Special Story 1.2

The royal entourage headed to the region of Glastine, a marquessate about an hour’s ride from the capital.

The King had chosen the place for its safety, lively commerce, and abundance of things to see.

More importantly, between the capital and the province lay one of the Royal family’s private residences.

Wearing cloaks with their hoods drawn, the group passed through the checkpoint and rode for some time.

As they crossed a wide plain, scattered houses began to appear, and before long, they entered the main street.

Naturally, the presence of the King and Lee-Jae drew attention.

Lee-Jae glanced around cautiously, trying to take in the scene, while the King strode forward confidently, as if this were just another familiar outing.

And that’s when it began.

The King started buying absolutely everything Lee-Jae laid her eyes on.

None of it was especially rare or luxurious—

The most precious treasures on the continent, at least in Cayenne, were all secured beneath the Palace.

This was purely for amusement.

“Fox.”

“What is it now?”

“Take it.”

“…Thanks, I guess.”

He bought flowers from a young girl and handed them to Lee-Jae, filling her arms.

When she so much as glanced at a jeweler’s shop, he marched right in.

“Fox, want this one too?”

“…Yes, but… can you please stop calling me that in public?”

“Alright. Pea.”

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

“Busted.”

Lee-Jae couldn’t understand what was going on with him.

Even the knights, who had to carry sackfuls of gemstones out of shops, were equally baffled.

Yet the King showed no intention of stopping.

He was on a rampage, as if he were determined to empty out the entire province.

And then—Lee-Jae’s eyes finally caught on something else.

“Your Majesty.”

“Mm? What is it?”

“If it’s alright with you… can we go there?”

She pointed toward something, and when the King turned to look, both he and the knights behind him broke into laughter.

It was a woodcraft workshop.

The King smiled knowingly.

“So you really did enjoy it, huh.”

He felt a strange relief.

He’d always worried that she had taken up carving because of him—

Out of stress, or pain.

But maybe it hadn’t been so miserable after all.

“If my wife wants to go, we’ll go.”

The King and Lee-Jae entered the workshop with only the knight commander and a few guards in tow.

Inside, the spacious shop was thick with fine sawdust.

As soon as the woodworkers saw them, murmurs broke out.

Their presence, their aura—it was hard to miss.

Lee-Jae poked her head out from among the taller men, and the knight commander stepped forward to speak on their behalf.

She couldn’t hear exactly what he said, but though the craftsmen still cast sideways glances, the tension in the air gradually eased.

Lee-Jae, now more relaxed, began to browse around the workshop.

The King, arms crossed, did the same.

To their surprise, there was quite a bit to see—

From furniture like desks and chairs to thumb-sized trinkets, the place was full of wooden creations.

The King found it unexpectedly fascinating.

He was a man used to seeing only the most exquisite craftsmanship—

The only truly “odd” item among his possessions was the strange little carving Lee-Jae had given him.

But even to his seasoned eye, the pieces here weren’t bad.

They had quality. They had taste.

Was Glastine always known for its woodworking?

He turned to share his thoughts with Lee-Jae—And noticed something strange.

She wasn’t looking at the finished works.

Her eyes were fixed on something else entirely—

The hands of a woodworker holding a carving knife.

The other knights didn’t understand why the Queen was watching the craftsman with such piercing focus.

But there was one person in the room who did understand.

The King.

He could see it too.

From the tip of that man’s hand,

Something unnatural was rising—

A faint, unfamiliar energy.

“…That one’s different.”

“You see it too?”

“Yeah. I see it.”

“Qi isn’t just something that appears when attacking others.”

Some were born with it. But anyone who had achieved true mastery in a particular field—was bound to have it.

The King nodded and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

They spent a while watching the woodworkers at their craft.

And after some time in quiet thought, the King asked her, “Lee-Jae.”

“Yes?”

“…Should I buy you a few of those?”

It was a half-joking question.

What the artisans were holding weren’t delicate carving knives for casual hobbywork.

They were heavy, robust tools—far too rough for her slender hands.

But he had a feeling she wouldn’t want any of the completed pieces either.

“Do they even sell tools like that?”

“They probably have extras. You don’t see knights walking around with only one sword, do you?”

“Good point.”

“…You really are interested, huh.”

As soon as Lee-Jae gave a small nod, the King turned and issued a quiet command to the knight behind him.

And before long, a few carving knives were placed into Lee-Jae’s hands.

She examined them closely, seriously—turning them over, scrutinizing the edges.

Then, all of a sudden, she let out a faint “Hm,” and smiled in a way no one could quite decipher.

The knight commander, watching her with curiosity, leaned over and whispered to the King,

“She seems to like those the best, Your Majesty.”

The King gave a casual shrug, but inwardly, he agreed.

She really did look like she loved them.

But at that moment, Lee-Jae was actually having a very strange thought.

‘If I carved a full-sized village guardian* and planted it inside the castle… people would be pretty shocked, wouldn’t they?’

[*T/N: Another totem that is typically placed at the entrance of a village]

Then again, it might help future generations, in the long run…

Size doesn’t equal strength, of course. But at least it wouldn’t be easy to lose.

Although—come to think of it—there were things in this world that are both big and strong…”

The King had no idea what kind of door he had just opened.

His only thought was that his wife was smiling—and that was enough for him.

If he had known what consequences that smile would bring to the Palace, he might have hesitated for a second before making the purchase.

Feeling in high spirits, Lee-Jae continued to walk the streets alongside the King, taking in the scenery.

But not everything that met their eyes was beautiful.

At the same moment, both the King and Lee-Jae stopped and looked up into the empty air.

“…There are a lot more out here,” the King murmured.

What they were staring at was a wandering spirit—one that had clearly died long ago.

The Palace had become something of a sanctified zone recently, thanks to the combined effect of Lee-Jae’s barriers and the Royal family’s qi.

But out here, minor spirits and stray ghosts still wandered about.

This one lacked enough resentment to do any real harm, so Lee-Jae simply turned to look at her husband.

There was something she’d been curious about for a while.

She had asked him once or twice before, but his answers had never been satisfying.

So she asked again.

“Your Majesty.”

“Mm? What is it.”

“When are you going to close that vision of yours? Doesn’t it bother you?”

Roderick looked down at her thoughtfully.

“What about you? Doesn’t it bother you?”

“I’ve lived like this since I was little. And besides… there’s nothing I can do about it.”

But you’re not like me—

That was what she really wanted to say.

The ability to open and close one’s spirit-sight wasn’t something just anyone had.

It was something she had earned—

one of the few real rewards she’d managed to wrest from the Boy King.

Roderick shrugged, answering as if it were no big deal.

“If I’m always watching, I can protect you better.”

It sounded plausible. It was even sincere.

But Lee-Jae tilted her head slightly, and replied, “If something really dangerous came my way, you’d sense it even with your sight closed, wouldn’t you?”

She was right.

Roderick, struck by the truth of her words, stared at her—then broke into a quiet laugh.

In the end, he chose to tell her the truth.

“…I just don’t like the idea of someone trying anything with you.”

Lee-Jae froze.

And after a brief silence, Lee-Jae parted her lips slightly.

What escaped her lips was a pure, unfiltered sound of awe.

“…Wow.”

“What?”

“You have a stronger stomach than I thought.”

“For what?”

“I mean, you can still say things like that… after seeing that mess?”

She turned to glance back at the spirit and shook her head.

The manner of death was more than easy to imagine.

But Roderick had a retort of his own.

There was something that had been bothering him for quite some time.

“They’re not all like that.”

“…What’s not?”

“King Arthur, for one. Total pretty boy, isn’t he?”

He narrowed his eyes.

“You little—weren’t you staring at the portrait of the first king at the spire for way longer than mine? Be honest. You looked at it more than you’ve ever looked at me, didn’t you?”

Roderick himself was hardly lacking in the looks department.

He was well aware of how others saw him—and what he saw in the mirror.

Still, Arthur had a youthful charm, a boyish glow.

His features were delicate, almost cute.

And worst of all, he’d seemed close to Lee-Jae.

Convinced that this was his wife’s type, Roderick looked distinctly annoyed.

Lee-Jae, on the other hand, was dumbfounded.

Apparently, people could be extraordinary in this kind of way too.

“…That’s not why I was looking. How did you even come up with something so ridiculous?”

She shook her head firmly, her voice filled with conviction.

But that was precisely the kind of thing she shouldn’t have said.

“Your Majesty, I despise things like ghost intercourse.”

Roderick stared at her in silence, his face unreadable.

He was deep in thought.

It was the calm before a storm.

Wait. What does she mean? Did she just say what I think she said? No, maybe I misheard… right?

And then, the moment he saw one of her eyebrows twitch and her gaze dart away,

Roderick’s suspicions exploded.

“…Wife. What exactly do you mean by that?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Do you mean, like… sexual intercourse? With a ghost?”

“………”

“That’s a thing?”

“………”

“Huh?”

The continued silence was all the confirmation he needed.

Roderick was instantly outraged.

“You’re telling me this now?!”

“………”

“Has any lunatic ever said something insane like that to you? Huh?!”

It felt like a sudden surge of heat shot through him.

If anyone had made a move on her… he genuinely wanted to go and destroy everything in the middle.

But Lee-Jae, who couldn’t bring herself to admit, it was one of your ancestors, ended up muttering an excuse instead.

“…You’re ignoring the second half of what I said.”

“………”

“I said I despise that kind of thing.”

“Don’t care. Whatever was coming up inside me must’ve blocked the rest. Didn’t quite catch that part.”

Roderick exhaled deeply as he gazed up at the sky.

Lee-Jae, watching his reaction, cautiously asked,

“…Are you sulking?”

“Yeah.”

“I only brought it up because I thought keeping your spiritual sight open all the time must be exhausting.”

“Well, I never planned to close it anyway, but now I don’t want to close it even when I’m dead. That was some hell of a convincing argument you made.”

Lee-Jae looked thoroughly baffled.

He was wasting such a useful ability over something so trivial.

She asked,

“So what, if a pretty female ghost seduced you, would you fall for her?”

At that, the King’s face turned deadly serious.

“Lee-Jae. I really hate jokes like that.”

“Hate what?”

“Why would I ever look at another woman when I have you?”

Lee-Jae’s face grew visibly displeased.

He clearly wasn’t seeing this from her perspective at all.

Frowning, she shot back,

“Then what, are you saying my words don’t mean anything? That I don’t only have eyes for you?”

Roderick went silent.

Then, with another sigh, he turned his eyes back to the sky.

He sighed several times.

He realized he’d overreacted more than necessary over a pretty minor thing.

Once again, he felt like he’d just needlessly dug his own grave.

Still, he wanted to clear up one important misunderstanding.

What made him jealous and what made him worried—were two completely different matters.

“You think I’m worried because I don’t know that? I know. I know I’m the only one for you. But the world’s full of brainless, brute bastards who don’t understand what no means. That’s why I worry.”

“……….”

“And, my wife—Let’s make a rule to say things like ‘you’re the only one for me’ before I start losing my mind over jealousy, okay?”

Lee-Jae went silent for a beat.

She truly didn’t know which of them was being more ridiculous right now.

Eventually, she let out a laugh—she couldn’t help it.

At least, she thought, she didn’t need to worry about his spiritual sight anymore.

He was adapting to it even better than those born with the gift.