Erdene glared at Arkan with a frown.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Speak so I can understand.”
Arkan opened the door.
“Plat! Come in!”
Then, Plat, who had been twitching his paws like a puppy that was about to get wet, quickly came inside and closed the door.
As soon as Erdene noticed Plat’s resentful gaze at her, she realized that the problem of secretly observing the movements of the messenger group had been overturned.
‘The problem is whether this dried mackerel has revealed the fact to the other side or not.’
Erdene crossed her arms with a pretended fierce expression and looked back and forth between Plat and Arkan.
Arkan was once again speechless at the confident attitude of the two of them as if they were in cahoots to drive him.
Arkan said,
“Tell me what you heard, Plat.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Said Plat, who was looking at Erdene with a displeased expression.
“Your Majesty, Her Majesty has unilaterally ordered Captain Wiziard to station guards outside the castle and to strictly monitor the residences of the envoys and the nearby hallways.”
Arkan turned his head sharply. His expression was smug, as if to say, “Did you hear that?”
However, Erdene tilted her head recklessly, completely oblivious to Plat’s accusation and Arkan’s anger.
“Who told you that?”
It couldn’t be Wiziard, thought Erdene.
He was currently the successor to Thelma, the adjutant of the Empire, no, he was burning with determination to become an adjutant who would surpass her.
Those words couldn’t have come from Captain Wiziard’s mouth.
Erdene, who was expected to bow her head in front of Arkan in shock, instead boldly argued with Plat, and Plat was embarrassed. He looked at Arkan as if asking for help, but he just stared at him blankly and did not listen to him.
Plat was the one who was embarrassed when things turned out like this. Also, he didn’t want to write a sentence that started with ‘Her Majesty’—whatever it was—a hundred times!
“I, that... I heard from the guards. The soldier who was assigned to guard the outside by the order of the Wizard Commander told me.”
Plat glanced at the awkward silence and then hurriedly added.
“Your Majesty.”
The moment Erdene was about to answer, Arkan turned around. Then Erdene also shut her mouth for the time being.
Arkan felt even more angry at her attitude and waited to hear what she had to say. How can she be so shameless? If she’s not careful, the entire Inland Alliance could be destroyed!
“Did you hear? It would be nice if Etonhorn, Kensilom, and the messengers didn’t know about this, but if they did, it would be an international conflict! If they suspected the ambassadors who came for diplomatic purposes as assassins, what kind of rumors would spread inland?”
When Arkan shouted, Plat nodded vigorously as if he was right.
However, Erdene tilted her head to the other side with her still confident expression.
“An international conflict? It seems like it’s already started happening, so do we need to worry about it again?”
Arkan was going crazy again. What drove him crazy the most was that Erdene was right every time.
What kind of attitude did the messengers of Etonhorn and Kensilom show at the meeting and dinner today? If he hadn’t sent an official letter of protest to the Kings of the two countries, it would have been rude enough to make Vetor’s situation ridiculous.
“Whatever!”
Arkan shouted, and Erdene looked up at him crookedly.
“Why don’t you tell me something so important? That’s what I’m talking about. What if you still can’t catch them and get caught? What if word got out that you ordered them to do it? How could you do this without me knowing, unless you were determined to give me an excuse!”
Arkan’s true feelings came out without him knowing, but neither he nor Plat, who was standing next to him, noticed.
“...I’m starting to get a little confused as to why you’re worried.”
Erdene muttered softly, and Arkan furrowed his brow.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing. Anyway, I had a good reason for acting on my own.”
“Of course. You always have your own reasons.”
It was blatant sarcasm, but that didn’t matter to Erdene right now.
Now that Arkan knew, he had to go along perfectly with this plan.
Her motto when fighting was that everyone had to move in unison to avoid casualties.
“It seems to me that there is someone among this delegation who is plotting to assassinate Your Majesty.”
There was a loud noise. It was the sound of Plat, who had fallen on his buttocks and knocked over the chair because his legs had given out in shock.
Arkan did not show such a hideous appearance.
However, his expression hardened to a frightening degree, and his face also turned pale.
Erdene stared at that expression for a very long time, without blinking.
“What do you mean, Queen?”
“It is as I said. I visited them briefly with Duke Pelarhar earlier...”
“With Pelarhar?”
Arkan’s expression became complicated again. He could not understand why on earth she had gone to see Pelarhar and the messengers.
The fact that he had been in a very bad mood because of the messengers’ attitudes during the meeting was already out of his mind.
All that came to his mind was the image of Erdene sitting close to Pelarhar, laughing while looking at the cards.
‘It seemed like their foreheads were almost touching...'
Erdene continued to speak calmly, not knowing what Arkan was thinking.
"Among those who escorted the messengers, there was one who was not suited for close combat. He did not seem to be one who handled a longsword, a spear, or a blunt weapon. Judging from the old marks near his lips, he seemed likely to be one who handled a bow, but you can tell by his upper arm and chest muscles. He probably hadn't handled a heavy longbow for a long time."
Plat was so flustered by the information Erdene was spouting out that he had no time to consider whether it was true or not.
However, Arkan did not doubt whether Erdene's words were true or not.
If she had been watching the officer, her eyes would have been accurate. However...
'You looked at the upper arm and chest muscles in detail in that short time.'
Although he knew why Erdene did that, a small jealousy arose in a corner of his heart.
It was all because of Pelarhar.
If Pelarhar hadn’t been so close to Erdene, he wouldn’t have cared...
Maybe.
“Plat.”
Plat, who was sweating at Erdene’s call, nodded and said.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Speak so I can understand.”
Arkan opened the door.
“Plat! Come in!”
Then, Plat, who had been twitching his paws like a puppy that was about to get wet, quickly came inside and closed the door.
As soon as Erdene noticed Plat’s resentful gaze at her, she realized that the problem of secretly observing the movements of the messenger group had been overturned.
‘The problem is whether this dried mackerel has revealed the fact to the other side or not.’
Erdene crossed her arms with a pretended fierce expression and looked back and forth between Plat and Arkan.
Arkan was once again speechless at the confident attitude of the two of them as if they were in cahoots to drive him.
Arkan said,
“Tell me what you heard, Plat.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Said Plat, who was looking at Erdene with a displeased expression.
“Your Majesty, Her Majesty has unilaterally ordered Captain Wiziard to station guards outside the castle and to strictly monitor the residences of the envoys and the nearby hallways.”
Arkan turned his head sharply. His expression was smug, as if to say, “Did you hear that?”
However, Erdene tilted her head recklessly, completely oblivious to Plat’s accusation and Arkan’s anger.
“Who told you that?”
It couldn’t be Wiziard, thought Erdene.
He was currently the successor to Thelma, the adjutant of the Empire, no, he was burning with determination to become an adjutant who would surpass her.
Those words couldn’t have come from Captain Wiziard’s mouth.
Erdene, who was expected to bow her head in front of Arkan in shock, instead boldly argued with Plat, and Plat was embarrassed. He looked at Arkan as if asking for help, but he just stared at him blankly and did not listen to him.
Plat was the one who was embarrassed when things turned out like this. Also, he didn’t want to write a sentence that started with ‘Her Majesty’—whatever it was—a hundred times!
“I, that... I heard from the guards. The soldier who was assigned to guard the outside by the order of the Wizard Commander told me.”
Plat glanced at the awkward silence and then hurriedly added.
“Your Majesty.”
The moment Erdene was about to answer, Arkan turned around. Then Erdene also shut her mouth for the time being.
Arkan felt even more angry at her attitude and waited to hear what she had to say. How can she be so shameless? If she’s not careful, the entire Inland Alliance could be destroyed!
“Did you hear? It would be nice if Etonhorn, Kensilom, and the messengers didn’t know about this, but if they did, it would be an international conflict! If they suspected the ambassadors who came for diplomatic purposes as assassins, what kind of rumors would spread inland?”
When Arkan shouted, Plat nodded vigorously as if he was right.
However, Erdene tilted her head to the other side with her still confident expression.
“An international conflict? It seems like it’s already started happening, so do we need to worry about it again?”
Arkan was going crazy again. What drove him crazy the most was that Erdene was right every time.
What kind of attitude did the messengers of Etonhorn and Kensilom show at the meeting and dinner today? If he hadn’t sent an official letter of protest to the Kings of the two countries, it would have been rude enough to make Vetor’s situation ridiculous.
“Whatever!”
Arkan shouted, and Erdene looked up at him crookedly.
“Why don’t you tell me something so important? That’s what I’m talking about. What if you still can’t catch them and get caught? What if word got out that you ordered them to do it? How could you do this without me knowing, unless you were determined to give me an excuse!”
Arkan’s true feelings came out without him knowing, but neither he nor Plat, who was standing next to him, noticed.
“...I’m starting to get a little confused as to why you’re worried.”
Erdene muttered softly, and Arkan furrowed his brow.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing. Anyway, I had a good reason for acting on my own.”
“Of course. You always have your own reasons.”
It was blatant sarcasm, but that didn’t matter to Erdene right now.
Now that Arkan knew, he had to go along perfectly with this plan.
Her motto when fighting was that everyone had to move in unison to avoid casualties.
“It seems to me that there is someone among this delegation who is plotting to assassinate Your Majesty.”
There was a loud noise. It was the sound of Plat, who had fallen on his buttocks and knocked over the chair because his legs had given out in shock.
Arkan did not show such a hideous appearance.
However, his expression hardened to a frightening degree, and his face also turned pale.
Erdene stared at that expression for a very long time, without blinking.
“What do you mean, Queen?”
“It is as I said. I visited them briefly with Duke Pelarhar earlier...”
“With Pelarhar?”
Arkan’s expression became complicated again. He could not understand why on earth she had gone to see Pelarhar and the messengers.
The fact that he had been in a very bad mood because of the messengers’ attitudes during the meeting was already out of his mind.
All that came to his mind was the image of Erdene sitting close to Pelarhar, laughing while looking at the cards.
‘It seemed like their foreheads were almost touching...'
Erdene continued to speak calmly, not knowing what Arkan was thinking.
"Among those who escorted the messengers, there was one who was not suited for close combat. He did not seem to be one who handled a longsword, a spear, or a blunt weapon. Judging from the old marks near his lips, he seemed likely to be one who handled a bow, but you can tell by his upper arm and chest muscles. He probably hadn't handled a heavy longbow for a long time."
Plat was so flustered by the information Erdene was spouting out that he had no time to consider whether it was true or not.
However, Arkan did not doubt whether Erdene's words were true or not.
If she had been watching the officer, her eyes would have been accurate. However...
'You looked at the upper arm and chest muscles in detail in that short time.'
Although he knew why Erdene did that, a small jealousy arose in a corner of his heart.
It was all because of Pelarhar.
If Pelarhar hadn’t been so close to Erdene, he wouldn’t have cared...
Maybe.
“Plat.”
Plat, who was sweating at Erdene’s call, nodded and said.
“Yes.”
“Who is the guard who told you that? Do you remember his face?”
Arkan interrupted.
“Why do you ask? Are you going to bring him in and cut his throat?”
Erdene stared at Arkan. Her expression was frowning as if to say something pathetic.
“Do I look like a murderer who can’t cut someone’s head off?”
Arkan’s mouth was shut tightly. It was a silence not of agreement, but of acknowledging his own mistake.
Erdene shook her head and looked at Plat as if she would let it slide just this once.
“Go and bring that guard. Quietly so no one sees you.”
“Yes? I...”
Arkan said.
“Go now, Plat.”
As soon as his order was given, Plat had no choice but to leave the private room. Outside, the place was still noisy, and leisurely conversations were taking place.
Some quite drunk people were laughing loudly at the card table, and some men and women were chatting by the piano.
When the door closed, all of that scenery disappeared from his sight. Arkan looked around the quiet private room and then plopped down on the sofa.
Then he sighed as if he was tired.
“What on earth are you...”
“It was something I did out of concern for Your Majesty, so please stop being so upset.”
“That’s really the wrong thing to say.”
Arkan averted his gaze.
“What’s wrong with that? You were the one who did the wrong thing in the first place...!”
Arkan interrupted.
“Why do you ask? Are you going to bring him in and cut his throat?”
Erdene stared at Arkan. Her expression was frowning as if to say something pathetic.
“Do I look like a murderer who can’t cut someone’s head off?”
Arkan’s mouth was shut tightly. It was a silence not of agreement, but of acknowledging his own mistake.
Erdene shook her head and looked at Plat as if she would let it slide just this once.
“Go and bring that guard. Quietly so no one sees you.”
“Yes? I...”
Arkan said.
“Go now, Plat.”
As soon as his order was given, Plat had no choice but to leave the private room. Outside, the place was still noisy, and leisurely conversations were taking place.
Some quite drunk people were laughing loudly at the card table, and some men and women were chatting by the piano.
When the door closed, all of that scenery disappeared from his sight. Arkan looked around the quiet private room and then plopped down on the sofa.
Then he sighed as if he was tired.
“What on earth are you...”
“It was something I did out of concern for Your Majesty, so please stop being so upset.”
“That’s really the wrong thing to say.”
Arkan averted his gaze.
“What’s wrong with that? You were the one who did the wrong thing in the first place...!”
“I didn’t tell Your Majesty because I didn’t want things to get complicated.”
“You told Pelarhar, but you thought things would get complicated if you told me? At least make some excuses...”
Erdene's eyes blinked quietly.
"Did I ever tell the Duke that I told him about the assassin?"
"You said that the two of you met the messengers together?"
"Yes. If I had gone alone, I would have found someone who made the atmosphere icy or said something rude to His Majesty and decapitated them."
"Look!"
Arkan jumped up.
"You're saying such horrible things again!"
This is so annoying. Erdene wrinkled her nose and approached Arkan.
Then she pushed his shoulder and made him sit back down on the sofa.
Arkan, who had been pushed by her hand without realizing it, opened his eyes wide.
"What are you doing?"
Erdene did not answer but bent down toward him.
“To prevent such accidents, I used a Duke with wide legs. Since he's been to almost every place inland, I thought he’d know someone. As expected, he said he knew someone. You know my temper, don’t you? If there hadn’t been such a neutralizer, what would have happened there? Isn’t it terrifying to think about it?”
“You told Pelarhar, but you thought things would get complicated if you told me? At least make some excuses...”
Erdene's eyes blinked quietly.
"Did I ever tell the Duke that I told him about the assassin?"
"You said that the two of you met the messengers together?"
"Yes. If I had gone alone, I would have found someone who made the atmosphere icy or said something rude to His Majesty and decapitated them."
"Look!"
Arkan jumped up.
"You're saying such horrible things again!"
This is so annoying. Erdene wrinkled her nose and approached Arkan.
Then she pushed his shoulder and made him sit back down on the sofa.
Arkan, who had been pushed by her hand without realizing it, opened his eyes wide.
"What are you doing?"
Erdene did not answer but bent down toward him.
“To prevent such accidents, I used a Duke with wide legs. Since he's been to almost every place inland, I thought he’d know someone. As expected, he said he knew someone. You know my temper, don’t you? If there hadn’t been such a neutralizer, what would have happened there? Isn’t it terrifying to think about it?”
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