Special Story 1.4

After a special day, the King and Lee-Jae were resting in the guest room.

Lee-Jae sat on the bed, resting her chin on the windowsill, gazing out at the garden.

The change in scenery made it feel like a little getaway—like they were on an actual trip.

She wore a quiet smile, while the King looked unmistakably grumpy.

“Your Majesty, power really is a nice thing, huh? Everyone’s just dying to host you wherever you go.”

Her words were bright and carefree.

The King sighed, watching the back of her round little head.

“My lady is so blissfully naive.”

Lee-Jae pretended not to hear and continued looking out the window.

Annoyed, the King asked with a scowl, “You’re not even going to ask what I meant?”

“I saw the way you looked earlier—all angry. Of course I noticed.”

“If you can read me this well, why can’t other people?”

She didn’t answer—just smiled.

That only deepened his irritation.

“You really don’t need to respond to every little thing. Don’t go doing that even in official meetings.”

“Your Majesty, just think of it as part of the meal and lodging fee. When I look into someone’s future, I try to receive something in return. That way I don’t end up suffering consequences later.”

“That’s putting things a bit backwards. Did anyone here ask you to stay the night?”

“Roderick. Don’t nitpick everything. You know I never say anything that would go too far.”

The moment she gently called him by name, the King fell silent.

These days, there was no consistency in how Lee-Jae addressed the King.

In public, she typically used “Your Majesty,” but in private, she sometimes used his name if she felt like it.

Oddly, when they were in bed, she usually tried to call him “Roderick,” but sometimes “Your Majesty” slipped out of habit.

But one thing was clear—every time she said his name, the corners of his lips twitched upward, just slightly.

The King had admitted it himself: if she said “Roderick” ten times like a little parrot, he could probably live off that joy for a week.

He carefully pulled her away from the window, laid down, and let her rest on his arm while gently stroking her hair.

Then, a question came to him.

“But why does receiving something protect you from consequences?”

“Mm… only when I do something difficult. You saw what happened to Ilias and Schmidt, didn’t you? It’s about shielding myself from that one-in-a-million kind of blowback. If there’s an exchange, it’s a deal. It means I also had a legitimate reason to cross a line.”

He more or less understood.

But there was still something that didn’t sit right with him. He scratched the edge of his brow.

By that logic, the person she had helped the most… was the King himself.

“I feel bad saying this, but—I don’t think I’ve ever given you anything.”

The statue, the wooden bracelet from the hunting competition, the charms, the prayers—

He’d received them all without knowing what they were, and even when he learned the truth, he hadn’t realized there was an unspoken rule behind it.

Lee-Jae couldn’t help but laugh at that.

She’d once thought the same—that she’d exorcised demons for him without receiving even a token in return.

But how narrow-sighted that was.

There was no one who had offered her a heart as sincere—or understood her—as deeply as Roderick had.

“I already received the greatest thing from you. Something no one else could give.”

“And what’s that?”

She only smiled and said there was something, but it was too hard to explain in words.

Still curious, the King didn’t press.

She was smiling so sweetly—it felt like a shame to ruin it.

All he could do was admire her face, and the warmth that seemed to radiate from it.

“My lady.”

“Yes?”

“Wanna do it?”

Lee-Jae immediately pouted, her smile vanishing.

She whispered, “What kind of talk is that… in someone else’s house?”

“…It’s not okay?”

“No. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Roderick genuinely didn’t understand why even the King and Queen had to worry about such things.

Surely the Marquis’s maids would take care of everything afterwards anyway.

But of course, it was precisely because of things like that that Lee-Jae wasn’t in the mood.

And the King had no interest in a union she couldn’t enjoy.

So, he offered a compromise.

“Alright. If my lady doesn’t want to, I suppose I have no choice. Let’s just kiss, then.”

Lee-Jae chuckled, her body quivering slightly, and leaned in to press her lips against his.

But Roderick wasted no time slipping his tongue between her lips.

They began kissing, lying on their sides, facing each other.

But before long, Lee-Jae found herself flat on her back, while Roderick was half-propped up above her.

He always tried to be conscious of his weight with her—

She was small, and even resting his leg on her sometimes prompted complaints that he was heavy.

Still, he always seemed to end up pressing down on some part of her slight frame without meaning to.

While kissing her eagerly and teasing the roof of her mouth, Roderick suddenly realized he was crushing one of her shoulders again.

So he slipped a hand behind her back and flipped their positions.

Their legs tangled as they shifted, making space between them.

One arm wrapped around her waist, Roderick deepened the kiss, their tongues intertwined.

The other hand wandered slowly over her body.

At some point, her nightdress had ridden up past her hips, but to them, this entire process had become second nature—

So natural that stopping or blocking it now would feel more awkward.

There was no law against lovers sharing their love.

“Mm…”

As the kiss grew longer, a soft moan escaped from deep in her throat—

A sound that resonated like a pleasant hum.

It felt like being soaked in rain, though only their lips were joined—as if the wetness were falling somewhere else entirely.

And when his large hand finally moved to where it was clearly heading—

Lee-Jae snapped back to awareness.

She placed both hands on his shoulders and began to push herself up.

Sensing her squirming, Roderick gently held the back of her head, but as muffled sounds of protest—“Mm, mm!”—escaped her lips, he let go.

Lee-Jae rolled off him, tumbling sideways onto the bed.

Her small frame rose and fell with shallow breaths as she tried to steady herself on the mattress beside her husband.

“I’m sorry, but we have to stop here… If we go any further, I won’t be able to hold back.”

Roderick, interrupted mid-moment, reached out and stroked her curled-up shoulder.

He knew she was right—knew he had to stop.

The signal had been unmistakable.

Still, he couldn’t help but feign ignorance as he spoke, hoping for a loophole.

“Me? What do you mean, I—why?”

“…No, haah… Not you, Your Majesty—me.”

At that, Roderick felt his blood rush in a single pulse.

What was he supposed to do after hearing something like that?

After a long silence, he gently pushed down on one of her shoulders, laying her flat on her back again.

He gazed into her round eyes and said, “My clever wife… why are you like this sometimes?”

“You really don’t get it? Saying things like that makes stopping even harder for me.”

She gave herself to him almost every night—yet still, he craved her. Still, he ached for her.

He didn’t know why.

Looking down at her with conflicted eyes, he eventually ran a hand roughly through his hair… and yanked the blanket up over her.

It was a long time before Lee-Jae emerged again, quietly pushing down the blanket’s edge.

When she peeked to the side, Roderick was propped up on an elbow, watching her—as if he’d been waiting for her to come out.

“My lady, we should’ve just gone back to our residence to sleep.”

“Still no change in your decision?”

“You’re driving me mad.”

Though his voice was thick with longing, Lee-Jae pulled the blanket down fully to her chin.

Because unlike before, his blue eyes had lost all their heat—and what remained there now was only a tender smile.

Roderick asked gently, “Where should we go tomorrow?”

Lee-Jae didn’t answer right away. Her eyes widened slightly.

‘We’re going again?’

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lee-Jae asked the question that had been lingering in her mind since dinner.

“Your Majesty… did you come out here to keep an eye on the nobles?”

“Huh?”

“Or… maybe to rally support before taking action or something like that?”

Roderick fell silent, momentarily at a loss for words.

‘She really doesn’t miss much,’ he thought.

Truthfully, part of the reason he had accepted the dinner invitation was exactly that.

Since the collapse of the anti-royalist faction, the power dynamics of the Cayenne nobility had been shifting rapidly.

In such times, drawing as many nobles into the Royal court’s sphere as possible was hardly a bad move for the monarchy.

But that was only a secondary motive.

The real reason the King had left the castle was something else entirely.

“…That might’ve been part of it. But more than that… it’s because you like this kind of thing.”

“Like what?”

“Traveling. Wandering around. Didn’t you say you wanted that?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You said so once. Didn’t you?”

Lee-Jae frowned slightly, trying to recall.

Then it dawned on her—it was something she had said during a meal with the King long ago.

“Ahh. So that’s why you keep asking me to go places.”

Come to think of it, she had often brought up leaving the castle.

Saying she wanted to visit the temple, go down to the river, even threatening to run away someday.

Of course, each time she’d had her reasons.

“That must’ve really stuck with you, huh?”

“I listen to everything you say.”

Lee-Jae let out a short laugh and nodded.

In truth, it had been a long-held wish of hers—a desire born from always feeling out of place, no matter where she was.

But not anymore.

Sanctuary was right beside her—there was no reason to keep drifting like dust.

So she silently thanked the man who had remembered those offhand words, said without much thought.

“Thank you, Roderick. I had a really good time today.”

“I’m glad.”

“But… let’s go home tomorrow.”

“Why? Already? I’ve still got time.”

Roderick looked puzzled.

He seemed to wonder if maybe today hadn’t been so enjoyable for her after all.

Seeing her husband like that, Lee-Jae gave a small laugh and leaned in closer.

Then, she mouthed the words slowly, without a sound.

I want to do it at home.

Roderick froze for a moment before clenching his teeth.

Damn it. I just barely held myself back, and now she’s provoking me again.

“If I lose control now, I honestly don’t think you have the right to blame me.”

With a long sigh, Roderick flopped onto his back and covered his eyes with his forearm.

It was the posture of a man exerting extreme self-restraint.

Lee-Jae stifled a laugh that threatened to burst out.

She knew full well this wasn’t the time to be teasing him like this.

But her husband was too funny, too adorable—resisting the urge to mess with him was impossible.

She reached for his wrist, trying to pull his arm away.

Naturally, it didn’t work.

Roderick wasn’t even using his full strength, and yet it was like trying to move a wall.

“Let go.”

“Nope.”

“I said let go, seriously. You’re going to get hurt.”

“Then you let go first.”

Usually, this kind of banter would end with Roderick quietly lowering his arm.

But this time, he didn’t budge.

‘Huh? Did I go too far?’

Lee-Jae was just about to check his expression when—

“Give me just a moment. I need to savor this.”

“………”

“I mean, that really got my heart racing just now.”

She tried not to laugh again, but Roderick was completely serious—he meant every word.

“You better take responsibility for what you said, tomorrow.”

But no reply came.

Not after a few seconds. Not after several more.

Still nothing.

At that, Roderick started chuckling hollowly.

It had gone past disbelief—he was losing his mind.

With a jolt, he sat up and gave Lee-Jae a gentle push, knocking her back onto the bed.

As she tried to escape, he grabbed her wrist and pinned it with one hand.

“My lady. Even your husband has limits.”

“Eek! Okay, okay! I’m sorry! Don’t!”

She cried out in a panic, but Roderick didn’t listen.

He shook his head with an expression of firm resolve.

“No. I don’t think you understand. Not tonight. You’ve crossed the line, little fox—getting my hopes up and then saying nothing?”

He peppered kisses across her face while his free hand mercilessly tickled her squirming body.

That night, laughter echoed through the Marquis’s residence—the bright, unrestrained kind shared between a king and his queen.

The servants passing through the halls all blinked wide-eyed, and the knights standing by awkwardly averted their gazes.

But the laughter didn’t fade, even as the night deepened and the moon grew full.

It was the end of a short journey.