After a moment of silence, Arkan asked in astonishment.
“Are you calling that comforting?”
“Of course not. I’m just telling you the truth.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
When Arkan told them to come in, Plat and a guard came in with tense, stiff faces.
The guard, who still had acne marks on his forehead and cheeks, was a rookie who didn’t need to be seen.
He looked around the luxurious private room with a nervous and bewildered expression, and when he belatedly discovered the King sitting on the sofa with a frown on his face, he hurriedly bent his knees.
“Greetings to Your Majesty!”
Then, he turned to Erdene and shouted loudly... No, he tried to shout.
“Keep your voice down.”
The guard’s lips were shut in a straight line at Erdene’s calm, not-quite-quiet rebuke.
But he had no idea why he had been called here.
Erdene slowly circled the soldier who was kneeling and bowing his head.
The carpet muffled the noise, so her footsteps were barely audible, but for some reason, he shivered as a cold chill froze the back of his neck.
“What is your name, soldier?”
The guard looked bewildered and raised his head, then hurriedly bowed again and answered.
“Henzo, Your Majesty.”
“Very well, Henzo. Are you in charge of guarding the outside of the palace under the orders of Captain Wiziard?”
“Yes... I am.”
“Didn’t the captain tell you to watch your mouth?”
Henzo looked up at Erdene with a bewildered expression.
“He just... told me to do my job quietly.”
Have you ever seen such an idiot? Erdene suppressed her anger and pressed her fist to her forehead.
This is not the empire. I can’t show you the sight of kicking a soldier...
“You idiot.”
“Ugh!”
There’s nothing there! Erdene kicked Henzo’s knee, which was covered in leather armor, with her heel.
Startled by the chill, Plat ran away to Arkan’s side in a panic.
Henzo groaned at the tingling pain that shot down his thigh and waist even though she had only kicked his knee.
However, Erdene’s expression as she glared at him was so fierce that he hurriedly lowered his head and pretended to rain.
“Your, Your Majesty. What did I do wrong?”
“What did you do wrong? If you don’t know what you did after getting hit once, you should have been hit again.”
“Yes?”
“Who else did you tell? Did you report it to anyone other than Chief Plat?”
“Ha, I didn’t.”
Henzo’s face turned pale as he saw Erdene clenching her fists.
It was because he remembered seeing Erdene knocking out the quick-witted Imperial leader—Thelma—with a single punch at the parade ground.
“Really! Your Majesty, I really didn’t tell anyone! I, I just felt strange about something... why it had to be like that, so I reported it...”
He glanced at Plat as if asking for help.
Although Plat had been running behind Arkan out of fear of Erdene’s temper, when he met the soldier’s eyes that seemed ready to burst into tears, he suddenly felt an absurd amount of courage and a strict sense of justice.
“Your Majesty! You can’t do this! How could you blow up a soldier guarding the castle while protecting Your Majesty’s safety... !”
“Plat, shut up.”
Arkan cut him off mercilessly. Now Plat’s expression was similar to that of soldier Henzo.
Sensing that the atmosphere was serious, Henzo swallowed dry saliva while quietly gathering his knees that had been kicked.
“I, I, I... Did I do something wrong...?”
Erdene answered.
“Is there a bigger mistake in the military than disobeying a superior’s orders?”
“Ha, but...”
“But?”
Henzo, who had been thinking for a moment, shut his mouth tightly. It was fortunate that his mind was working that well.
If not, he would have been hit by Erdene once more... She was not the type to have mercy on her hands.
“The punishment for disobeying an order is decided by the superior...”
Erdene glanced at Arkan. What was she trying to say? Arkan’s eyes narrowed.
“Would you mind giving him a chance to make amends, Your Majesty?”
“Or else you’ll cut off his head?”
“Well, it depends on Your Majesty’s orders.”
Henzo’s face turned pale. He lowered his head and trembled as he thought about his family’s faces.
He also recalled the first time he climbed a tree and caught a cicada when he was five. It was so much fun back then...
“I’ll give you a chance to make up for your mistake.”
The cicada that had been squeaking in his hand suddenly disappeared. Henzo raised his head with a surprised expression.
“What, give me whatever you want!”
Erdene nodded as if telling him to stand up.
“Go to the separate room where the messengers stay. Are all the soldiers there your seniors?”
“Most of them are.”
“Good. Then tell the messengers of both countries that I gave the order. For their safety, I’ve stationed soldiers outside the castle and in the corridors, so they can sleep soundly.”
“What are you talking about?”
Arkan suddenly interrupted.
His face was flustered, as if Erdene had said, ‘Set fire to the messengers’ quarters.’ However, Erdene remained calm.
“It’s only for their safety, Your Majesty. Don’t worry, there’s no point in trying to do that, so don’t worry.”
Henzo hesitated.
“If I just do that, will you forgive me?”
“Yes, yes. But you have to do it right. Just do what I said. Don’t add or subtract anything.”
“Understood.”
Henzo quickly bowed as if he were afraid someone would stop him and left in a hurry.
Plat poked his side with his gaze, but Arkan didn’t stop him. Instead, he quickly walked over to Erdene.
“What are you thinking? Are you trying to make them nervous by secretly leaking information that soldiers are guarding the area?”
Erdene smiled leisurely.
“Yes.”
Arkan’s lips tightened. However, he didn’t think she would say such a serious thing without any basis.
Assassination of the King was not a topic to be brought up lightly.
Of course, Erdene’s attitude wasn’t so serious that it didn’t feel real.
“Do you really think so? They’re going to try to assassinate me? Are you sure there’s that kind of danger?”
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
Erdene turned to Arkan.
“I’m not a God, so how can I read other people’s minds? But Your Majesty must be thinking that my words might be right by now. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have just let that soldier walk away.”
Arkan twitched his lips, having been hit hard.
Erdene continued to speak indifferently, playing with the ends of her long hair.
“Even if they don’t actually try to do that, considering their attitude today... Betro, Etonhorn, and Kensilom. At the very least, the fake peace between these three countries has been broken.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Plat, who hadn’t come to his senses yet, suddenly interjected and raised his voice.
He was clearly more angry than Arkan at Erdene’s words.
“Fake peace! Your Majesty, it’s your safety! Even if you’re the Queen, you should be careful what you say! Do you know how long His Majesty has worked to maintain peace and balance in the Inland Alliance?”
Erdene looked at Plat with a look of laughter and pity.
But before she could refute him, Arkan said calmly.
“If only we could run the country through effort alone, there would be no difficulties.”
Erdene snickered.
“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s right. Human effort, no matter what it is, is valuable and admirable, but it doesn’t always pay off. We just do our best when we can.”
Plat was so shocked that he couldn’t even breathe. However, Arkan seemed to be thinking deeply about Erdene’s words.
Finally, he said,
“Yes. Let’s believe you for once.”
“Your Majesty, that’s ridiculous!”
On the way out of the private room and to the residence, Plat continued to whine to Arkan.
'Somehow, it seems that the spirit of the Marchioness Fiddlers has transferred to Plat.'
Arkan listened to his loyal chamberlain's nagging with one ear and let it go out the other, just as he did when listening to the Marchioness.
Plat continued to whine, not even dreaming of what creepy thoughts Arkan had about him.
"No matter how rude the messengers were, how could they... have such suspicions! If one misstep and rumors start spreading, it will be truly irreversible! Your Majesty..."
Plat was about to say that his marriage to that violent Princess would all be for nothing, but he bit his tongue and held back his words at the last moment.
Arkan still didn't answer, wondering what he was thinking.
Plat followed him closer, as if he was frustrated, and said,
"That's ridiculous, Your Majesty. Her Majesty has lived such a... rough life, so she's probably exaggerating the danger that's nothing. Your Majesty, think again. This is a very, very serious matter!"
“Are you calling that comforting?”
“Of course not. I’m just telling you the truth.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
When Arkan told them to come in, Plat and a guard came in with tense, stiff faces.
The guard, who still had acne marks on his forehead and cheeks, was a rookie who didn’t need to be seen.
He looked around the luxurious private room with a nervous and bewildered expression, and when he belatedly discovered the King sitting on the sofa with a frown on his face, he hurriedly bent his knees.
“Greetings to Your Majesty!”
Then, he turned to Erdene and shouted loudly... No, he tried to shout.
“Keep your voice down.”
The guard’s lips were shut in a straight line at Erdene’s calm, not-quite-quiet rebuke.
But he had no idea why he had been called here.
Erdene slowly circled the soldier who was kneeling and bowing his head.
The carpet muffled the noise, so her footsteps were barely audible, but for some reason, he shivered as a cold chill froze the back of his neck.
“What is your name, soldier?”
The guard looked bewildered and raised his head, then hurriedly bowed again and answered.
“Henzo, Your Majesty.”
“Very well, Henzo. Are you in charge of guarding the outside of the palace under the orders of Captain Wiziard?”
“Yes... I am.”
“Didn’t the captain tell you to watch your mouth?”
Henzo looked up at Erdene with a bewildered expression.
“He just... told me to do my job quietly.”
Have you ever seen such an idiot? Erdene suppressed her anger and pressed her fist to her forehead.
This is not the empire. I can’t show you the sight of kicking a soldier...
“You idiot.”
“Ugh!”
There’s nothing there! Erdene kicked Henzo’s knee, which was covered in leather armor, with her heel.
Startled by the chill, Plat ran away to Arkan’s side in a panic.
Henzo groaned at the tingling pain that shot down his thigh and waist even though she had only kicked his knee.
However, Erdene’s expression as she glared at him was so fierce that he hurriedly lowered his head and pretended to rain.
“Your, Your Majesty. What did I do wrong?”
“What did you do wrong? If you don’t know what you did after getting hit once, you should have been hit again.”
“Yes?”
“Who else did you tell? Did you report it to anyone other than Chief Plat?”
“Ha, I didn’t.”
Henzo’s face turned pale as he saw Erdene clenching her fists.
It was because he remembered seeing Erdene knocking out the quick-witted Imperial leader—Thelma—with a single punch at the parade ground.
“Really! Your Majesty, I really didn’t tell anyone! I, I just felt strange about something... why it had to be like that, so I reported it...”
He glanced at Plat as if asking for help.
Although Plat had been running behind Arkan out of fear of Erdene’s temper, when he met the soldier’s eyes that seemed ready to burst into tears, he suddenly felt an absurd amount of courage and a strict sense of justice.
“Your Majesty! You can’t do this! How could you blow up a soldier guarding the castle while protecting Your Majesty’s safety... !”
“Plat, shut up.”
Arkan cut him off mercilessly. Now Plat’s expression was similar to that of soldier Henzo.
Sensing that the atmosphere was serious, Henzo swallowed dry saliva while quietly gathering his knees that had been kicked.
“I, I, I... Did I do something wrong...?”
Erdene answered.
“Is there a bigger mistake in the military than disobeying a superior’s orders?”
“Ha, but...”
“But?”
Henzo, who had been thinking for a moment, shut his mouth tightly. It was fortunate that his mind was working that well.
If not, he would have been hit by Erdene once more... She was not the type to have mercy on her hands.
“The punishment for disobeying an order is decided by the superior...”
Erdene glanced at Arkan. What was she trying to say? Arkan’s eyes narrowed.
“Would you mind giving him a chance to make amends, Your Majesty?”
“Or else you’ll cut off his head?”
“Well, it depends on Your Majesty’s orders.”
Henzo’s face turned pale. He lowered his head and trembled as he thought about his family’s faces.
He also recalled the first time he climbed a tree and caught a cicada when he was five. It was so much fun back then...
“I’ll give you a chance to make up for your mistake.”
The cicada that had been squeaking in his hand suddenly disappeared. Henzo raised his head with a surprised expression.
“What, give me whatever you want!”
Erdene nodded as if telling him to stand up.
“Go to the separate room where the messengers stay. Are all the soldiers there your seniors?”
“Most of them are.”
“Good. Then tell the messengers of both countries that I gave the order. For their safety, I’ve stationed soldiers outside the castle and in the corridors, so they can sleep soundly.”
“What are you talking about?”
Arkan suddenly interrupted.
His face was flustered, as if Erdene had said, ‘Set fire to the messengers’ quarters.’ However, Erdene remained calm.
“It’s only for their safety, Your Majesty. Don’t worry, there’s no point in trying to do that, so don’t worry.”
Henzo hesitated.
“If I just do that, will you forgive me?”
“Yes, yes. But you have to do it right. Just do what I said. Don’t add or subtract anything.”
“Understood.”
Henzo quickly bowed as if he were afraid someone would stop him and left in a hurry.
Plat poked his side with his gaze, but Arkan didn’t stop him. Instead, he quickly walked over to Erdene.
“What are you thinking? Are you trying to make them nervous by secretly leaking information that soldiers are guarding the area?”
Erdene smiled leisurely.
“Yes.”
Arkan’s lips tightened. However, he didn’t think she would say such a serious thing without any basis.
Assassination of the King was not a topic to be brought up lightly.
Of course, Erdene’s attitude wasn’t so serious that it didn’t feel real.
“Do you really think so? They’re going to try to assassinate me? Are you sure there’s that kind of danger?”
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
Erdene turned to Arkan.
“I’m not a God, so how can I read other people’s minds? But Your Majesty must be thinking that my words might be right by now. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have just let that soldier walk away.”
Arkan twitched his lips, having been hit hard.
Erdene continued to speak indifferently, playing with the ends of her long hair.
“Even if they don’t actually try to do that, considering their attitude today... Betro, Etonhorn, and Kensilom. At the very least, the fake peace between these three countries has been broken.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Plat, who hadn’t come to his senses yet, suddenly interjected and raised his voice.
He was clearly more angry than Arkan at Erdene’s words.
“Fake peace! Your Majesty, it’s your safety! Even if you’re the Queen, you should be careful what you say! Do you know how long His Majesty has worked to maintain peace and balance in the Inland Alliance?”
Erdene looked at Plat with a look of laughter and pity.
But before she could refute him, Arkan said calmly.
“If only we could run the country through effort alone, there would be no difficulties.”
Erdene snickered.
“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s right. Human effort, no matter what it is, is valuable and admirable, but it doesn’t always pay off. We just do our best when we can.”
Plat was so shocked that he couldn’t even breathe. However, Arkan seemed to be thinking deeply about Erdene’s words.
Finally, he said,
“Yes. Let’s believe you for once.”
***
“Your Majesty, that’s ridiculous!”
On the way out of the private room and to the residence, Plat continued to whine to Arkan.
'Somehow, it seems that the spirit of the Marchioness Fiddlers has transferred to Plat.'
Arkan listened to his loyal chamberlain's nagging with one ear and let it go out the other, just as he did when listening to the Marchioness.
Plat continued to whine, not even dreaming of what creepy thoughts Arkan had about him.
"No matter how rude the messengers were, how could they... have such suspicions! If one misstep and rumors start spreading, it will be truly irreversible! Your Majesty..."
Plat was about to say that his marriage to that violent Princess would all be for nothing, but he bit his tongue and held back his words at the last moment.
Arkan still didn't answer, wondering what he was thinking.
Plat followed him closer, as if he was frustrated, and said,
"That's ridiculous, Your Majesty. Her Majesty has lived such a... rough life, so she's probably exaggerating the danger that's nothing. Your Majesty, think again. This is a very, very serious matter!"
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