jester psh ;;

“i have a heart to love you, but not the crown to keep you.”

loyal, not royal.

sunghoon is the royal jester, though his solemn royal decree from the king is simple: entertain the princess, and the princess alone. at first, it is just tumbling, silly jests, and exaggerated plays meant to chase away the perpetual loneliness clinging to your shoulders. you laugh because he is genuinely funny, but soon, the laughter softens into something warmer, something dangerous.

you start demanding more. you summon him at all hours, asking for private shows, for poems recited in secret corners of the library, for dances under the moonlight where the bells on his cap are the only music. sunghoon obeys every whim, pushing past exhaustion just to see the curve of a smile touch your lips. to him, every performance is a gift, and every smile you give him is a treasure he keeps guarded in his chest. he loves you, with all the desperation of a man who knows he is reaching for the stars.

and you love him back.

but the crown does not bend for jesters. while sunghoon dances for your affection in the shadows, the king has already signed the parchment in the light. you are betrothed to a foreign prince, a match forged in political stone, and the wedding date looms closer with every passing day.

the reality of your worlds comes crashing down. no matter how loudly your hearts beat for one another, a princess belongs to the throne, and a jester belongs to the floor.