Previously
King Roderick dismisses Duke Duncan's request to reinstate his son Albert, treating his father-in-law with cold hostility. Seeking comfort, Roderick visits Hailey (Lee-jae), who lightens his mood by teasing him about his age and behavior.
The Sleeping Pillow (Part 2)
Roderick lifted his upper body from the bed and gazed out the window with his blue eyes.
It was the dawn before sunrise.
Last night had still been strange.
Was it simply because he was unable to sleep on ordinary days?
Yet yesterday, he had managed to sleep exceptionally well.
Looking away from the window, he turned his gaze to the bedside table, raising an eyebrow at the figurine that seemed more comical than frightening.
Though he thought it absurd, he honestly found it rather amusing.
What an odd woman.
Roderick tapped the ugly figurine on its nose with his fingertip and stood up.
It wasn't a wonderful morning, but it wasn't a terrible one either.
Even so, as Roderick left the bed, the demons that had hovered about it all night trailed behind him.
The vengeful spirits watching him from beyond the window window crept in as well, chuckling among themselves.
‘March 10, 499. I will speak with Lawrence tomorrow.’
‘To abandon everything and leave Cayenne with me.’
‘Yet I know all too well that he will refuse.’
‘The reason I still wish to say something, knowing full well I will be turned away, is…’
‘Is it because I am a fool, just as everyone says?’
Lee-jae closed Hailey's diary without reading much further today.
Usually, she closed it whenever the shock grew too heavy, but today she simply could not conceal her unsettled heart.
If a person's feelings deepened with the passage of time, then Hailey had certainly loved her sweetheart dearly.
Lee-jae had felt little discomfort reading about Duke Duncan, but her chest ached sharply when she read the passage about Lawrence.
Even after Hailey's soul had departed, this heart lingered behind like the charred embers of a ruin.
As she was lost in thought, the Queen's maids began to stir with unusual bustle.
Lee-jae glanced toward them upon hearing unsettling words like madness and frenzy.
Noticing the Queen’s gaze, they started in surprise and hastily looked away.
She could have called them over to ask, but Lee-jae looked elsewhere instead.
As she turned her eyes, Haim's Spirit, perched on the shelf, chimed in as if waiting for this moment.
"…"
"…"
Haim's Spirit laughed, mimicking the King’s manner of speaking.
It sounded cheerful enough, but she had no desire to laugh, and merely sighed.
Lee-jae gestured to the head maid. “Deborah, where is His Majesty now?”
Having heard the answer, she gazed down at her prayer beads.
Was it because she was clumsy at making them? She hadn't used it much, yet it was already scorched here and there.
Lee-jae let out a quiet sigh and closed her eyes.
A countenance so laden with torment and sorrow hardly seemed to belong to the lovely Hailey.
Yet when she opened her eyes once more, the Queen's gaze was as clear as that of someone forged with iron resolve.
Lee-jae rose from her seat.
When his madness broke loose once more, it was fortunate that it happened in his office.
They might not be able to quell the rumors, but they could at least limit the number of eyes that saw him.
Those who had witnessed it several times already did not bar the Queen's entrance in the least. Still, Jade spoke in a troubled tone.
What Jade feared was not only her safety, but also her father, who would exploit Hailey without hesitation should she come to harm.
Lee-jae listened in silence, then stepped inside.
Everyone possesses a natural ability to heal.
There are strong people, and there are frail ones.
The reason Roderick always managed to pull through was that his spirit was inherently tenacious, but in the meantime, what was happening to this man's life?
In truth, everyone merely thought this man was mad, but being strong does not mean one has no need of help.
Lee-jae called out to Roderick.
It was his feral gaze that drove the surrounding people a step backward.
Vivid blue veins were already standing out sharply against his neck.
Yet, whether out of a sense of duty or fierce loyalty, the attendants clung desperately to him to keep the King's frenzy at bay.
Lee-jae, watching the dismal scene, spoke in a tranquil voice.
"…"
Lee-jae let out a faint laugh. It was because she could already feel the stifling air pressing down upon her.
Being in the office was not nearly as fortunate as the others believed.
The grounds for his madness here were far worse than in the King's bedchamber or the audience hall.
Though she knew it might seem somewhat odd, Lee-jae eventually slid the bracelet off her wrist and clutched it firmly in her palm.
She had not felt entirely confident in the state of the bracelet earlier.
She rolled the prayer beads several times beneath her thumb.
Before driving out the spirits, she recited an incantation of subjugation.
‘It is merely your heart that wavers; keep your purpose upright, and all will unfold as it should.’
Lee-jae stepped forward and met Roderick's eyes, even as the spirits swirled around him.
‘May prosperity come to those who obey the heavens, and let those who defy the heavenly law be destroyed.’
Soon, the onlookers noticed that the Queen was trembling.
At that sight, pity welled within them.
A man as formidable as the King was glaring straight into her face like that; no matter how many eyes were watching, she could not help but be terrified.
In truth, Lee-jae was breaking into a cold sweat and fighting back nausea.
Yet she pressed past the suffocating pressure and dark energy to approach him, taking the King by the wrist and leading him to the sofa without a moment's hesitation.
The onlookers grew visibly tense as the Queen sat beside the King, her knees drawn tightly together.
The Queen stared straight ahead.
Though her posture was impeccably upright, she was like a small animal leaving its vital spots wholly exposed before a wild beast.
Yet something extraordinary occurred once again.
The King seemed to be settling.
Why? What had the Queen done to make His Majesty calm down so quickly?
This was roughly the third time it had happened.
Peculiar thoughts gradually began to take root in their minds.
The petite Queen seemed almost to act as the King's subduer.
Sensing the darkness gradually recede, Lee-jae gave him time to recover his senses.
After a while, she felt him looking around.
Hearing Roderick's deep, steadying exhale, she turned her head.
His clear blue eyes were looking at her.
When the pale-faced Queen asked, Roderick gave a nod.
When Lee-jae smiled with a lukewarm, apologetic look, Roderick shook his head.
"…"
The two fell silent for a time—or rather, only Roderick was silent, while Lee-jae was mentally chanting incantations once more.
Presently, Roderick spoke as he brushed his hair back.
"…"
Lee-jae fell silent at his unexpected words.
She looked at him with an unreadable expression.
This was a small price to pay for the value of a talisman.
Your Majesty, do you have any idea how much such talismans actually fetch in the modern world?
Grandmother Yunsan was someone who made her living off a single talisman a year, so exorbitant was their price.
Those carved figures took an immense amount of time to craft, and were never bestowed upon just anyone.
Even as she thought this, Lee-jae offered a faint smile.
She felt she understood why he was troubled and speaking so gruffly, and she found his hidden consideration rather touching.
Yet on the other hand, a sense of worry gnawed at her.
Lee-jae had often seen shamans who took pity on people and ruined their own lives by attempting deeds far beyond their capacity.
The moment you begin to find joy in sacrificing your own energy, a shaman's life is essentially forfeit.
In that regard, Grandmother Yunsan had been a truly worldly shaman; capable as she was beyond anyone else, she harbored no mercy if she believed a matter would compromise her own standing.
She had been a cold, sharp old woman.
"…"
If her own life truly hung in the balance, she would step back anyway.
Yet in contrast to her rather cool words, Lee-jae gently clasped his wrist once more.
Roderick's quiet eyes fixed on her, and the onlookers observed the scene with increasingly bewildered expressions.
When Lee-jae glanced down at his palm and pressed firmly on a certain point again, Roderick's expression soured slightly.
Lee-jae's own expression darkened as well.
This man had a surprisingly good palm to read.
Though she felt a twinge of guilt, Lee-jae bit the inside of her cheek slightly and replied.
Having grown up seeing only those who sought to deceive him, Roderick was adept at spotting lies in others.
Yet the same held true for Lee-jae, who had brushed against the unseen truths of the world far more than anyone else.
There was a common saying that one could never fool a ghost.
Which meant she could not easily be fooled either.
And having contended against such cunning spirits, she could often perceive the unspoken thoughts people kept hidden.
In the end, the two of them were telling lies and playing tricks to some degree today as well.
When Roderick closed his mouth, Lee-jae, feeling somewhat relieved, gripped both of his shoulders.
She could feel his body fighting with everything it had to protect its master.
Though he allowed her to do as she pleased, the King still appeared utterly bewildered.
He shot another sharp, questioning look toward Jade.
Why on earth was the Queen behaving like this? Was he the only one who found Hailey peculiar?
Yet even if he were to voice the question aloud, none would dare agree outright.
And strangely enough, the bewildered King was the very same man sitting obediently still beneath her hands.