Lee-Jae couldn’t speak and just stared blankly at the statue. Roderick placed it back on the bedside table and said,
“I told them to change the wood.”
Lee-Jae shook her head.
“No, the wood is fine. It’s just that I… didn’t carve it well, so please leave it as it is.”
This is evidence of how troubled your nights have been. You’ve endured this every night.
“I’ll carve new ones for you soon. When I do, please discard these. They seem like they might break soon.”
“You’ll carve more?”
“Yes, I will.”
“I must be in for something big.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m starting to look forward to what kind of monstrosity you’ll create next.”
Lee-Jae laughed and looked at Roderick. She had something she wanted to ask the King.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“I’m really sorry, but may I ask you something?”
Roderick sighed and smiled at her cautious words.
“We’ve even kissed, so can we drop the formalities now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t say you’re sorry and just ask comfortably.”
“Ah.”
But it was truly a rude question. Roderick kept waiting, so Lee-Jae, feeling awkward, laughed and asked,
“Your Majesty, have you perhaps committed any great sins in your life?”
She couldn’t explain the situation unless it was a sin worthy of divine punishment. Perhaps this was the retribution for the 500-year reign of the royal dynasty. But she had never met an emperor, so she couldn’t be sure. The highest rank she had seen from afar was a CEO of a three-generation family business.
Roderick pondered for a moment.
“Well, that’s a tough question.”
Lee-Jae laughed. Most people reacted that way. Those who claimed to have no sins were either truly good people or, more likely, very bad people.
“Ah, so Your Majesty isn’t sure either?”
Lee-Jae teased, but Roderick shrugged it off.
“Who can be sure of that once they ascend to the throne? The things that benefit my side are usually poison to the other side. I just hope that what I do is not meaningless.”
“…”
“You said it yourself. I must have my own reasons.”
It made sense, so Lee-Jae nodded. A person born to the throne couldn’t live like a saint. He had to see blood to protect his territory and subjects.
Watching Lee-Jae’s reaction closely, Roderick asked mischievously,
“But why do you ask? Do you prefer good men?”
Lee-Jae chuckled. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head.
“Not particularly. I’m not a very good person myself.”
“You?”
The King laughed as if he had heard something absurd.
“What great sin have you committed? Spill it.”
“Well, I don’t think I’ve done anything terribly bad, but I don’t have a good cause like Your Majesty, so I’m not exactly good-hearted.”
“Is that so?”
Roderick asked, finding it amusing, and Lee-Jae nodded honestly.
“In the past, I deeply resented someone. I was going through a hard time, and it felt like it was all because of that person… Though they had their own circumstances, I didn’t want to understand. I still don’t. I just wanted them to know how I felt. I was so foolish.”
“No, it’s not that bad.”
Lee-Jae smiled faintly, looking straight at him. She wanted to discern whether he was saying this out of courtesy or sincerity.
Roderick nodded, encouraging her to continue.
“But the funny thing is, one day I felt sorry for people again. After my spiritual awakening, I realized there are so many people suffering in the world.”
“But…”
“But my resentment and compassion were so strong that my own heart couldn’t find peace. Every day, I resented and pitied someone.”
“…”
“And the more I did, the lonelier I felt. I was so foolish not to realize that.”
“…You felt lonely?”
Lee-Jae hesitated for a moment. Admitting to loneliness felt too pathetic. But perhaps acknowledging this part was less pathetic than denying it altogether. Lee-Jae nodded briefly.
“Very much. Even just a little bit.”
“…”
“But Your Majesty, resentment is just a personal feeling. It can only be resolved within oneself. Those who insist on taking it out on others… from that point on, they actively accumulate bad karma.”
And I don’t think you are that kind of person, no matter how I look at it.
After speaking in a philosophical manner, Lee-Jae glanced at the spirits clinging to the walls. Spirits could easily infiltrate at night because darkness made humans weak and sentimental.
Lee-Jae realized that her heart had been shaken for a moment. She had unintentionally revealed more than she intended and felt a bit embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I must have bored you with a long, uninteresting story.”
Lee-Jae said that lightly, but Roderick did not respond. He felt a strange sensation. It was as if someone had walked through his chest, leaving footprints in his heart, even though the person had disappeared without a trace.
As the silence stretched on, Lee-Jae began to glance around, feeling awkward. Noticing this, Roderick changed the subject in his usual manner. He handed the statues back to Lee-Jae.
“Here, give them names and play with them.”
Lee-Jae laughed.
“Your Majesty, you seem to have taken a liking to these. You pretended to dislike them so much. But what do you think this is, and what should we name it?”
“Aren’t they supposed to protect me from nightmares?”
Lee-Jae fell silent. The generals had traditionally been guardian deities of villages. Naming them felt too trivial, but she pondered seriously.
After a moment, she smiled and said,
“This one is Hailey.”
And the Earthly General is… Lee-Jae.
My body and my spirit.
Roderick found this incredibly endearing and took one of the statues from Lee-Jae’s hand. It was the Heavenly General, Hailey. He tapped its forehead playfully and said,
“Is it like a self-portrait? That’s why this one looks so harsh. Don’t you ever look in the mirror?”
“It’s not like that.”
“Anyway, even if it breaks in two, I can’t throw this one away.”
“…Why?”
“How can I throw away something with my wife’s name on it?”
Although it was a silly thing, Lee-Jae’s expression darkened slightly.
No, my name is Lee-Jae.
So, don’t throw away Lee-Jae either.
As she placed the Earthly General back in its spot and smiled bitterly, Roderick tilted his head. Her complexion already looked pale, and now her expression seemed sullen. He wondered if he had made a mistake, but he couldn’t figure out why.
He gently pushed her shoulder to make her lie down and continued to stare at her face, her chin propped up. No matter how long he looked, he couldn’t understand her thoughts. But seeing her sad face bothered him, so he lightly kissed her.
“You said once a day,” she protested.
“This might sound mean, but you didn’t answer my question earlier.”
“Did I not?”
“No, you didn’t. That means there’s still room for negotiation.”
After a moment of thought, she asked, “This might sound mean too, but then don’t you think I have room to reduce the number of times?”
“…Why isn’t politics your job instead of the minister’s? You have the talent for it.”
Roderick’s joke made Lee-Jae burst into laughter. But he genuinely thought that if the Queen sat at the negotiation table, she would concede almost anything. Listening to her, she didn’t seem to be saying anything wrong.
“Let’s see how much our little fox’s tail has grown.”
“Ah, don’t do that. I’ll get angry. I’ll do the same to you.”
“Go ahead. But I’m in front of you.”
“The world… has never seen such an imaginative pervert.”
“You’ve already realized you married well, so you can stop saying it.”
They playfully wrestled, with Lee-Jae trying to get the upper hand. When her small hands moved behind his back, Roderick quickly grabbed her wrist. When she tried to use her other hand, he easily caught that one too.
With both wrists caught in one hand, Lee-Jae was a bit flustered.
Huh? This isn’t a joke anymore.
Roderick looked at her with interest, wondering what she would do next. After hesitating and gauging the situation, Lee-Jae tried to nudge Roderick’s thigh with her foot. He laughed in disbelief.
“You can’t just kick your husband like that.”
“When did I do that? I just gently pushed you. Did it hurt?”
“Hailey, there’s no way that could hurt.”
It seemed like the little fox that didn’t want to go to sleep yet and was squirming. Just in case, Roderick checked Lee-Jae’s wrists and then let them go.
“Sorry, I was just going to hold you, but you struggled so much that I had to grab you.”
“I won’t struggle anymore.”
“Why? You can. I liked it.”
“You shouldn’t struggle in front of someone who exercises.”
After confirming their different levels of reflexes, Lee-Jae spoke respectfully. Laughing and shaking, Roderick pulled her up and gave her a pillow with his arm. As Lee-Jae found her spot with her back to him, he said,
“Hailey.”
“Yes?”
“How fascinating.”
“What is?”
“I feel like I could fall asleep right away.”
Even in this room.
Roderick briefly held Lee-Jae’s hand and then let it go.
“Have good dreams.”
“You too… need to sleep well.”
She suddenly felt a strange sensation; she clenched and unclenched her small fists a few times. The simple, human conversation they shared was enjoyable. The warmth that brushed against her hand and heart was comforting.
So, the talisman’s worth was fulfilled for today, and Lee-Jae only hoped that he would have a peaceful night.
After Roderick fell asleep, Lee-Jae carefully moved his arm and got up. Just in case, she pressed his temples and the crown of his head to help him sleep deeply.
“Your Majesty, you mustn’t wake up in the middle. Sleeping soundly is what will help you.”
Lee-Jae tiptoed over to the spirits. As she approached, a foul, nauseating smell hit her. The dozen or so spirits all had gruesome appearances. As those faces all glared at her, Lee-Jae felt the hairs on her arms stand up. But she acted nonchalant, suppressing her nausea and squaring her shoulders.
“Let’s line up in the order of those who want to resolve their grudges.”
- …
“Hurry up. First come, first served. Our night is shorter than you think.”
No spirits approached her as she rolled the spiritual bracelet on her arm.
Vicious spirits cannot resolve their grudges and move on to a better place. They can only be annihilated. The sins they committed in life were too deep.
After scrutinizing the spirits, Lee-Jae finally approached the one that seemed the weakest. Biting her lip, she struck the spirit’s shoulder with her bracelet and forcefully pulled it out. It was the spirit of a soldier who had died a violent death.
