Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 98

Following Her Heart – #98

#98.

Roderick easily grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards him. Then, he turned her over onto her stomach again.

“Uh-uh, I don’t like this. I clearly said so, didn’t I?”

Lee Jae shook her head, but he paid no attention. He pressed down on her hip bone over her clothes.

“Does it hurt?”

“…It doesn’t hurt.”

Then, Roderick’s hand moved a little lower. This time, he pressed on her tailbone, watching her expression.

“What about here?”

“I’m really okay.”

And at that moment, the situation she had been wary of finally happened. When Roderick’s hand grabbed the hem of her dress, Lee Jae hurriedly stopped him.

“No, I said I’m fine. Why do you keep doing this? It’s embarrassing!”

She kept trying to get up, but Roderick firmly pressed down on her shoulder.

“Is it a big deal for a husband to check if his wife has bruises? It’s not like I haven’t seen your body before.”

“Even if we’re married, this situation doesn’t seem very appropriate.”

“Our situation hasn’t been appropriate since the moment you fell.”

Lee Jae hesitated, then lay back down on her stomach, and Roderick’s hands moved quickly, afraid she would change her mind. He lifted two layers of fabric at once and pulled down the smallest layer, then fell silent for a moment.

Lee Jae buried her face deep into the pillow. He was her husband, and as he said, they had seen everything and done everything together, but she couldn’t understand why this was so embarrassing.

However, the cool sensation below was strangely mortifying.

Roderick clicked his tongue slightly and said,

“What a pity. You do have a bruise.”

“Really?”

Startled, Lee Jae lifted her head and widened her eyes.

Roderick stared at her face and said,

“I was just kidding.”

“…So you’re just teasing me again, right?”

She buried her face in the pillow again and muttered.

“Tsk.”

The king, who managed to hear her muttering, burst into laughter.

“Tsk? I only brought medicine in case my wife had a bruise, but why does it sound like a curse when I hear it?”

“…I was just imitating you, Your Majesty.”

“You pick up bad habits so quickly.”

“That’s something you say to children.”

But Lee Jae actually felt like she had become a child. It wasn’t just that she was exposing her bottom, but she thought that such excessive worry was something only children received. In fact, it was a kind of worry she had never received even when she was a child.

Roderick reached towards the head of the bed. Opening the lid of the medicine container, he said,

“I was half-joking, but you actually do have a slight bruise.”

Lee Jae felt very awkward.

She pouted a little, looking sulky. Why didn’t he just say so from the beginning, instead of playing a mischievous prank that made her unnecessarily flare up?

‘But what is this all about? It’s not like he’s trying to comfort a child.’

Today, the king was a mix of kindness and mischief.

“It’s not severe, but let’s still apply some medicine.”

“I’ll just do it myself. Actually, I’m a little embarrassed right now.”

When she grabbed his wrist and stopped him again, Roderick tilted his head. He had an expression that said he couldn’t understand at all.

“I don’t understand why this is embarrassing. If you’re embarrassed in front of your husband, who are you going to ask to apply it? Your arms are too short.”

“Hmm. Deborah?”

She answered after seriously considering it for a while, but he sighed deeply.

“Ah, that makes me very sad. Shouldn’t you look to your husband before the head maid?”

“I guess I just don’t want to show you an ugly side of myself, Your Majesty.”

“Ugly? Who?”

“…………”

“Out of all the things I’ve heard today, that’s the most hurtful.”

Having nothing to say, Lee Jae eventually buried her head in the pillow.

Roderick chuckled and scooped up a handful of the green, viscous liquid. Then, he began to spread it widely on her soft skin.

Lee Jae rubbed her cheek against the pillow several times without realizing it. She couldn’t stand the sensation of his large hand gliding over her skin.

Roderick, watching her, kneaded her soft flesh and kissed her lower back several times.

Lee Jae, who had been shrinking her neck, could finally make a sound when his hand moved away.

“Pervert.”

“It’s true that I’m a pervert, but isn’t it more perverted to take it that way?”

“…You’re mean. You were just trying to tease me, right?”

“Well, let’s just say it’s because it felt good too.”

He was going to fan her with his hand until the medicine was absorbed and dried. But Lee Jae couldn’t wait until then.

As she felt the breeze from his hand on her skin,

She quickly lifted one layer and pulled down two layers at the same time. It was a faster hand movement than the king’s from before.

As Lee Jae pulled the blanket up to her chin as a finishing touch, Roderick leaned sideways next to her. Then, he stared at her with his chin propped up for a while.

‘What is he going to do this time?’ Just as Lee Jae was about to go on alert, he suddenly blurted out,

“Wife.”

“Yes?”

“Lee Jae.”

“What is it?”

“Bloody nose, scraped knees, bruised butt. What’s next? Can you tell me?”

“…My butt isn’t bruised.”

Lee Jae muttered defensively.

But what the king really wanted to say wasn’t that.

“But it’s all because of me.”

“…”

“Lee Jae. Am I someone who only hurts you?”

Startled, she repeatedly shook her head.

“That’s not true. Don’t say that.”

“Then what am I to you?”

Lee Jae looked at him without a word.

A person I wouldn’t regret getting hurt for. Still wanting to give him more, she glanced at Roderick and pulled the blanket up a little more, but he pulled it back down.

“So what exactly were you trying to do? You have to tell me this much before you go to sleep.”

“I just… thought I might find a clue.”

She answered hesitantly, but Roderick had actually guessed to some extent. It was because of what Lee Jae had said before shooting the arrow.

“Who is shooting the arrows?”

“Yes, I was trying to get advice. Sometimes they give answers. …But it didn’t work out well. I think I was a bit reckless because I was upset. I thought it would be okay since I was looking into something that had already passed.”

Lee Jae readily admitted that her composure and self-discipline were lacking. Roderick nodded.

“So, is that why you looked so bad throughout the meal? Were you that upset?”

“Yes, it’s just a little strange.”

As Lee Jae lowered her eyes again with a gloomy face, Roderick laughed as if sighing.

In fact, he was quite dumbfounded by this situation.

‘It’s not like she’s asking me to only go this far, and since I don’t even expect that much anymore, it’s a situation where I have to beg her not to only think of bearing it alone.’

“Then you should have said something. We can worry together. Surely I don’t have to ask you to include me? Don’t you think the roles have been reversed?”

“You idiot, this isn’t your responsibility, so I should be asking you for help.”

This isn’t something you should be bearing alone.

You felt it last time too, that we can do it together.

That night, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

“Are you going to keep making me anxious like this?”

Roderick urged her with a slightly anxious tone, and Lee Jae shook her head several times.

Hearing that silent answer, he became even more anxious and reached out his hand.

“Come here. I’ll hug you.”

“…”

“Come and check if your husband’s heart is still beating well while you sleep.”

Lee Jae wriggled closer, and Roderick quickly embraced her.

The line of people waiting for an audience was long again today.

The queen had a detached expression as always, but Deborah and the maids looked annoyed.

Deborah actually wanted to snap at the nobles.

‘If it’s this bad, go to the temple and pray. Why are you crying in front of the Queen? It’s bad luck.’

However, what really annoyed Deborah was something else. Duke Duncan had put his name on the audience list.

Both the king and Lee Jae had a hand in it.

‘If my father requests an audience, schedule it for him.’

‘If the queen wants it, do it. But help the queen well by her side.’

The moment the duke entered the audience chamber, Deborah’s expression turned bleak.

And the moment certain words came out of Lee Jae’s mouth, Deborah’s expression became even bleaker.

“Everyone, please leave for a moment.”

“Your Majesty.”

Deborah shook her head as if to say no, but Lee Jae smiled and whispered.

“It’s okay. His Majesty knows. You don’t have to worry because he won’t say anything.”

Lee Jae guessed that the king had been bothering the head maid with this issue.

The head maid was a competent perfectionist by anyone’s standards. So she could fully understand that this situation would be even more nerve-wracking.

So she simply told her the truth as it was.

But Deborah looked somehow sad.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes?”

“I apologize for saying this, but I’m not worried about that… I’m just worried about Your Majesty.”

Lee Jae paused for a moment at those words. When she looked around, the maids nearby all had similar expressions. Nodding or looking slightly sad.

Lee Jae didn’t know what to do, then carefully reached out her hand.

And she held the head maid’s hand, which was beautiful despite her age, and whispered,

“Yes, I know. Deborah, thank you. Thank you so much.”

Then the head maid gave a pitiful smile and bowed her head.

It was a strange thing. The head maid’s hand, which she had only barely touched the edge of once, felt much warmer than before.