Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 77

#77.

Had it been half an hour?

Suddenly, Lee Jae abruptly rose from the bed.

Her movements were clean and precise, her back as straight as ever.

However, her eyes were very different from usual.

A vengeful spirit that had crawled from somewhere was clinging to her back.

The spirit’s long hair was wet and drooping. It was a drowned ghost.

Normally, Kang Lee Jae would never be possessed by such things.

But she was mentally and physically exhausted.

With vacant eyes, Lee Jae opened the window.

Outside was nothing but pitch-black darkness, like the future she had once imagined.

Lee Jae climbed out the window and stepped into the darkness.

And her steps led her to the lake.

A grand and deep pool of water.

Though her face was devoid of emotion, Lee Jae lowered her gaze as she stood before it. It was a deeply ingrained habit.

The vengeful spirit clinging to her continued to whisper, pushing her back.

-Let’s go in. Let’s go together.

-I’m so lonely. Aren’t you? Let’s be together.

Lee Jae nodded like a soulless doll.

And she took a step toward the lake.

A night where darkness and moonlight coexisted.

The darkly shimmering water was cruelly beautiful.

And it was when the water reached her knees.

A familiar voice pierced Lee Jae’s mind.

-Kang Lee Jae. Get a grip.

-I said, get a grip. Are you already losing it at such a young age?

Suddenly, Lee Jae’s senses returned.

Startled, she looked around and realized she was in the lake, and she was even more startled.

“What, what is this?”

Lee Jae looked up at the sky.

The Boy King was looking down at her with a disapproving face.

-How can you be possessed by such a trivial vengeful spirit? The future of the country is bleak.

The drowned ghost, frightened by the divine energy different from its own, tried to abandon Lee Jae and flee.

But this time, Lee Jae grabbed the ghost and wouldn’t let go.

She sighed.

“I guess I’m destined to drown in both my past and present lives. A person’s fate doesn’t change that easily.”

Lee Jae wasn’t as surprised as she thought she would be.

She seemed rather indifferent, and the Boy King inwardly felt sorry for her.

Lee Jae struck the forehead of the struggling drowned ghost with her rosary bracelet.

“I can’t afford to listen to your circumstances fairly, as I have too much resentment towards water. But even the first King Cayenne over there said,”

“Humans are inherently subjective.”

“Is this what hurts people the most?”

She extinguished the drowned ghost with a burst of energy, without even using a talisman [a charm or object believed to have magical powers].

And she looked up at the Boy King with a very desolate gaze.

“What should I do?”

-About what?

“Didn’t you see just now? I seem to be getting the hang of exorcism.”

“……”

“I needed a strong and rough friend, but I’m becoming a rough child myself.”

Lee Jae said with a heartbroken expression, and the Boy King let out a dumbfounded laugh. But she was very serious.

“I guess I shouldn’t have gotten rid of something I shouldn’t have a few days ago. It felt ominous.”

-You’re really playing around.

The Boy King muttered sarcastically, but Lee Jae didn’t get angry.

Instead, she offered her thanks in a calm tone.

“Thank you for helping me that day. If there’s a punishment I must receive, I’ll humbly accept it.”

The Boy King smirked.

There was no other response, but she didn’t care.

In fact, she wasn’t particularly curious anymore.

So, she simply gazed at the beautiful lake for a while.

“But you know.”

-Yeah.

“Coming into the water feels really strange. So this is what moss smells like.”

-What are you trying to say?

“It felt cold in my memory, but it seems warmer than I thought. It’s not bad.”

The Boy King seemed amazed by her commentary.

-I wondered why you were possessed by such a thing, but you weren’t possessed, you deliberately let go of your mind?

Lee Jae chuckled and briefly savored the water.

Then she took a step forward.

Because she felt like she wouldn’t get another chance like this.

-Hey, what are you doing? Are you crazy? It’s deep there.

“Why? You told me to go in sometime. Looking at it, the people in that family seem to change their minds a lot. A person should be consistent.”

“……”

“Oh, you weren’t a person, were you.”

-Are you really going crazy?

Lee Jae nodded, readily agreeing.

“Well, I guess so. But I want to feel it a little more. I don’t want to keep avoiding it.”

“I know you wouldn’t understand since you’ve only lived a successful life, but that’s what happens when you keep messing up your life.”

-You’re hilarious. Kang Lee Jae, do you think I know failure but not ghosts?

Lee Jae stared up at him. The Boy King clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry for her.

-I know failure, but of course, there’s something even ghosts don’t know.

“What is it?”

-I didn’t know you would suddenly go this crazy.

Lee Jae burst into laughter.

“I told my husband too. I’m the type of person who bottles everything up and then suddenly runs away when no one expects it.”

People often call that sudden acceleration.

The Boy King seemed dumbfounded.

-And she’s bragging about it. Your husband must be so in love with you. Anyway, I clearly warned you?

Lee Jae nodded and took another step.

Soon, the water was lapping around her waist.

In fact, Lee Jae was trembling a lot.

She was afraid of this grand lake.

Be careful of the water. Don’t go near the water.

People’s advice was always right.

She had proven that their words were not wrong through her death.

But Lee Jae had to live most of her life cowering because of those right words.

It wasn’t enjoyable. There was none of her own will in it.

That’s what the lives of people who always rely on others are like.

Even a small step becomes difficult, and they can’t make decisions that their hearts lead them to.

She was afraid of the water, but she actually wanted to dip her feet in it.

Then, was that past life right?

Kang Lee Jae. Shouldn’t you have experienced the sea at least once?

She was still afraid and couldn’t find the answer. So, she couldn’t go any further and just endlessly gazed at the moonlight from that spot.

It was then.

A loud noise came from the quiet lake, and the water splashed.

The King was walking towards her with a frightening face, splashing through the water.

The water that reached Lee Jae’s waist didn’t even reach his hips.

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. His blue eyes were filled with anger.

“What in the world are you doing right now!”

The Boy King looked down at them and shook his head.

-I told you to stop her. How long has it been since you made up, and you’re already having a marital fight again.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance and disappeared.

But before he disappeared, there was a faint smile on his lips.

Lee Jae was a little flustered and looked around at Roderick.

The faces of the knights and maids were all filled with astonishment.

But her confusion was only momentary, and Lee Jae soon smiled faintly, happy to see the King.

“Your Majesty. You’re alright now, right?”

“What?”

“I knew you would be alright. But I’m really happy to see you looking healthy.”

“You can say such things in this situation…”

Roderick stopped speaking and gritted his teeth.

He felt like anger was bubbling up inside him.

In the end, his anger exploded, and he lost his reason, shaking her shoulders.

His rough shouts were filled with unbearable resentment.

“You said you wouldn’t die! You promised me so many times that you wouldn’t do this! Is the weight of your promise only worth this much?!”

“…Your Majesty.”

“What do I have to do for you? Huh? What can I do to make you never do this again!”

Lee Jae swayed in the water like a reed, being shaken by him.

The King was not someone who was particularly afraid of anything.

Even when he heard the chilling voice of a vengeful spirit from time to time, he felt murderous intent and displeasure, but he wasn’t afraid of the voice.

But the King was honestly afraid now.

He was afraid that his wife would leave him completely.

If she left in this way, there would be no way to bring her back.

The shouts gradually turned into pleas and entreaties. Roderick’s eyes were filled with despair.

“Should I let you out of the castle? You said you wanted to wander around. Should I let you go for a little while? Would that be alright? Say something with your own mouth!”

“………….”

“But I can never give you a divorce. I can’t live without you.”

Lee Jae, who had been listening with wide eyes, let out a deflated sound and laughed at the last words.

Then Roderick choked up and gritted his teeth.

“You… do you think I’m joking right now?”

Roderick tried to say something more but closed his mouth.

Because his wife, who had been listening quietly, took off the hand that was holding her shoulder.

However, she didn’t completely shake off his hand and held it tightly again.

Lee Jae lowered her gaze and pondered for a moment.

She hesitated, moving her lips several times, and soon looked up at him with mournful eyes.

Her wet hand should have been cold.

But she strangely felt his large hand only as warm.

Then, is it the moonlight that is making her impulsive right now, the waves she felt with her will, or the person in front of her who is angry because he is worried about her?

Lee Jae, who had been gazing at him endlessly, finally opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty.”

“……”

“Your Majesty, please stop being angry and answer me.”

“…Yeah.”

His voice was still filled with anger. Lee Jae smiled faintly.

“I wasn’t trying to die. I just thought the water was pretty.”

“You want me to believe that right now…”

“I didn’t jump into that river.”

A tear fell from Lee Jae’s smiling eyes.

“Because I… am not Hayley Duncan.”

At that moment, Roderick’s face froze.

But a different light gradually began to appear in his blue eyes as he looked at Lee Jae. It was a color close to awe.

Roderick led her out of the lake with his mouth shut.

The atmosphere in the Queen’s Palace was grim.

The King was holding the Queen’s hand with a frightening face, and the water dripping from both of them continued to soak the hallway.

Everyone was watching carefully.

Because it was a huge scandal that the Queen had jumped into the water again.

This time, there were so many witnesses, and it was clear that it wouldn’t be easy to silence everyone.

People only bowed their heads, not knowing how the King would react.

But Roderick readily handed Lee Jae over to the head maid.

“Boil me some fox.”

“Pardon?”

“Tell her to wash in warm water. She’ll catch a cold like this.”

At those words, everyone knew. He’s decided to cover it up.

Roderick then spoke to Lee Jae.

“You, wash up and wait in the room. I’ll wash up too.”

“……”

“If you run away, I really won’t let you off.”

Lee Jae glanced around and nodded, feeling intimidated.

She was honestly regretting it now.

It would be fortunate if she was treated like a mentally ill person.

She worried that she would be interrogated and even tortured.

But Lee Jae tried to comfort herself. No, I’ve been watching all along. My husband is definitely not such a terrible person. If his wife seems a little crazy, he’ll just call a doctor.

As Lee Jae headed to the bathroom, the King immediately glared at the maids and knights.

The look in his eyes was so frightening that people trembled.

“Dry her hair well and seat her. If the Queen even coughs, know that you’re all dead.”

“……”

“How could no one know that the Queen was going out of the room? There’s a limit to how much I can tolerate you.”

“……”

“Let’s get a grip.”

No one could have imagined that the Queen would climb out the window, but they all had no choice but to bow their heads.