FYH Chapter 94

After a light meal, the two of them laid down in bed early.

Despite having said “Let’s talk in the room,” the King didn’t say much of anything.

That, more than anything, was what bothered Lee-Jae.

It felt like a sign that he was in low spirits.

“Your Majesty.”

“What.”

“Just felt like saying it.”

“Then sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy.”

The condition of the knights she saw today had been serious.

If they had been let loose, they would’ve either spouted nonsense or acted violently. There had been five vicious malevolent spirits attached to them.

So it was only natural that they were in a dire state.

The strange one was the King, who had once borne dozens of such spirits and still managed to remain rational.

Lee-Jae was quite satisfied with today’s exorcism.

She had confirmed her skills had advanced dramatically. A few dry heaves were honestly a very good outcome.

But after learning the true cause behind the knights’ condition, the King had remained unusually sensitive.

He’d stood by her side the whole time with his sword drawn, ready to protect her, but Lee-Jae found the chill from her husband far more frightening than any spirit.

“Your Majesty, are you upset?”

“It’s nothing. Just sleep.”

Lee-Jae hesitated, then gently poked his side.

Roderick gave a soft chuckle and placed his palm over her eyes.

“Don’t mess around, little bean. Time to sleep.”

She quickly pushed his hand away and replied,

“I’m not sick, you know. Should I prove I’m in perfect health?”

“How?”

“I want you.”

“…You’re going to drive me crazy.”

Still half-laughing in disbelief, Roderick withdrew the arm she had been using as a pillow and tucked a cushion under her head instead. Then he turned away, his back facing her.

Lee-Jae stared at his back in silence, oddly disappointed.

‘Is this what it feels like every time I turn my back on him?’

Such broad shoulders, though.

She poked his back again. And once more under his shoulder blade.

His back muscles twitched visibly.

“Stop poking me.”

“Why? Do you not like me anymore?”

“Haa. This girl really knows how to drive someone insane.”

Roderick sighed and reached behind him, grabbing her wrist.

Then, to keep her from doing anything cheeky again, he pulled her around to face him.

But Lee-Jae still had another hand.

She curled her fingers and lightly scratched his back.

“I want to.”

“If we start now, I won’t stop after just once.”

“…”

“You’re already tired. I don’t want to torment you all night. Don’t go making me out to be some shameless husband.”

“…I don’t mind, though. I’d like that too.”

Roderick gave a hollow laugh of disbelief.

‘That little fox always pounces when I’m feeling off balance.’

And he could bet everything he had that she knew exactly what she was doing—and that she was doing it to make him feel better.

He turned to face her again. Though she had brazenly provoked him, she flinched a little when she met his piercing blue gaze.

Roderick chuckled at the sight.

“You’re really asking for it tonight. I should just tie you up.”

He pulled her tightly into his arms and locked her in with both arms.

Lee-Jae bumped her nose into his chest and wrinkled it slightly.

Wriggling around, she finally lifted her head and looked up at his chin.

“This is what you meant by tying me up?”

“What, did you think I’d actually tie you up with rope?”

“…”

“So that’s what you think of me—some filthy bastard, huh?”

‘Not quite like that, Your Majesty. But if being “tied up” like this means more of this, I wouldn’t mind getting a nosebleed again… Nope. Not saying that out loud. Must stay dignified. Always think before speaking.’

 

Roderick loosened the arms with which he had tightly embraced Lee-Jae.

Then, resting his chin at an angle on his hand, he looked at her. Watching his wife, who somehow managed to be funny, cute, and heartbreaking all at once, he asked,

“So what—how many times a day were you planning to seduce me like this?”

For provoking her usually composed husband after so long, Lee-Jae once again found herself back at the negotiation table.

She glanced around, then recalled something from early in their marriage and asked,

“How many times a day? Not every few days like before?”

“I’ve learned that when I negotiate with you, I need to go big from the start. I always end up at a disadvantage anyway.”

They both burst into laughter.

Gently patting her back, he said,

“Anyway, let’s just sleep for now. Tomorrow, once I check how you’re doing, we can play.”

Lee-Jae nodded and closed her eyes. It had been a hectic day, but seeing each other’s smiling faces made her feel she’d sleep well.

Lee-Jae was fast asleep. She had told the King she was fine, but in truth, she had poured out a great deal of energy for the first time in a while.

But then, her eyes suddenly snapped open.

She thought she had just heard a chilling laugh. It wasn’t her imagination.

A sinister presence was approaching their room—fast.

Lee-Jae tried to rise quickly, but flinched.

The King was already awake, quietly sitting and gazing out the window.

“Your Majesty?”

Roderick turned his head and looked down at Lee-Jae in silence.

After a moment of thought, he asked,

“Is this… the kind of situation I think it is?”

The King tilted his head slightly, as if uncertain.

His tone lacked conviction—but perhaps that was why he didn’t seem particularly alarmed.

As if seeking confirmation, he asked her again,

“Is it?”

“…Yes.”

‘But how did you notice before I did?’

Lee-Jae felt a flicker of confusion—but quickly refocused.

She hurried over to the wooden box.

When she opened the lid, the spirit poked its head out.

— Lee-Jae, what is it this time?

“Get inside. Stay hidden, don’t come out.”

She frantically sifted through her stack of talismans, picking out the usable ones.

Then, suddenly, she paused, her hands stilling.

A suspicion had crossed her mind.

‘Why would someone send a death curse on this particular day, of all times, when things had been quiet?’

Lee-Jae gathered the last of her energy.

As expected—after exhausting so much during the day—her body wasn’t in a condition to properly fight malevolent spirits now.

This was clearly an attack sent by someone who understood the internal state of the palace well. No—perhaps someone who had sensed the spirits they’d summoned were now destroyed, and saw this as the perfect opportunity.

In the end, this wasn’t a battle against just a spirit. It was a battle against the person behind them.

Her thoughts branched and tangled, growing more complex.

But there was no more time to search for answers.

Biting her lip, Lee-Jae gathered her selected talismans and candlesticks, and turned back toward the window.

And in that moment, she was startled out of her skin.

The King was already standing there, slightly to one side of the window.

“Your Majesty! What are you doing over there?!”

“What.”

“Step away from there. Come toward the center!”

She grabbed the edge of his sleeve and tried to pull him back, but he didn’t move. He just stood there, eyes fixed out the window with a strange expression.

Lee-Jae was at a loss—bewildered and a little frustrated.

Of course, she knew.

The King had, at some point, developed an acute sensitivity to this kind of presence.

But no matter how long he stared out the window, all he could see was the beautiful night sky.

If he could only sense the energy—but not see the horrifying form behind it—was that why he could remain so calm?

But the number of vengeful spirits surging toward them was overwhelming—there was no time to hesitate.

Their energy was far more powerful than the ones Lee-Jae had destroyed earlier in the day.

Once more, she tried to pull the King back behind her.

“Your Majesty…?”

She grabbed his arm—but again, words failed her.

Her eyes wavered as her lips parted several times without sound.

It was because she could feel a surge of powerful energy coursing through his body—far stronger than usual.

And yet, even while harboring such a fierce aura, the King’s blue eyes remained calm and clear.

The sacred power was said to awaken in the royal bloodline during times of chaos.

That immense force had yet to find its ignition point, but it swirled tightly around the King like a storm held at bay.

The pitch-black evil spirits had come to a halt just outside the barrier Lee-Jae had created and before the King himself.

They didn’t dare breach the barrier outright—but they were clearly watching for an opening.

Roderick narrowed his brows and looked at Lee-Jae.

“Isn’t this okay?”

“…”

“Not yet? Honestly, I can’t tell.”

Lee-Jae hesitated, then shook her head.

“Not… yet.”

Just then—

A soft blue light began to spread from somewhere.

It gently flowed once around the room before heading out the window—

Like pure water spilling over the brim of a full bowl.

The King and Lee-Jae both turned to look at the same spot at the same time.

It was the statue that held both of their hearts—Earthly General/Lee-Jae.

Lee-Jae felt a sigh almost escape her lips.

‘The spirit really wasn’t lying. There was a sacred energy residing in that broken statue…’

The first to move was the King.

He quietly examined the statue, which had been glued back together with hide paste.

Tilting his head repeatedly as if still unsure, he let out a small chuckle.

Then he picked up the totem and placed it on the windowsill.

“Your Majesty—what are you doing?”

“Isn’t this it? I thought it might be.”

“…Are you seeing something? Is that why you’re acting like this?”

Lee-Jae asked, her heart sinking with worry, but Roderick shook his head.

“No.”

“I can’t see it. But I can feel it.” ‘Just like your heart. Ever since I met you. Ever since you saved me.’

Roderick quietly looked at Lee-Jae, and she nodded—over and over again.

The barrier had not been damaged in the slightest, and the room was now wrapped in a sacred energy. Beside her, someone stood shoulder to shoulder with her.

This fight—at some point—had stopped being a lonely battle for either of them.

To secure the outcome, Lee-Jae reached toward the barrier and sent her energy into it more steadily than ever before.

Murmuring under her breath, she began to chant the incantation.

 

‘The energy gathered is like a bowstring pulled taut—once the arrow is released, breaking it becomes nearly impossible.’

‘The trust between them is an unshakable truth. Those who rise on that trust neither retreat nor kneel.’

Finally, as Lee-Jae withdrew her energy from her fingertips, the darkness began to dissipate slowly.

Her hands trembled slightly as she lowered them, and the two stood in silence for a while, unable to say anything.

Then, they both looked down at the statue standing tall before them.

The King, after a long time, gently tapped the ugly statue’s nose with his finger.

Lee-Jae, when I think about what kind of feelings you must have had while carving this, it still hurts my heart.

Lee-Jae lowered her gaze, seeing the hide glue sticking in clumps to the surface of the statue.

The energy in this statue, carved with my humble skill, exists because you did not dismiss this heart as insignificant but instead cherished it.

The King, as if the statue were a living being, gently stroked it, his index finger tickling it lightly. His touch, playful yet tender, conveyed care.

He glanced up at Lee-Jae, who had her eyes downcast.

“Wife, this is really no ordinary statue. I had a suspicion for a while now,” he said.

Lee-Jae remained silent, so he asked, “What are you thinking right now?”

“I’m not thinking about anything,” she replied.

Roderick thought it was another lie, but he didn’t press her further.

This time, Lee-Jae glanced at him and asked, “What are you thinking about, Your Majesty?”

“I’m thinking that I’m sorry.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Didn’t I once say that I hoped there would come a day when your work would be recognized?” he replied.

Lee-Jae chuckled lightly.

“I’ve been thinking lately… the only person who needed to recognize it was me.”

“…Sometimes, you seem to hold onto the most unexpected things. I can tell when you’re joking, though.”

Lee-Jae playfully nudged his arm a couple of times, signaling him not to tease.

Then Roderick asked, “Are you feeling okay?”

She nodded and rested her chin on the windowsill. He pulled her waist gently from behind.

Lee-Jae gazed out at the scene where the darkness slowly faded away.

Although Roderick couldn’t see it, he had experienced it alongside her for a long time.

It was a night that left a lasting impression on both of them.