My deep soul

Chapter 29

The next morning, the sun spilled into the courtyard, casting warm golden light across the polished wooden floor. Jinyoen sat by the window, her fingers absentmindedly tracing circles on the silk of her sleeve. She wasn’t even aware that she was smiling until Dara, who had been watching her from the doorway, crossed her arms and smirked.

“Well, well…” Dara’s voice was thick with amusement. “Look at you, smiling to yourself like a lovesick girl. Don’t tell me it’s the weather making you beam like that.”

Jinyoen startled, quickly lowering her gaze. “I—I’m not smiling,” she muttered, though the heat rising to her cheeks betrayed her.

Dara laughed and came closer, plopping down beside her with the grace only cousins could share. “Oh, don’t try to hide it from me. Yesterday you looked like a storm cloud ready to pour. Today, you’re brighter than spring itself. If I didn’t know better, I’d say someone made you very, very happy.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “Could it be… a certain Hwarang?”

Jinyoen swatted at her cousin’s arm, though she couldn’t erase the grin tugging at her lips. “Stop it, Dara.”

But Dara only laughed harder. “Aha! So it is true. Our Jinyoen has fallen for him.”

Jinyoen bit her lower lip, unable to meet Dara’s knowing gaze. The memory of last night came rushing back—the steady strength of his arms as he carried her, the raw confession in his voice, the way his lips claimed hers as though she were his only breath. Her heart fluttered, traitorous and warm.

Seeing her cousin’s silence, Dara’s teasing softened. She reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Jinyoen’s ear. “I only tease because I’m glad, you know. You’ve been through so much. For once, I see you happy. Truly happy. Whoever he is… he must love you deeply.”

Jinyoen’s eyes shimmered, her throat tightening. She whispered, almost to herself, “He does. Too deeply, maybe. It frightens me sometimes.”

Dara squeezed her hand. “Then let it frighten you. Love is supposed to be terrifying—it means it matters. But I can see it in your face, Jinu. He treasures you. And you…” she smiled knowingly, “you finally let someone into your heart.”

Jinyoen pressed her forehead lightly against Dara’s shoulder, laughing softly through her tears. “You’re impossible, Dara. Always prying.”

“And you’re impossible for keeping secrets from me,” Dara retorted lightly, kissing the top of her head. Then, more softly, “But I’m glad. I prayed for this day—for you to smile like this again.”

Jinyoen closed her eyes, her heart swelling. For the first time in years, her happiness felt real. And though her cousin teased, deep down she knew Dara shared her joy.

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Jidiwi sat in the shadowed corner of Okta, a rare softness on his face as the torchlight flickered against the sharp lines of his jaw. A faint smile lingered at his lips, one that did not come from politics , but from something far more personal.

Paoh, who had served at his side since boyhood, noticed it immediately. He paused in his duties, tilting his head slightly as if trying to measure the meaning of that expression.

“You look very happy, Your Majesty,” Paoh observed carefully, stepping closer. His tone carried more curiosity than formality, for he had known Jidiwi long enough to speak without fear.

Jidiwi’s dark eyes lifted, and the smile deepened as though it carried a secret too precious to keep hidden. “Of course I am. She loves me back,” he said with quiet triumph, each word deliberate. “She is the first one to whom I have ever revealed my true identity.”