Plat Herbit was the close secretary of King Arkan Cyprusmain of Vetor.
His original position was equivalent to that of a Baron, but he was not actually given a title, so the lower-ranking servants simply called him 'chief chamberlain'. Since Plat performed more of his role as a close secretary to Arkan, and the role of supervising and managing the palace servants was taken care of by someone else, there were effectively two chief chamberlains.
Anyway, Plat Herbit's day started early.
Plat woke up at five in the morning in the summer and six in the winter.
It was the time when the particularly diligent or early-starting employees among the employees moved about.
The time of waking up was fixed, without a single day's deviation.
"Chief Chamberlain, I brought you water."
His original position was equivalent to that of a Baron, but he was not actually given a title, so the lower-ranking servants simply called him 'chief chamberlain'. Since Plat performed more of his role as a close secretary to Arkan, and the role of supervising and managing the palace servants was taken care of by someone else, there were effectively two chief chamberlains.
Anyway, Plat Herbit's day started early.
Plat woke up at five in the morning in the summer and six in the winter.
It was the time when the particularly diligent or early-starting employees among the employees moved about.
The time of waking up was fixed, without a single day's deviation.
"Chief Chamberlain, I brought you water."
The apprentice servant brought a wooden basin, lukewarm water, and a towel.
After dismissing him, Plat washed his face thoroughly with a hard soap made of grain husks and dried flower petals.
When his wife, who was the royal chef, was alive, she would always nag him to wash behind his ears and forehead cleanly.
If she hadn’t suddenly collapsed while directing the cooks and passed away, she would have been nagging him again today for spilling water all over his face.
“Hmm, it’s already been 13 years since I’ve heard that nagging.”
His wife died when she was neither young nor old.
Since the couple had no children, Plat continued to work in the palace after his wife’s death.
A simple chamberlain, he was promoted to the King’s close secretary when Arkan ascended to the throne, and he never missed a day of work.
Arkan joked, “You don’t seem to have any sick days,” and it was true.
Not only the time he got up, but his morning routine was also consistent.
He spent exactly five minutes thoroughly washing his face.
It took longer to wash his body, but usually, that was about the same.
Then he quickly ate a simple breakfast of unbuttered bread and fruit.
When he was younger, he would eat dried grains soaked and steamed, egg dishes, or sweet drinks, but after he turned fifty, he couldn’t eat much right after he got up.
When he finished eating, apprentice servants, who were now about twelve or thirteen years old, would come in and help him brush his teeth and get dressed.
In fact, it was something Plat could do on his own, but it was part of his education.
Someday, these little, stubborn boys would grow up and serve many royalty and nobles, and he had to teach them well from now on so that they wouldn’t make any ridiculous mistakes when they did.
“Did His Majesty get up?”
The boy answered, carefully buttoning the silk buttons on his jacket.
“I heard the servant just came in.”
“Hmm.”
When the apprentice servants let go and stepped aside, Plat checked his appearance once more and went out.
In the palace, there were many servants such as secretaries, chamberlains, and maids who served the King, and Plat’s room was very close to where Arkan lived.
‘But today, it feels far away,’
Plat thought. Over there, the door leading to the King’s residence was open.
Judging from the servants coming and going inside, Arkan must have just woken up.
Did he sleep alone last night? Probably.
Plat repeatedly asked and answered questions to himself, falling into the strange illusion that he was walking in place.
‘How much time has passed?’
He had developed a habit of counting the days whenever he had the chance. He thought about how many days had passed since Arkan and Erdene got married.
It had already been a month. It had been almost two months... When he counted, it was about that much.
‘It feels like ten years have passed,’
Plat thought.
They say that time passes faster when you get older than when you’re young... No, it was true.
Before the Princess of the Empire showed up at the Vetor Royal Castle, Plat’s life had continued as it had.
Conservative and peaceful.
But these days, it wasn’t like that.
Plat knew that he had never been this tired since he had first started working at the castle when he was eleven.
Except for when the eldest son of the previous King and Queen, Iris, had suddenly died.
Lost in thought, he arrived at Arkan’s residence in a daze.
When he entered the door, he saw the same large statues, tapestries, and picture frames as usual.
Diligent servants and maids were already scattered around, cleaning.
Plat checked that there was no dust on the short ledge of the wallpaper or the decorative shelf, and then asked a servant who was about nineteen years old near Arkan’s bedroom door.
“Where did His Majesty sleep last night?”
The servant thought he would hear all sorts of strange things, but he answered with a polite expression.
“In the bedroom.”
“You mean His Majesty didn’t go to the Queen’s palace?”
“No, he didn’t go anywhere.”
“Huh.”
Plat snorted and turned his head.
Then that’s right. He muttered to himself. This time, it was bound to be a dud.
‘How could you sleep with such a bad-tempered woman? His Majesty isn’t a lecher who just wants to embrace a woman.’
After dismissing him, Plat washed his face thoroughly with a hard soap made of grain husks and dried flower petals.
When his wife, who was the royal chef, was alive, she would always nag him to wash behind his ears and forehead cleanly.
If she hadn’t suddenly collapsed while directing the cooks and passed away, she would have been nagging him again today for spilling water all over his face.
“Hmm, it’s already been 13 years since I’ve heard that nagging.”
His wife died when she was neither young nor old.
Since the couple had no children, Plat continued to work in the palace after his wife’s death.
A simple chamberlain, he was promoted to the King’s close secretary when Arkan ascended to the throne, and he never missed a day of work.
Arkan joked, “You don’t seem to have any sick days,” and it was true.
Not only the time he got up, but his morning routine was also consistent.
He spent exactly five minutes thoroughly washing his face.
It took longer to wash his body, but usually, that was about the same.
Then he quickly ate a simple breakfast of unbuttered bread and fruit.
When he was younger, he would eat dried grains soaked and steamed, egg dishes, or sweet drinks, but after he turned fifty, he couldn’t eat much right after he got up.
When he finished eating, apprentice servants, who were now about twelve or thirteen years old, would come in and help him brush his teeth and get dressed.
In fact, it was something Plat could do on his own, but it was part of his education.
Someday, these little, stubborn boys would grow up and serve many royalty and nobles, and he had to teach them well from now on so that they wouldn’t make any ridiculous mistakes when they did.
“Did His Majesty get up?”
The boy answered, carefully buttoning the silk buttons on his jacket.
“I heard the servant just came in.”
“Hmm.”
When the apprentice servants let go and stepped aside, Plat checked his appearance once more and went out.
In the palace, there were many servants such as secretaries, chamberlains, and maids who served the King, and Plat’s room was very close to where Arkan lived.
‘But today, it feels far away,’
Plat thought. Over there, the door leading to the King’s residence was open.
Judging from the servants coming and going inside, Arkan must have just woken up.
Did he sleep alone last night? Probably.
Plat repeatedly asked and answered questions to himself, falling into the strange illusion that he was walking in place.
‘How much time has passed?’
He had developed a habit of counting the days whenever he had the chance. He thought about how many days had passed since Arkan and Erdene got married.
It had already been a month. It had been almost two months... When he counted, it was about that much.
‘It feels like ten years have passed,’
Plat thought.
They say that time passes faster when you get older than when you’re young... No, it was true.
Before the Princess of the Empire showed up at the Vetor Royal Castle, Plat’s life had continued as it had.
Conservative and peaceful.
But these days, it wasn’t like that.
Plat knew that he had never been this tired since he had first started working at the castle when he was eleven.
Except for when the eldest son of the previous King and Queen, Iris, had suddenly died.
Lost in thought, he arrived at Arkan’s residence in a daze.
When he entered the door, he saw the same large statues, tapestries, and picture frames as usual.
Diligent servants and maids were already scattered around, cleaning.
Plat checked that there was no dust on the short ledge of the wallpaper or the decorative shelf, and then asked a servant who was about nineteen years old near Arkan’s bedroom door.
“Where did His Majesty sleep last night?”
The servant thought he would hear all sorts of strange things, but he answered with a polite expression.
“In the bedroom.”
“You mean His Majesty didn’t go to the Queen’s palace?”
“No, he didn’t go anywhere.”
“Huh.”
Plat snorted and turned his head.
Then that’s right. He muttered to himself. This time, it was bound to be a dud.
‘How could you sleep with such a bad-tempered woman? His Majesty isn’t a lecher who just wants to embrace a woman.’
Even if he was quite a womanizer, he probably wouldn’t sleep with Erdene.
Plat went into Arkan’s bedroom while repeating his thoughts that were needlessly vexed.
“Your Majesty, did you sleep comfortably last night?”
Arkan yawned lightly.
“Thank you for the good sleep.”
“I’ll help you.”
Plat took the small comb out of the servant’s hand and gently combed Arkan’s hair.
His hair had been tangled since he was young, and whenever that happened, Plat practiced to the capricious King and Queen so that he could fix his hair whenever and wherever he wanted so that he wouldn’t get into trouble.
These days, he doesn’t carry a comb in his pocket like he used to, but...
Arkan must have been tired because his eyes were closed while Plat combed his hair.
Every time his head was about to drop, Plat carefully supported his head and continued combing.
“What should I prepare for breakfast?”
Arkan answered.
“I told you to prepare it at the Queen’s palace, so don’t worry.”
“The Queen’s palace?”
Plat, who had raised his voice without realizing it, closed his mouth tightly in a sense of regret and moved the comb again.
However, Arkan had already turned his head toward Plat.
“Your Majesty, your hair...”
“Does it seem strange to you that I go to the Queen’s palace and have breakfast?”
Plat, sensing the ominous atmosphere, put down his comb and took a step back.
He didn’t seem particularly angry, but it was clear that Arkan was not pleased with Plat’s reaction.
“That’s not true.”
“Plat, I’ve been saying that since I married the Queen and I’ve even punished you, an old man, so do you still have prejudice against the Queen?”
“Your Majesty.”
“What am I?”
Plat pursed his lips and sighed.
“Your Majesty, I don’t have any personal grievances or prejudices against the Queen. Of course... If Your Majesty saw it that way, it was my fault. Your Majesty, that’s not true. However, can I feel at ease seeing Her Majesty hurt Your Majesty so many times?”
“I’ve never been hurt by the Queen.”
Plat stared blankly at Arkan. It might have been true that he had never been hurt.
“Your Majesty, when anger and disappointment overlap, it will eventually become heartbreak.”
This time, Arkan was speechless. He wanted to say that he had never been disappointed, but that was not strictly true.
Anger went without saying.
The two of them still fought over trivial things that turned the palace upside down, and then they would calm down and fight again.
Arkan was often the first to get angry, but Erdene was more often the first to get angry.
Arkan turned around as if telling him to comb his hair again and said,
“It’s natural for people who don’t get along to fight for a few days.”
“A few days? It’s already been two months.”
“You used to be so calm and collected, but you’ve become very sensitive lately. Is it because you’re getting older?”
Plat swallowed the question of who it was because of and started combing Arkan’s curly hair again.
“Your Majesty.”
“Why again?”
Plat felt slightly hurt by the indifferent and nervous response.
“For two months... Have you ever slept in the Queen’s palace?”
“No.”
“Then has Your Majesty the Queen ever slept in His Majesty’s bedroom?”
“No... No, why would you ask that?”
Plat took a step back. Arkan, who was watching his serious expression as he held the comb tightly in both hands, let out a hollow laugh.
“You look like you’re going to kill yourself with that comb right now.”
“Unfortunately, the comb won’t be able to take my pitiful life. However, I’m just as desperate emotionally.”
Arkan sighed and rubbed his face. But he was thinking,
'Damn, if I'm late for breakfast, I'll be starving again.'
Arkan looked at Plat with a tired expression.
"Yeah, yeah. Tell me. What's so urgent?"
Plat went into Arkan’s bedroom while repeating his thoughts that were needlessly vexed.
“Your Majesty, did you sleep comfortably last night?”
Arkan yawned lightly.
“Thank you for the good sleep.”
“I’ll help you.”
Plat took the small comb out of the servant’s hand and gently combed Arkan’s hair.
His hair had been tangled since he was young, and whenever that happened, Plat practiced to the capricious King and Queen so that he could fix his hair whenever and wherever he wanted so that he wouldn’t get into trouble.
These days, he doesn’t carry a comb in his pocket like he used to, but...
Arkan must have been tired because his eyes were closed while Plat combed his hair.
Every time his head was about to drop, Plat carefully supported his head and continued combing.
“What should I prepare for breakfast?”
Arkan answered.
“I told you to prepare it at the Queen’s palace, so don’t worry.”
“The Queen’s palace?”
Plat, who had raised his voice without realizing it, closed his mouth tightly in a sense of regret and moved the comb again.
However, Arkan had already turned his head toward Plat.
“Your Majesty, your hair...”
“Does it seem strange to you that I go to the Queen’s palace and have breakfast?”
Plat, sensing the ominous atmosphere, put down his comb and took a step back.
He didn’t seem particularly angry, but it was clear that Arkan was not pleased with Plat’s reaction.
“That’s not true.”
“Plat, I’ve been saying that since I married the Queen and I’ve even punished you, an old man, so do you still have prejudice against the Queen?”
“Your Majesty.”
“What am I?”
Plat pursed his lips and sighed.
“Your Majesty, I don’t have any personal grievances or prejudices against the Queen. Of course... If Your Majesty saw it that way, it was my fault. Your Majesty, that’s not true. However, can I feel at ease seeing Her Majesty hurt Your Majesty so many times?”
“I’ve never been hurt by the Queen.”
Plat stared blankly at Arkan. It might have been true that he had never been hurt.
“Your Majesty, when anger and disappointment overlap, it will eventually become heartbreak.”
This time, Arkan was speechless. He wanted to say that he had never been disappointed, but that was not strictly true.
Anger went without saying.
The two of them still fought over trivial things that turned the palace upside down, and then they would calm down and fight again.
Arkan was often the first to get angry, but Erdene was more often the first to get angry.
Arkan turned around as if telling him to comb his hair again and said,
“It’s natural for people who don’t get along to fight for a few days.”
“A few days? It’s already been two months.”
“You used to be so calm and collected, but you’ve become very sensitive lately. Is it because you’re getting older?”
Plat swallowed the question of who it was because of and started combing Arkan’s curly hair again.
“Your Majesty.”
“Why again?”
Plat felt slightly hurt by the indifferent and nervous response.
“For two months... Have you ever slept in the Queen’s palace?”
“No.”
“Then has Your Majesty the Queen ever slept in His Majesty’s bedroom?”
“No... No, why would you ask that?”
Plat took a step back. Arkan, who was watching his serious expression as he held the comb tightly in both hands, let out a hollow laugh.
“You look like you’re going to kill yourself with that comb right now.”
“Unfortunately, the comb won’t be able to take my pitiful life. However, I’m just as desperate emotionally.”
Arkan sighed and rubbed his face. But he was thinking,
'Damn, if I'm late for breakfast, I'll be starving again.'
Arkan looked at Plat with a tired expression.
"Yeah, yeah. Tell me. What's so urgent?"
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