Chapter 9
1176 Words
Chapter 9 – A Promise Across Distance
Life in the capital slowly settled into a rhythm for Jin Woo.
Every morning he woke before sunrise. He dressed in his official robe and walked through the busy streets toward the palace offices. His work in the royal records office was quiet but important. He copied royal decrees, organized reports from different provinces, and sometimes helped senior officials review old laws.
Most days passed peacefully.
But Jin Woo always felt something strange.
Sometimes when he walked through the palace halls, he felt as if someone was watching him.
Sometimes a servant would look at him carefully and then quickly turn away.
And sometimes… he would hear the soft voice of Princess Serina in his mind.
"Let us see how far you can really go."
Jin Woo did not understand her interest in him.
But he knew one thing clearly.
He must be careful.
Still, no matter how busy his days became, his thoughts often returned to the small town he had left behind.
To the market.
To the warm smell of soup and rice cakes.
And most of all…
To Ara.
---
One evening, after finishing his work, Jin Woo sat near the small desk in his room.
A candle burned quietly beside him.
He held a piece of paper and a brush.
For a long time, he simply stared at the blank page.
Then slowly, he began to write.
His handwriting was calm and careful.
He wrote about the capital.
He wrote about the palace.
He wrote about his work.
But between those lines, there were words he did not write.
Words about how much he missed seeing Ara every day.
After finishing the letter, Jin Woo sealed it carefully.
He handed it to a messenger early the next morning.
“Please deliver this to this town,” he said.
The messenger nodded.
“It will arrive in a few days.”
Jin Woo watched the messenger ride away.
For the first time since coming to the capital, he felt a little lighter.
---
Three days later…
Ara was opening her stall in the market when a rider arrived.
“Is this Ara?” the man asked.
She looked surprised.
“Yes?”
“I have a letter for you.”
Ara blinked.
“A letter?”
No one had ever sent her a letter before.
She carefully took it.
When she saw the name written on the front, her heart suddenly began beating faster.
Jin Woo.
She quickly sat down behind the stall and opened it.
As she read the words, a small smile slowly appeared on her face.
Minho noticed immediately.
“What happened?” he asked.
Ara tried to hide the letter.
“Nothing.”
Minho leaned closer.
“You’re smiling like an idiot.”
Ara pushed him away.
“Mind your own business.”
But she could not stop reading the letter again.
And again.
And again.
That night, she wrote a reply.
Her writing was not as neat as Jin Woo’s.
Some words were crooked.
Some sentences were simple.
But every word came from her heart.
---
Months passed.
Letters continued to travel between the capital and the small town.
Sometimes they wrote about daily life.
Sometimes they joked.
Sometimes they simply asked if the other person was eating well and sleeping enough.
Even though they were far away, their hearts slowly grew closer.
---
Meanwhile, inside the palace…
Princess Serina continued watching Jin Woo.
Not directly.
But quietly.
One afternoon, she called him again.
Jin Woo entered the royal garden and bowed.
“Your Highness.”
Serina sat beside the pond as usual.
“You are working hard,” she said.
“I am simply doing my duty.”
Serina smiled faintly.
“You are modest.”
She stood and slowly walked around him again.
“Many ministers are starting to notice you.”
Jin Woo stayed silent.
Serina stopped in front of him.
“Talent like yours should not be wasted.”
Jin Woo replied calmly,
“I only wish to serve the kingdom honestly.”
Serina looked at him carefully.
“Do you truly have no ambition?”
Jin Woo answered honestly.
“I want a peaceful life.”
Serina laughed softly.
“A peaceful life inside the royal court?”
Her eyes became sharper.
“That is impossible.”
Then she asked suddenly—
“Have you thought about marriage?”
Jin Woo froze slightly.
Serina watched his reaction.
“A man in your position will soon need a wife,” she continued.
“A wife from a powerful family could help your career.”
Jin Woo understood what she was hinting at.
But he answered carefully.
“My heart already belongs to someone.”
Serina’s expression became still.
“The girl from your town?”
“Yes.”
For a moment, silence filled the garden.
Serina slowly looked away.
Then she smiled again.
“Interesting.”
But inside her eyes, something darker had appeared.
---
Another year passed.
Jin Woo continued working hard.
His intelligence and honesty slowly gained the respect of many officials.
Soon he was promoted.
Then promoted again.
By the third year, Jin Woo had become one of the youngest high officials in the court.
People spoke about him everywhere.
“Lord Jin Woo is very talented.”
“The emperor trusts him.”
“He will become even more powerful in the future.”
But success did not change Jin Woo’s heart.
One evening, after finishing a meeting with ministers, he stood outside the palace gates.
The sunset painted the sky red.
He quietly made a decision.
“I will go back,” he whispered.
---
A few days later, Jin Woo returned to his hometown.
The market looked exactly the same.
The same stalls.
The same voices.
The same smell of food.
And there, behind the stall…
Ara was serving customers.
When she looked up and saw him, she froze.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Jin Woo smiled.
“I came back.”
Ara walked toward him slowly.
“You became a big official now.”
Jin Woo shook his head.
“I’m still the same man.”
Ara looked into his eyes.
“Yes… you are.”
The wind moved gently through the market.
Jin Woo took a deep breath.
Then he said the words he had waited years to say.
“Ara… will you marry me?”
Ara stared at him in shock.
Minho dropped the basket he was holding.
“What?!”
But Jin Woo did not look away.
His eyes were serious and full of warmth.
“Ara,” he repeated softly.
“Will you marry me?”
For a moment, the entire world felt quiet.
Then slowly…
Ara smiled.
And her answer would soon begin a story that neither of them could yet imagine.
Because far away in the royal palace…
Princess Serina was about to hear the news.
And when she did…
Her jealousy would begin to grow into something far more dangerous.
- Writer
