Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 25

#6. Listen to Your Wife

#25.

Lee Jae, waking at dawn, sat cross-legged. It was a meditation she had practiced daily in her previous life.

Nothing cleared her mind and spirit quite like it.

She had neglected it for a while, worried the castle staff would find it strange, but King Roderick hadn’t commented.

So, lately, she often found herself meditating.

How much time had passed?

Lee Jae, opening her eyes, spoke to herself.

It was a self-justification that surfaced whenever things didn’t go her way.

“Right. I can’t become a widow a month after getting married.”

She was already born an orphan and possessed the Eye of the Spirit [a mystical ability to see spirits].

Despite this, she couldn’t get the god on her side and lived a life where she didn’t fit in anywhere.

If she died young after marrying the first man she met, she’d be incredibly frustrated.

She believed in taking responsibility for her choices, so she wanted to uphold that principle.

Having made up her mind, Lee Jae placed clear water in a deep bowl.

Shamans have their own sacred objects besides amulets.

These are called *mugu* [shamanic tools or implements].

Some use fans, some use five-colored flags, and some use bells.

In her case, the rosary bracelet and the bow were Lee Jae’s *mugu*.

For a shaman to give away their *mugu* was practically giving away everything.

It was honestly a little sad that no one understood the significance of it.

It meant temporarily giving away a kidney, if not the heart. At least, it was an incomparably noble gesture compared to giving up both chicken legs.

Lee Jae, who had already given the bracelet to the king, took a deep breath in front of the clear water.

She burned two amulets on the water.

Then, she placed her index and middle fingers on her solar plexus and chanted a mantra.

Since she couldn’t see any vengeful spirits, the mantra was gentler and broader than before.

It was simply a mantra to give strength to the king.

“Gan gi in mul, bul se ji jae.”

“Sometimes, a person with great energy is born into the world.”

“Wherever he is, whatever he does, you will not dare to harm a human being born with great fortune.”

She was a little out of breath, but strangely, it was bearable.

*Grandma, was the harsh environment the foundation for improving my skills?*

After all, life is not a theory but a practice.

Lee Jae poured the ashes out the window and coughed a couple of times.

Then, she collapsed on the bed.

That day, Roderick had a slightly sullen look on his face.

He plucked the bowstring and said.

“Should I just shoot him?”

Jade, confirming the direction of the king’s gaze, flinched.

The king was looking at Laurence’s back, who happened to be in front of them.

Was this sudden madness coming without warning?

There hadn’t been a pattern like this until now.

“Your Majesty…”

“Oh. Calm down. I was just kidding.”

The king had too many past incidents, so people were often startled by his jokes.

Jade, watching his expression, carefully added.

“Still, it was just a pure relationship. Duke Duncan was vehemently opposed and watchful.”

Roderick, noticing the mention of their physical relationship, raised an eyebrow.

“Why are you digging up such old news? It was before the marriage, and the queen has a private life.”

“…I am very much thinking the same thing right now.”

*It was before the marriage, and it’s her private life, so why has Your Majesty been so annoyed since earlier?*

Moreover, the king himself had told Hailey four days before the royal wedding that he didn’t care what man she had in her heart.

“It’s only natural that the Duke opposed it. He must have been thinking of promoting her to queen since his daughter was born into the family.”

*So, am I supposed to be grateful for that now?*

Roderick, frowning deeply, suddenly thought of something and asked.

“Jade. You said Laurence dumped Hailey, right? That’s how I understood it.”

“Yes. After the story of the royal wedding surfaced, it became a big burden, so he said he wanted to break up.”

“Does Laurence dare to dump Hailey?”

“Pardon?”

Jade was so taken aback that he repeated the question.

But the king seemed serious.

“He has nothing but becoming a knight at an early age. Neither personality, nor face… Well, objectively, the queen’s family is much better.”

“…Laurence is one of the best swordsmen in Cayenne. When it comes to the finesse of the sword, he is much better than Your Majesty and me. He is even more promising in the future. Your Majesty has agreed before, haven’t you? You’re… a little irrational right now.”

This was something he could say because he was a friend. Jade continued.

“…But we can’t keep having secret meetings. I think he sorted things out well at the right time.”

Of course, Roderick knew it too.

But he still looked bothered.

“What I’m saying is that Hailey should have dumped him, why did Laurence dump her? Besides, the queen that day… didn’t look like she had sorted things out at all.”

In the end, what bothered Roderick was that part.

The queen was generally a calm person. She sometimes kept her mouth shut, but she had never shown herself crying.

Such a person couldn’t control her emotions and trembled.

Eventually, tears streamed down her face, so he was worried throughout the hunt.

*Am I causing her trouble now?*

But when she shed tears and apologized… he wanted to hug her and kiss her. In fact, he was doing that at some point.

Meanwhile, Jade, watching Roderick falling deeper and deeper every day, said.

“It seems that you have become very close to the Queen. …Do you like her that much?”

“I don’t know.”

Roderick gave an ambiguous answer that was neither affirmative nor negative.

But he was staring intently at the handkerchief tied to the reins.

That sounded like more than an affirmation to Jade.

*The more I know her, the weirder she is.*

“It’s like she’s giving her heart a little, but then it’s like she’s not at all.”

“…………”

“She’s definitely hiding something. I guarantee that. But then… she’s strangely honest. I don’t know what she’s thinking.”

As the king frowned, Jade glanced at him.

“Then you should try pushing her a little. That’s how you can test what each other is thinking. Why are you being like this when you know so much? In my opinion, Your Majesty is… being too obvious alone.”

In Jade’s opinion, being this curious about the other person’s feelings meant that it was already too late to stop it.

Because the queen didn’t seem to be this curious about the king’s feelings.

In fact, the number of times the queen had sought out the king compared to the number of times the king had sought out the queen could be counted on one hand. Was it twice when she asked for tea?

But they didn’t know that those were all the moments when Roderick needed the most help.

At Jade’s advice, Roderick scoffed.

“You guys don’t seem to know, but if you push the queen like that, she’ll be pushed all the way to the Cayenne border. She knows I’m suspicious of her.”

The more he thought about it, the weirder things were.

“Doesn’t it seem like she has no interest in family matters no matter how you look at it? Rather, it’s close to hating it.”

“It’s only natural that she has resentment. I know very well what kind of father the Duke was.”

“The queen came in without anyone to rely on in the royal family, is that possible? In the first place, you guys reported that she was obedient to the family.”

“…………”

“But she’s already screwed her father twice. Without any hesitation.”

Jade nodded in agreement with the king’s opinion.

“I am well aware that the report was somewhat incorrect. I have ordered a proper investigation.”

But Roderick said annoyedly.

“How can you realize that now? You guys should have as much sense as half of the queen’s. Do you know how quick-witted the queen is?”

“…………”

“Hailey knows right away whether I slept or not just by looking at my face. To what extent, she knows it’s a lie when I say I didn’t sleep.”

Of course, Kang Lee Jae was quite perceptive, but she didn’t know this because of that.

Today, misunderstandings were deepening like this.

And Jade, who was unfairly criticized because of that misunderstanding, looked at Roderick with a complicated face.

He couldn’t compare himself to the couple who occasionally shared a bed, a complete stranger.

If he had talked to the queen as much as the king and even shared a bed, he was confident that he could grasp it enough.

But Jade kept his mouth shut.

Because the king was still glaring at Laurence’s back unpleasantly and plucking the bowstring.

The king was one of the few opponents who could compete with Jade.

He would be in trouble if the king’s madness turned to him for no reason because of mentioning the bed.