She looked radiant. At peace. The way her expression lit up in conversation, the way her hand gently lifted her teacup, her shoulders relaxed… it was the most carefree he had seen her in weeks, perhaps longer.
And the man sitting across from her wasn't just a candidate anymore.
He was someone making her laugh.
Jade felt it like a blow—silent but sharp.
Something unfamiliar stirred within him, heavy and breathless. A subtle ache that bloomed in his chest and tightened in his throat. His gaze lowered for a moment, jaw tensing.
It was then that Kim Jin's words, spoken half-jokingly some weeks ago, echoed in his mind.
"Be honest with me. Do you… perhaps like her? As a woman?"
Jade's heart sank, then lurched.
'No… no, it's not like that,' he tried to reason, gripping the edge of his sleeve tightly.
But the pounding in his chest betrayed him.
The sight of Genie smiling at another man, so warmly, so effortlessly—it rattled him. And no matter how much he tried to suppress it, his thoughts swirled like autumn wind through the trees, shaken and restless.
He stood there for a long moment, watching from the shadows of the colonnade, the report in his hands forgotten.
The doubts he had wrestled with for months—all the silent turmoil, the sleepless nights—began to unravel within him like a long-knotted thread.
His hesitations about carrying out the final orders from Ash…
The secret decision he'd made to sever ties with the kingdom that raised and used him…
The quiet fury that rose in him now, watching Queen Genie laugh with another man, her face illuminated with ease and joy…
It all traced back to one unshakable truth.
He had feelings for her.
'I like her…'
The admission echoed in his heart like a struck bell.
Jade stood in the shadows of the colonnade, his hands tightening slightly around the report he no longer remembered holding. His dark eyes remained fixed on the two figures beneath the pavilion roof—Genie and Moonsen—seated comfortably across from one another, smiling, sharing stories, sipping tea.
She looked so alive.
So regal, yet tender. Strong, yet still the girl who had once stared out at the sea with dreams in her eyes.
'I like Her Majesty…' he thought again, more certain now, the words burning through the last of his restraint. 'Even though I'm a spy from Ash… I've dared to fall for her…'
A silent rush of wind stirred the autumn trees behind him, and for a moment, the world seemed still—too still—as if it were holding its breath.
His heart beat wildly, a pulse of both fear and awe.
He hadn't meant for it to happen. He hadn't planned for it. But somehow, somewhere in the quiet hours spent protecting her, in the conversations shared during long journeys, in the unwavering strength she showed as she took the throne in a kingdom that barely welcomed her…
He had fallen.
And now, the weight of it settled on him—not as a burden, but as a terrifying, beautiful truth.
Jade turned slightly, no longer able to keep watching. A shadow crossed his face as he exhaled deeply, the pounding of his heart the only sound he could hear.
" Jade came and left?" Genie's voice rose in surprise as she turned to Lady Park, her fingers still resting lightly on the porcelain teacup.
"Yes, Your Majesty. He was here just a moment ago," Lady Park replied gently. "When he saw you dining with Official Moonsen, he paused... and then left without a word."
Genie's smile faded.
The sunlight filtering through the pavilion suddenly felt colder, the laughter she'd shared with Moonsen moments ago dissolving into silence. Her chest tightened with something she couldn't name—something close to worry, and maybe something deeper.
'Why didn't he say anything? Why didn't he just come in?'
The image of Jade's expressionless face flashed through her mind—his eyes always calm, always unreadable, yet somehow always watching her, quietly present like a shadow behind the throne.
'What if he misunderstood? What if he thought I was too comfortable… Too happy with Moonsen?' Then Genie shook her head. 'Why am I even thinking this way? This was just an official meeting. A scheduled meal.'
But even as she tried to reason with herself, the unease stayed rooted in her chest.
One thing was certain.
She was deeply, unexpectedly concerned about Jade.
The realization unsettled her more than she cared to admit.
"Please… don't go…"
Clad in a blue military uniform, Genie gripped the edge of the man's robe as he prepared to board the ship. Her large eyes shimmered with tears, the sea breeze catching strands of her dark hair, the scent of salt and parting heavy in the air.
Through the flood of tears, she could barely make out his face.
His warm hand gently closed over hers—her fingers trembling, desperate.
She had told herself she wouldn't cry. That she would be strong.
But the tears fell anyway, silently, helplessly.
"You promised… not to leave me alone…" her voice cracked, barely audible over the creak of the ship and the murmuring waves.
"…I will return," the man said softly. "I will come back… to see Your Majesty again."
With that, he slowly let go of her hand—his touch lingering just a moment longer than necessary. Then he turned away, his shoulders stiff as if bracing against something heavier than the sea.
Genie stood frozen, eyes locked on the figure walking away, his robe fluttering in the wind, growing smaller with every step.
"Jade…" she whispered.
So quietly, no one heard.
"Ha…"
Queen Genie jolted awake, gasping as the dream clung to her like morning mist. Her chest heaved as she sat up in her silken sheets. Moonlight spilled through the lattice window, and tears were slipping down her cheeks—real ones.
She touched her face, slowly realizing they had fallen in her sleep.
'Such a sorrowful dream… A dream where someone I loved was leaving me…'
The ache in her heart still lingered. The kind that didn't fade upon waking.
Though his face had remained hazy in the dream, as if veiled by fog, she knew. Without a doubt.
It had been Jade.
The name she had whispered, trembling, as he vanished into the distance.
'I was heartbroken… because I was parting from someone I love… And that person… was Jade.'
Genie stood in front of the mirror, gazing at her own reflection.
Her usually bright eyes were dimmed by sorrow, and the remnants of the dream clung to her like a veil of mist that refused to lift. Her chest still ached from the parting—one that hadn't happened in reality, yet felt more real than any moment she'd lived.
The dream of losing Jade.
"Your Majesty… is something troubling you?" Lady Park's gentle voice broke the silence, cautious but full of care.
"Yes, Your Majesty," added Supreme Lady Han, her brow furrowed. "You seem unsettled. Did something happen?"
They had served her for years—faithfully, quietly, and always near enough to read even the slightest shift in her expression. Genie couldn't hide from them. Not completely.
"…It's nothing," she murmured, lowering her gaze. "I just… had a sad dream, that's all."
Lady Park stepped forward, her curiosity piqued.
"A dream? What kind of dream was it, Your Majesty?"
Genie hesitated. The words felt heavy on her tongue.
"A dream… where I had to part ways with someone I love."
Both women paused at that—silent, waiting.
"Do you remember who it was, Your Majesty?" Lady Park asked carefully.
Supreme Lady Han glanced at her, concern quietly growing in her eyes.
Genie opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.
'That person was… Jade.'
The name echoed in her mind, and with it, came a flood of memories that crashed against her heart.
Their reunion in Arabia, after eleven long years apart.
The moment he draped his own cloak over her trembling shoulders in the desert night.
How he had fought off the kidnappers who sought to sell her, risking his own life for hers.
The day he carried her unconscious body through the treacherous mountain paths, back to the palace without a word of complaint.
He had always been there.
Steady. Strong. Silent—but present, in every moment she had needed someone the most.
And every time he drew close, something in her heart had fluttered. She had always felt it, but never named it.
Until now.
'In the dream, the person I was heartbroken to lose was Jade. I always knew he was different… special. But now… I understand. I have feelings for him.'
It wasn't just admiration. Not just gratitude. It was something deeper—more tender, more dangerous.
'I like Jade.'
She had fallen for the very man who had stood beside her like a shadow, who had sworn his loyalty… but never once asked for her heart.
Lady Park, sensing her sovereign's lingering sadness, smiled softly and placed a comforting hand on Genie's shoulder.
"Your Majesty," she said gently, "I'll tell the royal chef to prepare a soft soup and your favorite dishes for breakfast. Something warm and soothing."
Genie blinked out of her thoughts and gave a faint, grateful smile.
"…Thank you," she said.
As the two women left to prepare the morning meal, Genie turned her gaze back to the mirror.
Her reflection was the same—but something inside her had changed.
'I hope… I never have to say goodbye to Jade.'
She pressed a hand gently over her heart.
It was still beating fast.