Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 122

#epilogue

#122.

The political affairs meeting that had started early in the morning finally ended long after noon.

It had been like this for the past few days.

The aftermath of war was bound to be complicated, and the royal palace was bustling as they sorted out merits and demerits.

The subjugation army had crushed the Daimon reconstruction forces, rendering them incapable of revival.

It was a battle close to complete annihilation. The commander-in-chief of the subjugation army and the deputy commander of the Western Army were slated to be appointed to key positions in the military soon.

The key figures involved in the incident were all sentenced to capital punishment.

That was the unavoidable national law.

However, Ilias and Schmidt were in such a severe state that they might have preferred capital punishment as a mercy.

The damaged bodies could no longer be considered alive.

That was the price the caster had to pay when a life-risking spell failed.

Only Duke Duncan escaped the harshest punishment.

The only charge recognized against him was his past contact with Ilias.

The Duke had to pass on the title to Albert Duncan and step down from politics as if he were being chased out.

Not only that, but the King also confiscated most of the Duncan family’s assets.

However, to the Knight Commander, who knew the Duke’s hidden crimes, it was a very lenient punishment.

After the meeting, the Knight Commander, who had been following the King, couldn’t resist asking.

“Isn’t the punishment for the Duke too light? I don’t think you need to worry about the Queen’s position anymore. The Queen also told me to punish him severely.”

“Then, do you think the Queen would tell me to forgive him?”

Jade looked like he couldn’t readily understand that point of view.

No one disputed that the Queen had a gentle disposition.

The King, who noticed Jade’s unspoken thoughts, shook his head.

He looked like he was thinking, ‘He still doesn’t know the Queen.’

Of course, she generally showed leniency within the scope she could forgive. In fact, it was closer to not paying attention, but she was by no means a naive person who would insist on forgiving even those who harbored treasonous intentions.

“The Queen said something to me, so I’m letting it go this far.”

A few days ago, Lee Jae, who had said she would give any testimony if necessary, trailed off and muttered.

‘Actually, well, even if Your Majesty doesn’t get your hands dirty, the Duke will……’

It was a vague statement, but Roderick could understand the meaning.

It was the language of a shaman [a person believed to be able to contact the spirit world].

Lee Jae was hinting that the Duke was going to have plenty of unlucky things happen to him, so he could just stay still.

It was her way of being considerate, telling him not to touch it and just blow his nose since he was already having a headache.

Roderick had the humble wish that people would be half as perceptive as his wife, even today.

Of course, it was a wish that could never be fulfilled unless people had the spiritual eye.

He asked the attendants.

“So, what is our Queen doing now?”

This time, the chief attendant stepped forward to answer.

“She’s just resting.”

“Not sleeping?”

“I’m not sure about that… Should I check the Queen’s palace?”

“No. I’ll go there.”

The King already seemed to be in a good mood just thinking about seeing the Queen.

The stiff expression he had during the meeting was replaced by a fresh smile.

Now, even ordinary people could feel it.

The King, who had shaken off all bad luck, was surrounded by only good energy.

When the King arrived at Lee Jae’s bedroom, she was in a light sleep.

The King stopped for a moment as he was about to approach the bed.

It was because a Ham’s spirit, about the size of a child’s forearm, was sitting and playing by her head.

The Boy King had left an excessive gift to his descendants, allowing them to open and close their spiritual eyes at will.

But as expected, the King had no intention of closing this vision even for a moment.

Even more so after seeing the Boy King’s handsome face, which did not even feel the passage of time.

It was a married man’s defensive psychology that he should know who his wife was meeting and what she was talking about.

As Roderick silently stared at the Ham’s spirit, the spirit looked around and crawled into its home.

He easily got rid of the intruder and sat on the edge of the bed.

Then, he freely expressed his affection to his sleeping wife.

“She sleeps so beautifully. My fox.”

He brushed Lee Jae’s bangs back and kissed her round, bulging forehead repeatedly. Then, he climbed completely onto the bed and held her in his arms.

About an hour passed.

Lee Jae, who had been breathing softly, had to open her eyes due to the ticklish sensation.

The King had no intention of disturbing her rest.

However, he also found it difficult to resist the urge to flirt.

Roderick, who was stroking here and there, kissed her wrinkled eyes and nose in turn.

“Are you awake?”

“Isn’t it because you woke me up? Why are you touching me while I’m sleeping?”

“……What can I do when you’re so pretty? I don’t think there’s any way to deal with this.”

It was when Lee Jae frowned at the cheeky reply.

Another intruder appeared because the King, who said he would be out soon, was taking a long time.

“Your Majesty, may I come in for a moment?”

“Yes.”

It was Jade, the second-in-command of the pro-Prince faction, who had entered the Queen’s bedroom.

“No, Your Majesty. How long are you going to stay in the room?”

“Aren’t you being too cruel to the patient? Even a king needs rest.”

“It’s the Queen who needs rest after suffering so much. How can you, a healthy person like Your Majesty, be called a patient?”

A person who was already strong now wielded the Holy Sword.

The King, who had no one to oppose him, seemed like he would be chewing on iron soon.

But he always pretended to be a gentle beast and a cute husband in front of his wife.

In fact, it was the King who was more skilled at acting like a fox than Lee Jae, who had not deeply questioned the nickname.

“Honey, fight for me. He’s bullying me.”

“Why are you like this? You’re not a child.”

“Isn’t it so that my wife will feel sorry for me?”

Wow, the affection is getting more and more intense.

Jade, who couldn’t stand to watch anymore, said as he left the room.

“There’s a military meeting in ten minutes. I just wanted to tell you that in case you forgot.”

“Then, shouldn’t you have just said that in the first place? No wonder your lover is always upset because you’re so clueless.”

Jade looked at the Queen, who had revealed this fact a long time ago.

She had a somewhat sad expression.

If you looked closely, it seemed like she was expecting advice.

Then, Roderick, who had been joking around, also raised his eyebrows.

It meant, ‘Why are you bothering the Queen when she’s tired?’

Lee Jae smiled and shook the King’s shoulder, and Jade politely bowed to her as if he had been very rude.

As Jade closed the door and left, the King kissed Lee Jae’s cheek and asked kindly.

“Honey, are you still not feeling well?”

“It’s not that, I’m just resting. When else would I rest comfortably like this? Am I being too cheeky?”

“No, you’re having a very excellent thought.”

He nodded, saying she was doing well.

And he hugged her very dearly and shook his body from side to side.

My wife, my bean, my apricot-colored fox.

Words filled with affection and memories flashed through his mind.

He called Lee Jae by the word that touched his heart the most among those countless titles.

“The benefactor of my life.”

Then, Lee Jae chuckled softly.

She paused for a moment, lost in thought.

Hearing the word ‘benefactor’ suddenly reminded her of something too.

“Your Majesty. You know.”

“Hmm?”

“This might sound strange, but…”

Roderick immediately retorted without listening to the end.

“No, it doesn’t sound strange at all.”

“………”

“But what were you going to say?”

The King asked in such a cute tone that Lee Jae had to chuckle once again.

The King liked it when his wife smiled.

He took his wife’s small hand and rubbed his head against it.

She stroked his black hair and continued.

“I sometimes see people’s futures.”

“Yeah.”

“But people like me can see other people’s destinies, but we can’t accurately predict what will happen to us.”

At one time, Lee Jae thought that she would die if she got involved with the King.

She thought that she was helping him, even though it was overwhelming.

But looking back, she realized that wasn’t the whole story.

She was destined to die early in both her past and present lives.

If so, the King had also twisted fate from the place of death and saved her.

“Roderick, it seems like you were the benefactor of my life.”

“That’s a very nice thing to say.”

“I’m sorry that I didn’t recognize that from the beginning and wanted to avoid you for a while. Will you forgive me?”

The King laughed as if he had heard a very interesting story.

He thought she was sorry for everything.

His wife’s heart was even more precious because she had held his hand even though she thought it would be difficult to get involved.

But he hid that inside for a moment and said playfully.

“Then be better to me in the future. Love your husband a lot.”

“I love you a lot now too.”

“I know. I’m just saying it. How can you be better to me than you already are?”

“Actually, that’s true.”

“That’s a relief. I would have been heartbroken if you said no.”

They both burst into laughter at the same time.

The clear laughter and affectionate whispers did not stop after that.

They saved each other from the pitch-black darkness.

So they were each other’s benefactors.

A person who gives strength to overcome the hardships that one inevitably experiences in life.

A precious relationship that is hard to come by even once in a lifetime.

Roderick and Lee Jae looked at each other with endlessly affectionate eyes.

As the Heart Leads〈End〉

As the Heart Leads Side Story