At that moment, Erdene's small body jumped up like a bean popping.
The way she quickly got up was just like a young girl at her age, to the point that her grim nicknames like "beast of the battlefield" and "a murderer whose eyes turn red when they can't see blood" seemed meaningless.
When More agreed, she seemed to have been encouraged, and she spoke even more excitedly with her eyes sparkling.
"Right? Me, really! I was going to kick him away, but I felt bad for him and left him alone!"
"My goodness, Your Majesty. How did you do that? If it were me, I would have scratched him. He's my husband and all."
Erdene's pursed lips moved.
How long has it been since someone has openly listened to her story?
It had been less than a month since she left the empire, but it felt like a thousand years ago.
Sophia always took Erdene’s side, but her reactions were rather indifferent and quiet.
Erdene, who had spent her entire life with the noisy knight commanders and adjutants, needed someone who would loudly take her side.
Of course, she had no idea about this, and when the adjutants got more excited about Erdene’s work than their own, she would tell them to stop acting like fools and grab their sides.
“That’s why I called you early.”
At Erdene’s strict tone that suited her status as a Queen, More also returned to the polite attitude appropriate for a Viscountess.
“Yes, Your Majesty. If you tell me what it is, I will do my best to help you.”
Erdene's pale eyes were different.
"I must take revenge."
"Of course, you must. Yes?"
More felt cold sweat dripping down her new summer dress that she had put on so much effort.
She had felt a little hot just now because she had a fever, but a cool chill came over her that made the fever disappear in an instant.
Erdene spoke again. This time, her voice was firmer.
"I left my homeland, but I was born as the Princess of Hirschsten, and today, no, yesterday, I have never experienced anything as humiliating as this. I am not one to sit still after experiencing something like that. If I were in the empire, I could call those flailing bastards in line, thresh them, and then shake them out, but that is not the case with Vetor. Now that I am the Queen here, I cannot kill those innocent bastards because I heard those few words, right? And the one who insulted me was that bastard... No, His Majesty, he is my husband and the King of this country. If I vent my pent-up anger on His Majesty to his subordinates, it will damage His Majesty’s honor, right? So what can I do? I have no choice but to show His Majesty how upset I am!”
More’s mind turned white as she listened to Erdene’s words that were coming out so quickly without taking a breath.
In other words, if More were to summarize her words, this was what she meant.
I’m going crazy because of my husband, but those Vetors are so sloppy that I’ll probably die if I vent my anger on them. Besides, if you look closely, it was Arkan who was at fault, so I’d have to vent my anger on him directly to feel better!
‘But now... you’re asking me to help you with that? Oh my God! How did this happen!’
More’s face turned pale, not knowing what Erdene would do to Arkan. Suddenly, the gruesome rumors she had heard through the grapevine, the eerie words referring to Erdene flashed through her mind...
“Uh, Your... Your Majesty. Of course, His Majesty has done very, very wrong to Your Majesty! Of course. He has done very badly, but that, that’s...!”
Erdene’s eyebrows rose sharply.
“That’s so?”
More shut her eyes tightly.
She shook her shoulders as if she was about to burst into tears and said,
“I, I, you must not kill my husband! Oh my, my goodness. Your Majesty, please calm down.”
Erdene, who had been staring down at More, who was so upset that she was on the verge of sinking under the sofa and kneeling, snapped her fingers in front of her eyes.
“Viscountess Wickes.”
“Oh my! Oh, yes. Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Please keep your dignity in check. I have eyes to see.”
“Yes, I, I’m sorry.”
Only then did More, whose face turned bright red like a carrot, clear her throat and fix the hem of her dress.
Anne, who was similarly indifferent to Sophia, was quick to notice things and stood with her hands folded as if she had not seen or heard anything, regardless of whether the Viscountess was making a fuss or not.
Erdene, who had her arms crossed, snorted with a very displeased expression.
“If I go around and kill people one by one over something like that, this castle will be empty before the sun sets tomorrow. Do you think I’m a fool?”
More couldn’t figure out which one she should find more creepy: the question, “How dare you treat me like a fool?” or the statement, “The castle will be empty before the sun sets tomorrow,” but she shook her head for the time being.
“T-That can’t be. Your Majesty, that’s not true. I was reckless and made a slip of the tongue.”
“Hmm, that’s enough. Anyway, I won’t kill you, so don’t worry about that. But...”
“Ha, but?”
Erdene’s eyes sparkled.
It was a completely different story from the innocently happy way More had been when she had taken his side.
“I’ll dry up all your blood.”
More’s face, which had barely returned to its original state, turned pale again.
Although it was an idiom Erdene always used, it somehow didn’t sound trivial when she said it.
Just as Erdene was calling in Viscountess More Wickes and turning the broken table into firewood, Arkan had been locked in his living room all morning, holding his head as if he was suffering from a terrible hangover. He had even skipped attending the meetings held every morning, and he would change his words every time he turned around, saying that his head hurt, and then that his stomach was stuffy.
Thanks to that, until the moment the dawn broke this morning, Plat, who had written “Bow to Your Majesty” with his wrists broken, was running around with bloodshot eyes.
“Your Majesty, I brought you some tea that is good for headaches.”
“Please leave it.”
“Have a sip...”
“That’s enough.”
Normally, he would have said one or two more words, but Plat immediately backed away.
The Arkan he had seen in his life was different. As he put down his teacup and turned around, his swollen wrists stung again.
'You've got the wrong Queen, what's this?'
Plat, who spent his childhood, youth, and middle age in the conservative and boring royal family of Vetor, was already quite a picky person.
If the one sitting on the throne had been someone like Pelarhar, his lips would have worn out from nagging.
'The Hirschsten Empire is not a group that will sit still forever, and His Majesty has changed so much...'
He became angry for some reason and took it out on the apprentice servant who was just standing in his place, saying that his shoes were dirty.
Coincidentally, Pelarhar caught him doing this.
"Your Grace Pelarhar."
"What's wrong with you?"
"Huh?"
"You always seemed to care for Arkan without a care, and you always seemed to handle everything wisely, but you seem a little tired these days. Why are you catching a little kid with dirt on his shoes like you're catching a mouse?"
“Your Grace Pelarhar, you are speaking without knowing. These little things, one by one, accumulate to the point that the discipline of the royal family...”
“Plat.”
Pelarhar’s voice dropped as if it was falling.
Plat, who had raised his voice almost as if he was talking back, bowed his head deeply at the sudden change in atmosphere.
“Your Grace, I apologize. I was rude.”
He lowered his head and Pelarhar saw that the top of his head was hollow here and there. It was natural hair loss due to aging.
At that time, more people wore wigs, but Plat thought that wigs were a luxury for the young, so he trimmed his remaining hair as unsightly as possible.
His stubbornness served as a useful shield for Arkan, but there were times when Pelarhar was displeased.
He had grown up seeing the previous King and Queen control Arkan in exactly the same way as Plat.
‘If I get even angrier here, it will be Arkan’s fault.’
Pelham, who had been catching his breath, smiled leisurely and carefreely as usual.
“Your eyes look a little red. Did you not sleep well last night? I have something to talk to Arkhan about, so go and rest. I will call you if necessary. Yes?”
“Oh, yes. Understood. Then...”
Platt turned around. Pelarhar must have been quite nervous about getting angry because his drooping shoulders showed a look of relief.
Pelarhar let out a short sigh and patted the shoulder of the apprentice servant who had been scolded, before quietly entering the King’s residence.
When he saw Arkhan sitting there with a blank expression, he couldn’t help but laugh and sigh.
Pelarhar made a clicking sound with the heel of his shoe and spoke.
“The sun that has descended on Vetor, His Majesty King Arkhan. The Duke of Sonetum, Pelarhar, sends greetings.”
“It’s already noisy, so sit quietly or go away.”
“I don’t want to go away, so I’ll sit down. I’m not confident I can keep quiet, though.”
Arkan glanced up and glared at Pelarhar.
Pelarhar, who had pulled up a random chair and leaned back, looked at Arkan with a crooked smile.
“What’s this? Why are you growing horns again? Her Majesty is truly an amazing person. My only cousin was so soft and docile that I was worried about how he would lead the country in the future, but she created someone else overnight. You're like a hedgehog.”
Arkan’s head ached even more at his private message.
A long sigh escaped from his mouth as he pressed his temples.
The way she quickly got up was just like a young girl at her age, to the point that her grim nicknames like "beast of the battlefield" and "a murderer whose eyes turn red when they can't see blood" seemed meaningless.
When More agreed, she seemed to have been encouraged, and she spoke even more excitedly with her eyes sparkling.
"Right? Me, really! I was going to kick him away, but I felt bad for him and left him alone!"
"My goodness, Your Majesty. How did you do that? If it were me, I would have scratched him. He's my husband and all."
Erdene's pursed lips moved.
How long has it been since someone has openly listened to her story?
It had been less than a month since she left the empire, but it felt like a thousand years ago.
Sophia always took Erdene’s side, but her reactions were rather indifferent and quiet.
Erdene, who had spent her entire life with the noisy knight commanders and adjutants, needed someone who would loudly take her side.
Of course, she had no idea about this, and when the adjutants got more excited about Erdene’s work than their own, she would tell them to stop acting like fools and grab their sides.
“That’s why I called you early.”
At Erdene’s strict tone that suited her status as a Queen, More also returned to the polite attitude appropriate for a Viscountess.
“Yes, Your Majesty. If you tell me what it is, I will do my best to help you.”
Erdene's pale eyes were different.
"I must take revenge."
"Of course, you must. Yes?"
More felt cold sweat dripping down her new summer dress that she had put on so much effort.
She had felt a little hot just now because she had a fever, but a cool chill came over her that made the fever disappear in an instant.
Erdene spoke again. This time, her voice was firmer.
"I left my homeland, but I was born as the Princess of Hirschsten, and today, no, yesterday, I have never experienced anything as humiliating as this. I am not one to sit still after experiencing something like that. If I were in the empire, I could call those flailing bastards in line, thresh them, and then shake them out, but that is not the case with Vetor. Now that I am the Queen here, I cannot kill those innocent bastards because I heard those few words, right? And the one who insulted me was that bastard... No, His Majesty, he is my husband and the King of this country. If I vent my pent-up anger on His Majesty to his subordinates, it will damage His Majesty’s honor, right? So what can I do? I have no choice but to show His Majesty how upset I am!”
More’s mind turned white as she listened to Erdene’s words that were coming out so quickly without taking a breath.
In other words, if More were to summarize her words, this was what she meant.
I’m going crazy because of my husband, but those Vetors are so sloppy that I’ll probably die if I vent my anger on them. Besides, if you look closely, it was Arkan who was at fault, so I’d have to vent my anger on him directly to feel better!
‘But now... you’re asking me to help you with that? Oh my God! How did this happen!’
More’s face turned pale, not knowing what Erdene would do to Arkan. Suddenly, the gruesome rumors she had heard through the grapevine, the eerie words referring to Erdene flashed through her mind...
“Uh, Your... Your Majesty. Of course, His Majesty has done very, very wrong to Your Majesty! Of course. He has done very badly, but that, that’s...!”
Erdene’s eyebrows rose sharply.
“That’s so?”
More shut her eyes tightly.
She shook her shoulders as if she was about to burst into tears and said,
“I, I, you must not kill my husband! Oh my, my goodness. Your Majesty, please calm down.”
Erdene, who had been staring down at More, who was so upset that she was on the verge of sinking under the sofa and kneeling, snapped her fingers in front of her eyes.
“Viscountess Wickes.”
“Oh my! Oh, yes. Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Please keep your dignity in check. I have eyes to see.”
“Yes, I, I’m sorry.”
Only then did More, whose face turned bright red like a carrot, clear her throat and fix the hem of her dress.
Anne, who was similarly indifferent to Sophia, was quick to notice things and stood with her hands folded as if she had not seen or heard anything, regardless of whether the Viscountess was making a fuss or not.
Erdene, who had her arms crossed, snorted with a very displeased expression.
“If I go around and kill people one by one over something like that, this castle will be empty before the sun sets tomorrow. Do you think I’m a fool?”
More couldn’t figure out which one she should find more creepy: the question, “How dare you treat me like a fool?” or the statement, “The castle will be empty before the sun sets tomorrow,” but she shook her head for the time being.
“T-That can’t be. Your Majesty, that’s not true. I was reckless and made a slip of the tongue.”
“Hmm, that’s enough. Anyway, I won’t kill you, so don’t worry about that. But...”
“Ha, but?”
Erdene’s eyes sparkled.
It was a completely different story from the innocently happy way More had been when she had taken his side.
“I’ll dry up all your blood.”
More’s face, which had barely returned to its original state, turned pale again.
Although it was an idiom Erdene always used, it somehow didn’t sound trivial when she said it.
***
Just as Erdene was calling in Viscountess More Wickes and turning the broken table into firewood, Arkan had been locked in his living room all morning, holding his head as if he was suffering from a terrible hangover. He had even skipped attending the meetings held every morning, and he would change his words every time he turned around, saying that his head hurt, and then that his stomach was stuffy.
Thanks to that, until the moment the dawn broke this morning, Plat, who had written “Bow to Your Majesty” with his wrists broken, was running around with bloodshot eyes.
“Your Majesty, I brought you some tea that is good for headaches.”
“Please leave it.”
“Have a sip...”
“That’s enough.”
Normally, he would have said one or two more words, but Plat immediately backed away.
The Arkan he had seen in his life was different. As he put down his teacup and turned around, his swollen wrists stung again.
'You've got the wrong Queen, what's this?'
Plat, who spent his childhood, youth, and middle age in the conservative and boring royal family of Vetor, was already quite a picky person.
If the one sitting on the throne had been someone like Pelarhar, his lips would have worn out from nagging.
'The Hirschsten Empire is not a group that will sit still forever, and His Majesty has changed so much...'
He became angry for some reason and took it out on the apprentice servant who was just standing in his place, saying that his shoes were dirty.
Coincidentally, Pelarhar caught him doing this.
"Your Grace Pelarhar."
"What's wrong with you?"
"Huh?"
"You always seemed to care for Arkan without a care, and you always seemed to handle everything wisely, but you seem a little tired these days. Why are you catching a little kid with dirt on his shoes like you're catching a mouse?"
“Your Grace Pelarhar, you are speaking without knowing. These little things, one by one, accumulate to the point that the discipline of the royal family...”
“Plat.”
Pelarhar’s voice dropped as if it was falling.
Plat, who had raised his voice almost as if he was talking back, bowed his head deeply at the sudden change in atmosphere.
“Your Grace, I apologize. I was rude.”
He lowered his head and Pelarhar saw that the top of his head was hollow here and there. It was natural hair loss due to aging.
At that time, more people wore wigs, but Plat thought that wigs were a luxury for the young, so he trimmed his remaining hair as unsightly as possible.
His stubbornness served as a useful shield for Arkan, but there were times when Pelarhar was displeased.
He had grown up seeing the previous King and Queen control Arkan in exactly the same way as Plat.
‘If I get even angrier here, it will be Arkan’s fault.’
Pelham, who had been catching his breath, smiled leisurely and carefreely as usual.
“Your eyes look a little red. Did you not sleep well last night? I have something to talk to Arkhan about, so go and rest. I will call you if necessary. Yes?”
“Oh, yes. Understood. Then...”
Platt turned around. Pelarhar must have been quite nervous about getting angry because his drooping shoulders showed a look of relief.
Pelarhar let out a short sigh and patted the shoulder of the apprentice servant who had been scolded, before quietly entering the King’s residence.
When he saw Arkhan sitting there with a blank expression, he couldn’t help but laugh and sigh.
Pelarhar made a clicking sound with the heel of his shoe and spoke.
“The sun that has descended on Vetor, His Majesty King Arkhan. The Duke of Sonetum, Pelarhar, sends greetings.”
“It’s already noisy, so sit quietly or go away.”
“I don’t want to go away, so I’ll sit down. I’m not confident I can keep quiet, though.”
Arkan glanced up and glared at Pelarhar.
Pelarhar, who had pulled up a random chair and leaned back, looked at Arkan with a crooked smile.
“What’s this? Why are you growing horns again? Her Majesty is truly an amazing person. My only cousin was so soft and docile that I was worried about how he would lead the country in the future, but she created someone else overnight. You're like a hedgehog.”
Arkan’s head ached even more at his private message.
A long sigh escaped from his mouth as he pressed his temples.
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