Sophia asked with a worried expression, but Erdene shook her head with a cough.
“No, it’s okay. Bring me some water.”
Sophia asked the maid who was wiping the picture frame to bring water and leaned down slightly next to Erdene.
“May I excuse you for a moment, Your Majesty?”
Erdene raised her head as if asking why, and Sophia’s palm touched her forehead.
Her hand was so cold and dry that her eyes closed on their own.
“Your hand is really cold.”
“It’s not my hand that’s cold, Your Majesty seems to have a fever.”
Sophia took her hand off, took a step back, and said,
“I’ll call the palace doctor again.”
“It’s okay. I'm not in any pain, so why are you doing this?”
“You have a fever.”
Erdene pretended not to hear Sophia and stood up.
Now that she thought about it, her eyes felt like they were getting really tight, but she hated seeing the doctors making a fuss.
It wasn’t just here, it was the same even when she was the Princess of the empire.
‘I don’t even want to take medicine.’
Erdene grumbled to herself.
“Your Majesty”
“I’m fine. I’ll go and take a nap and things will get better. What I have to do today is...”
Before she could finish her words, Sabnake announced Pelarhar’s visit.
From More to Belen, and now Pelarhar. Everyone Erdene could meet in Vetor had come to visit in order.
“Tell him to come in.”
Pelarhar didn’t come in alone.
Erdene looked at the attendant following him, holding a long box wrapped in black silk, with a puzzled look.
“What have you brought, Duke?”
“It’s what Your Majesty said earlier.”
Erdene made an “ah. ”
When Pelarhar nodded, the attendant who came forward bowed and handed over the box.
“Sophia, take it.”
Sophia said after receiving the box.
“Shall I unwrap it, Your Majesty?”
“No, let me just put it away.”
She quietly replied, “Yes,” and quickly left.
Erdene suddenly realized that Pelarhar was staring at her.
“What is it, Duke? Do you have anything else to tell me?”
Pelerhar frowned slightly.
“Your Majesty, your face...”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
"You said Her Majesty had a lover, too?"
Erdene knew best that getting angry at every question disguised as a conversation would only hurt her.
Thanks to that, she had enough time to practice letting her temper down, but that didn’t mean that those things didn’t hurt her.
It was annoying to have to carefully calculate every moment when she had to be silent when she had to offer a sharp piece of advice and react accordingly.
Erdene had never been treated that way before, so at first, Sophia was busy mediating the conversation.
Arkan said,
“There is no one here, in this castle, in this country who does not think of you as a Queen. Don’t waste your emotions on empty thoughts.”
Those words were just the right thing to blow Erdene’s mind.
Her eyes were spinning again.
Montiel Zelma’s outrageous behavior came to mind, and Arkan’s voice saying that banishing her from the capital was “enough” lingered in her ears.
Erdene took a step toward Arkan, baring her teeth, and poked his chest with her finger.
“You, don’t know anything. Do you understand?”
Arkan, who had been poked in the chest and backed away, let out a hollow laugh as she paused.
“What are you doing?”
“You don’t know a single thing about how my life has changed because you put me in this position. And yet you refuse to take responsibility for any of it. You never said a word of apology to me.”
Erdene looked away from Arkan, who was staring at her.
She did so because she knew that she was being unfairly angry at him. However.
‘Ah, my head is about to explode.’
Erdene, who was about to stand up, tilted her head while touching her temple.
Arkan, who was trying to catch his breath in return, noticed that her complexion looked different than usual.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s none of Your Majesty’s business.”
Arkan’s expression hardened at her cold response.
“What did you just say? It’s none of my business?”
Erdene furrowed her brows and quietly retorted.
“Yes, it doesn’t matter. You did a good job of banishing Montiel Zelma. However, I think it would be better to think of a greater punishment in the future. As Your Majesty said, if you want to keep ‘the royal discipline from being lax’.”
Arkan knew that Erdene was getting angry because of his words at the lakeside.
However, he couldn’t figure out why she was truly angry.
That was the problem.
Arkan didn’t know that there were nobles everywhere who were trying to openly belittle Erdene.
It was only natural that they were all careful about their behavior in front of Arkan so as not to incur his hatred.
Arkan said,
“I don’t know why you’re so angry when you got what you wanted anyway. But I’ll say it again. No matter how much of a crime you committed, Vetor doesn’t easily hand down the death penalty. It’s wrong to take for granted the punishments the empire gave you. Besides, you didn’t do much good either.”
At that moment, a chill rose in Erdene's eyes.
“No, it’s okay. Bring me some water.”
Sophia asked the maid who was wiping the picture frame to bring water and leaned down slightly next to Erdene.
“May I excuse you for a moment, Your Majesty?”
Erdene raised her head as if asking why, and Sophia’s palm touched her forehead.
Her hand was so cold and dry that her eyes closed on their own.
“Your hand is really cold.”
“It’s not my hand that’s cold, Your Majesty seems to have a fever.”
Sophia took her hand off, took a step back, and said,
“I’ll call the palace doctor again.”
“It’s okay. I'm not in any pain, so why are you doing this?”
“You have a fever.”
Erdene pretended not to hear Sophia and stood up.
Now that she thought about it, her eyes felt like they were getting really tight, but she hated seeing the doctors making a fuss.
It wasn’t just here, it was the same even when she was the Princess of the empire.
‘I don’t even want to take medicine.’
Erdene grumbled to herself.
“Your Majesty”
“I’m fine. I’ll go and take a nap and things will get better. What I have to do today is...”
Before she could finish her words, Sabnake announced Pelarhar’s visit.
From More to Belen, and now Pelarhar. Everyone Erdene could meet in Vetor had come to visit in order.
“Tell him to come in.”
Pelarhar didn’t come in alone.
Erdene looked at the attendant following him, holding a long box wrapped in black silk, with a puzzled look.
“What have you brought, Duke?”
“It’s what Your Majesty said earlier.”
Erdene made an “ah. ”
When Pelarhar nodded, the attendant who came forward bowed and handed over the box.
“Sophia, take it.”
Sophia said after receiving the box.
“Shall I unwrap it, Your Majesty?”
“No, let me just put it away.”
She quietly replied, “Yes,” and quickly left.
Erdene suddenly realized that Pelarhar was staring at her.
“What is it, Duke? Do you have anything else to tell me?”
Pelerhar frowned slightly.
“Your Majesty, your face...”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“Your face is red. Do you have a fever?”
Erdene tilted her head as she touched her cheek.
Sophia had said the same thing earlier.
It seemed a little warm, but not enough to worry.
“Well, it could be because the weather has gotten quite cold.”
“You should take it to the palace doctor.”
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’ll feel better if I lie down and rest.”
“Please do so.”
Erdene nodded.
Pelarhar looked at her with a worried expression several times before finally leaving the palace.
However, before Erdene could sit down, Sabnake came in and said,
“Your Majesty, His Majesty has arrived.”
“Yes, please come in.”
Arkan’s footsteps sounded distant. Erdene, sitting slanted on the sofa, looked up at him with one side of her head resting on the sofa.
His expression was angry and grumpy, but it seemed that he had resolved the issue with Count Zelma.
Erdene smiled teasingly at him.
“Was I right, Your Majesty?”
Arkan looked down at her with a sullen expression and then looked away.
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Look away. Thanks to me, I was able to catch a whole annoying mouse. You should be grateful.”
“Do you want to hear my thanks after turning my stomach like that? Do you have a conscience?”
Erdene's one eyebrow rose.
"I told you I had no choice. Do you think I could have caught that rascal right away if I hadn't done that?"
Arkan said, still grumbling.
"You've always been great, really."
Erdene's mouth turned into a sneer.
Arkan's reaction was somehow unpleasant in her eyes.
She tried to straighten her spinning vision, leaning her head against the back of the sofa as if nothing had happened.
“What did you do with that damn thing?”
Erdene asked. Arkan frowned and stared at her.
“I kicked him out. Out of the capital.”
“Like when you were Marchioness Fiddler?”
“Because that’s the greatest punishment.”
Erdene snorted.
Arkan would have definitely given her that level of punishment, but... for some reason, she felt irritated.
It was funny to talk about a ‘great punishment’ for something like that when he had already seen what Montiel Zelma was after and how she looked down on her.
“Even so, those things would go around talking bad about me and Your Majesty wherever they go.”
Arkan retorted.
“Then what would have been better? As you always say, would you have been satisfied if I had just cut off her head?”
“Oh, yes. That would have been cleaner. Didn’t you see how rude she was to me earlier? If someone had done something like that in front of me when I was in the Empire, I would never have let it go.”
“I repeat, this is not the Empire. You are no longer the Princess of the Empire.”
Erdene glared at Arkan with her eyes wide open.
Arkan looked at Erdene as if asking if she had anything more to say.
A part of her heart felt that she had not come here to argue like this, but her pride would not allow her to back down.
“That’s right, I forgot again. Not only was I not treated as a Queen, but I had to get used to the fact that I no longer had the status of a Princess.”
Arkan made a fierce expression.
“What are you talking about now? Who is saying that you are not treated as a Queen?”
“Are there only a few people like Montiel Zelma? Would that arrogant girl really have ignored me and attacked me like that just because she thought of herself? No way. Your Majesty knows nothing.”
Erdene recalled the many faces that had come to her and shown her subtle contempt.
She wondered why the faces that she had casually ignored back then were coming to her so vividly now.
What was so great about those mere humans, what were they?
"It would take some time for Her Majesty to learn all of Vetor’s etiquette, right?"
"Do men and women really mingle freely in the Empire? That’s why...."
Erdene tilted her head as she touched her cheek.
Sophia had said the same thing earlier.
It seemed a little warm, but not enough to worry.
“Well, it could be because the weather has gotten quite cold.”
“You should take it to the palace doctor.”
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’ll feel better if I lie down and rest.”
“Please do so.”
Erdene nodded.
Pelarhar looked at her with a worried expression several times before finally leaving the palace.
However, before Erdene could sit down, Sabnake came in and said,
“Your Majesty, His Majesty has arrived.”
“Yes, please come in.”
Arkan’s footsteps sounded distant. Erdene, sitting slanted on the sofa, looked up at him with one side of her head resting on the sofa.
His expression was angry and grumpy, but it seemed that he had resolved the issue with Count Zelma.
Erdene smiled teasingly at him.
“Was I right, Your Majesty?”
Arkan looked down at her with a sullen expression and then looked away.
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Look away. Thanks to me, I was able to catch a whole annoying mouse. You should be grateful.”
“Do you want to hear my thanks after turning my stomach like that? Do you have a conscience?”
Erdene's one eyebrow rose.
"I told you I had no choice. Do you think I could have caught that rascal right away if I hadn't done that?"
Arkan said, still grumbling.
"You've always been great, really."
Erdene's mouth turned into a sneer.
Arkan's reaction was somehow unpleasant in her eyes.
She tried to straighten her spinning vision, leaning her head against the back of the sofa as if nothing had happened.
“What did you do with that damn thing?”
Erdene asked. Arkan frowned and stared at her.
“I kicked him out. Out of the capital.”
“Like when you were Marchioness Fiddler?”
“Because that’s the greatest punishment.”
Erdene snorted.
Arkan would have definitely given her that level of punishment, but... for some reason, she felt irritated.
It was funny to talk about a ‘great punishment’ for something like that when he had already seen what Montiel Zelma was after and how she looked down on her.
“Even so, those things would go around talking bad about me and Your Majesty wherever they go.”
Arkan retorted.
“Then what would have been better? As you always say, would you have been satisfied if I had just cut off her head?”
“Oh, yes. That would have been cleaner. Didn’t you see how rude she was to me earlier? If someone had done something like that in front of me when I was in the Empire, I would never have let it go.”
“I repeat, this is not the Empire. You are no longer the Princess of the Empire.”
Erdene glared at Arkan with her eyes wide open.
Arkan looked at Erdene as if asking if she had anything more to say.
A part of her heart felt that she had not come here to argue like this, but her pride would not allow her to back down.
“That’s right, I forgot again. Not only was I not treated as a Queen, but I had to get used to the fact that I no longer had the status of a Princess.”
Arkan made a fierce expression.
“What are you talking about now? Who is saying that you are not treated as a Queen?”
“Are there only a few people like Montiel Zelma? Would that arrogant girl really have ignored me and attacked me like that just because she thought of herself? No way. Your Majesty knows nothing.”
Erdene recalled the many faces that had come to her and shown her subtle contempt.
She wondered why the faces that she had casually ignored back then were coming to her so vividly now.
What was so great about those mere humans, what were they?
"It would take some time for Her Majesty to learn all of Vetor’s etiquette, right?"
"Do men and women really mingle freely in the Empire? That’s why...."
"You said Her Majesty had a lover, too?"
Erdene knew best that getting angry at every question disguised as a conversation would only hurt her.
Thanks to that, she had enough time to practice letting her temper down, but that didn’t mean that those things didn’t hurt her.
It was annoying to have to carefully calculate every moment when she had to be silent when she had to offer a sharp piece of advice and react accordingly.
Erdene had never been treated that way before, so at first, Sophia was busy mediating the conversation.
Arkan said,
“There is no one here, in this castle, in this country who does not think of you as a Queen. Don’t waste your emotions on empty thoughts.”
Those words were just the right thing to blow Erdene’s mind.
Her eyes were spinning again.
Montiel Zelma’s outrageous behavior came to mind, and Arkan’s voice saying that banishing her from the capital was “enough” lingered in her ears.
Erdene took a step toward Arkan, baring her teeth, and poked his chest with her finger.
“You, don’t know anything. Do you understand?”
Arkan, who had been poked in the chest and backed away, let out a hollow laugh as she paused.
“What are you doing?”
“You don’t know a single thing about how my life has changed because you put me in this position. And yet you refuse to take responsibility for any of it. You never said a word of apology to me.”
Erdene looked away from Arkan, who was staring at her.
She did so because she knew that she was being unfairly angry at him. However.
‘Ah, my head is about to explode.’
Erdene, who was about to stand up, tilted her head while touching her temple.
Arkan, who was trying to catch his breath in return, noticed that her complexion looked different than usual.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s none of Your Majesty’s business.”
Arkan’s expression hardened at her cold response.
“What did you just say? It’s none of my business?”
Erdene furrowed her brows and quietly retorted.
“Yes, it doesn’t matter. You did a good job of banishing Montiel Zelma. However, I think it would be better to think of a greater punishment in the future. As Your Majesty said, if you want to keep ‘the royal discipline from being lax’.”
Arkan knew that Erdene was getting angry because of his words at the lakeside.
However, he couldn’t figure out why she was truly angry.
That was the problem.
Arkan didn’t know that there were nobles everywhere who were trying to openly belittle Erdene.
It was only natural that they were all careful about their behavior in front of Arkan so as not to incur his hatred.
Arkan said,
“I don’t know why you’re so angry when you got what you wanted anyway. But I’ll say it again. No matter how much of a crime you committed, Vetor doesn’t easily hand down the death penalty. It’s wrong to take for granted the punishments the empire gave you. Besides, you didn’t do much good either.”
At that moment, a chill rose in Erdene's eyes.
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