Previously
Roderick returns from the hunt injured and surrounded by malevolent spirits, prompting Lee-jae to remove her protective charms and rush to his side. She successfully uses her shamanistic powers to dispel the spirits and calm his madness, leading to a rare moment of vulnerability where Roderick asks her to stay.
Who Are You? (Part 3)
Though the King returned from the hunt wounded, it was the Queen who fell ill.
She had been forced to restore the spiritual protective ward using the very charms she had destroyed.
In the process, Lee-jae exerted far more effort than she had at first. As time passed, she realized the palace was a dangerous and unfamiliar place.
She was left sicker than when she had arrived.
Duke Duncan and the nobles seized upon the talk of her illness without missing a beat.
Roderick observed the aristocrats' expressions with an impassive face.
The royalist nobles were naturally displeased, yet a sizable portion of the court watched the clash with keen interest.
Delight was written plain across their faces.
At the King's rebuke, the Duke fell silent—though only for a moment.
A faint smile touched the King’s lips at those words.
Didn’t you slap her across the face and drag her by the hair?
Roderick had intended to let the words fly, but held his tongue.
Speaking out would directly affect the Queen's honor as well.
The King, who had been trading barbs with Duke Duncan lately, did not usually let such an opening slip by.
Yet for some reason, he had no heart for it today, and so Roderick remained silent.
A pack of wolves seasoned in such skirmishes would never let the opening go to waste.
Roderick glanced at the face of the speaking noble and shuddered with disgust.
Yet the King, appearing lost in thought for a brief second, nodded.
Urgent cries rang out from the nobles loyal to the King.
Duke Duncan's ambition and Hailey Duncan's gentle nature were well known.
She was naive, for better or worse, and entirely obedient to her father.
Her father, Duke Duncan, knew all too well that Hailey was never one to rebel; the only rebellion of her life had come right before the state wedding.
Catching Duke Duncan's triumphant smirk, Roderick was the first to rise as the nobles bowed to him, bringing the long audience to a natural close.
Jade, following the King with an expression that said he had plenty on his mind, could not help asking,
Roderick, who had been avoiding his official schedule while suffering from the throbbing in his head, halted at those words.
He warned Jade with calm eyes, “No matter how close we are… watch your tongue when there are eyes watching.”
Yet Roderick did not seem truly angered; he had merely cautioned him. As proof, he fired back sharply at his friend,
Jade, the commander of the knights, asked him again, but Roderick did not answer.
With every step, the palace staff grew increasingly tense, for his path led straight toward the Queen's chambers.
Duke Duncan had provoked the King today, and his feelings toward the Queen could hardly be favorable at such a time.
Meanwhile, Lee-jae, lying pale in bed, watched with relief as the door opened and Roderick stepped inside.
Roderick frowned briefly, but Lee-jae’s attention was fixed elsewhere.
Behind him, three spirits fled in utter terror.
Ah, this barrier really is excellent.
Grandmother Yunsan had truly been first-rate in the craft, which was why she had trained Lee-jae so rigorously in mending wards.
Swallowed up by emotion while remembering Grandmother Yunsan, Lee-jae belatedly realized she had been lying down before him the entire time.
As she scrambled to sit up, Roderick tapped her forehead with an index finger, then pulled up a chair to sit beside her.
He seemed mildly irritated.
“Are you taking revenge?”
Only then did Lee-jae realize what he was talking about.
Of course, he had rattled her—maybe more than a little—and she was already sick of dealing with him. But she had no intention of rolling over.
Lee-jae shook her head in embarrassment, and Roderick let out a sigh at the Queen's bewildered face.
It was a grave matter, yet Lee-jae laughed before she could stop herself.
When she laughed at a topic that was anything but funny, Roderick let out a dry, disbelieving laugh of his own.
Watching Lee-jae compose her expression, Roderick asked, “Should I bring them in?”
"…"
When the King made an offer he had no business making, Jade nearly blurted his name in protest. But Roderick was waiting solely for the Queen's answer.
Looking straight back at Roderick, Lee-jae wore an unreadable smile.
In truth, there was a reason for his action.
He wanted to gauge the Queen’s reaction.
Even so, Lee-jae thought for a brief second before shaking her head.
The moment one mistook themselves for holding the power of choice was the moment they stepped into perilous territory.
Roderick turned his head to look at Jade, an unspoken question lingering in his gaze.
Yet no one else seemed to notice the subtle peculiarity the King had caught.
Could this be another scheme by the Duke? What exactly was he trying to achieve?
Roderick looked at Lee-jae, deep suspicion coloring his gaze.
Sighing, he averted his eyes, unable to pin down the exact sensation nagging at him. Then, something odd caught his attention on the table.
It was an unfinished carving of a Great Heavenly General that Lee-jae had been making to ward off spirits.
The King’s eyebrow shot up at the sight of the wooden shaft topped with a blunt, rounded head.
Its silhouette bore an uncanny resemblance to a certain part of the human anatomy.
Realizing what had caught his eye, the servants flushed with awkward embarrassment.
Their minds had clearly strayed down an indecent path.
Though he tried to dismiss the thought, Roderick could not help asking just in case,
They were, after all, only married on paper, having never consummated their vows.
While such a state could not last forever given their roles as King and Queen, it was hardly uncommon in political arrangements.
Yet the Queen replied boldly,
"…"
"…"
Seeing Roderick’s crestfallen expression, Lee-jae murmured,
What on earth had he been imagining while looking at that gentle face before him?
Watching Roderick rub his face in frustration, Lee-jae added, “Just because it is wooden does not mean it is sturdy.”
Catching the expressions of those around him, the King felt a measure of relief knowing he wasn’t the only one plagued by such improper thoughts.
Lee-jae nodded readily.
The King remained seated there for a long time afterward.
He sank into deep thought, trying to trace the source of the strange sensation washing over him.
Yet when Roderick, sitting with his legs crossed and arms folded, began nodding off to sleep, everyone in the room stared in disbelief.
The King’s insomnia had not been a matter of a day or two; it had dragged on for far longer.
He had swallowed countless medicines reputed to cure sleeplessness and had even risked sending away the guards outside his bedchamber, yet none of it had helped.
And now, it seemed as if the Queen, his wife, carried sleeping herbs upon her very person. How else could they explain how often this had already happened?
Were the rumors about the Duncan family actually true?
Lee-jae’s expression was just as bewildered, silently questioning Jade: shouldn’t we wake him?
His posture was so precarious that it looked as if he might tumble over at any second.
Every royal attendant thought it was a blessing that he could sleep at all, but before anyone could stop her, Lee-jae cautiously spoke up.
Her voice barely carried, but when Lee-jae gently touched his knee, his eyes opened.
"…"
As Roderick blinked, the brilliant blue of his eyes flickered in and out of sight.
Anyone else would have marveled at his striking serenity, but Lee-jae formed her own distinct evaluation.
‘Ah, looking closely now, there is a gentle softness to his youthful features. He has a fine forehead, and… his nose and chin are quite handsome. His face will only grow more distinguished with age.’
Roderick arched an eyebrow at Lee-jae.
He could hardly believe he had fallen asleep, considering he had been deep in thought about a grave matter mere moments before.
And yet, he was only human.
A sweet, long-missed drowsiness pulled at him.
Knowing that if he failed to rest now, he would face another agonizing night of insomnia, he spoke to Lee-jae.
The King's attendants and the Queen's maids exchanged looks of utter disbelief before quietly slipping out of the room.