“You just said ‘I’m sorry’, but you set the mood as if you were making a serious confession.”
“This is ridiculous. So in the Empire, when they hit someone, they just say ‘Hey, I’m sorry?’ and walk away?”
“This is the ridiculous one. Do you think the people of our country are some kind of back-alley gangsters?”
“Who said that?”
Flowers emitting a gentle fragrance, soft candles creating a strange atmosphere, a bed half-draped in red curtains—it was a bridal chamber, no matter where you looked. However, the man and woman, who were wearing clothes thin enough to show their skin, were busy arguing with their necks bloodshot, just a few hours ago.
The woman with her jet-black hair roughly pulled back said with a frown on her fair and pretty face.
“If you hit me once, I hit you twice in return. That’s how we apologize, Your Majesty.”
Then, a man who looked as gentle as a large puppy glared and slammed his head on the table.
“What kind of apology is that! In which country do you call that an apologize?”
“In my country.”
The woman snorted. The man who had been looking at her with a dumbfounded expression also laughed and turned his head away. As they looked away from each other like grumpy children, coincidentally the two were thinking the same thing.
‘What the heck!’
This can’t be happening!"
The ear-splitting roar belonged to Commander Merton. His large face was so red with anger that the dark, sand-colored whiskers that had grown along his ears stood out even more today.
“How could His Majesty do this to Her Highness the Princess! Not only did you disobey the will of His Majesty the previous Emperor, but you...!”
“Shut up, Merton.”
The voice of a woman, who was clearly female, rang out low, though the curtain hanging from the ceiling obscured half of her upper body. The expressions of the knight commanders, who were not very old but had an innate sense of dignity, froze.
With the light sound of the curtain and the collar brushing against each other, the figure of the owner of the voice, Princess Erdene, appeared through the slanted shadow.
Her hands, which were clasped together as if in prayer, were firm rather than delicate, and covered with calluses and scars. There was also a fairly long scar just below her face, but it was near her chin, so it was not noticeable unless you looked closely. Compared to her rough hands, her small face and her fierce and stubborn face made a strange harmony.
The adjutant sitting to her right, Thelma, who was in charge of the Knights of Eril, the elite soldiers of the Empire, spoke in a tone that could not contain her anger.
“What Commander Merton said is not unreasonable. How much trouble did Her Highness the Princess go through to win this war against Biotin? Isn’t it right for the Princess who returned victoriously to wear the imperial crown? But how...!”
“I told you to shut up. It’s already been decided.”
As Princess Erdene ground her teeth in warning, even Thelma, who rarely held back her words, pursed her lips tightly. Her expression was discontented, but silence returned.
However, even silence could not comfort Erdene’s miserable heart. Well, what could comfort this heart?
Her eyes, swollen red with indescribable anger and cruel hatred, trembled faintly. Then Thelma, who saw that, could not hold back and spoke again as if complaining.
“Your Highness, this is truly absurd...”
“Even if it doesn’t make sense, what can I do?”
Erdene glared at Thelma with fierce eyes. The atmosphere became chilly even though she didn’t raise her voice once.
Erdene spoke again.
“What should I do, Thelma? The imperial edict has already been given, and I must leave this place before dawn tomorrow. So, will you bring back His Majesty the new Emperor’s head in the meantime? Are you sure you can do that?”
Thelma’s mouth fell open. The knight commanders and their subordinates here were all loyal to Erdene, so there was no need to worry, but her words just now were, if you think about it, beheading. What made Thelma even more shocked was that she vaguely realized that Erdene truly wanted that.
Erdene snickered at Thelma, who didn’t respond.
“If that’s not the case, then don’t say anything anymore. I might cut off your head.”
Silence fell again. The knight commanders of the empire, who had been through all sorts of hardships while fighting on the battlefield for a day like a year and a year like a day, looked more miserable than any defeated soldier at this moment. They’ll probably burst into tears soon. As Erdene absentmindedly thought about it as if she had prophesied, a sobbing sound came from somewhere.
“Her Highness the Princess has endured all the hardships, but what the...”
Aiman, who had a large head and a bumpy bone structure, was being teased by his colleagues as a potato head, and his thick lips and nose were distorted at the same time, and tears were falling down. He was shivering, or the joints of his armor were making a faint rattling sound.
The sight of the large man sobbing gave Erdene some respite. She looked back at her subordinates, who had their heads bowed with a gloomy expression, and scolded Aiman.
“You’re as big as a bear, so don’t poke around, ugly. I'm not going to die.”
It was her best joke, but this time, her subordinates didn’t respond. Erdene also knew the reason, so she didn’t scold them anymore for keeping their mouths shut and pretending to die.
Not going to die?
No, she was going to die.
At least a part of her was already dead.
The Hirschsten Empire, which occupied the vast northern region of the Singels Continent, was famous for the belligerent and combative nature of all its citizens.
Its territory was larger than any other country in the interior, but it was barren and the rocky mountain ranges jutted out roughly, leaving very little farmland. In addition, it had to endure unusually long winters and intensely hot summers, so survival itself was impossible if you weren’t strong.
“Even the gold mines! This is all thanks to the bold tactics of Her Highness the Princess!”
Erdene sat on her huge warhorse without wavering and led thousands of soldiers from the front. When Captain Aiman, who had been encouraging the soldiers from behind, began to speak with a hearty laugh, Thelma, who was on the other side, shook her clenched fist.
“Of course! Those rat-like bastards of Binotin bravely bit and hung on for a year, but who are we? We chose the wrong opponents to attack.”
The Hirschsten Empire had been eyeing the riches of the various kingdoms located inland beyond the border area consisting of shallow mountains and swamps. From the Kingdom of Binotin, which was their target this time, they had obtained a certain amount of plains, wetlands, and mines, and the morale of the soldiers returning with news of victory was sky-high.
However, Erdene had not smiled once since the end of the war. Even though he had spent a long year on the battlefield, he did not seem happy at all on his way back.
Thelma, who had been watching him closely, asked cautiously.
“Your Highness, what is wrong?”
Erdene frowned and gripped the reins tightly. Something... was bothering her. She kept feeling nervous and irritated as if a heavy, wet lump of mud had entered her armor. The biggest problem was that he could not figure out the exact reason.
“Your Highness, are you not feeling well?”
When even Captain Merton, who rarely worries, spoke to her in a worried voice, Erdene furrowed her brows deeply.
“Have you seen anything wrong with me? It’s not that I’m not sure if I wiped myself after doing my business or not.”
At that, Aiman stuck out his lips and let out a sigh.
“What if you don’t? After all, if you wear armor and swing a sword for three days, the inside will be...”
“Shut up, you dirty rascal. That’s not really true.”
Thelma interjected.
“Then why are you doing that? You don’t look so good.”
Erdene furrowed her brows again and remained silent, then glanced at Thelma.
“Thelma, how long has it been since we started the war with Binotin?”
“A little over a year and a month.”
Erdene nodded.
“Yes, how much have we been pushing and pulling during that long time? Against those scoundrels. We originally expected to go out in three months, but it took much longer than expected. Didn’t we hear the news of His Majesty’s passing only late?”
“This is ridiculous. So in the Empire, when they hit someone, they just say ‘Hey, I’m sorry?’ and walk away?”
“This is the ridiculous one. Do you think the people of our country are some kind of back-alley gangsters?”
“Who said that?”
Flowers emitting a gentle fragrance, soft candles creating a strange atmosphere, a bed half-draped in red curtains—it was a bridal chamber, no matter where you looked. However, the man and woman, who were wearing clothes thin enough to show their skin, were busy arguing with their necks bloodshot, just a few hours ago.
The woman with her jet-black hair roughly pulled back said with a frown on her fair and pretty face.
“If you hit me once, I hit you twice in return. That’s how we apologize, Your Majesty.”
Then, a man who looked as gentle as a large puppy glared and slammed his head on the table.
“What kind of apology is that! In which country do you call that an apologize?”
“In my country.”
The woman snorted. The man who had been looking at her with a dumbfounded expression also laughed and turned his head away. As they looked away from each other like grumpy children, coincidentally the two were thinking the same thing.
‘What the heck!’
***
This can’t be happening!"
“How could His Majesty do this to Her Highness the Princess! Not only did you disobey the will of His Majesty the previous Emperor, but you...!”
“Shut up, Merton.”
The voice of a woman, who was clearly female, rang out low, though the curtain hanging from the ceiling obscured half of her upper body. The expressions of the knight commanders, who were not very old but had an innate sense of dignity, froze.
With the light sound of the curtain and the collar brushing against each other, the figure of the owner of the voice, Princess Erdene, appeared through the slanted shadow.
Her hands, which were clasped together as if in prayer, were firm rather than delicate, and covered with calluses and scars. There was also a fairly long scar just below her face, but it was near her chin, so it was not noticeable unless you looked closely. Compared to her rough hands, her small face and her fierce and stubborn face made a strange harmony.
The adjutant sitting to her right, Thelma, who was in charge of the Knights of Eril, the elite soldiers of the Empire, spoke in a tone that could not contain her anger.
“What Commander Merton said is not unreasonable. How much trouble did Her Highness the Princess go through to win this war against Biotin? Isn’t it right for the Princess who returned victoriously to wear the imperial crown? But how...!”
“I told you to shut up. It’s already been decided.”
As Princess Erdene ground her teeth in warning, even Thelma, who rarely held back her words, pursed her lips tightly. Her expression was discontented, but silence returned.
However, even silence could not comfort Erdene’s miserable heart. Well, what could comfort this heart?
Her eyes, swollen red with indescribable anger and cruel hatred, trembled faintly. Then Thelma, who saw that, could not hold back and spoke again as if complaining.
“Your Highness, this is truly absurd...”
“Even if it doesn’t make sense, what can I do?”
Erdene glared at Thelma with fierce eyes. The atmosphere became chilly even though she didn’t raise her voice once.
Erdene spoke again.
“What should I do, Thelma? The imperial edict has already been given, and I must leave this place before dawn tomorrow. So, will you bring back His Majesty the new Emperor’s head in the meantime? Are you sure you can do that?”
Thelma’s mouth fell open. The knight commanders and their subordinates here were all loyal to Erdene, so there was no need to worry, but her words just now were, if you think about it, beheading. What made Thelma even more shocked was that she vaguely realized that Erdene truly wanted that.
Erdene snickered at Thelma, who didn’t respond.
“If that’s not the case, then don’t say anything anymore. I might cut off your head.”
Silence fell again. The knight commanders of the empire, who had been through all sorts of hardships while fighting on the battlefield for a day like a year and a year like a day, looked more miserable than any defeated soldier at this moment. They’ll probably burst into tears soon. As Erdene absentmindedly thought about it as if she had prophesied, a sobbing sound came from somewhere.
“Her Highness the Princess has endured all the hardships, but what the...”
Aiman, who had a large head and a bumpy bone structure, was being teased by his colleagues as a potato head, and his thick lips and nose were distorted at the same time, and tears were falling down. He was shivering, or the joints of his armor were making a faint rattling sound.
The sight of the large man sobbing gave Erdene some respite. She looked back at her subordinates, who had their heads bowed with a gloomy expression, and scolded Aiman.
“You’re as big as a bear, so don’t poke around, ugly. I'm not going to die.”
It was her best joke, but this time, her subordinates didn’t respond. Erdene also knew the reason, so she didn’t scold them anymore for keeping their mouths shut and pretending to die.
Not going to die?
No, she was going to die.
At least a part of her was already dead.
***
The Hirschsten Empire, which occupied the vast northern region of the Singels Continent, was famous for the belligerent and combative nature of all its citizens.
Its territory was larger than any other country in the interior, but it was barren and the rocky mountain ranges jutted out roughly, leaving very little farmland. In addition, it had to endure unusually long winters and intensely hot summers, so survival itself was impossible if you weren’t strong.
“Even the gold mines! This is all thanks to the bold tactics of Her Highness the Princess!”
Erdene sat on her huge warhorse without wavering and led thousands of soldiers from the front. When Captain Aiman, who had been encouraging the soldiers from behind, began to speak with a hearty laugh, Thelma, who was on the other side, shook her clenched fist.
“Of course! Those rat-like bastards of Binotin bravely bit and hung on for a year, but who are we? We chose the wrong opponents to attack.”
The Hirschsten Empire had been eyeing the riches of the various kingdoms located inland beyond the border area consisting of shallow mountains and swamps. From the Kingdom of Binotin, which was their target this time, they had obtained a certain amount of plains, wetlands, and mines, and the morale of the soldiers returning with news of victory was sky-high.
However, Erdene had not smiled once since the end of the war. Even though he had spent a long year on the battlefield, he did not seem happy at all on his way back.
Thelma, who had been watching him closely, asked cautiously.
“Your Highness, what is wrong?”
Erdene frowned and gripped the reins tightly. Something... was bothering her. She kept feeling nervous and irritated as if a heavy, wet lump of mud had entered her armor. The biggest problem was that he could not figure out the exact reason.
“Your Highness, are you not feeling well?”
When even Captain Merton, who rarely worries, spoke to her in a worried voice, Erdene furrowed her brows deeply.
“Have you seen anything wrong with me? It’s not that I’m not sure if I wiped myself after doing my business or not.”
At that, Aiman stuck out his lips and let out a sigh.
“What if you don’t? After all, if you wear armor and swing a sword for three days, the inside will be...”
“Shut up, you dirty rascal. That’s not really true.”
Thelma interjected.
“Then why are you doing that? You don’t look so good.”
Erdene furrowed her brows again and remained silent, then glanced at Thelma.
“Thelma, how long has it been since we started the war with Binotin?”
“A little over a year and a month.”
Erdene nodded.
“Yes, how much have we been pushing and pulling during that long time? Against those scoundrels. We originally expected to go out in three months, but it took much longer than expected. Didn’t we hear the news of His Majesty’s passing only late?”
At that moment, the knight commanders and officers around her closed their mouths with solemn expressions. In the meantime, Aiman suddenly became indignant and ground his molars.
“That position was originally for Her Highness the Princess.”
Erdene laughed.
“So what are we going to do? The golden castle of Hirshsten and the imperial crown have already fallen into your hands.”
It was a calm response, but her expression wasn’t all that good either.
While she had been on the battlefield for a year, Selem, the Emperor of Hirshsten and Erdene’s father passed away. He had been very well-behaved until the day he left, so this was incredibly shocking news.
However, what made Erdene even more shocked was the news that her twin brother, Tenek, had ascended to the throne as the new Emperor of the empire.
[In our Hirschsten, we value those who excel in martial arts the most. Erdene, my brave daughter. The next Emperor's seat is yours. You are only fifteen years old, and yet my elite warriors, who are known for their talents, are like broken scarecrows before you!]
Selem had already chosen his daughter Erdene as his successor. It wasn’t just in words. She trained in martial arts while also learning and mastering everything a King needed.
All of that was in vain.
Erdene changed the subject again.
“After half a year, there was a time when we pushed forward as if we were going to erase Binotin from the map, but she held on and escaped. She was strangely skilled.”
Captain Merton nodded in agreement.
“Well, we also thought it was strange. Wasn’t it the first time that prisoners escaped from Hirschsten’s camp, and even from the elite soldiers that Her Highness the Princess had dispatched? There were only three, and they all died.”
“That’s what I meant, Merton. Binotin even sabotaged our operations once or twice. Someone must have been a spy. We searched for him like crazy, but we couldn’t find out. But...”
Erdene’s blue eyes, trailing off, flashed with color.
“Can you understand that it ended so vainly with our victory?”
Said Thelma.
“There are many among the uneasy soldiers. Of course, it was thanks to Her Highness the Princess who diverted the rear cavalry and caught them off guard, but why did we fight so hard when we could have surrendered so easily?”
Erdene turned her gaze toward the distant scenery that slowly swayed along with the movement of her horse. As she became lost in thought, the other captains, except for her adjutant Thelma, quietly retreated to the back.
A war that ended too easily...
Thinking back, it was almost as if the incident had been predicted from then on.
“That position was originally for Her Highness the Princess.”
Erdene laughed.
“So what are we going to do? The golden castle of Hirshsten and the imperial crown have already fallen into your hands.”
It was a calm response, but her expression wasn’t all that good either.
While she had been on the battlefield for a year, Selem, the Emperor of Hirshsten and Erdene’s father passed away. He had been very well-behaved until the day he left, so this was incredibly shocking news.
However, what made Erdene even more shocked was the news that her twin brother, Tenek, had ascended to the throne as the new Emperor of the empire.
[In our Hirschsten, we value those who excel in martial arts the most. Erdene, my brave daughter. The next Emperor's seat is yours. You are only fifteen years old, and yet my elite warriors, who are known for their talents, are like broken scarecrows before you!]
Selem had already chosen his daughter Erdene as his successor. It wasn’t just in words. She trained in martial arts while also learning and mastering everything a King needed.
All of that was in vain.
Erdene changed the subject again.
“After half a year, there was a time when we pushed forward as if we were going to erase Binotin from the map, but she held on and escaped. She was strangely skilled.”
Captain Merton nodded in agreement.
“Well, we also thought it was strange. Wasn’t it the first time that prisoners escaped from Hirschsten’s camp, and even from the elite soldiers that Her Highness the Princess had dispatched? There were only three, and they all died.”
“That’s what I meant, Merton. Binotin even sabotaged our operations once or twice. Someone must have been a spy. We searched for him like crazy, but we couldn’t find out. But...”
Erdene’s blue eyes, trailing off, flashed with color.
“Can you understand that it ended so vainly with our victory?”
Said Thelma.
“There are many among the uneasy soldiers. Of course, it was thanks to Her Highness the Princess who diverted the rear cavalry and caught them off guard, but why did we fight so hard when we could have surrendered so easily?”
Erdene turned her gaze toward the distant scenery that slowly swayed along with the movement of her horse. As she became lost in thought, the other captains, except for her adjutant Thelma, quietly retreated to the back.
A war that ended too easily...
Thinking back, it was almost as if the incident had been predicted from then on.
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