Follow Your Heart

After expelling all the minor spirits and setting up protective talismans, Lee-Jae was bedridden for a week.

When a container is filled with more liquid than it can hold, it will eventually burst.

Lee-Jae was an ordinary human who had barely stepped into the realm of the extraordinary. Therefore, whenever she used powers beyond common sense, she always fell ill.

Fortunately, the King was not entirely heartless. When he heard that his legal spouse was sick, he sent her medicinal herbs and even visited her once.

Lee-Jae considered that as payment for her services.

When the King entered the room, Lee-Jae witnessed numerous vengeful spirits being repelled from his shoulders. At that moment, Roderick slightly furrowed his brow.

However, Lee-Jae also saw a few more malicious vengeful spirits enter the room, realizing that the protective barrier was not strong enough.

She wanted to create a safer space.

She was carving a small wooden guardian figure for the room, but the head maid suddenly took away the carving knife, saying it was dangerous.

The half-finished Heavenly Great General* had a blunt and elongated shape.

[TN: A traditional Korean guardian figure often made into a wooden totem to serve as protective guardians against evil spirits, misfortune, and diseases.]

For some reason, people looked at it with extremely disapproving expressions and blushed.

The only thing Lee-Jae managed to complete was a crude rosary bracelet.

 

* * *

 

– Lee-Jae. How can you see me? Many priests have come to this room, but no one has seen me.

She was looking at Hailey’s diary, which she had brought from the duke’s residence. Lee-Jae, lying on the bed and moving her ankles, said.

“It’s because they’re all quacks. Many proper priests can see.”

Frauds exist everywhere. This world would be no exception.

Lee-Jae spoke with a distasteful voice.

“They all just want to make money. If you close your eyes, you’ll have to give away your nose.”

– I don’t have a nose!

Lee-Jae paused and looked at the spirit of the jewelry chest. Looking at it again, it really only had two eyes and a mouth.

“…Anyway, always keep your wits about you. Someone who is known by everyone is not a master. True masters tend to hide… Ha, who am I talking to? Again?”

With no one to have a proper conversation with, she was talking to herself more and more. 

In fact, Lee-Jae used to talk to herself often. There weren’t many people in the countryside or in the mountains to talk to, and spirits constantly talked to her. 

Shaking her head, Lee-Jae turned her gaze back to Hailey’s diary.

 

「October 16, 497

Tomorrow is my birthday. Who will make my birthday cake?

Mother will probably buy a strawberry cake, but it doesn’t matter.

As long as it tastes good, that’s enough.」

 

“…”

Lee-Jae, who was reading the diary to fill Hailey Duncan’s incomplete memories, closed the notebook at that point.

One thing was certain: Hailey was a woman with no compassion for paper and wood*.

[*TN: She didn’t care that she was wasting paper and lead by writing nonsense. Essentially, that she was dumb.]

Lee-Jae was lying in bed staring at the ceiling, when someone knocked on her door.

It was Deborah, the head maid.

“Your family has sent medicine along with a letter. The medicine will be brought up after the palace servants check it for any abnormalities.”

Lee-Jae shook her head as she received the letter.

“I don’t need the medicine. I’m not sick anymore, so I won’t take it.”

“As you wish.”

Lee-Jae, who nodded, waited for Deborah to leave and opened the letter.

It was from Duke Duncan, and perhaps because of the ceremony, or because he was conscious of the people of the Palace, his tone had changed completely.

 

「Her Majesty the Queen.

I heard that you were sick, how are you now?

Out of concern, I have gathered some medicine for you.

Your father has a request to make.

Although the Palace has many people to serve you, would it be acceptable to send some people from our family to assist you further?

I hope you recover soon both in body and mind.」

 

Lee-Jae folded the letter and made a grim expression.

Hailey’s feelings were now barely present in her physical body.

Her soul had left her body long ago, and emotions are inherently fleeting.

Therefore, only those with very strong resentment become vengeful spirits, and only those with very noble ideals and deeds become guardian spirits, defying the natural order.

Hailey, what would you have wanted to do?

“…”

Lee-Jae, who looked at the diary with a grave expression, called Deborah again.

“I want to see His Majesty. Do you know where he is now?”

Caught off guard by the Queen’s sudden question, the head maid bowed her head slightly, looking a bit flustered.

 

In the King’s audience chamber, there was chaos going on.

Roderick’s blue eyes were dripping with anger when he was briefed on a subordinate official’s corruption.

It was indeed a matter to be angry about.

However, the King rubbed his forehead for a long time before sweeping everything off his desk with his arm. The crashing sound made Jade’s expression harden.

He knew from recent years of experience that this was a bad sign. Roderick had not been such an angry person when he was young, but since his ascension to the throne three years ago, his cruel side had become more pronounced and prominent.

Jade understood that the position demanded it, but the king’s readiness to draw his sword and use force over trivial matters was a stark contrast to his former self.

Even Jade, his friend, found it hard to bear the temper of the King at times.

And Lee-Jae, holding the letter, witnessed the entire scene from outside the audience chamber.

Of course, she saw things that others did not.

Why did they seem to increase in number every time she looked?

Seeing Roderick clutching a glass of water at the table, Lee-Lee turned around, closing her eyes tightly.

“…I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything. Really. I didn’t see anything.”

Overwhelmed, she inadvertently used formal language, but no one paid attention. The guards were also looking at the King with frightened expressions before turning away out of fear.

Only the prostrated official remained, trembling with his head in his hands.

“…Why is it getting worse? It’s concerning.”

“Your Majesty the Queen, it would be best if you returned now.”

Deborah said cautiously, pulling Lee-Jae by the arm. In fact, this could have been what Lee-Jae experienced on her first night of marriage.

She hesitated before nodding at the head maid.

‘Let’s pretend I didn’t see anything. I decided not to get involved after all. What can I do in front of all these people?’

At that moment, the sound of the glass  shattering on the floor which Roderick threw made Lee-Jae flinch and look back at him.

And when Roderick drew his sword from its sheath, Lee-Jae, sensing genuine malice, shook off Deborah’s arm. She found herself rushing into the audience chamber.

“Your, Your Majesty!”

As soon as she entered, Lee-Jae regretted it. Her ill-fated life and her ability to see things that others couldn’t weren’t the problem, her reactions were.

She blamed Deborah for not holding her back more firmly, but it was already too late.

Hailey, I’m truly sorry.

Your carefully preserved body will lose its head today.

The second fate we shared seems to be sealed this way.

There was no turning back. Lee-Jae quietly grabbed Roderick’s arm.

Suddenly, an eerie silence fell over the audience chamber.

But Lee-Jae saw something strange.

The vengeful spirits swarming around the King were slowly moving away.

Kang Lee-Jae was someone who cared deeply about her own safety, given her unfortunate fate.

Only then did she remember that she was wearing an amulet bracelet with several talismans and inscribed letters.

In truth, in the world she came from, this was a very low-level measure. Granny Yeongsan would have scolded her for being a fraud.

But even so, the vengeful spirits retreated slightly, just as they had the previous night.

“…”

“…”

People began to worry about the young Queen as the silence continued. Jade also thought it was time to stop her.

But Roderick, who had been frowning for a long time, looked around. He sighed shallowly as he stared at the scene around him with an unknown gaze for a moment.

Then he put the sword back into the sheath.

He looked down at Lee-Jae and asked only by the shape of his mouth.

Why?

It was a word that embarrassed even Lee-Jae, who was relieved.

How can you act so nonchalantly when you see this situation?

But because the King was waiting for an answer, she had to find a sensible answer before he asked again.

It would have been a headache to bring up the Duke of Duncan here.

Bringing up Duke Duncan would certainly be a bad move.

Negative thoughts give vengeful spirits more power after all.

“I… I came to ask for a cup of tea, but it seems like I came at a bad time.”

“…”

“Forgive me if it was rude.”

“…”

“I wanted to thank you for sending the medicine last time.”

Even as she spoke, Lee-Jae discreetly used her wrist, adorned with the rosary bracelet, to swat away the alcoholic spirit clinging to the King’s shoulder.

Be calm, you should be calm Lee-Jae.

I know. You were born with great fortune that I don’t have. So, I can do this much.

And Lee-Jae looked at Deborah with an expression of hope for a helping hand.

As the head maid, she should have this much sense, or else she would have to bring someone in from the family, as the Duke suggested.

“Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Queen seems to have enjoyed the tea offered from Roshlok.”

Lee-Jae made a serious face as though that was the purpose of her visit. She was impressed by how well they were coordinating.

Then all that was left was the King’s answer.

After a brief silence, Roderick raised his hand and pointed a finger half-heartedly.  It was a command for the prostrated official to leave. The official looked like he had just escaped death.

Roderick, roughly running his hand through his hair, now looked at the head maid and nodded briefly.

“Bring it over.”

At that moment, everyone else in the audience chamber looked like they had just escaped death.

 

Someone even let out a sigh of relief without noticing.