Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 90

#90.

A report was underway in the King’s study.

The faces of the Knights Commander and the military nobles were, quite literally, ashen.

“Arson, you say.”

Without even reading the letter from the western border, Roderick tossed it onto the desk.

The old noble, who was in charge of the military, felt like he was sitting on thorns.

Sure enough, the King stared right through him. His calm, blue eyes were terrifying.

“You said you wouldn’t let this happen again, and you were right.”

“……”

“But at least the gates weren’t opened.”

Roderick chuckled as if he found it amusing.

“They really do all sorts of things. It’s more like a den of beasts than an army.”

“……My apologies, Your Majesty.”

The military noble and the Knights Commander were at a loss.

However, unbeknownst to them, the King wasn’t particularly angry. He was just a bit dumbfounded.

Because the King was increasingly convinced that this was beyond human power.

“What happened to the soldiers who caused the problem?”

“They are being transported to the castle, I’m told.”

Roderick nodded.

“Have them sit right in front of me. No, put them in the dungeon. I’ll interrogate them myself.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If you have nothing more to say, leave. The commander of the 1st Division will stay behind.”

The military personnel, who were drenched in cold sweat, hurriedly left the study.

The Knights Commander, left alone with the King, looked visibly embarrassed.

In fact, Jade was very ashamed right now. The commander of the Western Army, whom he had personally selected and recommended, was not achieving any significant accomplishments.

“Your Majesty, I apologize.”

“For what?”

“It’s okay. I expected it to some extent.”

The King replied nonchalantly, and Jade felt very strange.

He wanted to ask how he could have possibly foreseen that.

However, the King had been saying things that were hard to understand for some time now, and he often whispered with the Queen, as if they were sharing a secret that only they knew.

“Jade.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I have a task for you.”

Jade nodded with a determined look.

But the King’s words were unexpected this time as well.

“Keep track of the Crown Prince’s whereabouts.”

“………….”

“This must not be known to the outside world. You understand that much, don’t you?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. But… is there something wrong with the Crown Prince?”

“I don’t know.”

The King stroked his chin as if he didn’t know either.

Roderick felt like he had another puzzle in front of him these days. After completing the puzzle about his wife, the western border was now the problem.

How should he solve this one? Where can he find the missing pieces of the puzzle?

Complex thoughts swirled in the King’s mind.

At that moment, Lee Jae was waiting for the King in front of his room.

There was still a long time before her appointment with the King. But she hurried, hoping that the guards might open the door for her.

Lee Jae wanted to take advantage of the King’s absence to check if the barrier was intact.

Because these days, the King would check her breathing, heart rate, and temperature even if her complexion looked just a little pale.

The patient was supposed to be the King, but he had somehow become the doctor.

“Could I go in first?”

When the Queen carefully requested, the guards looked embarrassed.

They didn’t want to keep the leader of the pro-Prince faction standing in the hallway either.

But they couldn’t disobey the King’s orders.

The guards eventually bowed their heads and said, looking very troubled.

“Your Majesty, we are very sorry. We will bring you a chair, or perhaps you could wait in the guest room…”

Lee Jae waved her hand.

“No! It’s okay. I have to wait. Actually, I came early on purpose.”

She quickly smiled and began chatting with the guards.

The guards, who were very apologetic, relaxed at the Queen’s gentle attitude.

It was a very familiar sight to the maids.

Such things often happened in the reception room.

Without anyone telling them to, nobles would often pour out their personal affairs while talking to the Queen.

The problem was that the King had arrived in front of the room quite early today.

It was because he was worried that his wife might be waiting.

Roderick raised an eyebrow from the end of the hallway.

He saw Lee Jae chatting amiably with the guards.

He was sure she had been doing that last time too.

“What are you doing?”

“Your Majesty.”

Lee Jae approached with a welcoming face after spotting the King.

Then, Roderick wrapped an arm around the back of her thighs and lifted her up.

Lee Jae gasped and grabbed his shoulders with both hands.

Roderick, who was very annoyed, didn’t care about her scream.

He strode up to the guard who was talking to Lee Jae and asked.

“What was our Queen saying?”

“She didn’t say anything special…”

However, everyone knew that the King wasn’t really asking out of curiosity.

He was just warning the guards to keep their eyes to themselves when looking at the Queen.

Roderick glared at the guards with a cold gaze and gestured for them to open the door.

Lee Jae, who had her arm around the King’s sturdy shoulders, whispered in his ear.

“Your Majesty, please put me down. Why are you suddenly picking me up when we’re right here?”

“Don’t breathe in my ear like that so suddenly.”

Roderick said it loud enough for others to hear and strode inside.

And as soon as the door closed behind them, he put her down on the floor.

He said, looking very displeased.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t talk to the soldiers and knights so much.”

“What does that mean?”

Roderick sighed deeply and narrowed his brows.

“Why are you going around saying things like they have handsome noses?”

“……”

“Those dark-haired guys are misunderstanding.”

“Where did you hear that?”

Lee Jae’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

Was there really room for misunderstanding in what I said? I’m sure I added that it was a nose that brought wealth.

She asked cautiously, feeling bewildered.

“…I didn’t mean it that way. Are you saying I was flirting?”

At those words, the King frowned severely. He looked genuinely annoyed this time.

“Where do you keep hearing such awful expressions? Can you speak a little more nicely to your husband?”

“What do you mean flirting? You even pick up things that have fallen. Have you forgotten that I said you were too frugal?”

“……”

“It’s not your fault, it’s just that they’re ignorant and misinterpreting the signals.”

Of course, Roderick was still a bit upset.

But he didn’t like his wife using such expressions on herself, so he quickly changed his words.

Lee Jae stared at the King with a very bewildered expression.

Then what do you want me to do? Who are you saying is at fault?

“Then if it’s not my fault, why are you telling me this?”

“I don’t know either, so let’s just say it’s all my fault.”

Roderick picked her up again.

He gently placed Lee Jae on the bed and followed her up.

Lee Jae, who was sitting on the bed, couldn’t help but laugh.

Because the King had put her between his legs and opened a book.

It was as if he was going to read her a fairy tale.

*Your Majesty, did you have such a fantasy?*

She glanced behind her, and Roderick kissed her as if he had been waiting for it.

“Lean back.”

Lee Jae relaxed her body and leaned against his chest. He held her waist and pulled her closer. Lee Jae glanced over her shoulder again.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yeah, why?”

“I like this sofa.”

Roderick chuckled.

“That’s a relief. At least there’s one thing you like.”

“I like the pillows too.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

The two burst into laughter at the same time.

The King then turned the pages one by one and read in a pleasant voice.

It was very comfortable, but Lee Jae was honestly a bit sorry. This should be read by the unemployed fairy of Hamwi, not the busy King.

“In Daimon Calendar 497, the tyranny of the Daimon Empire intensified. Neighboring countries began preparing for war, and small and large-scale rebellions broke out in the empire. This is the origin of the Three Years’ War…”

Lee Jae continued to listen to the King’s voice.

“The five noble families who once ruled the continent with the Daimon Imperial Family. The Ilias and Schmitt disappeared, the Mellon and Russell were destroyed, and only Duncan remained on the continent.”

“…Ilias?”

When she suddenly muttered to herself, Roderick stopped reading and stared at her.

“Why?”

“No, why does it sound so familiar?”

“Because it’s a family that appears in any history book of the kingdom.”

Lee Jae still looked puzzled, but she nodded.

But her expression gradually became serious from that point on.

“The 4th King, Ryan Blake, implemented an active policy of ethnic integration. Be aware that this was not actually for the purpose of ethnic integration, but because of his wariness of their abilities.”

“The 5th King, Noel Provisio Blake, said in his will before his death. In the future, mysterious powers will disappear from the continent. That is the will of heaven and the secret of heaven. …However, when a time of chaos comes, all the powers that had disappeared will reappear.”

“…A time of chaos?”

When Lee Jae interrupted again, Roderick chuckled.

“Are you telling me to read or not?”

But she grabbed Roderick’s hand.

It meant to wait without interrupting for a moment.

Because she felt a strange sense of déjà vu [a feeling of having already experienced the present situation].

After rummaging through her memories for a long time, Lee Jae soon realized that it was something the boy king had said once.

-You know that now is the time when the great currents are changing. Chaos is always confusing.

-Then why don’t you become a hero of chaos? It’s a great thing, isn’t it?

“A time of chaos. I see.”

Now was the time of chaos that the 5th King had spoken of. A time when the powers that had disappeared were reappearing.

If the King’s great fortune and the nation’s destiny were changing at the same time, what else could this be but a time of chaos?

“Your Majesty.”

“Why do you keep doing this?”

“What did you say were the powers of the five families?”

“Our Queen was a very inquisitive student.”

Roderick chuckled, but Lee Jae was not in the mood for it.

“Your Majesty, I’m serious. Please don’t joke around.”

Then, Roderick, who was staring at Lee Jae, nodded and turned the page again.

The passages flowing from the King’s mouth were not described in detail in ordinary history books of the kingdom.

Kingdom citizens think of it as a founding myth, but it was a power that actually existed on the continent four hundred years ago.

“The Blake family’s power, Fulgor, the Holy Sword.”

“The Ilias’ power is Evocatio [Latin for ‘summoning’], summoning. The Schmitt’s power is Defensio [Latin for ‘defense’], barrier. The Mellon’s power is Exorcismus [Latin for ‘exorcism’], annihilation of spirits. The Russell’s power is Rumpo [Latin for ‘break’], destruction.”

“The Duncan’s power, Provisio [Latin for ‘foresight’]. … Precognition.”

Lee Jae stared at the King with shocked eyes.

Her pupils trembled uneasily.

Suddenly, the diaries of Hayley Duncan, which she had read countless times over the past few months, flashed through Lee Jae’s mind.

-I keep having strange dreams. It’s scary. But I won’t tell anyone.

-Mother will buy me a strawberry cake, but….

-I know that it can’t be like his heart.

-Father is trying to do something terrible. But they won’t listen to me….

-The choice my father makes cannot change my destiny and Laurence’s.

Lee Jae’s face turned pale.

Lee Jae realized at that moment what kind of person Hayley, who had been ridiculed as a pretty idiot, was.

Hayley.