Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 73

#73.

After a long pause, the Queen Consort resumed scheduling audiences, drawing nobles to her court.

Many nobles, especially the older and more experienced ones, were aware of something: the Queen Consort was an excellent listener.

However, she was cautious about offering advice. If she deemed a topic too sensitive, she would discreetly dismiss her aides, preventing any rumors from spreading.

Despite knowing it was somewhat selfish, people often sought her out simply to feel at ease.

As always, a long line of people waited for an audience. The only unusual element was the King himself, standing before the audience chamber, glaring at the assembled nobles with a sullen expression.

“Why are there so many people?”

The Commander of the Knights scratched his neck.

“This is the result of the coordinated schedule, Your Majesty.”

“This? This looks like a mess!”

The Chief Secretary, standing nearby, interjected, “The Head Maid [referring to Deborah] cut off too many private matters, leading to this backlog. She’s been receiving a lot of complaints lately.”

Deborah was the Chief Secretary’s rival, but she maintained a minimum level of professional ethics. The King, however, remained displeased.

“Isn’t this too much for the Queen Consort?”

“Well… actually, many are complaining that the allotted time is too short.”

“I can’t even meet with the Queen Consort, yet they’re so confident in getting an audience? Does everyone have some urgent matter to entrust to her?”

Jade [Commander of the Knights] felt a mix of complex emotions.

*Oh my god, that’s exactly what I was thinking.*

*I understand.*

*But if you were going to do this, couldn’t you have managed it a little better?* That was her internal reaction.

However, no one dared to interrupt the Queen Consort’s official schedule, which she had resumed after a considerable break. Even the King waited patiently.

Just then, a noble who had just finished his audience emerged from the chamber.

Roderick nudged the next person in line with his knee.

“What are you waiting for? Go in quickly and don’t waste time.”

As the noble hurried forward, Roderick suddenly grabbed the back of his neck.

“No, wait. The Queen Consort needs to rest. Go in a little later.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Here, have a glass of water.”

Roderick handed him a glass of water offered by a servant. The noble bowed deeply, offering an apology for no apparent reason.

At that moment, Deborah emerged with a distinctly haughty expression. The Chief Secretary was the only one who noticed the subtle air of superiority.

The Chief Secretary frowned, a rare occurrence, feeling somewhat annoyed. It was the King who had instructed her not to disturb the Queen Consort.

It was also the King who had said he would wait until she was finished. Yet, the castle staff possessed their own flexibility, and the Head Maid was not known for being stubborn. It seemed intentional that she had listened to the King’s words and left him waiting outside.

The Chief Secretary mused, *After working together for so long, don’t we share any camaraderie or loyalty? I’ve always spoken well of you. If only you used half as much of your personality as you do your face. That poisonous woman.*

However, Deborah carried herself with the unwavering conviction that she had done nothing wrong.

*I think Your Majesty is mistaken. The Queen Consort is heartbroken, and it’s all Your Majesty’s fault.*

The palace staff and the Queen Consort’s personal attendants were constantly at odds, and Deborah harbored a burning desire for revenge against the Chief Secretary. It was revenge for stealing the opportunity to be the one to suggest the statue.

“The Queen Consort is asking why no one is entering. She wishes to conclude the audiences before sunset.”

Roderick released the back of the noble’s neck.

“Go in quickly. What are you waiting for?”

The King’s blunt command brooked no argument.

The audiences continued for another hour, proceeding at a faster pace than usual. Everyone felt the psychological pressure of the King’s presence outside.

Finally, when Lee Jae emerged after completing her schedule, the King, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened up.

Startled, Lee Jae shot a resentful look at Deborah, silently questioning why she hadn’t been informed that the King was waiting.

*Deborah, are we really a good team? I trusted you, but how could you do this to me? I’m not ready to face him yet.*

However, most people understood the situation better than the newly married couple. They knew the two had feelings for each other, and there was no point in prolonging the marital discord.

The Head Maid avoided eye contact, while Roderick, looking at Lee Jae, scratched the end of his eyebrow, appearing slightly embarrassed.

“How have you been?” he asked.

Lee Jae hesitated, feeling awkward.

Roderick waited for an answer, but when she remained silent, he asked more cautiously, “Don’t you want to talk to me?”

“……”

“Have you grown to hate me a lot?”

Lee Jae lowered her eyes and shook her head.

When she still didn’t speak, Roderick began to feel anxious. He grabbed her wrist and shook it gently a couple of times.

The only thing he could do, and felt he had to do, was offer an honest apology.

“Hailey, I said things I didn’t mean. Forgive me. I was wrong.”

“…It’s not that. Really,” she said in a barely audible voice.

But Roderick felt his heart melt at the sound of her voice after so many days. He longed to beg her to meet his gaze.

“I’ve never thought about throwing you away.”

“……”

“I was just asking you to hold my hand a little tighter… I was clumsy. My way of expressing it was wrong.”

Lee Jae felt overwhelmed by his words. It felt as if the heart she had so tightly guarded was collapsing in an instant.

Restless, she cautiously tried to pull her hand away from Roderick’s grip.

Roderick didn’t want to let go, but when Lee Jae started biting her lip again, he reluctantly released her.

After a moment of hesitation, Lee Jae turned her back on him and began to walk away.

Roderick, thoroughly embarrassed, scratched the end of his eyebrow again. He wondered how he could hear her voice again and followed her.

As Roderick continued to follow, Lee Jae’s pace quickened. Suddenly, she broke into a run, causing Roderick to panic and reach out to grab her wrist.

In reality, running was futile; he could easily catch her. But he hesitated, sensing her aversion to being touched, and quickly withdrew his hand.

Was that the problem? She fell to the ground with a thud as she ran.

People closed their eyes briefly, then opened them, shocked by the force of her fall, which seemed to have injured her knees.

The most embarrassed person was the King.

“Oh… what should I do? Why are you running?”

“……”

“Are you okay? Let me see.”

Roderick quickly knelt beside her, but his words faltered. Lee Jae, who had sprained her ankle, kept trying to get up and run away, limping even after falling several times. Away from him.

The meaning of her actions was clear: a distinct rejection.

Roderick felt a sharp pang of hurt, and his eyes darkened. He felt a moment of regret.

*Lawrence, I should have hit that bastard ten times, maybe even only eight. I was too lenient.* He realized the depth of the wound he had inflicted on someone he loved, causing her to run away from him.

Roderick, looking at Lee Jae with a heavy heart, addressed the Commander of the Knights.

“Jade.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Take the Queen Consort to her room for me.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Be sure to call a doctor. I think she sprained her ankle.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Jade, fully understanding the King’s feelings, responded with a careful tone.

Lee Jae protested, insisting she was fine, but unable to disobey a royal order, the Commander of the Knights repeatedly apologized before gently lifting her up.

Roderick, rejected and heartbroken, could only stare blankly at their retreating figures.

Lee Jae continued to avoid Roderick noticeably after that. Seeing him was awkward, and she felt a little scared, afraid of what she might hear again.

The old wounds and her exposed vulnerabilities felt shabby and unsightly, even to herself.

However, the Queen Consort could not avoid her official duties. The Royal Prince volunteered for the Western Army once again, and the King selected knights and soldiers.

On the day of the departure ceremony, people witnessed a rare sight. Lee Jae, arriving slightly later than the King, stopped a short distance away from him.

Roderick, who had been watching her, approached her cautiously.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“…Yes,” she replied.

“Is your ankle okay? The doctor said it was fine.”

“…Yes.”

The newly married couple, usually so close, appeared awkward and distant. Lee Jae lowered her gaze, while Roderick continued to watch her intently.

Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny, Lee Jae moved away from her seat. She spoke to the Royal Prince for a while, then to the Royal Prince’s friend, hoping to dispel the ominous feeling she had experienced last time.

But he only offered her an enigmatic smile. Embarrassed, Lee Jae began talking to the knights and soldiers for no particular reason.

This, in turn, made the knights and soldiers uncomfortable, as the King kept hovering around her, almost following her every move.

He was like a boy, anxious about how to approach a girl he liked. Finally, as the Royal Prince and the soldiers moved further away, she quickly tried to return to her residence.

However, her ankle had not fully healed, slowing her pace, and Roderick had no intention of letting this opportunity pass.

Roderick grabbed Lee Jae’s wrist. Lee Jae tried to pull her hand away, but when her strength proved insufficient, she lowered her head.

“Please let go.”

“Please… let go of my hand.”

“I don’t want to. You’re going to run away again.”

Roderick stepped in front of Lee Jae and bent down.

“Please look at me.”

“Huh? Just look at my face once. Let’s talk while looking at each other.”

Lee Jae glanced at him briefly, then lowered her gaze again.

“Will you forgive me if I kneel down and beg?”

Lee Jae, surprised, shook her head repeatedly.

“Don’t do that. I really hate that.”

“Then how will you accept my apology?”

“…Your Majesty doesn’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Yes, I said things I didn’t mean. I cut it all at once, but I was just jealous. I’m really sorry.”

Roderick continued to express his apology through words and expressions, but it didn’t seem to be received as intended.

Lee Jae hesitated and opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty.”

“Huh?”

“I’m really okay. You can do whatever you want. Do it if it’s necessary… If the time comes when I have to leave the castle, just let me know.”

Roderick felt his heart sink at those words.

“Leave to where!”

“……”

“Ah, no. Please.”

“……”

“Hailey, don’t push me away.”

But Lee Jae closed her mouth, looking dejected.

Roderick felt like he was going crazy with anxiety. It seemed as if his wife had already resolved her feelings and was preparing to leave the castle.

*Should I have forcibly broken down the door and apologized right away?*

Roderick grabbed Lee Jae’s cheeks and forced her to lift her head. Lee Jae’s pupils darted around, but he stubbornly tried to make eye contact.

“Don’t do this. What should I do? Huh?”

“……”

“I’m sorry. Please accept my apology.”

“I told you, you don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Yes, I misspoke that day. It was a bad thing. I was wrong.”

The King was prepared to apologize as many times as it took for Lee Jae to accept.

Eventually, Lee Jae reluctantly nodded a couple of times. But despite this, Roderick’s anxiety did not subside. He knew his wife was good at joking but didn’t make empty promises, and he sensed that she was genuinely considering leaving the castle.

Anxious about how to ease her heart and make her look at him again, he asked Lee Jae kindly, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Then let’s eat together. Let’s go eat a lot of what you like.”

Before Lee Jae could answer, he grabbed her hand and pulled her along. Sensing that she was still uncomfortable walking, Roderick slipped his hands under her armpits and lifted her into his arms.

The fox [referring to Lee Jae], being carried while dangling, lowered her head, perhaps feeling ashamed.

Roderick kissed her on the cheek, finding her so precious and endearing. The voice whispering what she wanted to eat the most was endlessly sweet.