“What did you just say?”
Arkan, who was signing the documents, looked up at Plat, dumbfounded as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.
“Plat, say it again. What did you just say?”
Plat repeated exactly what he had just said, like a parrot.
“Alcohol, Your Majesty. Her Highness asked for alcohol for dinner. Not warm milk, warm bread with butter, a rich soup of clams and crayfish, or veal, but only alcohol, and it was a strong drink at that.”
Arkan put down his pen and let out a hollow laugh.
It was partly because he was shocked by Erdene’s request, but it was also really funny.
“I... how ridiculous.”
“I think the same way. And Your Majesty.”
Arkan glanced at Plat as if asking what was going on.
“Her Majesty the Queen’s favorite glass peony and the crystal vase listed in the treasure list of the Vetor royal family were broken.”
This time, Arkan couldn’t just laugh it off.
When he stood up abruptly, his hands on the desk, several piled-up documents scattered to the floor.
Requests for support for the war-stricken Kingdom of Binotin, officials’ arguments over taxes, and important documents related to trade mediation were scattered on the floor like fallen leaves.
“What are you talking about? Princess Erdene broke them?”
Plat nodded solemnly.
He thought Arkan would be furious and run to Erdene, so he slightly stepped back...
“On purpose?”
Arkan’s question made Plat’s eyes briefly turn to space.
“Her Highness herself said... that it was a mistake.”
There was silence for a moment. Arkan slumped down on his chair, sighing and touching his forehead.
When Plat, who had bitten his tongue, made a small squeak, the young servant who had been standing stiffly in the doorway looked at him.
When Plat nodded toward the scattered documents, the boy immediately ran over and quickly picked up the scattered documents under the desk.
Then he carefully put them back in their place and stepped back.
Plat said,
“I stopped Her Highness from apologizing to His Majesty. You have no time to spare because of your official duties, so wouldn’t it be difficult if she kept making excuses in detail?”
Arkan, who had been deep in thought with his clasped hands on his firm stomach, closed his eyes.
“Yes. If it was a mistake, then it was a mistake. If I had to apologize for something like that, I would probably spend my whole day receiving apologies from people and my life would end.”
Then Plat looked at Arkan with a surprised expression.
“Your Majesty, do you really believe that?”
“What if I don’t? Did it seem to you that she was lying?”
Plat almost nodded for a moment, recalling Erdene’s brazen retort and indifferent expression.
However, there was no clear evidence that her words were a lie...
Furthermore, if the two things had been broken intentionally, it was strange that she had chosen to destroy them.
Arkan also pointed out exactly that part.
“Common sense tells us that it would be more likely that she had done it by mistake than on purpose. She had only been in Vetor for half a day, so there was no way she would have chosen to destroy something after knowing all the details about its history. I think that if she had wanted to destroy something on purpose, she would have destroyed the pillar instead of a vase or a glass flower.”
“Isn’t that something you can say so calmly, Your Majesty?”
Arkan shrugged.
Plat was usually as calm as Arkan, but at this moment, he seemed to understand the feelings of the Marchioness Fiddlers, who had been causing a fuss.
“Your Majesty, I may be presumptuous, but I think it would be right to reconsider this marriage.”
The sound of a pen being put down struck Plat’s ear. Plat shut his mouth in a sting.
Arkan said.
“I didn’t marry her because I particularly wanted her. But as I said, there are many things at stake in this marriage. In particular, many people’s lives are at stake. Knowing that what are you talking about? Marchioness Fiddler’s is one thing. She’s the kind of person who needs three courtiers to be at ease if I sneeze once. But Plat, are you planning to follow the same path as the Marchioness? If so, I will first consider hiring a new secretary.”
How politely you say that I will be fired if I keep nagging, Plat thought.
He thought that this kind of speech was one of Arkan’s many charms, but...
‘It’s too bad that it probably won’t work in front of the Princess.’
Plat clicked his tongue and spoke again—it was so similar to the Marchioness of Fiddler’s speech that it made his hair stand on end, but there was no other way.
“In fact, wouldn’t it have been possible to have a marriage alliance even without Your Majesty’s intervention? That Tenek, who has just ascended to the throne... I know it’s presumptuous of me to say this, but he seems to have no affection for his own blood.”
“I’ve heard of that. Why wouldn’t he? Tenek and Erdene are probably twins. Tenek is the older brother.”
“Yes.”
“But wasn’t it the Princess who was favored by the previous Emperor? As everyone knows, they thought she would be the next Emperor to rule the great empire... If that had been the case, the allies in the interior would have fallen one after another, Plat. Hirschsten isn’t fighting for fun. He wants the rich lands that the north can never have, that is.”
Plat answered,
“I am fully aware of that fact, Your Majesty. There are many people in my family who went to support the allies in the war against Hirschsten and never returned. However, I do not understand what on earth that has to do with Your Majesty’s marriage. If you had persuaded Tenek to bring the Princess, who was the heir to the throne, to the interior...Wouldn’t it have been okay if it wasn’t Vetor? No, even if it was Vetor, why would Your Majesty marry the Princess?”
Arkan was no longer looking at the documents.
He pushed them aside and put down his seal and pen. He rested his chin on the smooth surface of the table and said,
“She is the Princess of the empire. So we should offer her a suitable match. My thoughts are the same as yours, Plat. Emperor Tenek would have accepted without hesitation a noble from the most remote region of Vetor as the Princess’s marriage partner. But that’s not right. If you want to buy something expensive and hard to get, you have to pay a certain price. Even if there’s a back road that you can sneak around, you can’t call it the right way, right?”
Plat felt suffocated. He knew Arkan’s temperament, but... he was a little worried.
In his opinion, since ancient times, it was better for a monarch to be self-willed rather than kind.
‘That being said, His Majesty is not behind in stubbornness or temper, but...’
Plat, who had been pulling on his cravat for no reason, let out a sigh.
“Don’t talk about yourself like an object.”
Arkan was silent for a moment, then smiled brightly enough to reveal his teeth.
It was a charming smile that made the hearts of the people coming and going from the palace flutter and kept them up at night.
However, the words coming out of his smiling lips were merciless.
“Plat, all royals are objects. They are ready to be traded for food, soldiers, or secrets. Especially in the marriage market, they are very good candidates.”
“Your Majesty...”
The old chamberlain finally let out a sigh.
However, Arkan stretched as if nothing had happened, and rubbed his neck that was stiff from all the work he had been doing.
“If she wants alcohol, I’ll bring her some. Tell the chef to prepare some good alcohol and food.”
Plat asked in surprise.
“Do you really plan on having a meal with her?”
“What are you talking about? I’m not married yet, but I should be there at least to treat her as a guest. You’d better leave work early today. You’re really out of your mind.”
Plat was about to ask who was responsible for that, but he just shook his head and went outside.
Arkan was the perfect King you’d expect to see in a highly embellished history book. He had a dignified and calm personality, a caring and considerate disposition, and a handsome appearance. However, in Plat’s opinion, he had one fatal flaw.
'You're trying to carry too much. I'm afraid you'll collapse. If Marchioness Fiddler comes in, there'll be another mess.'
While Arkan was arguing with Plat about 'a prime property in the marriage market', Erdene sent the exhausted Viscountess Wickes away and sat alone in the living room of the Queen's palace.
There were so many living rooms and bedrooms that she couldn't even remember which living room this was or what it was called.
However, it was quiet and sunny. She especially liked the fact that there was a window facing west.
She would be able to see the sunset from here. It was different from the Empire, but the scenery stretched far into the distance.
Erdene sat in her chair and stared blankly at the narrow, long tapestry hanging on one wall.
It was delicately embroidered with swords, horses, and a scene from a fierce battle. It was so strange that it was in the Queen's palace.
The last war with Vinothin was truly strange.
Erdene tilted her head back and slowly closed her eyes, lost in thought.
Arkan, who was signing the documents, looked up at Plat, dumbfounded as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.
“Plat, say it again. What did you just say?”
Plat repeated exactly what he had just said, like a parrot.
“Alcohol, Your Majesty. Her Highness asked for alcohol for dinner. Not warm milk, warm bread with butter, a rich soup of clams and crayfish, or veal, but only alcohol, and it was a strong drink at that.”
Arkan put down his pen and let out a hollow laugh.
It was partly because he was shocked by Erdene’s request, but it was also really funny.
“I... how ridiculous.”
“I think the same way. And Your Majesty.”
Arkan glanced at Plat as if asking what was going on.
“Her Majesty the Queen’s favorite glass peony and the crystal vase listed in the treasure list of the Vetor royal family were broken.”
This time, Arkan couldn’t just laugh it off.
When he stood up abruptly, his hands on the desk, several piled-up documents scattered to the floor.
Requests for support for the war-stricken Kingdom of Binotin, officials’ arguments over taxes, and important documents related to trade mediation were scattered on the floor like fallen leaves.
“What are you talking about? Princess Erdene broke them?”
Plat nodded solemnly.
He thought Arkan would be furious and run to Erdene, so he slightly stepped back...
“On purpose?”
Arkan’s question made Plat’s eyes briefly turn to space.
“Her Highness herself said... that it was a mistake.”
There was silence for a moment. Arkan slumped down on his chair, sighing and touching his forehead.
When Plat, who had bitten his tongue, made a small squeak, the young servant who had been standing stiffly in the doorway looked at him.
When Plat nodded toward the scattered documents, the boy immediately ran over and quickly picked up the scattered documents under the desk.
Then he carefully put them back in their place and stepped back.
Plat said,
“I stopped Her Highness from apologizing to His Majesty. You have no time to spare because of your official duties, so wouldn’t it be difficult if she kept making excuses in detail?”
Arkan, who had been deep in thought with his clasped hands on his firm stomach, closed his eyes.
“Yes. If it was a mistake, then it was a mistake. If I had to apologize for something like that, I would probably spend my whole day receiving apologies from people and my life would end.”
Then Plat looked at Arkan with a surprised expression.
“Your Majesty, do you really believe that?”
“What if I don’t? Did it seem to you that she was lying?”
Plat almost nodded for a moment, recalling Erdene’s brazen retort and indifferent expression.
However, there was no clear evidence that her words were a lie...
Furthermore, if the two things had been broken intentionally, it was strange that she had chosen to destroy them.
Arkan also pointed out exactly that part.
“Common sense tells us that it would be more likely that she had done it by mistake than on purpose. She had only been in Vetor for half a day, so there was no way she would have chosen to destroy something after knowing all the details about its history. I think that if she had wanted to destroy something on purpose, she would have destroyed the pillar instead of a vase or a glass flower.”
“Isn’t that something you can say so calmly, Your Majesty?”
Arkan shrugged.
Plat was usually as calm as Arkan, but at this moment, he seemed to understand the feelings of the Marchioness Fiddlers, who had been causing a fuss.
“Your Majesty, I may be presumptuous, but I think it would be right to reconsider this marriage.”
The sound of a pen being put down struck Plat’s ear. Plat shut his mouth in a sting.
Arkan said.
“I didn’t marry her because I particularly wanted her. But as I said, there are many things at stake in this marriage. In particular, many people’s lives are at stake. Knowing that what are you talking about? Marchioness Fiddler’s is one thing. She’s the kind of person who needs three courtiers to be at ease if I sneeze once. But Plat, are you planning to follow the same path as the Marchioness? If so, I will first consider hiring a new secretary.”
How politely you say that I will be fired if I keep nagging, Plat thought.
He thought that this kind of speech was one of Arkan’s many charms, but...
‘It’s too bad that it probably won’t work in front of the Princess.’
Plat clicked his tongue and spoke again—it was so similar to the Marchioness of Fiddler’s speech that it made his hair stand on end, but there was no other way.
“In fact, wouldn’t it have been possible to have a marriage alliance even without Your Majesty’s intervention? That Tenek, who has just ascended to the throne... I know it’s presumptuous of me to say this, but he seems to have no affection for his own blood.”
“I’ve heard of that. Why wouldn’t he? Tenek and Erdene are probably twins. Tenek is the older brother.”
“Yes.”
“But wasn’t it the Princess who was favored by the previous Emperor? As everyone knows, they thought she would be the next Emperor to rule the great empire... If that had been the case, the allies in the interior would have fallen one after another, Plat. Hirschsten isn’t fighting for fun. He wants the rich lands that the north can never have, that is.”
Plat answered,
“I am fully aware of that fact, Your Majesty. There are many people in my family who went to support the allies in the war against Hirschsten and never returned. However, I do not understand what on earth that has to do with Your Majesty’s marriage. If you had persuaded Tenek to bring the Princess, who was the heir to the throne, to the interior...Wouldn’t it have been okay if it wasn’t Vetor? No, even if it was Vetor, why would Your Majesty marry the Princess?”
Arkan was no longer looking at the documents.
He pushed them aside and put down his seal and pen. He rested his chin on the smooth surface of the table and said,
“She is the Princess of the empire. So we should offer her a suitable match. My thoughts are the same as yours, Plat. Emperor Tenek would have accepted without hesitation a noble from the most remote region of Vetor as the Princess’s marriage partner. But that’s not right. If you want to buy something expensive and hard to get, you have to pay a certain price. Even if there’s a back road that you can sneak around, you can’t call it the right way, right?”
Plat felt suffocated. He knew Arkan’s temperament, but... he was a little worried.
In his opinion, since ancient times, it was better for a monarch to be self-willed rather than kind.
‘That being said, His Majesty is not behind in stubbornness or temper, but...’
Plat, who had been pulling on his cravat for no reason, let out a sigh.
“Don’t talk about yourself like an object.”
Arkan was silent for a moment, then smiled brightly enough to reveal his teeth.
It was a charming smile that made the hearts of the people coming and going from the palace flutter and kept them up at night.
However, the words coming out of his smiling lips were merciless.
“Plat, all royals are objects. They are ready to be traded for food, soldiers, or secrets. Especially in the marriage market, they are very good candidates.”
“Your Majesty...”
The old chamberlain finally let out a sigh.
However, Arkan stretched as if nothing had happened, and rubbed his neck that was stiff from all the work he had been doing.
“If she wants alcohol, I’ll bring her some. Tell the chef to prepare some good alcohol and food.”
Plat asked in surprise.
“Do you really plan on having a meal with her?”
“What are you talking about? I’m not married yet, but I should be there at least to treat her as a guest. You’d better leave work early today. You’re really out of your mind.”
Plat was about to ask who was responsible for that, but he just shook his head and went outside.
Arkan was the perfect King you’d expect to see in a highly embellished history book. He had a dignified and calm personality, a caring and considerate disposition, and a handsome appearance. However, in Plat’s opinion, he had one fatal flaw.
'You're trying to carry too much. I'm afraid you'll collapse. If Marchioness Fiddler comes in, there'll be another mess.'
***
While Arkan was arguing with Plat about 'a prime property in the marriage market', Erdene sent the exhausted Viscountess Wickes away and sat alone in the living room of the Queen's palace.
There were so many living rooms and bedrooms that she couldn't even remember which living room this was or what it was called.
However, it was quiet and sunny. She especially liked the fact that there was a window facing west.
She would be able to see the sunset from here. It was different from the Empire, but the scenery stretched far into the distance.
Erdene sat in her chair and stared blankly at the narrow, long tapestry hanging on one wall.
It was delicately embroidered with swords, horses, and a scene from a fierce battle. It was so strange that it was in the Queen's palace.
The last war with Vinothin was truly strange.
Erdene tilted her head back and slowly closed her eyes, lost in thought.
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