FYH Chapter 85

Roderick was seated in his study, reviewing various documents. Before long, the Commander of the knights entered and offered a salute that was both precise and graceful.

“Glory to Cayenne.”

Roderick gave a slight nod and got straight to the point.

“What is it?”

“A letter has arrived from the Western Army’s high command. The military will likely submit a formal report by tomorrow.”

“What’s the situation on the border?”

“They say things have been quiet lately.”

Roderick rested his chin in his hand, sinking into thought. There had been a suspicion nagging at him for some time.

“Commander.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“A situation like last time will definitely happen again. I don’t mean that it might—I mean it will.”

“Then…”

“I’m not telling you to try and prevent it from happening. I want you to operate under the assumption that it will happen.”

The knight commander wasn’t entirely sure what the King meant.

The Queen was known for occasionally speaking in cryptic riddles that were difficult to understand and at some point, the King had started speaking the same way.

“If any soldiers cause trouble, I want them brought directly before me.”

“Yes, the Second Knight Division commander—no, the Western Army commander—will surely understand that. He’s not just skilled with a sword; he’s composed and fairly intelligent.”

Jade defended the general, who had risen from the knights under his recommendation. The King’s previous remark about the man’s intelligence had bothered him.

Roderick didn’t seem to have taken it to heart; he nodded calmly at Jade’s assessment.

But the report didn’t end there.

“However, Your Majesty…”

“What now?”

Jade looked troubled. Roderick, sensing something serious in the shift of tone, put down the documents he was holding and fixed his gaze on the knight.

“It’s about His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“Speak.”

“We sent a message to the Western Army commander, and we included a separate dispatch for the prince. But it turns out he’s not currently in the camp.”

Roderick raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean by that?”

“The day the message from us and the military arrived, he suddenly disappeared.”

Roderick’s expression turned grave.

Unauthorized absence from the army was a serious offense. In peacetime, it might be punished with imprisonment or a fine, but during wartime, it was punishable by execution.

Of course, Edgar was royalty—so the Western Army leadership likely wouldn’t dare prosecute him. But at the very least, the Prince should have reported to the King.

“Who told you this?”

“The commander of the Second Knight Division—the general—sent me a personal dispatch.”

Because this could turn into a royal scandal, he had omitted it from any official correspondence. If it became public, it would be prime fodder for the anti-royalist factions.

But there were too many eyes in the military camp for the matter to be completely hidden. So the commander had sent the report along with a request for guidance.

“So he’s not as slow-witted as I thought. Tell him I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

“Yes, but was that necessary to say…”

“The Prince left under my confidential orders, and that’s how we’ll frame it. Spread the word accordingly.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Alright. You may go.”

The knight commander gave another crisp, formal salute—but this time, Roderick did not acknowledge it. His mind was too tangled with thoughts to respond.

Arms crossed, the King sat in silence for quite some time, weighed down by inner turmoil.

Why had the Prince done such a thing?

No matter how long he pondered it, he couldn’t find an answer.

From a distance, the chamberlain stood watching, quietly gauging the King’s mood. He had waited patiently for His Majesty’s deliberation to end, but as evening deepened, he could delay no longer and finally spoke up.

“Your Majesty, the Queen has been waiting outside your chambers for some time now.”

“…Has she?”

Startled, Roderick turned to glance out the window and clicked his tongue. Night had already fallen, cloaking the sky in darkness.

“I’ll go now.”

Without further delay, the King rose from his seat.

 

There was a bit of commotion in front of the King’s chamber. Lee-Jae was questioning the royal guards with an air of protest.

Her expression was all scrunched up in frustration, but perhaps because she looked so adorable, to the soldiers, it honestly just sounded like she was pouting.

“Why won’t you let me in?”

“His Majesty ordered that no one be allowed inside.”

“Not even me?”

Truthfully, the King hadn’t said no one—he had specifically told them not to let the Queen in… But how were they supposed to say that to her?

Still, from their silence, Lee-Jae seemed to catch on. She tilted her head.

“That’s weird. We were supposed to sleep here together tonight.”

As she frowned, her face full of confused question marks, the soldiers felt as if they might sigh. Sometimes, something was just so cute it made you want to sigh.

Indeed, the people of Duncan really were blessed with striking appearances. How could someone still be cute even while frowning?

As Queen, Lee-Jae was of the noblest lineage. And throughout history, there had always been knights and attendants who harbored affection for such women.

This Queen was no exception.

Not long ago, there had been a knight—whom everyone except Lee-Jae knew had tried to swear his loyalty to her after she complimented his sharp nose and asked if he was seeing anyone.

Jade had offered no reply when that knight later declared his intention to leave the order. He simply sighed and struck the man hard enough to knock him out.

It was only possible because Jade, like the King, had been born with a formidable presence and an even stronger build.

King Roderick arrived just as the guards were beginning to lose themselves in the Queen’s charm. They quickly averted their gazes, flustered, while Lee-Jae beamed brightly the moment she saw him.

“You’re here?”

“Yes. Did you wait long? I’m sorry I was late.”

Normally, she would’ve said “no,” but this time Lee-Jae nodded eagerly.

“Your Majesty, why wouldn’t you let me in? You always barge into my room when I’m not there. This is just unfair.”

Not long ago, the two of them had made several agreements:

The King wouldn’t interfere with what Lee-Jae was doing. But she had to do it in front of him. And she wasn’t to push herself too hard.

If she so much as got a nosebleed, all bets were off.

Yet Roderick still didn’t trust this clever little apricot-colored fox. He was certain she’d do something reckless the moment he turned his back. Frankly, they were lucky she hadn’t started throwing a nosebleed party.

“What if you collapsed when I wasn’t there? At least if it happens in front of me, I can catch you.”

“…”

“If that tiny little head of yours got cracked like your knees… wouldn’t I be the one to suffer most?”

The attendants and maids who overheard this frowned, but also tilted their heads slightly.

True, the Queen did have a bit of a track record. Still, she wasn’t exactly the frail type who would suddenly collapse.

Yet the Queen nodded at the King’s words, seemingly unbothered by the unfairness.

“I’ve completely lost your trust, haven’t I?”

“This is what happens to liars.”

Lee-Jae nodded with a calm expression.

“There’s a saying for this.”

“What is it?”

“You reap what you sow.”

“Wise words. Though probably not something you should be saying like it’s a badge of honor.”

Roderick gestured to the guards, and the firmly shut door to his chamber opened.

He draped an arm over Lee-Jae’s shoulders and led her inside.

As usual, the first thing Lee-Jae did was scan the walls. Then she checked the state of the Yeomra statue, and only afterward did she slowly look around the room.

There were only two low-level spirits inside. But those kinds of things could be found anywhere, and the King’s room seemed like an ordinary space at the moment.

Lee-Jae found it strange. Surely, by now, they should know the Ling was safe. So why hadn’t they sent another strike?

Seated on the bed in a relaxed position, Roderick asked as he watched her look around.

“How is it?”

Lee-Jae answered with another question.

“What do you think?”

“Well. I don’t know for sure, but it feels like there’s nothing wrong.”

“…You can sense that too, Your Majesty?”

“Yeah.”

Lee-Jae nodded.

“You’re definitely not an ordinary person, Your Majesty.”

“That doesn’t exactly sound like a compliment.”

“It’s not meant to be one. I’m just stating a fact.”

Her calm response made Roderick chuckle softly.

Lee-Jae continued surveying the room for quite some time. She was figuring out where to place the talismans. In the past, there were limited places to hide them, but that wasn’t the case anymore.

She began designing the shape of the barrier.

Where would be the most secure placement? That wall should come first, obviously—since it held the strongest yin energy. Then the window, the door. There definitely needed to be some around the bed as well.

Once Lee-Jae started focusing, Roderick went silent. He didn’t even breathe loudly, afraid of disturbing her, simply watching quietly.

But contrary to his intention, his gaze was very distracting to Lee-Jae. Roderick was the kind of person you couldn’t easily ignore. It was lucky he liked to joke around—if he didn’t, most people wouldn’t even be able to meet his eyes.

In the end, she turned to face him.

“Why do you keep staring at me?”

“No reason.”

Roderick tilted his head slightly, unsure if it was okay to say more. But Lee-Jae was looking straight at him, so he spoke again.

“You’re wearing a pretty dress today. It suits you.”

“Really? Deborah picked it out for me.”

It was a rather random comment, but Lee-Jae looked down and glanced over her outfit.

The sky-blue dress, which revealed her shoulders and collarbones, looked pretty even in her own eyes.

“I didn’t know you cared about this kind of thing. Do you like it?”

“Yeah. Honestly, I like anything you wear. Though… are you wearing something even prettier underneath?”

The King had struck without warning, and she flinched at the unexpected ambush.

“Wow, you pervert. I really did well to marry you.”

Your Majesty, I admitted defeat last time—but I’m not going to lose again.

I’m actually a very aggressive little bean.

“Are you perhaps curious?”

She narrowed her round eyes mischievously and looked at him. And just as the married bean geared up to fight back for once, Roderick bit the inside of his cheek. Here she goes again.

But the married man wasn’t far behind either—he, too, was starting to get into it. After all, it had only been a few months since they’d met, and even less since they’d become physically intimate. He figured it was time to raise the stakes in their conversations.

“How old do you think I am to be curious about your underwear?”

Lee-Jae blinked her almond-shaped eyes wide again.

Oh? Really?

Then why do I feel weirdly disappointed? Is this the start of a rut already?

“Then what are you curious about?”

“I’ve always been more interested in what’s underneath everything.”

At that, Lee-Jae immediately brought her hands together politely.

“My apologies. I was being cheeky again. I’ve been forgetting my place a lot lately.”

She gave an extremely formal bow, and Roderick covered his mouth to stifle the laughter that finally escaped.