FYH Chapter 49

The front of the Queen’s reception hall had been bustling for some time. Both Roderick and Lee-Jae found the situation rather curious.

“How many are left?”

“There are still five more waiting.”

“Still a long way to go.”

However, Deborah and the Queen’s attendants fully understood the reason behind this. The root of the matter lay in the Queen’s approach—she listened to everything.

The receptions were gradually turning not into mere petitions, but discussions and counseling sessions. Some noblewomen even came simply to pour out their hearts and find relief.

“Your Majesty, I recently built a grand new mansion in my territory…”

“Oh? You must be quite wealthy.”

“Oh no, not at all! I poured all my money into it.”

Lee-Jae found it amusing that he reacted so strongly to that comment. Smiling, she scratched her head as Count Skinner continued.

“Actually, I had been hoping to meet Your Majesty for some time, but you weren’t receiving audiences for a while.”

“Yes, I was feeling unwell for some time… But where exactly did you build it?”

Lee-Jae even brought out a map to help him analyze the location.

“A mountain behind, facing a river—sounds like the best spot.”

“Is that so?”

“Aren’t all civilizations founded around rivers?”

Generally speaking, such a location was considered prime real estate across cultures. However, Lee-Jae soon made a slightly uncertain expression as she pointed to the western side of the mansion.

“But there seem to be a lot of graves nearby.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Lee-Jae was someone who would avoid graveyards at all costs. However, that was only because she could see and hear things others couldn’t. The mere presence of a graveyard didn’t automatically make a location unlucky. The key was whether a person could handle the energy of the place or not.

Some market stalls constantly changed owners, yet some people made immense fortunes even in such spots. A strong energy field could either bring great prosperity or total ruin to a particular person.

Lee-Jae narrowed her eyes and studied Count Skinner’s face intently.

He had the appearance of a typical scholar or artist—meaning he likely had a sensitive nature. On top of that, he needed to be cautious about his health in middle age.

“How’s your sleep?”

“…Pardon?”

The Count was taken aback, but Lee-Jae pressed further as if something had clicked in her mind.

“Are you sleeping well?”

The Count hesitated.

“I have no issues, but… actually, my daughter…”

Lee-Jae nodded knowingly.

Ever since they moved, things hadn’t been going well, and now his daughter was struggling. He probably wanted to talk about it but wasn’t sure if he should. However, the Queen always seemed to understand before people could even fully explain.

“Is there an empty room? Or another house you own?”

“We do have guest rooms, but they are meant for visitors.”

Lee-Jae let out an incredulous laugh.

“Why does that matter?”

“…”

“You need to ask your daughter how she feels. Honestly, she might feel much better just by sleeping with her head facing a different direction. That’s how people’s minds work.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Truthfully, you’re concerned too, aren’t you?”

He wasn’t the type of person to easily dismiss such concerns.

From that point on, the Count eagerly opened up about all his worries.

All Lee-Jae did was listen. But for some reason, the Count felt an urge to offer her money in gratitude.

“Has she made her debut yet? I have a terrible memory.”

“No, she’s still young.”

“As long as she’s comfortable, you should bring her sometime. I’d like to meet her.”

“That would be an incredible honor.”

Even after the Count left, the line for the Queen’s audience continued to stretch on.

The Queen’s attendants looked at the nobles with peculiar expressions. Most of them were rambling on about trivial matters—almost like reading aloud heartfelt letters.

“My parents are against it, but they refuse to listen.”

“I saw you two at the party—you looked good together. Why?”

“…”

“If it’s a doomed relationship, it’ll fall apart on its own. Do you think forcing them apart will actually work?”

The nobles, struck to the core, simply nodded and left. Deborah glared at them with an expression of utter disapproval.

Why were they relieving their stress here?

“Your Majesty, are you all right?”

“Hm? Just a little tired.”

Lee-Jae tilted her head. How did things end up like this? There was no point in questioning it—it was just fate.

She took the water Deborah handed her and drank deeply.

“Please pace yourself.”

“Was I being too eager?”

“…Yes, a little. There’s no need for Your Majesty to listen to such trivial personal matters.”

Lee-Jae chuckled. In truth, she had been holding back a lot. She worried that people would find her strange, and keeping silent despite seeing everything had become a habit of hers.

After all, no one wanted to hear about a bad future.

“I guess I got too into it. But sometimes, talking things through like this can make big problems feel smaller.”

Deborah nodded, looking deeply conflicted.

“Who’s next?”

“…Duke Duncan.”

Deborah had just come back from receiving strict instructions from the King.

The lecture had been long-winded, but the conclusion was short: prevent a private meeting at all costs. If she let that man insult his precious little fox again, there would be consequences.

However, the Queen could be stubborn about the strangest things. And the King knew that all too well.

“Let him in.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Hm?”

Deborah squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before speaking.

“This time, please meet him in front of others.”

“…”

“If Your Majesty allows it, I will do my best to protect you, even if my efforts are lacking. Or perhaps, what if you pretended to faint in the middle of the meeting? I can coordinate with you perfectly.”

Lee-Jae studied Deborah carefully. Then she smirked and gestured for her to come closer.

After some hesitation, Lee-Jae leaned in and whispered in a very low voice,

“But weren’t there never any private meetings to begin with?”

Deborah flinched.

“…Your Majesty.”

Ever since the little Duncan had entered the royal palace, it was obvious to everyone that the King would keep an eye on her.

However, the fact that spies were hidden in the reception hall was a closely guarded secret. Even Deborah hadn’t learned it through official channels.

Lee-Jae tilted her head as if she were genuinely uncertain.

“To be honest, I don’t think His Majesty tried very hard to hide it from me. Maybe he even wanted me to know.”

The day she had first met with the Duke privately, the King had come to her.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he had already known everything they had discussed. While nothing in their conversation had been particularly problematic, the King had been excessively concerned—constantly asking how she felt and offering comfort.

But that wasn’t the only reason Lee-Jae had realized spies were present.

The reception hall was haunted by lingering spirits. They weren’t malevolent, so she left them alone. However, by occasionally following their gazes, she had discovered that there were hidden listeners.

“Deborah, that’s not what I’m curious about.”

“Then what does Your Majesty wish to know?”

“What I wonder is—does the King really not know about them?”

“…”

“I’m not accusing you, Deborah. I genuinely don’t know, so I’m asking for your advice.”

“…”

“You know I’m not very good at these things.”

The King often remarked that the Queen was incredibly perceptive. At this moment, the lady-in-waiting had no choice but to agree wholeheartedly.

Deborah swallowed dryly.

“Your Majesty, I believe he does not know. If he did, he wouldn’t have requested a private meeting in the first place. Unless, of course, he was doing it just to provoke His Majesty…”

Then, a thought suddenly flashed through Deborah’s mind.

“Your Majesty, are you trying to test something?”

“Hmm. You’re quick.”

“I am fifty years old, after all.”

Lee-Jae chuckled.

“Deborah, I’m sorry for bringing this up. I know this must be a burden to you.”

“…It is not, Your Majesty. It is an honor.”

All she could do was support the Queen in whatever she intended to accomplish.

“Your Majesty, I will be waiting outside.”

And then, she whispered,

“There are people stationed there and there. As far as I know, that is where they are. If you sense danger at any moment, scream and run in that direction. Pardon me for saying this, but they are here to protect you.”

Deborah discreetly gestured toward the exact locations. Lee-Jae wiped her hands on the hem of her dress, then briefly clasped Deborah’s fingertips before letting go.

The meeting with the Duke played out like their previous conversation. Lee-Jae had no intention of conceding anything.

But when the exasperated Duke once again requested a private audience, she nodded without hesitation.

She spoke as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Father. About the accident two autumns ago.”

“Have you finally come to your senses?”

Lee-Jae tilted her head slightly, studying the Duke. She wanted to determine whether he was being truthful.

“Well, it’s not like I have any power.”

“Did you notice something strange?”

“Not exactly. …But first, I want to talk about what happened last summer.”*

[*T/N: Discussing both of Roderick’s exfiancées that died one after another. So one was in autumn two years ago and one was last summer.]

The Duke smirked, and Lee-Jae let out a heavy sigh as she stared at him.

Because in his expression, she saw a glimmer of truth.

So it was you.

You were the one who killed His Majesty’s fiancées.

Hailey, you knew about this too, didn’t you?

Midway through their conversation, she covered her face with her hands.

At that moment, the King was fully focused on the private meeting between the Queen and the Duke.

His wife was always mature, but whenever past events were brought up, she turned into an abandoned child. He was restless, afraid that she would be hurt once more. What had started as surveillance had long since transformed into protection.

However, the report Jade brought contained something completely different from what the king had expected.

“The Duke did it?”

“…It seems Her Majesty was already aware.”

“…”

Roderick’s face hardened, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the report for a long time.

Unlike Lee-Jae, the King had no idea how much he had already revealed his feelings for her. His worries had always outweighed political schemes or strategies.

As soon as he received the report that day, he could not stop his urgent steps toward Lee-Jae.

Clutching his forehead, he let out a deep sigh and leaned back against his chair. His turmoil dragged on.

The sun outside had long begun to set, and the sky darkened. Roderick gazed at the twilight beyond the window.

Just as the waiting knight commander was about to call out to him, the King spoke.

“Bury it.”

“…Your Majesty.”

“Let it be, for now.”

Jade shook his head, unable to agree.

“Your Majesty, this is not something to be ignored. It is the perfect opportunity to crush the anti-royalist faction.”

“If we stir this up, the Queen will be caught in the crossfire.”

“…Your Majesty, as you can see in the report, Her Majesty was already aware.”

The King knew that too. She was the one who brought it up first.

Roderick couldn’t shake the feeling that this fact weighed on him, but he had no choice—he had to protect his wife.

He was the only one who could.

“Then tell me, what should she have done? Back then, she was nineteen. Should she have come to the palace, requested an audience with me, and reported her own father?”

“…By principle, yes.”

Roderick snapped irritably.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Why would she? The only crime she committed was being born into that family. And even that wasn’t a crime—it was just… my wife’s misfortune.”

“…Your Majesty.”

Roderick ran a hand through his hair, growing angrier by the second.

“So what are you saying? That I should abandon her?”

“…”

“This matter is to be silenced.”

Roderick shoved the report into a drawer and locked it with a key.

Late that night, Deborah came to see the King.