FYH Chapter 69

When Lee-Jae poked her head out, the people around looked puzzled.

“Your Majesty the Queen, is something wrong again?”

Lee-Jae very cautiously closed the door behind her. The others instinctively grew just as cautious. For a while, she simply stared at the knights. The standoff dragged on, and tension continued to mount.

Then, all of a sudden, Lee-Jae bolted.

She was the kind of person who could sit still one second, then burst out yelling “Waaah!” and dash off the next.

The problem was—her stride was tiny, and the knights were incredibly athletic.

They ran alongside her effortlessly, as if enjoying a light morning jog. Honestly, they could probably match her speed while running backwards.

But Lee-Jae was utterly serious.

“Don’t follow me!”

“Where are you going, Your Majesty?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s a very top-secret matter.”

“…Excuse me?”

Lee-Jae kept running, her little feet pattering away. When the knights showed no signs of falling behind, she called out,

“We’re playing tag.”

“…What?”

“I’m playing tag with His Majesty. Don’t you know tag? Wait, was it hide-and-seek?”

The knights exchanged looks. At night? Really?

“If I get caught here, it’s over. Our future will be shrouded in darkness.”

“…Is hide-and-seek really that serious?”

The knights were starting to think—Our queen is definitely… young.

“Can you keep a secret? Please don’t tell anyone which way I went, okay? People should really keep their mouths shut. That’s half the battle right there. Especially…”

She suddenly stopped running. Bent over, hands on knees, she tried to catch her breath.

“Hey, you… over there. Did you… sign anything recently?”

If you did it wrong, everything’s going to fall apart.

She waved her hands dramatically around her mouth, signaling in gestures that she couldn’t speak it aloud. A spiritualist’s occupational habit.

The knight, slightly overwhelmed, nodded half a dozen times. Lee-Jae nodded back. Then she took off again.

“Okay, go. Go back to your post. Hff… talking and running is hard…”

Seeing her breath grow heavier, the knights halted as if entranced. She seized the chance to sprint faster.

Her destination? The King’s bedchamber.

The royal guards stationed at the door were flustered. By rule, no one could enter the king’s private chamber without permission. But this was the queen. And the peach-haired fox was putting on her most innocent face again.

“Pl-playing hide-and-seek.”

“…Sorry, what?”

“His Majesty’s coming to catch me any second now. What am I going to do? I’m… terrified.”

“….”

“You can’t help me, can you.”

She couldn’t possibly burden the guards with this responsibility. Resolute, she nodded firmly to herself.

“I’ll carry this burden alone. Just… remember me.”

Then she zipped inside and locked the door behind her.

Success.

Her gaze sharpened as she turned toward the wall. Reaching into her robes, she drew out a talisman and stretched her hand toward the lingering spirit.

Lee-Jae hadn’t returned to her own bedchamber the night before. She had exorcised three vengeful spirits, but two still remained. As much as she wanted to sleep somewhere warm and safe, she realized—strangely—the king scared her more than the ghosts she’d banished.

So, she ended up spending the night in the king’s bedroom, trembling in unease until she finally fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, the sun was already up. Everyone was bowing their heads as if waiting to receive punishment. At the center stood the king, arms crossed. Startled, Lee-Jae quickly sat up.

Roderick raised one eyebrow and spoke.

“Hailey.”

“…”

“Hailey?”

“…”

“Come on, answer me.”

“…Yes.”

Lee-Jae instinctively folded her hands in front of her, polite as could be.

“I almost smashed that door down last night, but I held back in case you were sleeping… until the sun came up.”

Lee-Jae glanced toward the door. For something that had almost been broken down, it looked perfectly intact.

“The chamberlain brought the key.”

“I see.”

“Since I’ve caught you, does that mean it’s my turn to hide now?”

“…Would you actually do that?”

I’d find you pretty easily, to be honest. I’d just grab a passing spirit and ask.

She gave him a pitiful little smile. Roderick, overcome with emotion, flicked her forehead with his index finger.

“You’ve got jokes now?”

“….”

“You ran off while your husband was in the bath? You really know how to make a man feel miserable.”

The courtiers cleared their throats awkwardly.

I mean, she must have been desperate to run like that… She looked truly terrified yesterday…

Some of them started to wonder—maybe it was time the king reflected on himself a bit.

“You pretend to be sweet, and then pull stunts like this. I thought you were a baby pea. Turns out, you’re a wild fox.”

“I did say I’m the kind of person who suddenly goes ‘Waaah!’ and runs off.”

“You think that’s something to be proud of?”

Lee-Jae shrank back, hands folded even more politely. Roderick let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair. Sitting on the bed, he reached out and touched her forehead. She blinked up at him, unsure what he was doing.

Then he placed the back of his hand on her cheek, then her neck. That’s when Lee-Jae realized—he was checking her temperature, making sure she wasn’t too cold.

“Your body…”

“…?”

“Hailey, your body—”

“What about it?”

“…Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Of course. Don’t I look fine?”

Lee-Jae thought to herself,

He really does suspect that something happens to me when I come here. Even if he doesn’t know exactly what it is.

You… you’re someone extraordinary, someone who can see the truth with insight alone, even without spiritual sight. But don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I can handle this much.

As Roderick stared at her in silence, he finally pulled her into a hug.

He didn’t say another word. But Lee-Jae thought—he’s sad right now.

So she smiled softly and, as if comforting him, gently stroked his back.

Lee-Jae sat by the flowerbed, gazing blankly at the lake.

The maids and knights were all nervous again, wondering if Lawrence would show up. The queen’s former lover seemed to know her daily schedule inside and out. He always appeared at just the right time.

But because the queen never spoke to him and ran off every time, he was growing more and more haggard. Then the king would hear about it and become furious. The whole thing made both men seem insane over a single woman.

One circled around her looking gaunt,

The other clung to her with madness in his eyes,

And between them, the queen carved wood and brewed medicine.

It was chaos.

But fortunately, the guest who came to see her today wasn’t Lawrence.

“Oh? Hello.”

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty. It’s a beautiful day.”

The man was clearly a soldier, but instead of saluting, he bowed to her. Likely because he wasn’t from Cayenne.

Lee-Jae looked at him closely. An exotic-looking man—he was the prince’s companion, always seen at his side.

She realized he was waiting for her to offer him a seat.

“Would you like to sit?”

“Then, please excuse me.”

Goodness. Such polite manners.

Once he had sat down, Lee-Jae asked,

“So, did you want to say something to me?”

“Not exactly. I was just curious about Your Majesty. I heard you’re from House Duncan.”

“Yes. Well, somehow that’s how it turned out.”

That damned Duncan.

Honestly, she was starting to get tired of it. But the man smiled softly and introduced himself.

“I’m Lennon Ilias.”

Lee-Jae tilted her head slightly. Where had she heard that name before?

Was it one of Hailey’s memories?

Her own memories, Hailey’s memories, and the knowledge she’d gathered since arriving here—all of it was a tangled mess in her mind.

“Have we met before?”

Just as everyone had relaxed, relieved that it wasn’t Lawrence, tension immediately returned.

Your Majesty, what kind of cliché pick-up line is that, aimed at a stranger?

But the man wasn’t much better.

“You don’t remember me?”

This was bad. People began to pale.

“Hmm, I’m sorry, but I don’t think so. I don’t have the best memory.”

“Well, that happens.”

Lennon smiled calmly and looked out over the lake. So Lee-Jae also turned her gaze back toward the water.

“Is the situation at the border bad?”

“Yes. Well… it’s not stable.”

Lee-Jae’s expression darkened with concern. The man, watching her closely, asked,

“What do you think will happen at the western border, Your Majesty?”

Lee-Jae sighed and rubbed her leg.

“How would I know that, when I’m stuck inside the palace? People who’ve been to the border would know better than I do.”

“But Your Majesty knows, don’t you?”

“…Excuse me?”

Lee-Jae stared at him, clearly thinking What is this guy talking about? He met her gaze and then gave a small nod.

“I see. I thought you did. Well… maybe I was wrong.”

“…”

“Then, Your Majesty, would it be possible for me to meet the Duke of Duncan? Could I ask you to arrange it?”

Lee-Jae paused. She wasn’t just puzzled about why he wanted to meet the Duke, but also uncertain if this kind of request should even be entertained by someone from outside.

In the end, she shook her head.

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

“…May I ask why?”

“I hate to say it myself, but… my family is in conflict with the royal family. I know you’re not a Cayenne noble, but you are here as the prince’s friend, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Just meeting with the duke could put the prince in an awkward position.”

At that, Lennon tilted his head slightly. His expression was ambiguous. After a long silence, he finally said to her,

“You’re on His Majesty’s side, then.”

The words felt somehow ominous. Lee-Jae picked up on the strange air around them instantly. As if trying to shake it off, she nodded firmly.

“Yes. I am the king’s ally, his wife, and a friend who will not betray him.”

Her voice was calm, but it held conviction and resolve.

The man stared at her for a long time.