Erdene hurriedly put Merton’s letter in the drawer. Then, as soon as the door opened, she turned around.
As expected, it was Arkan. He must have rushed out of the middle of a meeting because he was dressed in the same formal attire he wore when meeting officials.
“What was that?”
Erdene’s eyes blinked naturally.
“What? What are you talking about, Your Majesty?”
Arkan stopped answering her and strode to the window.
When Erdene quickly moved away, he opened the window wide and looked around, moving his head up and down.
But he found nothing.. Of course.
Arkan turned his head around and looked at Erdene.
“Do you know how surprised I was when an eagle-like thing fell?”
Erdene laughed.
“An eagle? Your Majesty, it’s still daylight, so you must have been dreaming.”
Arkan pursed his lips and pointed at Erdene.
“This is what it’s like again, isn’t it?”
Erdene laughed in vain.
“Again? And what do you mean by this? Whether an eagle or a chick falls from the sky, what does that have to do with me?”
“It definitely fell here. Would such a large bird really have fallen from the sky? Besides, it looked a bit different from the eagles you see in Vetor!”
“It could have fallen from the sky. Maybe it fell while flying? Just like Your Majesty.”
Arkan let out a short sigh and rubbed his face.
“I'm not sleepy. No, that’s enough. Be honest. This has nothing to do with you. You’re not using the bird to communicate with anyone, are you?”
He’s quick as a ghost when it comes to this kind of thing. Erdene clicked her tongue inwardly.
However, as originally planned, she had planned to keep this a secret from Arkan until she could obtain solid evidence.
It was not something that could be resolved by discussing it with him, and above all, she did not want his involvement to increase tensions between Vetor and Hirschsten.
Erdene said,
“Contact? Who on earth would I be contacting by flying a carrier? Are you still considering the possibility of a ‘lover I left behind’?”
This time, Arkan was hit with a bit of a punch.
He couldn’t see it properly because he was in the middle of a meeting and the bird was soaring too fast, but he thought he saw something tied to the bridge...
At that moment, Arkan’s eyes caught a torn shawl.
Erdene noticed where his gaze was directed and tried to cover it by shifting her seat, but it was too late.
Arkan’s hand snatched the torn shawl.
He burst out laughing at the shawl she had cut with a letter knife, then thrust it in front of Erdene’s face.
“Why is it like this?”
Erdene shrugged her shoulders after glancing at the tattered shawl.
“That’s right. Who would do this?”
“Would this really happen?”
“I can’t lie to Your Majesty about something I don’t know, can I? Maybe a cat came into the toilet room.”
“A cat.”
“Yes, a cat. Do you hate cats as well as dogs? They’re cute.”
The corners of Arkan’s mouth turned down sharply. Erdene said as his chin wrinkled like a walnut shell from his lips being pursed so much.
“Don’t waste your face, Your Majesty.”
“What did you just say?”
“I told you not to waste your face. You should take good care of it. It’s an important asset to Your Majesty.”
Erdene’s small hand patted Arkan’s cheek.
These days, she had become comfortable with this level of skinship.
On the contrary, Arkan would make an embarrassed expression, but even so, he couldn’t shake it off and ended up avoiding it awkwardly. When his cheeks turned red, Erdene giggled like a prankster and pulled her hand away.
Arkan, who realized that he had been teased too late, became serious.
“Queen, I am talking about something important right now. Using an unknown carrier pigeon without my permission is a serious violation of the law. Even for you.”
“It’s not just Vetor, it’s the same in any country. In the Empire, if we find a carrier pigeon that we don’t know about, we shoot it down with an arrow. And we identify the owner and punish him severely.”
“Are you saying that it really has nothing to do with you?”
Erdene nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It’s okay. Erdene thought.
Even if Arkan ordered the soldiers in the border area to shoot down any falcons that acted as carriers, it would be difficult to hit Glücker.
Of all the falcons and carriers in the empire, it was the most well-trained and intelligent.
'And with the archery skills of the soldiers here. It would be impossible, even in a few years.'
Arkan, who had been lost in thought, looked out the window again and let out a short sigh.
'Good.'
He put the tattered shawl down on the table and let out another long breath.
The shadow of the bird that had fallen as if dead, and the way it suddenly flew up into the air, the bureaucrats who were buzzing, and his own feelings when he remembered that the Queen's palace was right above... These thoughts all ran through Arkan's mind at once.
When Arkan thought of the Queen's palace right above, what he immediately thought was not 'Erdene is exchanging letters with someone.'
He wondered if Erdene had left the window open and been attacked by the giant bird, and at that moment he ran out of the conference room.
However, as he ran up the stairs, it occurred to him that Erdene could not possibly have dealt with a single bird.
Then did Erdene chase it away? Or...
'Wasn't there something on its ankle?'
The suspicion that developed from there eventually came close to the correct answer, but Arkan still had no way of knowing the truth.
So he had no choice but to believe it. Arkan thought.
It was disgusting, bothersome, and annoying to turn away from, but there must have been something hidden beneath that calm expression, for now, he had no choice but to believe her words.
"Fine. If you say so."
Finally, the words of surrender fell from Arkan's mouth.
Erdene leisurely folded her arms and nodded, and just then, Plat came to the Queen's palace with a look on his face that looked like he was going to faint.
He hesitated as he was about to barge in through the open door, then stopped and knocked three times on the door.
“Your Majesty, everyone is waiting for you.”
“Understood. Come down.”
“What... happened?”
Arkan said.
“No. I thought that the big bird had entered the palace and was causing trouble... The Queen had closed the window properly. There’s nothing wrong.”
After saying that, he looked back at Erdene.
“I’ll see you later.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Erdene slightly spread the hem of her dress and bent her knees. She didn’t notice Arkan’s gaze lingering on her shoulder before dropping it as she lowered her head.
‘Your clothes are torn.’
Arkan turned around calmly, pretending not to see anything. However, the moment he turned around, his expression was so calm that even Plat flinched.
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
After Arkan left, Plat, who had been hesitating there, called Erdene in a stiff voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“What did you talk about with Your Majesty?”
Erdene, who was roughly crumpling up her torn shawl to throw it away, slammed the table and stared at Plat.
Although she wasn’t glaring at him so fiercely, Plat felt his knees tremble for no reason.
‘Damn it. When I was young, I never heard anyone call me a gutless guy. I guess I’ve gotten older.’
If she had said that to someone else, he would have said that it had nothing to do with age... In any case, Plat, who didn’t like Erdene that much, concluded that his own infinitely polite behavior in front of her was due to his aging.
At that time, Erdene said,
“Are you saying that I should report every little thing I had with Your Majesty to you?”
“That’s not it...”
“Or is that it? You wouldn’t ask such a question if you were going to have a chat with me. Why, are you worried that I might try to seduce Your Majesty with some strange words? Are you worried that I might suggest subjugating Vetor to the Empire?”
Plat’s eyes widened. But he didn’t immediately respond with a no.
Erdene’s expression turned fierce this time.
“If you are worried about that even by a single chance, why don’t you send in a recorder to record what Your Majesty and I talk about when we’re together? Tell him to bring plenty of paper. There will be a lot to write about.”
“Your Majesty, you are misunderstanding my intentions. That’s not what I meant. I was only worried because His Majesty looked upset... Your Majesty, do you know who attended the bureaucracy meeting today? The diplomats from Kensilom and Eatonhorn.”
“But what does that have to do with me?”
Plat's furrowed brows narrowed further as he tried to suppress his angry expression.
“They actively expressed their discontent in front of His Majesty because Her Majesty the Queen was from the Empire. Of course, His Majesty protected Her Majesty the Queen. However, His Majesty must have been very angry because Kensilom and Eatonhorn were acting so strongly.”
As expected, it was Arkan. He must have rushed out of the middle of a meeting because he was dressed in the same formal attire he wore when meeting officials.
“What was that?”
Erdene’s eyes blinked naturally.
“What? What are you talking about, Your Majesty?”
Arkan stopped answering her and strode to the window.
When Erdene quickly moved away, he opened the window wide and looked around, moving his head up and down.
But he found nothing.. Of course.
Arkan turned his head around and looked at Erdene.
“Do you know how surprised I was when an eagle-like thing fell?”
Erdene laughed.
“An eagle? Your Majesty, it’s still daylight, so you must have been dreaming.”
Arkan pursed his lips and pointed at Erdene.
“This is what it’s like again, isn’t it?”
Erdene laughed in vain.
“Again? And what do you mean by this? Whether an eagle or a chick falls from the sky, what does that have to do with me?”
“It definitely fell here. Would such a large bird really have fallen from the sky? Besides, it looked a bit different from the eagles you see in Vetor!”
“It could have fallen from the sky. Maybe it fell while flying? Just like Your Majesty.”
Arkan let out a short sigh and rubbed his face.
“I'm not sleepy. No, that’s enough. Be honest. This has nothing to do with you. You’re not using the bird to communicate with anyone, are you?”
He’s quick as a ghost when it comes to this kind of thing. Erdene clicked her tongue inwardly.
However, as originally planned, she had planned to keep this a secret from Arkan until she could obtain solid evidence.
It was not something that could be resolved by discussing it with him, and above all, she did not want his involvement to increase tensions between Vetor and Hirschsten.
Erdene said,
“Contact? Who on earth would I be contacting by flying a carrier? Are you still considering the possibility of a ‘lover I left behind’?”
This time, Arkan was hit with a bit of a punch.
He couldn’t see it properly because he was in the middle of a meeting and the bird was soaring too fast, but he thought he saw something tied to the bridge...
At that moment, Arkan’s eyes caught a torn shawl.
Erdene noticed where his gaze was directed and tried to cover it by shifting her seat, but it was too late.
Arkan’s hand snatched the torn shawl.
He burst out laughing at the shawl she had cut with a letter knife, then thrust it in front of Erdene’s face.
“Why is it like this?”
Erdene shrugged her shoulders after glancing at the tattered shawl.
“That’s right. Who would do this?”
“Would this really happen?”
“I can’t lie to Your Majesty about something I don’t know, can I? Maybe a cat came into the toilet room.”
“A cat.”
“Yes, a cat. Do you hate cats as well as dogs? They’re cute.”
The corners of Arkan’s mouth turned down sharply. Erdene said as his chin wrinkled like a walnut shell from his lips being pursed so much.
“Don’t waste your face, Your Majesty.”
“What did you just say?”
“I told you not to waste your face. You should take good care of it. It’s an important asset to Your Majesty.”
Erdene’s small hand patted Arkan’s cheek.
These days, she had become comfortable with this level of skinship.
On the contrary, Arkan would make an embarrassed expression, but even so, he couldn’t shake it off and ended up avoiding it awkwardly. When his cheeks turned red, Erdene giggled like a prankster and pulled her hand away.
Arkan, who realized that he had been teased too late, became serious.
“Queen, I am talking about something important right now. Using an unknown carrier pigeon without my permission is a serious violation of the law. Even for you.”
“It’s not just Vetor, it’s the same in any country. In the Empire, if we find a carrier pigeon that we don’t know about, we shoot it down with an arrow. And we identify the owner and punish him severely.”
“Are you saying that it really has nothing to do with you?”
Erdene nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It’s okay. Erdene thought.
Even if Arkan ordered the soldiers in the border area to shoot down any falcons that acted as carriers, it would be difficult to hit Glücker.
Of all the falcons and carriers in the empire, it was the most well-trained and intelligent.
'And with the archery skills of the soldiers here. It would be impossible, even in a few years.'
Arkan, who had been lost in thought, looked out the window again and let out a short sigh.
'Good.'
He put the tattered shawl down on the table and let out another long breath.
The shadow of the bird that had fallen as if dead, and the way it suddenly flew up into the air, the bureaucrats who were buzzing, and his own feelings when he remembered that the Queen's palace was right above... These thoughts all ran through Arkan's mind at once.
When Arkan thought of the Queen's palace right above, what he immediately thought was not 'Erdene is exchanging letters with someone.'
He wondered if Erdene had left the window open and been attacked by the giant bird, and at that moment he ran out of the conference room.
However, as he ran up the stairs, it occurred to him that Erdene could not possibly have dealt with a single bird.
Then did Erdene chase it away? Or...
'Wasn't there something on its ankle?'
The suspicion that developed from there eventually came close to the correct answer, but Arkan still had no way of knowing the truth.
So he had no choice but to believe it. Arkan thought.
It was disgusting, bothersome, and annoying to turn away from, but there must have been something hidden beneath that calm expression, for now, he had no choice but to believe her words.
"Fine. If you say so."
Finally, the words of surrender fell from Arkan's mouth.
Erdene leisurely folded her arms and nodded, and just then, Plat came to the Queen's palace with a look on his face that looked like he was going to faint.
He hesitated as he was about to barge in through the open door, then stopped and knocked three times on the door.
“Your Majesty, everyone is waiting for you.”
“Understood. Come down.”
“What... happened?”
Arkan said.
“No. I thought that the big bird had entered the palace and was causing trouble... The Queen had closed the window properly. There’s nothing wrong.”
After saying that, he looked back at Erdene.
“I’ll see you later.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Erdene slightly spread the hem of her dress and bent her knees. She didn’t notice Arkan’s gaze lingering on her shoulder before dropping it as she lowered her head.
‘Your clothes are torn.’
Arkan turned around calmly, pretending not to see anything. However, the moment he turned around, his expression was so calm that even Plat flinched.
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
After Arkan left, Plat, who had been hesitating there, called Erdene in a stiff voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“What did you talk about with Your Majesty?”
Erdene, who was roughly crumpling up her torn shawl to throw it away, slammed the table and stared at Plat.
Although she wasn’t glaring at him so fiercely, Plat felt his knees tremble for no reason.
‘Damn it. When I was young, I never heard anyone call me a gutless guy. I guess I’ve gotten older.’
If she had said that to someone else, he would have said that it had nothing to do with age... In any case, Plat, who didn’t like Erdene that much, concluded that his own infinitely polite behavior in front of her was due to his aging.
At that time, Erdene said,
“Are you saying that I should report every little thing I had with Your Majesty to you?”
“That’s not it...”
“Or is that it? You wouldn’t ask such a question if you were going to have a chat with me. Why, are you worried that I might try to seduce Your Majesty with some strange words? Are you worried that I might suggest subjugating Vetor to the Empire?”
Plat’s eyes widened. But he didn’t immediately respond with a no.
Erdene’s expression turned fierce this time.
“If you are worried about that even by a single chance, why don’t you send in a recorder to record what Your Majesty and I talk about when we’re together? Tell him to bring plenty of paper. There will be a lot to write about.”
“Your Majesty, you are misunderstanding my intentions. That’s not what I meant. I was only worried because His Majesty looked upset... Your Majesty, do you know who attended the bureaucracy meeting today? The diplomats from Kensilom and Eatonhorn.”
“But what does that have to do with me?”
Plat's furrowed brows narrowed further as he tried to suppress his angry expression.
“They actively expressed their discontent in front of His Majesty because Her Majesty the Queen was from the Empire. Of course, His Majesty protected Her Majesty the Queen. However, His Majesty must have been very angry because Kensilom and Eatonhorn were acting so strongly.”
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