WTPB - Chapter 50




When was that? Erdene suddenly thought of the past in her confusion.

Maybe when she was ten or eleven...

It was during a conversation with the Emperor in the fall when the cold wind began to blow.

[Erdene, do you know what the basics of defending a castle are?]

[I know! Just kill all the guys outside!]


The Emperor gently patted his daughter’s small head.

[It’s not to let your guard down.]

[Oh, really! Just sweep away all the guards and such.]


The voices of the Emperor and his teachers, who were laughing loudly, rang vividly in her ears... but then suddenly stopped.

“Are you listening to me?”

Erdene, who suddenly snapped out of her reverie, looked at Arkan, who was standing there with a haughty look, and said.

“Everyone, get out. Sophia, you too.”

The maids glanced at the two of them and left the bedroom at a brisk pace.

When Arkan felt the door quietly close behind him, he opened his eyes wide and let out a sound similar to a snort.

“If you have anything to say, then say it.”

Erdene rolled her eyes, pushed the table away, and folded her arms.

“You have a talent for sieges, Your Majesty. A bit cowardly, though.”

Arkan retorted immediately.

“What’s cowardly? I’ve never actually fought a siege, but if you open the door, you’ll be fine. Isn’t that right?”

I have nothing to say. Erdene thought.

While she was speechless, Arkan annoyingly drove in another wedge.

“You let your guard down, not me.”

Arkan said as Erdene glared.

“Wipe that thing off your lips. You saved it to eat as a midnight snack later?”

Erdene picked up a pack of napkins, rubbed the area around her lips until it turned red, and then put it down as if tossing it away. It was already hurting her pride to let him barge in so suddenly, but hearing him say, ‘Didn’t you let your guard down?’ made her really angry.

“Why did you come all of a sudden?”

Erdene asked bluntly. Arkan laughed in vain.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Sophia and the maids are one thing, but you even dragged the Viscountess into deceiving me?”

Erdene’s eyes widened. Damn it! That’s where it leaked out!

“Are you saying that Moore told Your Majesty?”

Oh my. Arkan burst into laughter and stared at Erdene.

She must have become quite close to Viscountess Wickes, because it was funny and unexpected that she called her by her name, ‘Moore’, without any hesitation.

“Tidbits? Who would tidbit? I caught her.”

Arkan, in a very proud manner, went on and on about the process from suspecting Sophia to raiding the Viscountess Wickes.

Erdene, who had been staring at him intently and listening, twitched her nose and turned her head to the side.

“Obsessed men are disgusting.”

“What?”

Erdene just moved her eyes to Arkan.

“Didn’t Your Majesty just say that? If I were sick, you would have known I was sick, but you suspected me of lying, and you ended up guarding the path to my palace.”

“Why is that obsession... No, no. That’s okay. Obsession and all, it’s fine. I don’t care what you think, I just came to clear up the misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding?”

Arkan took a deep breath to suppress his boiling anger.

He has been doing this a lot recently. He thought.

Just a couple months ago, Platt would nag him, saying, “Your Majesty is too calm and lenient. Sometimes you should get angry and show your fierce side.”

No, that’s not the problem right now. Arkan tried to clear his head of the complicated thoughts.

Erdene, who was impatient, couldn’t stand the brief silence and urged Arkan again.

“What kind of misunderstanding?”

“What I said yesterday. Yesterday... It was a mistake to say that.”

Erdene’s eyes narrowed.

“You always say that, Your Majesty. How many times do you plan on making that mistake? At this point, it seems like you’re making it on purpose.”

There was a mischievous smile at the end of her words.

The faint sneer that would make even the most composed person lash out made Arkan's forehead redden again.

Arkan let out a long sigh and said,

"I didn't mean to say that I... spent the whole day trying to upset you."

"Then what was it?"

Arkan rubbed his face with his palm a few times. Then he trudged over like a tired person and sat down next to Erdene.

Since the seat was a bit cramped, Erdene had to give up her seat without realizing it, but when Arkan’s butt pushed her body out, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“If that’s not the case, then what were you talking about?”

“...”

“Oh, really. This really pisses me off.”

Erdene’s fist jabbed Arkan in the side.

Although it wasn’t that hard, Arkan groaned as if he had hit a weak spot and grabbed his side. Erdene, flustered, quickly pulled her fist away and blinked.

“What kind of straw doll are you? To that extent...”

Arkan, who had been groaning while holding his side, turned his head quickly and glared.

“Did you just hit me?”

Erdene, with her lips pursed, pushed his thigh with her foot as if trying to push him out of the cramped space.

“What was that? It’s not even a pat. What if it was just a caress? Don’t joke around.”

“Oh! Look! You’re kicking me right now!”

“That’s because Your Majesty is sitting in my seat! It’s so cramped! Ouch!”

Erdene, who was kicking Arkan’s thighs, suddenly lifted one of her ankles.

Erdene reflexively pushed down the hem of her dress that was about to lift up as her leg went up and looked at Arkan with her eyes hard.

Then she tried to ‘really’ kick his knee with her other leg, but Arkan’s hand blocked her ankle just a little faster.

“What are you doing!”

“Let’s just move on from this.”

Arkan, holding Erdene’s ankles in each hand, frowned with a serious expression.

As he bent his upper body, Erdene's legs spread apart as if they were about to catch Arkan's shoulders.

"Why are people so violent?"

Erdene, who was rolling her eyes in embarrassment at the awkward position—she had to hit Arkan with all her might to shake him off—gritted her molars.

"Didn't you come here to explain something, Your Majesty? And what? Violence? Do you want to see what real violence is?"

"Look! It's a threat every time you open your mouth!"

"This isn't a threat. I'm just stating the truth and asking questions."

Arkan's upper body tilted a little further.

The hand that was holding Erdene's ankle moved up to her knee and grabbed her shin.

As his face suddenly came closer, Erdene's lips suddenly parted slightly, and she inhaled deeply.

His curly bangs cast soft shadows over his straight nose and eyes.

The face, which had more curves than usual, was so beautiful that she couldn’t take her eyes off it. She wondered if this was how it felt to be possessed by a dream.

Arkan said.

“You even lied about being a little crazy and avoided me. Why do people not think about having a conversation and are so aggressive in everything?”

Erdene, whose eyes were drawn to Arkan’s face looked different than usual, quickly shook her head.

“What kind of conversation can you have with someone who only thinks about screwing me all day?”

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

“Then what did you mean when you said that? What on earth do you think about all day?”

Arkan swallowed and crawled over Erdene’s body, pressing the side of her head.

“I didn’t mean that I thought about screwing you all day. I...!”

Erdene’s eyes opened wide. Arkan felt his head becoming a mess.

He couldn’t quite figure out what the words coming out of his mouth meant.

What am I trying to say? This is how it must be...

At that moment, an urgent knock was heard from the closed door.

Arkan and Erdene turned their heads at the same time, and before they could even tell them to come in, the door opened wide.

“Your Majesty, now, ugh!”

Plat, panicked, quickly turned his head while holding onto the doorknob. Only then did Arkan, who realized what was happening, let go of Erdene and got up.

On the other hand, Erdene, unlike Arkan, got up relatively slowly, but her fingertips brushing back her disheveled hair were clearly tinged with annoyance.

Arkan, who had suddenly gotten up with a displeased expression, lowered his gaze and sighed.

“Plat.”

“Yes, yes... Your Majesty.”

“Where is this place?”

Plat stared blankly at him. Then, he looked at Erdene’s face, who was expressionlessly turning away from him.

“Wow, this is the palace where Her Majesty the Queen resides.”

“But is it etiquette to open the door before hearing an answer?”

“Ah, that, that. Your Majesty, it is so... so urgent.”

“It’s urgent, so go back and write it a hundred more times today. ‘I will definitely knock in the palace where His Majesty resides.’ Repeat after me.”

Cold sweat broke out on Plat’s wrinkled forehead.

“I, I will definitely knock in the palace where Her Majesty resides.”

Erdene let out a gasp and laughed softly.



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