Jade's eyes narrowed as thoughts fleeted and turned bitter—back to Kim Jin, and that fateful moment when Jade's name had been dropped from the national envoy list.
"I must deliver this news to the Ash Kingdom immediately," Kim had declared, urgency laced with self-interest. "There's no time to hesitate. I'll take the next ship, speak with their court directly, and return with a diplomatic resolution."
Jade bit his lips, a low sigh escaping him.
'The Ash Kingdom still thinks I was rejected... They don't yet know that the Queen cleared my name. They assumed a different envoy would be chosen—someone they couldn't manipulate. Fearing they'd lose the upper hand in future negotiations… they chose to strike first.'
The ground trembled as the special forces rallied behind him, letting out a fierce battle cry.
"WAAAAAAHHH!"
The valley reverberated with their roar, a sound that drowned out fear itself. Jade turned briefly in his saddle, glimpsing the fire in his soldiers' eyes—their loyalty, their courage, their belief in the justice of their cause.
A sharp pang of guilt pierced through him.
'If I had stood my ground sooner… If I had confronted Kim Jin before he fled to the Ash Kingdom… Could this war have been prevented?'
But the battlefield allowed no time for regret.
Only resolve.
Only retribution.
His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, his voice rising above the din of war like a thunderclap.
"Listen up!"
The riders steadied their pace, eyes fixed on their commander.
"Tonight, not a single soldier of the Ash Kingdom is to be left alive!"
A deafening cheer erupted behind him—rage, loyalty, and righteousness forged into a single sound. With a defiant cry, Jade led the charge, a vengeful wind tearing across the borderlands of Hana Kingdom.
The war had begun.
And Jade would make sure it ended with their enemy shattered.
In the dimly lit royal office, the heavy scent of ink and parchment mingled with the tension in the air. Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Culture had gathered in haste, summoned under Queen Genie's orders. The tall windows behind her desk cast long shadows, and the candle flames flickered as if mirroring the unease in the room.
Moonsen broke the silence first, his voice low but urgent.
"Your Majesty… the timing of the Ash Kingdom's invasion is no coincidence. It comes just days before the royal consort final selection day."
Minister Han Son gave a slow, deliberate nod.
"Indeed. It would appear they are expressing clear displeasure with our envoy selection process."
Queen Genie tapped her fingers lightly on the carved armrest of her chair, her gaze sharpening.
'Why would the Ash Kingdom be unhappy with our consort envoy selection? Could it be… they had a candidate in mind?'
She straightened, her eyes flicking from one minister to the next.
"Tell me honestly," she said. "Do you think the Ash Kingdom had a specific candidate they favored for our envoy?"
Her question hung in the air like a blade.
The ministers exchanged startled glances, the weight of her words pressing down on them.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke hesitantly. "Your Majesty… would the Ash Kingdom truly go so far as to interfere in our internal envoy decisions?"
Minister Han Son turned to him with a firm shake of his head.
"No. As Her Majesty suspects, it is entirely possible they had a preferred candidate. And when their expectations were not met—they retaliated."
"But why?" Moonsen asked, his brow furrowed in disbelief. "None of the shortlisted candidates have any known connections to the Ash Kingdom. What interest would they have in our envoy?"
Just then, a faint flicker of memory stirred within Queen Genie.
'Jade… he once studied in the Ash Kingdom, didn't he?'
Her breath caught for a moment.
The image of a younger Jade, clad in foreign robes, walking through the ancient academies of their neighboring nation surfaced in her mind. She had seen the reports—she knew of his time abroad, his linguistic fluency, his understanding of Ash customs.
But she dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it came.
'A mere academic background… that can't be enough to warrant war. Can it?'
Still, a seed of doubt had been planted.
A knot of unease twisted in her chest.
'What if this war wasn't just about politics… but about a name they wanted—and failed—to control?'
As the tension in the royal office mounted, Official Moonsen leaned forward, his voice firm with conviction.
"The Ash Kingdom may have been waiting for this precise moment, Your Majesty. Their timing wasn't a coincidence—they struck knowing we were occupied with the royal consort appointment. A moment when our court was distracted, divided."
A murmur of agreement swept through the chamber. The officials, once skeptical, now wore grave expressions.
Queen Genie sat straighter, the flickering lamplight casting long shadows across her face.
"We've shared a peaceful border with the Ash Kingdom for years," she said slowly, each word weighed with meaning, "but we cannot deny the truth—beneath that peace has always lingered rivalry, caution, and hidden tension."
She looked out the tall window, where the horizon was beginning to glow with the first hint of dawn.
"Perhaps this is what they've waited for all along—a moment when our walls were lowered and our gaze turned inward. We must now consider how we redefine our diplomatic stance with them… not just as allies, but as potential adversaries."
What followed was a heated and urgent debate—one that stretched long into the morning hours. Advisors argued over the weight of retaliation, the boundaries of negotiation, and the cost of provocation. Words flew faster than ink could record. Scrolls were opened, treaties reread, and maps unrolled.
At last, with the rising sun bleeding soft gold across the chamber floor, Queen Genie raised her hand.
"This emergency session is adjourned. I thank you all for your wisdom and diligence."
The officials bowed and slowly filed out, exhausted but sobered. The royal office fell into silence once more.
Queen Genie remained seated at the table, her posture upright, but her expression clouded with worry. Her fingers traced the carved patterns in the wood absently.
"Your Majesty… it's nearly morning. Shall we prepare breakfast for you?" Chief Han asked.
Only then did she realize the weight in her stomach wasn't anxiety alone—it was hunger, plain and human. She gave a faint nod.
"Yes… I suppose it's time."
She rose from her chair, wrapping her cloak around her shoulders. As she stepped outside, a sharp winter wind greeted her like an old companion. It bit at her cheeks and tugged at her sleeves, a bracing reminder that war had come.
The palace grounds glowed beneath the cold, pale sunlight. Frost still clung to the stone pathways, and breath curled visibly in the air. She paused, gazing at the towers stretching toward the sky.
Her thoughts drifted—inevitably—to him.
'Jade…'
He would be at the frontlines by now, his sword drawn, his heart beating beneath the same sky.
'Please be safe.'
She closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly, the whisper of a prayer slipping past her lips.
A queen to her people.
A woman, quietly praying for one man's life.
Lady Park stepped closer, her voice gentle yet steady as she sought to ease the Queen's restless heart. "Your Majesty, please do not burden yourself with worry. He is a strong warrior who has saved you countless times before—who returned for the sake of the kingdom and its people. Minister Jade will come back safely once more, I am certain of it."
Queen Genie met Lady Park's calm gaze and gave a faint, grateful nod.
'Yes… Jade has risked death to save me so many times before. And now, on the battlefield, he fights to protect all of us.'
A quiet ache bloomed in her chest—a mixture of pride, fear, and a longing she could barely contain.
Swallowing the yearning to see him again, to know he was unharmed, she squared her shoulders and stepped out into the pale light of day.
The world waited—fragile and uncertain—but she would stand strong for it, for him, for the Hana Kingdom.
Meanwhile, behind the southwestern village near the Hana–Ash Kingdom border, a fierce battle raged with relentless fury.
Across the jagged ridges of the mountain range, Hana's border forces clashed violently with the Ash troops. Steel met steel with ringing clangs and desperate cries.
"Not one Ash Kingdom soldier is to be left alive!" Jade's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
With a determined shout, Jade raised his sword high.
At his command, the capital's special forces surged forward, united with the border troops, a wave of fierce resolve crashing down upon the enemy.
"Yaaahhhh!"
Behind the village, countless spears and blades flashed like banners rippling in the wind along the rugged mountain border. The sounds of battle—whooshes of arrows, the swish of swords, and the heavy thunk of weapons striking flesh and shield—filled the air.
Jade rode through the chaos with grace and deadly precision. His sword swept in flawless arcs, swift as feathers falling, sharp as lightning strikes, each blow pushing the Ash Kingdom troops steadily backward.
Inspired by their commander's unstoppable presence, Hana's soldiers fought with fierce determination, showing no mercy to their foes. The Ash forces were gradually forced down the slope, driven back toward the foot of the mountain.
But then—
From the shadows of a marshy thicket beyond, an Ash Kingdom archer, hidden and waiting, took aim.
Jade was kneeling beside a fallen young Hana soldier, offering aid, when his eyes met those of the ambusher.
Whizz.
An arrow screamed through the air.
"Ah…"
Jade's breath hitched as the shaft pierced his left shoulder. He staggered, dropping to one knee.
Then—
"Minister!!!" the deputy commander, Danjin's frantic shout cut through the din.
Thunk!
Another arrow struck, embedding deep in Jade's other shoulder.
His body slumped forward, his uniform darkening with spreading blood as he collapsed onto the rough earth.