"Mm, if I remember my history correctly, the girls made legend for their beauty often led short, brutal lives at the hands of those who wished to possess them," Mingyu commented softly, though the compliment still warmed him. He could feel Lee Chang's longing for him in it, expressing that want and attraction in a way that was familiar to the prince.

"...I suppose that would be fitting enough," he went on, brushing stray hair from Lee Chang's eyes, caressing a hand over the man's chest to rest his palm there, feeling the beat of his heart.

"I don't think I'd have minded, being yours," he added, then paused, glancing around the room with a quiet, humorless laugh. "...you know I'm not— I wasn't always like this, right?"