ep 1
The Grace of the Phoenix Clan
“𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙣, 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙤𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙭 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙣—𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚.”
The Phoenix Clan Sect was a vision carved from flame and gold. Crimson silks fluttered from soaring rooftops carved like phoenix wings. Twin phoenix statues guarded the jade steps, each feather sculpted with ancient craftsmanship. Incense trailed like mist, sweet and smoky, coiling through halls alive with music and celebration.
It was a day of great honor. A political alliance marriage—the union of the Phoenix Clan’s precious daughter, Jeon Jieun, to the immortal leader of the Jade Dragon Clan, Kim Taehyung.
The courtyards sparkled with lanterns shaped like blooming lotuses. Elegant nobles, famed cultivators, and sect leaders from twenty-three clans gathered in robes of silk and embroidery, fanning themselves beneath parasols and whispering about the marriage of the decade.
Inside the grand inner palace, the beauty of the Phoenix Clan bloomed in full.
Madam Jeon Ye Ji, seated on a dais of fire opal, wore a robe of venom-black silk, embroidered with silver flames. Her long black hair was pulled into a regal crown braid, and her poisonous whip rested curled at her waist like a sleeping viper. She watched everything with fierce, kohl-lined eyes, her sharp gaze enough to silence a crowd. The mere sway of her sleeve could command warriors or incinerate enemies.
Jeon Min Ho, the sect leader, stood with pride but a tightened jaw. His presence was stone: unshakable, cold, and dignified. Though calm outside, inside he braced for the ceremonial procession. The alliance with the Jade Dragon Clan could solidify decades of strength—or break their standing forever.
Jeon Ying, the eldest son and heir, walked among guests with respectful grace. Clad in deep red robes, hair bound with gold ribbon, he radiated nobility. His sharp eyes missed nothing, especially the whispers beginning to swirl as the bride's arrival delayed.
“They say she’s the most beautiful maiden in the realm. Why hasn’t she appeared?”
He clenched his jaw slightly, hiding his growing irritation. His mei mei, his little sister, was never one to be late. Something was wrong.
Inside the bridal chambers, the Phoenix maids rushed with red veils, bridal pins, perfume sachets—but the room was… empty.
Jeon Ye Ji entered, expecting to find her daughter adorned in phoenix gold. Instead, she froze.
The silk pillows had not been sat on. The candles had burned low. A single note, sealed with the Jeon family crest, lay on the mirror stand.
As her fingers trembled, she broke the seal and read it.
"Mother, Father… I’m sorry. I cannot marry for politics. I choose love. Please forgive me."
—Jieun
The letter slipped from Ye Ji’s hand. Her knees gave out. She collapsed onto the polished jade floor with a cry that startled the maids.
jeon yeji
“No... No, not today... not now…”
The music in the wedding hall played on.
Outside, Kim Taehyung, the immortal of jade and snow, waited with the patience of one who had meditated for centuries. He stood beneath the ceremonial arch, his robes layered in gold-threaded blue and white, face veiled with a dragon sigil.
Guests murmured louder. The tension shifted from awe to discomfort.
The Empty Chamber and the Last-Minute Decision
The wind stirred with unease over Phoenix Peak. Crimson silk banners fluttered above the golden-tiled roofs, casting long shadows across the courtyard. The air was thick with anticipation—but inside the Phoenix Pavilion, a different storm brewed.
Jeon Ye Ji stood frozen in front of her daughter’s empty bridal chamber. The heavy doors creaked behind her, still swinging slightly, revealing the emptiness inside. The wedding garments were gone. The bridal shoes were missing. The sweet scent of perfume lingered faintly—but the bride was not there.
Her trembling fingers clutched a folded piece of paper. She didn’t want to open it, but she already knew. Her instincts, sharper than any blade, told her something was wrong the moment she’d stepped into the room.
Slowly, she unfolded the note.
Her fingers trembled as she opened it.
“𝘔𝘶𝘲𝘪𝘯, 𝘍𝘶𝘲𝘪𝘯—𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘮-𝘨𝘦. 𝘋𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺… 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦. —𝘑𝘪𝘦𝘶𝘯.”
The paper fluttered from her fingers as she collapsed to the ground, robes pooling around her like blood.
She called her daughter's courtesy name, her voice cracking in disbelief
A maid stumbled in, panting. “Da-niang! The Zongzhu of Jade Dragon has already entered the ceremonial hall. The wedding rites are beginning.”
Ye Ji couldn’t speak. Her face had gone pale.
Footsteps thundered through the corridor.
the deep voice of Jeon Min Ho, her husband and the current Clan Lord.
jeon min ho
“Where is Jieun? She must come now—”
jeon yeji
“She’s gone,” she whispered.
jeon min ho
Min Ho froze mid-step. “What?”
jeon yeji
“She ran. With that wretched Kyline boy. Park Bogum.”
Min Ho’s fists clenched tightly at his sides.
A tense silence filled the room. Even the wind outside seemed to hold its breath
jeon yeji
“She left a note. Said not to find her.”
jeon min ho
Min Ho’s eyes darkened like thunderclouds. “This… this is betrayal.”
jeon min ho
“The guests are already murmuring. The Jade Dragon has arrived. If we humiliate him, Phoenix Clan will be destroyed.”
jeon yeji
Ye Ji clutched her head. “If Zongzhu Kim finds out the bride has fled… he won’t just cancel the alliance—he might raze the clan to ash.”
Min Ho’s mind raced. The flute music continued outside. The ceremonial hall was waiting.
jeon min ho
“We still have a way out,” Min Ho said coldly. “No one outside knows Jieun’s face. She was never once unveiled in public.”
jeon yeji
Ye Ji looked up in horror. “No. No—you can’t mean—!”
jeon min ho
Min Ho’s voice was steely. “Send for A-Jungkook.”
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