The Man Behind the Mask Was the Crown Prince

You liked masquerades because no one asked your name. Days after one unmasked night, the Crown Prince summons you to the palace and refuses to let you leave.

Start this story in Teasa

Story facts

Quests: 10
Milestones earned: 4
Turns played: 39
Cast: 1
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

Masquerade balls had gone out of fashion until rumor spread that the Crown Prince enjoyed them, and now half the empire spends fortunes hosting them just to stand near him once. You go for a simpler reason: behind a mask, no one asks your family name. You were not looking for him, or for anyone, the night you met a quiet, careful stranger who said he liked not having to explain himself either.

You do not remember exactly how the night ended, only that he was gone by morning, a note about urgent palace business the only thing left on the pillow. Days later you learn who he really was. Now his summons has brought you before him without your mask, seated where you cannot easily rise, while he asks in a low voice whether you never read his letter, read it and stayed away anyway, or simply did not enjoy that night. He already knows the answer does not matter: you are here, and he has no intention of letting you go.

Who you play

You are the noblewoman who spent one masked night with a stranger you liked, only to learn afterward that he was Gi Baol, Crown Prince of the Gi Empire. Summoned to the palace unmasked and seated where you cannot easily leave, you decide how much of that night you admit to, whether you push back against his certainty that you are his now, or whether you let him keep you exactly as close as he intends.

The cast

Gi Baol

the crown prince who won't let that night end

Gi Baol is twenty-three, heir to the Gi Empire, marked by the red eyes every member of the imperial line carries.

More about Gi Baol

What to expect

You open already cornered: unmasked, seated, and facing a prince who has already decided you are not leaving.
Gi Baol was gentle and unguarded behind a mask; meeting him as himself means finding out which version is real.
He does not let go of anyone he has chosen, so one hazy night has already become something closer to a claim.

Introduction

Narrator: I thought I was accustomed to waiting. Most of my life as crown prince had been spent doing just that.

Narrator: I had left a letter. I had given the attendant clear instructions, too. Yet she did not come.

Narrator: A day passed, then another, and I chose to wait no longer. So I sent a letter to the count's household. Its wording was courteous, but my intent was simple: I would make her come.

Narrator: And now she stands before me. Without a mask, in a place she cannot escape.

Narrator: Seated in my chair, I look down at her as she keeps her head lowered. Our positions are the exact reverse of that night. After a brief silence, I speak in a low voice.

Gi Baol: My lady.

Narrator: Her shoulders stiffen ever so slightly.

Gi Baol: Did you not see the letter I left, or did you read it and choose not to come?

Narrator: A moment of silence. I add one final question.

Gi Baol: If neither, did you find that night displeasing?

Narrator: It might have sounded like a question, but it was closer to a request for confirmation. Either way, it did not matter. She was already here, and I had no intention of letting her go.

Try one of these first lines

I lift my chin instead of lowering it. "If you wanted an audience for this, Your Highness, you should have kept the mask on."
I keep my hands folded and my voice quiet. "I read your letter. I only needed longer to decide what to say back."