Chapter 41 The Princess and the Silence
993 Words
The palace garden was quiet in the morning.
Soft wind moved through the trees, and sunlight reflected gently over the pond water. From far away, the sounds of the court could still be heard, but here everything felt calm.
Too calm.
Jin Woo stood near the stone path, his expression unreadable.
In front of him stood Princess Serina.
Elegant as always.
Her long royal robes moved slightly with the wind, and her eyes stayed fixed on him with quiet interest.
Years had passed, but her presence still carried the same pressure.
The kind that made people nervous without needing to raise a voice.
She smiled lightly.
“You returned without even greeting me.”
Jin Woo bowed respectfully.
“I did not wish to disturb Your Highness.”
Serina laughed softly.
“You always speak so carefully.”
He remained silent.
That silence only made her study him more closely.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Serina slowly walked toward the pond.
“Walk with me.”
Jin Woo followed without argument.
The guards stayed behind at a distance. No one dared to come too close.
The morning air felt cool around them.
Serina looked at the lotus flowers floating on the water.
“The palace feels different now that you are back,” she said quietly.
Jin Woo answered calmly.
“Palaces never truly change.”
“No,” she said softly. “But people do.”
Her eyes shifted toward him.
“You changed the most.”
Jin Woo looked ahead instead of meeting her gaze.
“Time changes everyone.”
Serina smiled faintly.
“That answer again.”
There was something strange in her voice.
Almost amused.
Almost disappointed.
She stopped walking.
“When you suddenly left the capital years ago, many people were surprised.”
“I had my reasons.”
“And now you return just as suddenly.”
This time, Jin Woo looked directly at her.
“The Emperor called me back.”
“Yes,” Serina replied. “But you could have refused.”
“I serve the court.”
A quiet laugh escaped her lips.
“No. You only serve yourself now.”
The words were calm, but sharp.
Jin Woo said nothing.
Because part of it was true.
Serina slowly circled the pond.
“You know, there was a time when I thought I understood you.”
She looked at him carefully.
“You were ambitious, intelligent, calm. Different from everyone else in court.”
Her expression became colder.
“Then you chose her.”
Ara.
She still could not say the name naturally.
Jin Woo noticed that immediately.
“She was my wife,” he said quietly.
The air changed slightly after those words.
Serina’s smile faded for only a second.
Then it returned again.
“Yes,” she replied softly. “She was.”
Something about the way she said it felt strange.
Not mocking.
Not angry.
Something else.
Jin Woo noticed it, but before he could think deeper, Serina continued speaking.
“Do you still blame me?”
The question came suddenly.
Directly.
Jin Woo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“For what?”
Serina looked at the water.
“For everything.”
Silence filled the space between them.
Jin Woo answered carefully.
“Some things do not need words to be understood.”
Her fingers tightened lightly against her sleeve.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“Truth usually is.”
For the first time, Serina looked away from him.
The wind moved softly through the garden trees.
Then she spoke quietly.
“You came back searching for answers.”
It was not a question.
Jin Woo stayed calm.
“People always search for answers.”
“But not like you.”
Her eyes returned to him slowly.
“You look at everyone as if measuring them.”
“Should I not?”
A small smile touched her lips again.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The real Jin Woo.”
He remained silent.
Serina stepped closer.
Not enough to cross respect, but enough to make the atmosphere heavier.
“You were never gentle,” she said softly. “You only pretended to be.”
Jin Woo finally spoke.
“And Your Highness was never kind.”
For a second, the world around them became completely still.
Then surprisingly, Serina laughed.
Not loudly.
But genuinely.
“That may be the most honest thing you have ever said to me.”
Jin Woo’s expression did not change.
The princess looked at him carefully again.
As if trying to find traces of the man she once wanted.
But too much time had passed.
Too much had been destroyed.
Finally, Serina’s voice softened.
“You should be careful, Jin Woo.”
“Is that a warning?”
“Yes.”
“From who?”
Her eyes held his for a long moment.
“From this palace.”
Jin Woo noticed something hidden behind her calm expression.
Fear.
Very small.
Almost impossible to see.
But it was there.
That surprised him more than her words.
Princess Serina was not someone who feared easily.
So what exactly was she afraid of?
Before he could think further, she stepped back.
“The court meeting will begin soon,” she said calmly.
As if the conversation before had never happened.
She turned and began walking away.
Then she suddenly stopped.
Without looking back, she spoke one final sentence.
“Some secrets should stay buried.”
Her voice was quieter now.
More serious than before.
Then she left.
Jin Woo remained standing beside the pond alone.
The water moved gently under the sunlight.
His expression stayed calm, but his thoughts were no longer still.
Because Serina had not sounded like someone protecting herself.
She sounded like someone protecting something else.
And for the first time since returning to the capital,
Jin Woo felt that the truth behind Ara’s death was far larger than he originally believed.
- Writer
