Sophia looked puzzled for a moment as if she didn’t know what her question meant, then said, “Ah"
Arkan’s eyes widened as if he had heard the world’s most horrifying horror story.
Among the various reactions he had shown in front of Erdene, this was one of the more intense ones.
“Is the imperial bridal chamber decorated like that?”
“...Not all the way.”
“Anyway, there is. Oh my God, not being born into the imperial family is the best thing I’ve done in this life. I don’t think I’ll feel guilty if I spend the rest of my life lazing around.”
Erdene almost burst out laughing, but bit the inside of her cheek to hold it back. She bit so hard that she could hear the sound of her flesh being crushed in her head.
She crossed her arms and looked around at the beautiful paintings, wallpapers, embroidery, and langbli decorations.
“You can see portraits of your ancestors everywhere you go in the palace. Big or small.”
“No matter what, shouldn’t the bridal chamber be an exception? Portraits of your ancestors? I don’t know how that’s any different from doing business in front of a picture of your deceased grandmother.”
This time, Erdene made a face like, “What kind of dirty person is this?”
Erdene said.
“They’re not hanging everywhere. There’s just a portrait of the Empress who gave birth to the most children in the empire.”
“That’s the climax of this story. If I refer to the Queen’s story when I attend the next ghost story club, I can win first place.”
“A ghost story club?”
“We often have reading clubs. I recommend that you attend them often. They’re short meetings that we have in our free time, but discussing various literature can help you gain insight...”
Arkan didn’t finish his sentence.
Erdene had picked up the bottle of wine she had put down earlier.
She drank half of the wine in one go and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Arkan said.
“If you drink from a glass, it seems like the wine turns into water?”
His tone was clearly mocking. But Erdene didn’t back down and responded.
“It’s not my nature to pour a glass the size of a fingernail and sip it.”
Arkan furrowed his brow, his lips tightening.
“First of all, your fingernails aren’t that big. Oh, were you using a metaphor?”
“You really want to get hit?”
“Reactions that involve violence aren’t good either. You should also try to change your temper. If you calm down and think rationally, you’ll get much better results.”
“I think I’ll calm down quickly after I beat up all the guys who make me angry and make them quiet.”
Arkan continued, trying to listen to Erdene’s fierce words with one ear and let them go out the other.
“And even if it doesn’t suit your personality, since you’re the Queen of Vetor, shouldn’t you at least make an effort?”
An expression of displeasure immediately appeared on Erdene’s face.
Arkan nodded absentmindedly as if he had expected it—Erdene could not tell what the gesture meant—and continued speaking in his characteristically soft tone.
“If you had become the Emperor of Hirschsten, would you have drank a whole bottle of wine in front of your subjects? I wouldn’t have.”
“Oh, of course. If I had taken the Emperor’s title according to my father’s will, I would have made that much effort.”
This time, Arkan made a displeased expression. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Erdene for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“So what you’re saying now is that the position of Queen of Vetor is incomparable to that of the Emperor of the Empire... something like that?”
“Is that what you’re saying now, Your Majesty?”
Arkan’s expression turned somewhat cold.
Up until now, it had been nothing more than a bickering, but not this time.
It was a remark that even a King leading a country would find difficult to tolerate.
At that moment, Erdene put down the bottle of wine as if throwing it away and took a step towards Arkan.
Now that he looked at it, her expression was even sharper than before.
Erdene said,
“Your Majesty, you already know what it means to be in that position, whether Emperor or King. Do you think it is not valuable because it is in my hands? I can’t say that. To sit in a position where I rule over all people and enjoy the glorious honor given to me, and to dedicate my body and soul to the country I was born and raised in and loved. I was raised to live with only that hope, and that was my only future and hope. But that was taken away from me overnight, and now I have to be content with the mere title of Queen.”
As she clenched her molars in fiery anger, Erdene felt a bitter and unpleasant taste. It seemed as if blood had seeped out from the inside of her cheek that she had just bitten.
Erdene swallowed the unpleasant smell that was both familiar and unpleasant to the nose, and clenched and unclenched her fists with her eyes wide open.
“Is the position of Queen of Vetor incomparable to that of Emperor of the Empire? Of course not. I was born to be a ruler, Your Majesty. Not the wife of a ruler.”
“I’ll show you to the bedroom.”
Then, this time, Erdene looked around with a similar expression to Sophia.
“Isn’t this the bedroom?”
There was definitely a bed where Erdene was, and there were unnecessary flowers and candles here and there.
The soft shadows of light cast on the soft carpet trembled, and the cozy scent spreading over them brought about a pleasant languor.
‘It would be perfect if I could just lie down here and sleep alone.’
However, just as her wish for rain had not come true, there was no God in Vetor who would grant Erdene’s wish this time.
Erdene briefly thought that this was a disadvantage of a country without a diplomatic relationship.
She did not believe in the existence of Gods either.
Sophia said.
“There is a separate formal bedroom where you spend the night, Your Majesty.”
Erdene frowned. She wondered if it was really necessary...
Then, this time, Erdene looked around with a similar expression to Sophia.
“Isn’t this the bedroom?”
There was definitely a bed where Erdene was, and there were unnecessary flowers and candles here and there.
The soft shadows of light cast on the soft carpet trembled, and the cozy scent spreading over them brought about a pleasant languor.
‘It would be perfect if I could just lie down here and sleep alone.’
However, just as her wish for rain had not come true, there was no God in Vetor who would grant Erdene’s wish this time.
Erdene briefly thought that this was a disadvantage of a country without a diplomatic relationship.
She did not believe in the existence of Gods either.
Sophia said.
“There is a separate formal bedroom where you spend the night, Your Majesty.”
Erdene frowned. She wondered if it was really necessary...
From her perspective, not only the royal family of Vetor, but all the laws, regulations, and formalities of Hirschsten were cumbersome. She was too used to military administration, where important information had to be conveyed quickly because time was of the essence.
After walking through the winding and twisting corridors four times, Erdene was finally able to reach the ‘formal bedroom.’
Sophia turned the flame of the largest candlestick even brighter and tilted her head slightly in a respectful manner.
“Well then, Your Majesty. I will now take my leave. His Majesty will be here soon, so you can wait.”
Erdene sighed in displeasure.
Perhaps thinking that was a farewell, Sophia did not ask any further questions and went back out through the small door into the complicated corridor.
“It’s spacious.”
Erdene’s first impression as she looked around the room was brief and concise.
It was definitely wider than the room where she had just changed clothes, applied perfume, and made all sorts of repairs—the maids had to make all sorts of repairs—and the bed was luxurious. The translucent curtains that flowed and hung halfway over the canopy were covered with soft, white sheets that tickled the backs of her knees just by looking at them.
Erdene slowly looked around the room and found some wine on the table.
She had just pulled out the cork with one finger and was about to put her lips on the long spout when the door opened and Arkan suddenly came in.
“Pfft!”
A couple of drops of wine spilled between Erdene’s lips and splashed onto the table.
Arkan frowned as if he could see all sorts of dirty people, then sighed and approached.
“Can’t you stop drinking the whole bottle? Why are you backing away?”
Erdene stared at Arkan, holding the bottle tightly as if he had met a robber.
Now that he looked at it, her eyes were wide open, and she seemed quite surprised.
Arkan tilted his head with a worried expression.
“Are you okay?”
Erdene, who had been quivering her lips, looked at Arkan as if she was dumbfounded.
“What is that?”
Arkan narrowed his brows again at the sudden question.
He looked down at his clothes, but... there was nothing strange. The buttons were fastened properly, and there were no wrinkles or stains.
“What’s wrong with the clothes?”
“I can see all the inside.”
“They must have made me look good.”
“Who on earth made you wear those?”
“I don’t know. Should I bring them?”
Erdene let out a breathless sigh and waved her hand.
“No, that’s fine. If I found out who they were, I’d beat them up.”
Arkan’s mouth fell open. Erdene tried to take another sip of her drink, but put the bottle back on the table, not wanting to hear his nagging.
The two of them stood at a certain distance from each other for a while as if they were about to fight.
Erdene and Arkan looked unfamiliar to each other.
It was the first time they had met in such a dark place—even in a place where they were trying so hard to fan the flames of strange arousal—and in fact, it wasn’t just Arkan’s clothes that showed through.
Erdene’s lips curled up as if she was about to throw a tantrum.
“I thought the Kingdom of Vetor was polite and pious, so they would have portraits of the previous Kings and Queens hanging all over the walls, but that’s not the case.”
After walking through the winding and twisting corridors four times, Erdene was finally able to reach the ‘formal bedroom.’
Sophia turned the flame of the largest candlestick even brighter and tilted her head slightly in a respectful manner.
“Well then, Your Majesty. I will now take my leave. His Majesty will be here soon, so you can wait.”
Erdene sighed in displeasure.
Perhaps thinking that was a farewell, Sophia did not ask any further questions and went back out through the small door into the complicated corridor.
“It’s spacious.”
Erdene’s first impression as she looked around the room was brief and concise.
It was definitely wider than the room where she had just changed clothes, applied perfume, and made all sorts of repairs—the maids had to make all sorts of repairs—and the bed was luxurious. The translucent curtains that flowed and hung halfway over the canopy were covered with soft, white sheets that tickled the backs of her knees just by looking at them.
Erdene slowly looked around the room and found some wine on the table.
She had just pulled out the cork with one finger and was about to put her lips on the long spout when the door opened and Arkan suddenly came in.
“Pfft!”
A couple of drops of wine spilled between Erdene’s lips and splashed onto the table.
Arkan frowned as if he could see all sorts of dirty people, then sighed and approached.
“Can’t you stop drinking the whole bottle? Why are you backing away?”
Erdene stared at Arkan, holding the bottle tightly as if he had met a robber.
Now that he looked at it, her eyes were wide open, and she seemed quite surprised.
Arkan tilted his head with a worried expression.
“Are you okay?”
Erdene, who had been quivering her lips, looked at Arkan as if she was dumbfounded.
“What is that?”
Arkan narrowed his brows again at the sudden question.
He looked down at his clothes, but... there was nothing strange. The buttons were fastened properly, and there were no wrinkles or stains.
“What’s wrong with the clothes?”
“I can see all the inside.”
“They must have made me look good.”
“Who on earth made you wear those?”
“I don’t know. Should I bring them?”
Erdene let out a breathless sigh and waved her hand.
“No, that’s fine. If I found out who they were, I’d beat them up.”
Arkan’s mouth fell open. Erdene tried to take another sip of her drink, but put the bottle back on the table, not wanting to hear his nagging.
The two of them stood at a certain distance from each other for a while as if they were about to fight.
Erdene and Arkan looked unfamiliar to each other.
It was the first time they had met in such a dark place—even in a place where they were trying so hard to fan the flames of strange arousal—and in fact, it wasn’t just Arkan’s clothes that showed through.
Erdene’s lips curled up as if she was about to throw a tantrum.
“I thought the Kingdom of Vetor was polite and pious, so they would have portraits of the previous Kings and Queens hanging all over the walls, but that’s not the case.”
Arkan’s eyes widened as if he had heard the world’s most horrifying horror story.
Among the various reactions he had shown in front of Erdene, this was one of the more intense ones.
“Is the imperial bridal chamber decorated like that?”
“...Not all the way.”
“Anyway, there is. Oh my God, not being born into the imperial family is the best thing I’ve done in this life. I don’t think I’ll feel guilty if I spend the rest of my life lazing around.”
Erdene almost burst out laughing, but bit the inside of her cheek to hold it back. She bit so hard that she could hear the sound of her flesh being crushed in her head.
She crossed her arms and looked around at the beautiful paintings, wallpapers, embroidery, and langbli decorations.
“You can see portraits of your ancestors everywhere you go in the palace. Big or small.”
“No matter what, shouldn’t the bridal chamber be an exception? Portraits of your ancestors? I don’t know how that’s any different from doing business in front of a picture of your deceased grandmother.”
This time, Erdene made a face like, “What kind of dirty person is this?”
Erdene said.
“They’re not hanging everywhere. There’s just a portrait of the Empress who gave birth to the most children in the empire.”
“That’s the climax of this story. If I refer to the Queen’s story when I attend the next ghost story club, I can win first place.”
“A ghost story club?”
“We often have reading clubs. I recommend that you attend them often. They’re short meetings that we have in our free time, but discussing various literature can help you gain insight...”
Arkan didn’t finish his sentence.
Erdene had picked up the bottle of wine she had put down earlier.
She drank half of the wine in one go and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Arkan said.
“If you drink from a glass, it seems like the wine turns into water?”
His tone was clearly mocking. But Erdene didn’t back down and responded.
“It’s not my nature to pour a glass the size of a fingernail and sip it.”
Arkan furrowed his brow, his lips tightening.
“First of all, your fingernails aren’t that big. Oh, were you using a metaphor?”
“You really want to get hit?”
“Reactions that involve violence aren’t good either. You should also try to change your temper. If you calm down and think rationally, you’ll get much better results.”
“I think I’ll calm down quickly after I beat up all the guys who make me angry and make them quiet.”
Arkan continued, trying to listen to Erdene’s fierce words with one ear and let them go out the other.
“And even if it doesn’t suit your personality, since you’re the Queen of Vetor, shouldn’t you at least make an effort?”
An expression of displeasure immediately appeared on Erdene’s face.
Arkan nodded absentmindedly as if he had expected it—Erdene could not tell what the gesture meant—and continued speaking in his characteristically soft tone.
“If you had become the Emperor of Hirschsten, would you have drank a whole bottle of wine in front of your subjects? I wouldn’t have.”
“Oh, of course. If I had taken the Emperor’s title according to my father’s will, I would have made that much effort.”
This time, Arkan made a displeased expression. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Erdene for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“So what you’re saying now is that the position of Queen of Vetor is incomparable to that of the Emperor of the Empire... something like that?”
“Is that what you’re saying now, Your Majesty?”
Arkan’s expression turned somewhat cold.
Up until now, it had been nothing more than a bickering, but not this time.
It was a remark that even a King leading a country would find difficult to tolerate.
At that moment, Erdene put down the bottle of wine as if throwing it away and took a step towards Arkan.
Now that he looked at it, her expression was even sharper than before.
Erdene said,
“Your Majesty, you already know what it means to be in that position, whether Emperor or King. Do you think it is not valuable because it is in my hands? I can’t say that. To sit in a position where I rule over all people and enjoy the glorious honor given to me, and to dedicate my body and soul to the country I was born and raised in and loved. I was raised to live with only that hope, and that was my only future and hope. But that was taken away from me overnight, and now I have to be content with the mere title of Queen.”
As she clenched her molars in fiery anger, Erdene felt a bitter and unpleasant taste. It seemed as if blood had seeped out from the inside of her cheek that she had just bitten.
Erdene swallowed the unpleasant smell that was both familiar and unpleasant to the nose, and clenched and unclenched her fists with her eyes wide open.
“Is the position of Queen of Vetor incomparable to that of Emperor of the Empire? Of course not. I was born to be a ruler, Your Majesty. Not the wife of a ruler.”
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