FYH Chapter 89

“Lee-Jae.”

“Yes?”

“Well, uh… that is…”

“What is it?”

The king was unusually hesitant, and Lee-Jae looked at him curiously. After scratching his neck a few times, he finally spoke.

“…Did someone ever hit you?”

She blinked.

It wasn’t an accusatory question, nor one filled with pity. It was hesitant, cautious—spoken by someone who had no intention of forcing an answer, but who wanted to know all the same.

Lee-Jae opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. Then she slowly blinked, as though chasing away some memory behind her eyes.

“…Yes,” she finally said.

Just one word—but it made Roderick’s stomach sink. He felt like the breath had been knocked out of him. Still, he asked again, barely above a whisper.

“Was it… your father?”

She shook her head.

“No. My father died when I was young. I barely remember him.”

“Then…”

“The person who raised me afterward… wasn’t particularly kind.”

She said it flatly, with a small, practiced smile, as if the truth didn’t hurt anymore. But Roderick could feel the crack in her voice. His hand, still resting on her cheek, tensed slightly. Then he leaned forward and gently pressed his forehead to hers.

“…I see.”

“I’m not saying it so you’ll feel bad. It was a long time ago.”

But the king’s silence said everything. He hated it. He hated the thought that someone—anyone—had ever made her cower or cry. He wished he could reach back through time and protect her himself.

Lee-Jae, sensing the weight in his silence, nudged him lightly.

“Hey, it’s not your fault.”

“I know that. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to beat someone up.”

She laughed at that—soft and breathy. The kind of laugh that smoothened the edges off the night.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for asking.”

Roderick closed his eyes for a moment. Then he pulled her into a gentle embrace and whispered against her hair.

“You never have to be afraid again.”

“When we went to the river that time,”

“Yeah.”

“I remember thinking about it then. That those people… they’ll never know how much I suffered, and I don’t need them to.”

“…Lee-Jae.”

“I just want to be happy now. I want to live well with Your Majesty. That’s more important to me than revenge or forgiveness.”

Her voice was calm. Clear. As if the turbulence that had once filled her had been long settled—like a lake after a storm. But Roderick was not so easily pacified.

He gazed at her, overwhelmed by something heavy and nameless. Then he finally said,

“You’re too kind.”

“I told you I wasn’t.”

“I know you’re not a saint. But even just… choosing peace for yourself like that. It’s not easy.”

Lee-Jae smiled softly.

“I wasn’t trying to be noble. I just didn’t want to be miserable anymore.”

Roderick exhaled slowly, as if letting go of the anger that had boiled in him moments earlier. He reached out and gently wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

“Well, you don’t have to carry that alone anymore.”

“I’m not.”

“That’s right. You have me now.”

She tucked her face into his chest, and he felt the warmth of her breath through his shirt.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really okay now.”

“…I’ll still be angry on your behalf. Is that alright?”

“Mm. Just a little, maybe. I like you best when you’re calm.”

He chuckled softly at that.

“Too bad. I’m not letting it go that easily.”

“Actually, I started to really like Your Majesty that day,” she said. “When you told me to show compassion to myself too. Do you remember that?”

“…Yeah.”

“I must have liked hearing that more than I realized. It hit me in a way I didn’t expect. Sounds childish, doesn’t it?”

But after hearing those words, she found herself wanting to forgive. Not everyone—just one person. And somehow, it felt like maybe she could.

“Your Majesty, the person I want to forgive isn’t one of them. It’s someone else.”

There was only one person she could possibly want—or even try—to forgive.

“Who is it?”

“Me.”

“…”

“My stupid self who looked down on the present just because the past wasn’t kind.”

Roderick felt like all the tension drained from his body in an instant.

He was speechless for a moment. And watching him like that, Lee-Jae smiled faintly.

“Are you disappointed in me?”

“Why would I be?”

“Because I’m not as good a person as you thought.”

She said it teasingly, but Roderick didn’t laugh. He just sighed so deeply, it sounded like he might sink into the bed.

“Don’t do that. Don’t say things you don’t even believe just to mess with me. That’s a bad habit.”

Lee-Jae chuckled softly.

“Then should I show you just how childish I really am?”

“If you want to, go ahead.”

“Having you get angry on my behalf… it comforts me.”

Roderick finally let out a laugh—more of a helpless snort than anything.

Shaking his head, he said, “Your idea of what counts as ‘childish’ is really different from mine. No, see, this is childish.”

He reached out, grabbed the diary from the nightstand, and flung it toward the corner of the room.

“That thing’s banned now.”

“…What? Why?”

“From now on, only read happy things. If you must read, pick a history book instead.”

“Your Majesty always tells me not to do things.”

Lee-Jae looked bothered seeing someone’s diary tossed aside like that and made to get up. But Roderick gently pressed a finger to her forehead.

“Is it a big deal if you pick it up tomorrow? Should I bring it back to you?”

“…”

“Also, why’d you borrow that book if you can’t even read it?”

“….”

“Were you trying to send me some kind of silent signal to read it for you?”

He was referring to the history book she had borrowed—a book written in a script only royalty could read.

But what the king didn’t know was that she could read it. She had a very high-spec reading device—sharp-tongued, adorable, and incredibly advanced.

Still, tonight, she decided not to tell him. Not because she wanted to deceive him, but because… for some reason, he looked oddly hopeful.

Was he really? Wondering, she cautiously asked,

“If I asked you to read it, would you?”

Roderick nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

“Of course. I’ll read it until you’re out cold and snoring.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I noticed you brought it home a few days ago. I was waiting for you to ask.”

Lee-Jae laughed, her shoulders trembling slightly with the effort to hold it in.

She had unexpectedly gained another reader. This time, one that was handsome, strong, and fiercely protective.

Was it really okay to use a nation’s king like this?

She wasn’t sure. But if the king himself wanted it this way, surely it wasn’t too wrong—at least, that’s what she told herself to feel better about it.