Follow Your Heart

**Chapter 2**

This place was the mansion of the Duncan family. The Duke and Duchess, who had to get permission to enter their own home, naturally looked displeased.

The duchess was still trembling, and there was a wary look in the duke’s eyes.

Meanwhile, the King’s attitude towards his future father-in-law was downright disrespectful.

Hailey looked at the King with anxious eyes, fearing that he might draw his sword at any moment.

Hailey looked behind the king, where ghosts were screaming. “Kill, kill”

The king’s demeanor grew fiercer, but he grimaced and firmly sheathed his sword.

Instead, multiple blue veins stood out on his neck, and his gaze toward the duke and duchess became even more brutal than before.

“I’ll give you one warning, Lord Duncan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Your daughter, Hailey Duncan, will soon become the queen of Cayenne, just as you wish.”

The king smirked, adding, “It means she’s not someone a man like you can touch so carelessly.”

“………”

“If you ever feel like laying a hand on her again, it would be wise to remember my face.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The scandal has spread far enough, so I won’t wait any longer. After the wedding, this is the greatest mercy I can show to the Duncan family.”

The king, who had been glaring coldly at Duke Duncan, turned and approached Hailey again.

When the king took her hand and helped her up, Hailey realized she was still on her knees.

Seeing her flustered, he smiled broadly.

“It should only take four days for your cold to get better, my love.”

His tone was completely different from when he spoke to the duke.

“…Yes.”

But with the insincere title and gaze, Hailey trailed off.

He kissed the back of her hand.

Pulling his lips away, he slightly raised his head and stared intently at Hailey.

And that’s when she finally understood the King’s true intentions, as he whispered in a voice only she could hear.

In a voice only she could hear, he whispered,

“Let’s do well from now on.”

“………”

“Hailey Duncan.”

“………”

“Make sure you walk to me on your own two feet. alive.For sure.”

Hailey nodded twice without thinking.

The king watched her for a while before turning away.

“Some of the knights will guard the area around the Duncan estate until the wedding.”

After giving orders to the people, he left the room.

It felt like a storm had just passed through.

The duchess, who had collapsed into a heap, looked dazed.

“What did you talk about with the king?!”

The duke, who had approached her by then, pressed her for an answer, but like the duchess, Hailey was too stunned to say anything.

He was the king of this country.

Everyone called him that, and Hailey Duncan knew his face.

Despite that, questions kept swirling in Hailey’s mind.

‘How exactly did I come here?’

‘How can I still be alive, after carrying so much karma and resentment?’

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

The palace’s grand hall was beautifully decorated for the royal wedding.

The bride was even more splendidly adorned than the hall itself. Her dress, sprinkled with jewels, matched Hailey Duncan’s vibrant appearance perfectly.

But the bride’s face was expressionless, and she seemed troubled.

“Well, the wedding is actually happening.”

“Honestly, I thought something would go wrong again this time. Every bride ends up facing some disaster before the wedding, so…”

“Duke Duncan is the scariest person. He forced his daughter into such a situation.”

Hailey Duncan’s memories from her lifetime were incomplete.

It means that there were too many gaps.

However, as Hailey heard a conversation that she could somewhat understand, she discreetly glanced in that direction.

The king had been unmarried until just yesterday. However, it seemed he had attempted political marriages before.

In fact, he had proposed to minor baron and count families every year.
His only criteria were that the woman had to be of marriageable age and her father had no interest in political power.
The king considered nothing else.

It was to block the power of external relatives.

But none of them could stand in this hall. They had all died from accidents or poisonings.

This marriage was also a disaster because real Hailey had drawn herself in the river.
so effectively, the king had failed all three of his marriage attempts. Of course, the only person who knew that he had failed the third marriage was Hailey.

“Hailey Duncan. Did you have a good dream? It must have been your last night at home.”

As a voice suddenly came from behind, Hailey turned to look.

A man dressed in a ceremonial outfit as splendid as a bride’s was looking down at him.

Hailey felt a sense of discomfort belatedly. Strangely, his hair and shoulders looked neat today. His previously intense gaze was also calm today.

“Well, I don’t think it was such a good atmosphere that you’d miss it.”

“…Yes, it was a decent night.”

Thinking he had given a fairly appropriate response, Hailey continued to look at the king.

As the ominous energy cleared, his appearance finally came into focus.

People who can see spirits tend to be indifferent to beauty because they can see so much more beyond appearances.
In fact, even a beautiful face can be marked by misfortune.

So after seeing him the second time, she realized he was handsome.

And as Hailey kept glancing up at him, the King silently asked with his lips.

“Why?”

“………”

‘Now that I see him, he is quite good looking.’

Honestly, with a face like that, people would usually say you have great fortune.

But what happened last time?

As Hailey hesitated to answer, the king raised his thick eyebrows.

“You’re making me talk multiple times today.”

“…I’m just very nervous. I’m sorry.”

Hailey thought she had found a fairly good answer again.

However, the king frowned and shook his head.

“Let me tell you one more thing: I also dislike lies.”

“………”

“You’re not nervous at all right now.”

“Well, if even my nerves are up to Your Majesty’s judgment…”

Hailey trailed off, but it seemed a fleeting smile passed over the king’s eyes.

His demeanor suggested that Hailey should continue, so he sighed and pondered.

In the end, about half of what she said contained the truth.

“I’m just being careful with my words, so I unconsciously act like this.”

“What does that mean?”

“You are a high-ranking person, and I don’t personally know anything about you.”

‘We were quite distant, weren’t we?’

Saying they had never exchanged more than three words meant they had only shared greetings at a party.

“If I don’t hold back my words, I will definitely make a mistake.”

Hailey blurted that out and immediately regretted it.

She realized that, in trying to be honest, she was becoming increasingly rude.

However, the king surprisingly nodded readily and turned his gaze forward.

“Just do as you did now.”

“………”

“I understand what you mean.”

Just as Hailey was about to respond, another voice came from behind.

“You need to get ready now.”

The King slightly extended his arm toward Hailey.

As Hailey gently grasped it, someone behind her was adjusting the long train of her dress.

When she was ready, she looked up, and he nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Receiving the gazes of many people, they walked down the red carpet.

Habits ingrained in the body were terrifying. Even though she had never worn such cumbersome clothes or high heels before, she managed to walk without much trouble.
When they had walked about halfway down the carpet, Hailey felt an incredibly clear and sacred energy, as if standing in a temple.

Ahead of them was a priest who was waiting for them.

And behind him, there was a massive white horse floating in midair.

Riding it was someone with a boyish face but an enormous, imposing presence. It was a moment that would intimidate even Hailey, who was used to surreal sights.

The man’s blue eyes, shining through his armor, were locked onto Hailey.
‘Western spirits… are really big.’
As she was lost in thoughts and hesitated, the king called her name as if to draw her attention.

“Hailey Duncan.”

“………”

“What is this about?”

“…I’m sorry. Let’s go.”

This world was definitely a scary place.

Not only did ghosts roam around in small squads, but there was a spirit with such immense power.
It didn’t seem like a vengeful spirit, but it wasn’t just an ordinary ghost either.
This time, she thought it would be better not to make eye contact, so Hailey focused only on the tips of her toes as she walked.