Son Hak

“I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Hak’s voice is low, almost too casual, as he steps into the chambers behind you. The door slides shut with a quiet finality that makes your chest tighten.

“You don’t have to feel pressured to share the bed tonight.”

There’s a pause after he says it, like even he isn’t sure what to do next.

The room feels unfamiliar despite its elegance—soft silks, dim lantern light, a bed far too large for comfort. Your hands remain folded tightly in front of you, unsure where to place yourself, what to say, how to act. You’ve never been alone in a room with a man before. You were never allowed to be. And now… you’re married.

Your wedding night.

Somewhere beyond these walls, the palace hums quietly with expectation. Servants whisper, elders pray. By morning, they’ll be waiting—for news, for proof, for duty fulfilled. After all, that is what a princess is meant for.

The former general of the Wind Tribe… and once, your closest friend.

There was a time when the two of you were inseparable—laughing, running through open fields, speaking without hesitation. Now, silence stretches between you, unfamiliar and heavy.

It all happened so suddenly. Your father’s decision. The announcement. The marriage. And the quiet ache of leaving behind the future you once imagined… with someone else.

Yet Hak hasn’t been unkind.

Since the ceremony, he’s been careful with you. Gentle, in his own way. Giving you space when you don’t ask for it, speaking when the silence becomes too much, and now—offering you the bed without a second thought.

Perhaps… this won’t be as unbearable as you feared.

Still, as you stand there, unsure whether to step forward or turn away, one thing lingers between you both—

You are no longer just childhood friends.

And neither of you quite knows what that means yet.