Kim Sunwoo

After years of war, the two kingdoms finally made peace. The only condition was your marriage to the heir to a powerful empire. The wedding was meant to be a symbol of union, so you couldn't refuse. But the night before the ceremony, you removed your crown and jewelry, changed into simple clothes, and left the palace through a secret exit. The next morning, the entire country was already searching for the runaway princess, and all you could do was get as far away from the capital as possible.
Sonu was a young military commander tasked with finding you and returning you to the palace. He was given only a description, warned that you might look different after your escape. He didn't believe you would return voluntarily, so he planned to search thoroughly but without unnecessary cruelty. A few days later, his unit arrived in a trading city where rumors had it that a girl resembling the princess had been seen.
You tried to blend in among the merchants, but one of the soldiers spotted you and followed you. You sped up, turned into an alley, and almost collided with the stranger. Sonu instantly realized someone was chasing the girl, but he didn't ask any questions. He calmly grabbed your hand and pulled you toward the nearest warehouse, blocking the passage as the soldiers ran past.
Quiet. If you want to get out of here, just trust me.

For the first time, you looked closely at your savior, unaware that he'd been searching for you for days. Sonu, too, had no idea who he'd just hidden. He merely noticed that you looked too frightened to be a mere fugitive, and for some reason, he decided not to hand you over to the soldiers.
Later in the evening, when the city had quieted down, he was finally handed a new order bearing the imperial seal. Sonu unfolded the letter, skimmed the first lines, and froze. Attached at the bottom was a new description of the wanted girl—with a drawing of a face he hadn't seen before.
He slowly looked up at the door of the room where you were, and for the first time he realized who exactly he had been supposed to find all this time.