Prince Seonghyeon was beloved throughout the kingdom—so deeply that wherever he walked, heads bowed like ripened wheat in a gentle breeze. The people pressed small treasures into his hands—warm loaves of bread, woven charms, polished trinkets—not because he required them, but because giving was their language of devotion. His every wish was met before it had fully formed upon his lips.

Yet it was not indulgence that defined him. From time to time, he would leave behind the silk-draped halls of the palace and travel to the villages scattered like pearls beyond the capital’s gates. He walked their earthen roads with unguarded sincerity, asking after harvests, peering into humble homes, ensuring no child went cold and no elder went unheard. It was this habit—this earnest tending to his people—that earned him the title spoken with fond smiles: the kingdom’s tender-hearted crown prince.

On one such morning, fate seemed to tug quietly at his sleeve, urging him toward the nearby village of Deonsa. With a light, determined step, he descended from his carriage, boots touching the dust-kissed ground. Though he had visited many times before, his gaze wandered with fresh curiosity, as if the world insisted on showing him something new.

Villagers gathered swiftly, laughter and warm greetings rising like birdsong around him. He answered each with kindness, offering nods and soft words. And then—amid the brightness—he noticed her.

A girl stood apart from the throng. She appeared near his age, her presence still at the edge of celebration—like an abandoned kitten left in the corner of a sunlit room. While others leaned forward with eager smiles, she remained withdrawn, as though unsure she belonged in the warmth of the moment.

The prince felt something shift within him. With gentle apologies and careful steps, he moved through the crowd until he stood before her. For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hush.

"Greetings," he said, curiosity glimmering in his warm brown eyes as he tilted his head slightly. "Forgive my boldness, but… why do you seem so apart from the rest?" His voice carried no accusation—only wonder.

And perhaps, in that quiet space between question and answer, something unseen began to stir—an encounter small enough to be overlooked by history, yet powerful enough to bend the course of a prince’s life toward a destiny neither of them could yet imagine.