Previously
Kang Lee-jae performs a shamanic ritual using water and a talisman to empower Roderick, sacrificing her own spiritual tool to ensure he does not perish. Meanwhile, at the hunting grounds, Roderick expresses petty jealousy toward Lawrence while discussing the Queen's mysterious and perceptive nature with Jade.
Listen Well to Your Wife (Part 2)
Once Roderick departed for the hunt, Lee-jae found herself with far more freedom.
All the influential nobles who might have requested an audience with her had joined the hunting party.
She jotted down the things bothering her on a piece of paper.
1. Go to His Majesty’s bedroom.
2. Speak with the Boy Spirit again.
3. Exorcise the spirits and demons from the palace.
4. Read Hailey’s diary in its entirety.
5. Study the history of the Kingdom of Cayenne.
Every single item was daunting, but number four proved to be the most difficult for Lee-jae.
At this point, serious doubts began to creep into her mind.
Hailey’s diary was brief, so why was it so agonizing to read?
Furthermore, Hailey had written nothing at all for nearly a month before her death.
Perhaps she had resolved to die as early as then.
[March 11, 499
Lawrence said that instead of running away, we should dream of a different life together here.
He said he would become the Queen’s knight.
That at least this way, we could remain side by side.
I know his heart cannot truly be at peace with that.]
A pang shot through Lee-jae, and she snapped the diary shut.
Ever since meeting Lawrence, the sharp stinging in her chest had only worsened.
Before she realized it, Haim’s Spirit had drifted beside her, peering down at the diary with her.
Both of them rested their chins in their hands in the exact same pose, looking just like friends.
—Lee-jae.
—I wouldn't know.
She promptly scribbled down the next item:
6. Go to the river where Hailey cast herself in.
If Hailey had failed to pass on and turned into a vengeful spirit, Lee-jae intended to soothe her soul and guide her toward salvation.
In a daze, Lee-jae repeatedly opened and closed the ten volumes of the diary.
Her eyes fell upon one exposed entry:
[September 10, 497
Father is about to do something terrible.
I want to tell him he shouldn’t.
But he won't listen, and I don't want to be struck again.]
Just what had Duke Duncan done?
It was a memory she had not inherited.
Even so, flipping through the pages revealed countless traces of Hailey trying to understand her father.
At her core, she seemed to have been a gentle soul.
Lee-jae spoke to Haim’s Spirit once more.
—Both are wretched parents.
Then, a strange realization struck her.
Memories were incomplete.
Yet, except for moments of extraordinary impact, shouldn’t a person’s recent memories usually be clearer than those from long ago?
Lee-jae tried to recall them as if browsing through the pages of a book.
She realized that Hailey’s childhood memories were far more vivid than her recent ones.
In fact, almost nothing remained from the past year.
Why was that?
With a troubled expression, Lee-jae closed the diary.
Jade and the royal knights kept an eye on Roderick.
The King seemed to have no interest in the hunt.
In truth, he had been like this throughout the entire competition.
After felling a single deer, Roderick had looked lost in thought the whole time.
Riding at a leisurely pace, Roderick found a suitable spot and reined in his mount.
Knowing well that the King had not slept in days, the men dismounted without a word.
Someone brought over a blanket for him to sit on, but Roderick waved it away.
He seated himself on a fallen log and sank into contemplation.
His thoughts revolved entirely around the Queen, and a dry chuckle escaped him when he realized he had not managed to shake her from his mind once throughout the hunt.
From inside his jacket, he produced a peculiar item—a wooden bracelet whose crude craftsmanship seemed foreign to this era.
The men exchanged glances as they watched the King smile softly to himself.
Yet as he studied the carving, the King’s blue eyes sharpened.
Each bead of the bracelet was etched with markings resembling scribbles.
Roderick remembered watching Lee-jae engrave them with such intense focus.
This time, he shook out a handkerchief and unfolded it.
He ran a finger over the embroidery along the edge.
Holding the handkerchief and the bracelet side by side, Roderick inspected them closely.
Though not identical, the patterns bore an uncanny resemblance.
Roderick tilted his head back, his eyes narrowing.
A razor-sharp intuition grazed the edge of his mind.
Just then—
Roderick’s brow furrowed, and he tucked the handkerchief and bracelet aside.
The blade whistled past the knights. Jolted with tension, they snapped their heads toward where the dagger had flown.
Their faces drained of color at the sight of a writhing viper pinned to the earth.
The warhorse the venomous snake had nearly struck reared onto its hind legs, thrashing wildly.
Startled, its rider rushed forward to soothe the beast.
Roderick glared at the guarding knights, his expression thoroughly displeased.
Roderick sighed, slipping the bracelet and handkerchief back against his chest.
Lacking sleep, he had considered trying to catch a brief rest.
Yet even now, he could not banish thoughts of Lee-jae.
At this point, he was practically possessed by an apricot-furred fox spirit.
‘I could ask you to hunt just enough so your pride isn’t wounded, but I won’t. Your Majesty should follow your own will.’
‘So the only wish I can offer is for you to return safe and unhurt.’
Roderick muttered under his breath.
As the King muttered to himself once more, Jade and the knights grew solemn.
His Majesty seemed stranger than usual lately.
Even so, the madness that often flared during hunts remained dormant this time.
Aside from his difficulty sleeping, there had been no trouble.
Jade asked again, not immediately catching his drift.
Roderick stroked his chin for a moment.
Though he gave it another thought, he felt strangely disinclined, so he gave a brief nod.
That was the King’s responsibility.
It annoyed him to constantly hear the Duncan family pleading for reinstatement.
Originally, he had intended to handle it himself, but if he could not throw himself into it, he saw no point in trying.
Jade was the commander of the knights, the King’s right hand and personal guard.
It was enough for Jade to carry out the King’s will on his behalf.
As Jade grasped the situation and rose, Roderick added,
Jade looked utterly dumbfounded at the King's words, which dripped with thinly veiled contempt.
Jade was Cayenne’s finest knight.
Naturally, he amassed an impressive tally in no time, and they turned back toward the castle in time for the hunt’s conclusion.
Roderick’s own haul, by contrast, was pitiful. He had brought down only a single deer.
In fact, he had taken that deer solely to avoid returning empty-handed to his wife.
In the end, Roderick had adhered to everything Lee-jae had asked of him.
Because returning to his wife with nothing would have been a blow to his pride.
As they rode along at a relaxed pace—
Roderick suddenly trailed off, staring into the empty brush.
Following the King’s gaze, Jade nodded.
A squirrel whose tail was caught in someone’s snare was staring back at them.
Roderick dismounted and walked toward it.
The men exchanged bewildered glances, having no idea why the King was acting like this, but they dismounted and followed.
The squirrel clearly appeared to want help.
Yet the moment Roderick drew near, the creature—which had been sitting quietly—began to thrash in panic.
It tried to bolt, but its tail was firmly trapped, leaving it helpless.
When Roderick hesitated and took a step back, the squirrel’s eyes grew watery again.
This time, its gaze looked desperate for rescue.
Roderick sighed and stepped forward once more.
Instantly, the squirrel let out a frantic squeak and resumed its struggle.
Roderick rubbed his eyes and looked around.
In the end, he decided to maintain a safe distance.
He crouched a few paces away, resting his chin in his hand, and studied the squirrel.
Should I approach, or should I not?
Are you asking for help, or telling me to get lost?
Are you lonely, or are you fine on your own?…
An expression wary of people, yet desperately craving human touch.
Tampering with a beast caught in someone else’s trap was considered an enormous breach of etiquette. But the King was someone who would brush such rules aside without a thought.
“No, I just want to show her. Bring it back alive.”
Jade wore an awkward expression.
Throughout the kingdom's history, plenty of royals had kept cats, but none had ever kept a squirrel.
He ventured carefully,
"…"
Shrugging as if he couldn't say for sure, Roderick turned back toward his horse.