Sisters in the Royal Court
Copyright© 2026 by Megumi Kashuahara
Chapter 21: The Proposal
Historical Sex Story: Chapter 21: The Proposal - A story of two sisters who both became consorts to the same Joseon prince, both elevated beyond their station, both genuinely loved by a man who chose them for who they were. One brilliant and brief. One quiet and enduring. Both essential to the tapestry of a family built from loss.
Caution: This Historical Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Romantic Oriental Male Oriental Female
Six weeks after Jiwon’s death - Late 1490
Jisoo was in the servants’ quarters, mending clothing with mechanical precision, when the summons came.
“Prince Yi Hyeon requests your presence in his study.”
Her hands stilled on the fabric. She hadn’t seen the prince since the funeral—hadn’t even glimpsed him from a distance. He’d retreated to his quarters and hadn’t emerged, and she’d assumed he wanted to be left alone with his grief.
What could he possibly want with her now?
“I’ll come immediately,” she said quietly.
The Study
Hyeon looked better than she’d expected.
Not good—his face was still gaunt, his eyes still hollow with grief. But he’d bathed, dressed in clean robes, made himself presentable. He was functioning, at least on the surface, which was more than she’d heard he’d been doing.
“Your Highness.” She bowed low. “You summoned me?”
“Jisoo. Thank you for coming.” His voice was rough, as if from disuse. “Please, sit.”
She sat, confused and nervous. Princes didn’t invite servants to sit. Something unusual was happening.
“I owe you an apology,” Hyeon said without preamble. “Your sister asked me to watch over you, to take care of you. And I’ve done nothing. I’ve been so consumed by my own grief that I forgot my promise to her.”
“Your Highness, you don’t need to apologize. You lost your wife. Your grief is—”
“No greater than yours. You lost your sister. Your only family.” He leaned forward, his expression intense. “Jiwon worried about you. In her final days, she made me promise to protect you. And I’ve failed that promise spectacularly.”
Jisoo’s throat tightened. “She worried about everyone, Your Highness. That was her nature.”
“But especially you. She loved you, Jisoo. And she wanted to make sure you were cared for after she was gone.”
Tears pricked Jisoo’s eyes. “I miss her so much.”
“So do I.” His voice broke slightly. “Every moment. Every breath. The pain doesn’t lessen—I just get better at carrying it.”
They sat in shared grief for a moment, two people who had loved the same woman and were now left behind without her.
“I’ve been thinking,” Hyeon said finally, “about how to honor Jiwon’s memory. About how to fulfill the promise I made to her. And I have a proposal.”
“A proposal, Your Highness?”
“I want to take you as my consort.”
The words hung in the air, incomprehensible.
Jisoo stared at him, certain she’d misheard. “I ... what?”
“I want to make you my consort. Elevate you from servant to royal household member. Give you the protection and security that comes with that position.”
“Your Highness, I don’t understand. Why would you—”
“Because you’re vulnerable as a servant. You have no family to protect you, no status to shield you. If something happened to you—if you fell ill like Jiwon did, or if someone mistreated you—who would care? Who would ensure you were taken care of?”
“I can take care of myself, Your Highness.”
“Can you?” His gaze was penetrating. “I’ve heard reports, Jisoo. You’re barely eating. Barely sleeping. Going through the motions of living but not actually living. Sound familiar?”
She flushed, caught.
“We’re both drowning,” Hyeon said quietly. “Both lost without her. But if we help each other—if we give each other a reason to keep going—maybe we can survive this.”
“But Your Highness, marriage should be about love, and I know you don’t—”
“I will never love anyone the way I loved Jiwon,” he said bluntly. “That kind of love ... it only happens once in a lifetime. But this wouldn’t be about replacing her. It would be about honoring her. Taking care of the sister she loved. Fulfilling the promise I made.”
Jisoo’s mind reeled. This was insane. Impossible. She was nobody—an ordinary palace maid, living in her sister’s shadow even in death.
“People will say I’m trying to replace her. That I’m using you to—to pretend I have her back.”
“Let them say it. People will gossip regardless.” He leaned forward. “But we’ll know the truth. This is about protection. About giving both of us a purpose when everything feels meaningless.”
“What kind of purpose?”
“Taking care of each other. Building something from the ruins of our grief.” His voice was earnest, almost pleading. “I can’t do this alone, Jisoo. The grief is too vast. But if I have someone who understands, who loved her too, who can share the weight—maybe I can survive it.”
“And what would you give me in return, Your Highness? Besides status and protection?”
He was quiet for a moment, then said honestly, “Companionship. Someone who understands your loss. A life where you’re not invisible, not ordinary, not living in anyone’s shadow. A chance to matter.”
The words struck something deep in Jisoo’s chest.
A chance to matter.
That’s all she’d ever wanted. To be seen. To be valued. To step out of Jiwon’s shadow and be someone in her own right.
But this felt wrong. Like taking something that belonged to her sister. Like trying to fill shoes that were too big, too brilliant, too perfect for someone as ordinary as her.
“I’m not her, Your Highness. I’ll never be her.”
“I know. I’m not asking you to be.” His voice was gentle now. “I’m asking you to be yourself. To let me protect you the way Jiwon wanted. To give us both a reason to keep living when everything feels dark.”
“Do you think this is what she would want? For you to marry me?”
Hyeon was quiet, considering. “I think she would want you safe and cared for. And I think she would want me to find a way to keep living instead of fading away in grief. This accomplishes both.”
Jisoo’s hands twisted in her lap. “This is so much to consider, Your Highness. I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything yet. Think about it. Take time.” He stood, and she quickly rose as well. “But Jisoo—understand that I’m serious about this. And that whatever you decide, I will make sure you’re protected. That’s not contingent on you accepting my proposal.”
“Why, Your Highness? Why go to such lengths for me?”
“Because you’re her sister. Because she loved you. And because taking care of you feels like the only way I can still take care of her.” His eyes were bright with unshed tears. “Please. Just think about it.”
The Deliberation
Jisoo returned to the servants’ quarters in a daze.
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