For a moment, Arkan stared blankly at Erdene's face with his mouth shut.
Whether he was speechless from being dumbfounded or had been caught off guard and had nothing to say, Erdene couldn't tell.
However, for Arkan, it was definitely a fortunate and well-timed silence.
'If you had said one more word, I would have really hit you.'
Erdene thought as she clenched and unclenched her fist once more.
Arkan looked at Erdene with a thoughtful expression, then sighed shallowly and sat down on his chair.
Erdene watched him carefully as he closed his eyes, leaned his elbows on the table, and took deep breaths.
It was like a beast’s instinct to find the opponent’s weakness or a habit of thinking about where to put his teeth to deliver the most fatal yet quiet blow.
Although she repeatedly reminded herself that this was not a battlefield, the habit that had been ingrained in her entire life was hard to shake off.
“Why are you doing that?”
Arkan, who seemed about to fall asleep, suddenly spoke, and this time Erdene felt as if he had been caught off guard.
“Sit down.”
Arkan motioned to the chair, and Erdene’s lips twitched slightly.
It seemed as if she could hear the crack in her noble pride, which had never been ordered like this in her entire life.
Erdene slammed the table with a discontented expression and sat down.
The heavy candlestick shook in the chill.
As the flames swung, Arkan, in a panic, grabbed the candlestick and looked at Erdene with a dumbfounded expression.
“Can’t you be gentle?”
“I was gentle.”
Arkan looked back and forth between the poor table and the candlestick.
If those two objects could talk, he was sure the table would be screaming that its head was going to burst, and the candlestick would be crying hysterically that it almost died.
“You almost broke the table just now.”
“If a table is that fragile, I think it’s time to replace it.”
“Speaking of which, the vase you broke on your first day here was a treasure that had been passed down through generations in the royal family.”
“If I hear that story one more time, it’ll be a pain in the ass. That’s why I was going to go apologize, but Your Majesty said you were very busy with important matters.”
“No, when did I...”
Arkan, who was about to refute, stuck out his tongue and narrowed his eyes.
“Did Flat say that?”
Erdene nodded.
“Flat or Plan. Anyway, that picky-looking guy said that.”
“He’s the chief of staff. He’s also my secretary.”
“Really? I thought he was dried fish that I kept to chew on when I was bored. He looked like a dried herring.”
Erdene raised her eyebrows at Arkan’s strange sound.
“What did you just say? Did you swallow a pig?”
“...No, I didn’t. I was working at the time, but Flat seemed to have exaggerated a bit. Anyway, please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not asking for an apology for that now. What I mean is... take it easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Anything.”
Erdene snorted as if it were trivial and stared blankly at her right hand.
Arkan could see the calluses here and there on her hands that were repeatedly shrinking and unfolding.
They were no longer scars or wounds, but very old ones.
His own hands had calluses that were just as old. He was only twelve when the tips of his fingers and the joints around his knuckles, where he held his pen, became smooth as if worn down and then almost numb.
He remembered how proud he had been of that feeling as a child, and wondered if Erdene had ever felt the same.
Then Erdene let out a sigh and put her hand down.
Arkan’s curious thoughts were cut off there as well.
He tried to lean his upper body forward a little, but then changed his mind and pulled the chair over.
As he got closer to Erdene, he could clearly sense the scent that had been faint and indefinable until just now.
There was a faint lilac scent that seemed to go with her and yet not.
“Let’s put that aside for now. You and I got married today... and we officially became the King and Queen of Vetor. So, I have something to say first.”
“I have a lot to say.”
Erdene muttered softly, and Arkan’s eyes narrowed again.
“I can hear everything.”
“Of course, because I told you to listen.”
Arkan took another deep breath. He thought that for the time being—or perhaps for the rest of his life, he had an eerie feeling, but tried to ignore it—he should build up his patience through this breathing technique.
‘Or maybe do some meditation or something popular in the Southern Kingdom.’
While he was exhaling deeply and increasing his patience, Erdene was lost in a completely different thought.
‘Why are his lips so smooth? It seems like he’s never had a scar in his life. Does he put honey on them every night?’
Arkan inhaled and exhaled three or four times before finally opening his eyes.
Erdene, who had been staring intently at his lips moving slightly with each breath, averted her eyes in a sting.
Arkan said,
“First of all, I made a slip of the tongue earlier. I’m sorry.”
Erdene’s gaze turned back to Arkan.
His eyes, which had been lit by candlelight, were softly shining.
They were like the sun on a warm day, and they were a beautiful golden color that seemed to drip sweet honey if he blinked.
He continued.
“I have always thought that the titles of the Emperor, Queen, King, or Duke... were not important. That is why your long-held wish... you could say it was a long-cherished wish. I did not consider that it was shattered in an instant.”
Erdene burst out laughing.
“Your Majesty, you say the title of the title is not important? You are surprisingly childish.”
“You are laughing at me for being childish, right? I know.”
Erdene’s gaze slightly turned pale at his irritatingly innocent affirmation.
It was not that she did not want to hear what he had to say, but rather that she felt uncomfortable interest.
Arkan stroked the edge of the table and thought for a moment.
Erdene could easily tell that he was a very cautious person.
She was not the type to think deeply about her words or actions unless she was on the battlefield, but Arkan was different.
“I always thought that the position of a King... is not a position to rule over people. My teachers who taught me the science of kingship and state affairs all said the same thing, and I thought the same thing myself. I think that a King is someone who must serve the country the hardest.”
After saying that, Arkan looked at Erdene for a moment, waiting for her to say something in rebuttal.
However, Erdene remained silent, not knowing what she was thinking.
Arkan shook his head.
“This is not a story worth talking about, so let’s stop here. What I want to say is that I just realized that you also think that way to some extent. You said that you do not desire the position of Emperor itself, but that you want to sacrifice everything for the country you love. So I apologize.”
Erdene’s lips opened as if to say something, then closed again.
Erdene, who had been quietly looking at Arkan’s serious eyes and expression, frowned slightly while pretending to rub her arms.
“It gives me goosebumps, Your Majesty.”
Arkan looked at her again with a bewildered expression.
“What?”
“Apologizing so seriously. It’s embarrassing.”
Whether he was speechless from being dumbfounded or had been caught off guard and had nothing to say, Erdene couldn't tell.
However, for Arkan, it was definitely a fortunate and well-timed silence.
'If you had said one more word, I would have really hit you.'
Erdene thought as she clenched and unclenched her fist once more.
Arkan looked at Erdene with a thoughtful expression, then sighed shallowly and sat down on his chair.
Erdene watched him carefully as he closed his eyes, leaned his elbows on the table, and took deep breaths.
It was like a beast’s instinct to find the opponent’s weakness or a habit of thinking about where to put his teeth to deliver the most fatal yet quiet blow.
Although she repeatedly reminded herself that this was not a battlefield, the habit that had been ingrained in her entire life was hard to shake off.
“Why are you doing that?”
Arkan, who seemed about to fall asleep, suddenly spoke, and this time Erdene felt as if he had been caught off guard.
“Sit down.”
Arkan motioned to the chair, and Erdene’s lips twitched slightly.
It seemed as if she could hear the crack in her noble pride, which had never been ordered like this in her entire life.
Erdene slammed the table with a discontented expression and sat down.
The heavy candlestick shook in the chill.
As the flames swung, Arkan, in a panic, grabbed the candlestick and looked at Erdene with a dumbfounded expression.
“Can’t you be gentle?”
“I was gentle.”
Arkan looked back and forth between the poor table and the candlestick.
If those two objects could talk, he was sure the table would be screaming that its head was going to burst, and the candlestick would be crying hysterically that it almost died.
“You almost broke the table just now.”
“If a table is that fragile, I think it’s time to replace it.”
“Speaking of which, the vase you broke on your first day here was a treasure that had been passed down through generations in the royal family.”
“If I hear that story one more time, it’ll be a pain in the ass. That’s why I was going to go apologize, but Your Majesty said you were very busy with important matters.”
“No, when did I...”
Arkan, who was about to refute, stuck out his tongue and narrowed his eyes.
“Did Flat say that?”
Erdene nodded.
“Flat or Plan. Anyway, that picky-looking guy said that.”
“He’s the chief of staff. He’s also my secretary.”
“Really? I thought he was dried fish that I kept to chew on when I was bored. He looked like a dried herring.”
Erdene raised her eyebrows at Arkan’s strange sound.
“What did you just say? Did you swallow a pig?”
“...No, I didn’t. I was working at the time, but Flat seemed to have exaggerated a bit. Anyway, please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not asking for an apology for that now. What I mean is... take it easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Anything.”
Erdene snorted as if it were trivial and stared blankly at her right hand.
Arkan could see the calluses here and there on her hands that were repeatedly shrinking and unfolding.
They were no longer scars or wounds, but very old ones.
His own hands had calluses that were just as old. He was only twelve when the tips of his fingers and the joints around his knuckles, where he held his pen, became smooth as if worn down and then almost numb.
He remembered how proud he had been of that feeling as a child, and wondered if Erdene had ever felt the same.
Then Erdene let out a sigh and put her hand down.
Arkan’s curious thoughts were cut off there as well.
He tried to lean his upper body forward a little, but then changed his mind and pulled the chair over.
As he got closer to Erdene, he could clearly sense the scent that had been faint and indefinable until just now.
There was a faint lilac scent that seemed to go with her and yet not.
“Let’s put that aside for now. You and I got married today... and we officially became the King and Queen of Vetor. So, I have something to say first.”
“I have a lot to say.”
Erdene muttered softly, and Arkan’s eyes narrowed again.
“I can hear everything.”
“Of course, because I told you to listen.”
Arkan took another deep breath. He thought that for the time being—or perhaps for the rest of his life, he had an eerie feeling, but tried to ignore it—he should build up his patience through this breathing technique.
‘Or maybe do some meditation or something popular in the Southern Kingdom.’
While he was exhaling deeply and increasing his patience, Erdene was lost in a completely different thought.
‘Why are his lips so smooth? It seems like he’s never had a scar in his life. Does he put honey on them every night?’
Arkan inhaled and exhaled three or four times before finally opening his eyes.
Erdene, who had been staring intently at his lips moving slightly with each breath, averted her eyes in a sting.
Arkan said,
“First of all, I made a slip of the tongue earlier. I’m sorry.”
Erdene’s gaze turned back to Arkan.
His eyes, which had been lit by candlelight, were softly shining.
They were like the sun on a warm day, and they were a beautiful golden color that seemed to drip sweet honey if he blinked.
He continued.
“I have always thought that the titles of the Emperor, Queen, King, or Duke... were not important. That is why your long-held wish... you could say it was a long-cherished wish. I did not consider that it was shattered in an instant.”
Erdene burst out laughing.
“Your Majesty, you say the title of the title is not important? You are surprisingly childish.”
“You are laughing at me for being childish, right? I know.”
Erdene’s gaze slightly turned pale at his irritatingly innocent affirmation.
It was not that she did not want to hear what he had to say, but rather that she felt uncomfortable interest.
Arkan stroked the edge of the table and thought for a moment.
Erdene could easily tell that he was a very cautious person.
She was not the type to think deeply about her words or actions unless she was on the battlefield, but Arkan was different.
“I always thought that the position of a King... is not a position to rule over people. My teachers who taught me the science of kingship and state affairs all said the same thing, and I thought the same thing myself. I think that a King is someone who must serve the country the hardest.”
After saying that, Arkan looked at Erdene for a moment, waiting for her to say something in rebuttal.
However, Erdene remained silent, not knowing what she was thinking.
Arkan shook his head.
“This is not a story worth talking about, so let’s stop here. What I want to say is that I just realized that you also think that way to some extent. You said that you do not desire the position of Emperor itself, but that you want to sacrifice everything for the country you love. So I apologize.”
Erdene’s lips opened as if to say something, then closed again.
Erdene, who had been quietly looking at Arkan’s serious eyes and expression, frowned slightly while pretending to rub her arms.
“It gives me goosebumps, Your Majesty.”
Arkan looked at her again with a bewildered expression.
“What?”
“Apologizing so seriously. It’s embarrassing.”
It was outrageous!
Arkan felt his heart, which had been peacefully calm until just now—which he had barely managed to get after taking a few deep breaths—starting to jump around again.
“Why would it be embarrassing to sincerely apologize for something I did wrong?”
Erdene said.
“You could have just said, ‘I’m sorry,’ but you’re setting the tone as if you were making a serious confession.”
“It’s outrageous. So in the Empire, when you hit someone, do you just say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry?’ and walk away?” “
"You’re the one who’s being outrageous. Do you think the people of our country are some kind of back-alley gangsters?”
Arkan crossed his arms. Another long fight was about to begin.
“Then tell me. How do the people of the Empire apologize?”
Erdene, who had her arms tightly folded in the same gesture, calmly replied.
“If you hit me once, I’ll hit you twice in return.”
“I knew it. What kind of apology is that!”
“Just pay me back. Why are you exchanging apologies like that? Apples should be stewed and made into jam!”
Arkan felt his heart, which had been peacefully calm until just now—which he had barely managed to get after taking a few deep breaths—starting to jump around again.
“Why would it be embarrassing to sincerely apologize for something I did wrong?”
Erdene said.
“You could have just said, ‘I’m sorry,’ but you’re setting the tone as if you were making a serious confession.”
“It’s outrageous. So in the Empire, when you hit someone, do you just say, ‘Hey, I’m sorry?’ and walk away?” “
"You’re the one who’s being outrageous. Do you think the people of our country are some kind of back-alley gangsters?”
Arkan crossed his arms. Another long fight was about to begin.
“Then tell me. How do the people of the Empire apologize?”
Erdene, who had her arms tightly folded in the same gesture, calmly replied.
“If you hit me once, I’ll hit you twice in return.”
“I knew it. What kind of apology is that!”
“Just pay me back. Why are you exchanging apologies like that? Apples should be stewed and made into jam!”
Erdene slammed the table again.
But this time, the candlestick did not shake.
It was because Arkan had grabbed the candlestick and pulled it off the table the moment she raised her hand.
Arkan said.
“Apologizing when you’ve done something wrong, and accepting and reconciling when the apology is appropriate. That’s what communication is.”
“I prefer to communicate with my fists, Your Majesty.”
Erdene shook her clenched fists mischievously.
At that moment, Arkan grabbed her fists with both hands.
But this time, the candlestick did not shake.
It was because Arkan had grabbed the candlestick and pulled it off the table the moment she raised her hand.
Arkan said.
“Apologizing when you’ve done something wrong, and accepting and reconciling when the apology is appropriate. That’s what communication is.”
“I prefer to communicate with my fists, Your Majesty.”
Erdene shook her clenched fists mischievously.
At that moment, Arkan grabbed her fists with both hands.
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