My deep soul

Chapter 28

The palace gates loomed behind them, but Jidiwi barely noticed the glittering spires or the shadows of guards bowing low as he passed. His arms were firmly around Jinyoen, supporting her against his side, his steps urgent yet careful. She leaned into him, limping slightly, her breaths uneven. Every time she winced, his jaw clenched, fury flaring anew at the thought of how close he had come to losing her.

He adjusted his grip, wrapping her tighter against him. “You know,” he said softly, trying to coax her out of silence, “it’s strange not to hear your voice. Usually when I’m with you, you talk nonstop—about herbs, about colors, about little things I never knew mattered. And I like it. I need it.”

Jinyoen suddenly halted, forcing him to stop too. Her dark eyes lifted to his.

“Are you really… the king?” she asked, her voice trembling as though speaking it aloud made it real.

Jidiwi’s throat tightened, but he nodded firmly. “Yes. I am.”

Her gaze searched his face, as if trying to reconcile the man who teased her with flowers and colors with the sovereign who had just defied a queen for her sake. He held her stare without flinching.

“You are the most special person to me,” he said, his tone heavy with raw conviction. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I stood in front of my mother and confessed—before the queen herself—that you are the woman I love. And yet… you haven’t said a word.”

“Why?” Her voice cracked, breaking into a whisper. “Why do you love me?”

For a moment, Jidiwi simply looked at her, as though memorizing every line of her face. Then he lifted her chin gently, forcing her to meet his eyes.

“Because the first day we met, you made me a fool,” he said, his lips curving into a faint smile. “The sparkle in your eyes lit something inside me I thought long dead. Your smile warms me when nothing else can. I want to stay with you, Jinyoen—to hug you, to comfort you, to hold you when you’re angry or crying, to kiss you until the world disappears. I love you so much, it frightens me. You are my life.”

His voice shook now, breaking past the mask of the king and into something rawer, more vulnerable. “I know you’ve lost so many people… because of me. Because of the life I was born into. But I swear, I won’t let it happen again. I won’t leave you. I promi—”

Jinyoen didn’t let him finish. She rose on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was soft, trembling at first, but when Jidiwi realized what was happening, he pulled her closer, nearly crushing her small frame against him. His hand splayed against her back, holding her as though she might vanish. All the fury, the fear, the love he had been choking back poured into that kiss.

When they finally broke apart, gasping, Jinyoen’s cheeks were flushed. She lifted her finger and poked his chest firmly. “I don’t care if you’re the king. But if you ever leave me—if you break this promise—I’ll kill you myself.”

Jidiwi’s lips parted in surprise, then curved into a fierce smile. His voice dropped into a whisper. “I don’t think I could ever leave you. Not even in death.” He leaned down, capturing her lips again in a kiss more desperate, more consuming.

When he pulled back, she spoke softly, her voice filled with an ache that made his heart clench. “Your mother won’t let this go easily. She hates my family—you know, the Cheng family—because she couldn’t control us. She… she killed my real father and brother just because they saw your face ten.”

Jidiwi froze. Her words struck like a blade. His arms tightened around her instantly, his expression darkening with fury and guilt. “ I know. She killed the only friend I had. She will answer for it,” he whispered, his voice sharp as a sword’s edge. “I swear to you, Jinyoen. I’ll tear down anyone who dares touch you again—even my own mother.”