Previously
Kang Lee-jae falls ill after exhausting her spiritual energy to restore the castle's protective barriers. Duke Duncan uses her illness as an excuse to demand his own servants be placed in the palace, a move King Roderick reluctantly allows to be decided by the Queen herself.
Who Are You? (Part 4)
Roderick, who had just awakened, was even more blunt than usual.
"…"
She wanted to tell him to go sleep in his own room, but Lee-jae knew the state of his bedchambers all too well.
For Roderick, suffering a nightmare was the best-case scenario.
More likely than not, he wouldn’t be able to sleep at all.
Whatever he read from the Queen’s expression, he uncharacteristically repeated his request several times.
Roderick’s words sounded like a ridiculous promise, akin to ‘just trust me.’
Had anyone else said it, she would have laughed, but she couldn’t utter a word knowing that it was the honest truth.
After studying the King’s face and mood for a moment, she shifted slightly to the side to make room for him.
Roderick lay down at once in the space she made, as if he had been waiting for it. The bed creaked under the sturdy man’s weight as he settled in.
Roderick closed his eyes the moment he lay down, but Lee-jae remained wide awake, staring at the ceiling.
Nearly a month had passed since their marriage, yet this was only the second time they shared the same bed.
It was impossible not to feel his presence.
Unable to sleep and overcome by a strange restlessness, Lee-jae glanced at him from the side, then turned onto her side.
She slowly pushed the pillow she had been using toward him.
Without opening his eyes, Roderick chuckled, then lightly frowned.
Only then did he lift his head slightly to rest on the pillow.
Even after finishing her small task, Lee-jae still couldn’t sleep. She continued watching Roderick before finally asking,
Genuinely bewildered this time, Roderick covered his eyes and laughed aloud.
No matter how she thought about it, she felt as though he was teasing her.
She had merely felt a little curious and thought she would indulge in a moment of cheekiness.
Lee-jae pulled the covers over herself and tried to sleep.
To tell the truth, she wasn’t feeling entirely well either.
Just as she was drifting off, Roderick spoke. “Back then, I’m sorry. I didn’t tear it on purpose. You probably won’t believe me, but even so…”
"…"
It took a long while for Lee-jae to grasp the meaning behind his words.
Roderick was talking about what had happened on their wedding night.
The realization was so shocking that whatever drowsiness she had felt vanished instantly.
"…"
"…"
No answer came for a long time, but eventually, sensing that she was still watching him, Roderick gave a slight nod.
He did not sound convinced.
Caught between sympathy for the King and an unease she couldn’t entirely shake, Lee-jae found herself glancing his way several times until she finally drifted off to sleep.
Nearly an hour had passed since then.
Lee-jae opened her eyes in frustration and shuddered.
Roderick, who had been lying nearby, had somehow rolled over and was now clinging to her. Since they were in a bed rather than on a couch, they were far closer than before.
They were facing each other, his arm wrapped around Lee-jae’s head and his other around her back.
Truly, whenever a man says ‘trust me,’ one ought to doubt it at least once.
After freezing in place for a time, Lee-jae decided to endure it for now.
She knew Roderick was doing this because his body craved it.
Roderick’s innate energy grew far more vibrant whenever he was near Lee-jae. Perhaps it was due to the charms, or perhaps because Lee-jae was someone who diligently purified her own energy.
Still, the situation remained awkward, so Lee-jae shut her eyes and began counting sheep in her head. She reasoned that if she fell back asleep, the strange thoughts would stop.
Even so, his hot breath kept washing over her face, and Roderick kept drawing her closer into his embrace.
‘Think good thoughts, pure thoughts.’
Lee-jae, this man is sick. He is your husband, but right now, he is merely a patient.
His mind and body are still in agonizing pain, so you should feel sorry for him.
Attempting to persuade herself with the mindset of a spiritual practitioner, Lee-jae was pushed to the brink of her composure when Roderick tangled his legs with hers.
Is this the time? Is this the moment? No, that hardly seemed the case.
The hand wrapped around her back then traced her spine, moving slowly downward.
A shiver ran down her spine; she shuddered and curled into herself.
Roderick’s hand stopped right above her buttocks.
The situation was growing perilous.
The talisman wasn’t there.
She had hidden the talisman in her sleeves.
It wasn’t that she was telling him to touch her, but if he went any further without permission, she had no intention of staying still.
Unable to remain motionless any longer, Lee-jae finally stirred.
Husband and wife they might be, but hadn't they known each other for only a short time?
Normally, people kept a reasonable distance from one another.
Lee-jae shoved Roderick’s chest with both hands and tried to pull her hips back.
That was the mistake…
Roderick seemed to draw back for a second, but instead rolled over from his side squarely toward Lee-jae.
Crushed under his broad, heavy frame, she nearly cried out in pain.
Pinned halfway beneath him, Lee-jae gave him a light pinch.
Yet Roderick, holding his soothing human sleep aid and living talisman in his arms, appeared thoroughly content.
Instead, a languid, pleased hum slipped from him. “Mmm.”
Was this how prey felt when hunted down by a beast?
Lee-jae had no choice but to ball her fists and swat Roderick’s back.
Roderick cracked his blue eyes open for a moment.
He seemed dazed with sleep. Soon enough, however, as he grasped the situation, a flicker of bewilderment crossed his face.
The Queen was pinned beneath him, her face flushed red.
What was more, her eyes brimmed with tears.
Seeing the flustered Queen, he hurriedly pushed himself up.
Lee-jae instinctively pulled the blanket up to her neck, but Roderick tossed aside the sheet she was covering herself with.
Lee-jae gasped in surprise, but having confirmed that her clothes were intact this time, Roderick gently drew the blanket back over her.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Roderick rubbed his face for a moment, then turned his gaze toward Lee-jae.
Regardless of his intentions, he looked somewhat sheepish.
Reaching out slowly, he caught her shoulder once and lightly stroked her peach-toned hair.
It took Lee-jae a moment to realize this was his way of apologizing.
"…"
"…"
Seeing her clutch the blanket so pitifully, Roderick immediately stood from the bed.
A married couple who had already lost their chance to grow closer on their wedding night were now thoroughly unsettled by a slightly intimate encounter, swamped with awkward feelings.
Yet Roderick could not leave at once as he had said.
His feet felt strangely heavy as he attempted to go.
He had no memory of being violent.
In truth, his body felt remarkably light right now.
Still, considering his usual mental state and the Queen looking at him as though she had run into a deviant, Roderick scratched the tail of his eyebrow. Then, he gently brushed Lee-jae’s forehead.
"…"
"…"
“Are you afraid of me now?”
She knew he hadn't done it on purpose, but she was still upset.
As he approached her with far more care and consideration than usual, Lee-jae felt an odd mix of embarrassment and shy fluster.
She fiddled with the blanket, unsure of what had just happened or why she felt this way.
Seeing Lee-jae’s mortified expression, Roderick stepped out of the room.