FYH Chapter 52

Lee-Jae, who had stepped out of the carriage, scanned the temple building. Thanks to Hailey’s memories, it didn’t feel unfamiliar. However, Lee-Jae could see things that Hailey never could.

Her face darkened.

“Hailey.”

“…Yes?”

Roderick looked sullen.

“I cleared my entire schedule because you said you wanted to come here, and now you’re making that face. You’re making me feel quite empty, you know.”

“Stop trying to read my expressions.”

“Then at least tell me what’s wrong.”

“…”

Lee-Jae let out a small sigh.

How could she tell him that there was a massive evil spirit sitting on top of the temple?

Whether he was the King or not, this was the kind of thing that could cause public panic.

“If you’re not feeling it, let’s just go back.”

“No, let’s go inside.”

If wicked beings were wandering around a place where priests resided, it meant there was no one here with true divine power. However, Lee-Jae decided to meet the priests.

After all, prayer wasn’t something that relied solely on strength.

Upon hearing that the King and Queen would be visiting, several priests had come out to greet them in advance.

Lee-Jae carefully observed their faces. Her sharp eyes glimmered with light as she focused.

Those with spiritual powers tend to have unique faces and auras. For instance, the old shaman from her world had a tiger’s face on her left side and a wolf’s face on her right. When viewed head-on, her face was indescribably extraordinary.

However, none of the priests here gave off that kind of energy, which made Lee-Jae smile faintly.

Was there really no one in this world with spiritual sight? It can’t be…

She turned to the priests and spoke.

“Can one of you offer a prayer for His Majesty?”

At her sudden request, Roderick frowned in annoyance.

Since the madness began, he had tried countless remedies to no avail. Frankly, if the medicine Lee-Jae had given him last time hadn’t been something she personally brewed, he wouldn’t have bothered taking it.

Still, he couldn’t ignore his Queen’s sincerity, so with a reluctant expression, he stepped forward.

The priest, maintaining a calm and gentle demeanor, asked,

“What kind of prayer would you like, Your Majesty?”

“Anything. I don’t care.”

Lee-Jae quickly waved her hands and corrected him.

“Please pray for His Majesty’s health, a peaceful daily life, and inner tranquility.”

Roderick stared at Lee-Jae.

He felt that her words just now brought him more peace than any prayer ever could.

Still, he gave the priest a short nod to proceed.

The priest bowed deeply before taking the King’s hand.

His lips moved continuously in prayer, though the words were inaudible. Lee-Jae, with a sincere heart, clasped her hands together and silently prayed along.

Please be healthy. Please be at peace. Please be happy… always.

When the long prayer finally ended, Roderick ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the priests.

“Now, pray for our Queen as well.”

Lee-Jae, startled, tugged on his sleeve with a horrified look.

“Your Majesty, no!”

Why?, Roderick asked silently, leaning closer to Lee-Jae.

Lee-Jae whispered, “If you speak so commandingly to a priest of God, do you think the divine will look kindly upon me?”

Letting out a sigh, Roderick ran his hand through his hair once more and said,

“Would you kindly pray for our Queen as well… Damn it, should I get on my knees or something?”

The priests were human too. Somewhere in the crowd, a muffled chuckle slipped out, but since the King himself was joking, Roderick let out a small laugh as well.

Lee-Jae stepped forward, and Roderick added,

“Pray that my wife never feels even the slightest bit lonely.”

Lee-Jae momentarily lowered her head, overwhelmed by an unexpected wave of emotion. When she glanced up at him, Roderick silently gave her a small nod.

Lee-Jae reached out her hand to the priest, who respectfully bowed and took her fingertips.

Lee-Jae was someone who could see and feel invisible energy. Yet, in front of her, there was nothing. No energy flowed through her fingertips, and she sensed no divine presence in the priest’s prayer.

But at that moment, she realized…

She had already received the greatest prayer of all — from the King himself.

Because Roderick’s words were filled with genuine sincerity.

A warm energy swept through her entire body, and even after the prayer ended, that warmth lingered, refusing to fade.

 

After the prayer ended, the King and Lee-Jae each made a generous donation. As they left the temple, people stole glances at them.

Though they dressed more modestly than usual and quietly exited, blending in with the commoners was impossible. Rumors had already spread that the young couple was the King and Queen, and people began to gather. However, due to the heavily armed knights, they could only watch from afar.

But children, unlike adults, are blissfully unaware of such social complexities. Hearing that the handsome man was the King, a little girl with pigtails excitedly ran forward.

“Your Majestyyy!”

The knights immediately moved to block the child, but Roderick waved them aside. The girl hesitated at first, intimidated by the knights, but when Roderick nodded, she beamed and clung to his leg.

Watching this, Jade thought grimly, Even kids know he’s handsome. So why doesn’t Her Majesty realize it?

Roderick chuckled at the tiny creature clinging to him like a cicada and lifted her up. With a playful smirk, he asked,

“Do you even know what ‘Your Majesty’ means?”

Lee-Jae sighed inwardly.

“How can he talk to a kid with the same tone he uses on adults?”

But the little girl simply giggled and shook her head. That made Lee-Jae and the knights chuckle as well.

The girl’s mother, who rushed over too late, was trembling and dropped to her knees in fear. Lee-Jae glanced at her, and Jade quietly helped the woman to her feet.

Oblivious to the tense situation, the girl wrapped her arms around Roderick’s neck, clearly smitten by his looks. In the process, the doll she had been holding fell to the ground.

Roderick turned to Lee-Jae and said,

“Looks like she likes me.”

“I guess so,” Lee-Jae replied.

“Aren’t you jealous?”

“You really have no filter, even with kids.”

“Why? I was a little annoyed earlier. Don’t people say kids grow up fast?”

“…I think the prayers didn’t work after all,” Lee-Jae muttered with a serious expression.

Since getting off the carriage, the King had been acting strange. Maybe they really shouldn’t have left the castle.

Seeing Lee-Jae’s troubled expression, Roderick chuckled and lifted the girl high above his head before setting her back down. Then, he picked up her fallen doll, dusted it off, and handed it back.

“Here. Go play with your doll and run back to your mom.”

However, the girl hesitated, twisting her small body shyly. Roderick crouched down to meet her eye level. Finally, the girl held out her doll to him.

“Your Majesty, it’s a present.”

Roderick scratched his eyebrow awkwardly. It was clearly her cherished doll. Accepting it felt like stealing something precious, but refusing might hurt her feelings.

Seeing his dilemma, Lee-Jae leaned in and whispered,

“Just take it and buy her a new one later.”

Roderick grinned at her.

“My Queen is truly wise.”

He held out both hands, and the girl shyly placed the doll in them before running back to her mother. She peeked out from behind her, and Lee-Jae gave her a warm smile.

Watching Lee-Jae, Roderick felt a strange warmth and, without thinking, wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin playfully on her head.

The group remained at the temple until a servant returned with a new doll. After the new doll was given to the girl and her mother bowed deeply in gratitude, they finally left.

Lee-Jae felt much lighter, but Roderick looked troubled as they stepped outside.

In his hand was the original doll he had no idea what to do with.

After a moment of thought, he found the perfect solution.

Let’s give all the cute things to the Queen.

“Here, play with it.”

Roderick handed the doll to Lee-Jae.

The crowd couldn’t hold back their laughter. The Queen’s expression looked far more uncomfortable than the King’s just moments ago. She showed absolutely no reaction to the doll’s cuteness.

Jade tilted his head in confusion.

Wait… Her Majesty carries around that creepy statue all the time, but she can’t handle a cute doll? Objectively speaking, this is way more adorable.

“Do I look like I’m at an age to play with dolls?”

“Then should I carry it instead?”

“Why not?”

“If I carry it, people will think I’m a pervert.”

In other words, the cute one should be holding the cute thing.

However, Lee-Jae still looked puzzled.

“Why? You’re cute too, Your Majesty.”

Roderick was so taken aback that he let out a laugh.

“Ah… thanks. I’m truly honored.”

He kept chuckling as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. After a moment of recollection, Roderick said,

“I haven’t heard that since I was ten.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Who said that to you?”

“Well, you know… a mother always finds her child adorable.”

Lee-Jae shrugged slightly.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

Sensing her subtle jab, Roderick quickly changed the subject.

“But even my mother never said that to me after I grew up.”

“Really? Why not?”

The people around them found the Queen’s lack of understanding quite strange. Roderick, already used to this by now, let out a sigh.

“Do you not look in the mirror? Or do you just never look at me properly?”

“…?”

“Can’t you see my height and build? Do you even know what my nickname is?”

Lee-Jae blinked at him in confusion and then simply shut her mouth.

Roderick smirked. He knew by now that when Lee-Jae couldn’t grasp something, she would just stay silent.

“Fine. Let’s just go with ‘cute’ then.”

“Yes. Exactly. When you look with the eyes of the heart, you can see everything.”

“Ah… I’m truly grateful for such… desperate compliments.”

Though he was speechless, Roderick couldn’t take his eyes off her the entire way back to the carriage.

Her awkwardly holding the doll was unbearably adorable.