At that very moment, when all eyes widened in disbelief, Wanan's body moved like a coiled spring released. He bent sharply at the waist, the incoming sword singing past where his torso had been just a heartbeat earlier.
In one fluid motion, his foot lashed out and struck Hanan's wrist—the same wrist that had just swung with all its might, now loose and vulnerable.
Clang!
The sword tumbled from Hanan's hand and struck the dirt floor with a metallic wail.
A victorious smile curled at the edges of Wanan's lips, calm and confident, as if he had seen this outcome long before it happened.
The gathered warriors, who had been holding their breath, erupted into thunderous cheers. Their voices rolled across the training grounds like a wave of triumph.
From afar, Jade watched with a faint, knowing smile.
"He deliberately left an opening," Jade murmured, his eyes narrowing with admiration. "To lure in his opponent's strike... Impressive, Wanan. All those nights of solitary training, cutting through the darkness when others slept—finally, they're bearing fruit."
A warmth of pride filled Jade's chest as he gazed at the young warrior, now stronger, sharper, and braver than ever before.
The judge overseeing the second arena's preliminaries raised his voice with authority.
"Wanan wins by a complete victory!"
A roar of celebration exploded from the crowd.
"Wooooaaaaahhh!"
Meanwhile, Hanan stooped down to retrieve his fallen blade, his expression twisted with frustration. The loss tasted bitter, heavy in his throat.
Wanan stepped toward him, his footsteps unhurried, his eyes calm.
"You must never let your concentration slip," Wanan said evenly, his voice neither harsh nor gloating. "Even for a heartbeat. Otherwise, you'll leave an opening—and your opponent will seize it."
Hanan let out a dry, humorless laugh. His pride stung, yet he couldn't deny the skill he had just witnessed.
"Next pair, step forward!" the high-ranking officer barked, pulling the attention of the crowd to the next bout.
With shoulders stiff and jaw clenched, Hanan exited the arena, sword in hand, while Wanan stepped aside, his expression already composed, free of arrogance.
From his vantage point, Jade studied Hanan, his eyes narrowing slightly.
'There's something about him… something familiar.'
A sharp gleam flickered in Jade's gaze, like a blade catching sunlight, hinting at thoughts he kept to himself.
After finishing the last scroll of the day, Queen Genie closed the heavy door of her office. The air outside was crisp and quiet, carrying the faint scent of late autumn leaves.
She stopped at the palace pond, its still surface mirroring the glowing full moon. Genie lifted her eyes toward that bright disk in the ink-black sky. For a fleeting moment, it felt as if his face was etched there too—clear, radiant, untouchable.
"What is truly in his heart?" she whispered to the moon. "To him… am I nothing more than His Majesty the King?"
The words clung to her throat like frost. She wanted to know his heart but could not. She longed to bare her own but dared not.
"If I were not the king… could I have shown him my heart?"
Her thoughts drifted back to days before the coronation—when she had been just Princess Genie and he… simply him. They had laughed freely then, walked side by side without hesitation. Now, between them stretched an invisible wall, one woven from crown and title, one she neither knew how to climb nor break.
A cold breeze swept over the pond, tugging at the Queen's hair.
Chief Han, ever observant, stepped closer and bowed her head slightly.
"Your Majesty, it's quite cold. Perhaps it's time to return to your chambers…"
Genie's gaze remained fixed on the full moon.
"Han… have you ever loved someone?"
The question caught Chief Han off guard, though her face soon softened with a warm smile born of long years of loyal service.
"A long time ago, yes… I once held someone in my heart."
Genie finally turned her head, her eyes quietly searching Chief Han's.
"Do you still think of them now?"
A faint, fragile smile appeared on Chief Han's lips, as though holding back something heavier.
"Sometimes… yes, I still think of them."
Genie's expression softened, sympathy flickering in her eyes.
"Then… do you know where they are now?"
"I do not know where they are now."
Something inside Genie stirred—an ache for the woman who had stood beside her since childhood. She had often wondered about Hanbigam's life before the palace, but somewhere along the way had forgotten that Chief Han, too, had once been a woman with dreams, with loss, with a heart.
"Would you… like to find them, even now?" Genie asked quietly.
Chief Han shook her head, the movement small yet certain. A bittersweet smile curved her lips.
"No, Your Majesty. I wouldn't."
"Why? Didn't you just say you still think of them?"
Chief Han's eyes softened, carrying both affection and resolve.
"Because right now, what matters most to me is serving Your Majesty here in the palace. I have neither the desire nor the time to look for them."
Genie's chest tightened. She looked past Hanbigam to the other maids and guards stationed a respectful distance behind, all standing so still, so unwavering.
'They are here… all of them… for me.'
She swallowed hard, feeling an unfamiliar pang in her chest.
"Even if I don't know all their stories… each of them must have given up something precious—just for me."
The thought settled heavily on her heart as she stood under the pale moonlight, the pond rippling slightly in the wind, carrying away the silent sorrow she dared not voice.
Chief Han's voice softened, carrying warmth and quiet conviction.
"But, Your Majesty… I hope you will not do the same."
Genie's eyes flickered, caught off guard by the gentle but resolute tone.
"I hope," Chief Han continued, "that you will not give up on love simply because you are the King of this nation. Please… do not abandon the heart of one who loves, just because you wear a crown."
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Genie stared at Chief Han, seeing not only her loyal attendant but the heart of someone who truly cared—someone who had seen her not just as a monarch, but as a woman.
"But… can I really do that…?" Genie whispered, her voice barely audible. "What if this feeling… What if it prevents me from fulfilling my duty as a ruler? That is what I fear the most."
Almost as if she could read the Queen's heart, Chief Han stepped closer, her expression steady, her voice unwavering.
"I know what Your Majesty fears. But a great ruler is not one who discards their heart… it is one who dares to face it. You are not only the sovereign of this country—you are also a person. Please… care for your own heart as dearly as you care for your people."
The words sank deep, melting into a cold corner of Genie's chest she had long ignored.
For so long, the man she loved had felt unreachable, as if an invisible barrier stood between them. Countless times she had wondered if she must forever hide her feelings, bury them under the weight of the crown.
But suddenly, it all seemed… foolish.
Genie tilted her head back, her gaze drawn to the starlit heavens. Countless stars scattered like tiny jewels across the night sky, shining freely without fear or restraint.
She closed her eyes and prayed silently."
'I want to express my heart to him… But is it truly alright for me to do so?'
When she opened her eyes, a quiet resolve glimmered within them.
She turned to Chief Han, her voice low but certain.
"Han… there's somewhere I need to go now."
In the stillness of midnight, Jade moved silently through the shadowed palace corridors, his body still humming with the afterglow of solitary training. The cold air whispered past him as he walked, the only sound the soft tap of his footsteps against polished stone.
As he neared the royal chambers, his pace slowed, then halted altogether.
'Her Majesty must be asleep by now…'
He lifted his gaze to the sky, where the bright full moon hung like a guardian's watchful eye.
And with the moon came her face—soft, distant, yet etched clearly in his mind.
Tonight was one of those nights when she occupied his thoughts, but truthfully, there hadn't been a single night when she hadn't.
His deep eyes lingered on the glowing orb, its silvery light casting delicate shadows on his sharp jawline and the contours of his face.
Jade, who had been heading toward the warriors' quarters, found himself shifting direction, drawn by a force he could not name.
At the threshold of the prayer hall, attendants stood silent, their presence a quiet barrier.
Inside, bathed in flickering candlelight, Queen Genie knelt alone, her eyes closed in prayer, shoulders trembling with unspoken anguish.
"I don't know what to do… I truly don't know…"
Her voice was a whisper, desperate and raw—an echo of her soul's turmoil as she wrestled with feelings she could neither fully understand nor express.
"Your Majesty."
The sudden voice made her eyes snap open, heart startled.
Before she could turn, Jade had already moved beside her, lowering himself gently to kneel on the cold stone floor.
"I didn't know Your Majesty was here."