Since I was 4 months old, I’ve lived among these golden polished walls. The safety and secureness of a grand palace, ruled and owned by Koreas one and only king.

My name is Areum. I have been his ward for almost 18 years now, almost. Yes, the kings ward, the daughter who is unrelated by blood, but supposedly related by heart. He chose me, out of all the orphaned baby girls, chose to raise me: but that never really happened.

Servants raised me, I am nothing but a prized possession, something to show off to the council, or the country, to remind them how loving and caring their king is.

Growing up, I was very lonely, until one of the kings trusted knights brought his son, Jin, to live in the castle. Jin and I became the best of friends, on my tenth birthday, he even confessed to me.
Yet, that was his and his father’s demise.

The king threatened his trusted knight with high treason, as he assumed his son may have been trying to weasel his way into the ranks, and inevitably try to steal the throne.

Of course, I did all the begging I possibly could, all the crying and tantrums, but nothing worked. I didn’t really understand, but Jin told me that my father was going to murder his.

3 days after my tenth birthday, a man was killed in my name, and a young boy was sent far away and locked up, to ensure he never crossed my path again.

After this atrocity, as the king called it, he sent for his one and only son to be returned to the castle, as he felt it was time for him to come back after being hidden away for 13 years.

Little did I know he expected me to marry his monstrous prince, Kim Nam Joon.