Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 80

As Roderick kissed her hair, he began to undress her. Lee Jae, despite having initiated it, felt a sudden wave of uncertainty. She wasn’t sure what to do next.

With deliberate, sensual touches, he unraveled her complex clothing piece by piece. He kissed her exposed shoulders and collarbone, sending shivers down her spine, before finally pulling the dress down completely.

In an instant, she was only in her underwear, her gaze darting around the room, unsure of where to focus. Roderick gently lifted her and settled her onto his lap.

She found herself wishing he would take the lead, either with actions or words.

The contrast was stark: she was almost completely naked, yet she felt a strange embarrassment that Roderick remained so formally dressed.

Roderick stared at her for a long moment, his eyes filled with an unreadable intensity.

Then, he began to caress her bare skin with a suggestive touch, whispering,

“Why did you wear something so…minimal?”

“It barely covers anything.”

Lee Jae, who was trying her best to maintain a calm facade, felt her composure crumbling.

Overwhelmed with shyness, she hid her face against his chest.

“Did you come here intending to seduce me?” he teased.

He knew that the dignified queen would never intentionally act in such a way, but Roderick couldn’t resist a playful jab. A little flirtatious banter during intimacy could sometimes heighten the mood.

Lee Jae shook her head, her voice muffled against his chest.

“I just wore what Deborah [the head maid] gave me.”

“Is that so? The head maid certainly has…interesting taste.” He paused. “She’s a really nice person.”

She glanced up, searching his expression for any hint of mockery, and then quickly buried her face again. She had caught a glimpse of his blue eyes, burning with desire.

Roderick was fighting to maintain control, so he looked at the ceiling, taking a deep breath, and then stared at her again.

You little fox. I’m dying to devour you, but if you keep hiding in my arms, what am I supposed to do?

“Fox,” he murmured.

“Why are you covering your face like that again?”

“…Stop looking at me. I’m embarrassed.”

“How can you still be embarrassed about this? We’re husband and wife. If you’re this uncomfortable, wouldn’t your husband feel rejected and pathetic?”

Lee Jae was at a loss for words and asked, her voice small,

“Could you just…pretend not to notice?”

“What?”

“No, I’m just a little nervous right now.”

Roderick stifled a laugh and continued to pepper her cheek with soft kisses.

In reality, Lee Jae was trembling slightly.

Her inexperience was painfully obvious.

He wanted to ease her tension, so he spoke in a soothing, gentle tone.

“We’ll figure this out together. Don’t be afraid of me, okay?”

“………”

“We can both enjoy this.”

But he was also battling his own excitement and nervousness.

He scanned her body with undisguised eagerness.

Lee Jae debated whether to cover her chest or her lower body. But in the end, she gave up. It felt pointless.

She thought it would be foolish to back out now. She had initiated this, and she trusted that her husband would never do anything she truly disliked.

Lee Jae squeezed out the last dregs of her courage.

Then, she suddenly and aggressively leaned forward.

“Stop staring and take off your clothes too, Your Majesty!”

“Huh? Oh.”

Roderick paused, momentarily taken aback, and then burst out laughing.

“Is that really okay?”

“Yes, what are you waiting for? Take them off because I want to get this over with quickly.”

“Get it over with? Is this some kind of ordeal to overcome?”

“Anyway, I understand. Just don’t get angry. I’m scared now if you go ‘Euaaa’ [onomatopoeia for a roar or shout].”

Roderick, still chuckling, unbuttoned his clothes and eventually covered his face with his hands.

He found the fox’s attitude, which had turned surprisingly assertive when cornered, incredibly amusing.

“Wife,” he said, his voice muffled by his hands.

“What is it again?”

“I apologize for saying earlier that you’re too innocent to understand such things. I guess I’ve wasted my years.”

“What does that mean?”

When Lee Jae glanced up, he was still hiding his face with his hands.

“I’m so excited right now, I feel like I’m going crazy.”

“………”

“What should I do? What if your husband’s heart explodes?”

“………”

“Honestly, this is partly your fault too. You shouldn’t have provoked me like this.”

Roderick chuckled and, no longer able to bother with unbuttoning, tore his shirt open with a snap.

His eyes changed in an instant, becoming intense and possessive. He scooped Lee Jae up into his arms and threw her onto the bed.

Then, he pounced on her with fierce momentum.

When Lee Jae woke up, Roderick was still stroking her hair and gazing at her with adoration. Having finally devoured his fox, his expression was one of pure, unadulterated joy.

“You’re awake? Just sleep more.”

Looking around, she reached for the discarded blanket, wanting to cover herself.

Roderick’s expression turned a little sulky. His visual pleasure had been interrupted.

Why are you covering up again now?

But in the end, he gently placed the blanket in Lee Jae’s hands.

He remembered that she had fallen into the lake. He would be the only one heartbroken if she caught a cold.

Lee Jae clumsily covered him with the blanket as well.

“Weren’t you sleeping?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Lee Jae, who had really slept soundly, scratched her cheek, feeling a little disoriented.

Actually, it was a bit ambiguous whether she had slept or fainted from the intensity of the experience.

Roderick kissed her cheek lightly.

“I know. Time flies when I’m watching you sleep.”

“…………”

“Still, get some sleep.”

Lee Jae muttered something unintelligible and turned her back to him as usual, and he snuggled close, wrapping his arm around her like a pillow.

“Lee Jae.”

“Yes.”

“Wife.”

“Yeees.”

“I know it’s unseemly to ask this…”

She looked back, puzzled.

“I want to be completely in sync with you, so don’t misunderstand.”

“What do you want to say?”

“How was it?”

Lee Jae burst out laughing.

Roderick was a little anxious and shook her gently, grabbing her shoulder, telling her not to laugh. He needed to know.

She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth to regain her composure.

“Did Your Majesty enjoy it?”

“Of course. Didn’t you feel that I was so happy that I couldn’t come to my senses? I almost went crazy because I couldn’t control myself.”

Lee Jae had definitely sensed that.

She had once thought that the king’s given name [Roderick’s personality] was not very well-suited to him. Because he only chose strong, powerful words. [This is a cultural reference to the significance of names in some cultures.]

But now that she thought about it, the person who named the king clearly had foresight. The king in bed was no different from a magnificent beast.

Roderick stared at her, curious about Lee Jae’s impressions.

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“Um, can I be honest?”

“Yeah. We need to be honest about these things to improve each other.”

“I felt it again just now.”

“Yeah?”

“I really did well to marry Your Majesty.”

Then Roderick burst out laughing this time, his face lighting up with genuine happiness.

“I really like our little bean [term of endearment] so much. I enjoy just listening to you talk, and I look forward to what you’re going to say.”

Lee Jae was happy, and she was even happier because his face looked so genuinely pleased. She wanted to express her feelings clearly.

So she chose her words a little more carefully. Because she wanted to convey this feeling.

As Lee Jae pondered, picking at the skin around her fingernails, Roderick gently grabbed her fingertips and stopped her.

“Don’t do that. You’ll make yourself bleed.”

Roderick kissed her small fingernails, and she stifled a laugh before opening her mouth.

“I…”

“Yeah?”

“Actually, I know that Your Majesty wasn’t very happy about this marriage either. Because the relationship with the Duncan family is complicated. I know you had no choice but to doubt me. It’s also my fault.”

Roderick shook his head as if to say no, but Lee Jae continued calmly.

“But at some point, you volunteered to take the blame for everything. You said you understood that I hated this marriage. You said it was all your fault.”

“………”

“I knew you were doing it because you were thinking of me. I also know that you tried to improve the relationship even a little bit. So I never hated this marriage. Actually, I liked it more and more. I’m telling you this because I think Your Majesty still sometimes worries about it.”

Lee Jae glanced at him, and he had a somewhat heavy expression.

He was grateful that Lee Jae understood his heart.

And looking at his face, her heart warmed.

“They say you can only know each other’s temperature when your fingertips touch, right?”

Lee Jae always wanted to know people’s temperatures. [This is a metaphor for understanding someone’s true feelings.]

Does this person like me? Or do they hate me? Does this person also think I’m dirty?

She had been anxious to get away as soon as possible if the other person looked at her coldly.

Because she didn’t want to get hurt again.

“After being deeply connected with Your Majesty, I realized that Your Majesty is very warm.”

Lee Jae pulled the blanket up to the tip of her nose. But he gently pulled it down again. When she glanced back, his blue eyes were smiling.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because I feel so wonderful.”

Feeling shy, she pulled the blanket up again diligently.

Roderick hugged her with the blanket and rocked her from side to side like a baby in a cradle.

“Wife.”

“Yes.”

“Then shall we do it one more time?”

Lee Jae, who never expected him to ask to do it again so soon, covered her face and laughed.

“Again? How many times is this? Can’t we rest for a bit?”

I’m not even sure if I fell asleep or fainted earlier.

Lee Jae wanted to sincerely apologize for her earlier remarks while brewing the medicine before. [Referring to a previous chapter where she underestimated his stamina.]

After personally confirming it, the king’s confidence that he was upright [both morally and physically] was justified.

He was not someone to be provoked with stamina.

“Are you tired? You can just stay still. I’ll take care of it.”

“It’s true that I’m tired… If I raise the temperature any higher here, I think I’ll spontaneously combust.”

Roderick kissed her face here and there, his lips teasing and playful.

“Ah, your remarks are becoming more and more sophisticatedly lewd.”

“I’m a married woman. I’m not ashamed of this much.”

As Little Bean mustered her strength to speak, he chuckled again, clearly delighted by her boldness.

“I’m a married man, so I need to work harder.”

“No! Your Majesty shouldn’t work any harder here.”

If you develop your pervertedness any further here, Your Majesty, something really bad will happen. If the king takes the lead, won’t the country’s atmosphere become too decadent?

“I don’t want to. I’m going to work harder. I don’t want to lose to you in this.”

“Why are you always so coy with your words?”

“It’s a strategy.”

If that was the case, it was a resounding success.

Lee Jae kept laughing because he was so funny and cute.

But she seemed to always find it absurd when she said he was cute, so she silently stroked this large beast, trying to convey her affection without words.

The king rubbed his cheek against her hand, seemingly in a good mood, purring like a contented cat.

Warmth lingered in the bedroom of the couple who had spent their true first night together.