Pelarhar’s eyebrows gathered in the middle like dark clouds.
“What are you talking about?”
Arkan, who had thrown down his pen as if he was going to throw it away, glared at Arkan.
He didn’t know about others, but it was a very familiar expression to Pelarhar, who had grown up with Arkan since childhood. There was something about it that he didn’t like. However, it was definitely because his pride wouldn’t allow him to say it out loud.
Not as a King, but as a husband, or even as a human being.
Pelarhar, who had been staring blankly at Arkan, made a tongue-clicking gesture again.
“I am your blood relative, Arkan. Although we are cousins, we grew up like brothers. So I can understand if you act a little mean. But Her Majesty is your companion.”
“When have I ever acted mean?”
Arkan retorted.
“You get on my nerves. Every time!”
“Ah, yes. I understand. If Your Majesty says so.”
Arkan glared. However, there was no longer any anger in the eyes glaring at him.
There was only uncontrollable jealousy and annoyance, that’s all.
He said.
“Are you going to apologize to Her Majesty, or not?”
“I have a lot to do. And why should I apologize?”
After saying that, Arkan took down the documents he had not even looked at until then and pretended to sign them.
Pelarhar, who had been looking at him with a pitiful expression, blurted out a word.
“Yes, well. If that’s what you are. I heard earlier that Her Majesty the Queen went to the study. I guess she thought you were upset and locked yourself in there? But you’re busy, so... I’ll go and tell Her Majesty instead. I told her that His Majesty is too busy to come.”
Before he could finish his words, Arkan threw down the documents he was looking at and stood up.
Then, without even looking at Pelarhar again, he crossed the living room and went out.
Pelarhar belatedly burst out laughing as he saw the papers fluttering and falling from Arkan’s frost.
“Your Highness Pelerhar. Even though you are His Majesty’s cousin, such words and actions are against etiquette.”
Plat, who seemed to have aged ten years in an instant due to worry, confusion, and tension, gathered the scattered documents on the floor and put them back on the table, admonishing him.
Pelarhar patted his hunched shoulder and shook his head as if he felt sorry for him.
“People sometimes break manners in life, so how can you live by them all? Isn’t that right, Plat? Just do your duty. Even though it’s my father’s hometown, the atmosphere in the Kingdom of Vetor is really suffocating.”
Plat hesitated and was unable to say anything for a moment. Then Pelarhar added with a sigh.
“I'm like this, too, but what about Her Majesty?”
Plat’s movements as he was clearing the table hesitated. However, he didn’t think deeply about Pelarhar’s words.
Didn’t Pelarhar say it in the first place? He and Arkan were like brothers.
Knowing this well, Plat couldn’t imagine that Pelarhar had any selfish intentions toward Erdene.
The strong bond between Arkan and Pelarhar blocked the imagination of love.
“She must adapt. Since she has become His Majesty’s wife.”
“Adaptation.”
Pelarhar blinked and turned his gaze to the distant sky.
“Yes, you must. You must adapt... Whoever.”
Pelerhar muttered something incomprehensible and finally stood up. He patted Plat’s stiff shoulder a couple of times as if encouraging him.
“You should take it easy now. You’re not that old, what if you collapse?”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. But I’m still fine.”
Pelerhar let out a light laugh and leisurely went outside. His expression was relaxed, but his heart was not.
Arkan, who had almost run to the study after hearing Pelarhar’s words, was speechless as soon as he opened the door.
Study? No way. He thought Pelarhar must have heard something wrong, but he didn’t.
Erdene was really sitting quietly on the edge of the sofa in the study, reading some books.
However, even though the door opened noisily, Erdene did not even glance at Arkan. She used to say that just hearing the sound of the pages turning quietly gave her goosebumps, but there was no way she had been so focused on the book that she didn’t notice him...
‘You’re blatantly ignoring me!’
Arkan felt his heart, which had been startled, turn over and boil again.
Ignore me, he thought. Who doesn’t know how to ignore it?
He walked straight toward the bookshelf as if he didn’t even see Erdene. However, the sound of his footsteps was rough and loud.
It was like a kid who was so angry that he slammed the door shut on purpose and stomped his feet so hard that the floor was shaking.
Still, Erdene just stared at the book calmly, never giving Arkan a glance.
He deliberately put the book back in noisily and kept putting it back in until he finally sighed in exhaustion.
At that very moment, the back of his neck felt cold and he felt eyes staring at him intently.
“What are you talking about?”
Arkan, who had thrown down his pen as if he was going to throw it away, glared at Arkan.
He didn’t know about others, but it was a very familiar expression to Pelarhar, who had grown up with Arkan since childhood. There was something about it that he didn’t like. However, it was definitely because his pride wouldn’t allow him to say it out loud.
He’s such a bother. Pelarhar muttered to himself. Regardless of what others thought, Arkan was just a cousin who was very hands-on and difficult to deal with, and therefore often annoying. Erdene probably had similar thoughts about Arkan.
The suffocating silence continued for a while. When the tense atmosphere made Plat’s back sweat, Arkan snapped.
“Why were you holding her wrist?”
“What?”
Pelarhar's eyes blinked a couple of times. Arkan, boiling inside, asked another question he didn't want to hear.
"Why were you holding her wrist? Do you think I didn't see it?"
Pelarhar, who had been staring at Arkan with dumbfounded eyes, belatedly let out an
"Ah."
"Oh my."
He sighed, hitting his forehead. Arkan's eyebrows shot up even higher at the unexpected reaction, but Pelarhar's expression was similarly frowned upon.
"You."
Pelarhar's finger pointed at Arkan. Plat, who had been watching the two from behind with a nervous heart, opened his eyes wide. No matter how much they were cousins, he couldn't allow it with his narrow common sense to swear at the King. However, Arkan motioned for Plat to be quiet first, and Plat had to keep his mouth shut. In the meantime, Pelarhar let out a long sigh.
“Her Majesty said her wrist was a little sore, so I gave her a massage. Hey, you really...”
“Your wrist hurts? Your wrist was fine?”
Your wrist hurts.
Arkan’s eyes narrowed and wrinkles formed on his smooth forehead.
What kind of nonsense is this? Just last night, you swung your scabbard and sent a man flying...
Arkan’s eyes widened slightly. The image of Erdene swinging her sword with all her might flashed through his mind.
“Is that why?”
Pelarhar said.
“There was such a commotion last night, but, fortunately, nothing broke. Isn’t that right?”
“Broken?”
Arkan grumbled. However, Pelarhar noticed that his expression was no longer sharp and sighed even louder. As if telling him to listen.
“She was in a hurry. But since it was hard to control her strength, I guess the direction of the swing was a bit wrong, and since she said she felt numb since the morning, I gave her acupressure. Is that why you’re like this? Are you serious?”
He understood the situation. However, just because he understood it in his head doesn’t mean his emotions will immediately follow suit. The scene where Pelarhar was gently stroking Erdene's wrist was stuck to the back of his eyelids, and she wouldn’t leave. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became, and his thoughts kept going.
If her wrist hurt, wouldn’t it have been better to call a court doctor, or have the maids put a warm cloth on it? Why foolishly endure the numbness since the morning and then tell Pelerhar about it?
Last night, she was the one who went through that big thing together, so if she got hurt because of it, wouldn’t she have just come to Arkan, and said, ‘I got hurt’?
“How would I know? She never said a word to me, and only whispered to you.”
Arkan grumbled, and Pelarhar’s eyes narrowed. Anyway, with this useless pride...
“First love is a big deal.”
Arkan opened his mouth wide and slammed the table at Pelarhar’s scolding.
“What kind of first love is that?”
“Then you’re saying it’s not?”
“Why are we talking about first love now? Who loves whom? Why am I...”
Pelarhar didn’t even listen to the end of Arkan’s words. He crossed his arms, turned his head to the side, and clicked his tongue as he scolded.
“I understand that you suspect me and get upset, but if you suspect Her Majesty of everything like that, you’ll get in big trouble someday, you.”
“Get in big trouble... Wait. What do you mean it’s okay to suspect her? I didn’t suspect her. The Queen... !”
She didn’t act that way toward men other than me.
Arkan barely swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. No matter what, it felt like a bad thing to show his true feelings like that.
Not as a King, but as a husband, or even as a human being.
Pelarhar, who had been staring blankly at Arkan, made a tongue-clicking gesture again.
“I am your blood relative, Arkan. Although we are cousins, we grew up like brothers. So I can understand if you act a little mean. But Her Majesty is your companion.”
“When have I ever acted mean?”
Arkan retorted.
“You get on my nerves. Every time!”
“Ah, yes. I understand. If Your Majesty says so.”
Arkan glared. However, there was no longer any anger in the eyes glaring at him.
There was only uncontrollable jealousy and annoyance, that’s all.
He said.
“Are you going to apologize to Her Majesty, or not?”
“I have a lot to do. And why should I apologize?”
After saying that, Arkan took down the documents he had not even looked at until then and pretended to sign them.
Pelarhar, who had been looking at him with a pitiful expression, blurted out a word.
“Yes, well. If that’s what you are. I heard earlier that Her Majesty the Queen went to the study. I guess she thought you were upset and locked yourself in there? But you’re busy, so... I’ll go and tell Her Majesty instead. I told her that His Majesty is too busy to come.”
Before he could finish his words, Arkan threw down the documents he was looking at and stood up.
Then, without even looking at Pelarhar again, he crossed the living room and went out.
Pelarhar belatedly burst out laughing as he saw the papers fluttering and falling from Arkan’s frost.
“Your Highness Pelerhar. Even though you are His Majesty’s cousin, such words and actions are against etiquette.”
Plat, who seemed to have aged ten years in an instant due to worry, confusion, and tension, gathered the scattered documents on the floor and put them back on the table, admonishing him.
Pelarhar patted his hunched shoulder and shook his head as if he felt sorry for him.
“People sometimes break manners in life, so how can you live by them all? Isn’t that right, Plat? Just do your duty. Even though it’s my father’s hometown, the atmosphere in the Kingdom of Vetor is really suffocating.”
Plat hesitated and was unable to say anything for a moment. Then Pelarhar added with a sigh.
“I'm like this, too, but what about Her Majesty?”
Plat’s movements as he was clearing the table hesitated. However, he didn’t think deeply about Pelarhar’s words.
Didn’t Pelarhar say it in the first place? He and Arkan were like brothers.
Knowing this well, Plat couldn’t imagine that Pelarhar had any selfish intentions toward Erdene.
The strong bond between Arkan and Pelarhar blocked the imagination of love.
“She must adapt. Since she has become His Majesty’s wife.”
“Adaptation.”
Pelarhar blinked and turned his gaze to the distant sky.
“Yes, you must. You must adapt... Whoever.”
Pelerhar muttered something incomprehensible and finally stood up. He patted Plat’s stiff shoulder a couple of times as if encouraging him.
“You should take it easy now. You’re not that old, what if you collapse?”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. But I’m still fine.”
Pelerhar let out a light laugh and leisurely went outside. His expression was relaxed, but his heart was not.
***
Arkan, who had almost run to the study after hearing Pelarhar’s words, was speechless as soon as he opened the door.
Study? No way. He thought Pelarhar must have heard something wrong, but he didn’t.
Erdene was really sitting quietly on the edge of the sofa in the study, reading some books.
However, even though the door opened noisily, Erdene did not even glance at Arkan. She used to say that just hearing the sound of the pages turning quietly gave her goosebumps, but there was no way she had been so focused on the book that she didn’t notice him...
‘You’re blatantly ignoring me!’
Arkan felt his heart, which had been startled, turn over and boil again.
Ignore me, he thought. Who doesn’t know how to ignore it?
He walked straight toward the bookshelf as if he didn’t even see Erdene. However, the sound of his footsteps was rough and loud.
It was like a kid who was so angry that he slammed the door shut on purpose and stomped his feet so hard that the floor was shaking.
Still, Erdene just stared at the book calmly, never giving Arkan a glance.
He deliberately put the book back in noisily and kept putting it back in until he finally sighed in exhaustion.
At that very moment, the back of his neck felt cold and he felt eyes staring at him intently.
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