes, breathing, alive and if the gods were merciful and heard her prayers— well and healthy.
Were there those that wished for His Majesty’s death? Of course, she was sure of it. Name a time in their history that people did not want the monarchs dead and hanging. Her father was not perfect of course, nor had she seen eye to eye with his politics and strategies of war and conquering, but he was still her father. A loving one (for the most part, being the youngest and daughter of Lady Chun, Bitna perhaps may have had more love and attention than some of her older brothers and sisters), and a father with whom she had many precious memories she cherished dearly during her upbringing.
Her thoughts are scattered, and color had left her face. Tonglun’s hushed but firm voice catches her attention. “Oh?” She says, her vision shifting to little Jianyu who is now standing behind his mother. He must have also been so scared, and not quite understanding the commotion earlier perhaps gave rise to many questions in a young boy’s head. “Oh. Right, of course. Please, take them back safely.” Bitna ushers her husband towards his son and Lady Xiaosheng and offers the boy a tiny, almost apologetic smile as she bends down to be at eye level with the small child. “Everything will be all right, you did very well Jianyu.” The Princess rises and offers his mother another small smile. “Goodnight Lady Xiaosheng.” She turns to her husband, who promises to come back…for her. And his gesture touches her heart, and for a brief moment, she dares to yearn for more.
‘Stay.’
But he cannot. That much is obvious in the way he dearly looks at Lady Xiaosheng.
‘Please, don’t go.’
But he does so anyway. She should understand, and while the rational part of her does, the emotional wants to reach out her hand, hopeful that he would take it— and yet she knows that is but an illusion. It makes her wonder…about the unspoken what-ifs?
What if she had no title, no royal blood, no wealth? Bare with only a heart willing to give unconditional love and trust. Would she have found love, true and unyielding? Would someone then have loved her for /her/, the way Tonglun loved Xiaosheng? Would Tonglun ever…?
’Never.’
In name and in wealth, in status and hierarchy; in the eyes of society, the daughter of the ruling Emperor clearly should have more than a concubine. And as she looked at the three happy figures that soon faded as they walked out through the gate she knew then. She had nothing.
These thoughts were unpleasant, foul. She had no right to feel that way, neither Tonglun nor Xiaosheng were to blame. No title, name, bloodline, or wealth, not even the gods could ever be powerful enough to conquer the heart. The horrid jealousy that had stricken her briefly vanished. How could she think of her own grief and when her father was bedridden? This was no time to wallow in pity and despair. Her father needed her, her mother did too as did her siblings. Tonglun...Tonglun didn't need her.
@公主⁴ ❀ bitna "Princess, I know you are worried for your father, but Jianyu is still young, I am afraid he will only disturb his majesty. Allow me to take him and Xiaosheng back to the manor before returning to your side." Tonglun takes his wife to a side, whispering in her ear as they stand before the doors that lead to where the sickly emperor lay in a coma. Truth be told, he was unsure what he would do if he had to come face to face with the man that killed his parents in his most vulnerable state. "I will be back here for you, I promise." he gives his wife a forced smile and a small touch on her arm.
@王⁴ ❀ xingyi ˢᵘⁿᵍʸᵉ@王³ ❀ taecyeon@王² ❀ yuqiang ʷᵒᵒᵏᵃⁿᵍ@王¹ ❀ fenghu ᵖᵒᵒⁿᵍʰᵒ@公主⁴ ❀ bitna@公主³ ❀ xinyi ʰᵉᵘⁿʸᶦ@公主² ❀ jingyi ʲᵘⁿᵍʸᶦ@公主¹ ❀ fengli ᵇᵒⁿᵍʸᶦ Princes and Princesses, the Emperor is unable to wake up and the imperial physicians said that he will need to be taken care of carefully if he is to get better. From now on, you may all freely enter and leave the emperor's personal quarters to care for him. Of course, the emperor's study is out of bounds, please refrain from going there.
born as the daughter of a noble's concubine, yilin knew that one day she too would follow her mother's footsteps and become a concubine herself. growing up, her mother had hoped her daughter could live a different life than her own, but life never really worked out that way. instead, she was taught to become the best companion she could be in the future, mastering the arts of weaving, embroidery, and some reading and writing. once she reached the suitable age to be married off, her father began prospecting a husband for yilin that could benefit his social status and family.
❛ — duke of raining arrows.
as the eldest son of the house, seungcheol is being bombarded by many responsibilities on an early age in preparation for his role as the next duke. his studies during the morning and weapons by the night. one day his father arranged his schedule with extensive martial arts training. he once asked his father about the sudden change, but the man only smiled and pat his head mentioning he would need it in the near future and he did. seungcheol is now bearing the weight of the house like a crown on his head. his father assassinated one night coming home from a meeting.
face claim: lee jiyeon aka wsjn bona
oc name: ying yue
role: prince's concubine
age: 24
password:
having born into one of the top aristocrat families of the era, she has been raised to obey, listen and speak only when she was asked to. education in those days were given to the sons more than daughters yet her father believed that every child deserved such as so the future could be held in these younglings. she was trained in arts and martial arts if ever one day, she might need to aid her future husband. despite that all, she could be quite a sympathetic person and playful by nature. the day came for when she was given to the palace as a prince's concubine as a sign of loyalty and power that if ever the palace needed help, ying yue's family would be at their beck and call which actually amassed thousands of soliders in where their clan resided in the one of the top three biggest cities aside from the capital.
faceclaim: yeon woo
oc name: yeon woo
role: princess consort
ic age: 25
Hailing from a noble family, yeon woo is the eldest daughter of a successful merchant, who has been supplying the royal family with their goods and wares for decades. On the outside, yeon woo could seem a little cold, much like a shrewd businesswoman. In her quarters, she's rather affectionate to those whom she's close to, even including some of her caretakers. The colour pink, persimmons and her specially imported horse are some of the things she likes the most. Absolutely dislikes bugs and carrots. Is also very skilled in archery and negotiations since she has been seeing how her merchant family clinch business deals since childhood. Of course, it was for the benefit of their business that ties were forged with the royal family.
❐ *•°╱ joshua hong
❐ *•°╱ zhīxiù
❐ *•°╱ duke
❐ *•°╱ 26
﹝ᴛᴡ : ual violence/assault﹞
❛ — the illegitimate child.
a woman being forced by a man to bear a child, zhīxiù was born as an unwelcomed son in the family household. he serves as the product of his father's devious plans of claiming the throne. any sign of joy or mirth that was supposed to be present in a child's dream have all been erased due to his father's strict regulations. his childhood consisted of a busy day to day schedule of etiquette, social interactions, and special defense training that were all required for the role he will be assigned to in the future. all the love and care he desired were just a mere dream that even till this day, he hoped to achieve.
faceclaim: han sohee
oc name: suran
role: princess consort
ic age: 28
suran is supposed to be a daughter born from the noble family, the epitome of beauty and elegance. the lady was brought up with a strict upbringing and it was said that her parents wanted to marry her to the prince in order to stabilize their power and status with more connections to the royal family. it was soon proven to be true when the king is getting ill and noble families started to send their children in for a piece of the pie, whatever it might be. a few days before suran was sent into the palace, there had been sayings regarding people seeing a woman looking like suran dressed like people from the slums, and some said that she had run away from home to escape the marriage. although the rumors subsided later, no one realized that the lady sent into the palace is a much resembled replacement, whose real name is no longer important when she will be the new suran. and of course, only her 'family' knows about the truth. with her life at stake on the hands of her new family, suran can only enter the palace, and this might as well be her last time seeing the sky outside the walls.
faceclaim: jung chaeyeon
oc name: (li, if it matters) meihua
role: princess consort
ic age: 24
meihua is the youngest of four children and the only daughter born to the emperor's most trusted general and his empress's former lady-in-waiting. this means that meihua and her older brothers grew up alongside the royal children, so it came at no surprise to anyone that their majesties would want to have their family joined in holy matrimony with that of their closest friends'. but while she had three older brothers who could have done so, meihua was the apple of her father's eye and he couldn't bear the thought of seeing her leave home to marry a noble outside of the safety of the castle walls, leading him to believe that his daughter's marriage to a prince would be his safest bet. in exchange for taking his daughter's hand in marriage, the general would plead his loyalty to the prince she married if he were ever to vie for the throne.