FYH Chapter 93

The King’s study felt distinctly different from usual.

That was because the King had acted on an unusual whim.

Though he had initially intended to conduct the interrogation in the dungeon, he suddenly ordered the prisoners to be brought to his study instead.

Roderick hadn’t wanted to take his wife to a place like the underground prison.

It was certainly an inconvenient command for the staff, but in truth, it had been the right decision.

His wife was someone with a rare sensitivity to dark and heavy energies.

When Lee-Jae arrived at the King’s study, the King was already waiting in the hallway.

“Your Majesty.”

Roderick, who had been leaning against the wall with arms crossed, straightened up.

“You’re here?”

“Yes. But why are you out here?”

“…Do you really need to ask?”

Lee-Jae gave him a look that said What now? but the Head lady-in-waiting, Deborah, quietly smiled.

Having nearly reached the level of a spirit when it came to perception, Deborah could more or less guess the reason.

Inside the study, prisoners were already bound and waiting.

The King hadn’t wanted the Queen to walk into danger alone.

That was why he insisted on escorting her from the threshold himself.

But even someone as sharp as Deborah couldn’t fully understand one thing.

In fact, no one in the palace could.

Why did the Queen need to see the prisoners’ faces at all?

“I was just asking. Why are you being so curt again?”

“When was I?”

“Anyway, let’s go in.”

The King picked Lee-Jae’s hand up and motioned with his chin for the door to be opened.

As the door opened, the maids tried to follow in casually, but the royal guards immediately blocked them.

Only the 1st Order of Knights was allowed entry besides the King and Queen.

Deborah stood outside, watching the Queen with a worried look.

Lee-Jae gave her a faint, reassuring smile and nodded.

Inside, the study was filled with tense energy.

The knights from the western army had committed what was essentially treason.

Desertion in peacetime could be punished by imprisonment or fines—but setting fire inside a military camp was unquestionably a capital offense.

The prisoners were kneeling with their limbs bound. Nearly ten knights had their sharp swords pointed at them.

The King glanced toward them, then briskly walked in with Lee-Jae still in his arms.

Lee-Jae kept trying to peek around, but oddly, she couldn’t see clearly.

She furrowed her brow in frustration.

Your Majesty, I’m not the criminal here—why are you the one holding me down?

Finally too frustrated to stay silent, she lightly tapped the King’s chest.

“Your Majesty, please put me down.”

“No. Wait.”

The King pressed the back of her head gently.

“What are you doing? Let me go.”

“I said wait. Your husband isn’t ready yet. And stop poking your head out like that.”

Lee-Jae looked bewildered, but the knights watching understood the King’s intent.

He was half-shielding her from the prisoners as he walked, almost as if hiding the Queen from dangerous criminals.

But then—why bring her here in the first place, if he was going to treat her like something so small and fragile?

Eventually, the King did put Lee-Jae down.

But even then, his strange behavior continued.

He had placed her at the farthest point from the prisoners—where she could face them but was still out of reach.

He even stood half in front of her, shielding her.

“What was that just now?”

“Establishing a safe distance for our little bean.”

At this point, even the knights began to feel the King might be overdoing it.

They felt useless, as if their presence was being entirely disregarded—as if the King didn’t trust their abilities at all.

Lee-Jae, now finally standing on her own, shot the King a resentful glance.

But the King was already staring straight ahead, unaffected.

He had sensed something—something different from usual.

He had already felt it when he came in to check the room before Lee-Jae arrived.

Then the King asked:

“So, what do you think?”

Lee-Jae immediately narrowed her eyes, sharpening her gaze.

She carefully examined the prisoners’ shoulders and upper backs, then tried to step forward. She wanted to get a closer look and examine the study more thoroughly.

But Roderick pulled her back by the wrist.

“Don’t go that far. I asked what you think.”

“…What do you think, Your Majesty?”

Roderick answered without hesitation.

“Something’s off.”

“…You’re right. There’s definitely something wrong.”

At that, Roderick moved her fully behind his back, shielding her completely.

Then he gave the order to the knights:

“Take them away. Put them in the dungeon.”

“No, don’t!”

Lee-Jae grabbed the end of the King’s sleeve, shaking her head repeatedly.

Roderick tried to ignore her.

But when she tugged on his clothes again with persistence, he reluctantly tilted his head toward her.

Lee-Jae spoke in a low whisper, almost like a secret:

“They need to be eliminated. Are you really planning to just leave that as it is?”

Roderick’s brow furrowed.

“Why should you be the one to go that far? You’ve confirmed it, so that’s enough. Let it go.”

“…”

“Lee-Jae. Like you said, you’re not a saint. Are you planning to save the entire world?”

Lee-Jae froze for a moment—not because his words were cold, but because they echoed what others who had walked her path had once said to her.

But soon she shook her head again.

“That’s not why. Your Majesty, what if that evil thing latches onto someone else? What if—by sheer bad luck—it stays here?”

I’ve never said it because I didn’t want to offend you, but honestly… this study isn’t a good space.

If we’re talking energy alone, it’s worse than your private chambers.

I get that the Boy King was an extraordinary person, but if he had been born in Korea, he definitely would’ve fallen for a real estate scam.

“Why did you even bring those people into your study in the first place? It’s dangerous.”

When Lee-Jae asked in exasperation, Roderick looked at her quietly.

Then his blue eyes turned toward the ceiling, and he let out a long sigh.

He hadn’t expected her to understand—it wasn’t something he did to be appreciated. But hearing her question, he suddenly felt a bit resentful, as if his effort had been in vain.

I just didn’t want to bring you into such a grim place, that’s all.

“Please send the others out. I swear I can finish this quickly. Okay?”

Lee-Jae looked up at him pleadingly. When he didn’t answer, she turned to the knights, gesturing intently for them to step out.

But the knights hesitated, beginning to glance nervously at each other.

Though they couldn’t quite hear what the Royal couple was whispering about, it was clear they weren’t on the same page.

By protocol, they were supposed to follow the King’s orders, but the King remained silent for quite some time.

Eventually, after a long pause, he sighed and gave a small nod.

The knights, who had been waiting anxiously, filed out of the study.

Leaving just the two of them alone with the high criminals wasn’t ideal, but there was no cause for worry—as long as the King remained in his right mind.

Even when he wasn’t, the ones in danger were usually the people near him, not the King himself.

It was about an hour later when the King finally opened the door to the study again.

As they stepped outside, a strange smell lingered in the air—burning paper.

Deborah hurried over, her face full of alarm.

The Queen was still in the King’s arms, just as she had been when they entered.

But now, her body seemed limp in comparison, and her complexion had turned noticeably pale.

“Your Majesty the Queen, are you feeling unwell?”

At that, the others waiting nearby began to gather around one by one.

The Head lady-in-waiting cautiously studied Lee-Jae’s face and asked,

“Shall I summon a physician?”

“I’m fine.”

“She’s fine.”

Their replies came at the exact same moment, silencing everyone.

Roderick began walking toward the Queen’s chambers.

This time, the one following behind him was not a knight, but his closest friend and Commander of the royal guard.

“Your Majesty, what should we do with the prisoners?”

“Move them to the underground prison for now.”

“Shall we carry out immediate execution under martial law?”

Once again, the responses overlapped.

“Uh, do we really have to go that far…?”

“…”

“No need for that. Sentence them to confinement, then discharge them all from service.”

The expressions of those listening turned decidedly strange.

What is going on? Did the two of them coordinate their answers in there or something?

But the King and Queen seemed completely unaware of how strange they appeared to others. They didn’t seem to care in the slightest about everyone’s puzzled reactions.

Still, despite their matching responses, they were giving off very different vibes.

The Queen looked a bit tired but was smiling. The King, meanwhile, looked perfectly fine physically—but his expression was completely drained.

Did they have a fight in there?

Jade, who had the same suspicion, carefully asked in a roundabout way,

“Was there… some kind of ominous incident inside?”

Yet again, their replies were in sync.

“No? Nothing happened. Why?”

“…”

“…Haa. Fine. Let’s say nothing happened.”

That was the final confirmation the people needed.

They fought. Definitely. But… the Queen won again.

Still, that wasn’t enough to quiet everyone’s curiosity.

Because, for a fight, the King was looking at the Queen with far too much affection and regret.

“Shall we go to your room?”

“Yes. But I can walk, you know.”

“Don’t be cheeky.”

“I’m not being cheeky.”

“Yes, you are. Just wait till we get to the room. This negotiation is over.”

At that, Lee-Jae—who had been smiling the entire time—made a surprised face, clearly not understanding.

She glanced around and then lowered her voice.

“Why? I didn’t even get a nosebleed.”

“You threw up multiple times—no one said that was part of the deal…! Ugh, forget it.”

“Technically, that’s a perfectly natural response… Okay, I’ll drop it too.”

Jade, who was the only one close enough to hear the whole exchange, couldn’t help but think:

Why do you two say everything you need to say and stop? If you just add ‘Let’s drop it’ at the end, do all the words you say disappear?

After all the bickering, the King finally looked at her with a hint of pity and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Do you think you can eat?”

“Of course.”

Roderick nodded, then turned back.

He met the Head Maid’s eyes and gave instructions.

“We’ll dine in the Queen’s chambers.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“She seems a bit tired, so make sure it’s something easy to eat.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The King turned and headed toward the Queen’s quarters.

Those following behind exchanged puzzled glances.

They were all dying to know what had happened in the study—

but there was absolutely no way to find out.