Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 91

As Her Heart Leads – Episode 91 (91/134)

#14. Puzzle Play Together

#91.

Lee Jae was enjoying a rare, leisurely time in bed. Tapping her foot, she picked up Hailey’s diary from the bedside table.

Though they had never met, Lee Jae felt a connection to Hailey, as if she were a friend.

“Hailey, are you okay? I hope you’re at peace.”

Kang Lee Jae and Hailey Duncan clearly shared something profound.

While not on the same level as someone extraordinary like Granny Youngsan, Lee Jae occasionally glimpsed people’s futures and the hardships they would face.

Perhaps that’s why Lee Jae felt she could finally understand Hailey to some extent.

Why Hailey had been ridiculed. Why her diary entries were just a series of short, fragmented sentences with no real substance.

Maybe Hailey felt pressured to be careful about what she revealed. People are curious about the future, but also afraid of it.

And those with such a unique perspective understand this all too well. It wasn’t tomorrow itself that ruined people, but the fear of what was to come and the frustration of being unable to change it.

So, all she could express were meaningless words.

-My father’s choice cannot change my and Lawrence’s fate.

-Beware of the water.

Hailey, what was the overwhelming force that swept through your life?

What was the fate that truly tormented you?

Lee Jae longed to know. And she felt a deep sorrow for Hailey, who carried all those secrets alone and died in isolation.

The King, having completed his daily schedule, opened the door and entered just as Lee Jae was holding the diary close to her chest.

The King carried a handwritten copy of the ancient book he had been reading previously, along with the royal family genealogy [a record of the lineage of the royal family].

“You’re here?”

“Yes. What did you do today?”

But before he could answer, Roderick’s expression turned complicated.

He realized what Lee Jae had been reading.

He crossed his arms and sighed deeply.

“You really don’t listen to your husband’s requests, do you?”

“Your Majesty, this might be a ray of light in a pitch-black future.”

Finding hope in the darkness.

But the King didn’t seem convinced.

“A pitch-black future? Am I the only one who thinks the diary itself is a bit more pitch-black?”

When Lee Jae made a sulky face, Roderick quickly relented.

“Your Majesty, I used to feel lost when I read this.”

I honestly thought I had dyslexia [a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading].

“But not anymore.”

“…Okay, I understand what you’re trying to say.”

In fact, Roderick was quite persuaded. He had heard the explanation that Hailey seemed to possess a special ability.

A family trait passed down through the Duncan family in the past.

But he felt heartbroken that his wife felt a sense of kinship with the diary’s gloomy contents.

Roderick sighed and climbed onto the bed. Lee Jae smiled and tucked the diary under the pillow.

He then sat Lee Jae between his legs, just as before, and opened the history book.

It was a newly established duty of a married man that had taken root in the King’s mind.

But Lee Jae suddenly grabbed his wrist as he was about to turn the page.

She glanced at the darkened window.

Then, carefully watching the King’s face, she asked,

“Are you not tired?”

“Huh? Not at all. Why?”

“Your Majesty, are you really going to keep reading this?”

Roderick looked puzzled.

He had always believed his wife was interested in the kingdom’s history.

“Shouldn’t we finish it? Was it that boring?”

“………”

“Sorry, I haven’t practiced my storytelling yet.”

Lee Jae chuckled, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling of guilt.

The book was still only a third of the way through. The records of the past kings over five hundred years were extensive.

Hesitant to add more to the king’s already demanding day, she opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty, actually…”

“Yeah, tell me.”

Lee Jae glanced at the wooden box on the shelf.

The box’s spirit was nowhere to be seen, probably playing somewhere inside the house.

After she had infused the box with energy several times, it seemed to feel very comfortable in her home.

But if she called, it would come out excitedly again.

“You don’t have to read this. Just rest this evening.”

“………”

“Actually, I can read this.”

The King, finding her words strange, quietly closed the book.

“…How can you read this?”

“There’s a spirit living in the castle who can read it for me. Historically old castles usually have one or two of those.”

The King’s expression became subtle, and he remained silent for a while.

And from a certain moment, Lee Jae began to glance at the King, watching his reaction.

His expression was gradually turning sour.

She felt embarrassed.

Should she not have said this after all? Had she made a mistake?

Of course, the King was different from ordinary people.

He had experience and a deep understanding of such matters.

But when you think about it, few people would be happy to hear that there are ghosts roaming around their house.

A little uneasy, Lee Jae said defensively,

“Are you still uncomfortable? It’s not like an evil spirit.”

“It’s a kind spirit that’s sometimes annoying, but it will listen to me if I ask.”

Then the King’s expression became even more sour than before.

So sour that he was now frowning.

He was a man who had withstood the attacks of vengeful spirits for three years.

That meant he possessed extraordinary courage.

From the King’s mouth came words that were completely different from Lee Jae’s expectations.

Having learned a new fact, he was now very serious.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“…Is it close to you?”

“Pardon?”

“If it reads books for you, doesn’t that mean you’re on good terms?”

“Yes, well, you could say that.”

The spirit of the box was the first being in this world to call her by her real name.

When she was trembling in front of the snake ghost, it encouraged her, and knowing that it would disappear, it told her to go to the King.

Wouldn’t that make it a friend?

But again, unexpected words came from the King’s mouth.

Having learned a new fact, he was now very serious.

“Let me ask you something.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“…Is it a man?”

“………”

“Is it a man?”

“Uh, um…”

Lee Jae became as serious as the King.

She tilted her head and began to think.

Could you really call it a man?

It’s just a thought form dwelling in an old object. It was never human.

It’s even only as tall as my forearm. So, I wasn’t short either.

“It’s just a naive spirit, like a child. Would it be easier to think of it as a fairy? Anyway, you don’t have to worry about it.”

Lee Jae gave a suitable conclusion, but Roderick still looked uneasy.

“Ah, I’m suddenly starting to feel very strange.”

“Why?”

“Well, is this how I’d feel if my wife was having an affair with another guy behind my back?”

“………”

“This is really an unexpected range of defense.”

Lee Jae was momentarily dumbfounded and stared at the King.

Then she burst out laughing. She was amazed at how he could think of such a thing after hearing this story.

An ordinary person, or perhaps someone who has suffered from vengeful spirits, would have difficulty with such thinking.

The King did not show any fear of invisible beings, even if he was upset for an unexpected reason.

“Your Majesty is definitely not an ordinary person.”

“It doesn’t sound like a compliment this time either.”

“Because it wasn’t a real compliment this time.”

Lee Jae tried to wrap things up with a joke.

But the King was actually lost in other feelings.

He found it difficult to even grasp who Lee Jae was talking to or what kind of stories she was sharing.

So he couldn’t know exactly what kind of day she was having. No matter how much he wanted to know, no matter how much he wanted to reach her more deeply.

‘Will I never be able to see the same scenery as my wife?’

But that would be his wife’s pain more than anyone else’s.

He knew that if he dug too deeply, she would look lonely, so he lightly accepted the words.

“Wife, I’m so grateful that you told me honestly.”

“Yes.”

“I can read this as much as you want, so don’t go to another man and ask him to read it for you. I’m strangely starting to feel a little sad.”

“…You’re jealous of something very strange. It’s not a person.”

“Anyway.”

“Okay. I only brought it up because I thought you’d be bothered, but I guess it was a pointless conversation.”

“It’s not a pointless conversation. And of course, I’m not bothered.”

As Lee Jae smiled, Roderick pulled her close into his arms.

“Come here. Let’s listen to this instead of a lullaby and go to sleep.”

He leaned Lee Jae against his chest and opened the book again.

Thanks to her husband, who volunteered to suffer, she was able to focus on her thoughts in a comfortable position today as well.

“History will surely repeat itself. Of course, if the balance of power still exists by then.”

The King read a few verses and watched her reaction.

Lee Jae was quite a questioning listener.

As expected, she tilted her head, thinking hard.

“Your Majesty, what did the 5th King mean by such a will?”

Then the King also paused for a moment.

The 5th King’s middle name was Provisio.

The only king in history who could wield both the Holy Sword and the Duncan’s ability.

That was because the previous queen was from the Duncan family.

Then that couldn’t be a meaningless will.

The two put their heads together and began to think, but Lee Jae’s expression gradually became strange.

She was someone with a lot of useless knowledge in this area.

After hesitating for a moment, she glanced behind her.

“Your Majesty, this is a very disrespectful question, but is it okay to ask anyway?”

Then Roderick smiled.

“Go ahead. I’ll keep the secret even if it’s about insulting the royal family.”

“…How much of the 5th King’s prophecy has come true so far?”

Even the most skilled shaman can’t get everything right.

Surely he wasn’t a quack… was he?

I’m just checking out of concern. There are always people like that in the industry.”

Lee Jae’s question was very cautious, but her face was full of suspicion.

The King, guessing the words she couldn’t bring herself to say from that expression, suppressed his laughter.

It was then that the commander of the Knights knocked on their door.