When the King visited, Lee-Jae was sitting in a chair, carving. It was a statue to place in his room.
“I heard you had another outburst today,” Roderick said.
Lee-Jae chuckled, feeling a pang of guilt. “I did say I have uncontrollable anger within me. But I didn’t exactly have an outburst.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Lee-Jae had merely voiced her intuition about the Duke’s appearance. In truth, such negative words should not be spoken lightly, as they can affect the world and connect with heavenly energy. However, those with spiritual sight sometimes speak without intending to.
Noticing Lee-Jae’s somewhat melancholic expression, Roderick asked, “Hailey, do you have any feelings for your family?”
She laughed at his tone, which sounded like he was counseling a rebellious teenager. “Not particularly. I don’t have that much interest.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Did I cause any trouble for you by doing this?”
It wasn’t a problem. External affairs were a concern for all Kings, and if the Queen had a falling-out with the Duncans, it would benefit the King.
The strange thing was Roderick’s attitude. The colder Lee-Jae acted towards the Duncans, the more he seemed to dislike them and became cautious around her.
“It’s not that, but take it easy. You must be exhausted after that.”
“Why? You don’t like my father anyway.”
“That’s true, but…”
Swallowing the rest of his words, Roderick scratched his eyebrow and asked. “Hailey, do you hate your father that much?”
If she had simply said yes, Roderick would have reacted straightforwardly. But Lee-Jae paused, fiddling with the wooden block. She eventually let out a self-deprecating laugh. Her mind was filled not with the image of the Duke and his wife, but of the parents who had abandoned her.
A child born with bad luck can overcome it if their parents care for them diligently. They can look forward to the next ten years. But Lee-Jae’s childhood was the most unhappy period of her life because she lacked that support. Saying she didn’t resent them would be a lie and a facade.
But anger needs a target to be resolved. What power does resentment have if directed at someone you don’t even know? It’s like making a phone call that no one answers—you just end up feeling pathetic.
So, there was only one thing Lee-Jae could do. She had to stop dialing. She had to put down the phone. Her past life had been a continuous struggle because she couldn’t do this.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“…”
“Your Majesty, I really don’t want to talk about this.”
Lee-Jae abruptly ended the conversation. People looked at each other in confusion, but Roderick was not too surprised. He had expected the Queen to respond that way.
Not really. Not particularly. Slightly. Occasionally.
The words she used hinted at something—a mask she felt compelled to wear.
Resting his chin on one hand, Roderick stared at Lee-Jae. “Hailey.”
“Yes?”
“I am curious about you.”
“…”
“Very curious.”
The countless descriptions of you and the you standing before me seem like different people. If that’s the case, the only person who can confirm or deny my feelings is you.
Lee-Jae hesitated, looking at Roderick for a moment before averting her gaze. Roderick could tell that the Queen’s mood was not as usual. It wasn’t just because she ended the conversation, but because her hands, holding the carving tool, were trembling.
After a long pause, Lee-Jae put down her carving tool. The observant gaze was too much for her to concentrate. After much thought, she spoke.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not a very interesting story, but do you still want to hear it?”
“Yes. Tell me.”
She let out a soft laugh.
“I used to think there was justified anger and unjustified anger in the world. There are people who are unfortunate from birth. I didn’t choose to be that way, so I thought my resentment was justified. I thought I was blameless and that my anger was righteous.”
People held their breath, looking at Lee-Jae. She smiled faintly.
“But, Your Majesty, there is also beautiful anger and ugly anger in the world. When I realized that my emotions couldn’t comfort anyone, not even myself, and that they were only ruining my future, I understood that even the most justified feelings can become ugly.”
Accepting this is a difficult process for anyone.
Those who fight monsters should be careful not to become monsters themselves.
Lee-Jae bit her lip hard. She tried to resume carving the statue, but Roderick pulled her hand away from the wooden block gently. He placed the carving tool and the wooden block on the table.
“Let’s do this later. Let’s talk some more.”
“…”
“Hmm?”
Roderick gently brushed his hand over Lee-Jae’s lips to stop her from biting them.
“What can I do to make our Queen feel better?”
“Your Majesty is going to cheer me up too? How considerate.”
“If you’re sorry, then tell me. Besides carving and meditation, I don’t know what you like.”
“I don’t know either. And my feelings are really fine.”
But as Lee-Jae pondered, Roderick felt a sense of relief. He teased, “Should I dig another hole in front of here and cut down a few wooden blocks from Arthur’s Forest for you?”
Of course, the King was joking. But at that moment, Lee-Jae jumped up in surprise, grabbing Roderick’s hand.
“No! You must not touch Arthur’s Forest!”
It was a sin worthy of divine punishment. Even the spirit of a burned log could become a spirit if disturbed. Touching such a sacred place would bring misfortune, even to a King. Lee-Jae couldn’t handle that with her abilities.
Meanwhile, Roderick stared at Lee-Jae’s hand, which was desperately clutching his.
So she grabs hands when she’s startled.
“Why can’t I?”
“…”
“Hailey. Answer me. Why can’t I?”
“Maybe… I have sympathy for the trees?”
Roderick was so dumbfounded that he looked at Jade. The knight commander seemed to share his thoughts, shaking his head.
If Your Majesty says that, then what about all the trees that were sacrificed for your bizarre creations?
“Hailey, that’s quite a contradiction considering how enthusiastically you were carving just a moment ago.”
“…Anyway, Your Majesty. Arthur’s forest is absolutely off-limits.”
“I was joking. It’s a royal treasure, Hailey.”
Lee-Jae, who had jumped up in surprise, felt extremely embarrassed but finally managed to speak.
“Your Majesty, then can you grant me one other request?”
“Yes, tell me.”
“Would you like to go for a walk in the forest with me?”
After being cooped up for a while, it would be good to go and absorb some energy. Roderick immediately nodded.
“Let’s go.”
He stood up and pulled Lee-Jae to her feet. She used her sudden wish not for herself, but for the King.
Roderick and Lee-Jae walked slowly through the forest. They ventured deeper than before, and Roderick didn’t forget to hand her a branch.
“Here, I brought you, so hurry up and play in the dirt,” he teased.
Lee-Jae laughed softly and asked, “If I asked to come here often, would you grant that too?”
“Do you like this forest that much?”
“Yes.”
Ultimately, it was all for the King’s benefit. Oblivious to this, Roderick playfully said, “Only if you kiss me once a day.”
“…”
“You still haven’t answered that.”
“What should I do? This negotiation has fallen through.”
Roderick sighed dramatically. “You keep hurting me lately. But I must be getting used to it.”
“How so?”
“I’m getting used to the rejection.”
The two chuckled, enjoying the fresh air. Lee-Jae asked, “Your Majesty, why did King Arthur create such a forest within the palace?”
Roderick stroked his chin. “Well, the first king believed that some sacred power protected the royal family. He was said to wield the royal sword with great skill. But that’s all ancient history.”
“I see.”
“Why? Are you curious?”
“About what?”
“You borrowed the royal genealogy from the historian before. Why did you borrow it if you can’t even read it?”
The King seemed to have kept that incident in mind. Startled, Lee-Jae fell silent, but Roderick, deep in thought, took her hand and led her out of the forest.
Roderick took Lee-Jae to a place within the palace—a spiraling tower. After climbing countless steps, Lee-Jae finally understood the purpose of this place. The walls were adorned with portraits of the seventeen kings who had ruled before.
At the very bottom was the portrait of the 27th king, Roderick. Seeing it, Lee-Jae couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Roderick immediately raised an eyebrow.
“What should I do when someone laughs at my portrait right in front of me?” he asked.
Lee-Jae quickly composed herself, suppressing her smile. “I’m sorry if that was rude.”
“No, it’s fine. But why did you laugh?”
“The painting doesn’t capture the real you,” she explained.
It wasn’t that the painter lacked skill; it was just impossible to capture such a formidable presence on canvas.
Roderick, taking it as a compliment, felt a bit embarrassed. “Wow, the 15th King had his portrait painted with his Queen.”
“Oh, he must have been a great romantic. No matter how busy he was, he always had meals with his Queen. There’s a story that if the 15th Queen overslept, he wouldn’t wake her, so breakfast would turn into lunch.”
“That’s quite romantic,” Lee-Jae commented.
Roderick glanced at her and asked, “Should we have our portrait painted together and hung here?”
After a moment of thought, Lee-Jae shook her head. “I’ll pass. I don’t want to be remembered in a painting.”
“…Why does this keep happening?” Roderick muttered, growing more accustomed to rejection. He looked at Lee-Jae, wondering how to handle this little fox. She smiled, patting his arm gently.
They continued to admire the portraits as they climbed the stairs. Finally, they reached the top of the tower. Only one portrait remained.
The faint smile on Lee-Jae’s face gradually disappeared.
Roderick joked, “It’s not very flattering to stare at another man’s portrait more fondly than your husband’s.”
She couldn’t respond, and her smile was gone. Roderick’s voice echoed through the tower.
“King Arthur Lux Blake, the Boy King, guardian of the forest and founder of the Kingdom of Cayenne.”
“…”
In the painting was a face she recognized—the blue-eyed foreign spirit she always waited for by the lake.
So, you were the Boy King.
Lee-Jae stood rooted to the spot, unable to move for a long time.
