The day began with smoke. Not from fire, but from incense sticks that curled through every doorway in Daseong. The village square was swept clean, and fresh petals lined the steps of the temple. The air smelled of polished wood and crushed blossoms.
I stood before the mirror, my reflection almost unfamiliar. My mother had braided my hair into a crown, tucking a single wildflower behind my ear. My robe was simple, a faded pink linen we had borrowed from one herbalist's daughter, but it clung to me with a dignity I didn't feel.
"You look like a noble's daughter," my mother said softly, adjusting the collar.
I smiled faintly. "Only until I open my mouth."
She chuckled but didn't meet my eyes.
The gong rang twice before noon. The scouts had arrived.
Lady Hyerin disembarked first, flanked by two assistants in gray silk. Behind her, four scouts, each tall and solemn, stood like stone pillars as they surveyed the crowd. Their black horses stood at attention, hooves scraped clean and coats gleaming. The village headman approached with a deep bow.
"Honorable Lady, we present Daseong's finest."
Lady Hyerin raised a thin brow and swept her gaze across us. "We shall see."
The inspection began.
It wasn't peaceful. It was invasive.
Girls were prodded, turned, questioned, and inspected like livestock. One girl fainted when asked to walk; another cried when a scout criticised her posture. No one was spared.
They walked between us like judges at a silent tribunal. One attendant carried a scroll. Another carried ink. Every so often, a name was quietly spoken and written down. When they passed me the first time, I dared to breathe.
But they doubled back.
"You," said a scout. "Step forward."
My feet moved, but my stomach dropped.
Lady Hyerin examined me slowly. Her gaze was sharp, weighing. "Your name?"
"Yeonhwa. Daughter of Min Dohan the potter."
She nodded to the attendant, who wrote something on the scroll.
"Do you read?"
"Yes, Lady."
"Sing?"
"A little."
"Dance?"
"Not well."
"Truthfully spoken."
She stepped closer, lifting my chin gently with one gloved finger. "You are calm under pressure. That pleases me."
"Thank you, Lady."
"She's the one," the scout beside her murmured.
"No," Lady Hyerin replied. "Not yet. Let us see her move."
I was instructed to walk across the square, turn, and return.
Every step felt like I was moving through fog. My limbs weren't mine, but something borrowed. But I kept my spine straight and my gaze level.
When I returned, Lady Hyerin nodded.
"The palace requires more than beauty," she said aloud. "It requires obedience, discipline, and silence. Can you be silent, Yeonhwa?"
I hesitated.
"Yes, Lady. But only when silence is just."
Her lips twitched. Then she laughed. "Fiery. I like her."
She turned to her assistant. "Mark her. She's the one."
Gasps rang out. A few girls turned to look. My mother's hand flew to her mouth. My father stepped forward instinctively, but two scouts moved between him and Lady Hyerin.
"No," I said, suddenly. My voice trembled. "No. I don't accept."
Lady Hyerin's eyes snapped back to me. "You refuse?"
"I can't leave my family," I said, panic surging. "I'm not ready. I never wanted…"
"You were not asked what you wanted," she said coldly. "This is not a choice. This is duty."
"I won't go."
The scouts advanced.
"Touch me, and I will scream," I warned, trembling.
"Then scream," Lady Hyerin said simply. "And the entire village will suffer."
I froze.
"You think you're special? That you matter more than the king's will?" Her voice was silk with steel beneath. "You were chosen because your face matches his taste. If you refuse, we return to the capital with insult. Do you know what happens to villages that insult the crown?"
My parents were quiet. Silent. My mother's face was pale, but she gripped my father's hand tightly.
Lady Hyerin softened slightly. "You will be compensated. Your family will receive thirty silver coins today, and three every moon henceforth. Your father's pottery will be protected. His taxes halved."
An assistant stepped forward with a velvet pouch and a royal seal.
"This is blood money," I whispered.
"No," my father said, voice quiet. "This is survival."
I looked at him, betrayed. "You would sell me?"
"I would protect you. This is the only way I know how."
Tears blurred my vision.
Lady Hyerin gestured. "Pack her things."
"No," I whispered, backing away.
Two scouts grabbed my arms. I thrashed.
"Let me go!"
"Do not disgrace your family," one hissed in my ear.
My mother moved forward, arms outstretched. "Please…she's just frightened…let me speak to her…"
But it was too late.
They dragged me from the square as the villagers watched, too afraid to speak.
I kicked once, catching a scout's shin. He cursed. I didn't care.
The last thing I saw was my mother's tear-streaked face disappearing behind the heads of the crowd.
"Take her to the carriage," Lady Hyerin said calmly. "She'll adjust."
The sky spun above me as I was forced into the red-curtained palanquin. Inside, it smelled of silk and crushed jasmine.
I couldn't stop shaking.
As the doors closed, a single thought echoed in my head:
What have I just been taken into?