On the second-floor terrace of the Queen's chamber, Genie stood quietly at the railing, her silk sleeves brushing lightly in the evening air. The April night breeze carried the faint fragrance of cherry blossoms, drifting through the lantern-lit palace gardens below. She closed her eyes, whispering a prayer in her heart.
'Lord, is it right for me to ask this of Jade? Give me Your wisdom.'
A low, steady voice cut gently through the silence.
"Your Majesty."
Genie turned, and there he was—Jade, his tall frame outlined against the moonlight. He wore the black attire of the military commander, the silver embroidery at his hems catching the faint glow. A single mark of silver, proud yet understated, rested across his chest.
The spring wind stirred his dark hair, and in that instant his deep-set eyes met hers. Under the quiet gleam of moonlight, his features seemed sharper, his presence at once dignified and disarming. Jade swallowed softly, trying to steady the pounding in his chest.
Genie's lips curved faintly, a smile that held both warmth and gravity. She lifted a hand toward the small table set with two chairs.
"Please, come and sit."
She lowered herself first into the Queen's chair, composed but with a flicker of thought still in her eyes. Jade stepped forward, the sound of his boots brushing softly against the stone floor, and settled into the seat across from her.
Silence enveloped them—heavy, delicate, and filled with unspoken weight—as the moon cast its silver light over the terrace.
Genie's gaze lingered on the palace rooftops, their curved tiles gleaming faintly under the moonlight. Yet behind her composed expression, her heart trembled restlessly, every beat faster than she wished to admit.
Across the table, Jade's eyes followed her, unable to look away. Her large, luminous eyes reflected the night, as if she held the whole kingdom in her gaze. He took in the sight silently, a warmth in his chest pressing hard against the ache he carried.
At last, Genie turned toward him. Her voice was soft, graceful, yet edged with something unspoken.
"We haven't talked for a while, have we?"
Jade's lips curved faintly, and he nodded.
"Your Majesty has been very busy these days. Is everything… all right?" His tone was calm, though beneath it lingered the quiet yearning to know her more deeply than duty allowed.
Genie offered a small smile and a delicate nod.
"Yes. Though there are always matters to tend to, the kingdom is at peace now. The bandits have been subdued, and the relationship with Ash Kingdom… has returned to stability."
At the name, Jade's chest tightened. His lashes lowered, masking the flicker of pain in his eyes.
'She doesn't know… she doesn't know the truth between me and Ash.'
Her words of relief cut him deeper than any blade.
Genie continued, her voice carrying gratitude like a gentle stream.
"With all that settled, I can breathe a little easier in my reign. And much of it is because of you, Jade. For that, I'm truly thankful."
Jade bowed his head, guilt and tenderness warring inside him.
"No, Your Majesty. I only did what was required of me."
The words left his lips, but inside he felt the sting of regret—that she offered him thanks with such sincerity, never knowing the shadow of his past.
For a moment, silence stretched again between them, softened by the night wind. Then Genie's eyes searched for his, steady yet questioning.
"How much do you think you know about me, Jade?"
Jade paused, the question striking him like a stone thrown into still water. He hadn't expected it, not on this quiet night with the spring breeze brushing through the terrace. Genie's voice carried a weight he rarely heard—low, solemn, edged with something unspoken.
His eyes lingered on her, tender and searching.
'I want to know more about you, Your Majesty… more than the Queen I serve. More than the Queen I protect.'
But the words stayed locked in his chest.
Genie offered a faint, wistful smile, her gaze drifting back to the expanse of the moonlit palace. The soft glow bathed her features, but it could not veil the shadow in her eyes. "I don't know about myself that well, apparently… and I've been noticing that more and more these days."
Her words hung in the air, fragile yet heavy. And when Jade followed her gaze, he saw it—the sorrow shimmering beneath her composure, the longing woven into her stillness.
'She seems… sad tonight,' Jade thought, his heart tightening in his chest. His fingers twitched on the armrest, aching to bridge the distance, to speak comfort—but hesitation bound him.
'Do I even have the right? Am I in the place to console her heart?'
Genie's voice carried on, soft yet steady.
"And now, with the kingdom more settled…"
She paused, a private thought flickering in her mind—'and with my health not so good these days…'
Before she exhaled and spoke aloud, "I want to find my family."
Jade's breath hitched, his eyes quivering.
Genie turned toward him, her round eyes glistening under the moonlight.
"Jade, I've already told you, so you already know…" She drew in a deep, steadying breath. "My elder brother—the one all of Hana believes to be dead—is alive."
The night still stood. The distant sound of night birds faded, as though the world itself leaned in.
Genie's lips curved into a graceful, fragile smile.
"And I need you to find him. Can you do this for me?"
Jade's gaze lingered on Genie, his deep eyes steady yet conflicted.
'She's asking me to find her elder brother… the prince this entire kingdom has mourned as dead.'
The thought reverberated through him, heavy as stone, his breath tightening in his chest.
"Can you do this for me?" Genie's voice pressed again, softer this time, but carrying the weight of trust that cut into him.
Jade straightened, his jaw setting, and when he spoke, his voice was low and unwavering. "Yes, Your Majesty. If it is your command, then of course I will."
But inside, his heart stirred.
'More than a command… this is her heart's plea. And I—'
He stopped the thought from finishing, bowing his head deeper.
Genie's round eyes glistened as she continued.
"It doesn't matter how long it takes. Please find my elder brother. The one the kingdom thinks is dead, but who is not. For now, you are the only one who knows this truth. And I entrust this command to you."
Her words struck him like an oath bound in blood. He felt the gravity of the secret settle into his bones. Slowly, firmly, Jade nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will. With everything I have, I will try my best."
A quiet smile curved on Genie's lips as though relief had slipped into her heart, if only slightly.
"Great. Thank you," she murmured.
Jade's voice carried a rare gentleness, threaded with the care he could not hide.
"Your Majesty, by any reason… is there something that makes you search for him now?" His tone was low, hesitant, as though afraid the answer might wound them both.
Genie let her gaze drift outward over the palace grounds. From the terrace, the lantern-lit paths stretched across the gardens; court ladies glided past like petals in the wind, guards patrolled in silence, and officials walked with scrolls tucked under their arms. The palace—her palace—stood vast and immaculate, not gaudy with gold but pure and modest, a reflection of the kind of reign she longed for.
"What reason would there be?" Genie replied softly with a faint shrug, her lips curving into a delicate smile. She turned to Jade, her large round eyes catching the candlelight. "I just… want to find my family now."
But the smile did not reach her heart. Behind it, her thoughts tightened like a knot.
'Yes, I want my elder brother because he is my family. But the truth…' Her chest ached with the secret. 'I cannot tell you that I am unwell. That perhaps I seek him because I fear there may come a time when I cannot fulfill my task as Queen.'
She turned her face away before the sorrow in her eyes could betray her. The moon bathed the rooftops in silver, and Genie's expression gentled as if to cloak her pain.
"Jade," she spoke again, this time in a voice soft as the night breeze. Rising gracefully from her seat, her silken robes whispered against the floor.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Jade answered immediately, following suit, his tall frame straightening as he rose with her.
His heart thudded once—slow, deep—at the sound of his name spoken so tenderly by her lips.
Genie lifted her hand and pointed toward the far right corner of the palace grounds, where the Princess's chamber once stood. Now, the chamber had been repurposed into a music hall, its windows open to let out faint echoes of string instruments.
"Do you remember…" Genie's voice softened, almost touched with nostalgia, "the days when I lived there? Back when you were my royal guard?"