At dawn, under a brittle winter sky, Onny wrapped her shawl tighter against the biting wind and hurried toward the market stalls. As Lady Lee Jan's faithful maid, she had long grown used to the morning bustle—selecting vegetables with practiced eyes, haggling for fish, counting coins with chilled fingers.
She was just reaching for a bundle of scallions when a gentle tap on her shoulder startled her. She turned.
And gasped.
Standing before her was a palace official—tall, composed, unmistakably familiar.
"Aren't you… the one I saw back then with Her Majesty...?" she stammered.
The official nodded, his expression calm and reassuring. "You remember. I've come on Her Majesty's orders to bring you."
Onny's hands froze in midair. Her heart skipped painfully.
Her Majesty is calling me?
Having concluded a rigorous royal debate with the scholars of the Hana Kingdom, Queen Genie made her way to her private office. The discussion had been long and spirited, but her mind was already elsewhere—on the girl now waiting just beyond the threshold.
Outside the grand doors, Onny stood stiffly under the watchful gaze of the queen's attendants. The contrast between her plain wool dress and the silken uniforms of the court was stark. Her hands twisted the hem of her cloak as she stared nervously at the floor.
Queen Genie approached, a gentle warmth in her eyes.
"You've come a long way. Thank you," Genie said softly.
Onny's head snapped up. She bowed deeply, knees wobbling.
"Y-Your Majesty... Why… why have you... called for me?" Her voice trembled like a leaf in the wind.
"Let's go inside first," Genie said with a smile.
Inside the Queen's royal office, Onny walked with small, hesitant steps. Her breath caught as she crossed the threshold. She had never imagined, not even in dreams, that she would ever set foot in such a place—the very heart of the kingdom's power.
The Queen's office... she thought with a flutter of disbelief.
Queen Genie took her seat at the center of the long lacquered table, surrounded by advisors and attendants. Her gaze rested gently on Onny.
"Please, sit."
Onny took a step back, shaking her head fiercely.
"How... how could I possibly sit before Your Majesty's table... I—I'm fine standing... truly..."
"Please don't worry. I didn't call you here to punish you."
The words, spoken with such calm conviction, caused Onny's knees to weaken. She nodded, then tiptoed to the farthest edge of the table, perching nervously on the very corner of the chair—still too afraid to fully rest.
A moment later, one of the Queen's attendants approached and gently set a steaming cup of milk tea before her.
The warm scent curled into the air, a quiet invitation in the middle of a room filled with majesty.
Queen Genie regarded the trembling young maid before her with eyes full of compassion. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft as freshly fallen snow.
"The weather is cold today, isn't it?" she said. "Please, have some warm tea. There's no need to be afraid."
Onny, her fingers barely steady, lifted the delicate porcelain cup with both hands. The steam rose in pale wisps, but even its warmth couldn't quite steady her quivering heart.
"Wh-Why… Why is Your Majesty speaking so kindly to someone like me?" she whispered. "I'm only a servant…"
Queen Genie offered a gentle smile and shook her head.
"Whether noble or servant, all are precious in the eyes of heaven," she said softly. "And precious to me. Please don't think otherwise."
The words struck Onny like a quiet thunder. Her throat tightened, and her vision blurred. Precious. No one had ever said that to her before—not in all her years working in the shadowed corners of grand estates. And now, those words had come not from a fellow maid or some kind passerby—but from the sovereign of the Hana Kingdom herself.
Tears welled in her eyes, shimmering like dew clinging to a fragile leaf.
Queen Genie leaned forward slightly, her voice lowered in sincerity. "What is your name?"
Onny blinked back the tears. She bowed her head and spoke in a hushed voice.
"O-Onny, Your Majesty."
The queen nodded, her tone affectionate. "That's a lovely name. Onny, I believe you already know the truth, don't you?"
At that, Onny stiffened, the warmth of the moment chased away by an icy stab of fear.
Truth.
The word alone made her blood run cold.
"I'm Lady Lee Jan's maid…" she murmured, her voice trembling anew. "If I speak the truth here… Lady Lee Jan won't let me go. My whole family serves Master Ju Tak's household. If I say anything wrong... if anyone finds out..."
Fear returned, and Onny lowered her head, trembling.
Watching her, Queen Genie recalled what Moonsen had told her the night before.
"Your Majesty, I confirmed with the deputy commander that Minister Jade was outside the palace meeting frontier commanders at the time. The Deputy Commander was with him and promised to testify as well."
Queen Genie had known from the start that Jade was innocent. But to fight those accusing him, she needed solid evidence.
To clear his name, she needed testimony—not from Jade, but from someone else who could confirm his whereabouts.
She could've interrogated Lady Lee Jan's maid and forced a confession, but that might put Onny in danger.
She suspected that both Onny and her family were servants in Ju Tak and Lee Jan's household.
So Queen Genie had no intention of forcing a confession from Onny.
Having already secured testimony through Moonsen the night before, Queen Genie now spoke gently. "I will make sure that Lady Lee Jan never finds out you told the truth, so you don't need to worry.
And if you wish, I can arrange for you and your family to work at the palace instead."
"Work at the palace... with my family...?"
Onny was stunned by the queen's unexpected kindness.
'Working at the palace would be far better than being mistreated every day by Lady Lee Jan…' she thought.
A heavy silence fell over the Queen's office. Only the soft clink of porcelain against wood could be heard as Onny set her cup down with trembling fingers.
Queen Genie waited patiently, her expression kind and unwavering. She knew the moment was fragile—like watching a bird inch closer to an open hand, unsure whether it would find safety or a snare.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Onny found her voice.
"T-The truth is..." she began, her voice no louder than a whisper. "Lady Lee Jan… still hasn't gotten over Minister Jade."
The words came out brittle, but they were enough to turn the air heavy. Queen Genie leaned in slightly, silent encouragement in her gaze.
"That's why… she plotted this," Onny continued. "She wanted him removed from the royal consort candidate list." Her hands clutched the hem of her skirt, knuckles whitening with shame. "Some time ago… she ordered me to steal Minister Jade's clothes. She said I should claim they belonged to Master Ju—from the officers' residence."
Queen Genie's brows knit together, but she did not speak. She allowed the truth to spill at its own pace.
"She gave me a master key… one that could open Minister Jade's room without raising suspicion. And so I… I did as she asked..." Tears flowed freely down Onny's cheeks. "Y-Your Majesty... I've committed a grave sin..." She collapsed into a low bow, forehead nearly touching the floor, her entire body trembling with remorse. "Please... if punishment is due, let it fall on me alone... not my family…"
But Queen Genie rose quietly from her seat and walked to the girl's side. Kneeling beside her, she gently placed a hand on Onny's shoulder.
"No," Genie said softly. "I appreciate your courage to tell the truth."
Onny looked up, stunned, her tear-filled eyes locking with the queen's.
"Thank you for your honesty," Genie continued. "And your bravery. Because of you, we may yet restore justice."
The queen stood again, her voice steady and resolute. "I will ensure your safety—and your family's. You will not return to that house. From this moment on, you are under royal protection."
For the first time in her life, Onny felt the weight of fear lift—not entirely, but enough to breathe.
A servant girl had spoken the truth in a palace of power.
And the Queen of the Kingdom had listened.
"Your Majesty, before you conclude this royal assembly, there is something I wish to reveal before all the ministers." Moonsen's voice rang clear and steady through the grand assembly hall, where rows of high officials stood in ceremonial formation beneath the soaring ceiling painted with dragons and clouds.
The sun streamed through the lattice windows, casting long patterns of light across the polished stone floor.
Every head turned toward him. Whispers stirred like wind through tall grass.
Minister Jade, standing among the ministers of the military court, looked toward Moonsen, his eyes narrowing in confusion. A flicker of unease crossed his usually composed face.
Queen Genie, seated at the head of the chamber in royal robes of deep violet and gold, looked at Moonsen with calm poise.
"What is it you wish to say?"
Moonsen stepped forward with solemn purpose.
"It concerns Minister Jade from the Military."
A collective gasp rippled through the hall. The silence that followed was thick with anticipation, tension strung like a taut bowstring.
Jade's expression froze. He said nothing, though the faintest flicker of alarm touched his eyes.
Moonsen's heart pounded in his chest as he remembered the queen's words from the previous night.
"If I, as sovereign, speak out directly about a rejected royal consort candidate, it may be seen as partiality. The officials will accuse me of using royal power to defend someone I favor. Would you, as an officer of foreign affairs and a man respected in court, speak the truth on my behalf?"
He had bowed low before her, his voice unwavering.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will do anything you ask me to do."
Now, standing beneath the carved golden seal of the Hana Kingdom, he lifted his chin and swept his gaze across the chamber, meeting the eyes of generals, ministers, scholars, and judges alike.
"Please begin," Queen Genie said, her voice both regal and resolute, like a bell ringing through the early mist.
Moonsen clasped his hands behind his back and declared, "I wish to reveal the truth before this royal assembly."
A hush settled.
"This incident"—he gestured toward Minister Jade—"was fabricated. It was deliberately orchestrated by Lady Lee Jan, the wife of Official Ju Tak, with the intent of disqualifying Minister Jade from the candidacy for royal consort."