Follow Your Heart [EN]: Chapter 95

#95.

Lee Jae was at the lakefront for the first time in a while, reading aloud with a composed voice.

“During the Three Years’ War, two families disappeared, and three families surrendered, contributing to the founding of Cayenne. The two families were Elias and Schmidt. The three were Mellon, Russell, and Duncan… The Duncans never make the wrong choice.”

She didn’t want to bother the King constantly, so she memorized important passages and took notes.

Lee Jae marked an X on the families that had been exterminated: Mellon and Russell.

Even though it was four hundred years ago, may they rest in peace.

*But I’m the Queen, so even if I offer condolences to families who rebelled against the royal family… it should be okay, right?*

She continued reciting the next sentence aloud.

“The power of the Blairek royal family resides in the Holy Sword. Elias’s power is summoning. Schmidt’s power is barrier creation. Mellon’s power is the annihilation of spirits. Russell’s power is dispelling. Duncan’s power is foresight.”

This time, she circled the word ‘summoning’ several times.

The Fifth King had said that abilities lost during chaotic times would reawaken.

*If now is a chaotic time, and Hailey was a seer, it would be reasonable for other powers to awaken as well.*

“So, does that mean Elias is still alive?”

Lee Jae frowned deeply and underlined the name Elias several times.

The King and Lee Jae had reached similar conclusions based on the events of a few days prior.

The King of Cayenne and the soldiers of the Western Army were attacked by vengeful spirits simultaneously.

On the western border, localized skirmishes with the Damon reconstruction forces often occurred.

Elias was a noble family of the old Damon Empire.

*Could Elias be allied with the Damon reconstruction forces?*

“I think that’s a very reasonable inference.”

Lee Jae nodded in satisfaction, then sighed.

She tapped her thighs and knees with her small fist, muttering.

“I don’t know. Why does everyone live so complicatedly?”

When she first met the King, Lee Jae wondered if he had committed a sin or if there was karma attached to the royal family. She thought that destroying the vengeful spirits and purifying the palace would fix things to some extent.

But from the moment she realized someone was actively trying to harm him, the problem became much more complex.

Lee Jae was sighing deeply when the Boy King appeared before her.

-Long time no see?

“Is it?”

But Lee Jae’s face was more sulky than usual. Noticing this, the Boy King snickered.

-What’s with the cold reception?

“Couldn’t you have told me that Hailey was a seer? Was that also a secret?”

Lee Jae had been looking through Hailey’s diary for months.

She even went to the river where she jumped, risking a marital spat.

She was complaining that he could have given her that much of a clue when she was going through so much trouble.

“Hey.”

-What.

“I know you’re great, but you’re a guardian spirit, and it seems like you’re slacking off too much.”

The Boy King burst into laughter.

-You’re very prickly today? I’m doing that for you.

“For me?”

-Well, isn’t it better that you figured it out with your own strength? A young person shouldn’t always try to find shortcuts like that.

Lee Jae didn’t really agree and made a sullen expression.

“This is the only ability I have. And because of this, my fate has been twisted for over a decade, so it seems too much to say that I shouldn’t even enjoy this much benefit.”

-You’re really cranky today. Did you fight with Roderick again?

“It’s not like that. His Majesty grants almost everything I ask for, so there’s not much to fight about. He’s a really kind person.”

*But you’re from the same bloodline, so why is he…*

Lee Jae glanced at the Boy King and quickly swallowed her words, knowing her place.

She picked up a branch and doodled on the dirt floor.

Her face was full of worries.

Lee Jae’s biggest concern these days was what she should do in the future.

Because her bucket list no longer held much meaning.

She desperately needed help, but the only being who could help was slacking off again today. But she knew from countless experiences that begging and pleading wouldn’t work.

*What should I do?* Lee Jae kept worrying and drew meaningless lines on the ground.

After thinking for a long time, she broke the long silence and said.

“I suddenly thought of something to do.”

-What is it?

“I think I need a new divine artifact right now.”

No matter how long she waited, there was no reply, so Lee Jae glanced up. The Boy King was shaking his shoulders and laughing in pain.

She sighed and got up from her seat.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing, but keep laughing then. A young person has a long way to go, so I’ll be on my way.”

Lee Jae bowed very politely and walked towards Deborah.

The news that the Queen was carving something strange again spread throughout the castle.

It was understandable because the size of the wood was unusual this time.

The Queen, who used to play with pieces of wood about the size of her forearm, asked for wood the size of her torso this time. Everyone thought, *’What a unique hobby,’* but there was one person who couldn’t laugh.

It was the King.

*’Lee Jae, what is she doing again?’*

The King’s face always held worry as he watched his wife carving wood all night.

But along with impatience, there was also curiosity.

*’Aren’t you really going to tell your husband? Still, I want to know before other people do.’*

*’Your Majesty, can I be honest about one thing?’*

When Roderick nodded, Lee Jae smiled charmingly.

*’Sometimes, when Your Majesty is this curious, I don’t want to tell you right away. Why am I being so sly?’*

*’Ah, you have a very bad hobby. My fox [a term of endearment], your personality is definitely getting worse and worse.’*

*’Is that so?’*

*’Just kidding. It would be a problem if your personality got any better. That’s a pushover. Royalty shouldn’t be like that.’*

*’That’s a great comfort. As expected, Your Majesty is very warm.’*

However, people gradually began to realize what the Queen was carving. The first to recognize it were the knights.

The shape was a bit unique, but what the Queen was making was clearly a bow.

The King and a few close aides were waiting for the Queen in the Queen’s palace garden.

The faces of the people looking around the garden were full of unspoken thoughts.

The Knight Commander, who felt he had the most leeway to speak, carefully addressed the King.

“Your Majesty, the castle seems to be getting stranger and stranger.”

“Hmm….”

Jade couldn’t bring himself to say that the Queen’s hobby was strange, so he expressed it as euphemistically as possible.

At twenty-one years old, the Queen, who came from a powerful noble family, had a playground that was quite bizarre.

On one side, herbs grown directly were being dried in the sun, and on the other side, various medicinal herb cooking utensils were placed for decocting medicine [extracting medicinal properties by boiling].

Over there in the corner, piles of wood were stacked for carving, and on the walls, even targets that were now unidentifiable were attached.

Now, Jade fully agreed with the King’s words.

*How did the Duncan family raise the Queen to be like this? Isn’t she possessing all the hobbies that are hard for one person to have?*

The King scratched the end of his eyebrow and smiled.

The King knew all the circumstances, but it was very ambiguous to explain.

Being in this situation, he shouldn’t have painted the Queen as a liar.

She really did her best to explain it within common sense so that others could understand.

The knights were looking around this bizarre landscape and were in confusion.

The Queen belatedly appeared in the garden.

She was only accompanied by Deborah and one knight.

“Your Majesty, you came early?”

As she smiled and walked over, Roderick quickly approached and grabbed both of her cheeks.

“Yeah, I was so worried that I came as soon as the meeting ended.”

“I told you, you don’t have to worry.”

“How can I not worry when you’re handling weapons? My little bean [another term of endearment], if you fly away with the arrows, I’ll quickly go and pick you up.”

Lee Jae smiled in disbelief.

Shaking her head, she soon began to organize the quiver [a container for holding arrows].

The King bent down next to her and watched Lee Jae.

Shamans all have their own tools.

Some use divine knives or are skilled in amulets, some use colorful flags or bells, and some enjoy using musical instruments.

People who use divine knives or amulets are shamans who make exorcism their profession.

People who use colorful flags and bells are diviners who look into the future.

People who enjoy using musical instruments know how to comfort the spirits of the deceased.

Youngsan Grandma was the best shaman of her time who could handle almost all the tools, but Lee Jae was not like that. Her tools were a rosary bracelet and a bow.

She always needed more tools, but Lee Jae had been reluctant to talk about the bow.

She thought that people in the castle would think of bracelets or sculptures as such, but they would really think of the bow as strange.

But now that the King knew and understood everything, there was nothing more to hesitate about.

“But you, can you really do this?”

“Why? Do you really think I’m going to fly away with the arrows?”

“………”

“Huh? You can’t answer?”

The King scratched the end of his eyebrow as if he was in trouble.

At that moment, the King’s knights, who were watching from behind, all understood the King’s feelings.

Aside from anything else, the bow looked too big compared to the Queen’s physique.

She seemed to have carved it herself to fit her figure, but still, the Queen looked too small and light.

Lee Jae smiled charmingly and plucked the bowstring a couple of times.