The three officials except for Belen and Plat looked around and kept their mouths shut at the harsh words of Arkan that they had never heard before.
Arkan, who had been lost in thought for a moment, knocked on the table as if knocking on the door and said.
“Belen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Find out the people who will track the movements of the Kensilom smugglers and the people who will link them. People who will be careful and alert.”
“Understood.”
Belen bowed his head more politely than ever and felt a little surprised inside.
He knew that the previous Arkan would have thought longer about how to avoid friction as much as possible, even if it meant taking a more roundabout route.
Arkan’s determination was not bad, but because he prioritized peaceful methods above all else, there were many times when he accepted obvious losses.
In addition, Belen had secretly thought that Arkan was comfortable with only choosing directions that did not cause conflict.
It was refreshing to see him choose a method that would obviously confront Kensilom head-on without any hesitation.
“And, organize a delegation to be sent to the Stradhog Duchy. Not informally, but formally. I will personally send the letter to Grand Duke Joelvy.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded. Arkan continued to give orders.
“Deliver the order to each local administrator. Have them search for reports of damage caused by the swarm first, and thoroughly investigate the areas near the Kensilom border for any traces of smugglers.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
The administrative minister, who had been showing signs of discomfort at confronting Kensilom, realized that there was no point in pushing any further and meekly accepted Arkan’s order.
“By the way, Your Majesty. How long will the Princess of the Duchy stay in the palace?”
At the Privy Councilor’s question, Arkan finally thought of Princess Limepale.
The Privy Councilor continued.
“The Minister of Protocol wanted to ask how to allocate the budget while the Princess is staying in the palace. I said I would go to His Majesty and ask, but...”
Arkan tilted his head.
“Well. I haven’t heard exactly how long she will stay. I thought she wanted to see the Queen, and from what I understand, the Queen summoned the Princess this morning..."
“Then should I tell her to put off allocating the budget for now?”
Arkan thought back to when the Princess had come. Limepale had not only come to bring apples for Erdene but also as a diplomat to convey the duchy’s intentions on behalf of Grand Duke Joelvy.
‘But I guess that’s not all.’
He would have to ask Erdene about what the Princess and Erdene had talked about when they met.
Arkan guessed that Princess Limepale wanted something else and looked at the Privy Councilor.
“If you put it off, it will be harder to deal with later. Tell them to organize it generously by quarter.”
The Privy Councilor asked in surprise.
“Are you staying that long?”
Arkan narrowed his eyebrows as if he was somewhat annoyed.
“How could I know? However, we are the ones who received help, so if you want to stay as our guests, you must treat us appropriately.”
Arkan’s gaze turned to the brightly lit entrance outside.
The young attendant bowed cautiously and said,
“Your Majesty, the Queen has arrived.”
“The Queen?”
Arkan’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
It was before he could even realize that she had never visited him first before.
Arkan looked around at the officials and said,
“Let’s go. We will discuss the details again at the official meeting tomorrow.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At that moment, Belen said.
“Your Majesty, we have begun training the newly formed knights and soldiers in earnest. It was originally something we were discussing with Your Majesty, but....”
When he trailed off, Arkan nodded as if he understood.
“Understood. I will attend in person tomorrow. I will listen to the report on the formation and training content.”
“I will prepare it.”
Finally, after retreating to Belen, Plat told him that Erdene was waiting in the reception room.
Arkan unconsciously quickened his pace and went to the reception room, and for a moment, he almost lost consciousness when he saw Erdene sitting in front of the table.
Why was that? Arkan felt as if he was hearing a voice that was not his own.
Even though he had clearly heard the servant say that Erdene had come, he thought that if he went into the reception room, she would not be there.
Unconsciously.
“Your Majesty.”
Erdene, who had been staring at Arkan, who was just standing there, called him in a strange voice.
Arkan then came to his senses as if he had been burned, and covered his suddenly red face with the back of his hand.
“What’s going on?”
Erdene burst into laughter as if she would listen to any strange question.
“I just came.”
Arkan, who had been looking down at the dustless table, sat down, playing with his reddened ear.
Erdene’s gaze sparkled mischievously as she watched him hesitating uncharacteristically.
“Why are you being shy now?”
Arkan suddenly raised his head and stuck out his lips.
“Who is being shy?”
“Your ears are red.”
“Who? Me?”
“Then you’re talking about my ears?”
Erdene’s tone of voice, which was full of teasing intent, washed away the strange doubt that had seemed to be floating in Arkan’s mind, and he felt his heart at ease.
On the other hand, he heard a cry that he shouldn’t feel at ease because of something like this... but this time, he decided to ignore it.
The maid brought tea and placed it on the table.
Arkan glanced at Erdene’s face as he poured sugar into her teacup.
“Are you okay?”
Erdene, who was looking down at the sugar dissolving in the tea, playfully glared.
“Were you worried?”
“No, I wasn’t worried...”
“You didn’t?”
Arkan licked his lips.
“I’m not saying I didn’t, but you’re physically strong...”
“Even though you’re physically strong, you’ve never moved your body like that before.”
He felt his face turn bright red.
Erdene burst into laughter as she watched Arkan pour sugar into her teacup.
“If you add one more, it won’t be tea, but sugar water that tastes like tea.”
“...I crave something sweet.”
“Why? Are you tired when you’re with me?”
Arkan raised his head and glared. However, the moment he saw Erdene’s face, which was trembling, his strength quickly left him.
Damn it. Arkan swallowed a groan of discontent and fear as he felt the cold sweat running down his back.
A premonition flashed through his chest that he had stopped Erdene without even realizing it.
But is there a reason why he shouldn’t get involved? That’s not the case...
“It wasn’t that hard. It must have been hard for Your Majesty to carry me to the bathtub this morning.”
“Should I tell you that I carried you?”
Erdene laughed.
“Well, if Your Majesty wants to say that. Should I spread rumors that you carried me around with all your heart?”
“I should stop talking.”
Arkan took a sip of tea, wrinkled his lips, and furrowed his brows.
As Erdene said, this was no longer tea. It was just sugar water with a slight tea flavor.
Suddenly, Arkan recalled Erdene feeding him a sugar-covered pie for breakfast and glanced at the other side of the table with a mischievous look.
Regardless of Arkan’s words, Erdene looked satisfied after tasting the tea that was just sweet enough.
She put down her glass and asked,
“What important things were you talking about with the officials?”
Arkan poured more tea until it was barely enough and shook his head.
“We talked about the Kensilom smugglers. And about sending diplomatic envoys to the duchy... Oh, right. You met the Princess?”
“Yes, in the morning. We had dinner together.”
“What did you talk about?”
Erdene tilted her head and fiddled with her glass.
“We talked about the Princess’s future.”
Arkan blinked with a bewildered face, not understanding what she was saying.
Erdene smiled once more at Arkan, but the moment he saw her sharp eyes, Arkan’s heart sank.
“Why are you smiling like that!”
Arkan stared at her with his mouth shut.
He thought he shouldn’t do this, but his body wouldn’t listen.
Erdene continued to speak calmly, not realizing that she had almost knocked Arkan unconscious.
“The Grand Duke of the Duchy, Joelvy, has chosen his son as his successor.”
Arkan nodded a beat later.
“That’s right. Little Duke Deger. Did you tell me that?”
“Yes. To be exact, I told you about the Princess pushing out her younger brother and wanting to become the next Grand Duke.”
The spoon slipped from Arkan’s hand as he carefully stirred the tea that was about to overflow from the teacup.
The overflowing tea pooled in the saucer.
“What?”
“I heard that the young Duke was quite a troublemaker. Did Your Majesty know that?”
“I heard that he was a fool. No, even so... What? Is it true?”
“It is true. There is no reason to hide it.”
Arkan recalled Limepale’s face, which had always looked as innocent as a child, and laughed in vain.
She had been so innocent as if she had come out of the duchy to get some fresh air on the pretext of Erdene’s collapse, and he had never expected that she would have met Erdene and talked to her like that.
If the Princess had told him about such things, would he have been able to remain calm? He was not sure.
Arkan said.
“Most of the duchy’s officials support the young Duke right now.”
Arkan, who had been lost in thought for a moment, knocked on the table as if knocking on the door and said.
“Belen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Find out the people who will track the movements of the Kensilom smugglers and the people who will link them. People who will be careful and alert.”
“Understood.”
Belen bowed his head more politely than ever and felt a little surprised inside.
He knew that the previous Arkan would have thought longer about how to avoid friction as much as possible, even if it meant taking a more roundabout route.
Arkan’s determination was not bad, but because he prioritized peaceful methods above all else, there were many times when he accepted obvious losses.
In addition, Belen had secretly thought that Arkan was comfortable with only choosing directions that did not cause conflict.
It was refreshing to see him choose a method that would obviously confront Kensilom head-on without any hesitation.
“And, organize a delegation to be sent to the Stradhog Duchy. Not informally, but formally. I will personally send the letter to Grand Duke Joelvy.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded. Arkan continued to give orders.
“Deliver the order to each local administrator. Have them search for reports of damage caused by the swarm first, and thoroughly investigate the areas near the Kensilom border for any traces of smugglers.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
The administrative minister, who had been showing signs of discomfort at confronting Kensilom, realized that there was no point in pushing any further and meekly accepted Arkan’s order.
“By the way, Your Majesty. How long will the Princess of the Duchy stay in the palace?”
At the Privy Councilor’s question, Arkan finally thought of Princess Limepale.
The Privy Councilor continued.
“The Minister of Protocol wanted to ask how to allocate the budget while the Princess is staying in the palace. I said I would go to His Majesty and ask, but...”
Arkan tilted his head.
“Well. I haven’t heard exactly how long she will stay. I thought she wanted to see the Queen, and from what I understand, the Queen summoned the Princess this morning..."
“Then should I tell her to put off allocating the budget for now?”
Arkan thought back to when the Princess had come. Limepale had not only come to bring apples for Erdene but also as a diplomat to convey the duchy’s intentions on behalf of Grand Duke Joelvy.
‘But I guess that’s not all.’
He would have to ask Erdene about what the Princess and Erdene had talked about when they met.
Arkan guessed that Princess Limepale wanted something else and looked at the Privy Councilor.
“If you put it off, it will be harder to deal with later. Tell them to organize it generously by quarter.”
The Privy Councilor asked in surprise.
“Are you staying that long?”
Arkan narrowed his eyebrows as if he was somewhat annoyed.
“How could I know? However, we are the ones who received help, so if you want to stay as our guests, you must treat us appropriately.”
Arkan’s gaze turned to the brightly lit entrance outside.
The young attendant bowed cautiously and said,
“Your Majesty, the Queen has arrived.”
“The Queen?”
Arkan’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
It was before he could even realize that she had never visited him first before.
Arkan looked around at the officials and said,
“Let’s go. We will discuss the details again at the official meeting tomorrow.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At that moment, Belen said.
“Your Majesty, we have begun training the newly formed knights and soldiers in earnest. It was originally something we were discussing with Your Majesty, but....”
When he trailed off, Arkan nodded as if he understood.
“Understood. I will attend in person tomorrow. I will listen to the report on the formation and training content.”
“I will prepare it.”
Finally, after retreating to Belen, Plat told him that Erdene was waiting in the reception room.
Arkan unconsciously quickened his pace and went to the reception room, and for a moment, he almost lost consciousness when he saw Erdene sitting in front of the table.
Why was that? Arkan felt as if he was hearing a voice that was not his own.
Even though he had clearly heard the servant say that Erdene had come, he thought that if he went into the reception room, she would not be there.
Unconsciously.
“Your Majesty.”
Erdene, who had been staring at Arkan, who was just standing there, called him in a strange voice.
Arkan then came to his senses as if he had been burned, and covered his suddenly red face with the back of his hand.
“What’s going on?”
Erdene burst into laughter as if she would listen to any strange question.
“I just came.”
Arkan, who had been looking down at the dustless table, sat down, playing with his reddened ear.
Erdene’s gaze sparkled mischievously as she watched him hesitating uncharacteristically.
“Why are you being shy now?”
Arkan suddenly raised his head and stuck out his lips.
“Who is being shy?”
“Your ears are red.”
“Who? Me?”
“Then you’re talking about my ears?”
Erdene’s tone of voice, which was full of teasing intent, washed away the strange doubt that had seemed to be floating in Arkan’s mind, and he felt his heart at ease.
On the other hand, he heard a cry that he shouldn’t feel at ease because of something like this... but this time, he decided to ignore it.
The maid brought tea and placed it on the table.
Arkan glanced at Erdene’s face as he poured sugar into her teacup.
“Are you okay?”
Erdene, who was looking down at the sugar dissolving in the tea, playfully glared.
“Were you worried?”
“No, I wasn’t worried...”
“You didn’t?”
Arkan licked his lips.
“I’m not saying I didn’t, but you’re physically strong...”
“Even though you’re physically strong, you’ve never moved your body like that before.”
He felt his face turn bright red.
Erdene burst into laughter as she watched Arkan pour sugar into her teacup.
“If you add one more, it won’t be tea, but sugar water that tastes like tea.”
“...I crave something sweet.”
“Why? Are you tired when you’re with me?”
Arkan raised his head and glared. However, the moment he saw Erdene’s face, which was trembling, his strength quickly left him.
Damn it. Arkan swallowed a groan of discontent and fear as he felt the cold sweat running down his back.
A premonition flashed through his chest that he had stopped Erdene without even realizing it.
But is there a reason why he shouldn’t get involved? That’s not the case...
“It wasn’t that hard. It must have been hard for Your Majesty to carry me to the bathtub this morning.”
“Should I tell you that I carried you?”
Erdene laughed.
“Well, if Your Majesty wants to say that. Should I spread rumors that you carried me around with all your heart?”
“I should stop talking.”
Arkan took a sip of tea, wrinkled his lips, and furrowed his brows.
As Erdene said, this was no longer tea. It was just sugar water with a slight tea flavor.
Suddenly, Arkan recalled Erdene feeding him a sugar-covered pie for breakfast and glanced at the other side of the table with a mischievous look.
Regardless of Arkan’s words, Erdene looked satisfied after tasting the tea that was just sweet enough.
She put down her glass and asked,
“What important things were you talking about with the officials?”
Arkan poured more tea until it was barely enough and shook his head.
“We talked about the Kensilom smugglers. And about sending diplomatic envoys to the duchy... Oh, right. You met the Princess?”
“Yes, in the morning. We had dinner together.”
“What did you talk about?”
Erdene tilted her head and fiddled with her glass.
“We talked about the Princess’s future.”
Arkan blinked with a bewildered face, not understanding what she was saying.
Erdene smiled once more at Arkan, but the moment he saw her sharp eyes, Arkan’s heart sank.
“Why are you smiling like that!”
Arkan stared at her with his mouth shut.
He thought he shouldn’t do this, but his body wouldn’t listen.
Erdene continued to speak calmly, not realizing that she had almost knocked Arkan unconscious.
“The Grand Duke of the Duchy, Joelvy, has chosen his son as his successor.”
Arkan nodded a beat later.
“That’s right. Little Duke Deger. Did you tell me that?”
“Yes. To be exact, I told you about the Princess pushing out her younger brother and wanting to become the next Grand Duke.”
The spoon slipped from Arkan’s hand as he carefully stirred the tea that was about to overflow from the teacup.
The overflowing tea pooled in the saucer.
“What?”
“I heard that the young Duke was quite a troublemaker. Did Your Majesty know that?”
“I heard that he was a fool. No, even so... What? Is it true?”
“It is true. There is no reason to hide it.”
Arkan recalled Limepale’s face, which had always looked as innocent as a child, and laughed in vain.
She had been so innocent as if she had come out of the duchy to get some fresh air on the pretext of Erdene’s collapse, and he had never expected that she would have met Erdene and talked to her like that.
If the Princess had told him about such things, would he have been able to remain calm? He was not sure.
Arkan said.
“Most of the duchy’s officials support the young Duke right now.”
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