My deep soul

Chapter 4

When Jinyeon returned home that evening, Dara and Yanwoo were already waiting. Both of them looked tense, as if her absence had left a shadow across the household.

“Where did you go, Jin?” Yanwoo’s voice was calm, but his eyes were searching her face.

“I had to go somewhere, Yanwoo. I’m fine. Don’t worry.” She didn’t linger. With a slight bow of her head, she slipped past them and disappeared down the corridor.

Yanwoo frowned. “Why do I get the feeling she’s hiding something from us, Dara?”

Dara folded her arms, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Now you notice. I’ve known it for years. But we cannot force her to reveal everything. She has her own life, Yanwoo.”

“I know,” he admitted, worry edging his voice. “But I don’t want her to get hurt again.”

“She won’t,” Dara said firmly, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of uncertainty. “Jinyeon knows what she’s doing.”

---

Inside her chamber, Jinyeon sat before her desk, charcoal in hand. A half-finished drawing lay before her: two children—one a young boy, the other a girl a few years younger—running in a meadow. Behind them, a tall man reached out with laughter in his eyes, as though chasing them in play. Jinyeon’s hand lingered over the boy’s face, her expression distant.

A knock came at the door.

“May I come in, my lady?”

“Yes,” Jinyeon replied, not looking up. “What brings you here at this hour, Kyung?”

Her maiden bowed. “While you were away, Minister Park Youngshill came to see you.”

Jinyeon’s head snapped up. “Really? What did he say?”

“He wished to meet you in person, my lady. But when I told him you were not home… his demeanor turned unpleasant.”

Jinyeon’s eyes narrowed. “So, Youngshill seeks me now. And what price will he demand this time?” She shook her head. “Do not worry, Kyung. I will discover his intentions myself. For now—say nothing of this visit. To anyone. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lady.” Kyung bowed again and withdrew, leaving Jinyeon alone with her thoughts.

Jinyeon set down her charcoal and whispered to the empty room, “Why such a sudden visit, Youngshill? Men like you never come without a price. But what price do you think I can give? No matter how you scheme, I will not let you seize the throne. Refusing it does not mean abandoning it. I will protect my birthright. I will help the Faceless King reclaim what is his. The throne of Silla belongs to my family—mine alone.”

Her mind drifted far from the present, back to the day when she had first learned the truth of who she was.

---

She had been sitting quietly in the garden, tracing shapes into the dirt with a twig, when she felt eyes on her. Looking up, she saw an old woman watching her from the path. There was sorrow in the woman’s gaze, a sorrow so heavy it made Jinyeon’s heart quicken.

“Who are you?” Jinyeon demanded, suddenly wary.

The old woman bowed deeply. “You are Princess Jinyeon, are you not? The daughter of Lord Keng Haneul.”

The blood drained from Jinyeon’s face. Fear tightened her chest. It was true—she was not the true child of Chang Hang-wan. But no one beyond the Chang clan knew her secret. Everyone else believed that Keng Jinyeon had died three years ago.