Although the Grand Chancellor was momentarily silent due to being overwhelmed by the momentum, he did not just grow old.
He asked with a big smile as if it had nothing to do with this matter.
"Then why did you bring that woman in?"
"Should I tell you?"
A tone that says, 'How dare you question me?'
The Grand Chancellor kept his mouth shut in apparent displeasure.
Behidat thought for a moment.
"Well..."
There wasn't any particular reason.
Because he was on his way back to the palace, and when the woman was captured along the way, the harem was just the closest place that was easiest to monitor.
"Love at first sight?"
"..."
The look on Gedik's face was blatant as if asking what kind of nonsense this was.
Behidat smiled broadly.
In the world, which subject of heaven and earth would object if a Ra Kun took the woman he fell in love with at first sight into his harem?
The prosperity of the royal family was soon the blessing of the Pesians.
Rather, they should be glad that the harem was not completely emptied.
"Then will I be able to see that woman at this banquet, Kun?"
"Well."
It wasn't planned.
The Grand Chancellor smiled kindly and chuckled at the look on his face as if asking what was his intention.
"I really want you to show me. Isn't she the woman who might give birth to the next Kun?"
A snake.
Behidat replied. twisting the corners of his lips.
"Let's consider it."
***
"Does that old man want to have fun and drink in this situation?"
As soon as Nasir was called in, he started with his head.
The middle-aged man standing next to him tried to comfort him with a wrinkled smile at his obvious annoyance.
"It would be a good time to call the chieftains together, so they'll hang on there and bite."
It was rare for all the chieftains, who ruled over the entire Pesian region to gather together.
There are only six chieftains, but the number of clans they must rule is over forty.
Pessian never had a good day because of his temper, which made them grab their sword first when they were about to get into trouble. Still, it's fortunate that nothing other than small-scale local warfare occurs.
In any case, the fact that all six of them came up to the capital city of Al Pesian and gathered in one place had quite a lot of meaning.
Nasir sighed as if his head was already sore.
"Umar."
"Yes, Sihad."
Behidat asked his chin still. He was not at all disturbed by the situation at the moment.
"What about Jalil?"
"He has been locked in his house in the capital for two days and has not come out. No one has come to visit me."
"The Chieftain of Sharjah?"
"Bahrain is currently making no moves."
The absence of any special movement means that everything is ready.
Everyone present had a feeling that something was going to happen at this banquet.
He had been aiming for that and had deliberately left the place under the pretense of going on a pilgrimage.
"How much progress have you made in finding out the relationship between Kracha and the Grand Chancellor?"
"There is no clear evidence yet, but there is certainly strong discontent among the tribes in the old East Pesian region."
Nasir, who had been quiet, thought about something for a moment and then asked.
"What kind of relationship do you think he has with that woman?"
"I can't say no."
Behidat still couldn't be sure of anything.
Only the air inside the audience room became cold and stagnant.
Nasir thought that no matter how much he thought about it, he could not find any connection between the woman and this situation.
But, as Ra Kun said, it is not a situation where they can say for sure that it is not true.
If Ashina had heard, she would have felt wronged and come at the wrong time, but she was not here now.
"There will be no treason. No one in this land will dare to defy Ra Kun."
"Umar. I am not worried about rebellion."
There wasn't an ounce of mercy in the cold, harsh voice.
"If that's all, then all we have to do is cut off their heads. We can just call all the suspicious people and cover this land with their blood once again."
He doesn't enjoy blood, but he doesn't avoid seeing it either.
In fact, thousands of clans disappeared like that throughout Pesian history...
Doesn't the fact that only about fifty clans live in this vast land of Pesian speak for itself?
Of course, if you go to the collateral branches of those clans, they will be divided into thousands of branches, but there has not yet been an independent collateral clan with Kun's permission.
"It is an established fact that Kracha has some kind of connection with the North. What Sihad wants to know is... Which clans and families among the tribes associated with Kracha secretly dealt with Cromwell."
"We must find out who that is so that we can hold them accountable for the tragedy that occurred in this land over twenty years ago."
There was not a single shred of emotion mixed in the response that continued without any ups and downs.
Tragedy.
Umar's face hardened at that one word.
The old servant asked his lord.
"Even Lord Sa Kun passed away without finding out. Is it possible?"
"Well."
Even the world's greatest Sihad could not confirm that point. The chilly air made the temperature in the audience room even colder.
You have to find the enemy that is hidden, not the one that is visible above the water.
Isn't that why Sihad is putting in so much effort?
Nasir silently raised his hand next to the thoughtful Umar.
"I have a good idea."
"Speak."
Even though his gaze was so intense that he wouldn't just let it slide if it was nonsense, Nasir didn't back down.
"Can I meetLady Asina?"
Behidat red eyes looked down at his subject with sharp eyes.
Although he looked as if he was going to be crushed, Nasir smiled broadly and continued speaking as if nothing had happened.
"She is from the North. If she comes to the North, wouldn't she know better than anyone else in this land?"
"What does that have to do with this situation?"
"We don't know much about the North, Sihad. We don't even know the reason why Kracha joined hands with the North. There is a saying, that if you know your enemy and yourself, you will win every battle. It has been over a hundred years since we learned that there is a continent in the North, but we still don't know the details of what countries there are. No. It would be more accurate to say that we are not interested. But will that ignorance help us in the current situation?"
That ignorance resembled the arrogance of not knowing at all.
A completely different situation from Cromwell, who had always been interested in the Southern Continent and had turned Kracha into a country teeming with merchants.
Pesian didn't even pay attention because it wasn't an invasion of his territory.
"Do you think she knows something?"
"Surprisingly, important information tends to come from common things."
Nasir smiled brightly and his eyes sparkled.
Sihad gave his permission, as he had noticed Nasir's thirst for knowledge about the North from before.
"Permission granted."
***
The sun rises and sets early in the desert.
I remembered a phrase from a book about deserts I had skimmed through and was amazed at how the sun was already setting at noon.
That book was real.
"But why is the harem so big?"
Even when I just took a quick look around, it took quite a while.
This time, I was looking at each room in detail, so I didn't know how time passed.
My body was still tense with tension.
Oh, that bad person.
Naturally, I gritted my teeth and thought about the man who had made me like this.
The man, who only smiled strangely when I asked him why he came, left after making it impossible for me to sleep all night.
Baddie.
I never thought I'd be able to go until morning.
Oh, isn't it the same today?
For some reason, a slight chill ran down my back.
Ugh. I think I'm going to die just thinking about it.
"Nur."
"Yes."
"Why is the harem so big? Does Nur know?"
This was purely out of curiosity. The harem is too big even though there aren't that many women living there.
At my question, Nur turned to Karim for a moment and then cautiously opened her mouth.
"Usually, a harem is a place where the mistress of the house lives, and outside men are prohibited from entering. This is usually the case in Saga's house as well. However, the harem of the palace is larger because it raises not only the women of the Kun but also young girls without connections."
"Huh? Why? When you grow up, Kun will take you as his concubine?"
If that's true, it's in terrible taste. Nur smiled slightly, perhaps because he saw my tired expression.
"There are cases like that, but usually Kun sends them as wives to important Pesian figures. It's to prevent the frequent marriages between the chieftains that lead to disharmony."
"I see."
I learned something new.
I felt a renewed urge to learn more about Pesian culture.
Although I was an adventurer by nature and enjoyed traveling, I also enjoyed spending time in the library and learning new things.
At first, I thought Nur was just a slave, but through her, I once again reflected on my prejudice against Pesians.
I knew more than I thought when I pressed on it.
Even if it was just common sense knowledge for Pesian, it was amazing to understand it exactly and know the reason for it.
As expected, there is no end to learning. I, who had been smiling brightly, inadvertently looked back at the strange gaze fixed on the back of my head.
"..."
Karim was looking at me with a look of wonder as to what on earth this woman was doing.
He clearly said he would wait outside the harem, but before he knew it, he was deep inside the harem where I was stirring things up.
Although he didn't speak to me, his gaze strangely followed me and was persistent.
Tsk tsk.
I never knew I was such an untrustworthy person.
I sighed for a moment.
I could clearly see Karim's eagerness to find out the intention behind the suspicious woman's suspicious behavior as if it didn't matter.
As expected, he was a watcher. I smiled broadly.
I guess I need to let down my guard.
This level of boundary will only get in the way later.
"Hmm."
What on earth should I say?
Above all, since Nur was right next to him, there was no need to ask Karim.
What on earth should I say to avoid making it seem suspicious?
I tried to use her head as much as possible.
"Is there a place like a garden here?"
Karim's expression hardened for a moment, wondering if I was asking him that.
He thought there was no reason to ask him since there was a maid next to me.
But the gaze that reached straight at him was fixed solely on him.
Even if he's not very tactful, he can tell that much.
Karim hesitated for a moment whether he should answer this question.
"There are. There are three gardens in total. They are all divided by the building."
I closed my mouth for a moment at the answer that came back to me.
Well, at least he gives me an answer.
It was fortunate that he wasn't a stone Buddha.
He was perceptive and even had a somewhat considerate attitude towards women.
But why does this guy look so familiar?
Have I ever seen it before?
Of course, I knew better than anyone that that couldn't be the case.
After thinking about it carefully, I finally figured out why this man seemed familiar.
Now that I look at it, it's exactly the same as our knights?
More than anything, it was a reaction that reminded me of Uncle Charis.
I thought he was a Pesian warrior who would be rough around the edges and mean to women, but I was wrong.
I admitted that I had been prejudiced.
Actually, people who lived only with swords were generally innocent.
Even if you were born in the desert, It wouldn't be any different.
Thinking like that, the warrior in front of me felt more familiar.
I smiled broadly.
"...Karim."
"Yes?"
Karim was momentarily taken aback by my suddenly calling his name.
I grabbed both his hands tightly.
"You look really handsome now. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"..."
What is this woman doing now?
Until just a moment ago, she had been storming around here and there as if she was making a map of the harem, but suddenly, when Ashina approached him.
Karim's body froze for a moment.
The confusion was compounded by the uncertainty of intent.
Meanwhile, Ashina looked up at Karim with a bright smile and eyes full of curiosity.
"Is this a scimitar? A Shamshir? Wow. I've never seen one before. Can you show me the blade? How long have you been holding a sword? Three years old?"
"I..."
"When did Tamura become like this? Didn't they say that this was a separate test? It was like that in the book I read."
"That's it, me."
"Come to think of it, doesn't Karim have a lot of ladies following you? You must be popular!"
Karim was momentarily embarrassed by the woman in front of him who kept chattering nonstop. It was a life-or-death crisis.
I thought that the innocent young man was being molested just by looking at his appearance, but I had no intention of stopping.
What's more amusing than anything is that such a big guy is struggling.
A reaction that only knows how to fight for rank among men, but has no idea how to deal with such a small and weak woman.
It's really fun.
Anyone who saw it would stick out their tongue and say it was in bad taste, but I didn't care. Then shall we try to figure it out a little more?
"Karim is..."
It was a moment when I was starting to wonder what I could say to tease this big man.
I almost bit my tongue when I heard a familiar voice from far away.
"When did you two become so close?"
Shit.
I barely managed to turn my gaze, swallowing the harsh words that were about to spill out of my mouth.
I was the first to stick to him, but for some reason, as soon as Karim caught Behidat's gaze, he was startled and fell first.
Oh my.
I pouted my lips as I watched Karim retreating as if it had nothing to do with me.
You're the only one getting out.
Are you a warrior?
I slowly met the gazes fixed on me, confident that our knights would never have done that.
Behidat was smiling as if he was having fun, but the atmosphere coming from him was not very pleasant.
A tremendous momentum weighed heavily on this space.
I swallowed dry saliva.
Somehow, the chill down my spine gave me a bad feeling.
Why do I keep feeling like I did something wrong even though I didn't do anything wrong?
I was really curious. It was really interesting.
"..."
A silence that is not easily broken dominates the space.
Nasir, who stood behind Behidat, and Karim, who had turned to the side, was desperately turning away from me as if he did not want to get involved in this situation.
I ground my teeth inwardly, feeling uneasy at the sight.
Let's wait and see.
Karim, not knowing what would happen in the future, just stood there blankly.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment