“Child, what, what... What did you say?”
Arkan’s body tried to break away from Erdene.
However, Erdene was applying strength to her arms faster, and strangely, he could not escape her strength. If he had pushed her away hard, he could have, but it was a strength that he could not shake off just by twisting his body.
Erdene was still looking up at Arkan with her chin on his chest.
What kind of strange thing is this? Cold sweat was running down his back, and at the same time, her face looking straight ahead was so beautiful that he was irritated.
“I did this much for you, and you’re so jealous?”
Erdene said. Arkan twisted his body again, but it was useless. Arkan, who had his arms tightly pressed to his body as if he were trapped in a cylinder that fit his body perfectly, licked his lips and said.
“Is that all? All?”
“I didn’t hug you for that long. You saw me? Then you should know, right? I just patted her on the shoulder, but you were so jealous and concerned that you whined all day?”
Before he knew it, his upper body had tilted backward, and Erdene was on top of Arkan, lifting her heels.
Their lips, or the tip of their noses, or their foreheads... felt like they were going to touch.
Their breaths were close. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end and his stomach tightened.
At that moment, Erdene laughed.
“What did you expect?”
Her fingers wiggled.
Erdene, who had been caressing Arkan’s cheek with a hand that seemed to be teasing, said,
“How foolish of you.”
Arkan quickly pulled Erdene away.
“Who are you teasing now?”
“What am I teasing? I said you were foolish because you were foolish.”
“I think you're joking right now...!”
Erdene pulled the hand that was holding Arkan’s cheek away.
Arkan’s upper body lurched, and then he felt an incredibly soft sensation. Their overlapping lips didn’t even tremble.
Erdene’s eyelashes, which had fallen down, touched Arkan’s eyes. It was unbearably ticklish and hot.
Erdene’s palm that was covering his cheek was also hot. And herself.
Arkan's own body was the hottest.
Blood surged backward and then suddenly poured down to his feet, and his heart was clearly racing around his entire body like a mad horse that had let go of the reins.
The moment his hand grabbed Erdene's back and tilted her toward the sofa, the soft sensation that seemed like it would never fall again disappeared like a lie.
Arkan reflexively lowered his arm that he had been raising awkwardly and looked down at Erdene, clenching his molars.
"It's finally quieter now,"
Erdene said with a smirk.
"You should have done this earlier, right?"
Arkan asked, looking at her with a blank expression.
"Do you do this to your adjutants too?"
There was a light "thud."
Arkan, who had been hit in the firm lower abdomen with an even harder fist, lowered his shoulders in surprise.
It didn't hurt, but the sound was startlingly loud!
Erdene pressed her fist against Arkan's abdomen and turned it.
“Don’t be so nosy. What you ate yesterday will come back to you.”
Erdene, with a sullen face and furrowed brows, pulled away from his embrace as soon as she pulled away.
Her flexible movements as if dancing, simultaneously captured Arkan’s gaze and... mind.
“So this is your... first, first, kiss?”
Erdene’s eyes rolled as she crossed her arms.
“No, it’s not?”
As if asking what she meant, Arkan glared at her the moment Erdene spoke again.
“I did it many times when Father and Mother were alive. Until I was about six. More than a thousand times, I think?”
Arkan, clenching his fists, suddenly made a strange gesture.
As if an invisible rope was tightly binding his body, he twitched his limbs in all directions as if trying to escape.
“You look like a frog shedding its skin, Your Majesty.”
When Erdene spoke, Arkan squeaked.
“What kind of frog sheds its skin! Are you stupid?”
“Why are you stretching your arms and legs like that? Are you trying to grow taller there?”
A small ‘I’m fine with it’ was added after that, but Arkan did not hear it.
“Except for the affection you showed to your mother and father!”
“Then it’s my first time. What are you talking about? Oh, is it because it’s not your first time? Well, it’s okay. I don’t care about that. I’m more tolerant than anyone else.”
“What are you talking about? Who isn’t my first time? It’s my first time too!”
Erdene twisted her lips and smiled.
“How could I know if I didn’t see you?”
When Erdene turned around after saying that, Arkan reached out and grabbed her arm.
Erdene turned her head and was met with Arkan’s serious face that she had never seen before—probably.
“I mean it.”
For some reason, Erdene felt as if the wind had blown from somewhere. Her forehead, which had been heated up from laughing, getting angry, and talking, hugging, and kissing him, cooled down. However, it was not an unpleasant feeling.
Rather, it felt refreshing and good, like when sweat drips down and a cool breeze hits her forehead.
Her gaze moved slowly. She examined and scanned Arkan’s hand holding her arm.
It was only for a moment, but it felt like a very long time.
Unlike her own, the hand had no scars.
Except for the place where he held the pen, there were no calluses, and the smooth joints and flat and clean nails looked red.
It was as if someone had kissed each and every one of those places.
Or as if they were tempting her to kiss them.
“Okay.”
Erdene said.
She thought that if she opened her mouth, this tense atmosphere would loosen like a rope, but it didn’t.
Arkan was still holding onto Erdene, and the candle occasionally shook, sparks flying from the wick and making a crackling sound.
The smell of paper, grass, flames, darkness, and summer all mixed together, making her think something was going to happen. Like a festive night.
The next moment, the strength slowly left Arkan’s fingers.
He ironically felt like resisting his own movements. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to let go...
“If the misunderstanding has been resolved, Your Majesty, may I leave now? I’ve been sitting here all day with nothing but books, and my head is starting to hurt.”
Erdene’s tone of voice was no different than usual, but her expression was different.
There was a strange heat and a sly, innocent cunningness that seemed to be secretly testing the other person.
Arkan wondered if he had the same expression. And his thoughts were mostly right.
“I really...”
“Why, don’t you like it?”
Arkan swallowed dryly and sighed, waving his hand.
“No problem. Go and rest. I’m tired too.”
Erdene looked at him for a moment as if she had something left to say, but in the end, she turned around without saying anything.
By the time she crossed the study and approached the door, the regret that had strangely been tugging at her ankles had faded.
“Wait a minute.”
So when Arkan called her back, Erdene was surprised.
Not many people had surprised her so much, as she was unrivaled in courage and guts.
Erdene turned her head. Arkan hesitated, just as she had done a moment ago as if he had something left to say. But...
“No. That’s fine. Let’s wrap up the story about the Knights today. Regarding the Knights... That’s not the Queen’s business, but I’ll leave it to you. The Knights are led by Commander Wiziard, so you can discuss training and formation with Wiziard. Just don’t kill anyone during training. And tell me how the Knights are formed.”
“I’ll do that. Do you have anything else to say?”
“...Nothing. Good night.”
Arkan answered. Erdene gave him a strange look and disappeared into the hallway.
That wasn’t it. Arkan thought.
He hadn’t called her over to talk about the Knights. He wanted to talk about something else...
But he didn’t know what to say or how to say it.
In that sense, Erdene was a huge mystery that had suddenly appeared in Arkan’s life.
Arkan’s body tried to break away from Erdene.
However, Erdene was applying strength to her arms faster, and strangely, he could not escape her strength. If he had pushed her away hard, he could have, but it was a strength that he could not shake off just by twisting his body.
Erdene was still looking up at Arkan with her chin on his chest.
What kind of strange thing is this? Cold sweat was running down his back, and at the same time, her face looking straight ahead was so beautiful that he was irritated.
“I did this much for you, and you’re so jealous?”
Erdene said. Arkan twisted his body again, but it was useless. Arkan, who had his arms tightly pressed to his body as if he were trapped in a cylinder that fit his body perfectly, licked his lips and said.
“Is that all? All?”
“I didn’t hug you for that long. You saw me? Then you should know, right? I just patted her on the shoulder, but you were so jealous and concerned that you whined all day?”
Damn it. Arkan muttered a curse under his breath and shut his eyes tightly.
His face felt like it was going to burst into flames. His forehead was so hot that his skin was tingling.
Erdene squinted her eyes as if she found his reaction amusing and spoke again.
“No, if that’s the case, you should have been honest. What’s so hard about doing this? Isn’t it?”
“You really are saying it so easily.”
“Is that hard? What’s wrong with just hugging me? Are you a monk? Even monks would hug. But you're not a monk. What’s wrong with hugging me? I can give you a kiss if you want.”
Then, the strength in the arms that had been holding Arkan’s body still suddenly loosened.
As the two bodies swayed for a moment, Arkan instinctively hugged Erdene.
Following that, Erdene’s warm hands tightly wrapped Arkan’s cheeks.
“This...!”
She pressed so hard that his lips puffed out like a goldfish. His flushed face was so hot that it was strange that it didn’t melt, and in the midst of all that, the golden light in his wide-open eyes caught the light of the few candles that were barely lit, sparkling like rare stars or jewels.
Close. Arkan thought. Erdene’s face... was so close.
His face felt like it was going to burst into flames. His forehead was so hot that his skin was tingling.
Erdene squinted her eyes as if she found his reaction amusing and spoke again.
“No, if that’s the case, you should have been honest. What’s so hard about doing this? Isn’t it?”
“You really are saying it so easily.”
“Is that hard? What’s wrong with just hugging me? Are you a monk? Even monks would hug. But you're not a monk. What’s wrong with hugging me? I can give you a kiss if you want.”
Then, the strength in the arms that had been holding Arkan’s body still suddenly loosened.
As the two bodies swayed for a moment, Arkan instinctively hugged Erdene.
Following that, Erdene’s warm hands tightly wrapped Arkan’s cheeks.
“This...!”
She pressed so hard that his lips puffed out like a goldfish. His flushed face was so hot that it was strange that it didn’t melt, and in the midst of all that, the golden light in his wide-open eyes caught the light of the few candles that were barely lit, sparkling like rare stars or jewels.
Close. Arkan thought. Erdene’s face... was so close.
Before he knew it, his upper body had tilted backward, and Erdene was on top of Arkan, lifting her heels.
Their lips, or the tip of their noses, or their foreheads... felt like they were going to touch.
Their breaths were close. The hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end and his stomach tightened.
At that moment, Erdene laughed.
“What did you expect?”
Her fingers wiggled.
Erdene, who had been caressing Arkan’s cheek with a hand that seemed to be teasing, said,
“How foolish of you.”
Arkan quickly pulled Erdene away.
“Who are you teasing now?”
“What am I teasing? I said you were foolish because you were foolish.”
“I think you're joking right now...!”
Erdene pulled the hand that was holding Arkan’s cheek away.
Arkan’s upper body lurched, and then he felt an incredibly soft sensation. Their overlapping lips didn’t even tremble.
Erdene’s eyelashes, which had fallen down, touched Arkan’s eyes. It was unbearably ticklish and hot.
Erdene’s palm that was covering his cheek was also hot. And herself.
Arkan's own body was the hottest.
Blood surged backward and then suddenly poured down to his feet, and his heart was clearly racing around his entire body like a mad horse that had let go of the reins.
The moment his hand grabbed Erdene's back and tilted her toward the sofa, the soft sensation that seemed like it would never fall again disappeared like a lie.
Arkan reflexively lowered his arm that he had been raising awkwardly and looked down at Erdene, clenching his molars.
"It's finally quieter now,"
Erdene said with a smirk.
"You should have done this earlier, right?"
Arkan asked, looking at her with a blank expression.
"Do you do this to your adjutants too?"
There was a light "thud."
Arkan, who had been hit in the firm lower abdomen with an even harder fist, lowered his shoulders in surprise.
It didn't hurt, but the sound was startlingly loud!
Erdene pressed her fist against Arkan's abdomen and turned it.
“Don’t be so nosy. What you ate yesterday will come back to you.”
Erdene, with a sullen face and furrowed brows, pulled away from his embrace as soon as she pulled away.
Her flexible movements as if dancing, simultaneously captured Arkan’s gaze and... mind.
“So this is your... first, first, kiss?”
Erdene’s eyes rolled as she crossed her arms.
“No, it’s not?”
As if asking what she meant, Arkan glared at her the moment Erdene spoke again.
“I did it many times when Father and Mother were alive. Until I was about six. More than a thousand times, I think?”
Arkan, clenching his fists, suddenly made a strange gesture.
As if an invisible rope was tightly binding his body, he twitched his limbs in all directions as if trying to escape.
“You look like a frog shedding its skin, Your Majesty.”
When Erdene spoke, Arkan squeaked.
“What kind of frog sheds its skin! Are you stupid?”
“Why are you stretching your arms and legs like that? Are you trying to grow taller there?”
A small ‘I’m fine with it’ was added after that, but Arkan did not hear it.
“Except for the affection you showed to your mother and father!”
“Then it’s my first time. What are you talking about? Oh, is it because it’s not your first time? Well, it’s okay. I don’t care about that. I’m more tolerant than anyone else.”
“What are you talking about? Who isn’t my first time? It’s my first time too!”
Erdene twisted her lips and smiled.
“How could I know if I didn’t see you?”
When Erdene turned around after saying that, Arkan reached out and grabbed her arm.
Erdene turned her head and was met with Arkan’s serious face that she had never seen before—probably.
“I mean it.”
For some reason, Erdene felt as if the wind had blown from somewhere. Her forehead, which had been heated up from laughing, getting angry, and talking, hugging, and kissing him, cooled down. However, it was not an unpleasant feeling.
Rather, it felt refreshing and good, like when sweat drips down and a cool breeze hits her forehead.
Her gaze moved slowly. She examined and scanned Arkan’s hand holding her arm.
It was only for a moment, but it felt like a very long time.
Unlike her own, the hand had no scars.
Except for the place where he held the pen, there were no calluses, and the smooth joints and flat and clean nails looked red.
It was as if someone had kissed each and every one of those places.
Or as if they were tempting her to kiss them.
“Okay.”
Erdene said.
She thought that if she opened her mouth, this tense atmosphere would loosen like a rope, but it didn’t.
Arkan was still holding onto Erdene, and the candle occasionally shook, sparks flying from the wick and making a crackling sound.
The smell of paper, grass, flames, darkness, and summer all mixed together, making her think something was going to happen. Like a festive night.
The next moment, the strength slowly left Arkan’s fingers.
He ironically felt like resisting his own movements. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to let go...
“If the misunderstanding has been resolved, Your Majesty, may I leave now? I’ve been sitting here all day with nothing but books, and my head is starting to hurt.”
Erdene’s tone of voice was no different than usual, but her expression was different.
There was a strange heat and a sly, innocent cunningness that seemed to be secretly testing the other person.
Arkan wondered if he had the same expression. And his thoughts were mostly right.
“I really...”
“Why, don’t you like it?”
Arkan swallowed dryly and sighed, waving his hand.
“No problem. Go and rest. I’m tired too.”
Erdene looked at him for a moment as if she had something left to say, but in the end, she turned around without saying anything.
By the time she crossed the study and approached the door, the regret that had strangely been tugging at her ankles had faded.
“Wait a minute.”
So when Arkan called her back, Erdene was surprised.
Not many people had surprised her so much, as she was unrivaled in courage and guts.
Erdene turned her head. Arkan hesitated, just as she had done a moment ago as if he had something left to say. But...
“No. That’s fine. Let’s wrap up the story about the Knights today. Regarding the Knights... That’s not the Queen’s business, but I’ll leave it to you. The Knights are led by Commander Wiziard, so you can discuss training and formation with Wiziard. Just don’t kill anyone during training. And tell me how the Knights are formed.”
“I’ll do that. Do you have anything else to say?”
“...Nothing. Good night.”
Arkan answered. Erdene gave him a strange look and disappeared into the hallway.
That wasn’t it. Arkan thought.
He hadn’t called her over to talk about the Knights. He wanted to talk about something else...
But he didn’t know what to say or how to say it.
In that sense, Erdene was a huge mystery that had suddenly appeared in Arkan’s life.
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