Chapter Text
The night sky over the Lavanter Kingdom was dark and stormy. Heavy rain hit the windows of the grand castle, but the loud thunder couldn’t hide the screams coming from the eastern wing.
In a royal bedroom, a beautiful woman named Hyuna was fighting for her life. She was one of King Hwang’s harem, and she was pregnant. Around her bed, the royal doctors were panicking. Their hands were covered in blood and sweat.
"Her heart is stopping!" one doctor yelled. "The poison is spreading too fast. We cannot save her!"
"Forget about the mother! Save the baby!" the head doctor commanded, his voice shaking. "If the king's child dies tonight, we will all lose our heads!"
Down the hall, Queen Yuna sat in her lavish chambers. She calmly sipped her warm tea, a cold smile on her face. Her three-year-old son, Prince Minsuk, was fast asleep in his crib nearby. Yuna looked at her young son with loving eyes. She had tried multiple times to get rid of the harem woman's baby. She could not risk a second prince being born. A second prince meant a rival for Minsuk's throne. Finally, her secret poison had worked.
Or so she thought.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing cry echoed through the quiet hallways. It was the cry of a newborn baby.
Queen Yuna dropped her teacup. It shattered into pieces on the floor. Her eyes widened in shock and anger. The baby survived?
Moments later, the doors of her chamber swung open. King Hwang walked in. His face was dark with anger, and his clothes were messy. In his arms, wrapped in a warm, clean blanket, was a crying baby.
"She is dead" King Hwang said, his voice dangerously low. "Hyuna is dead."
Queen Yuna stood up, trying to hide her panic. "My King, what a tragedy. The poor woman..."
"Do not lie to me, Yuna!" the King shouted, making baby Minsuk stir in his sleep. "I know it was you. I know about your trials to get rid of her and the baby. You poisoned her."
Yuna’s fake sadness vanished. Her face twisted with pure fury. "Yes! I did it! She was a nobody, a simple harem girl! I am your Queen! I could not let her give birth to a boy who might try to steal the throne from my Minsuk!"
She pointed a shaking finger at the small bundle in the King's arms. "Tell me. Is it a boy?"
King Hwang looked down at the beautiful, healthy baby boy. "Yes. He is a boy. My son."
Yuna screamed in frustration and lunged forward. "I will kill him! I will not let him live in this castle!"
Before she could reach the baby, King Hwang grabbed her arm tightly. His eyes were cold. "Listen to me very carefully, Yuna. Because you killed his mother, you will take care of him. You will act like his mother. And we will never, ever tell him that his real mother was a harem woman who died tonight."
Yuna laughed a crazy, bitter laugh. "You want me to raise the son of that bitch? Never! I will find a way to end him."
"If you do" King Hwang whispered, his voice deadly serious, "if you ever harm my son Hyunjin, I will execute you. And I will execute your precious son, Minsuk, right next to you."
Yuna froze. The color drained from her face. She looked at the crib where little Minsuk was sleeping peacefully. She knew the King was not joking. He was a ruthless ruler when he needed to be. Hyunjin wasn't even a real threat to Minsuk.
Minsuk was the older, the main heir from the Queen. But Yuna's jealousy and fear had blinded her.
Tears of anger formed in Yuna's eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her royal posture. "Fine. You win. I will raise him. I will not kill him."
King Hwang relaxed slightly, but Yuna held up her hand.
"However," Yuna continued, her voice was sharp "I have one condition. If I must raise him, he will never be a prince. He will live as a girl. He will dress like a girl, act like a girl, and be known to the world as a princess. If he thinks he is a girl, he will never dream of becoming a king in the future. He will never challenge Minsuk."
King Hwang stared at his wife. It was a cruel demand. To force a boy to live his entire life as a female just to satisfy a Queen's paranoia. But the King was tired. He wanted peace in his household, and he wanted his new son to live.
He looked down at the tiny baby, whose cries had finally turned into soft breathing.
"Agreed," King Hwang said softly. "He will be raised as a girl. To the kingdom, he will be Princess Hyuna, named after the mother he will never know."
Yuna smiled a dark, victorious smile. "Good. Then Princess Hyuna she shall be."
Eighteen Years Later...
The sun shone brightly over the grand Lavanter Kingdom. The castle was busy with maids and guards rushing around to prepare for the day.
In a beautiful, pink-decorated bedroom, an eighteen-year-old was staring at the mirror. He had long, beautiful black hair, soft facial features, and a slender body. He was wearing a stunning, heavy silk dress meant for a royal princess.
This was Hyunjin. But to the entire world, he was Princess Hyuna.
Hyunjin let out a heavy sigh, pulling at the tight corset of his dress. "I hate this" he whispered to himself. "I hate these dresses. I hate this hair."
"Princess, please stop moving, or I can't tie the ribbon" a gentle voice said.
Hyunjin looked back in the mirror at Yeji, his personal servant and best friend. She was the same age as him, and one of the very few people in the entire world who knew his true secret.
"Yeji, you know I hate being called that when we are alone" Hyunjin complained, turning around. "Why do I have to live like this? Why does my mother hate me so much? Every time I ask her why I have to be a girl, she just yells at me."
Yeji gave him a sad, sympathetic look. She finished tying the ribbon and gently patted his shoulder. "I know, Hyunjin. I know it is hard. But you must remember the rules. Only the King, the Queen, Crown Prince Minsuk, the head maid, and I know the truth. If anyone else finds out..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the bedroom doors burst open.
"Little sister!" a cheerful voice shouted.
Hyunjin’s annoyed face instantly turned into a bright smile. Standing in the doorway was Crown Prince Minsuk. He was twenty-one now, tall, strong, and wearing his royal military uniform. Even though Queen Yuna constantly warned Minsuk to stay away from Hyunjin, Minsuk never listened. He loved his little sibling dearly.
"Minsuk!" Hyunjin said, running over to hug his older brother.
Minsuk laughed and hugged him back tightly. "How is my favorite sibling doing today?" Minsuk pulled away and looked at Hyunjin's dress, giving a small, knowing smirk. "Still hating the wardrobe, I see."
"You have no idea" Hyunjin groaned. "Can we please go ride horses today? I need to get out of this room."
Minsuk's smile faded slightly, and he looked nervously at the door. "Actually, Hyunjin... that is why I came to get you. Father has called for a sudden family meeting in the throne room."
"A meeting?" Hyunjin asked, confused. "About what?"
Minsuk sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's about the war with the Christark Kingdom. The council has made a decision"