FYH Chapter 78

The maids in the Queen’s quarters, tense and terrified, seemed intent on actually boiling Lee-Jae. They were certain that if the Queen caught a cold, the King would literally have their heads.

But Lee-Jae, deciding she’d bathed enough, shook them off and bolted from the bathhouse. There was something she had to check before the King arrived.

Back in her room for the first time in three days, she immediately sensed the broken barrier.

With a pained look, she reached out and touched the cracked box.

“I’m sorry. I really am.”

Guilt made her eyes well up with tears.

But at that moment, the spirit hidden inside the box crept out with a sulky look.

“Huh? Huh?!”

— …

“Oh my god, you’re safe!”

Startled and relieved, Lee-Jae reached out to hug the spirit, but it twisted its little body and dodged her hand, its attitude sharp.

— I hate you, Lee-Jae.

“…I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

But the spirit showed no sign of forgiving her. Puffing out its cheeks in a huff, it shouted:

— Liar! You said you’d be right back!

“….”

— Since you lied, your nose is going to grow long like a liar’s!

“I had my reasons… No, forget it. I’m just sorry, really.”

— But if I lie too, will I grow a nose?

Lee-Jae almost laughed at the cuteness but held it in—she felt too guilty.

Then she frowned in confusion. The protective ward was completely gone… yet the spirit looked perfectly fine.

She asked hesitantly, “Hey, how are you okay?”

— Hmph. Not telling. I’m only going to lie to you from now on.

The spirit turned its back and refused to answer. Feeling guilty, Lee-Jae scrambled to make amends.

“Don’t be like that. You’re cutest when you’re honest. Please just tell me?”

— …

“Please? Just this once? I’ll breathe new energy into your house again.”

Tempted by the offer, the spirit finally gave in to her coaxing and spoke.

— That ugly thing protected me.

“What?”

— It suddenly went ‘WAAAH!’ just like you.

The spirit pointed toward the crude clay figurine of the Earthly General, its limbs still glued together with starch paste. Lee-Jae’s expression turned grave. It made no sense to her.

A talisman or figurine, once torn or broken, shouldn’t retain any power even if repaired.

“How…?”

Still puzzled, she opened the box. The barrier was gone, but maybe the inner talismans had protected the spirit.

But the box was empty.

“What? Where’d they go?”

If they’d activated, there should’ve been at least some scorched remains. Lee-Jae stared at the spirit in confusion, but the little thing had already forgiven her and was clinging to her leg.

Just as she was about to ask another question—

The King entered without knocking.

Lee-Jae gave him a terribly awkward smile, but Roderick simply stared at her in silence.

Then his gaze flicked to the box, and he strode forward.

He sat on the bed and tossed something beside her. A crumpled bundle of talismans—ones he’d removed from the room.

“Looking for these?”

“Y-Your Majesty…”

Her face drained of color, but Roderick remained calm. He gestured for her to sit beside him.

“Talk. I’ll believe anything you say.”

But Lee-Jae bit her lip, a bit frightened. Mixed in with the talismans he’d tossed was a different sheet of paper—her bucket list.

Visit His Majesty’s chamber. Exorcise the castle’s spirits. The Boy Spirit… It was all written in her own handwriting.

And as she stared at it, she realized—there was no escaping this now.

She couldn’t tell another lie.

Lee-Jae slowly knelt before the King.

Roderick let out a breathless scoff, utterly speechless. He felt sick to his stomach. With a deeply displeased expression, he spoke.

“I told you to speak. When did I ever say to kneel?”

“…”

“Get up. There’s no one in all of Cayenne you should be kneeling to.”

But Lee-Jae only bowed her head lower.

She believed she’d been deceiving the King of this country with her lies. One lie had led to another, and another after that.

She wasn’t a Duncan. The Royal engagement had been a mistake from the very beginning.

Even the King’s initial interest in her hadn’t been a natural emotion—it was only because her presence brought his mind peace.

Lee-Jae knew all of this better than anyone, yet she’d never drawn a clear line. She had been too lonely… and she liked the King who treated her kindly.

Seeing that she wasn’t budging, Roderick sighed and helped her up himself. But stubbornly, she knelt right back down.

Why do you always act like you’ve committed some unforgivable sin? Why is your first instinct always to apologize?

Running a hand through his hair with a conflicted expression, Roderick asked:

“Your name is Lee-Jae, isn’t it?”

She flinched and looked up, her eyes wide with alarm.

“H-How did Your Majesty…?”

“Why so surprised? Didn’t you carve it into that figurine, asking to be found?”

She couldn’t say she hadn’t hoped. But she’d never truly believed he would notice.

What she didn’t realize was that she’d been leaving behind plenty of clues all along. And Roderick—so focused on her, and so perceptive—had begun to suspect long ago that she might not actually be Hailey.

Looking at the flustered Lee-Jae, he gave a small, amused smile.

“My Queen, have you finally found it in yourself to sit by my side?”

“…”

“If kneeling is more comfortable, I’ll respect that—but it hurts me to see you that way. Please, come sit.”

Eventually, Lee-Jae hesitantly moved to the bed. But she still sat a good three handspans away, clearly frightened.

Roderick moved behind her and gently wrapped her trembling body in his arms. He stroked her peach-colored hair with tender fingers and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“I must still not have earned your trust. I’m sorry.”

“…That’s not it.”

To comfort her, he kept stroking her hair, gently, endlessly.

“When I’m with you, my mind clears and my heart feels at peace. Do you know why?”

Lee-Jae lowered her gaze. It was time to speak the truth.

“Because… with what little power I have, I’m cleansing Your Majesty of the unclean things inside you.”

“No. That’s not it.”

“…”

“It’s because I love you.”

Lee-Jae glanced back. The King’s blue eyes were smiling.

“You kept trying to send me to Arthur’s Forest because of that, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

Roderick nodded slowly.

“I could feel it too, how my mind cleared when I went there.”

“…”

“But I always wanted to go with you. I never wanted to go alone.”

The places you told me to go were all good. But I wanted to be there with you.

And the places you said you’d go alone—I didn’t like those. I didn’t want you to be alone.

I wanted to be with you, wherever it was.

“I promised I’d never do anything to hurt you. So stop trembling. Just trust me, a little more.”

“…”

“Whatever you tell me, I will never turn my back on you.”

Suddenly, Lee-Jae felt ashamed of herself and lowered her head. Seeing her eyes brimming with tears, Roderick, wanting to make her smile, spoke in a teasing tone.

“Don’t you dare leave me. I want to be tangled up with you, completely.”

“…Your Majesty is a good husband.”

“Good. Then let’s keep doing our best.”

At last, she gave a small, amused laugh. Roderick, curious now, asked:

“You really are from Daemon, right?”

Lee-Jae tilted her head, giving him a puzzled look that said, Huh?

No? I’m from South Korea.

When she shook her head, Roderick lifted his chin, urging her to tell him everything.

“I don’t know much else. But I did die once. And when I woke up, I was in this body. That was the day Your Majesty came to the Duke’s estate. I think Hailey must’ve died when she jumped into the lake.”

“…”

“You can think I’m crazy if you want.”

Seeing her still watching him cautiously, her voice full of uncertainty, Roderick let out a soft laugh.

“So when people said I was mad, did you really believe I was insane?”

“No.”

“Well, same here. Hailey—no, Lee-Jae. It’s a long-lost power now, but once, strange things like that did exist on this continent. Cayenne was founded to break such sorcery and stand under the blessing of the Holy Sword.”

But Lee-Jae’s expression remained dark. Because just days ago, she’d become sure of something:

Someone had been sending attacks of malice toward him.

“No. I don’t think it’s gone.”

She turned and hugged him tightly. Thinking she was simply being unusually affectionate, Roderick chuckled and embraced her back.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“The first time I saw you… I was actually scared. I wanted to avoid you.”

“I can tell my first impression wasn’t great.”

The taste in Roderick’s mouth soured. The more he thought about it, the more he remembered how, on their very first meeting, he had basically said: Marry me or die. But Lee-Jae shook her head.

“That’s not what I meant. I said that because… there were vengeful spirits around you, whispering to you. You’ve heard them sometimes, haven’t you?”

Roderick nodded without hesitation.

“People called you a tyrant because of that. I know you already suspect it, but I can see those corrupted things. I can drive them out too… though I don’t have much power.”

He let out a deep sigh.

“You idiot. Why did you keep something like that to yourself?”

“Would you have believed me if I’d told you from the beginning?”

Roderick couldn’t answer easily. He hadn’t come to believe her because it was logical—it was because he had come to trust her.

“And, Your Majesty… stories like this aren’t something you should tell lightly. Even if I did tell people, they can’t fight enemies they can’t see. When evil comes from an unknowable source, people can’t resist it. Sometimes, ignorance is the only way to win.”

“…”

“I just… I hate seeing people lose to things like that.”

But after listening silently for a moment, Roderick said:

“Then you end up being the only one who’s hurt. You’re the one left all alone.”

“…It’s better if I’m the one who gets hurt.”

She felt like he’d seen right through her—for once, she’d wanted to share that pain with someone. Ashamed, Lee-Jae lowered her head, tears welling again.

She hadn’t wanted to burden him with these dark and dreadful things. She just wanted to protect his peace, as much as she could.

But if someone was deliberately targeting him… then the King had to know.

Even though she didn’t want to say it, Lee-Jae spoke, voice trembling with sorrow.

“Your Majesty. Someone wants you dead. They want you to suffer. They want you to fall. They curse you—without even knowing who you really are.”

The injustice of it overwhelmed her. She finally broke down and cried like a child.

And when his chest slowly grew wet, Roderick felt a deep ache in his heart. His wife had often collapsed and coughed up blood because of him. And instead of recognizing that, he had spent so long doubting her.

Yet now, she was in pain—not for herself, but because someone was cursing him. She was grieving for him, and holding him close, trying to protect him from the hurt of his own words.

Why do you carry such a precious heart?

He gently pulled Lee-Jae away from his chest and cupped her face with both hands. Looking straight into her eyes, he carefully wiped her tear-streaked cheeks.

“Is that what’s been going on? It’s okay.”

“Your Majesty…”

“You said it yourself—it doesn’t matter what people say. If they want to curse me, let them try as hard as they want.”

Roderick nodded with a faint smile.

“As long as you believe in me, I can overcome anything.”

“…”

“So don’t cry. It hurts me.”

But at that moment, Lee-Jae only cried harder. Caught off guard, Roderick let out a half-sigh, half-laugh and pulled her into his arms again. He kept patting her back gently, murmuring for her to stop crying.