My Love, My Revenge

43

Jin Woo did not leave the pavilion immediately.

The night air felt colder now.

Lady Yuna’s words repeated inside his mind again and again.

Ara discovered something before her death.

Not jealousy alone.

Not simple revenge.

Something bigger.

Something dangerous enough to silence her forever.

Jin Woo stood quietly near the wooden railing, looking at the dark garden beyond the trees.

For years, he believed he understood the reason behind Ara’s death.

Now, for the first time, uncertainty entered his thoughts.

Not because his anger disappeared.

But because the truth was changing shape.

Slowly.

Carefully.

And someone inside the palace had worked very hard to hide it.

After a while, Jin Woo finally left the pavilion and returned to his residence.

The palace halls were silent at this hour. Only guards remained awake, standing like statues under dim lantern light.

No one stopped him.

But he still felt watched.

That feeling had become normal since returning to the capital.

Inside his study, a candle still burned near the window.

Jin Woo sat down slowly and unfolded the papers he had collected over the past weeks.

Names.

Dates.

Transfer orders.

Court records.

Small details that seemed meaningless alone.

But together, they created patterns.

His eyes moved carefully across the papers again.

Then suddenly, one thing stood out.

A name.

Minister Hwan.

Jin Woo’s gaze stopped there.

Years ago, Minister Hwan had been one of the Emperor’s closest advisors. Intelligent. Careful. Extremely powerful inside the court.

But several months after Ara’s death, he suddenly retired due to illness and disappeared from public life.

At the time, Jin Woo had not paid attention.

He had been drowning in grief.

Now it felt strange.

Too convenient.

He reached for another document.

Then another.

Every time the same name appeared, the details connected strangely to hidden palace movements.

Secret meetings.

Transfer requests.

Silenced investigations.

Jin Woo leaned back slowly.

Minister Hwan.

He whispered the name quietly to himself.

A dangerous man.

But also a patient one.

The kind of man who never acted without reason.

Jin Woo’s eyes darkened slightly.

Could Ara have learned something connected to him?

A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.

“Enter.”

An older servant stepped inside.

“My lord, a letter arrived tonight.”

Jin Woo frowned slightly.

“At this hour?”

“Yes.”

The servant handed him the letter and quickly left.

Jin Woo looked at the seal.

No royal mark.

No official symbol.

Only plain black wax.

He opened it carefully.

Inside was a short message.

Stop searching for dead people.

For a long moment, Jin Woo simply stared at the words.

Then slowly folded the paper.

His expression did not change.

But inside, his thoughts became colder.

This was the second warning.

Which meant one thing clearly.

He was getting closer.

Jin Woo stood and walked toward the candle.

The flame moved softly as he held the letter over it.

The paper slowly burned.

Ash fell silently into the tray below.

He watched until nothing remained.

Then he turned toward the window.

Rain had started again.

Soft at first.

Quiet against the palace roofs.

His reflection stared back at him through the dark glass.

“You are becoming impatient,” he said quietly.

Not to himself.

To whoever kept watching him from the shadows.

Because threats only came when fear already existed.

And powerful people feared exposure more than death.

The next morning, Jin Woo requested access to older court archives connected to Minister Hwan’s years in power.

The archivist looked nervous immediately.

“Those records are restricted, my lord.”

“By whose order?”

The man hesitated.

Then lowered his voice.

“They were sealed shortly after Minister Hwan retired.”

“Why?”

“I do not know.”

Jin Woo studied him carefully.

The man was lying about something.

Not everything.

But enough.

“Who currently controls access?”

The archivist swallowed nervously.

“The royal council.”

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Jin Woo nodded calmly.

“I understand.”

Then he turned and left.

But before leaving completely, he noticed movement near the far shelves.

Someone hiding.

Only for a second.

Then gone.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Another watcher.

The palace was full of them.

Outside the archive hall, Jin Woo walked slowly through the corridor.

His thoughts moved carefully.

The deeper he searched, the more resistance appeared.

That confirmed one thing clearly.

Ara had truly discovered something important before her death.

And now multiple people were terrified he would discover the same thing.

As he turned the corner, he suddenly stopped.

Princess Serina stood there.

Alone.

As if she had been waiting.

Their eyes met quietly.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Serina glanced toward the archive hall behind him.

“You should stop looking into old matters.”

Her voice sounded calm.

But there was tension beneath it.

Jin Woo looked at her carefully.

“You seem very interested in what I search for.”

Serina’s gaze hardened slightly.

“Because I know this palace better than you.”

“I doubt that.”

“You should not.”

A quiet silence followed.

Then Serina stepped closer.

Not angrily.

Not emotionally.

Almost seriously.

“There are people in this palace far more dangerous than me.”

Those words made Jin Woo still for a second.

Because she sounded honest.

Completely honest.

And that frightened him more than lies would have.

He looked directly into her eyes.

“Then tell me the truth.”

For the first time, Serina looked uncertain.

Only briefly.

Then her expression closed again.

“I cannot.”

“Or you will not?”

Her voice lowered.

“If I speak carelessly, more people will die.”

The hallway became completely silent.

Jin Woo watched her carefully.

Every instinct told him she was hiding something important.

Not only for herself.

For someone else.

Or from someone else.

Serina slowly stepped back.

“Leave the past buried, Jin Woo.”

Then she turned and walked away before he could stop her.

He remained standing there alone.

Watching her disappear down the long palace corridor.

Rain continued outside the windows.

Soft.

Cold.

Endless.

And deep inside his mind, one terrible thought slowly began forming.

What if Ara had not simply become a victim?

What if she had been trying to protect someone before she died?