FYH Chapter 82

Lee-Jae peeked her head through the door, looking as if she were entering someone else’s room, not her own.  

Roderick, on the other hand, tilted his chin with the ease of someone utterly at home. His gesture meant one thing: You’re here. Now get in bed.

“Your Majesty. Why are you here so early?”

“I couldn’t get anything done. I missed my Bean too much.”

Uh-oh. That’s not good.  

Lee-Jae gave a little laugh and stepped inside.

But Roderick raised an eyebrow almost immediately.  

Instead of coming to the bed, she sat down at the table and began organizing something on the surface, jotting notes onto a piece of paper.

In the end, Roderick got out of bed.  

He walked over, slid his arms under her knees and armpits, and lifted her clean off the chair.

“Eek! What are you doing?!”

“You looked like you were waiting for me to carry you.”

“I never said that!”

He ignored her entirely and deposited her on the bed—then climbed up after her.  

Sensing danger, Lee-Jae quickly tried to escape off the edge, but Roderick blocked her effortlessly.  

He wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her back toward him.  

She struggled in his arms, pushing against his chest with her small hands.

“Your Majesty, I’m busy!”

Roderick looked puzzled.

“Busy? With what?”

“There’s a lot I need to get done.”

“Like what? Who’s making my wife busier than the King?”

You, Lee-Jae thought.

She fell quiet for a moment.  

There really was a mountain of tasks waiting for her—the only question was which one to start first.

“First, I need to write some talismans.”

After the recent incident, the wards around their rooms had been completely broken.

Of course, Roderick was doing great—too great, in fact.  

Lately, when Lee-Jae looked at him, she sometimes got the same feeling she did when she faced the Boy King.  

No malicious spirit could get near him, and the weaker ones simply disintegrated in his presence.

Roderick still looked confused.

“I gave them all back, though. Did we miss any?”

Lee-Jae gave him a sheepish smile.  

She didn’t want to blame anyone, but the truth was the old talismans were practically garbage now.

“You can’t reuse talismans once they’re torn or damaged.”

“…That’s how they work?”

“Yes.”

Knights weren’t exactly known for their delicate touch.  

They didn’t even recognize what the paper was, much less how to handle it.

At the very least, the broken characters had to stay intact to be usable—but the ones stuck to the walls had been shredded beyond saving.  

All she could salvage were the ones stored safely in a box.

Roderick looked visibly unsettled.  

He was both surprised by the new information and embarrassed at the realization that they’d ruined something she had made with care.

Feeling guilty, he scratched the end of his eyebrow.

“Lee-Jae.”

“Yes?”

“Want me to kick Jade for you?”

Her eyes widened.

“Jade? Why?!”

“He ruined something you made with such care.”

Lee-Jae couldn’t help but laugh softly.  

What a ridiculous thing to say, she thought.

Still looking for a moment to escape, she suddenly relaxed and took both his hands in hers.

“Your Majesty. Jade did it because he was worried about you. You know that, don’t you?”

“…”

“People like him are rare. Some go their whole lives and never meet someone like that. Others meet them but never realize it until it’s too late.”

“…”

“Those people are called benefactors. Talismans, I can always remake. But someone like him—you should be grateful you have a person like that by your side.”

A soft smile played on Lee-Jae’s lips—there wasn’t a hint of regret about the ruined talismans.  

Instead, her expression was full of quiet satisfaction, as though she’d said everything she needed to and felt lighter for it.

That only made Roderick feel even worse.

“How can you be this kind…”

“…”

“You’re a real problem, you know that?”

“…I keep telling you, I’m not that kind of person.”

Lee-Jae didn’t like hearing things like that.  

Feeling awkward, she gave a half-hearted reply and tried to slip out of bed again.

But Roderick wasn’t letting her go.  

He pushed her down onto the bed and began peppering her face with kisses, relentless and warm.  

As she curled up under the ticklish onslaught, he spoke.

“I get it. I understand what you meant. I know how important Jade is to me.”

“…”

“But Lee-Jae.”

“…Yes?”

“I think you might be my benefactor.”

At that, Lee-Jae smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners.  

But even as she smiled, she shook her head. She wasn’t someone born with the kind of grand, destined energy that clung to kings or knight commanders.

Still, the King’s words touched her deeply, and with quiet gratitude, she embraced him.

After two failed escape attempts, Lee-Jae finally decided to postpone her tasks—just a little.  

There was a mountain of work waiting for her, but they were newlyweds. A bit of indulgence couldn’t hurt.

Roderick, having successfully lured in his apricot-colored fox, grinned with satisfaction.  

She had so much self-control, it wasn’t easy to coax her into play. But truth be told, he liked that about her too.

Still watching her with pure delight, he muttered impulsively,

“I can’t carry you around on my back all the time.”

“…”

“So, my multi-talented wife—don’t you have some trick that makes you a little smaller?”

Lee-Jae gave him a deadpan stare, clearly unimpressed.

“What kind of trick is that supposed to be? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Why not? I’m not asking for much. You’re already a little bean—if you just shrink a bit more, you’d fit right in my pocket.”

“……”

“Come on, just try a little.”

She was already tired of telling him she wasn’t small.  

Lee-Jae finally sighed and said, “Alright, I’ll give it a shot,” with a nod.

That breezy response made Roderick laugh, and he gave her a gentle shake in his arms.  

Then, wrapping her up tightly, he slung a leg over her, making her grimace with a sharp “ugh”.

Sure, she was small—but he seemed to forget how solid he was.

Excuse me. Your Majesty. Maybe take a look in the mirror at yourself sometime.

“Your Majesty.”

“What?”

“If you keep putting your leg on top of me like that, it’s heavy and it hurts.”

Roderick immediately moved his leg off.  

This time, he shifted again, pulling her on top of him and hugging her tightly against his chest. A new position.

Lee-Jae blinked at the ceiling, thinking, Now what is this one supposed to be?

Apparently, the King was ready to become her pillow, blanket, and now even her mattress.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Nope. This bed is too hard.”

“Oh, so the blanket’s too heavy, the bed’s too hard…”

“…”

“Can’t you just pretend not to mind and let me hold you? Is my embrace really that awful?”

Grumbling, Roderick adjusted again—this time placing her on top of him, seated.  

Lee-Jae placed her hands on his firm chest and looked down at him.

Despite his complaining, his blue eyes sparkled with nothing but joy.

Lately, Lee-Jae had been learning firsthand what it meant to live with a strong husband.  

With just one swift motion, she’d be in this pose—and another motion, a completely different one.

He could move her into all kinds of embarrassing positions with barely any effort.

It felt like she was flying across the bed, carried by his strength.  

At least she didn’t have to move herself, which was kind of convenient.

“Lee-Jae.”

“Yes.”

“Wife.”

“Yees?”

“Should we do it?”

Lee-Jae immediately narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion.  

She was starting to doubt the real reason he’d come to the room early.

“So this is what you had in mind, coming back so soon?”

Correct.

“I told you, I came because I missed you.”

Also correct.

Lee-Jae hesitated for a moment.  

These days, Roderick was practically bulldozing through vengeful spirits with his sheer presence alone.  

Still, she didn’t feel good about leaving the room’s defenses in their current state.

If something even stronger than before came flying at them, she wasn’t sure the broken ward could hold.

Prepare in peace, to prevent regret in war.  

She chose a cautious response.

“But we did it just yesterday.”

“Oh wow, I guess there’s an unspoken rule that if you did it yesterday, you can’t today.”

“…”

“Learning something new every day.”

Of course, no such rule existed.  

But Lee-Jae knew that if she didn’t say something like that, her husband would try to initiate morning, noon, and night.

She honestly wondered how he had even held back all this time while sharing a bed.  

Maybe it was just the honeymoon phase?

So she asked, a little curious,

“Your Majesty… is this normal? Do most couples do it this often?”

Roderick just shrugged.

“How should I know? Why would I care about other people’s beds? Not my business.”

“No, I mean, I’m not that interested either, it’s just… I was wondering.”

Lee-Jae mumbled, and Roderick chuckled.  

There was genuine curiosity sparkling in her round, expressive eyes.

“Hey, bean.”

“Yes?”

“You didn’t marry some random guy. You married me. I’m your husband.”

“…”

“So shouldn’t we just do things when we want to? Do you really want to go around averaging it out like everyone else?”

That made sense, so she nodded.  

Roderick grinned.  

He could tell his apricot-colored fox was just about to cave.

She was too sharp and clever to be swayed by anything shallow. But now, she was almost caught in his net.

Feeling victory within reach, Roderick played his final card.

“So, for real… not today? If you’re not planning to, just get off. But I’m telling you—you sitting there like that is very tempting.”

Lee-Jae gave him a long, piercing look. She was reading him like an open book.

Then, calmly, she nodded.

“Shall I?”

And just as she started crawling off the bed, Roderick quickly grabbed her by the hips.

“Seriously? You’re really getting off? Not a moment’s hesitation, huh.”

“Well, why were you testing me in the first place?”

As she grinned, Roderick let out a deep sigh. His expression screamed: she’s so pretty, so annoying—I’m losing my mind.

“So, messing with your husband like this—is that fun for you?”

“…A little bit?”

“Well. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, I guess that’s what matters.”

Lee-Jae laughed and gently stroked his forearm, trying to soothe him.

“Just once, okay? I do want to—but I’ve got other stuff to do, so don’t get sulky.”

“Sulky over this? Nah. I’ve been rejected by you more times than I’ve taken a breath.”

Huh? When have I ever rejected him that much?  

Lee-Jae tilted her head, confused by the accusation.

Then, once again, Lee-Jae tried crawling off the bed.

But Roderick caught her again.

As she looked down at him in confusion, he asked casually,

“Do you want to try being on top?”

Lee-Jae, who had been acting so unbothered until then, flinched noticeably at his words.  

She flinched so hard that even Roderick, who’d brought it up, paused for a moment.

For someone who was still quite inexperienced in that area, it was a daunting suggestion.  

And yet, in a way, it was also a familiar position—since the King often liked putting her on top and talking to her that way.

Lee-Jae eyed him with deep suspicion.  

Was this his plan all along?

“…So Your Majesty did have a master plan?”

“Of course. A King has to see the big picture.”

“Don’t you think this particular picture was unnecessary?”

“I mean, I’m just making things up now.”

Still, he ended up gently lifting her and placing her back on the bed himself.  

He didn’t say it out loud, but he had read the hesitation in her expression.

Seeing her embarrassed at being so easily read made Roderick chuckle—because to him, she was unbearably cute.