FYH Chapter 67

“Hailey.”

“Yes?”

When Lee-Jae smiled with her eyes, Roderick immediately leaned in to kiss her. The tension that had stiffened him throughout the meeting melted the moment he saw his queen. It felt like he could breathe again.

Lee-Jae, expecting just a light kiss, responded willingly—but the kiss deepened, and she ended up collapsing onto the grass. The fox was pinned beneath the weight of a wild beast, squirming beneath him. But before long, the squirming stopped altogether—her arms dropped limply to her sides, as if her breath had left her.

Everyone mourned. Is Her Majesty… gone?

And when she finally got up much later, her whole face was flushed and shiny. The people around them couldn’t figure out where to look.

The Boy King, who always vanished whenever Roderick appeared, had annoyingly stuck around to watch this time. He even whistled as he observed. The white horse snorted along with him.

“Good times,” the Boy King said—an old man’s phrase that didn’t match his youthful appearance—before vanishing.

Lee-Jae wiped her face with a sleeve, grumbling, “What was that?”

Roderick gently pushed her wrist aside and used his own sleeve to wipe her face.

“Sorry. Your face is so small, it’s barely even bite-sized.”

“…”

“Are you mad?”

“No. That was just such a perverted comment that I couldn’t think of a comeback fast enough.”

“That’s disappointing. Gotta step it up.”

When Lee-Jae laughed softly, Roderick wrapped his arms around her from behind, rocking her gently side to side like a cradle.

“Did you watch the water again today?”

“Yeah.”

“Because it makes you feel small?”

His babying tone made her a little shy, but she smiled and nodded.

Roderick teased, “But you’re already this tiny and short. If you get any smaller, you might disappear.”

“…”

“What’ll I do if I can’t find my little pea? Then my little pea will cry and cry, feeling all abandoned. I can barely see you as it is, since you’re always way down there.”

Lee-Jae groaned and turned to give him an exaggerated glare. Roderick, as if waiting for just that moment, kissed her with a happy smooch.

Lee-Jae quickly turned her gaze back to the lake, but Roderick didn’t stop pestering her.

He toyed with her tiny hands, brushed aside her thick apricot-colored hair, revealing the nape of her neck. He buried his nose there and inhaled deeply. It smelled like something you’d only find deep within a forest—fresh and vibrant.

The King knew it already.

I don’t need medicine. Whether it’s my body or my heart, you’re the cure.

As Roderick kept breathing her in, goosebumps appeared on her fair skin. He found it adorable how she tried to act indifferent, eyes lowered.

He bit gently into her neck, drawing in the scent as he kissed the soft skin of her shoulders, jawline, and throat. Their heat grew with every touch.

But Lee-Jae kept her eyes on the ground and whispered quietly.

“Your Majesty.”

Roderick replied as he softly licked the edge of her ear.

“Mmm? What is it?”

When he glanced down, she was smiling with closed eyes and slightly upturned lips. His heart pounded at the sight. But then she whispered again.

“Please stop now.”

“Why? Did you not like it?”

“It’s not that… It’s just, everyone’s getting super uncomfortable right now.”

Pretending not to hear her, he pulled her chin toward him. He nibbled her dainty lower lip a few times, and Lee-Jae stayed still for a moment. But then she gently pushed at his chest.

“Your Majesty.”

“What now?”

“Have you eaten?”

“…”

“I’m hungry.”

Roderick chuckled as his shoulders shook with laughter.

“My little fox is pulling out the advanced tricks now.”

He finally stood up and offered her his hand.

“Let’s go. I can’t be the kind of lousy husband who lets his wife go hungry.”

Lee-Jae lightly touched his fingertips, but Roderick adjusted his grip and held her hand properly.

As always, Roderick attentively tended to Lee-Jae’s meal.

The truth was, Lee-Jae had always had a habit of eating very little. She simply wasn’t used to eating much. Roderick must’ve known that perfectly well, yet lately he kept trying—offering her this and that, hoping she’d eat more. But even while doing so, he often fell into deep thought.

Lee-Jae looked at the ever-growing pile of food on her plate, unsure what to do, and finally spoke up.

“Your Majesty, I really can’t eat this much.”

“I know.”

“If you know, why do you keep doing this to me?”

“Because I plan to fatten up my little fox… and eat her soon.”

The animalistic joke made some people visibly uncomfortable, but Roderick continued offering her more food with a straight face.

“Eat a bit more.”

“How am I supposed to eat after that?”

“It was a joke. Just eat.”

“It wasn’t a joke.”

“Busted.”

Lee-Jae eventually laughed. Out of appreciation for his effort, she took small bites here and there. Roderick watched her carefully. His gaze lingered on her drink for a moment before he picked it up and tried a sip himself.

Handing the cup to an attendant, he said, “Bring something else. The Queen doesn’t like sweet things.”

When he noticed Lee-Jae glancing at him sideways, he gave a soft chuckle. Then, with just his lips, he mouthed the words:

Better?

Better, my foot, she thought. Lately, Lee-Jae was certain—Roderick was acting strange. He had always been a bit intense, but lately, his attention was excessive. Overwhelming. He was too good to her. And every now and then, he’d study her quietly, lost in thought.

As she took a sip of the newly brought drink, Roderick suddenly said, in an offhand tone:

“I heard you sent flowers to the Belfastern Cemetery.”

She almost spat her drink out, barely managing to swallow it instead. Lee-Jae shot him a reproachful look. He had a habit of bringing up inconvenient topics exactly when she was mid-sip.

This had to be deliberate. In fact, Roderick fully intended to tease her with it.

Lee-Jae stared at the head lady-in-waiting. Deborah quickly shook her head—clearly had no part in it.

But of course, if the King truly wanted to know, it wasn’t hard to learn about anything that happened inside the palace.

“Are you monitoring me these days, or raising me like a pet? I’m honestly not sure anymore.”

“What a dramatic accusation. I’m doing neither. I just like you.”

No, she thought. Pretty sure it’s all three.

Lee-Jae, clearly a bit annoyed now, asked:

“Do I not get any privacy?”

“Ah, privacy. What a lovely word.”

“…”

“Our Queen has so many secrets, doesn’t she?”

At that, Lee-Jae paused and looked at Roderick—and he was already watching her.

His eyes, clear and deep blue, were smiling. But it was a smile full of layered meaning. Lee-Jae quickly looked away, but Roderick took in even that reaction—studying it quietly.

You say you like me, he thought, but why are you hiding so much?

Is it that you still can’t trust me?

Pretending not to notice the shift in mood, Roderick casually changed the subject.

“So… was it another man from your past that I don’t know about?”

“…What are you even saying?”

“I’m just wondering—who’s the lucky guy that got flowers from the Queen, when I haven’t even received any yet?”

Lee-Jae looked a little flustered and scratched her cheek. When she didn’t answer right away, Roderick raised an eyebrow.

“What, seriously? Why are you thinking about it—was it really some ex?”

“Your Majesty, if my former lover had passed away, would you really poke around like this, knowing how that might hurt me?”

“…Wait, seriously?”

“You already know it’s not true, so why even ask?”

“Exactly. The possibility alone is enough to drive me crazy.”

Lee-Jae let out a small laugh. Still clearly uncomfortable, she gave an answer that blended just enough truth to feel safe.

“It’s just someone who helped me a long time ago.”

But Roderick clearly didn’t find that answer satisfying. He gave a dry, incredulous laugh.

“You?”

“Yes.”

“Hailey. The Duncan line is one of the highest-ranking noble families in Cayenne. So when exactly did you end up needing help from someone in the slums?”

His question was sharp.

Normally, Roderick would brush off these inconsistencies in her story—he’d just let it go, sensing she was uncomfortable. But not anymore. Not now.

Lately, the King had been laying careful traps, trying to catch this tight-lipped apricot-colored fox alive.

And Lee-Jae suddenly understood why Belfastern rang no bells for Hailey. Hailey had grown up rich—people like that rarely spared a thought for the slums.

She hesitated for a moment, but didn’t bother coming up with a more elaborate excuse. Instead, she simply nodded.

“If that’s the case, doesn’t it make what he gave me even more valuable?”

“Okay, then what exactly did he give you? Let me in on my wife’s mysterious private life.”

Roderick kept pressing. Lee-Jae fell silent again, a small frown forming between her brows as she thought. Then she replied:

“Well… I first wanted to do something small for him.”

“Okay.”

“But, Your Majesty… sometimes I really have no confidence in what I do. Sometimes I wonder if it’s all just meaningless.”

“….”

“But he showed me it wasn’t. That even something small could matter. That made it feel like I was the one who got something in return.”

“….”

“So really… It’s not a big deal. Please don’t worry about it.”

Roderick had no words left for a moment. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Because once again, this fox, at such a crucial moment, had slipped through his net with some Zen-like riddle—and bewitched him in the process.

His resolve to press her further weakened, Roderick changed the subject.

“Hailey. Just curious now—how many guys have you had before me?”

“There’s honestly nothing worth talking about. But… Do you always care this much about the past?”

At that, Roderick couldn’t help but let out a laugh, half in disbelief.

“No. But an unresolved past isn’t the past at all. It’s still the present.”

Because what he said was true, Lee-Jae nodded.

The past could only be settled when both time and the people involved cooperated. No matter how much time passed, if the person involved couldn’t let go, then it wasn’t truly the past.

“You ran off after Lawrence again the other day, didn’t you.”

“…Yes.”

Roderick stared intently at Lee-Jae, then turned his gaze to the poor, innocent knight Commander.

“Jade.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If the Queen goes running on those short legs again and ends up falling, tell that bastard I’ll personally break one of his legs.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Jade thought, Do I really have to report something like this? But he lowered his head without protest.

Lee-Jae was dumbfounded, but since she didn’t have a good excuse, she just went back to her meal with a whatever happens, happens expression.

Which only encouraged Roderick to prod her once more.

“The Crown Prince will be returning soon.”

“Already?”

“Just for a brief visit.”

Lee-Jae nodded. “Ah, I see.”

“Your reaction’s kind of dry.”

“Mine?”

“Yeah. You like the Crown Prince, don’t you?”

“…I do?”

“Sure. You like handsome men.”

“I do?”

It was a ridiculous back-and-forth. Lee-Jae was so exasperated she put down her fork and laughed. Roderick watched her with that same bewitched smile in his eyes.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you today, but you’re going to give me indigestion.”

Roderick immediately handed her fork back to her.

“Oh—sorry. I’ll stop.”

Lee-Jae, still smiling faintly, resumed eating.

People like her could sometimes glimpse the fortunes of others—but never see their own future clearly.

Even so, Lee-Jae had a thought.

There would never be anyone like this King in her life again.

The man who had spoken to her when her life had been nothing but silence.

She would leave the end of this story to the heavens. But Lee-Jae, born with the soul of a shaman, had a strong sense about these things.

There would be no one for her after him.