Roderick sat down next to Lee-Jae and said,
“Don’t make me worry like this.”
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
Roderick, incredulous, gently tapped Lee-Jae’s forehead with his index finger.
“Should I have a pond dug in front of the Queen’s palace?”
“What are you talking about?”
He looked Lee-Jae up and down and said,
“I’ll have it dug to the depth of your knees. That way, I’ll feel better, and you won’t have to come all the way out here.”
“My knees? That would be a puddle, not a pond.”
“Ah, so you admit you’re short.”
Lee-Jae almost snapped but held back. Just then, the squirrel scampered down from a tree and played on her body. As Roderick had pointed out, she was indeed short, as the squirrel quickly reached her head.
“Ah, not the hair! I just fixed it.”
As Lee-Jae hurriedly felt her hair, Roderick, amused, picked the squirrel off her head and placed it on the ground. He then tidied her messy apricot hair.
“It seems the squirrel likes you more than the person who saved it.”
The King looked too pleased, making Lee-Jae feel embarrassed. This time, she spoke a bit sullenly,
“Why don’t you believe me?”
She meant it when she had reassured him she wouldn’t die, so why was he worrying unnecessarily?
Roderick pondered for a moment. He no longer thought that it was because of the fact that she was a Duncan.
“Well…”
“…”
“It’s because you sometimes seem to lie.”
“…”
“Why don’t you deny it?”
Roderick laughed in disbelief. It was precisely her oddness that made her more endearing. He nudged her with his knee.
“Hailey.”
“Yes.”
“Do you sing well?”
“Sing? Why suddenly?”
“Just sing something. I want to hear it.”
Lee-Jae frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“Just hum something. I want to listen.”
“No way. I’m not good at it, and I don’t like singing in front of others.”
Roderick turned to Jade and gave him a silent stare. Singing as a habit? Jade avoided his gaze, and Roderick clicked his tongue.
Lee-Jae, looking at Roderick strangely, said,
“Do you sing well, Your Majesty? Why don’t you sing instead? I’ll listen intently.”
“You’re getting cuter by the day, asking the King to sing.”
“It’s not fair that you asked me to sing.”
“If you think it’s unfair, you become the King.”
“I’ll just stay as I am and keep feeling unfair. It suits my personality.”
When Lee-Jae quickly changed her tone and smiled brightly, Roderick laughed, exasperated. Though he still had unanswered questions, being with her and hearing her casual responses made those questions seem less important.
“I don’t know. Let’s just have today’s kiss.”
“Did you set a quota?”
“Seems like it.”
He laughed and cupped Lee-Jae’s cheek. Slowly leaning in, his lips paused a finger’s breadth away. As Lee-Jae’s eyes disappeared behind her eyelids, he captured her lips.
This kiss was more primal than the one before. He took her small lips into his mouth and nibbled on them. As Roderick started to gently bite her lower lip, Lee-Jae grabbed his sleeve with her trembling hand. Soon, his tongue entered her mouth.
He licked every corner of her mouth, tilting his body as if searching for something deeper. She was pushed back by his persistent advances. But even as she leaned back, Lee-Jae did not let go of his sleeve. Whether she wanted to hold onto him or escape the situation, even she did not know.
Lee-Jae had once wondered if such a kiss was no different from intimacy. But there was more to explore. If such a world existed, then surely there was something beyond it as well. She wanted to know.
She placed her small hand on Roderick’s shoulder and actively entwined her tongue with his. Receiving the signal, Roderick responded more intensely, pressing her down. As Lee-Jae found herself half-lying on the ground, Roderick supported her, his lips devouring hers as he caressed her back and waist.
When Lee-Jae struggled to handle the overwhelming sensation, Roderick’s large hand moved down her spine.
“Ah, no… wait a moment…”
“Ha, ha…”
Startled, Lee-Jae grabbed his hand and turned her face away. Roderick, panting heavily, had a look of excitement in his blue eyes. He briefly averted his gaze, then supported her by placing his hand on her shoulder, helping her sit up straight.
“Sorry, Hailey. I won’t do that again.”
“…”
“Let’s continue.”
“…”
“Hmm?”
When Lee-Jae nodded, he kissed her lips again. However, this time the kiss was much more cautious. Feeling this, Lee-Jae also quickly ended the kiss with a brief peck. Both of them realized that if they continued, they might lose control.
Lee-Jae, who had been covering her face, came to her senses and looked around. Everyone was pretending not to notice, but their red faces gave them away. Embarrassed, Lee-Jae lowered her head.
What did I just do?
Roderick asked, “Are you okay?”
“…”
“You must be surprised.”
His blue eyes continuously checked on Lee-Jae. She shook her head, smiling awkwardly.
“No, I was just… a bit…”
“A bit what?”
Lee-Jae hesitated before saying, “Aggressive, I think.”
“Huh? Oh.”
Roderick touched his forehead and finally couldn’t help but laugh.
“No, it wasn’t like that. Of course, it’s fine if it was.”
He scratched his eyebrow and cautiously asked, “Can you stand up?”
Although Lee-Jae felt drained, she could still stand. Roderick, however, insisted on helping her up first. She laughed and took his hand to stand, but immediately let go.
Roderick felt a sigh escaping him. They had just shared a good moment with a kiss, so why did she let go again? He draped his arm over her shoulder, feeling her tense up slightly, but he pretended not to notice and started walking. When Lee-Jae matched his pace, he chuckled. At least she didn’t move away.
“Let’s have dinner together,” he said.
“Okay.”
“Anything you want to eat?”
“No, anything is fine.”
They fell silent for a while, the atmosphere strangely awkward yet somehow familiar. Roderick pulled her closer to his side.
“Your Majesty,” she said.
“What?”
“If we keep walking like this, my waist might bend to the left.”
“Let’s walk closer together.”
“Then let’s just hold hands.”
“It’s too late for that.”
But Roderick removed his arm from her shoulder and offered his hand instead. Taking it, Lee-Jae smiled. Despite his words, he was willing to compromise on most things.
“Where will you sleep tonight, Your Majesty?” she asked.
“Why?”
The question could be taken in different ways, but Roderick knew she wasn’t ready for that yet.
“Can’t I sleep in your room?” he asked cautiously.
Lee-Jae hesitated. Asking the foreign spirit for help again was the second item on her bucket list. Since that failed, she needed to try something else.
“Can I go to your room tonight, Your Majesty?” she asked.
She needed to do some field research. That was all. But the attendants and maids exchanged meaningful glances. Roderick couldn’t completely rule out the possibility either.
“Hailey, just to be clear, are you saying…”
“No!”
“I haven’t even finished my sentence.”
Lee-Jae jumped, and he backed off immediately.
“I just want to see your room. Is that okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? Though there’s not much to see. Didn’t you see it once before?”
“Last time, I didn’t get a good look because of the circumstances.”
“Sure, do whatever you want. You don’t need to ask for permission every time you come.”
“Thank you, really.”
Finally taking the first step, Lee-Jae bit her lip slightly and nodded.
After dining with the King, Lee-Jae wrote a few talismans in her study. She needed to prepare before entering the tiger’s den. Tucking the talismans into her pocket, she checked her spiritual state before leaving the room.
“I wish I had another spiritual tool,” she muttered. She had to make do with what she had here.
As she cautiously opened the King’s door and peeked in, he had just finished bathing, his hair slightly damp.
“Why are you standing there? Come in,” he said.
“Pardon me,” she replied, stepping inside. He dismissed the attendants with a wave of his hand.
Lee-Jae tentatively sat on his bed, but her eyes quickly sharpened. As she entered, fully armed, the spirits in the room retreated to the corners. There were at least a dozen of them.
She scanned every corner of the room. The spirits made her feel uncomfortable, but the room itself didn’t have bad energy. The problem was the King himself.
Meanwhile, Roderick chuckled as he watched Lee-Jae, her eyes darting around the room, completely ignoring him. She really did come just to look at the room.
“Find anything interesting?” he asked.
Only then did Lee-Jae look at Roderick. He tilted his head, squinting at her. She looked suddenly pale, or was it his imagination?
“No, it’s just as I thought,” she replied.
“Is that so? What does our Queen need to have to visit more often?”
Lee-Jae smiled and looked around the bed this time. She discovered the wooden statues she had carved—the Heavenly Great General and the Earthly General. How ugly, she thought, yet he had placed them by his bedside.
Suddenly serious, Lee-Jae picked up the cracked statues. Oh, my friends, what happened to you while I was away?
Feeling like she had lost her country, she examined the statues and said to Roderick, “What should we do? They’ve been destroyed by the moon’s energy.”
Roderick, hand on his forehead, laughed again.
