Follow Your Heart

After the King returned from the hunt wounded, next, it was the Queen who had fallen ill.

This was because she had to restore the boundaries in the room she destroyed herself.

In the process, Lee-Jae put much more effort into it than she did at the start. As time passed, she felt that the castle was a dangerous and unknown place.

She became even more ill than she was at first.

And Duke Duncan and the nobles held on to the issue without fail.

“The duchy has many servants who have cared for the Queen since she was a child. Please let them serve her. Her Majesty will find them familiar, Your Majesty.”

Roderick examined the expressions of the aristocrats with an indifferent expression.

The pro-king nobles were naturally unhappy, but a significant number of aristocrats watched the fight with excitement. It was an expression that contained joy.

“I think the Queen’s opinion will matter the most.”

“The young lady is not the type to make such requests directly.”

“Hailey is Queen of Cayenne before she is your daughter. I wish you would pay more attention to the title in public, Duke Duncan.”

When the King pointed out, the Duke shut up, but only for a moment.

“It is only because I care so much for Her Majesty, and she has been so dear to me since she was young… Forgive me for my disrespect, Your Majesty.”

The king smirked at the words.

“Alas, because she is such a pampered daughter…”

Didn’t you slap her in the face and grab her by the hair?

Roderick had certainly intended to say so, but he held his tongue.

It was also directly related to the honor of the Queen.

The King, who had been exchanging shots with Duke Duncan recently, would not normally pass up an opportunity like this.

But somehow, he didn’t want to, so Roderick remained silent.

The pack of wolves skilled in such battles did not let this opportunity slip by.

“Your Majesty, then, give me the opportunity to see Her Majesty in person and inquire as to her opinion.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

Roderick glanced at the face of the nobleman who had spoken, and he flinched, but the King, who seemed to be pondering something, nodded.

“Isn’t the opportunity to see her in the open? I don’t know why you’re asking me that.”

“Your Majesty!”

The urgent cry came from the nobility on the king’s side.

The Duke’s ambition and Hailey Duncan’s delicate personality were all known. She was naïve, for better or worse, and obedient to her father.

Her father, Duke Duncan, knew best that Hailey was not a person with a rebellious attitude, and had the only rebellion in her life right before the national wedding.

Roderick was the first to stand up after observing Duke Duncan’s triumphant smile. As the nobles bowed their heads to the King as he left, the long meeting naturally came to an end.

 * * *

Jade, who followed the king with an expression of much to say, couldn’t resist asking.

“Did you just give up?!”

“Well, maybe.”

“Then you might as well just start a fire!”

Roderick, who had refrained from following his official schedule when he had a hard time in his head, stopped at the words. He warned Jade with calm eyes.

“No matter how close you are to me… Be careful with your tongue when there are eyes watching.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty, I was presumptuous.”

But Roderick didn’t seem to be offended, he had only warned after all, and as proof, he snapped back at his friend.

“Are you sure you’re doing your job properly?”

“…What?”

“That report you gave on Hailey Duncan.”

The Commander of the Knights once again questioned him but Roderick didn’t answer.

One by one, people looked uneasy because the place where his steps lead was  headed towards was the Queen’s chambers.

Duke Duncan had gotten under the King’s skin today, and his feelings for the Queen could not be good at such a time as this.

Meanwhile, Lee-Jae, lying in bed with a pale face, watched with satisfaction as the door opened and Roderick entered.

Roderick frowned for a moment, but Lee-Jae’s attention was on something else. Three spirits were flying out and away with great enthusiasm.

Ah, this barrier is truly excellent.

Even a dog* that hangs around a place for more than ten years becomes like a person.

[TN: The sentence “서당 개도 옆에서 십 년 이상 보고 들으면 사람이 되긴 되는 군요” (Even a dog hanging around for more than ten years would eventually become like a person) which is a nod to the proverb “서당 개 삼 년에 풍월을 읊는다” (A dog at a seodang will recite poetry after three years). 

It means a dog that has been around the seodang for a long time, might have been observing what the students were doing; implying that even a dog, by spending enough time around scholars, would eventually learn something. So it’s talking about how Lee-Jae only learned this from her master not because she was taught but because she always stuck by her side.]

Granny Yeongsan was definitely top-tier in this field.

As she was overwhelmed with emotion, reminiscing about Granny Yeongsan, she realized in hindsight that she had been lying there the whole time.

As Lee-Jae scrambled to get herself up, Roderick flicked her forehead with his index finger. Then he pulled up a chair and sat down near her. He looked somewhat annoyed.

“Are you that weak?”

“What?”

“Are you taking revenge?”

“…I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

“Are you getting back at me because I bothered you that day?”

Only then did Lee-Jae understand what he meant. Of course, he had bothered her and maybe even gotten under her skin a little, and she had indeed gotten sick of it. But she wasn’t laying down because of him.

Lee-Jae shook her head in embarrassment, and Roderick sighed when he saw the Queen’s troubled face.

“Your father is going crazy trying to send someone from the duchy.”

It was a serious topic, but Lee-Jae laughed without realizing it. When she laughed at the topic, which should never be laughed at, Roderick also laughed as if in disbelief.

“If you laugh at something like that, it makes me look like a petty jerk.”

Roderick, who was watching Lee-Jae recover her expression, asked,

“Should I send them?”

“…….”

“I’m asking if you want me to send them.”

When the King said something else he was not supposed to say, Jade almost called out to him.

But Roderick was waiting for a reply from the Queen.

Lee-Jae, who was looking at Roderick with a straight gaze, smiled.

A smile that was even harder to decipher.

“Your Majesty is giving me another choice.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“Hm. I don’t know.”

In fact, it was an act with a reason. He wanted to gauge the Queen’s reaction.

However, Lee-Jae, who was pondering, soon shook her head.

The moment a person mistakes themselves for having a choice is walking into dangerous territory after all.

“I’ll write a letter again but this time more clearly.”

Then Roderick turned his head and looked at Jade. Again, he was asking something.

But no one else seemed to feel this subtle point that the King felt.

Could this be another scheme of the Duke’s, what exactly was she up to?

Roderick looked at Lee-Jae with deep doubt in his eyes.

However, he sighed and turned his gaze away, unable to accurately define what the subtle feeling was. Then he discovered a strange object on the table.

It was an unfinished Heavenly Great General.

One of the King’s eyebrows was raised when he saw a piece of wood with a blunt tip on a long circular column. 

This was because the shape closely resembled a specific part of the body.

The maids, realizing what had caught his attention, all wore expressions of embarrassment and discomfort. 

Their minds had clearly taken a turn for the indecent road.

Though he tried to dismiss the thought, Roderick couldn’t help but ask, just in case.

“Are you protesting against me, right now?”

They were, after all, merely a couple by law, without having consummated their marriage. 

While this situation couldn’t last forever given their status as King and Queen, it wasn’t all that uncommon among politically arranged marriages.

The Queen, however, boldly responded.

“Protesting? That’s just a part of my hobby.”

“…”

“I made this bracelet, too, so can you give me that piece back?”

“…What?”

“Didn’t Your Majesty take it? I’m better with a knife than I look, and it’s not dangerous at all. Please give it back to me.”

“…”

Seeing Roderick’s unhappy expression, Lee-Jae muttered.

“I need to cut more.”

“…It has to be smaller than this?”

“What?”

“Most people tend to prefer it larger… Never mind.”

What was he even thinking, looking at that gentle face in front of him?

But as Lee-Jae watched Roderick rubbing his face in frustration, she said.

“Just because you’re tall doesn’t mean you’re strong.”

“…That’s true.”

Mine’s a bit on the bigger side, though.

Glancing at the expressions of those around him, the King felt somewhat relieved that he wasn’t the only one having such inappropriate thoughts.

“I’m not sure what it is, but it’s unsightly, so put it somewhere out of sight.”

It’s not supposed to be pretty, though. And it’s not unsightly.

However, Lee-Jae nodded first.

The King remained in his seat for a long time after that.

He fell into deep thought, trying to trace the source of this strange feeling he was experiencing.

However, when Roderick, sitting with his legs crossed and arms folded, began to doze off, everyone around him wore looks of disbelief.

The King’s insomnia hadn’t been going on for a day or two; it was much more than that.

He had taken countless medications that were said to be good for insomnia, and even risked dismissing the guards around his bedroom. But it was to no avail.

And now, surely, the Queen consort seemed to have applied a sleeping herb to her body. Or else, how could they explain how many times this has happened already?

Was the rumor about the Duncan family really true?

Lee-Jae wore a similarly perplexed expression. She silently mouthed a question to Jade.

‘Shouldn’t we wake him up?’

The position was so uncomfortable that she felt like she was going to fall over.

All of the King’s people thought it was better to sleep like that, but before anyone could stop her, Lee-Jae cautiously opened her mouth.

“Excuse me…”

He didn’t hear the voice. But when Lee-Jae gently touched his knee, he opened his eyes.

“…”

As Roderick blinked, his brilliant blue eyes repeatedly appeared and disappeared.

Anyone else would have marveled at his unruffled appearance.

But Lee-Jae had her own peculiar appreciation.

‘Ah, now that I look closely, there’s a slight curve in his youthful features. He has a handsome forehead, but… eventually, the branches must meet the mainstream and can never go against the current. His nose and chin are too good. His face will only get better with age.’

Roderick raised one eyebrow at Lee-Jae.

He couldn’t believe he’d dozed off, as he’d obviously been thinking about something important just moments before.

However, he was also a human being. He had a sweet desire to sleep after a long time.

He knew that if he didn’t rest at a time like this, he’d be in for another night of tormenting sleeplessness, so he said to Lee-Jae,

“Hailey Duncan. Move over.”

The King’s servants and the Queen’s maids looked at each other with a look of disbelief.

They crept out of the room.