The lamp burned softly, casting long shadows across the screens. As always, she waited, still, her heart clenched. She had prepared herself for the coldness, for the duty carried out without a word.
Yi Sun-sin entered. His steps were the same, firm and controlled. But this time, as he approached, his gaze did not immediately drift away. It lingered on her, longer than usual.
He leaned down, placing his hand on her shoulder. She braced for the usual harshness. Yet his palm did not press — it moved slower, more deliberate. His fingers brushed her nape, almost hesitant.
His wife, her voice trembling, asked:
— "Why… why do you look at me this way tonight?"
— "Because now I know… that you feel."
She lowered her eyes, ashamed, but he slid his hand beneath her chin, forcing her to look up. His touch remained firm, but not brutal. Their gazes locked.
He kissed her — not tenderly, but with a tempered intensity, as though seeking to understand rather than to impose. She trembled, no longer only with fear, but with a new kind of shiver.
When he pulled away, his expression was stern once more, yet his voice was lower than usual:
— "Do not believe I have changed. But what your body revealed… I can no longer ignore."
He straightened, his mask of stone restored. Yet for the first time, she felt that behind that wall, something had cracked.