After completing her schedule, Lee-Jae lay on the bed, flipping through Hailey’s diary. She was rereading a section she had gone through before.
「September 10, Year 497
Father is about to do something terrible.
I will tell him that he must not.」
“Something terrible.”
That phrase kept bothering her. It was vague, but she couldn’t shake the memory of the Duke’s face—he had the look of a man capable of murder.
At some point, the spirit of the castle had appeared beside her, resting its chin on its hands and swinging its legs.
“Hey, let me ask you something.”
–What?
“One of His Majesty’s fiancées died from poisoning, right?”
–Yeah.
“Do you know who did it?”
–Lee-Jae.
She nodded, signaling for it to continue.
–I have no idea.
“…Then what do you even know?”
With a deep sigh, she closed the diary. Instead, she pulled out a bucket list she had written earlier.
「1. Visit His Majesty’s bedchamber
- Try talking to the foreign spirit again
- Exorcise and send off the lingering spirits in the castle
- Finish reading Hailey’s diary
- Understand the history of the Cayenne Kingdom
- Visit the river where Hailey threw herself」
It was an extremely conservative bucket list. When she had written it, she hadn’t wanted to include anything she wasn’t confident about. Even so, her progress had been minimal, making Lee-Jae frown.
“I haven’t accomplished a single thing. What have I even been doing for the past two months?”
–Lee-Jae, you’ve just been lazing around and eating!
“I wasn’t expecting anyone to acknowledge my efforts, but hearing that from you is… really irritating. And for the record, I may have eaten, but I didn’t waste time like you did.”
Lee-Jae shot the Spirit of the Chest with a sharp glare before gathering up the diary and her notes.
Since the spirit was useless for information, she turned to someone who could actually help—the head lady-in-waiting. Humans, especially experienced ones, were often more useful than spirits.
“Deborah, I have a question…”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please speak.”
Even after summoning Deborah into her chambers, Lee-Jae hesitated for a long time. Perhaps she should have just borrowed some books instead. Scandals often remained as rumors rather than documented history—just like how Hailey Duncan’s supposed suicide had only survived as gossip.
“How did His Majesty’s fiancées die?”
Deborah flinched at the unexpected question. It wasn’t something a Queen should ask—it was a sensitive topic.
But as Lee-Jae waited, looking both troubled and determined, Deborah finally answered.
“The first incident was in the autumn of the year before last. There was a bridge collapse.”
“…Autumn, two years ago.”
“The next was last summer. It was quite recent, so Your Majesty should already know—poisoning.”
Everyone in the Castle was aware that the King suspected Duke Duncan of being involved. However, Deborah chose her words carefully. The matter was still under royal investigation, and as a lady-in-waiting, she had no reason to add her own opinions.
Instead, she subtly shifted the conversation.
“Forgive me for asking, Your Majesty, but why are you suddenly curious about this?”
“It’s just been on my mind.”
For a moment, Deborah wondered—could the Queen be jealous?
But no matter how she looked at it, that didn’t seem to be the case.
The Queen was certainly kind to the King, but it was clear to anyone that the affection was far stronger on the King’s side.
He often teased her, playfully provoking her. He sought her out frequently, speaking to her more than he did with anyone else—despite not being a talkative person by nature.
All of it pointed to one thing: he liked her.
“The engagements were purely political. There was hardly any real interaction.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Your Majesty need not concern yourself. His Majesty is devoted to you.”
Lee-Jae hadn’t been fishing for that reassurance, but she still found herself scratching her cheek awkwardly.
And right then, something happened that supported Deborah’s words.
The King’s attendant arrived with a message.
“Your Majesty, His Majesty wishes to dine with you.”
Deborah smiled knowingly, as if to say, See? What did I tell you?
Lee-Jae felt even more embarrassed.
As soon as Lee-Jae entered the dining hall and took her seat, Roderick felt his mood improve. The air felt fresher, and breathing became easier. At some point, just seeing his Queen was enough to lift his spirits.
However, as she took a sip of water, she glanced at him cautiously. Seeing her bite the corner of her lip, Roderick asked, puzzled, Why?
Lee-Jae seized the moment and asked, “Your Majesty, am I not allowed to go out?”
Roderick let out a small chuckle. He understood where she was coming from. She had lived freely outside the castle, and now, confined to a Royal’s life, she must have felt suffocated. It was natural at her age.
Of course, he was completely mistaken.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Just… here and there.”
As she avoided giving a direct answer, Roderick propped his chin on his hand.
“You still think of yourself as just a Duke’s youngest daughter, don’t you?”
“So, is that a no?”
“I need to know your destination so I can arrange a safe route. Do you have any idea how many people would need to move just because of you?”
Lee-Jae fell silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. Watching her closely, Roderick felt an instinctive certainty—she was about to lie again.
“I want to go to the temple.”
Roderick leaned back in his chair.
“And why is that?”
“It’s just been a while since I last visited. I want to offer some prayers.”
From that moment, something inside Roderick flared. His expression darkened, and he raised an eyebrow.
“Hailey.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m a fool just because I’ve been letting things slide?”
A deep river ran near the temple in the capital.
On the day Hailey visited the temple, she threw herself into that river.
After reading the second report on the incident, Roderick learned that it had been years since she had last gone there. In other words, she had never been a devout believer.
As his face turned ice-cold, Lee-Jae shut her mouth. He had seen right through her true intentions.
She did want to meet with the temple priests, but more than anything, she wanted to visit the riverbank.
She wanted to attempt a summoning ritual—to call forth Hailey’s lingering spirit and hear the full story from her own lips.
But Roderick had sharp instincts, and as he had just pointed out, deceiving him wasn’t easy.
“Absolutely not. Do you hear what you’re saying? You keep pushing my limits with the things you ask.”
“…”
“Mention that again, and I’ll drain the entire river instead. If you think I won’t do it, just try me.”
“Your Majesty.”
“If you don’t want to see me truly angry, you’d better stop now.”
Roderick cut off the conversation, but Lee-Jae couldn’t let go of her lingering thoughts.
“Your Majesty, please trust me just a little. It’s really not what you think.”
Doubt gives birth to spirits. A dark, suspicious heart creates lingering spirits.
But Roderick shook his head.
“No. I don’t trust you.”
Not because you’re a Duncan. I just can’t trust you.
How strange. At some point, he started having this relentless feeling that if he took his eyes off her, she would die.
Hearing his blunt rejection, Lee-Jae lowered her gaze, looking hurt. That expression drove Roderick insane. It made his heart waver instantly.
But he forced himself to be cold.
“That look won’t work on me.”
“Your Majesty, I would never do anything to harm you.”
“Sure. But you would do things that harm yourself. I know that about you now.”
“I won’t die. I wouldn’t do something that foolish. I promise. I’ve told you before.”
Roderick sighed but still picked up a plate.
Even as he furiously scolded her, he was busy slicing up her food. She has a small mouth, so I have to cut it into small pieces, he thought while practically butchering the meat.
“You say you won’t die? That’s easy to say. But anyone who’s been on a battlefield knows—people die so easily. It only takes a moment. And you can never undo it.”
Lee-Jae lowered her eyes with a sullen expression.
Watching her like that, Roderick raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. No matter how much he tried to steel himself, his resolve kept weakening.
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
“Hailey.”
“…”
“Then go with me. I’ll make time for it.”
“…”
“That works, doesn’t it?”
But no agreement came.
Roderick knew—if she really just wanted to visit the temple, there would be no reason to hesitate. She wanted to go alone. And that meant she was hiding something.
He scoffed.
“See? You’re acting like this, and you expect me to trust you?”
“…”
“Do you think I’m being unreasonable?”
Even watching her sit silently by the lake all the time was frustrating enough.
It irritated him that her ladies-in-waiting weren’t constantly glued to her side.
But most of all—she didn’t even realize the way she looked when she stared at the water.
She often gazed at the water endlessly, and to Roderick, that sight always seemed strangely sorrowful. What unsettled him the most was the occasional longing in her eyes.
Pushing the plate of neatly sliced meat toward Lee-Jae, Roderick sighed upon seeing her expression.
“You look like you’re about to die… Anyway, stop making that face and eat. Finish all of it.”
“Yes, I’ll eat well. You should eat plenty too, Your Majesty.”
Dinner began in an awkward silence. Their third marital argument had ended just as anticlimactically as the others, and for a while, neither spoke.
Roderick, who had begun to wonder if it was normal for newlyweds to fight this much, stole a glance at Lee-Jae.
The King’s attendants and the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting exchanged amused smiles, discreetly observing their interaction. For a dispute between Royals, their arguments were unusually mild.
Considering that their families were historical rivals, the relationship between the King and Queen was, in truth, absurdly good.
As expected, Roderick soon grew uncomfortable with Lee-Jae’s silence and attempted to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“The Prince will be returning to the Capital soon.”
Hearing the unexpected news, Lee-Jae’s eyes widened as she looked at him.
“Have you ever met him? He wasn’t in Cayenne when you made your debut in society.”
After some thought, Lee-Jae shook her head.
She had seen him from a distance during major state events, but she had never met him up close.
Watching her simply shake her head and nod without speaking, Roderick chuckled. She had shut her mouth again.
She must be really sulking.
Like a cat that had reluctantly come to sit beside him, only to climb out of reach again, she was difficult to figure out.
Observing which dishes her hands reached for most often, Roderick subtly pushed them toward her.
“Here, eat what you like. Eat a lot, and let’s grow taller together.”
“Ugh, not the height talk again.”
But Lee-Jae laughed.
She knew all too well that Roderick only spoke like this when he was trying to make peace.
“Think about it a little more, so cheer up.”
“…”
“I’m only doing this because I worry about you. So don’t hate me too much.”
“I don’t hate you at all. Actually, I understand. And I appreciate your concern.”
She always had a way of throwing his heart into chaos. These days, he found himself grateful whenever she revealed even a fraction of her true feelings.
Even so, he still didn’t like where she wanted to go, so he avoided making a promise and shifted the topic again.
“When the Prince returns, we should have a meal together. If that’s too much, you can just greet him formally.”
“I’m not uncomfortable with it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I don’t have trouble talking to people.”
Someone who saw spirits had no reason to fear meeting the living.
Yet, for someone who claimed not to be wary of others, she kept pushing him away. That thought stung Roderick.
Was he not even a person to her?
However, he didn’t let his feelings show and nodded smoothly.
“I see. Our Queen is brave.”
The Queen’s ladies-in-waiting exchanged knowing glances and nodded in satisfaction.
As expected, fights between the royal couple never lasted long. The King, when it came to his Queen, couldn’t even hold out for half an hour.
