The assassin’s eyes grew wide as if they were going to pop out. Physical pain wasn’t the problem.
Erdene’s eyes, a pair of dazzlingly bright eyes, were piercing his heart.
For him, who had made a living by killing people, the murderous intent emanating from Erdene’s entire body was both familiar and terrifying.
“B, Count Blava... Count Blava. He gave us, kulk...! Money, and other...other messengers.”
“Are you saying they’re all in cahoots?”
Erdene understood every single word of his slurred speech, his teeth missing and his mouth cracked open.
Of course, it didn’t matter if he didn’t understand.
There were hundreds of ways to make him speak clearly enough for a three-year-old to hear and understand.
Erdene abruptly sat up. Arkan sighed, looking down at the slurping assassin, blood gushing from his mouth.
“Your Majesty!”
At that moment, Belen came rushing into the living room.
Even Plat came tangled up with the soldiers, and when he saw the corpse lying in the living room with its neck broken, he looked like he was going to foam at the mouth and fall backward.
“Sigh, sigh, Your Majesty... What the hell is this?”
Arkan turned his head and gave a cold order.
“Arrest and imprison Kensilom and the Etonhorn messengers and all their escorts right now. Not a single one of them will be spared.”
The messengers, who had been waiting impatiently for the two men to return and were preparing to flee, were all captured by the soldiers who had rushed in under Belen’s command, unable to move.
Kensilom’s messengers, realizing that things were going wrong, screamed loudly.
“We don’t know! We don’t know! It was all planned by Etonhorn! It was Count Blava’s arbitrary decision!”
“If you know, write it down a hundred times by tomorrow. Say, ‘I will not doubt Her Majesty’s insight.’ And one more thing.”
Plat, who had been rubbing his wrists, lowered his gaze again at Arkan’s words.
Arkan, who had been staring at him, said,
“Apologize to the Queen, not me. And never again bring up your complaints about the Queen in front of me. Got it?”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Plat lowered his head. However, he did not make his usual displeased expression.
He truly thought that it was fortunate that Erdene became Arkan's companion.
One of the reasons why Kensilom and Etonhorn targeted Arkan was because Erdene became his Queen, but in reality, it was nothing more than an excuse.
According to what Count Blava confessed after the interrogation, at least the King of Etonhorn had been planning to get rid of Arkan sooner or later.
From the moment he ascended to the throne.
However, as long as Erdene was there, Plat could be free from the tension of not knowing when Arkan would be exposed to the risk of assassination. As Arkan entered the Queen's palace, Sophia came out to greet him.
Erdene's laughter could be heard from the living room, where the door was slightly open.
Arkan asked,
"Who is here?"
Sophia answered.
“His Highness Pelarhar has arrived.”
Arkan’s eyebrows furrowed at those words.
Erdene’s eyes, a pair of dazzlingly bright eyes, were piercing his heart.
For him, who had made a living by killing people, the murderous intent emanating from Erdene’s entire body was both familiar and terrifying.
“B, Count Blava... Count Blava. He gave us, kulk...! Money, and other...other messengers.”
“Are you saying they’re all in cahoots?”
Erdene understood every single word of his slurred speech, his teeth missing and his mouth cracked open.
Of course, it didn’t matter if he didn’t understand.
There were hundreds of ways to make him speak clearly enough for a three-year-old to hear and understand.
Erdene abruptly sat up. Arkan sighed, looking down at the slurping assassin, blood gushing from his mouth.
“Your Majesty!”
At that moment, Belen came rushing into the living room.
Even Plat came tangled up with the soldiers, and when he saw the corpse lying in the living room with its neck broken, he looked like he was going to foam at the mouth and fall backward.
“Sigh, sigh, Your Majesty... What the hell is this?”
Arkan turned his head and gave a cold order.
“Arrest and imprison Kensilom and the Etonhorn messengers and all their escorts right now. Not a single one of them will be spared.”
***
The messengers, who had been waiting impatiently for the two men to return and were preparing to flee, were all captured by the soldiers who had rushed in under Belen’s command, unable to move.
Kensilom’s messengers, realizing that things were going wrong, screamed loudly.
“We don’t know! We don’t know! It was all planned by Etonhorn! It was Count Blava’s arbitrary decision!”
Belen grabbed the struggling messenger by the collar and shouted fiercely.
“That will be revealed as we investigate. For now, it would be best to keep your mouth shut. Her Majesty the Queen is very upset. You’re not screaming because you want Her Majesty to come and interrogate you herself, are you?”
The faces of those being dragged away turned pale.
Among them, Count Blava, who was not even a big man, rolled his eyes and fainted.
“P-please. Please...”
“I told you to shut up.”
Although not as much as Erdene, Belen’s murderous spirit was no joke.
All the messengers entered the prison one by one with dark, deathly complexions.
The next day, Arkan called in the officials early in the morning and held an emergency meeting.
The officials who saw his face, which was unusually dark, were confused as to what had happened the night before.
Arkan, who was sitting and looking around the officials, spoke in a tired voice.
“Last night, two assassins hired by the messengers of Kensilom and Eatonhorn targeted me and the Queen.”
A cold silence descended. The officials simply widened their eyes, wondering what they had just heard, doubting their ears.
“How could such a ridiculous thing happen!”
The first to come to his senses was the Chairman of the Privy Council. Starting with him, groans and sighs, almost screams, and shouts of anger erupted from all over the place.
“How could such a vulgar thing happen, Your Majesty!”
“We must formally protest to Kensilom and Etonhorn immediately!”
“Yes. No, will protesting alone be enough? This is not a problem worth addressing.”
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke forcefully, public opinion once again erupted.
We must send troops immediately, and we must exclude the two countries from the alliance. The opinions were varied and the excitement was getting more and more serious.
Arkan, who was looking at the officials who were blushing and talking, said quietly,
“Stop.”
Then, the officials and nobles who seemed ready to rush to the prison and kill the messengers all fell silent.
Arkan looked at each of their faces and opened his mouth again.
“What the messengers of Kensilom and Etonhorn did is absolutely unforgivable.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Right no...!”
“However, we cannot go to war with the two countries right now. Think about it.”
“Why, Your Majesty? If we borrow the strength of other allies...!”
“If the inland countries were to split up and fight each other, who would benefit the most?”
The officials all fell silent.
No one spoke, but the same scene was unfolding in their minds.
If the seven inland countries, including Vetor, began to bite each other, Tenek of the Hirschsten Empire would never miss the opportunity.
It was also uncertain whether the remaining five countries, excluding Kensilom and Etonhorn, would provide troops for Vetor or not.
After all, their alliance was originally formed to oppose Hirschsten.
Arkan looked over the silent officials once again.
“The Queen and I believe that this matter should not be dragged into a division of the alliance.”
Queen. The eyes of the noble officials widened at the unexpected title.
The secretary who was recording the meeting and even Plat, who was standing behind Arkan, were speechless in surprise.
The finance minister in charge of the royal finances and finances cautiously opened his mouth.
“Queen... Her Majesty, are she of the same opinion as Your Majesty? In other words... We should cover this up...”
Arkan gave him a slightly irritated look.
“Who said we would cover it up? We are not going to wage a war that would destroy the alliance in the interior, but we have no intention of covering this up.”
In fact, Arkan was more furious than anyone else, even the loyal Plat who was ready to jump into the fire pit for his work. Although Erdene had warned him in advance that there would be a 'threat of assassination,' he broke out in a cold sweat when the assassin actually came in.
His heart almost burst out of his mouth as he thought about what would happen to her lying behind him.
[He won't come in openly. He'll definitely use something that can knock us out. So cover your nose and mouth with this, and hold your breath as much as possible when the smoke starts to rise.]
“That will be revealed as we investigate. For now, it would be best to keep your mouth shut. Her Majesty the Queen is very upset. You’re not screaming because you want Her Majesty to come and interrogate you herself, are you?”
The faces of those being dragged away turned pale.
Among them, Count Blava, who was not even a big man, rolled his eyes and fainted.
“P-please. Please...”
“I told you to shut up.”
Although not as much as Erdene, Belen’s murderous spirit was no joke.
All the messengers entered the prison one by one with dark, deathly complexions.
The next day, Arkan called in the officials early in the morning and held an emergency meeting.
The officials who saw his face, which was unusually dark, were confused as to what had happened the night before.
Arkan, who was sitting and looking around the officials, spoke in a tired voice.
“Last night, two assassins hired by the messengers of Kensilom and Eatonhorn targeted me and the Queen.”
A cold silence descended. The officials simply widened their eyes, wondering what they had just heard, doubting their ears.
“How could such a ridiculous thing happen!”
The first to come to his senses was the Chairman of the Privy Council. Starting with him, groans and sighs, almost screams, and shouts of anger erupted from all over the place.
“How could such a vulgar thing happen, Your Majesty!”
“We must formally protest to Kensilom and Etonhorn immediately!”
“Yes. No, will protesting alone be enough? This is not a problem worth addressing.”
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke forcefully, public opinion once again erupted.
We must send troops immediately, and we must exclude the two countries from the alliance. The opinions were varied and the excitement was getting more and more serious.
Arkan, who was looking at the officials who were blushing and talking, said quietly,
“Stop.”
Then, the officials and nobles who seemed ready to rush to the prison and kill the messengers all fell silent.
Arkan looked at each of their faces and opened his mouth again.
“What the messengers of Kensilom and Etonhorn did is absolutely unforgivable.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Right no...!”
“However, we cannot go to war with the two countries right now. Think about it.”
“Why, Your Majesty? If we borrow the strength of other allies...!”
“If the inland countries were to split up and fight each other, who would benefit the most?”
The officials all fell silent.
No one spoke, but the same scene was unfolding in their minds.
If the seven inland countries, including Vetor, began to bite each other, Tenek of the Hirschsten Empire would never miss the opportunity.
It was also uncertain whether the remaining five countries, excluding Kensilom and Etonhorn, would provide troops for Vetor or not.
After all, their alliance was originally formed to oppose Hirschsten.
Arkan looked over the silent officials once again.
“The Queen and I believe that this matter should not be dragged into a division of the alliance.”
Queen. The eyes of the noble officials widened at the unexpected title.
The secretary who was recording the meeting and even Plat, who was standing behind Arkan, were speechless in surprise.
The finance minister in charge of the royal finances and finances cautiously opened his mouth.
“Queen... Her Majesty, are she of the same opinion as Your Majesty? In other words... We should cover this up...”
Arkan gave him a slightly irritated look.
“Who said we would cover it up? We are not going to wage a war that would destroy the alliance in the interior, but we have no intention of covering this up.”
In fact, Arkan was more furious than anyone else, even the loyal Plat who was ready to jump into the fire pit for his work. Although Erdene had warned him in advance that there would be a 'threat of assassination,' he broke out in a cold sweat when the assassin actually came in.
His heart almost burst out of his mouth as he thought about what would happen to her lying behind him.
[He won't come in openly. He'll definitely use something that can knock us out. So cover your nose and mouth with this, and hold your breath as much as possible when the smoke starts to rise.]
If she hadn't prepared in advance, something might have happened.
Arkan was also ready to fight, but he couldn't have handled it as skillfully as Erdene.
Arkan was also ready to fight, but he couldn't have handled it as skillfully as Erdene.
Arkan closed his eyes with a troubled expression and opened them again.
"I will send envoys to Kensilom and Eatonhorn. The mastermind of the incident, Count Blava, confessed everything after being questioned by Knight Commander Wiziard at dawn, so the Minister of Foreign Affairs should prepare the envoys. Those involved in this matter will be punished by the law of Vetor, and Kensilom and Etonhorn will prepare a proper price for the debt.”
“Very well, Your Majesty.”
“Also, it will not be good if rumors spread that I and the Queen were threatened with assassination. The officials should keep their mouths shut.”
"I will send envoys to Kensilom and Eatonhorn. The mastermind of the incident, Count Blava, confessed everything after being questioned by Knight Commander Wiziard at dawn, so the Minister of Foreign Affairs should prepare the envoys. Those involved in this matter will be punished by the law of Vetor, and Kensilom and Etonhorn will prepare a proper price for the debt.”
“Very well, Your Majesty.”
“Also, it will not be good if rumors spread that I and the Queen were threatened with assassination. The officials should keep their mouths shut.”
The officials all nodded. That day’s meeting ended there.
Arkan left the meeting room and headed straight to Erdene’s residence. However, the atmosphere of Plat following him was strange.
“What is it, you?”
Arkan looked back at Plat with a puzzled expression.
Only a few hours had passed since he woke up in the middle of the night and ran to the residence, but Plat seemed to have dried up even more in the meantime. Plat, whose face was so dark that he could not even squeeze out the oil, stammered and opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty, I... I am ashamed that Your Majesty was almost in danger because of me...”
“Because of you?”
Plat’s face is distorted. Arkan deliberately asked back like that, even though he knew what he was talking about.
Last night, when Erdene spoke about the assassination threat, how had Plat reacted?
He was the one who had objected to the Queen’s overreaction.
Since they both knew it, there was only one reason why Arkan asked back, “What was it because of you?”
“I doubted Her Majesty’s insight... I almost put you both in danger.”
Arkan left the meeting room and headed straight to Erdene’s residence. However, the atmosphere of Plat following him was strange.
“What is it, you?”
Arkan looked back at Plat with a puzzled expression.
Only a few hours had passed since he woke up in the middle of the night and ran to the residence, but Plat seemed to have dried up even more in the meantime. Plat, whose face was so dark that he could not even squeeze out the oil, stammered and opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty, I... I am ashamed that Your Majesty was almost in danger because of me...”
“Because of you?”
Plat’s face is distorted. Arkan deliberately asked back like that, even though he knew what he was talking about.
Last night, when Erdene spoke about the assassination threat, how had Plat reacted?
He was the one who had objected to the Queen’s overreaction.
Since they both knew it, there was only one reason why Arkan asked back, “What was it because of you?”
“I doubted Her Majesty’s insight... I almost put you both in danger.”
“If you know, write it down a hundred times by tomorrow. Say, ‘I will not doubt Her Majesty’s insight.’ And one more thing.”
Plat, who had been rubbing his wrists, lowered his gaze again at Arkan’s words.
Arkan, who had been staring at him, said,
“Apologize to the Queen, not me. And never again bring up your complaints about the Queen in front of me. Got it?”
“I will keep that in mind.”
Plat lowered his head. However, he did not make his usual displeased expression.
He truly thought that it was fortunate that Erdene became Arkan's companion.
One of the reasons why Kensilom and Etonhorn targeted Arkan was because Erdene became his Queen, but in reality, it was nothing more than an excuse.
According to what Count Blava confessed after the interrogation, at least the King of Etonhorn had been planning to get rid of Arkan sooner or later.
From the moment he ascended to the throne.
However, as long as Erdene was there, Plat could be free from the tension of not knowing when Arkan would be exposed to the risk of assassination. As Arkan entered the Queen's palace, Sophia came out to greet him.
Erdene's laughter could be heard from the living room, where the door was slightly open.
Arkan asked,
"Who is here?"
Sophia answered.
“His Highness Pelarhar has arrived.”
Arkan’s eyebrows furrowed at those words.
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