FYH Chapter 81

「At the height of the three-year war, the first house to surrender to the Allied Forces was House Duncan. Next came the Russells, then the Melons.

The Duncans never make the wrong choice.

— From page 25 of “A Letter to Future Kings”」

 

* * *

 

The military was in the middle of its report in the council chamber.  

“It nearly got breached again?”  

The King looked more resigned than angry. Reclining in his chair, he merely tilted his head, silently telling them to go on.  

The military nobles, already feeling accused, interpreted that expression as one of contempt—like he was asking, Just how far does your incompetence go? And truthfully, he was.  

“My deepest apologies. The sentries tried to open the gates again. This time, it wasn’t just one of them.”  

“Is the Western Army made up entirely of dimwits?”  

At last, Roderick’s expression twisted in frustration.  

While everyone else cleared their throats or averted their eyes, the only one who could meet his gaze directly was Jade.  

Your Majesty, your younger brother is also stationed with the Western Army.  

Roderick furrowed his brow, about to say something. It had been some time since he’d ordered a restructuring of the sentry system—why was this still happening?  

But then he hesitated. A strange intuition flickered through his mind.  

“How many were there? The sentries, I mean.”  

“There were forty assigned to the wall that day. The ones who caused the incident were three—all from the same unit.”  

“Have they been interrogated?”  

“We did question them, but… they’ve confessed to nothing substantial.”  

The noble’s voice shrank to a whisper. This wasn’t a matter one could boast about.  

Still, Roderick gave a brief nod, surprisingly calm.  

“Bring them here.”  

“Excuse me?”  

“Bring all of them and set them in front of me.”  

The King’s unusual command left the military nobles flustered.  

“Your Majesty, they’ve already been summarily executed—per military law.”  

This time, Roderick’s expression clearly showed real irritation.  

He turned his head to look at his old friend, who was tied to the Western Army. The Second Division Commander had been selected by the First Division Commander back when they both joined.  

“Looks like the Second Division Commander is just as brainless.”  

“…”  

“Does the Western Army’s high command still not know what matters most?”  

As the criticism struck, Jade averted his eyes. The one who responded instead was an elderly noble, the chief of military affairs.  

“Your Majesty, such are the military regulations. We must maintain discipline, and examples must be set. Furthermore, the three were unresponsive—almost as if they were not in their right minds.”  

At this, Roderick’s expression darkened even more.  

Until recently, he’d assumed they were bribed. But now a different suspicion was beginning to take root.  

Could this be similar to what I experienced?  

Of course, the idea was absurd. Yet absurd things kept happening—and one person had already proven that to him. His wife.  

Lee-Jae had told him someone was casting a curse upon the King.  

She had called it sal—a killing spell.  

Then who had cast it? Was it the Duke of Duncan?  

The King’s gaze drifted toward the Duke, who, unusually, remained silent and deep in thought.  

Should I ask the Queen? 

She would be the ideal person to consult on this.  

But Roderick was reluctant. He didn’t want to burden her again.  

He kept seeing the image of her sobbing helplessly, crying that someone had cursed him. He had never seen her break down like that before.  

These days, whenever he looked at his wife, he only felt tender sorrow.  

Back when she was a Duncan, it was because of her name—how tragic, he thought, that siding with him meant betraying her bloodline.  

Now that he knew she wasn’t a Duncan, it was for different reasons. How tragic that someone with her abilities had to suffer because she came to him.  

This marriage was the greatest fortune of his life. Had it not been for her, he might have gone down in history as a tyrant who botched state affairs.  

But for her—was this union also a blessing?  

With a sigh, Roderick finally gave an order to the military.  

“If this happens again, no summary executions. Bring them to the palace. I’ll interrogate them myself.”  

“Yes, Your Majesty. We will ensure such a thing never happens again.”

Then, for the first time since the meeting had begun, the King smiled.  

And everyone could tell—it was not a smile that meant anything good.  

It was the kind of smile a predator wears when its prey is right in front of it, eager to tear it apart.

“If you were me, would you believe that?”  

“…”  

“I gave you chances. In return, you should’ve given me your trust.”  

At least half as much as my wife did.

“If you’ve got a mouth, use it. Isn’t it the duty of vassals to repay their sovereign’s generosity with loyalty?”  

“……”  

“Don’t make me say it twice. Send word immediately: if anything like this happens again, I will conduct the interrogation myself. Jade, send a separate message to the prince as well.”  

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The King no longer flew into rages like he once did. His words were cold, logical—razor sharp.  

The nobles in the chamber thought: When did His Majesty become this ruthless?

There was only one answer.  

Ever since the royal marriage, the King had become a different person.  

Just like the Queen.

There was not a single flaw in what the King said. No one dared to speak.  

A heavy silence filled the chamber.

 

After adjourning the meeting, Roderick walked down the corridor, his expression unusually calm. His mind was now full of thoughts entirely different from earlier.

He asked Jade,  

“Where’s Lee-Jae right now?”  

“…Pardon?”  

“I asked where the Queen is.”

It wasn’t surprising that the King would want to go to the Queen. What surprised everyone was the unfamiliar name he used to refer to her.

Jade, wondering if he’d misheard, cautiously asked again,  

“Your Majesty, that’s not Her Majesty’s name.”

But the King responded casually,  

“It’s a nickname.”  

“…Forgive me, but that’s not one of her nicknames either.”  

Wasn’t it ‘Bean’ or ‘Fox’?  

Not that he was curious, but among them, they’ve also called her “human sleeping draught” or “the de facto leader of the king’s faction.”

“It’s a new nickname. Pretty, isn’t it?”  

“…Yes. But… what does it mean?”  

“Good question. I’ll have to ask her.”

Everyone was at a complete loss for words, while Roderick chuckled at their faces.

The Queen’s real name was Lee-Jae.  

But a legal name change wasn’t possible, nor could she publicly renounce the name “Hailey.” Doing so would only put her at risk.  

The Queen had said she liked the name “Hailey” just fine.  

But Roderick still wanted, in whatever small way he could, to return her real name to her.

In truth, the King was slightly mistaken about one thing.  

This was the Queen’s name. Whether it was Hailey or Lee-Jae, only the King had ever been in a position to speak it aloud. A name change or proclamation wouldn’t change that.

“So, where is the Queen now?”

It was the steward who answered.  

“She went to the royal archivist.”  

“Did she?”

Roderick paused, deep in thought. That tiny little thing—what was she trying to do now?  

And once again, she filled him with a quiet ache.

He knew now.  

She had never done a single thing just for herself.  

If there was only one wish she truly had for herself, it was probably this:

“…I wanted to wander—just go wherever my feet took me.”

That one thing.  

But because he couldn’t grant even that, he’d given up on being the better spouse.

I’m not letting you go. You can’t leave on your own anymore.

After a moment of reflection, Roderick turned to his waiting attendants.  

“I’ll wait for her in the Queen’s quarters.”

The knights and servants moved at once, but he waved them off.  

“No need to notify her. Don’t rush her.”

Jade stared at his friend.  

Whoa… This is getting serious.

It’s been a little over three months since the Queen was asked to come their way.

The King was naturally taken with her, and it had already been a long time since he had sold his soul to her.

Jade came to a realization.  

Love—it could leap over obstacles like political enemy families without breaking stride.

 

* * *

 

After borrowing a few history books from the royal archivist, Lee-Jae headed toward the lake.  

It wasn’t because she had something in particular to say to the Boy King—it was simply part of her habitual walking route.

She sat on the edge of a flower bed and casually flipped through the books. They were filled with characters she couldn’t recognize.

The archivist hadn’t thought much of it and simply recorded the loan in the ledger.  

But it was the maids who found it strange—after all, the King had never taught the Queen those characters.

As Lee-Jae slowly turned the pages, she muttered to herself,  

“Bulipmunja.* Truth cannot be established through writing.”  

[*T/N: A word meaning that Buddha’s teachings can’t be taught with words alone.]

Though, actually—there’s a high-performance reader in my room that can read all of this aloud.  

Humans really should use their brains.

The Boy King appeared while she was smiling to herself in satisfaction.  

Sensing a powerful presence, Lee-Jae glanced up toward her shoulder.

But the Boy King was looking at her face much more intently than usual.

“What is it? Is there something on my face?”  

Lee-Jae instinctively touched her cheek, worried. Maybe her ill-fated face had grown even more unfortunate.

But what came out of the Boy King’s mouth was the opposite of what she expected.

— Your face looks better.

“Mine? Really?”

— Yeah. You used to wear a mask that showed death every day. Something good must’ve happened, huh?

Nothing in particular had.

Lee-Jae shook her head, but the Boy King let out a short laugh. His mischievous blue eyes reminded her of the King.

He asked knowingly,  

— Roderick treating you well?

“…”

— Does he let you go at night?

Lee-Jae’s pupils darted about in panic.  

Was it that obvious? Could that really show on someone’s face? Was this what the ancient masters meant by the principle of yin and yang?

But actually, even the palace staff had picked up on it.

The King and Queen had a strange pattern: when one of them looked well, the other seemed unwell. If one was fine, the other would collapse. When the collapsed one recovered, the other seemed out of sorts again.

But lately, it was as if they were violating that law of balance—both of them looked radiant.  

What stood out most was their expressions.

Flustered, Lee-Jae retorted indignantly,  

“This is inappropriate. Even ghosts shouldn’t do this. Don’t take too much interest in another couple’s marriage.”

She scolded him confidently, but the Boy King just looked unimpressed.  

— If you’re happy, you’re happy. You’re married already—why get so embarrassed about it?

With no retort, Lee-Jae just stared silently at the calm lake.  

Then suddenly, something came to mind, and she quickly changed the subject.

“Um, by the way.”

— What?

“You remember that person who sent that killing curse at His Majesty last time?”  

— … 

“Who was it?”

This time, it was the Boy King who looked exasperated. His expression seemed to say: Aren’t you tired of asking already?

— You really are more stubborn than you look.

“If I didn’t have at least this much in me, how could a living person fight a vengeful spirit?”

She had promised the King she wouldn’t pursue this any further.  

But Lee-Jae knew she couldn’t keep that promise—because she knew this wasn’t over.

She had banished dozens of vengeful spirits.  

People thought she had attacked them, but what she had done wasn’t offense—it was defense.

If that old mountain crone had seen her, she might’ve clicked her tongue and muttered, Clumsy girl.

A curse must always be traced back to the one who cast it.  

Especially when the curse is that powerful—you must know who’s sending it, or you’ll never be able to end it.

I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I lied to you again last time.  

But I don’t think I can stop here anymore. Because I… like you too much.

“I’m fine now. Just tell me.”

— …

“You said it was forbidden knowledge last time. But you saw, didn’t you? I’m ready to accept any punishment.”

— …

“Or… am I too insignificant? So much so that I’m not enough to pay the price alone?”

The Boy King, who had been silently listening, let out a short laugh at the word “price.”

It sounded like mockery—but it also carried a hint of sorrow.  

That’s exactly what it was.  

To him, humans were powerless and foolish beings… but also pitiable and deeply endearing.

Kang Lee-Jae.

You’ll never understand—that the reason I won’t let you be the one to pay the price… is because I don’t want you to.

I am Roderick’s guardian spirit. And what Roderick wishes for… is not that.

Lee-Jae, staring at the Boy King, felt it.  

That was not a human face.

No human could possibly hold that many expressions at once.  

Overwhelmed by the immense aura swirling around her, she stood frozen, eyes locked on him.

The divine air swept broadly across the palace grounds.  

It moved like something performing a cleansing—  

and then, just as suddenly, the Boy King drew back his power, eyes fixed on some far-off place.

— Kang Lee-Jae.

“Yes.”

— I won’t say it again. Don’t try to learn the forbidden truths this way. The punishment is far heavier than you imagine.

And it’s not a punishment you’ll bear alone. You must not die here.

— Go now. Roderick is waiting in your chambers.

Lee-Jae let out a quiet sigh, eyes lowering with disappointment.  

She hadn’t gotten the answer she wanted.

But at the mention of the King waiting for her, she gave her clothes a small pat and rose to her feet.

She bowed deeply to the Boy King—not because she’d received what she’d asked for, but because she could feel it again today: he was on her side, quietly offering her his guidance.