With trembling legs and shaking hands, Jade stepped inside. The grand hall was filled with royal officials—ministers and advisors standing in tense clusters, their faces a mixture of surprise, suspicion, and quiet judgment. All eyes turned toward him.
Jade entered the grand hall with trembling eyes. Most of the royal officials had already gathered, their faces solemn and expectant. At the far end of the hall, seated on the throne, was Queen Genie—poised and regal, yet the weight of sorrow lingered in her gaze.
"Your Majesty..." Jade bowed his head deeply in greeting, his voice barely steady.
At once, every pair of eyes in the room turned toward him. Queen Genie suppressed the sorrow threatening to spill from her heart and forced a calm expression as she fixed her gaze on Jade.
Jade... she thought, her heart tightening.
A cold winter breeze drifted in through the open doors, causing his dark hair to flutter softly. When Jade raised his head, their eyes met—his usually deep, clear, lake-like eyes now clouded with trembling anxiety.
Genie opened her mouth, her voice steady and resolute despite the turmoil inside.
"Jade."
"Yes, Your Majesty..." Jade answered, his voice shaky but attentive.
The ministers held their breath, waiting eagerly for the queen's judgment.
With firm conviction, Genie spoke, "Minister Jade, you have now been excluded from the candidate list for royal consort."
Jade stood frozen, utterly speechless at the sight of the queen's cold, unreadable expression—an expression he had never before witnessed. It felt as though his chest was being ripped apart, torn into twelve jagged pieces that left him breathless and shattered.
It wasn't the pain of being excluded from the candidate list that weighed most heavily on him. No, what truly crushed him was the chilling distance in the eyes of the woman he had long trusted above all else. That coldness, that silence—it robbed him of the words he so desperately wanted to speak.
'Your Majesty... do you no longer trust me?'
His hair was tousled, evidence of the frantic haste with which he had arrived, and seeing this, Queen Genie felt a sharp, piercing ache deep in her heart—as if a thorn had been driven straight through it. Jade, who had labored tirelessly in the distant provinces for the good of the Hana Kingdom just days ago, was now facing such harsh and sudden accusations without warning.
Despite the storm raging inside her, Genie fought to keep her face composed, to cloak her sorrow in calm dignity as she looked steadily at Jade.
"Minister Jade, do you have anything to say about these accusations?"
'Please, let this not be true, Jade…'
Jade pressed his lips into a thin line, his gaze fixed quietly but firmly on Queen Genie. He had come here running, fueled by one urgent desire: to explain himself, to clear the heavy shadow of misunderstanding that had been cast between them.
But now, standing before her, hearing the finality in her voice as she pronounced his exclusion from the candidate list, all the words he had rehearsed seemed hollow and meaningless.
'What difference would it make, if I speak now?'
"No. I have nothing to say, Your Majesty." Jade's voice was cold and clipped as he answered, each word sharp with restrained pain.
Queen Genie's heart clenched painfully at the sight of how deeply wounded and distant he had become. She fought back the tears threatening to spill, swallowing her sorrow as her gaze swept across the ministers filling the grand hall.
"From now on," she announced with quiet authority, "there will be not three, but two final candidates for the royal consort. Candidates Moonsen and Pyo, please do your utmost until the very end."
At her words, Moonsen and Pyo, standing among the ministers, bowed respectfully, their faces composed yet serious. After a brief pause, Candidate Pyo glanced sideways at Jade, who was struggling to maintain a calm exterior despite the turmoil within.
'Minister Jade and Her Majesty the Queen must be bearing heavy burdens,' he thought silently, a flicker of sympathy crossing his features.
Queen Genie then turned her attention back to Jade, her voice steady and composed. "Minister Jade, you have returned from the border. Do you have a report to give?"
Swallowing the ache that pressed against his chest, Jade steadied himself and replied with measured composure.
"I have completed the reinforcement of the border to prepare for any potential threat. Additionally, I have issued renewed orders to implement the newly developed tactics across the provincial armies. Soon, I will submit the ledger detailing the current status of weapon warehouses and troop deployments in each province."
Though his voice was calm, the weight of unspoken pain lingered beneath every word.
"I understand. Then, we will conclude today's meeting."
At the queen's words, the ministers all bowed deeply in unison.
Jade returned the queen's greeting with a calm nod before turning and swiftly becoming the first to leave the grand hall.
Queen Genie's gaze lingered on his retreating figure, a quiet ache settling in her chest. She longed to rush after him, to hold him and assure him that she did not misunderstand—that she still believed in him.
But there was something she had to do first. Something more important: to clear the shadow that hung over Jade's name and ease his suffering.
'Lord… How can I help Jade? she thought, a weight of helplessness pressing down on her. I feel powerless, as if there's nothing I can do. Please grant me the wisdom and strength to support him.'
With a heavy heart, Queen Genie settled back onto her throne. She closed her eyes softly and prayed earnestly, her voice a silent plea that echoed deep within the royal chamber.
Queen Genie sat silently before the royal meal spread out on the low table in the pavilion, her eyes fixed vacantly on the shimmering pond just beyond. The food remained untouched, cooling slowly in the quiet air.
Chief Han and Lady Park exchanged worried glances, their concern for the queen evident.
Chief Han finally broke the silence with gentle hesitation, "Your Majesty, is the food not to your liking?"
Genie's voice came out hollow, barely above a whisper, "No... It's okay for now."
Lady Park, observing the queen's distant, almost lost demeanor, spoke softly, "Your Majesty, perhaps it would help to meet with Minister Jade in person."
At those words, a faint flicker of hope brightened Genie's expression, like sunlight briefly breaking through heavy clouds. But just as quickly, the hope seemed to retreat, and she shook her head slowly.
"Not yet. I do not know how I could help Jade. I feel so helpless... so pitiful, unable to do anything."
Tears welled in Queen Genie's eyes, betraying the fragile, delicate heart beneath the queenly poise she had so steadfastly maintained in the grand hall. In this quiet moment, the weight of her sorrow was laid bare.
At that moment, Chief Han's voice broke the heavy silence, careful and measured. "Your Majesty, this may seem presumptuous, but… How about meeting Lady Lee Jan—the one who claims Minister Jade tried to assault her—in person?"
Queen Genie blinked, as if awakening from a fog. She fixed her eyes on Chief Han, surprise and hesitation mingling in her gaze.
"Me... meet her, face to face?"
Chief Han nodded solemnly.
"Yes, Your Majesty. It appears no one has been able to thoroughly investigate the matter. Official Ju Tak and Minister Lee Baewon's influence has cast a shadow of fear over those who might speak out. In times like these, it might be best for Your Majesty herself to question the suspect directly. You may discover something no one else has."
Beside him, Lady Park agreed softly, "I concur, Your Majesty. Meeting Lady Lee Jan and hearing her story first hand could shed much-needed light on this troubling affair."
Queen Genie sat quietly, her thoughts swirling. The inspectors had already accepted Lee Jan's evidence and her attendant's testimony without question. Jade had remained silent, offering no defense. Yet despite the pressure to accept the verdict, Genie's heart refused to surrender. She could not bear to see Jade wrongfully accused, his honor stained without truth.
At last, her eyes shone with newfound determination.
Looking firmly at Chief Han and Lady Park, she declared, "I will meet with Lee Jan immediately."
At that moment, Kim Jin sat anxiously in his study, fingers nervously biting the edge of his lips as he waited for Jade's arrival. The air felt heavy, charged with the weight of recent rumors. News of Jade's shocking exclusion from the list of State Councilor candidates had spread like wildfire beyond the palace walls, echoing through bustling marketplaces and whispered in every corner of the city.
Kim Jin had already heard the troubling news and was still grappling with the sting of disbelief. The door to his study creaked open, and Jade stepped inside, his usually composed face shadowed with a dark cloud of distress.
"Jade!" Kim Jin exclaimed, rising swiftly from his chair and closing the distance between them.
"It's been a while, Sir," Jade greeted with a faint, calm nod, though his eyes betrayed the turmoil within.
Kim Jin's voice was laced with urgency and confusion. "How could you be excluded from the final candidates? And worse, accused of trying to assault Lady Lee Jan! What on earth happened?"
Without waiting for an answer, Kim Jin pulled Jade toward the sturdy wooden table, desperate to hear the truth firsthand.
Jade lowered himself into the chair, steadying his breathing as he struggled to maintain his composure.
"It's all a nonsense, Sir," Jade said in a low voice.
Kim Jin's gaze hardened with conviction, shaking his head vehemently.
"Of course not! I know you're not that kind of man! But… what did the Queen say? Sure she did not believe that, right?"
Jade smiled bitterly at his words.