“Plat, when did I have dinner with the Princess of Hirschsten?”
The maids who had suddenly been scolded looked up at Erdene with embarrassed expressions.
The Queen’s entourage was usually from good families, so they had the authority to give orders to the maids and servants.
However, with Erdene right in front of them, they could not follow Sophia’s words right away.
“Go ahead and go.”
When Erdene finally gave permission, the maids ran away like rabbits released from their cages.
There was also a child who stumbled because the heels of her shoes had come off because she had tried to get away so quickly.
“I’ll do it for you.”
Sophia said in a calm voice, approached Erdene, took out the ornaments that had not been pinned, and put them back in their proper places.
Then she knelt at Erdene’s feet and began to carefully inspect the hem of her dress.
If any ornaments had been pinned poorly or were crooked, she took them out and put new ones back on firmly.
It was a behavior that could have been considered quite admirable, but Erdene simply looked down at Sophia with a mocking expression.
“I appreciate your efforts to gain my trust, but it won’t be easy to take care of me. You won’t have ten bodies left to be your mother’s eyes and ears, so why don’t you change your mind now?”
Sophia glanced at Erdene.
Unlike the Marchioness Fiddler’s, her eyes were a clear jade color.
Did she take after her father? The more Erdene looked, the more she thought that she couldn’t find any trace of the Marchioness
Sophia, who had been staring at Erdene for a moment, said as she casually put on a new piece of jewelry.
Chamberlain Plat’s eyes moved left and right for a moment at the unexpected question.
“A week ago, Your Majesty. By the way, Your Majesty’s wedding is tomorrow.”
“That long ago?”
“It depends on how you think about it...”
What a mess. Arkan got up and sighed as if he had a headache.
“I didn’t mean to leave her for a week.”
“Abandoned?”
“I mean the Princess. I haven’t seen her since we finished dinner like that.”
“Your Majesty has been so busy lately that you haven’t had time to sleep. It can’t be helped.”
Arkan glared at Plat as if he was asking if he was saying that.
“Even so, it’s rude. There’s no way she could apologize first, so I should have approached you first. She really was out of her mind.”
Platt couldn’t agree with him at all, but he kept his mouth shut because it didn’t seem like the time to argue.
Having spent more than half his life in the closest quarters to the King, he knew when to strike and when to retreat, unlike the Marchioness Fiddlers.
“I’ll have to go for a bit.”
“Right now... you mean?”
“I have to meet with the officials again this afternoon. I’ll go and ask her to have tea and clear up any misunderstandings.”
Platt followed Arkan, doubtful whether things would go as planned.
If the Princess tried to assassinate Arkan, he would have to sacrifice his life to stop her...
Arkan said,
“Tomorrow is the wedding, so we had better get over pir grudge quickly.”
Meanwhile, Erdene sent Marchioness Fiddler and Viscountess Wickes away—it was almost like a banquet—and called the maids back to have them put on their remaining accessories.
Meanwhile, she kept recalling the scene she had seen out of the corner of her eye just a moment ago.
The Marchioness of Fiddler whispered something to Sophia.
Sophia seemed indifferent to her mother being kicked out and to what she said.
Erdene thought that maybe she had been taught to behave that way.
'Are you trying to influence me with such a stupid and not funny trick? If you are stupid, not only your hands and feet but also your children will suffer.'
Erdene stood there without saying a word, thinking to herself that she was going to pinch the Marchioness of Fiddler's nose.
The strange thing was that Sophia also did not say anything to her, did not give her a flattering smile or glance around, but stood still like a statue.
The pitiful ones were the maids who had to wear small trinkets between the two.
"You guys."
The maids who were carefully inserting pins looked at Erdene in surprise, then soon opened their eyes wide and turned their heads toward Sophia.
Not only them, but Erdene also stared at Sophia with interest. She had the expression of a beast that had found its sneaky prey.
“Go ahead and go. How are you going to serve Her Majesty with such slow hands? Go and practice inserting pins.”
“Oh, well...”
“A week ago, Your Majesty. By the way, Your Majesty’s wedding is tomorrow.”
“That long ago?”
“It depends on how you think about it...”
What a mess. Arkan got up and sighed as if he had a headache.
“I didn’t mean to leave her for a week.”
“Abandoned?”
“I mean the Princess. I haven’t seen her since we finished dinner like that.”
“Your Majesty has been so busy lately that you haven’t had time to sleep. It can’t be helped.”
Arkan glared at Plat as if he was asking if he was saying that.
“Even so, it’s rude. There’s no way she could apologize first, so I should have approached you first. She really was out of her mind.”
Platt couldn’t agree with him at all, but he kept his mouth shut because it didn’t seem like the time to argue.
Having spent more than half his life in the closest quarters to the King, he knew when to strike and when to retreat, unlike the Marchioness Fiddlers.
“I’ll have to go for a bit.”
“Right now... you mean?”
“I have to meet with the officials again this afternoon. I’ll go and ask her to have tea and clear up any misunderstandings.”
Platt followed Arkan, doubtful whether things would go as planned.
If the Princess tried to assassinate Arkan, he would have to sacrifice his life to stop her...
Arkan said,
“Tomorrow is the wedding, so we had better get over pir grudge quickly.”
***
Meanwhile, Erdene sent Marchioness Fiddler and Viscountess Wickes away—it was almost like a banquet—and called the maids back to have them put on their remaining accessories.
Meanwhile, she kept recalling the scene she had seen out of the corner of her eye just a moment ago.
The Marchioness of Fiddler whispered something to Sophia.
Sophia seemed indifferent to her mother being kicked out and to what she said.
Erdene thought that maybe she had been taught to behave that way.
'Are you trying to influence me with such a stupid and not funny trick? If you are stupid, not only your hands and feet but also your children will suffer.'
Erdene stood there without saying a word, thinking to herself that she was going to pinch the Marchioness of Fiddler's nose.
The strange thing was that Sophia also did not say anything to her, did not give her a flattering smile or glance around, but stood still like a statue.
The pitiful ones were the maids who had to wear small trinkets between the two.
"You guys."
The maids who were carefully inserting pins looked at Erdene in surprise, then soon opened their eyes wide and turned their heads toward Sophia.
Not only them, but Erdene also stared at Sophia with interest. She had the expression of a beast that had found its sneaky prey.
“Go ahead and go. How are you going to serve Her Majesty with such slow hands? Go and practice inserting pins.”
“Oh, well...”
The maids who had suddenly been scolded looked up at Erdene with embarrassed expressions.
The Queen’s entourage was usually from good families, so they had the authority to give orders to the maids and servants.
However, with Erdene right in front of them, they could not follow Sophia’s words right away.
“Go ahead and go.”
When Erdene finally gave permission, the maids ran away like rabbits released from their cages.
There was also a child who stumbled because the heels of her shoes had come off because she had tried to get away so quickly.
“I’ll do it for you.”
Sophia said in a calm voice, approached Erdene, took out the ornaments that had not been pinned, and put them back in their proper places.
Then she knelt at Erdene’s feet and began to carefully inspect the hem of her dress.
If any ornaments had been pinned poorly or were crooked, she took them out and put new ones back on firmly.
It was a behavior that could have been considered quite admirable, but Erdene simply looked down at Sophia with a mocking expression.
“I appreciate your efforts to gain my trust, but it won’t be easy to take care of me. You won’t have ten bodies left to be your mother’s eyes and ears, so why don’t you change your mind now?”
Sophia glanced at Erdene.
Unlike the Marchioness Fiddler’s, her eyes were a clear jade color.
Did she take after her father? The more Erdene looked, the more she thought that she couldn’t find any trace of the Marchioness
Sophia, who had been staring at Erdene for a moment, said as she casually put on a new piece of jewelry.
“You think of me as my mother’s daughter.”
Erdene laughed out loud.
“Are you going to deny it? This is not a battlefield and I don’t have any information that I shouldn’t have, so I’ll pretend to believe you.”
Sophia said.
“Your Majesty is more innocent than I thought. I feel a little discouraged.”
Erdene’s gaze shot down at Sophia like an arrow.
Sophia had her head slightly bowed, so her face was not visible.
All Erdene could see were her slender, white fingers adjusting her jewelry while barely touching the fabric of her dress.
Her quick and uncluttered movements were almost a work of art, but Erdene yanked the hem of her dress back as if she were being mean.
“What did you just say?”
The pin pulled, almost scratching her dress. However, Sophia took her hand away before Erdene could pull the hem, preventing any mishap.
Sophia raised her head again.
Her movements were not very agile, considering that she had scolded the maids for being slow.
Maybe it was because of her indifferent expression.
Sophia stood up with absurd calmness and caution, lightly brushing away the rumpled hem of her dress, and said,
“Isn’t this something you should be angry about? I am me, you are you. Anyone who doesn’t fit with me is my enemy, a spy who seeks out and harms me... If His Majesty didn’t think so, you wouldn’t have said such a thing to me today, the first time you saw me.”
Erdene laughed out loud.
“Are you going to deny it? This is not a battlefield and I don’t have any information that I shouldn’t have, so I’ll pretend to believe you.”
Sophia said.
“Your Majesty is more innocent than I thought. I feel a little discouraged.”
Erdene’s gaze shot down at Sophia like an arrow.
Sophia had her head slightly bowed, so her face was not visible.
All Erdene could see were her slender, white fingers adjusting her jewelry while barely touching the fabric of her dress.
Her quick and uncluttered movements were almost a work of art, but Erdene yanked the hem of her dress back as if she were being mean.
“What did you just say?”
The pin pulled, almost scratching her dress. However, Sophia took her hand away before Erdene could pull the hem, preventing any mishap.
Sophia raised her head again.
Her movements were not very agile, considering that she had scolded the maids for being slow.
Maybe it was because of her indifferent expression.
Sophia stood up with absurd calmness and caution, lightly brushing away the rumpled hem of her dress, and said,
“Isn’t this something you should be angry about? I am me, you are you. Anyone who doesn’t fit with me is my enemy, a spy who seeks out and harms me... If His Majesty didn’t think so, you wouldn’t have said such a thing to me today, the first time you saw me.”
A harsh laugh burst out of Erdene’s mouth.
“The world is originally black and white. Allies or enemies. Isn’t it clearly divided into two?”
“There is a saying that today’s enemies become tomorrow’s allies, Your Majesty. Conversely, today’s allies could strike me in the back of the head tomorrow, right?”
Sophia answered nonchalantly, straightening one of the accessories she had just let go of, and finally, she fixed the accessory on Erdene's left sleeve.
Then she took a step back and looked Erdene up and down like a meticulous supervisor.
“You are great. However, the maids’ skills are not very good. It would be better to select new ones with good dexterity and agility. They are not the ones Your Majesty selected, are they?”
“It was done without my consent.”
A subtle emotion, either a smile or anger, appeared on Erdene’s lips.
“Just as it was not my intention for you to come here, all of the maids nearby, down to the lowest-ranking apprentice servants, are people who have nothing to do with me.”
“You wouldn’t have done that in the Empire.”
“It was half and half. I kept the people I wanted, the ones I really needed, and I didn’t care who I didn’t.”
“Then you should do the same here. I’ll bring in useful children, so Your Majesty, pick them yourself. I don’t know what the atmosphere is like in the Imperial Court, but the nobles of Vetor are very used to kicking each other’s ankles under the table while pretending to be elegant.”
Erdene felt that her ill feelings and suspicions toward Sophia were slowly fading away.
Curiosity filled the void. It was the first time she had been so impressed by a person herself, not a new weapon or tactic.
‘No, not the first time. The first time.. .’
“The world is originally black and white. Allies or enemies. Isn’t it clearly divided into two?”
“There is a saying that today’s enemies become tomorrow’s allies, Your Majesty. Conversely, today’s allies could strike me in the back of the head tomorrow, right?”
Sophia answered nonchalantly, straightening one of the accessories she had just let go of, and finally, she fixed the accessory on Erdene's left sleeve.
Then she took a step back and looked Erdene up and down like a meticulous supervisor.
“You are great. However, the maids’ skills are not very good. It would be better to select new ones with good dexterity and agility. They are not the ones Your Majesty selected, are they?”
“It was done without my consent.”
A subtle emotion, either a smile or anger, appeared on Erdene’s lips.
“Just as it was not my intention for you to come here, all of the maids nearby, down to the lowest-ranking apprentice servants, are people who have nothing to do with me.”
“You wouldn’t have done that in the Empire.”
“It was half and half. I kept the people I wanted, the ones I really needed, and I didn’t care who I didn’t.”
“Then you should do the same here. I’ll bring in useful children, so Your Majesty, pick them yourself. I don’t know what the atmosphere is like in the Imperial Court, but the nobles of Vetor are very used to kicking each other’s ankles under the table while pretending to be elegant.”
Erdene felt that her ill feelings and suspicions toward Sophia were slowly fading away.
Curiosity filled the void. It was the first time she had been so impressed by a person herself, not a new weapon or tactic.
‘No, not the first time. The first time.. .’
She thought of Arkan, then frowned as she brushed back her long hair.
Then she looked back at Sophia with renewed eyes.
She didn’t know how much of what Marchioness Fiddler’s words were true, but she was a person who would be more than willing to work behind the scenes to make her daughter the Queen.
It was obvious just from her arrogant attitude and her attitude of trying to teach Erdene, who was the heir to the throne of the empire before she was the Queen.
If Sophia was really going to be Arkan’s Queen, how would things turn out? Erdene wondered how much Arkan cared for Sophia.
Did the two break off their engagement, or was it just her own wish?
Erdene, who was chewing over each and every thought that came to mind, suddenly found her eyes on her left sleeve.
The new accessory Sophia had put on was very clever and neat. It didn’t look like it had been pinned in separately but rather had been decorated from the beginning.
Then she looked back at Sophia with renewed eyes.
She didn’t know how much of what Marchioness Fiddler’s words were true, but she was a person who would be more than willing to work behind the scenes to make her daughter the Queen.
It was obvious just from her arrogant attitude and her attitude of trying to teach Erdene, who was the heir to the throne of the empire before she was the Queen.
If Sophia was really going to be Arkan’s Queen, how would things turn out? Erdene wondered how much Arkan cared for Sophia.
Did the two break off their engagement, or was it just her own wish?
Erdene, who was chewing over each and every thought that came to mind, suddenly found her eyes on her left sleeve.
The new accessory Sophia had put on was very clever and neat. It didn’t look like it had been pinned in separately but rather had been decorated from the beginning.
“I have to admit that you are very talented. How are you so fast? Did you practice pinning every day?”
Sophia gave an unexpected answer to the joke.
“Yes, that’s right. I had to practice pinning my uniform for three months. At first, I woke up with blisters all over my fingertips.”
Sophia gave an unexpected answer to the joke.
“Yes, that’s right. I had to practice pinning my uniform for three months. At first, I woke up with blisters all over my fingertips.”
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