After the foreign spirit disappeared, Lee-Jae couldn’t contain the feeling of being wronged. She cupped her face in her hands for a while, swallowing her resentment.
But it wasn’t long before Lee-Jae had to lift her head again. A familiar voice had reached her ears.
It was Roderick.
“Hailey, are you crying?”
He had been frowning since he started walking toward her from afar. It was because he had seen the Queen sitting near the lakeside, head drooped.
When she lifted her head, he raised an eyebrow.
In fact, she didn’t seem to have cried. Her cheeks and eyes were red, but she appeared more frustrated than tearful.
Still, after a brief moment of consideration, Roderick concluded, Given the place and situation, that she must have cried.
“I came out because I was worried, But you’re making me worry even more.”
As he sat down beside her with a hint of irritation, Lee-Jae asked.
“Your Majesty, do I worry you as well?”
“Of course, how could I not be?”
It wasn’t strange for Roderick to feel that way.
Hailey was someone who had once thrown herself into the river.
Anyone would be concerned if such a person sat idly by the lakeside every day.
Running his hand roughly through his hair, Roderick looked around and picked up a twig. He handed it to Lee-Jae.
“Come on, play with the dirt.”
Lee-Jae took it and smiled faintly.
“Do I seem that childish? I’m an adult too. I had my coming-of-age ceremony long ago.”
“I’m not saying that because you seem childish. I’m telling you to stop sulking and do something you like.”
“I wasn’t crying, though.”
“…You weren’t?”
“No.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Roderick ran his hand through his hair again, looking as if he might lose his mind. Then, he stood up and reached out his hand to Lee-Jae.
“Let’s go.”
“…?”
“Let’s head back.”
Lee-Jae took his hand and rose to her feet. Once she was standing, she carefully let go of his hand again.
The King, having escorted Lee-Jae to her chamber, rested his chin on his hand and simply stared at her face for a long time.
His expression was so grim that she felt slightly intimidated, and the attendants anxiously read the room.
However, as soon as he rose from his chair and laid down on the bed, the King’s servants and Queen’s maids fled the room as if competing to see who could leave first.
The King’s attendants were determined.
This time, we will definitely win.
But the maids led by Deborah were much faster.
Deborah was a seasoned veteran who had never lost in such battles of pride, and the maids trained under her were more skilled than anyone else.
Lee-Jae stared at Roderick intently and asked.
“Are you going to sleep already?”
“Why? Can’t you lie down with me anymore? Should I move to the sofa again?”
“….”
Why was he so defensive?
Even as she laid down beside him, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.
“I didn’t do anything wrong… If you’re angry, I’ll get mad too.”
Roderick chuckled.
“Hey, do you know how to get mad?”
“Why do you think I can’t? I’m someone who goes ‘Aaargh, Aaaaah!’ all the time.”
Struggling to hold back his laughter, Roderick rubbed the corner of his mouth and replied.
“What is that?”
Lee Jae, who thought, “Oh? You’re laughing?” clenched her fists and leaned in.
“There’s this uncontrollable rage inside me too. Aaargh, Aaah!”
Seeing her attempt to imitate the fiercest expression of a young beast, Roderick covered his face and his shoulders shook with laughter.
Yet, Roderick truly believed that the Queen wasn’t someone who knew how to express anger well.
Even when she argued, she would eventually fall silent and step back, as if preparing to distance herself completely.
She seemed calm, like someone always ready to walk away.
But strangely, she also looked lonely and sad.
Is this because her father raised her with harsh words and violence?
Roderick had never liked Duke Duncan, but the idea of him grabbing his daughter by the hair and shaking her was something he found even more incomprehensible.
“Hailey, want to use my arm as a pillow?”
“…”
If someone had seen what the King was doing, they would have thought he was making another move. But they were husband and wife, and this was a bedroom.
When Lee-Jae hesitated and rested her head near his wrist, Roderick sighed.
She reminded him of a wary, irritable cat.
“If you lie there, the blood won’t flow. Haven’t you done this before?”
At that, Lee-Jae shifted slightly closer, wriggling as she moved inward. She followed his instructions obediently but still looked uncertain.
Roderick watched her for a moment, then turned his head the other way and laughed quietly.
Lee-Jae, glancing at him repeatedly, asked.
“Are you going to be my pillow now?”
“Yeah. Honestly, I can even be your blanket.”
She thought he would make another crude joke, but instead, Lee-Jae let out a small laugh.
“Your Majesty, to be honest, that blanket would be too heavy.”
“Why are you so picky?”
Roderick had been about to bring up Duncan but wisely held his tongue this time. Instead, he asked something else.
“…Hailey, what’s the problem?”
“…”
You’re the problem.
Once again, holding onto secrets she couldn’t share, Lee-Jae’s expression grew complicated.
“Why do you always go out there and look like you’re dying?”
“Your Majesty, you shouldn’t say things like that carelessly.”
Even if Hailey and I had early deaths, hearing it so bluntly still hurts.
Lee-Jae, lost in her thoughts, asked.
“If I have a problem, will you solve it for me?”
“Yes.”
“Really? Why?”
“…”
“Because it bothers you?”
You didn’t marry me because you wanted to.
I didn’t have a choice, but honestly, neither did you.
Roderick sighed. He, too, fell into brief contemplation, just like Lee-Jae.
“Hailey. I know what people say about me behind my back.”
Tyrant. Madman. Two-faced.
“But I don’t want to abuse my wife.”
“…”
“Believe it or not, I don’t find that kind of behavior enjoyable.”
Roderick spoke as if talking to himself. But Lee-Jae responded immediately.
“…I know.”
Roderick looked at her with a strange expression.
So she nodded and repeated herself.
“I know.”
“…”
“I know very well that Your Majesty is not that kind of person.”
In truth, that was the biggest problem. She could see it better than anyone, and that made her care about Roderick.
Shamans had their own unique sight.
And there was something that Granny Yeongsan said to Lee-Jae.
“Granny, why aren’t you helping that person?”
“Child… Can you see it too?”
“Yes… If he goes like that, he’s going to die.”
“Lee-Jae. Do you think knowing you’re going to die makes you happier than not knowing? Do you think being able to see such things makes you a god?”
It meant not to intervene in anything beyond one’s abilities.
But what once seemed like a trivial payment now felt like a growing debt. Lee-Jae knew that Roderick kept giving her something.
It’s probably… warmth.
In her past life, she had desperately longed for and begged for that warmth.
She hid her face in his arms for a moment because she was ashamed of herself, then glanced up and asked.
“Your Majesty, do you treat people who aren’t your wife poorly?”
Roderick snorted at her cheeky, teasing question.
“No, It just means I don’t feel the need to treat women who aren’t my wife particularly well.”
“Wow. A model husband, I see.”
“If you know, appreciate it.”
“No, saying stuff like that is bad luck.”
“Look at this tiny thing making a fuss.”
They continued to chuckle and exchange lighthearted banter for a while.
Seeing the Queen enjoying herself, Roderick was willing to humor her, but soon he noticed the rare sight of drowsiness creeping onto her face.
One side was steadily regaining energy every day, while the other was draining his energy because of her.
The King quietly pulled the blanket over her.
“Enough chirping, Go to sleep. Your eyes are closing.”
“I’m not a sparrow, but I’ll stop chirping.”
“…”
“Your Majesty.”
“…What now? I said sleep.”
“Goodnight then. You have to have good dreams today too.”
“…She’s really driving me crazy in the strangest way.”
Roderick covered his eyes and laughed.
When he woke up the next morning, the two were again intertwined.
Roderick clicked his tongue at the way he clung to the Queen’s waist as if holding onto a lifeline.
Since they had fallen asleep practically glued to each other from the start, it wasn’t too embarrassing.
However, he did feel a bit guilty about clinging so tightly like a leech.
Carefully, Roderick eased his leg off Lee-Jae’s small frame. Then he began to quietly watch her sleeping face.
“Hailey. What are you, really? Who are you?”
Humans couldn’t seize fleeting intuitions as they pass by too quickly.
But when such intuitions repeat, it was human nature to want to grasp and make sense of them.
Before the royal family welcomed the Queen, the investigation report on her was over forty pages long. Because she was a Duncan, the report was far more extensive than those of previous fiancées.
Recently, Roderick had retrieved that report from the depths of his drawer and read it thoroughly.
The King summoned Jade and began pointing out parts that had been bothering him.
Since his separation from the vengeful spirit, his sharpness had resurfaced – a result that perhaps Lee-Jae herself had unwittingly brought about.
‘The Queen’s hobby is sculpture, isn’t it? You’ve all seen the gifts she gave me. Apparently, she even meditates in the morning these days.’
‘…’
‘It says here she’s interested in local trends. You all saw that bracelet, right?’
‘…Yes.’
‘Did the Queen secretly study primitive art or something?’
The King’s expression was one of utter irritation.
‘She barely eats anything but plants. How did the Duncan family even raise her? She already eats like a bird, and on top of that, her taste is like an old man’s.’
Roderick furrowed his brow at the line that said she liked sweets and desserts. He had never seen her eat anything like that.
Even the slightest hint of strong seasoning made Lee-Jae scrunch her face, as if she had completely lost her appetite.
‘Jade. Who wrote the draft of this report? Not a single thing matches. I can overlook some things, but how can they do their job this poorly? Why don’t you guys know I’m putting up with it?’
Only then did Jade realize that the King had been meticulously observing the Queen for quite some time.
It was the result of sharp perception – but also the result of interest.
‘Do I need to say more? This report is inaccurate. Investigate from the beginning and submit a new one. The deadline is after the hunting tournament.’
His suspicions didn’t fade; they only grew. Yet, he found it increasingly difficult to resist his strange attraction to her.
Roderick clicked his tongue and brushed back Lee-Jae’s apricot-colored hair as she slept soundly.
‘If you’re going to lie, then keep lying. Lie better. Sometimes… it’s just too obvious.’
Toying with her hair, Roderick found himself in deep thought.
His rational mind told him to withdraw his hand.
Yet, strangely, he couldn’t.
In the end, he gently caressed her cheek and lips.
