Ironically, the moment he saw the scar with his own eyes, Arkan slowly began to think back on Erdene’s life, which he had never thought deeply about before.
Even so, since he didn’t really know anything, it was just his sentimental imagination, but he had finally found the time to think about the twists and turns Erdene must have gone through.
Arkan carefully placed Erdene in the bathtub that gave off a sour scent, tied her hair tightly so that it wouldn’t get wet, and stirred the water so that the medicinal properties would mix well.
Although he had only seen it when he was very young, the memory remained vivid.
His mother, who had always relied on the maids and servants for even the smallest things as a Queen, had personally bathed his brother in the medicine, sweating profusely that day, which had shocked even her young mind. As Erdene’s body was soaked in water, he first slowly kneaded her hands that were submerged in the water.
He stroked her arms, shoulders, and the back of her neck to help the blood flow.
She didn’t cry. Her mother did cry then.
“If you were awake, you would never have let me do this.”
When only his voice echoed in the quiet bathroom, Arkan felt a smile leak out of him.
“I guess it’s become a habit for you to immediately respond when I say something.”
He slowly massaged Erdene’s hands one after another.
First the firm and neat tips of her nails, then her knuckles, the bones on the back of her hands, her wrists, and her forearms.
As he slowly traced the calluses here and there, the relatively soft skin around them, and the sunken scars, he could picture Erdene in different forms.
A battlefield that smelled of weapons, ash, and sand. A place where bloody flags fluttered, snow fell, rained, and life collided with life.
It was a place he had never been to before, but for some reason, it came to mind strangely vividly.
Arkan stopped talking about it.
Erdene wouldn’t hear, but even so, he didn’t want to pretend to know something he didn’t know at all.
It didn’t seem right.
“You scolded me.”
Arkan said. When he closed his eyes, he could clearly see Erdene sneering as she stuck her stiletto on the table. And how strong the plum she was biting into at that time had been.
“It was a bit shocking at the time. I thought you would... sympathize, you know? That you had that kind of experience. Actually, I don’t talk about my past like that to strangers. But I was able to do it naturally with you. Why do you think I did that? Was it because I was stupid, as you said?”
Arkan’s body, which had been whispering softly, moved to the bottom of the bathtub.
For a moment, he had the illusion that Erdene’s fingers had moved a little, but it was just an illusion created by the waves.
Arkan, who had been kneading Erdene’s toes while almost submerging his shoulders, muttered to himself again.
“You know what? I used to get tickled a lot. When I was little, Pelarhar would sometimes tickle me, and I would always get upset. Pelarhar would always apologize to me.”
Even so, since he didn’t really know anything, it was just his sentimental imagination, but he had finally found the time to think about the twists and turns Erdene must have gone through.
Arkan carefully placed Erdene in the bathtub that gave off a sour scent, tied her hair tightly so that it wouldn’t get wet, and stirred the water so that the medicinal properties would mix well.
Although he had only seen it when he was very young, the memory remained vivid.
His mother, who had always relied on the maids and servants for even the smallest things as a Queen, had personally bathed his brother in the medicine, sweating profusely that day, which had shocked even her young mind. As Erdene’s body was soaked in water, he first slowly kneaded her hands that were submerged in the water.
He stroked her arms, shoulders, and the back of her neck to help the blood flow.
She didn’t cry. Her mother did cry then.
“If you were awake, you would never have let me do this.”
When only his voice echoed in the quiet bathroom, Arkan felt a smile leak out of him.
“I guess it’s become a habit for you to immediately respond when I say something.”
He slowly massaged Erdene’s hands one after another.
First the firm and neat tips of her nails, then her knuckles, the bones on the back of her hands, her wrists, and her forearms.
As he slowly traced the calluses here and there, the relatively soft skin around them, and the sunken scars, he could picture Erdene in different forms.
A battlefield that smelled of weapons, ash, and sand. A place where bloody flags fluttered, snow fell, rained, and life collided with life.
It was a place he had never been to before, but for some reason, it came to mind strangely vividly.
Arkan stopped talking about it.
Erdene wouldn’t hear, but even so, he didn’t want to pretend to know something he didn’t know at all.
It didn’t seem right.
“You scolded me.”
Arkan said. When he closed his eyes, he could clearly see Erdene sneering as she stuck her stiletto on the table. And how strong the plum she was biting into at that time had been.
“It was a bit shocking at the time. I thought you would... sympathize, you know? That you had that kind of experience. Actually, I don’t talk about my past like that to strangers. But I was able to do it naturally with you. Why do you think I did that? Was it because I was stupid, as you said?”
Arkan’s body, which had been whispering softly, moved to the bottom of the bathtub.
For a moment, he had the illusion that Erdene’s fingers had moved a little, but it was just an illusion created by the waves.
Arkan, who had been kneading Erdene’s toes while almost submerging his shoulders, muttered to himself again.
“You know what? I used to get tickled a lot. When I was little, Pelarhar would sometimes tickle me, and I would always get upset. Pelarhar would always apologize to me.”
Whenever they fought, Arkan would always win.
Pelarhar knew that the previous King always protected him before Arkan, and he also knew that it was a way for him to not be concerned about what others thought.
That’s why Pelarhar deliberately gave in to Arkan a lot.
Sometimes so that Arkan would know, and sometimes so that he wouldn’t know.
“He probably didn’t want to give in this time. Maybe. You...”
Arkan let out a short sigh, pressing his thumb against the hollow part of his sole.
“If you had given your heart to Pelarhar, I don’t know what I would have done. If you had said you were leaving, would I have let you go? Could I have let you go? I’ve been thinking about that all day. Pelarhar would have wanted to take you with him when he left. If you hadn’t become like this...”
"Can you say that it wasn’t your power that made me unable to even watch over my father’s death?"
Arkan said, slowly running his fingertips over her heels.
“I shouldn’t have said that to you. That’s right, I owe you something.”
Erdene’s legs stretched out under the slip hung limply as if lifeless, and no matter how much Arkan kneaded and caressed them, they didn’t move an inch.
Arkan gave Erdene a medicinal bath until his entire body was soaked in sweat, and only when the water had become lukewarm did he pick up the unconscious Erdene.
After giving him the medicinal bath, his mother took off all of his brother’s clothes and wrapped him carefully in a large, thick cloth.
Arkan, whose lips were quivering, laid Erdene down diagonally on the wide sofa on one side of the bathroom, and then ripped off the sides of the wet slip and took it off.
While Sophia was wrapping her body in the cloth she had prepared, he tried not to think of anything else.
Arkan, who had slowly laid Erdene on the bed after drying her off, said,
“If you wake up and remember this, don’t think of using it as an excuse to kick me. I’ll tell you about my dark intentions when you get better.”
Erdene still didn’t say anything. Arkan, with a strange expression that seemed sad, funny, and strange, lightly touched her forehead and then pulled away.
“Wake up tomorrow. Please.”
That day, Arkan had deliberately fallen asleep next to the unconscious Erdene.
If Sophia hadn’t come to wake him up at dawn, he would have fallen asleep without even realizing the sun had risen.
The royal court’s key officials were called in early in the morning to discuss the issue of Count Zelma bribing the royal archivists to arbitrarily revise or omit records about the Queen.
The conference room was abuzz with issues related to Erdene’s illness and Count Zelma, and many were worried that Arkan didn’t look well either.
“I’m fine, so don’t worry. If you have the time to worry about me, let’s think about the issues that need to be resolved right away.”
The mouths of the officials sitting around the room fell silent at Arkan’s words.
He looked at each of the officials’ faces carefully and said,
“I will discipline and dismiss the current archivist, and appoint Viscount Kellerhan as the new archivist.”
Several of the officials were surprised by Arkan’s words.
Viscount Kellerhan, who had been nominated by the King as the next archivist, was one of the youngest officials.
He had barely turned thirty, and his current duties in the Privy Council were not all that important.
However, the pale purple eyes looked intelligent and strong, and the face that looked a little older than its age due to its constitution that did not gain too much weight showed strong stubbornness.
At that time, the Privy Councilor spoke on behalf of the people.
“Your Majesty, the position of the Archivist requires great objectivity, and it requires an accurate analysis and judgment of the situation at the time of the records. As you know, I also respect the Viscount’s ability, but I am concerned that he is too young.”
“The Archivist who was dismissed this time is over 50. Did he properly fulfill his role?”
The Privy Councilor closed his mouth as if he had nothing more to say. The other officials were the same.
Although they were not without complaints, it seemed that they had decided that it would be better not to oppose Arkan’s opinion because of the matter at hand.
“The Viscount will meet the Archivists starting today and get to know each and every one of them.”
“I will devote myself to the work, Your Majesty.”
“This is an urgent and urgent matter, so let’s postpone the congratulations on the promotion until later. Next is the matter of the Kingdom of Kensilom.”
The atmosphere of the conference room, which had been tumultuous and excited, calmed down again.
When Arkan made a gesture, the servant standing behind him handed him a letter from Kensilom. Arkan threw it on the table as if showing it off.
“This is a letter that arrived yesterday from the King of Kensilom. It’s long and detailed, but the gist of it is that Kensilom has absolutely no responsibility for the assassination incident. He is trying his best to avoid it, so tell me what I should do.”
The fiery finance minister suddenly became angry.
“Kensilom can never avoid this issue. When we interrogated those involved in the incident at the time, wasn’t it clearly revealed that Kensilom and Etonhorn’s envoys visited Vetor with the same purpose? It took two months to answer that question, and even then, he just kept making excuses that he was not responsible. It’s a shameless act.”
Arkan said.
“I know that too. What I’m thinking about is how to make them responsible.”
The various officials began to chatter at once. The atmosphere grew more and more heated as each person talked about the appropriate responsibility they thought they had.
Arkan, who had been quietly listening to the commotion, knocked on the table to focus attention.
“For example, we could have the Kings of Kensilom and Etonhorn each kneel before me and reflect on their mistakes.”
The voices of the officials who had been chatting suddenly stopped at his words.
Arkan smiled faintly as he looked at them looking back at him with unfamiliar eyes.
“Why are you all reacting like that? Do you think my actions are excessive? It’s an old story, but there was a King who once named his three dogs after the Kings of Vetor, Etonhorn, and Blatcherd. He enjoyed beating the dogs when they didn’t listen. Compared to that, my demands aren’t that small, are they?”
Pelarhar knew that the previous King always protected him before Arkan, and he also knew that it was a way for him to not be concerned about what others thought.
That’s why Pelarhar deliberately gave in to Arkan a lot.
Sometimes so that Arkan would know, and sometimes so that he wouldn’t know.
“He probably didn’t want to give in this time. Maybe. You...”
Arkan let out a short sigh, pressing his thumb against the hollow part of his sole.
“If you had given your heart to Pelarhar, I don’t know what I would have done. If you had said you were leaving, would I have let you go? Could I have let you go? I’ve been thinking about that all day. Pelarhar would have wanted to take you with him when he left. If you hadn’t become like this...”
"Can you say that it wasn’t your power that made me unable to even watch over my father’s death?"
Arkan said, slowly running his fingertips over her heels.
“I shouldn’t have said that to you. That’s right, I owe you something.”
Erdene’s legs stretched out under the slip hung limply as if lifeless, and no matter how much Arkan kneaded and caressed them, they didn’t move an inch.
Arkan gave Erdene a medicinal bath until his entire body was soaked in sweat, and only when the water had become lukewarm did he pick up the unconscious Erdene.
After giving him the medicinal bath, his mother took off all of his brother’s clothes and wrapped him carefully in a large, thick cloth.
Arkan, whose lips were quivering, laid Erdene down diagonally on the wide sofa on one side of the bathroom, and then ripped off the sides of the wet slip and took it off.
While Sophia was wrapping her body in the cloth she had prepared, he tried not to think of anything else.
Arkan, who had slowly laid Erdene on the bed after drying her off, said,
“If you wake up and remember this, don’t think of using it as an excuse to kick me. I’ll tell you about my dark intentions when you get better.”
Erdene still didn’t say anything. Arkan, with a strange expression that seemed sad, funny, and strange, lightly touched her forehead and then pulled away.
“Wake up tomorrow. Please.”
***
That day, Arkan had deliberately fallen asleep next to the unconscious Erdene.
If Sophia hadn’t come to wake him up at dawn, he would have fallen asleep without even realizing the sun had risen.
The royal court’s key officials were called in early in the morning to discuss the issue of Count Zelma bribing the royal archivists to arbitrarily revise or omit records about the Queen.
The conference room was abuzz with issues related to Erdene’s illness and Count Zelma, and many were worried that Arkan didn’t look well either.
“I’m fine, so don’t worry. If you have the time to worry about me, let’s think about the issues that need to be resolved right away.”
The mouths of the officials sitting around the room fell silent at Arkan’s words.
He looked at each of the officials’ faces carefully and said,
“I will discipline and dismiss the current archivist, and appoint Viscount Kellerhan as the new archivist.”
Several of the officials were surprised by Arkan’s words.
Viscount Kellerhan, who had been nominated by the King as the next archivist, was one of the youngest officials.
He had barely turned thirty, and his current duties in the Privy Council were not all that important.
However, the pale purple eyes looked intelligent and strong, and the face that looked a little older than its age due to its constitution that did not gain too much weight showed strong stubbornness.
At that time, the Privy Councilor spoke on behalf of the people.
“Your Majesty, the position of the Archivist requires great objectivity, and it requires an accurate analysis and judgment of the situation at the time of the records. As you know, I also respect the Viscount’s ability, but I am concerned that he is too young.”
“The Archivist who was dismissed this time is over 50. Did he properly fulfill his role?”
The Privy Councilor closed his mouth as if he had nothing more to say. The other officials were the same.
Although they were not without complaints, it seemed that they had decided that it would be better not to oppose Arkan’s opinion because of the matter at hand.
“The Viscount will meet the Archivists starting today and get to know each and every one of them.”
“I will devote myself to the work, Your Majesty.”
“This is an urgent and urgent matter, so let’s postpone the congratulations on the promotion until later. Next is the matter of the Kingdom of Kensilom.”
The atmosphere of the conference room, which had been tumultuous and excited, calmed down again.
When Arkan made a gesture, the servant standing behind him handed him a letter from Kensilom. Arkan threw it on the table as if showing it off.
“This is a letter that arrived yesterday from the King of Kensilom. It’s long and detailed, but the gist of it is that Kensilom has absolutely no responsibility for the assassination incident. He is trying his best to avoid it, so tell me what I should do.”
The fiery finance minister suddenly became angry.
“Kensilom can never avoid this issue. When we interrogated those involved in the incident at the time, wasn’t it clearly revealed that Kensilom and Etonhorn’s envoys visited Vetor with the same purpose? It took two months to answer that question, and even then, he just kept making excuses that he was not responsible. It’s a shameless act.”
Arkan said.
“I know that too. What I’m thinking about is how to make them responsible.”
The various officials began to chatter at once. The atmosphere grew more and more heated as each person talked about the appropriate responsibility they thought they had.
Arkan, who had been quietly listening to the commotion, knocked on the table to focus attention.
“For example, we could have the Kings of Kensilom and Etonhorn each kneel before me and reflect on their mistakes.”
The voices of the officials who had been chatting suddenly stopped at his words.
Arkan smiled faintly as he looked at them looking back at him with unfamiliar eyes.
“Why are you all reacting like that? Do you think my actions are excessive? It’s an old story, but there was a King who once named his three dogs after the Kings of Vetor, Etonhorn, and Blatcherd. He enjoyed beating the dogs when they didn’t listen. Compared to that, my demands aren’t that small, are they?”
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