Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 126

As the Heart Leads – Episode 126 (126/134)

#1-4

Having concluded their special day, the King and Ijae were relaxing in the guest room. Ijae sat on the bed, her chin resting on the windowsill, admiring the garden.

The change of scenery made it feel like they were on vacation.

It truly felt like a trip.

Ijae was smiling, but the King wore a distinctly sullen expression.

“Your Majesty, it’s good to have power. Everyone is so eager to offer us a place to sleep, no matter where we go.”

Her words sounded so innocent.

The King stared silently at the back of Ijae’s head before sighing.

“My wife is so easygoing.”

Ijae pretended not to hear and continued to gaze out the window.

The King asked, sounding displeased,

“Aren’t you going to ask what I’m talking about?”

“You looked so upset earlier; how could I not notice?”

“Why is it that my wife knows me so well, but others don’t?”

She simply smiled without answering, and the King’s dissatisfaction grew.

He chided her,

“Why do you have to answer them one by one like that? Don’t do that during receptions.”

“Your Majesty, just think of it as the cost of meals and lodging. Besides, when I look into someone’s future, it’s good for me to receive something in return. That way, there won’t be any repercussions for me later.”

“I think you’ve got the cause and effect mixed up. Did anyone here ask you to put us up for the night?”

“Roderick, don’t nitpick so much. You know I wouldn’t agree to anything too unreasonable.”

When Ijae called him by his name so gently, the King fell silent for a moment.

These days, Ijae’s way of addressing the King lacked consistency.

She generally called him ‘Your Majesty’ when others were around, but she would sometimes call him by his name when she felt like it. Conversely, she tried to use his name as much as possible in bed, but sometimes the word ‘Your Majesty’ would slip out due to habit.

What was clear was that his lips would subtly curve upward whenever his name was spoken.

The King admitted honestly, ‘If she said ‘Roderick’ just ten times like a parrot, I think I’d be in a good mood for about a week.’

He carefully detached Ijae from the windowsill.

He put his arm around her, stroking her hair.

Then, suddenly curious, he asked,

“But why do you need to receive something to avoid repercussions?”

“Well, only when I’m doing something difficult. You saw what happened to Ilias and Schmidt before, right? It’s to avoid any scary responsibilities, just in case. If something of value is exchanged, it’s a transaction. It means I had a legitimate reason to cross the line.”

He could understand the gist of what she was saying.

However, the King still had an unresolved question, and he scratched the end of his eyebrow.

If you followed that logic, the person Ijae had helped the most was the King.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think I’ve ever given you anything.”

A sculpture, a wooden bracelet from the hunting competition, an amulet, a prayer.

He had received them all without knowing anything, and when he found out what they were, he didn’t know there was such an unspoken rule.

And Ijae burst into laughter at the King’s words.

There had been times when she thought she was performing exorcisms without receiving any payment. How short-sighted she had been.

No one had ever given her as precious a heart as the King, or recognized her as he did.

“I received the greatest thing from Roderick. Something no one else can give.”

“What is it?”

Ijae just smiled, saying there was something, but it was hard to explain in words.

Roderick was still curious, but his wife was smiling so beautifully again that he couldn’t press her further.

He simply enjoyed her smiling face and the energy emanating from it.

“Wife.”

“Yes.”

“Shall we do it?”

At that, Ijae, who had been smiling, quickly made a sulky face.

She said in a whisper,

“What are you saying in someone else’s house?”

“…Is it a bit much?”

“Yes. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Roderick wondered why the King and Queen had to worry about such things.

The maids of the Marquis would take care of the cleanup anyway.

Of course, Ijae was reluctant precisely because of that, and the King didn’t want to engage in affairs that his wife wouldn’t enjoy.

He offered a compromise.

“Alright. If my wife doesn’t want to, there’s nothing I can do. Let’s just kiss.”

Ijae giggled, shifting her body, and readily met his lips.

Roderick immediately slipped his tongue between her lips.

The kiss began with them lying sideways, embracing each other.

But since when? Ijae was now lying completely on her back on the bed, and Roderick was half-raised.

He was always conscious of not putting his weight on Ijae.

His wife’s frame was too small, and she sometimes said it felt heavy even when he just put his leg on her.

Nevertheless, when he came to his senses, he was always crushing some part of her small body.

As he kissed her passionately, exploring Ijae’s palate, Roderick realized that he was once again pressing down on one of her shoulders.

He put his hand behind Ijae’s back and flipped her over.

Then, he intertwined their legs, creating a gap.

Roderick continued to mingle his tongue with hers, embracing Ijae’s lower back with one hand. Even as he did so, his other hand was constantly caressing her body.

Before they knew it, the hem of her dress had risen above her hips, but all of this felt as natural as flowing water to the two of them now.

To block or stop it would feel more unnatural.

It was impossible to forbid lovers from sharing their love.

“Mmm…”

As the kiss deepened, a pleasant resonance flowed from her throat.

It felt as if her body was getting wet, like being in the rain.

Only their lips were together, but the damp rain was falling elsewhere.

And it was when a large hand finally reached in.

She belatedly came to her senses.

Ijae put her hands on Roderick’s shoulders and tried to lift herself up.

Feeling her struggling, he wrapped his arms around the back of her head, but when she started making sounds like, “Ugh, ugh!” he released her.

Ijae rolled off Roderick and onto the side of the bed.

Her small body, which had been cradling her husband, was heaving as she gasped for breath.

“I’m sorry, but let’s stop… I don’t think I can take it anymore.”

Roderick, who had been interrupted, stroked his wife’s hunched shoulders.

He knew he shouldn’t go any further.

There was a very clear signal for him.

But feeling regretful and anxious, he pretended not to know and spoke to her.

“Me? Why me?”

“…No, haa… Not Your Majesty, me.”

Roderick felt a rush of blood to his head.

What was he supposed to do when she said something like that?

After a moment of silence, he gently pressed down on one of Ijae’s shoulders, making her lie down.

Then, looking into her round eyes, he said,

“Why does our smart wife do this sometimes?”

“Don’t you really know? If you say it like that, it’s even harder for me to stop.”

Every day, he possessed her, gave her himself, yet he didn’t know why he always yearned for her.

He looked down at Ijae with conflicted eyes.

But soon, he roughly swept back his hair and pulled the blanket over Ijae.

It was quite a while before Ijae, who had been holding her breath under the soft blanket, came out.

When she slyly lowered the edge of the blanket and glanced to the side, Roderick was staring at her, his chin propped up.

It was as if he had been waiting for her to come out.

“Wife, I should have just gone to the official residence.”

“You haven’t changed your mind about that decision?”

“You’re driving me crazy.”

His words were filled with deep regret, but Ijae pulled the blanket completely below her chin.

The fierce energy in her blue eyes from earlier had disappeared.

What filled its place was a gentle smile.

Roderick asked her,

“Where shall we go tomorrow?”

Ijae couldn’t answer right away and widened her eyes.

‘Again?’ she thought.

After pondering for a moment, she asked about something she had been suspecting since dinner.

“Your Majesty, did you come out here to check on the nobles’ movements?”

“Huh?”

“Or are you gathering support before doing some work, or something like that?”

Roderick was momentarily speechless.

He thought she was quite perceptive.

His acceptance of this dinner did include that intention to some extent.

After the anti-royalist faction was dissolved, the landscape of Cayenne’s noble society was changing rapidly. At such times, it was not a bad choice for the royal family to win over as many nobles as possible.

However, that was only a secondary intention, and the real reason the King had come outside the castle was different.

“It’s not that I didn’t have that intention, but more than that… you like this kind of thing, don’t you?”

“What?”

“Traveling. You said you wanted to wander around.”

“Did I?”

“Yeah. You said it before. Or not?”

Ijae frowned slightly, pondering. Then she realized that it was something she had said to the King during a meal sometime.

“Ah. So that’s why you kept suggesting we go somewhere?”

Come to think of it, Ijae had mentioned going outside the castle quite often. She would go to the temple, go to the river, and when the time came, she would run away from the castle.

Of course, she had her own reasons each time.

“Were you very concerned about what I said?”

“I listen carefully to everything you say.”

Ijae chuckled and nodded.

In fact, it had been her long-held wish.

It was probably because no matter where she was, she felt like it wasn’t her place.

But not anymore.

With peace right next to her, there was no need to float around like dust.

She first expressed her gratitude to him for remembering the words she had casually blurted out.

“Thank you, Roderick. I had a lot of fun today.”

“I’m glad.”

“But. Let’s go home tomorrow.”

“Why, already? I have time.”

Roderick looked puzzled.

Did she not enjoy today after all? He seemed to be worried.

Looking at her husband like that, Ijae hummed and brought her face a little closer.

Then, she mouthed the words clearly.

‘I want to do it at home.’

Roderick, who read what her murmuring lips were saying, paused for a moment before gritting his teeth.

‘Damn it. I barely suppressed it, and she’s provoking me again.’

“Even if I lose my reason, I don’t think you have the right to blame me, honestly.”

Roderick sighed and covered his eyes with his forearm before lying down.

It was a posture that conveyed endless patience.

Ijae barely held back the laughter that was about to burst out.

She knew that she shouldn’t provoke him like this right now.

But she couldn’t help but want to tease her husband, who was funny and cute.

She grabbed his wrist and tried to force it away.

Of course, that was impossible.

Roderick could only wonder if she was really giving it her all.

“Let go.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Let go without wasting your energy. You’ll get hurt.”

“Then Roderick should let go.”

The King, who usually let go of her hand after such a struggle, didn’t budge for some reason.

‘What’s wrong? Is he in a bad mood? Did I go too far again?’ That’s when she was about to check his expression.

“Just give me a moment to savor the afterglow.”

“…”

“I was actually a little fluttered just now.”

Ijae held back her laughter once more, but Roderick was sincere and truly serious.

“You, you have to take responsibility for what you said tomorrow.”

But there was no answer. It was the same even after waiting for a long time.

Roderick then began to let out hollow laughter.

At this point, he was beyond dumbfounded; he was going crazy.

He jumped up from his spot and pushed Ijae onto the bed.

Then, he grabbed her wrists, which were trying to escape, and restrained them with one hand.

“Wife. Your husband also has his limits.”

“Ugh! I understand! Please don’t!”

She cried out urgently, but Roderick didn’t listen.

He shook his head with a stubborn face.

“No, I don’t think you understand. You’re really not going to get away with this today. This fox makes people expect so much and then doesn’t answer?”

He peppered Ijae’s face with kisses.

And with his other hand, he tickled her struggling body.

Late at night, the laughter of the King and Queen echoed through the Marquis’s residence.

The Marquis’s servants, who were passing through the hallway, widened their eyes, and the waiting knights awkwardly avoided their gaze.

However, the laughter did not subside easily, even as the night deepened and the moon brightened.

It was the end of a short trip.