FYH Chapter 103

After the audience ended, Lee-Jae was standing by the lakeside.

She had to go to the King’s study soon, but there was still some time to spare.

It was around the time she found herself staring off into the lake again, lost in thought.

Instead of slowly materializing in the air like he usually did, the Boy King suddenly appeared squatting right in front of her, blinking.

Startled, Lee-Jae quickly looked around.

Once she confirmed that no one was nearby, she whispered,

“Could you please not pop up right in front of me like that?”

— If I show up the same way every time, you never pay attention to me.

“No matter how you show up, I’d still find you annoyin—…”

Lee-Jae barely managed to stop herself and slapped her lips lightly.

This mouth needs to behave.

But the Boy King seemed to notice something odd.

He stared closely at her lips, then said,

— Your lips… look kind of swollen.

Lee-Jae paused for a second, but this time she didn’t get flustered.

“A mark of victory. A half-victory, maybe, but at least not a cowardly one.”

— What’s that supposed to mean?

The King still hadn’t gotten her to say his name.

Though he never lost in bed, this time he especially refused to lose.

At some point, Lee-Jae had started clinging to him, sniffling.

The real problem, however, was that too many others clung to the King outside the bedroom too.

He was a man of reason. Normally, he would have summoned them and asked what was wrong, but this time he couldn’t.

When the same interruption happened three times in a row, he finally stared at the door with a look of utter irritation.

Then, disappearing with a lingering remark—

“Let’s finish the rest tonight, hmm?”

Lee-Jae had achieved a miracle of a victory—but her body was left with marks she was too embarrassed to even look at.

Yet, part of her wondered if the King’s strategy had a flaw.

Tying someone up and then hugging them right after? That kind of makes you think a nosebleed is worth it, doesn’t it?

If he said he wouldn’t let go until she called his name, well—it only made her want to not say it even more.

But the truth—that it was all part of her husband’s act—was still unknown to her.

Lee-Jae was still a novice in this game.

— What were you thinking just now? Your face suddenly turned red in the middle of our conversation.

“Huh?”

Startled, she looked back up.

The Boy King was watching her with a knowing expression.

Suddenly flustered, Lee-Jae gave an awkward cough and quickly changed the subject.

“Um, by the way…”

— Every time you start talking like that, I end up being impressed by you.

— What is it this time? What do you want to ask me?

Feeling sheepish, she scratched her cheek and hesitated.

She knew that if she touched on anything too sensitive, the Boy King would never answer.

Even so, she couldn’t give up the question.

Because sometimes, in the middle of his words, he let slip clues.

“There’ve been all these problems along the western border lately…”

“But why was it only His Majesty who was being targeted with assassination attempts back then? For three years, even.”

After asking, Lee-Jae glanced at him, worried she’d crossed a line again.

Did I just ask something forbidden?

But the Boy King just gave her a look of utter exasperation.

— Isn’t it obvious? That’s the first rule of war.

— Kang Lee-Jae. If you cut off the head, the limbs die too.

— But you went and healed that dying head. With the kind, merciful heart of a doctor.

— So now they’re trying stabbing the limbs instead.

To be honest, she hadn’t just healed him—she’d practically armored him.

As he spoke, the Boy King let out a small chuckle.

Lee-Jae had a pretty good idea why.

He was teasing her about her past self—the one who claimed it wasn’t love, just the heart of a physician.

“Don’t laugh. Humans can’t know everything about the future.”

— Who said they could?

“And even if it hadn’t been me, he’s not someone who would go down so easily. So could you please not throw around scary metaphors like ‘dying’ or ‘getting beheaded’ about someone else’s husband?”

That kind of talk invites bad luck.

But the Boy King kept snorting with laughter.

— Hey, crawfish.

“What now?”

— He may be your husband, but he’s my descendant too.

“Well, yes, that’s true.”

Lee-Jae acknowledged it easily, but her face was still full of irritation.

That was when Deborah arrived, informing her of a message from the King’s side.

Feeling awkward about leaving right away, Lee-Jae bent down and picked up a stick.

She began drawing talismans on the ground—wishing for health, long life, and fortune.

As she put sincere effort into it, the Boy King watched with a deeply annoyed expression.

— Can you please stop doing that to me?

“Is it wrong for me to wish you good health from the bottom of my heart?”

She finished the drawing and nodded with satisfaction. This should be enough.

Nothing in the world comes for free, right?

She received something, so she paid the appropriate spiritual fee.

Lee-Jae looked down at the ground and thought, It’s too much of a masterpiece to just leave here to fade.

It looked like it could add another five hundred years to someone’s lifespan.

Admiring it a bit longer, she gave the Boy King a respectful bow, proud of her work, and began walking toward the study.

The atmosphere inside the King’s study was a bit tense.

The knights were considered one of the King’s core pillars, and their commanders were generally close to the Queen, especially recently, as many reports had been flowing through the Queen’s palace.

However, this was the first time the Queen had attended a meeting held solely among the knight commanders.

Of course, some people in the room had different thoughts.

The First Knight Commander, the Chamberlain, and the head lady-in-waiting who had accompanied Lee-Jae—

All three thought the same thing:

Isn’t it only natural for the Queen’s closest ally, the leader of the Suppression Unit and the royalist faction’s de facto figurehead, to be present at this kind of meeting?

Meanwhile, Jade, who sat across from the Queen, tilted his head slightly.

But Her Majesty… her lips today seem… Ah, no, never mind.

She must just be in a bad mood about something.

With all their differing impressions, the meeting began.

Lee-Jae quietly sat and listened.

She had never had much interest in politics—

There was only one reason she was here now.

Because this fight wasn’t just about vengeful spirits anymore.

At first, she had thought it was simply a battle between royalists and anti-royalists.

Later, she suspected it might be a conflict between Cayenne and the remnants of the Daemon Reconstruction Army.

But now… she was beginning to wonder if it was a fight between the King and the Crown Prince.

What was the truth?

Then, the King offered everyone in the room a new possibility.

“Jade. Find the Crown Prince’s whereabouts as soon as possible. You can allocate more personnel if needed.”

“…Your Majesty.”

Jade glanced around, voicing his concern cautiously.

But the King nodded, signaling that it was all right.

“And one more thing. There’s someone who accompanied the Crown Prince to the fortress and the western army camp. Supposedly, they’ve known each other since their days studying abroad. Investigate that person as well. Check the fortress entry logs, and get a physical description from the Western Army’s commander.”

The King swept his gaze across the room.

His eyes stopped on the acting Second Knight Commander, the current vice-commander.

“Your division will handle that. You’re familiar with the Western Army commander, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. But… is there some issue with the Crown Prince?”

The people in the room were filled with questions and suspicion.

The Crown Prince was the highest-ranking royal in the succession line.

The only reason his lifestyle hadn’t drawn much attention was because he’d always kept his distance from royal affairs.

But now that the King was trying to dig into the Prince’s entourage, it sent a wave of unease through the room.

Lee-Jae’s expression turned slightly downcast.

She knew she could be wrong.

Even a seasoned shaman like Granny Yeongsan couldn’t see everything clearly in this line of work.

But no matter what—

She didn’t think she could ignore the intuition that had brushed past her again and again.

Is this Ilias’s doing—or the Crown Prince’s own will?

Either way, it couldn’t be good news for the King.

When she glanced at the King, he was looking back at her with a faint smile.

Despite the weight of the ongoing discussion, he reached out without hesitation.

With the back of his hand, he gently stroked her cheek.

His lips formed silent words: It’s okay.

When Lee-Jae nodded, his gaze returned to the others.

“I can’t confirm anything yet. That’s why I want to investigate.”

“……….”

“Keep your mouths shut. No need to spread unnecessary talk.”

The meeting continued for another three hours.

Deborah kept checking the time and watching Lee-Jae with concern.

But Lee-Jae, trained in meditation, sat without a word.

She could sit still all day with a straight back and steady breath.

When she smiled at Deborah to signal she was fine, the King finally declared the meeting over.

And then—

It happened.

Roderick, who had been lounging against the back of the sofa, suddenly remembered something and spoke up.

“Ah, and one more thing.”

The commanders who were about to exit stopped in their tracks.

“The southern expansion policy that the late King was pursuing will be put on hold for the time being.”

Even Jade, the King’s closest aide, looked surprised—he hadn’t heard this before.

“Soon, we’ll announce in a state council meeting that we’ll be signing a peace treaty with the Kingdom of Bodore.

Let the Third Knight Commander convey my stance to the military leadership and help build support for it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. But… why so suddenly?”

“Because it’s time to focus our efforts on the western border.”

The King was planning to divert some southern troops to track down the Daemon Restoration Army’s stronghold.

For that, peace in the south had to be guaranteed.

That was all there was to it—just strategy.

But then—

“But, Your Majesty… wasn’t there talk of a marriage condition from Bodore’s side—”

The Third Knight Commander, speaking thoughtlessly, suddenly remembered something critical:

Though small and hidden by the King’s large frame, the Queen was sitting right beside him.

He froze.

And so did Roderick.

Like a beast reacting on instinct, Roderick clapped his large hands over both of Lee-Jae’s ears.

But it was too late.

The usually calm Lee-Jae thrashed so hard she stomped in the air, fighting him off.

“You—did you seriously just bring that up in front of the Queen?! Do you want to die?!”

The flustered Third Knight Commander bowed repeatedly in panic.

“Everyone, get out. Now.”

Jade grabbed the Third Commander by the collar and dragged him out.

The rest of the room quickly followed suit.

Lee-Jae finally pried off Roderick’s hands and glared at the King.

He scratched his forehead, clearly troubled, and ran his hand through his hair.

“Was that something I wasn’t supposed to hear? You said you wouldn’t keep secrets from me.”

“No, no. I just didn’t want to bring up something unpleasant for you.”

“………”

“It was just a suggestion from them. I never even considered it. Lee-Jae, it’s not like that.”

“………”

“You know that.”

The King took her hand.

He was worried she might cry like last time.

If that happened again, he felt like his heart would truly fall apart.

Thankfully—

Though Lee-Jae looked sulky, she didn’t seem overwhelmed or afraid.

“As I said before—”

She began, and he instantly cut in.

“If you’re going to say you’re leaving me again, I’m telling you now: I already admit I was completely wrong.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“I can accept anything else, but if you ever leave before the forty-nine days are over… That’s something I really… I can’t…”

Then, it was the King’s turn to snap.

“Didn’t I tell you not to bring that up again?!”

“………”

“Are you trying to get back at me?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Who gets angry like that, seriously?”

“I’m not angry.”

“You are! I am! …Anyway, I said I’m sorry!”

The chamberlain and Deborah exchanged glances.

They couldn’t make sense of what the Queen had said.

But the King looked visibly emotional, and the two of them were clearly bickering again—all while still holding hands.

In the end, even the usually sharp-tongued Deborah and the chamberlain quietly slipped out of the study.