While secretly contemplating a plan without Roderick knowing, Lee-Jae devised a method. with no one to consult, she asked the Spirit of the Chest.
“I’m embroidering on the corner of a handkerchief. It’s like a substitute talisman. What do you think? Will it work?”
– Lee-Jae, are you some kind of hidden master?
“No, I was just the kitchen maid of a hidden master.”
But through doing odd jobs, Lee-Jae had also received gifted training, and her skills were quite decent.
She thought to herself:
Our Granny Yeongsan wasn’t someone who should’ve been stuck in the remote mountains of Chungnam.
She should have appeared on TV at least once and made even more money. But her personality was so cantankerous* that she couldn’t do business.
[*T/N: Word to describe someone who is constantly grumpy and bad tempered]
Lee Jae ambitiously embroidered all kinds of ferocious Chinese characters on the handkerchief.
Leaving behind the talismans she usually carried, she stepped out with just the handkerchief. She was disappointed—the effect was underwhelming.
If it had worked, factories might have made more money than shamans.
Writing carries power. Not just any color of ink can be used for inscriptions. Some shamans bite their fingers or use animal blood for a reason.
Although disappointed, Lee-Jae continued to embroider diligently. There was nothing else she could do.
People began to notice that the Queen, daughter of House Duncan, had exceptional sewing skills—better than most maids and handmaidens.
With fine fabric and thread, she worked like a fish in water.
However, the King seemed to find the situation rather unpleasant.
“I thought you were frugal, but you seem to be quite generous. Guess I was mistaken.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Who are you making all these for?”
She could have simply said they were all for him. But for some reason, she found herself feeling a bit sly.
Lee-Jae liked it when Roderick teased her now and then. Sometimes, it was fun, and she wanted to hear more from him.
“I only asked for your old handkerchief, not one with embroidery.”
Lee-Jae chuckled. She would have preferred not to do it if she could avoid it.
“Anyway, I won’t say anything, so get some sleep.”
“Huh?”
“I won’t complain even if you give them to all the people in the kingdom, just take it easy while you do it.”
“…”
“Your face doesn’t look good these days.”
The King was right.
With each handkerchief she completed, Lee-Jae’s face visibly paled.
No one knew, but she was pouring much more energy and spirit into the embroidery than when creating talismans..
Wouldn’t it be better if she put her heart into it? But she knew better than anyone that the world wasn’t that easy.
A few days later, Lee-Jae eventually fell ill. When the Queen refused all audience requests, rumors of her illness spread quickly.
With Duke Duncan and the nobles leading the backlash, Roderick had to grit his teeth.
Visiting Lee-Jae’s room, he spoke in a slightly irritated tone.
“You’re clearly protesting against me.”
“…That wasn’t my intention.”
“Let’s see if I ever ask you for a handkerchief again.”
“…I apologize if I’ve caused you trouble.”
Roderick sighed.
“…Are you very sick?”
“No, I’m really fine.”
“You’ve only been in the Royal Palace for a month. How can someone fall ill so often?”
If you calculate it properly, you could probably figure out how many times you weren’t in your right mind.
But Lee-Jae couldn’t bring herself to say that. She simply smiled faintly at Roderick.
Resting her right cheek against the pillow, she felt too tired and closed her eyes.
Hearing nothing but her formal responses, the King seemed to grow more frustrated.
He gently pressed her shoulder with his finger, turning her to lie on her back.
“Can’t you at least tell me when you’re not feeling well? I’m worried, that’s why I’m here. Why do you act like this? Am I wrong to care? To care about you?”
Lee-Jae flinched. He genuinely seemed upset. She tried to sit up, but the King pressed her forehead firmly, keeping her down.
“…I know you’re worried about me. Thank you. I’m just tired and want to rest. And if I’ve caused you trouble, I apologize again.”
When the Queen once again responded with a tone that seemed to put a thousand meters of distance between them, Roderick let out a deep sigh.
“Don’t talk like that. I understand you weren’t thrilled about this marriage, but I never intended to treat you badly.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty. And I wasn’t particularly against this marriage.”
Of course, she found it overwhelming and thought her fate was full of twists. But this time, She simply accepted that this marriage was her destiny.
Fate always approached her in that way, and Lee-Jae had always lived by yielding to it.
Though he didn’t seem entirely convinced, Roderick nodded.
“I know it must be difficult for you, caught in the middle, but try to adjust. No matter what, I’m still your husband—try not to dislike me too much.”
“…I don’t dislike you, Your Majesty.”
Roderick seemed to doubt her words even more, as he laughed in a way that suggested amusement.
“Really? Do you even know my name?”
“Is there anyone in Cayenne who doesn’t know your name?”
Roderick Ferus Blarec.
A name that carried with it all kinds of majestic words like “ruler,” “beast,” and “awe.” Lee-Jae honestly didn’t think it was a particularly good name.
There were certain characters that should never be used in a person’s name. If a name contained too strong of a character, the person would be weighed down by it.
That’s why their ancestors sometimes gave their children insignificant names. It was, in fact, an expression of affection.
They knew very well that too many expectations and too much attention would burden a person.
If the King hadn’t been someone destined for great fortune, He would have likely been crushed under the weight of his name and never lived a life where he could spread his wings.
“You can call me Roderick or Rod in private.”
“Thank you. But I’d rather just call you Your Majesty as a formality.”
“What? Why?”
“We still need a certain amount of distance between us.”
She didn’t want to keep complaining every day, but when she saw the restless spirits trailing behind Roderick, she couldn’t help but feel the urge to push them away.
It was like not being able to sleep if you saw a cockroach, even though you didn’t want to see it at all.
But Roderick, unaware of this situation, seemed a bit upset when he heard her words.
“Is this some sort of secret technique passed down in the Duncan family, to irritate people with just one sentence?”
Lee-Jae, amused rather than apologetic, covered her face and laughed.
Seeing her laugh, Roderick realized that he had a soft spot for the small Duncan woman, despite her tendencies to push him away.
Though he found it frustrating every time she did so, he couldn’t deny that seeing her smile made him feel better.
He poked her arm lightly.
“Be honest with me. You’re a fox, aren’t you? I think I saw a fox in the woods with fur exactly the same color as your hair.”
Roderick was aware that he was being drawn in, but Lee-Jae, with her slightly unusual perspective, responded with disbelief.
“What fox? You’re overestimating me.”
“I was just teasing. Did that sound like a compliment?”
If you understood how often fox spirits successfully trick men, you would understand her reaction. They almost never failed.
That’s an incredibly high success rate, even in the spirit world.
In the end, Roderick never received an answer to his questions about what was wrong or where it hurt.
But he decided to let it go.
Seeing her smile while they talked had softened his heart.
He stood up from his chair and said.
“Go to sleep quickly. If you sleep early, you’ll grow taller.”
“I’m an adult now, so I’m not going to grow any taller. And I’m not short, you know.”
“I’m not implying that you need to grow taller. I just mean, rest and get better quickly. I’m leaving now.”
After Roderick left, Lee-Jae buried her face in the pillow and laughed.
It was funny how his contradictory attitude — grumbling but still worrying — made her smile, despite everything.
* * *
Lee-Jae quickly shook off her fatigue and got up, As it was only a matter of exhausting the energy flowing through her body.
The day of the annual hunting tournament hosted by the Royal Family was here and nobles had arrived.
The scene was much busier than the King’s private hunting schedule, with a large group of people waiting at the entrance of the hunting grounds.
After preparing to some extent, the King looked at Lee-Jae, who slowly approached him.
Hailey was small in stature, and Lee-Jae, being someone who was very careful with her actions, knew that missteps could bring bad luck.
People who were aware of such things always kept their posture straight and their bodies pure.
But Roderick, who was looking at her cautious steps, couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You must have a hard time living in this world because you’re so short.”
“Why are you picking a fight with me again?”
“I just wanted to hear you make that ‘ugh’ sound again.”
But after laughing, he tilted his head in confusion.
“Really, I can’t figure you out. At all.”
Roderick frowned, and Lee-Jae, looking puzzled, asked,
“What do you mean?”
“Since you arrived, the atmosphere seems different somehow.”
“…”
“I thought it was an illusion, but oddly… it doesn’t seem like it is.”
Lee-Jae, flustered, stiffened her expression.
The others had difficulty managing their expressions as well, as it seemed like the King was up to some antics again.
Did he want to say that she was as refreshing as oxygen?
“Well, I was just saying something. I didn’t mean anything bad. Don’t worry about it.”
Lee-Jae glanced around to change the subject.
When she pulled out the handkerchiefs she had prepared, the King stared at them intently. The maids, too, had ambiguous expressions on their faces.
The Queen was surprisingly good at sewing for someone of her background.
However, the problem was that the creations made by her hands tended to be rather bizarre.
They couldn’t understand why the queen would use her delicate sewing skills for such odd items. Even the handkerchiefs seemed to have a dangerous look to them, which was almost perplexing.
Lee-Jae tied one of the three handkerchiefs to Roderick’s reins. It was a prayer to expel evil spirits.
The other two were spells for victory and for erasing karmic retribution.
As she folded and neatly arranged the remaining handkerchiefs, Roderick raised an eyebrow.
Lee-Jae handed him one of them.
“This is a spare. You should carry it with you at all times during the competition.”
“…All of them were for me?”
“Who else would I give them to? My husband is right here after all.”
This sly fox… why was she only saying this now?
“…Why did you prepare three?”
“Just think of it as me making three years’ worth in advance.”
It was a strategy to compensate for a lack of quality by using quantity, a reflection of worldly pragmatism.
Additionally, she had many things she wished to discard, and sometimes thought that with her unlucky fate, Lee-Jae might not have much time left.
Roderick gazed at the strange symbols etched at the bottom of the handkerchiefs.
Once again, he couldn’t figure out what she was trying to express, but he could tell that the craftsmanship was extremely fine, indicating it had been made with great care.
“Why didn’t you have someone else do this? You have such small fingers.”
“You really have no sense of romance, Your Majesty. When you decide to give something, you do it yourself, even if it’s a bit troublesome.”
And at that moment, Lee-Jae realized something.
Since she was the one making the prayer, it was only right that she did it herself.
“Alright, thank you. I’ll take good care of it and use it well.”
Lee-Jae smiled softly at him.
She shouldn’t have felt any sense of accomplishment, but she couldn’t help but feel it.
Roderick, as his name suggested, had made it a habit to dominate others, and his words were often blunt.
He was also a man of imposing stature, sometimes even intimidating.
But to Lee-Jae, something started to shift in her perception.
She began to find it a little endearing to see him fiddling with the handkerchief with his large hands. Maybe he was a bit embarrassed after all.
