Chaeyoung adjusted the gold-and-burgundy patterned mask that framed the top portion of her face, the glimmering colours perfectly matching her extravagant dress. Half of her hair had been braided into an intricate updo that was secured with embellished golden pins, while the other half hung like a black waterfall straight down to her lower back. Heavy crystal earrings hung from her ears, starkly contrasting with her dark hair and catching the light with every miniscule movement to shine blindingly. Her makeup had been professionally completed by Irene herself, with dark shadowing lining her eyes dramatically and bold red lipstick accentuating her full lips.

She tugged the neckline of the black silk dress up in a futile attempt to cover her exposed cleavage and collarbones, but the cloth immediately slid back into its former position. With a defeated sigh, she spritzed one dose of her personal rose and lavender perfume on her wrist and prepared to join the other ladies in the waiting room at the back of the brothel.

Her uncomfortably high shoes clicked against the sleek mahogany floor as she grabbed a handful of her black silk skirt and focused on maintaining her balance. The sound of chatter and laughter echoed throughout the entire building, quickly drowning out the sound of her shoes as she tried to stealthily make her way towards the other performers.

There were a total of 9 of them, including Irene, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Chaeyoung, which was slightly alarming considering Irene had over 20 female employees at the beginning of the year. The mystery of her courtesans’ disappearance was an unsolved, ongoing dispute that Mingyu’s government had no intention of solving. As a result, Chaeyoung could not help but feel a sense of responsibility in the matter.

For a man like Mingyu, the disappearance of a few woman may have seemed like a negligible loss, but to Chaeyoung it was a tragedy that deserved the utmost attention. Thus, she had made an internal vow to herself to help solve this issue as soon as her royal powers were reinstated.

Chaeyoung stepped into the packed waiting room that wreaked of a dozen clashing perfumes intermingling into one headache-invoking scent. Despite everyone’s risqué clothing and heavy makeup, she was impressed to see how polished and attractive each one of the courtesans looked.

Each of the ladies had been dressed in different colours to differentiate between them. Chaeyoung wore a long-sleeved black and red embellished dress with a deep neckline. On Lisa was a lilac-purple dress that cinched in at her waist and had a side slit that showcased her long legs. Jennie had donned a vibrant red off-the-shoulder dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Jisoo was wearing a teal-coloured strapless silk dress that provided a clear glimpse of her chest and porcelain-pale arms.

A few months ago, Chaeyoung would have been astounded to be dressed in such provocative clothing, but at this point in her life, her appearance had become the very least of her worries. The ensuing war and a certain tall, dark, and handsome warrior had stolen far too much of her mind for her to fuss about her dresses. She has there to complete a task and was willing to do whatever it took to ensure it was done properly.

“Well I must say,” Irene commented as she stood at the entrance and scanned all her ladies from head-to-toe, “I have outdone myself this year, all of you look stunning. Now, go out there and make me proud!”

She nudged them out the door one-by-one as the musicians began to play the entrance music. Chaeyoung was the last to exit, releasing a quick breath before lifting her skirt again. Before she could make it out the door, however, Irene held her wrist gently to stop her.

“Hey,” she said softly, causing Chaeyoung to turn around in confusion, “thank you for doing this. I know it was not the easiest or most proper request to make of royalty, but I hope you understand my predicament.”

Chaeyoung smiled warmly, placing a gentle hand on Irene’s slim fingers, “of course I understand. And we will find your girls. You have my word.”

“You will make a marvelous queen one day,” she replied with only a hint of a grin, “and a wonderful wife too.”

“I don’t know about that,” Chaeyoung scoffed, unable to keep the shock off her face at such a statement.

She only smiled at the princess in response, a hint of mischief in her eyes, as if she knew something Chaeyoung didn’t.

“Taehyung is a lucky man.”

“No, it’s really not what you think, I mean we can’t –”

Before she could finish her thought, Irene had already pushed her out the door and towards the brothel entrance. Her conversation with Irene had caused her to arrive late, meaning she needed to make her grand entrance alone. All eyes suddenly shifted to her as she stood in front of the large, open golden doors. Some stared at her with pure lust, others in admiration, and the rest in stunned silence.

But there was one person who looked at her with something far deeper than any of those empty emotions.

As she slowly walked through the room, everyone stepped back to clear a path for her towards the stage. Chaeyoung kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, her shoulders rolled back confidently and her expression calm. She had no trouble maintaining her poise, until she saw Taehyung. In such a large, masked crowd, her eyes had found and landed on him almost too naturally – as if her soul possessed an internal radar for his.

He stood at the very front of the stage in an all black, silk hanbok with dark grey details that hugged his broad shoulders and lean body in all the right places. His glittering silver mask hid none of his perfect face, the smooth, intricate edges of it only accentuating his sharp features and giving his beauty a more ethereal aura.

When she first entered, he had been conversing with Seokjin, Yoongi, Namjoon, Jimin and Taeyong, a glass of blood-red wine held gingerly in his large hands. But, as soon as she began walking forward, he had glanced up and placed the glass down instantly, as if he could focus on nothing but her in that moment.

His eyes met hers with an intensity that caused her breath to hitch. As their gazes locked, his expression began to rapidly fill with so many different emotions that both overwhelmed and excited her the closer each step brought her to him. And when his eyes travelled down to appreciate the rest of her body, she did not feel degraded or cheap. Because instead of looking at her like she was a piece of meat the same way all the other men in the room stared at her, his gaze made her feel like she was the most precious jewel he had ever laid eyes on. A treasure he could only appreciate from afar and never steal for himself.

Suddenly, it was as if everyone else had faded away and they were the only two people in the room. Chaeyoung walking towards him in her extravagant dress and luxurious accessories as Taehyung with his perfect stature as he watched her absolutely enchanted.

She slowed her pace ever so slightly as she approached him, wishing for time to slow so she could remain lost in his eyes forever, but the loud bonging of a drum finally snapped her out of it.

Finally tearing her gaze away, she realized the other girls had already gotten into formation and the performance was about to begin. Quickly, she began to rush towards the stage, her shoes clicking loudly against the polished floor. Taehyung had not given her nearly as much space to pass by as everyone else had, so when she did brush past him, their arms grazed each other ever so slightly.

Chaeyoung continued to push forward, too distracted to notice that her crystal bangle had caught on his simple beaded bracelet. It wasn’t until she had taken a few steps that she realized her arm was not accompanying the rest of her body. She came to an abrupt halt and turned to glance over her shoulder at their intertwined bracelets, her eyes widening in surprise.

With one quick tug of his wrist, Taehyung pulled her backwards so that she was standing in front of him. He didn’t look up at her or say anything, but Chaeyoung thought she saw the ghost of a smile flash across his features before he bent his head down to untangle their bracelets. He was leaning so close that she could feel his soft breath against the exposed skin of her neck. She lowered her gaze shyly, her face practically buried in his shoulder, as the rest of the room watched them in fascination.

It only took him a few seconds to free their wrists, but just before they tried to pull apart, her long chandelier earring caught in the chain of the jade pendant his mother had given him. She inhaled sharply in discomfort when he tried to take a step back and almost ripped her earlobe off in the process. His eyes widened in surprise as he glanced down at his entangled necklace and then finally spared her a concerned glance too. She instinctively drew closer to him, trying to minimize her discomfort as his fingers began to gently separate the jewels of her earring from his necklace. Their cheeks gently brushed as she leaned forward to make the task easier for him, the sensation of his warm soft skin sending shivers down her spine.