Arkan watched how Erdene would react to his blunt reprimand, slightly clenching and unclenching his left hand. At the same time, he thought of the past.
The first and last rabbit he had caught had been killed by an arrow.
At first, he was proud and amazed that he had succeeded in hunting.
It was understandable for a thirteen-year-old boy.
However, the trouble began when he heard the servant who brought the limp rabbit say that the rabbit seemed to be pregnant.
The King ordered that dinner be prepared to celebrate the Crown Prince’s first game, but Arkan could not eat even a single spoonful of the rabbit stew that day.
As soon as he saw the bowl, he vomited and locked himself in his room, crying all night.
He could have told Erdene everything, but Arkan felt shame and guilt all over again.
And for some reason, he felt that he did not want to tell her everything.
Whether he did it knowingly or unknowingly, it was a cruel act, and he did not want her to know about his past.
At that moment, a loud laughter made Arkan's consciousness dizzy.
"Princess."
He called, but Erdene couldn't stop laughing. And she wasn't just laughing, she was banging on the table and bursting out in laughter.
Arkan's face turned red. He didn't know why she was laughing, but he had a feeling that it wasn't for a pleasant reason.
"What's so funny?"
Arkan asked, and Erdene finally bit back her sobbing laughter and shook her shoulders slightly.
Her once-white face had also turned very red.
The pure white pearl jewelry on her black hair swayed lightly along with her laughter.
Erdene bit back the laughter that occasionally burst out with her lips and said,
"How surprising."
"What's surprising?"
"Your hypocrisy, Your Majesty, King of Vetor. I've often heard that you're wise, but I never imagined you would be such a hypocrite."
The word wise was naturally sarcastic, and the word hypocrite was the only real word.
Plat gulped, and Arkan blinked in astonishment.
He had heard the saying, “Our Majesty is too kind-hearted to be a troublemaker,” but this was the first time he had ever been accused of being a hypocrite.
No one dared say such a thing to him, but even if there were, Arkan was far from hypocritical.
However, Erdene thought differently.
“After catching a rabbit, you say you don’t hunt because killing a life is horrible? Are you trying to embarrass me with such words now?”
Arkan, who had been hit hard, stared at her silently without showing it.
Erdene burst into laughter and pointed to the plate of food with the stiletto she was still holding.
It was a dish covered in a sauce that gave off an appetizing aroma.
Erdene said,
“The meat on this plate, then, was it something you picked up by chance that died?”
Arkan responded in silence.
As if she had never expected an answer from him, Erdene twirled the sharp and heavy stiletto in her hand and leaned back.
The oblique posture, like that of a rough bargainer in an alley, was attractive, but Arkan had the strange thought that it suited her well.
Erdene continued talking, twirling the stiletto as if joking.
“Of course not. To make this dish, someone would have snatched the newborn calf from its mother and slit its throat. They would have hung it upside down to drain the blood and cut off the tender bones and flesh. That’s why it’s going into your mouth and becoming your blood and flesh.”
“It’s hard to understand what the Princess is trying to say.”
Finally, Arkan said a word. The tone was monotonous and cold.
Erdene frowned and raised the corners of her lips as if she were mocking him.
“Have you ever thought about how a man who slaughters a newborn calf feels? You don’t, do you? Do you think he feels joy when he kills a calf that is separated from its mother and trembles before the gleaming saw and blade? Or do you think he feels sorrow and even prays for each and every one of them?”
Arkan said calmly.
“No, but...”
The stiletto, which had made a full turn in Erdene’s hand, landed on the table with a thud. The blade and the handle trembled simultaneously.
“A man who slaughters lambs and calves is indifferent because it is his job. You have never seen it with your own eyes or heard it with your own ears, so you have no time to think about a man who takes the life of a newborn animal. You believe that a cook waves his ladle and a roast calf with sauce rises from an empty plate.”
Arkan tried to argue again.
But Erdene’s rebuke, which was no longer even a sneer, silenced his mouth.
“You’ve never experienced war, the harshness of having to fight a war to survive, and yet you think cutting off a human’s tongue is something ‘anyone can do’? You don’t hunt anymore because you feel sorry for the dead rabbit?”
Erdene clenched her fist so hard that her bones stood out, biting her lips for a moment and glaring at Arkan.
Her black hair seemed to sway in all directions. Her blue eyes seemed to burn.
Finally, Erdene pulled out her stilettos and put them back in the bag.
“Don’t be so presumptuous, Your Majesty.”
With that, she got up without saying a word or making a gesture and left the restaurant. On one hand, she was holding a bottle of alcohol, which was famous for being strong anywhere in the inland, and more than half of it was still left.
“Your Majesty.”
The astonished Plat approached Arkan, fidgeting.
The moment he was about to criticize Erdene with Vetor’s conservative words, Arkan raised his hand. It was to tell him to shut up. Arkan, who had been staring blankly at the empty space Erdene had left, finally let out a hollow laugh.
“It feels strange to hear such words from a drunkard.”
At first, he was proud and amazed that he had succeeded in hunting.
It was understandable for a thirteen-year-old boy.
However, the trouble began when he heard the servant who brought the limp rabbit say that the rabbit seemed to be pregnant.
The King ordered that dinner be prepared to celebrate the Crown Prince’s first game, but Arkan could not eat even a single spoonful of the rabbit stew that day.
As soon as he saw the bowl, he vomited and locked himself in his room, crying all night.
He could have told Erdene everything, but Arkan felt shame and guilt all over again.
And for some reason, he felt that he did not want to tell her everything.
Whether he did it knowingly or unknowingly, it was a cruel act, and he did not want her to know about his past.
At that moment, a loud laughter made Arkan's consciousness dizzy.
"Princess."
He called, but Erdene couldn't stop laughing. And she wasn't just laughing, she was banging on the table and bursting out in laughter.
Arkan's face turned red. He didn't know why she was laughing, but he had a feeling that it wasn't for a pleasant reason.
"What's so funny?"
Arkan asked, and Erdene finally bit back her sobbing laughter and shook her shoulders slightly.
Her once-white face had also turned very red.
The pure white pearl jewelry on her black hair swayed lightly along with her laughter.
Erdene bit back the laughter that occasionally burst out with her lips and said,
"How surprising."
"What's surprising?"
"Your hypocrisy, Your Majesty, King of Vetor. I've often heard that you're wise, but I never imagined you would be such a hypocrite."
The word wise was naturally sarcastic, and the word hypocrite was the only real word.
Plat gulped, and Arkan blinked in astonishment.
He had heard the saying, “Our Majesty is too kind-hearted to be a troublemaker,” but this was the first time he had ever been accused of being a hypocrite.
No one dared say such a thing to him, but even if there were, Arkan was far from hypocritical.
However, Erdene thought differently.
“After catching a rabbit, you say you don’t hunt because killing a life is horrible? Are you trying to embarrass me with such words now?”
Arkan, who had been hit hard, stared at her silently without showing it.
Erdene burst into laughter and pointed to the plate of food with the stiletto she was still holding.
It was a dish covered in a sauce that gave off an appetizing aroma.
Erdene said,
“The meat on this plate, then, was it something you picked up by chance that died?”
Arkan responded in silence.
As if she had never expected an answer from him, Erdene twirled the sharp and heavy stiletto in her hand and leaned back.
The oblique posture, like that of a rough bargainer in an alley, was attractive, but Arkan had the strange thought that it suited her well.
Erdene continued talking, twirling the stiletto as if joking.
“Of course not. To make this dish, someone would have snatched the newborn calf from its mother and slit its throat. They would have hung it upside down to drain the blood and cut off the tender bones and flesh. That’s why it’s going into your mouth and becoming your blood and flesh.”
“It’s hard to understand what the Princess is trying to say.”
Finally, Arkan said a word. The tone was monotonous and cold.
Erdene frowned and raised the corners of her lips as if she were mocking him.
“Have you ever thought about how a man who slaughters a newborn calf feels? You don’t, do you? Do you think he feels joy when he kills a calf that is separated from its mother and trembles before the gleaming saw and blade? Or do you think he feels sorrow and even prays for each and every one of them?”
Arkan said calmly.
“No, but...”
The stiletto, which had made a full turn in Erdene’s hand, landed on the table with a thud. The blade and the handle trembled simultaneously.
“A man who slaughters lambs and calves is indifferent because it is his job. You have never seen it with your own eyes or heard it with your own ears, so you have no time to think about a man who takes the life of a newborn animal. You believe that a cook waves his ladle and a roast calf with sauce rises from an empty plate.”
Arkan tried to argue again.
But Erdene’s rebuke, which was no longer even a sneer, silenced his mouth.
“You’ve never experienced war, the harshness of having to fight a war to survive, and yet you think cutting off a human’s tongue is something ‘anyone can do’? You don’t hunt anymore because you feel sorry for the dead rabbit?”
Erdene clenched her fist so hard that her bones stood out, biting her lips for a moment and glaring at Arkan.
Her black hair seemed to sway in all directions. Her blue eyes seemed to burn.
Finally, Erdene pulled out her stilettos and put them back in the bag.
“Don’t be so presumptuous, Your Majesty.”
With that, she got up without saying a word or making a gesture and left the restaurant. On one hand, she was holding a bottle of alcohol, which was famous for being strong anywhere in the inland, and more than half of it was still left.
“Your Majesty.”
The astonished Plat approached Arkan, fidgeting.
The moment he was about to criticize Erdene with Vetor’s conservative words, Arkan raised his hand. It was to tell him to shut up. Arkan, who had been staring blankly at the empty space Erdene had left, finally let out a hollow laugh.
“It feels strange to hear such words from a drunkard.”
“Your Majesty! What are you talking about? Are you planning to just ignore such arrogant words?”
Plat was so excited that he burst out in anger, but Arkan’s expression as he looked back at him was indifferent.
In fact, he even looked somewhat cheerful.
Plat said,
“Your Majesty, you know how much I dislike the fact that Marchioness Fiddler treats you like a three-year-old child. But this time, I have no choice but to side with the Marchioness. Even though she is the Princess of the empire, how can someone like that, who has no manners, sit as Queen of Vetor? It is unimaginable.”
“Would you blame others for your lack of imagination, Plat?”
“Your Majesty!”
Arkan shook his head.
“Let it be. I was the one who threw the stone first, even though I knew it was a little fatal. I knew that if I threw a pebble, the opponent would pull out a rock, but I did not think deeply about it, and that was my fault.”
Plat’s mouth fell open and a short sigh escaped.
However, Arkan already looked down at the food on the table as if he didn’t care what happened to Plat, and rested his chin on his hand.
The tender veal roast that the chef had skillfully prepared was cooling down uselessly.
Arkan poked the meat with the tip of his fork and muttered to himself.
“A person who slaughters a cow is just mindlessly doing his job."
His handsome eyebrows twitched slightly.
“It’s even more annoying because it’s not wrong at all.”
The week flew by.
After dinner, which ended in a mess—Erdene wanted to call it a mess—Erdene and Arkan never saw each other again.
She had no reason to go to Arkan, and Arkan was busy working every day even before the wedding.
“Your Highness, please raise your arm a little.”
Erdene barely suppressed her irritation and obediently raised her arm.
When she was in the empire, she rarely wore the Princess’s dress, even when she wasn’t going to battle. She always carried at least three weapons, and besides her sword at her waist, she had to hide things like daggers out of sight, so she preferred clothes that a military officer would wear rather than bulky dresses.
Her mother, the former Empress, sometimes cautioned her daughter about her attire, but she had the most powerful supporter in the empire.
The former Emperor was proud that his daughter, who would succeed him, was born with a strong temperament, and did not regret at all that she was not his son.
'If her life had been short, she would have died wearing only a dress.'
Erdene thought indifferently.
Since her wedding was tomorrow, she was trying on the dress for the last time.
It was a serious mistake to think that wedding dresses were just the same.
The wedding dress of the royal family of Vetor looked simple at first glance, but it was not so when you took it apart.
The undergarments that covered the body from top to bottom were different, and another undergarment that covered the entire body had to be worn over them.
The dress was not a single layer either, as the upper garment was worn separately first, and a belt was tied around the waist to hide the line that met the lower garment.
Only then did she put on the dress that was barely visible, and attached the delicate ornaments one by one by hand.
"Can't the ornaments be moderate, just enough to look good? Why are the types so messy?"
When Erdene asked, the maid who had been kneeling and rubbing her waist raised her face with a startled expression.
Plat was so excited that he burst out in anger, but Arkan’s expression as he looked back at him was indifferent.
In fact, he even looked somewhat cheerful.
Plat said,
“Your Majesty, you know how much I dislike the fact that Marchioness Fiddler treats you like a three-year-old child. But this time, I have no choice but to side with the Marchioness. Even though she is the Princess of the empire, how can someone like that, who has no manners, sit as Queen of Vetor? It is unimaginable.”
“Would you blame others for your lack of imagination, Plat?”
“Your Majesty!”
Arkan shook his head.
“Let it be. I was the one who threw the stone first, even though I knew it was a little fatal. I knew that if I threw a pebble, the opponent would pull out a rock, but I did not think deeply about it, and that was my fault.”
Plat’s mouth fell open and a short sigh escaped.
However, Arkan already looked down at the food on the table as if he didn’t care what happened to Plat, and rested his chin on his hand.
The tender veal roast that the chef had skillfully prepared was cooling down uselessly.
Arkan poked the meat with the tip of his fork and muttered to himself.
“A person who slaughters a cow is just mindlessly doing his job."
His handsome eyebrows twitched slightly.
“It’s even more annoying because it’s not wrong at all.”
***
The week flew by.
After dinner, which ended in a mess—Erdene wanted to call it a mess—Erdene and Arkan never saw each other again.
She had no reason to go to Arkan, and Arkan was busy working every day even before the wedding.
“Your Highness, please raise your arm a little.”
Erdene barely suppressed her irritation and obediently raised her arm.
When she was in the empire, she rarely wore the Princess’s dress, even when she wasn’t going to battle. She always carried at least three weapons, and besides her sword at her waist, she had to hide things like daggers out of sight, so she preferred clothes that a military officer would wear rather than bulky dresses.
Her mother, the former Empress, sometimes cautioned her daughter about her attire, but she had the most powerful supporter in the empire.
The former Emperor was proud that his daughter, who would succeed him, was born with a strong temperament, and did not regret at all that she was not his son.
'If her life had been short, she would have died wearing only a dress.'
Erdene thought indifferently.
Since her wedding was tomorrow, she was trying on the dress for the last time.
It was a serious mistake to think that wedding dresses were just the same.
The wedding dress of the royal family of Vetor looked simple at first glance, but it was not so when you took it apart.
The undergarments that covered the body from top to bottom were different, and another undergarment that covered the entire body had to be worn over them.
The dress was not a single layer either, as the upper garment was worn separately first, and a belt was tied around the waist to hide the line that met the lower garment.
Only then did she put on the dress that was barely visible, and attached the delicate ornaments one by one by hand.
"Can't the ornaments be moderate, just enough to look good? Why are the types so messy?"
When Erdene asked, the maid who had been kneeling and rubbing her waist raised her face with a startled expression.
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