It was a busy evening in Seoul, as was expected on a prince's birthday. There were merchants with royal memorabilia lining all the sidewalks around the Palace. All day, there had been people taking pictures with the royal gates and guards, leaving flowers to show that they had come to pay homage to their next king. 

I was usually content to drink my coffee in the small shop across the street from the Palace, a place that had enough shade to keep me from overheating in the late autumn Seoul sun. The air was thick with humidity, but that wasn't going to mean I would stray from my usual black.

I had never worn another color, and I had no plans to. In my line of work, it was impractical to wear anything else.

That couldn't be said for the young women that danced around the palace, wearing frilly white pieces that would no doubt match one of the princes if they walked by in their princely attire. It was custom for them to wear white until marriage, which none of the current princes had done.

My mind drifted to that one prince who had almost married, about fifty years ago. He had almost exchanged vows with another half-vampire, one from northern Russia. She had been beautiful. Their love had been painfully pure. The aftermath had been tragic, and Edgar and I had not spoken about his almost bride since the day she died.

I doubted our relationship would ever be the same. Even though I had known Edgar the longest, he was the oldest of the seven princes after all, he was the only one who'd experienced me taking away a loved one. He was the only one who understood what it was really like to lose someone, to see Death drag a soul to the Underworld.

"A won for your thoughts?" Sooyoung asked, setting down a tray with two steaming americanos and an assortment of cookies. I took one of the mugs and a perfect pistachio macaroon.

I closed my eyes and relished the sweet yet subtle filling. This cafe has been on this street for almost four decades, and I've been a patron since the very first day. It's been a couple of months since I was last able to visit, I was working more than usual and haven't been able to hang around Seoul. Macaroons just aren't the same when one is eating them next to a human soul terrified of what the Underworld has in store for them.

It was really over done, the fear. I actually preferred it in the Underworld some days, especially on days like today when it was too sunny for someone who liked to wear black. My sister shifted her chair so she too could sit out of the sun.

Even though Sooyoung was my only younger sister, most wouldn't be able to tell we were related. For one thing, she recently bleached her hair so that it was in a short platinum bob, and she has bright blue eyeshadow and pink blush that give her elements of color that I'm pretty sure I've never had on in my life. Her white dress, frilly at the sleeve edges and with frilly shoulder pads, were similar to the dress of every other woman walking up and down in front of the palace.

"Where did you get your fashion sense again?" I asked, chasing the pistachio macaroon with a sip of americano. It's delightfully bitter and smells of the promise of enough caffeine to get through the day.

"Rude. Why can't you just say I look nice?" She pouted at me, looking towards the palace looking a little more than jokingly peeved.

"Sorry, I've been hanging out with the demons too much," which was partially true. Working more meant that it'd been awhile since I'd been around humans, which my sister was more like since she'd been raised in Seoul rather than back home. "You look pretty. Is that a new dress?"

"Yes! I made it." Her face lit up as she talked about the design and how she'd searched all over for the particular fabric for her skirt. I nodded along, only understanding parts of what she was telling me. Sooyoung had always been into fashion, but in the last few years, it had gone to a whole new level. She always wanted to go to live music shows and concerts to see her favorite bands, wanting to see inspiration live.

Sooyoung's young interest, way before she was old enough to go to concerts by herself, meant that I was the one that was tasked with going to supervise. Our father was completely out of question, he had an Underworld to run, and our mother refused to stay out past 8 PM. I was usually good at saying no to people, but Sooyoung's desperation and passion had made that impossible.

"By the way Sooji-unni, do you have your dress for tonight?"

"What's tonight?" I asked, trying to play dumb because I knew it would set her off. Her eyebrows crinkled with instant irritation.

"No. You are not allowed to say that to me. I've been looking forward to this party for over a year!" Her americano sloshed in the her mug as she set it down, rather loudly. I fought an eye roll, very aware that would set her off in a way that I wanted to avoid. I should've known better than to joke about this. "My sister cannot show up to Prince Kisung's birthday party looking like she's in a motorcycle gang."

I looked down at my leather jacket, jeans, and boots. "You know that I've been wearing this since the 80s, right?" The nice thing about black, it's always been in fashion.

"Sooji! You're going to embarrass me in front of Prince Luke!" she whined, sounding every bit of the twenty-year-old she was.

"Prince Luke? I thought Prince Kisung was the star of this party." I enjoyed the extra bit of blush that creeped onto her cheeks. Sooyoung was easier to read than an open book, and that was precisely why she was never destined for my job, the real reason we'd be attending tonight. 

My mood darkened at the thought of what was to transpire tonight. My job was to collect magic creature souls in Seoul as they died, to lead them to the afterlife. Doing my job well meant I had to be near the creatures when they died, to be able to immediately lead them to the Underworld. 

Human souls were easier to guide, and they were usually guided by regular demons. But magical creatures, especially ones that thought they'd live forever, could cause some issues if they didn't go to the Underworld fast enough. Just last year, a water spirit, that had been living with a human husband in Gangnam, had brought an out of season monsoon on the city when she abruptly died and demanded that I return her to her physical body. A regular demon would've been useless against her.

I wasn't sure who would be dying tonight, I never got insight into the specific soul, but the Fates had been clear that I needed to be present at the Palace at precisely a quarter before 9 PM. The gumiho prince's party was going to feature many magical guests, so it was anyone's guess as to who I'd be guiding to the Underworld tonight.

"I'm going to go," Sooyoung said abruptly. She stood, picking up the empty cookie plate and her mug.

"Already? Are you that mad?" I asked. 

"I'm still mad, but I'll be more upset if you're wearing something ugly to Prince Kisung's birthday. Even if you're going there for work, you don't have to dress ugly." Her little white heels, with bright blue bows on the back, clopped as she sassily walked away.

"Prince Edgar, must you insist on putting such a show?" I asked the darkest prince, the one that had always evaded my hand. His throaty chuckle as he led me to the edge of the ballroom dance floor signaled that he was in a particularly good mood. He twirled me into place, just in time for the next slow song to start. The band seemed to be playing a lot of Stravinsky tonight.

"Why, Lady Death, you know it's all I know how to do," he said lightly. He twirled me again at the height of a musical phrase, unraveling me into his waiting princely arms. One of his gloved hands rested on my waist, right where the boned bodice met the fluffy black skirt my sister had insisted on adding six extra layers of tulle to, and the other met my black gloved hand on the right. We moved in sync, to the beat of the waltz that filled the grand hall of the Royal Palace. 

"You never used to be one for this much theatrics," I said quietly, mindful that the music was loud but not that loud. "I remember your first national birthday party, your mother had to drag you out of a closet." 

"A crowded ballroom isn't exactly an ideal reading location." He looked over my shoulder, "My brother has reading a lot lately, you should talk to him about classics. He minored in them in college."

"Prince Kisung?" I asked, also looking at my next turn. 

It had been several years since I'd seen Prince Kisung in person. I'd always known him to be the sharp but more reserved prince out of the brothers, more fitting to be the face of the crown that Edgar for sure. He had always seemed in a rush growing up, to always be worried about where he needed to be next. We had never spoken, which was always a good thing for the living when it came to me.

Time had not softened him. If anything, his jawline was sharp enough to slice rock and there was no longer any roundness to his cheeks that had given him a sweet look in his younger years. His hair, a lighter brown that suited his lighter eyes, brought a natural lightness to him that made him look less supernatural and more royal. Edgar on the other hand, clutched onto the darkness that he'd been born with with the love of a painter and his brush. 

Edgar, while he was dressed in the white of the other princes, kept his hair jet black and various bits of gold jewelry studded his ears. With the exception of the jacket, every other part of Edgar's look didn't try to mask that there was a hint of danger to him. The other magical creatures in the room, in addition to the humans, naturally gave him a wide berth. 

I remembered when it had used to be the opposite, when Edgar had last opened up, but that was no longer possible. I knew better than to try and break through the walls he had built. 

Edgar's walls worked to Prince Kisung's benefit. While people made way for us as we waltzed across the dance floor, they tended to shift towards Prince Kisung and his dance partner. The crowd, admiring from all different angles, was undoubtedly good for the young prince's appetite. 

I blinked, shifting my vision to see the blurs of mana emitting from the humans around us. There were more than a dozen people admiring Prince Kisung directly. He would be able to sustain on this energy for at least a month. The other princes had at least a handful of admirers each, including Edgar who brought up the inevitable.

"Now, I must ask. Who is to die tonight?" Edgar asked, always one to get straight to the point.

"I'm off duty tonight, one of my cousins took the night shift," I lied on instinct. It was best practice for non-Underworlders to not know when death was among them. To deflect, I batted my eyes at him. "You don't want to join me in hell, my dearest prince?" 

Edgar gave a small laugh into a smile, a devilish expression if I'd ever seen one. He would look good in black, as most vampires did. It was a shame he was still subject to wearing the innocent white of unwed princes.

"Not a chance, no matter how beautiful you are, Lady Death," he nodded to some of the others on the sidelines. "You seem to have a line of admirers lined up the door. Do you wish to dance with any of them?" he asked. I followed his gaze. There were plenty of human noblemen and a handful of magical guests present, as was usual at palace events, but none of them caught my eye.

"Actually, I can't. I should really watch my younger sister. Hopefully she hasn't already been swept away by a handsome prince." My eyes scanned around, to look for her, but then they caught someone on the other side of the dance floor. Light brown hair really did suit him. "Prince Kisung has grown up nicely, nothing at all like you."

Prince Edgar scoffed at my remarks, "You'll speak differently when you have to talk to that robot."

"Really? The young lady he's dancing with seems to be completely infatuated. I'd say he probably knows how to handle himself."

"She's basically drooling over him. That doesn't count. He doesn't know how to talk to a woman about anything other than politics or books." Edgar shook his head.  "You're better off avoiding him if you want this party to stay interesting."

"Interesting, that's not what Sooyoung said about him. She said he's known for his humor."

"That's the best joke I've heard all day," Edgar deadpanned, "Where is your kid sister by the way?" he asked, looking around. I did too, finding her after another second.

"She's speaking with one of the water spirits from Busan. He's a Duke of something or another."

"Not a dancer? Like her sister?"

"Actually, she's more of a dancer."

"Really? I'll have to ask her for a waltz."

"She'll probably say no," I warned him. "She's saving her dance for one of your younger brothers."

"Saving?"

"I gave her one dance, and then she's going home."

"Hmm? Why is that?"

"Because it's both a school night and I don't need my younger sister to fall in love. We all know that's just a bad idea. The worst thing that could happen is that she falls for a gumiho."

"Hmm, you never know, my Lady. It could be fun," Edgar whispered into my ear as he dipped me. I was irritated at the closeness, his hair tickled my ear. There were titters of jealousy and curiosity from the side lines. Some of them started to question who I was, loud enough for us to hear on the dance floor.

I let my hair fall into my face, to mask myself from some of the more curious viewers.

"Well, considering gumiho crave partners that will shower them with mana, it would be awfully inconvenient for them to find someone that only holds death." 

That was why I hoped Sooyoung would grow out of her love of the princes and all candidates related to them. Gumiho, especially the half-gumiho princes, depend on mana and the easiest thing for them would be to fall in love with a human who could give them endless mana. We were the daughters of Death and a demon, we'd never create mana.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right," he looked over my shoulder as we spun. "Ah, looks like little Sooyoung has found her prince." I looked over my shoulder too.

My younger sister, dressed in a handmade baby blue and white ball gown, was being escorted onto the dance floor by the youngest prince. The lace skirts she'd made were both intricate and eye-catching even from across the floor. I eyed every other person who seemed to stare at her too long, keeping mental note of who I should watch out for.

"Prince Luke has grown since I last saw him," I said conversationally, but already making a mental note of all of his weaknesses and where I could hit to disarm him at the slightest hint of foul play.

"Will you relax? I can hear your murderous intentions from a mile away," Edgar chuckled, the sound as dark as the folds of my skirt.

"Well if your brother keeps his hand where I can see them, I won't act on them."