Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 41

#41.

After finishing his schedule, Ijae lay on the bed, looking at Hailey’s diary. It was a passage she had read before.

“September 10, 497

Father is about to do something terrible.

I will tell him he shouldn’t.”

“Something terrible.”

Ijae was constantly bothered by that part.

It was vague, but she had seen the Duke wear a murderous look on his face before.

Before she knew it, the spirit of the Well appeared at Ijae’s side, resting her chin on her hands and swinging her legs.

“Hey, let me ask you something.”

-What?

“One of His Majesty’s betrothed women died from poisoning, right?”

– Yes.

“Do you happen to know who did it?”

-Ijae.

She nodded, urging her to speak quickly.

-I don’t know.

“…Then what do you even know?”

Ijae sighed deeply and closed the diary.

This time, she unfolded the bucket list she had written before.

“1. Go to His Majesty’s bedroom

2. Talk to the boy ghost again

3. Exorcise the vengeful spirits in the castle and help them ascend

4. Finish reading Hailey’s diary

5. Understand the history of the Cayenne Kingdom

6. Go to the river where Hailey threw herself”

It was a very conservative bucket list.

At the time of writing this, she didn’t want to do anything she wasn’t confident in.

Yet, the results were so insignificant that Ijae frowned.

“I haven’t done a single thing properly. What have I been doing for two months?”

-Ijae has been playing around and eating!

“It’s not like I wanted anyone to acknowledge me. But hearing that from you makes me feel very… unpleasant? And I did eat, but I didn’t play like you do.”

Ijae glared at the spirit of the Well and gathered the diary and scraps of paper.

Instead of the spirit of the Well, who didn’t know anything, she sought help from the head maid. In many cases, a seasoned human was better than a ghost.

“Deborah, you know…”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please speak.”

Even after calling Deborah into the room, Ijae hesitated for quite some time.

She wondered if she should have borrowed a book to look it up, but scandals were likely to remain as unofficial history. Just like the fact that Hailey Duncan threw herself into the river remained only as a rumor.

“When and how did His Majesty’s betrothed women die?”

At the unexpected question, Deborah flinched. It was an unusual and sensitive topic for the Queen.

However, as Ijae looked embarrassed but continued to wait for an answer, she opened her mouth.

“I believe the first was in the fall of the year before last. There was an accident where a bridge collapsed.”

“…The fall of the year before last.”

“The next was last summer. As Your Majesty knows well, since it happened recently, the cause was poisoning.”

Everyone in the castle knew that the King suspected Duke Duncan was behind it. But Deborah kept her words to herself.

It was a matter that the royal family had not properly investigated.

There was no need for the head maid herself to add her opinion.

Deborah tactfully changed the subject.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty, but why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“I’m just a little concerned.”

Deborah briefly suspected, *Could Her Majesty be jealous?* But no matter how she looked at it, she didn’t seem like that kind of person.

The Queen was quite affectionate towards the King.

But it was clear to anyone that the King had much stronger feelings than the Queen.

The King often teased the Queen and playfully made fun of her.

He kept coming to find her and constantly talked to her, even though he wasn’t usually a talkative person.

All of that was ultimately evidence that he liked her.

“It was just a formal engagement, and there was hardly any interaction.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, you don’t need to worry. His Majesty will be faithful to Your Majesty.”

It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing she wanted to hear, but Ijae scratched her cheek, feeling awkward.

At that moment, something happened that reinforced Deborah’s statement.

The King’s attendant came to find Ijae and conveyed the message.

“Your Majesty, His Majesty would like to have dinner with you.”

Ijae felt even more awkward because Deborah smiled knowingly.

As Ijae came in and sat down at the dinner table, Roderick felt better.

The air became fresher, and it was easier to breathe. From some point on, he just felt good whenever he saw the Queen.

However, Ijae took a sip of water and glanced at him.

Seeing her slightly biting her lip, Roderick asked, puzzled.

“Why?”

Ijae asked as if she had been waiting for it.

“Your Majesty, am I not allowed to go out?”

Roderick chuckled. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the Queen’s feelings. It must be frustrating to live the life of royalty after living freely outside the castle.

The Queen was old enough to feel that way.

Of course, it was all a misunderstanding.

“Where do you want to go?”

“Just… here and there.”

As Ijae mumbled, Roderick rested his chin on his hand.

“You still think your status is just that of the youngest daughter of a Duke, don’t you?”

“Does that mean I can’t go?”

“It means I need to know your destination to plan a safe route. Do you know how many people have to move with you just for you to go out?”

Then Ijae paused for a moment, looking thoughtful.

Staring intently at that face, Roderick felt it instinctively.

*Ijae is trying to lie again.*

“I want to go to the temple.”

Roderick, who had been resting his chin on his hand, straightened up and leaned back against the chair.

“Why do you have to go there?”

“I just want to go there for the first time in a while. There are some things I want to pray for.”

From that moment on, Roderick felt something rising up inside him.

Raising one eyebrow, he asked.

“Hailey.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I’m stupid because I’m pretending to be fooled?”

Near the temple in the capital, there flows a deep river.

Hailey threw herself into that river on the day she came back from the temple.

Furthermore, after seeing the second report, Roderick even knew that it was the first time in years that Hailey had gone to the temple that day. It meant she wasn’t a devout believer.

As the King’s face turned cold, Ijae closed her mouth.

He had accurately grasped her final destination.

Ijae actually wanted to meet the priests.

But the truth was that she wanted to go to that river even more.

It was because she wanted to perform a soul-calling ritual [a ceremony to summon the spirit of a deceased person].

It was to summon the spirit of the dead Hailey and hear the whole story.

But the King was a perceptive person, and as he said, it was difficult to fool him properly.

“Absolutely not. What are you even saying? I can’t believe what you’re saying to your husband.”

“…………”

“If you bring that up again, I’ll fill up the entire river, not just the lake. Try me if you think I can’t do it.”

“Your Majesty.”

“If you don’t want to see me genuinely angry, you should stop too.”

Roderick cut off the conversation, but Ijae couldn’t let go of her lingering feelings.

“Your Majesty, please just trust me a little. It’s really not like that.”

*Suspicion breeds ghosts. A suspicious, dark mind creates ghosts.*

But Roderick shook his head.

“No. I can’t trust you.”

*It’s not because you’re Duncan, it’s just that I can’t trust you.*

*It’s so strange. From some point on, I can’t shake the feeling that you’re going to die if I take my eyes off you.*

Hearing him say outright that he couldn’t trust her, Ijae lowered her eyes with a sulky expression. Roderick felt like he would go crazy just looking at that expression.

Because his heart weakened in an instant.

But he deliberately cut her off coldly.

“That expression won’t work.”

“Your Majesty, I would never do anything that would harm you.”

“Yeah. I guess so. But you’ll do things that harm you. I know that’s the kind of person you are now.”

“…I’m not going to die. I wouldn’t do anything that stupid. I promise. I told you before.”

Roderick sighed, but he brought another plate.

He was busy getting angry while cutting the meat again today. In the meantime, he thought that he should cut it small because the Queen had a small mouth, and he was hacking it to pieces.

“Not going to die? It’s easy to say. People who have been to the battlefield all know. People die really easily, and it’s just a moment. You can’t undo it.”

Ijae lowered her gaze with a sullen face.

Roderick, who kept looking at that face, swept back his hair as if he was really going crazy.

In the end, unable to stop his heart from weakening, he sighed.

“Hailey.”

“…………”

“Then come with me. I’ll make time.”

“…………”

“Then it’ll be fine.”

Words of affirmation did not readily come out. The King would clearly not want to be separated from her for even a moment. If that was the case, there was no point in going.

As Ijae hesitated to answer, Roderick laughed in disbelief.

“See? How can I trust you when you’re like this.”

“…………”

“Do you think I’m being too much right now?”

It was already annoying enough that she went to the lake and sat there blankly every day.

It was also annoying that the Queen’s maids weren’t sticking close to her.

The Queen didn’t seem to know what kind of eyes she was looking at the water with.

She kept staring at the water aimlessly, and strangely, that look seemed sad to Roderick.

What made him most uneasy was that he sometimes felt a longing in her gaze.

Roderick, who had pushed the plate of meat he had finished cutting, sighed as he looked at Ijae’s expression.

“A face like you’re about to die… Anyway, stop making that face and eat quickly. Eat all of that.”

“Yes, I’ll enjoy the meal. Your Majesty, please eat a lot too.”

The meal began in a very awkward atmosphere.

The third marital fight also ended somewhat anticlimactically, but they were silent for a while.

Roderick, who wondered if they originally fought this much in the early days of marriage, glanced at Ijae.

The King’s attendants and the Queen’s maids watched them carefully, but they also smiled subtly. This was because the level of the royal couple’s argument was very mild.

Considering that the two families were in a confrontational relationship, the relationship between the King and Queen was actually seriously good.

As expected, Roderick, who was very bothered by Ijae’s silence, changed the subject and subtly led the conversation.

“The Grand Duke will be returning soon.”

At the news she heard for the first time, Ijae looked at Roderick with wide eyes.

“Have you ever met him? He wouldn’t have been in Cayenne around the time you made your social debut.”

After thinking carefully, Ijae shook her head.

She had a memory of seeing him from afar when there were national external events.

But she had no memory of meeting him up close.

Meanwhile, Roderick chuckled as Ijae only repeated shaking and nodding.

It was because she had closed her mouth again.

She must be very sulky.

The cat, who had barely come and sat next to him, climbed up to a high place again.

As if she wouldn’t come even if he called her.

In many ways, she was a very difficult person.

He carefully looked at the plates that Ijae often reached for and pushed them towards her.

“Here, eat what you like too. Eat a lot and let’s grow taller.”

“Ugh, more talk about height.”

But Ijae smiled faintly.

She knew well enough that the King used that kind of tone especially when he wanted to appease her.

“I’ll think about it some more, so cheer up.”

“…………”

“I’m worried, so don’t hate me too much.”

“I don’t hate you at all. Actually, I understand you well enough. I’m also grateful that you’re worried.”

As the Queen lifted and dropped people again [switched between being cold and warm], he chuckled. He was so grateful these days whenever she showed him a little bit of her frugal heart [genuine feelings].

But the truth was that he still didn’t like the destination, so he didn’t confirm it and changed the subject again.

“Let’s have a separate meal later when the Grand Duke returns. Well, you can just receive a formal greeting if you’re uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m not shy around people.”

A person who sees ghosts couldn’t possibly be afraid of meeting living people.

But Roderick was sad if she pushed him away like this and kept her distance while saying she wasn’t shy.

*Wasn’t I a person to her?*

However, Roderick didn’t show it and nodded coolly.

“Okay. You’re brave, our Queen.”

The Queen’s maids nodded satisfactorily as if they knew this would happen.

A marital fight was like cutting water with a knife [easily resolved], and the King couldn’t last even half an hour against the Queen.