Previously
Lee-jae realizes Roderick is being tormented by a massive horde of spirits and uses a blood talisman made from her own clothing to temporarily drive them away, allowing him to sleep peacefully. The next morning, Roderick wakes up refreshed and questions Lee-jae about her torn nightgown, which she had used to make the talisman.
Fate Is a Meeting of Souls (Part 1)
Ever since she was very small, Kang Lee-jae had often seen celebrities who appeared on television.
She had seen prominent figures in politics and the economy—people difficult to glimpse even on the news—even more frequently.
That was thanks to Yunsan, who raised her after her parents abandoned her.
Yet what people rarely realized was that the hardest person to meet was neither a celebrity nor a titan of politics or business, but someone like Yunsan.
She was a shaman of such formidable spiritual power that simply booking an appointment with her bordered on impossible.
Even when someone managed to secure an audience against all odds, she would turn them away without taking a single penny if she felt she had nothing to say to them. She was a stern, sharp-tempered old woman.
They say that even a dog at a village school recites verses after three years; had her upbringing served as an early education?
Or was Lee-jae simply born that way from the start?
From the age of seven, Lee-jae began seeing strange things, and living alongside Yunsan only sharpened her perception.
She also knew all too well how people like her tended to end up.
Once the spiritual eye opens, a spirit will come. If a person does not accept that spirit, they fall ill—or, in the worst cases, die.
That condition was called spirit sickness.
Even though her spiritual eye had opened, Lee-jae had no desire to suffer from sickness, let alone die.
So she had had no choice but to accept her situation.
She had never understood why she could not receive a spirit, or why it was impossible.
Only twenty-five years after her birth did Lee-jae finally grasp the reason.
Her fate was to die before she ever received a spirit.
Yunsan had known it from the very beginning.
The tangled, suffocating feelings she felt as the bus flipped over remained vivid in her mind.
In the mirror stood Hailey Duncan, with peach-colored hair and cheeks full like ripe apples.
Her face still held youthful innocence, like that of a young girl.
Yet for Lee-jae, as was always the case, she saw things differently.
She crossed her arms and tilted her head.
Like Lee-jae, Hailey had enjoyed no luck with parents, dying at an early age.
After pulling a few ridiculous faces in an attempt to grow used to the unfamiliar reflection, Lee-jae slowly turned around.
Four days had passed since the wedding ceremony, yet there had not been a single chance to see the King again.
Lacking any official duties, she spent her days alone, aside from brief, routine audiences.
This was why people said a monk should never read fortunes for laypeople without taking a fee.
She had not expected any gratitude, yet a trace of resentment lingered.
Even if the outcome was entirely predictable, the feeling crept in simply because her days were so steeped in solitude.
Brushing those thoughts aside, Lee-jae finally resolved to carry out what she had planned for days.
The spirits she sensed had been bothering her from time to time.
And having already betrayed her presence by interacting with them, Lee-jae could no longer ignore their presence.
It was a clear sign that her quiet life in this world was drawing to a close.
“Thanks for the tip. But I’ve already died once. Isn’t dying a second time a bit much? At least show your face… Who was the one speaking just now?”
She was in a relatively safe position; there were only wandering spirits about.
Lee-jae clicked her tongue as she gathered the sheets of paper she had brought from the library.
Setting the paper alight with a flame from a silver candelabrum, she began striking against the walls here and there.
It was a rite to drive out negative energy and wandering ghosts.
Lacking the strength to banish all the spirits, and unwilling to meddle too deeply, she decided to show them out gently, just as she had done days before.
Lee-jae took longer than before to write out the talismans with meticulous care.
She placed the talismans behind the picture frame and beneath the bed until the protective boundary was complete.
Finally, she cast a concluding sweep of the room.
Her eyes caught a single spirit that had not departed, its face buried inside a box, trembling in fright.
Its head was hidden within the box, while its small rear remained completely exposed, having found nowhere else to hide.
The sight was terrifying yet comical all at once, convincing her that this spirit harbored no malice.
The spirit slowly turned toward Lee-jae.
As she focused her gaze, faint expressions began to emerge on the spirit’s face.
Its wide eyes glistened with tears.
Lee-jae let out a quiet chuckle despite herself.
Sensing clearly that the spirit held no ill intent, she spoke to it gently.
For the first time in this world, she spoke her own name aloud.
Had it been frightened by the warding rite? No matter how she looked at it, it was no evil spirit.
To be certain, Lee-jae extinguished the burning paper and blew away the smoke, quickly discovering the reason.
Ah… The box appeared to have cracked.
Even at a glance, the casket, resembling a jewelry box, was no ordinary object.
It looked at least a century old.
Could this be some sort of national treasure?
Why would an object like this be left in the chamber she was using?
The mysterious entity seemed bound to this antique piece—likely a kind of spirit that clings to venerable heirlooms.
It was meant to slumber inside the box, but with the fissure, it could no longer conceal itself or wield its power as it wished.
Things like this, when tampered with carelessly, could cause tremendous trouble.
That was why senior shamans always warned against taking possessions once used by others.
All respect to the wisdom of the elders.
Lee-jae spoke plainly, putting her own safety first.
Those round eyes watched her in silence.
It was a look that seemed all too aware of its own cuteness.
"…"
Even so, the round eyes continued to stare up at her.
A pair of tiny, oval lips pouted slightly in what looked like sorrow.
Lee-jae could guess that the box, which looked a century old, might actually be hundreds of years older.
To grant that small request was natural enough.
Carefully opening the box, Lee-jae placed a talisman inside.
Seeing how delighted the spirit was to feel safe at last, she could not help but smile.
It was the first bright smile she had worn since coming to this place.
Early in the morning, the King received the Commander of the First Legion.
When Jade offered a formal salute, Roderick nodded.
As the King’s friend, he understood Roderick’s temper and condition well.
Even though the King had married into the Duncan family—a house forever opposed to him—his mood had seemed surprisingly stable over the past few days.
Roderick frowned at the unexpected report.
Roderick spoke derisively, referring to Hailey’s earlier suicide attempt.
Watching the King with concern, Jade hesitated.
Unfortunately, that was not the end of it.
When the King asked as if struggling to comprehend, worry surfaced on the commander’s face.
"…"
Roderick let out a dry, disbelieving chuckle.
"…"
The underlying arrangement was that the marriage would last until the Queen’s coronation.
Though Hailey had seemed calm enough about abiding by that agreement despite her prior attempt on her life, she was someone who needed to stay alive longer for the sake of the royal family, which had already suffered enough from vile rumors and the troublesome Duncan household.
At Roderick’s stern tone, Jade let out a quiet sigh.
The King had been trying to stall, but matters seemed likely to remain as they were.
When the King suddenly pressed a hand to his forehead, Jade stepped forward at once.
Knowing the King occasionally suffered through such moments, he asked in a low voice,
Roderick waved a hand dismissing him, but his thoughts drifted back to Hailey.
He recalled how startled she had been when she woke up so suddenly.
‘I felt hot while sleeping…’
Absurd nonsense.
Even so, Roderick chuckled softly.
He could not shake the feeling that he might have done something dangerous that night.
Though Hailey had denied it, he suspected it had happened because of him.
Yet his memory was far from clear.
At times, he would find himself clutching a sword without realizing it, and such lapses were occurring with growing frequency.
Thus, Roderick knew full well that he was mad.
He also knew his condition was worsening.
Yet he could not declare his madness to the world, and so he chose silence.