phew

when i first wrote and posted this on ao3, it was about 24k words across 4 volumes and 26 chapters.

i'm really happy to have refined it here on aff into 43k words across 5 volumes and 16 chapters.
this is a first for me to write at this length.

i have a strong attachment to this project and i want to thank everyone who finished reading from start till end.

i already had the idea of doing a story that is loosely inspired by romance of the three kingdoms ever since i started writing on wattpad.

although the story is based in ancient korea, i have mixed in some elements from ancient china as well.
y'know, ancient warring kind of situation; the formality in the choice of words and actions while not forgetting the feeling of yearning between people who are separated and can't communicate immediately. then at the same time i was attempting to dab into omegaverse and henceforth, this (self-defined) crazy crossover was greedily formed.

i had the entire plot sketched out almost immediately as they key scenes started to run in my mind. obviously the main four female characters were already assigned their roles before i started to inject other characters into the story.

the janggi chess board scene in volume 4 was already in my mind since the inception of this story and that is why it was introduced in volume 2.
same logic goes for the golden trumpet flower.

i would like to also address the alpha and omega scents -

moonbyul smells like copper because of her choice of weapon: dragon crescent blade (which is actually what warrior guan-yu used in romance of the three kingdoms.)
yongsun has an unique woody and floral smell because of the paulownia wood used to make her gayageum musical instrument.
so moonsun's scents are pretty much from the thing that they touch often since growing up.

i deliberately chose a different course for wheesa as contrast.

i simply had a feeling that wheein would smell like makgeolli - sour / musky yet sweet. it just suits her personality here. a warrior, a painter and a big lover.
hyejin smells like magnolia (aside from it being wheein's favorite flower in real life.) - sweet and citrusy, yet with a tinge of spice. it aligns with the tenacity beneath her sweet demeanor as her mind came up with the idea to use the poisonous flower.

plot-wise, everything really started with the unfairness of love and war.

imagine how yongsun would have felt if she found out her second brother, whom she exchanged herself for, returned into the kim kingdom without a leg. would she still be so kind to look past the unfairness of the forced marriage and accept the moon family?
would hyejin still have aided her alpha into winning the war if she has volunteered to marry into the moon kingdom?

as i started to write the story in detail, the sequence of some events just flowed differently naturally and i was satisfied with it since everything turned out better than what i envisioned.
i also spent some time to read up about the traditional matrimony ceremony processes and fine-tuned to suit my omegaverse.
this is why in volume 1 i didn't focus too much about the characters' personalities, yet.

i purposely split the character development arc of the pairings into different volumes as i personally find it neater this way to read and also, i had planned quite a bit of content.

then like the first volume, the four main characters will regroup in the final volume for me to conclude the story.
while i'm not sure if i have written everything as coherently as i intended to, i certainly still hope the readers can interpret the story with ease and some creativity.

like many of my other projects, i really enjoy having parallels, divergence and forewarning in my storytelling.
yes, word-plays as well.

• all is unfair in love and war •
• the way to an omega's heart is through her stomach •
• beauty is in the eye of the beloved alpha •

the above were named intentionally.

i hope whoever read my stories would also appreciate my writing style.

before i end, i just want to do a shout-out to the music video of [chico malo] by mamamoo+ which has acted as a major inspiration for me to start this project.

tale a better one next time,

omyohae417