Arkan’s face turned red.
“No, Boles is usually served on a large plate and eaten together! But you’re pouring spicy sauce on it? Just like that? What if there’s someone who can’t eat spicy food?”
“Then just tell them not to eat Boles and eat something else.”
“That’s too selfish.”
“Oh, it’s not like there’s anything else to eat but Boles!”
Erdene suddenly raised her voice and put down her empty plate. However, Arkan asked again as if he wasn’t finished yet.
“Do you grill the sausage? Or do you boil it?”
“It doesn’t matter, but boiling it is faster. You can just soak it in hot water.”
“If you eat it like that, you’ll get a stomachache. And if you boil the sausage in water, all the flavor will be lost and it will be bland. It tastes better grilled.”
“I’m thinking about whether to grill you, boil you, grill and then boil you, or boil and then grill you, so don’t tell me anymore.”
Now Plat's face was almost blank.
As the argument between Erdene and Arkan grew more heated, the soldiers nearby began to whisper. Then suddenly, from one side, a shout broke out,
"How small is Boles, and you're eating it one by one! How petty!"
“No, Boles is usually served on a large plate and eaten together! But you’re pouring spicy sauce on it? Just like that? What if there’s someone who can’t eat spicy food?”
“Then just tell them not to eat Boles and eat something else.”
“That’s too selfish.”
“Oh, it’s not like there’s anything else to eat but Boles!”
Erdene suddenly raised her voice and put down her empty plate. However, Arkan asked again as if he wasn’t finished yet.
“Do you grill the sausage? Or do you boil it?”
“It doesn’t matter, but boiling it is faster. You can just soak it in hot water.”
“If you eat it like that, you’ll get a stomachache. And if you boil the sausage in water, all the flavor will be lost and it will be bland. It tastes better grilled.”
“I’m thinking about whether to grill you, boil you, grill and then boil you, or boil and then grill you, so don’t tell me anymore.”
Now Plat's face was almost blank.
As the argument between Erdene and Arkan grew more heated, the soldiers nearby began to whisper. Then suddenly, from one side, a shout broke out,
"How small is Boles, and you're eating it one by one! How petty!"
Arkan turned his head to see who had the nerve to call the King 'petty', and it turned out that he was not talking to Arkan—naturally—but to a comrade next to him. Then, several of his comrades suddenly began to jeer.
"You don't even know table manners. My grandmother told me not to associate with a man who pours sauce on a plate of Boles!"
That's what I meant, Arkan thought. Although Arkan's grandmother didn't enjoy Boles itself. Another soldier shouted,
"You're saying such things because you have no tongue. Do you know how chewy and delicious it becomes when you pour the sauce and wait a little while? It’s fantastic when the sauce seeps into the batter, you punk!”
“Is a boles that isn’t crispy a boles?”
“Then does a boles that isn’t crispy turn into a dish of lamb intestines?”
“Does someone who eats soggy boles know what lamb intestines taste like?”
Before long, the argument over whether or not to pour sauce on the boles spread throughout the parade ground. Erdene looked at Arkan as if she was dumbfounded and half-blamed him, and Arkan’s head hurt from the arguing of the soldiers. In the midst of all that, the fact that those who said to pour sauce on the boles and eat them were louder was unbearable!
At that moment, one of the soldiers raised his hand and shouted,
“But why do you put sauce on boles? I like to eat it as is. Or sprinkle some salt on it.”
A cold silence swept over the parade ground. The soldiers, of course, and even the commanders... were staring at him. The soldier who was instantly captivated by his gaze crossed his arms as if to say,
‘You guys are strange.’
“Boles is salt.”
“What is that guy! He’s a spy!”
“Yes! He’s definitely not from Vetor!”
“Boles is the lime sauce! Where did the salt come from?”
This is going to be crazy. Arkan groaned, holding his forehead. Erdene ’s annoying voice scratched the back of his head next to him.
“See? You have to pour sauce on Boles.”
“Why did you come to that conclusion?”
“Didn’t Your Majesty hear that just now? It seems like there are a lot more people who pour sauce on it and then eat it.”
Arkan replied.
“It must be because those who pour sauce on it are shameless.”
“Aha, so those who dip it and eat it are petty and timid and have small voices? It’s like...”
Erdene, whose words were trailing off, stared at him blankly. Arkan could no longer bear it and jumped up from his seat.
“Why are you trailing off there! Are you saying that I’m petty and timid, right now?”
“No, I didn’t say anything, so why are you making a fuss about me again?”
“I told you, in my mind.”
“That’s not true.”
Erdene’s expression as she sullenly replied was shameless and utterly annoying. Even so, her jawline turned to the side and her small nose caught his eye... Arkan came to the rational yet foolish conclusion that he had to put her out of sight for now to clear his head.
“I’m going.”
“To eat boles dipped in lime sauce?”
Erdene drove a wedge into the back of Arkan’s head as he strode down the stairs.
Arkan shouted at her expression, which seemed ready to burst into laughter at any moment.
“No! I’m going to eat spicy sauce on lamb intestines!”
Behind her, Erdene burst into laughter.
While Arkan and Erdene spent the morning arguing over this trivial food, Princess Limepale was sighing repeatedly, having lost most of her cheerful appearance.
Even her gaze at the maids of the Royal Palace of Vetor, who had come to pack her luggage, was devoid of any smiles, unlike usual.
“Princess, these clothes might get wrinkled if you don’t do them right. I’ll prepare another bag,”
Arkan shouted at her expression, which seemed ready to burst into laughter at any moment.
“No! I’m going to eat spicy sauce on lamb intestines!”
Behind her, Erdene burst into laughter.
***
While Arkan and Erdene spent the morning arguing over this trivial food, Princess Limepale was sighing repeatedly, having lost most of her cheerful appearance.
Even her gaze at the maids of the Royal Palace of Vetor, who had come to pack her luggage, was devoid of any smiles, unlike usual.
“Princess, these clothes might get wrinkled if you don’t do them right. I’ll prepare another bag,”
said the maid, carefully lifting a thin, fluttering, yet eye-popping expensive silk slip.
However, Limepale shook her head.
“No, it’s okay. Just put it away, even if it gets wrinkled.”
“But...”
“Just put it away.”
The maid had no choice but to say that she understood, and then packed the slip away as carefully as possible to avoid damage.
Limepale turned away as if she didn’t even want to see him, then frowned at Eorshin—who was standing blankly at the window in her maid’s makeup—and frowned.
Last night, Eorshin finally achieved what he wanted.
Of course, what he really wanted was to go to the Empire to meet Roelica right away, but Erdene prevented that. The Princess knew that there was a bluish bruise on one side of Eorshin’s face, even though he had hidden it with makeup.
[If you don’t have the confidence to win a fight with me bare-handed, don’t even dream of going to the Empire now.]
[...If I win, will you let me go?]
Erdene laughed for a long time, barely able to catch her breath, at Eorshin’s question, and then said,
[If you succeed in hitting me once, I will personally take you to the Empire.]
And so the two of them faced off. The Princess deliberately watched the scene right before her eyes.
She wanted to watch it carefully, so she mustered up her courage, but for the first time in her life, she realized that the noise of a person beating another person was so loud, and her knees trembled.
Eorshin was beaten so thinly that he lay stretched out on the floor, Erdene had only a reddened cheek, and not a single piece of jewelry was damaged.
[Is that all you have? You don’t know your place. Why didn’t you just survive in the empire? Why didn’t you come to me when I was a Princess and hang on to me? If you had, I could have trained you. If you had...]
[...]
[You might have run away with Roelica before she had Teneck’s child. Maybe you could have snapped that fat neck of Atelgadis. But it was too late. And now you can’t do either. Know your place.]
Her voice came to Eorshin's ears as well as Limepale's, sharp and clear as a blade.
As soon as Eorshin heard that Roelica was pregnant, he staggered to his feet like a man out of his mind. Blood flowed from his nose.
[A child... Roelica? Is she carrying Emperor Tenek's child?]
[Yes. And she is desperate to protect that child. I cannot say that I know everything about Empress Roelica's heart, but... That is why I want to stop you. If she is determined to protect the child, Roelica will not give up her position as Empress so easily. She may not have harbored any attachment to the position until now, but she will from now on. Do you still intend to let Empress Roelica know about your existence? Are you still going to send her a foolish letter, saying that you cannot forget her?]
Eorshin was silent for a long time. He wasn't worried about whether to tell Roelica his news or give up.
He was just speechless because he was purely shocked by the fact that she was carrying another man's child, Tenek's.
"Yes, I will."
"You fool."
Erdene retorted in disappointment but eventually granted Eorshin's wish.
He cut off a bit of his hair, wrapped it in a thick cotton cloth, and handed it to Roelica along with a note.
"I will send it to the duchy when I hear back."
Then Erdene returned to the palace as if nothing had happened.
She got up before dawn and tied her letter, Eorshin's note, and the cloth containing his hair to Glucker's leg and sent them flying.
Eorshin fainted as soon as Erdene left and didn't wake up until morning.
He slept so soundly that the maids almost caught him without his disguise if Limepale hadn't woken him up to tell him that he had to go.
“Eorshin.”
Limepale, who had been watching him, called his name in a quiet voice.
You probably won't hear her. Your mind will be full of thoughts of Empress Loelica...
Limepale thought, but unexpectedly, Eorshin turned his head precisely toward her.
However, Limepale shook her head.
“No, it’s okay. Just put it away, even if it gets wrinkled.”
“But...”
“Just put it away.”
The maid had no choice but to say that she understood, and then packed the slip away as carefully as possible to avoid damage.
Limepale turned away as if she didn’t even want to see him, then frowned at Eorshin—who was standing blankly at the window in her maid’s makeup—and frowned.
Last night, Eorshin finally achieved what he wanted.
Of course, what he really wanted was to go to the Empire to meet Roelica right away, but Erdene prevented that. The Princess knew that there was a bluish bruise on one side of Eorshin’s face, even though he had hidden it with makeup.
[If you don’t have the confidence to win a fight with me bare-handed, don’t even dream of going to the Empire now.]
[...If I win, will you let me go?]
Erdene laughed for a long time, barely able to catch her breath, at Eorshin’s question, and then said,
[If you succeed in hitting me once, I will personally take you to the Empire.]
And so the two of them faced off. The Princess deliberately watched the scene right before her eyes.
She wanted to watch it carefully, so she mustered up her courage, but for the first time in her life, she realized that the noise of a person beating another person was so loud, and her knees trembled.
Eorshin was beaten so thinly that he lay stretched out on the floor, Erdene had only a reddened cheek, and not a single piece of jewelry was damaged.
[Is that all you have? You don’t know your place. Why didn’t you just survive in the empire? Why didn’t you come to me when I was a Princess and hang on to me? If you had, I could have trained you. If you had...]
[...]
[You might have run away with Roelica before she had Teneck’s child. Maybe you could have snapped that fat neck of Atelgadis. But it was too late. And now you can’t do either. Know your place.]
Her voice came to Eorshin's ears as well as Limepale's, sharp and clear as a blade.
As soon as Eorshin heard that Roelica was pregnant, he staggered to his feet like a man out of his mind. Blood flowed from his nose.
[A child... Roelica? Is she carrying Emperor Tenek's child?]
[Yes. And she is desperate to protect that child. I cannot say that I know everything about Empress Roelica's heart, but... That is why I want to stop you. If she is determined to protect the child, Roelica will not give up her position as Empress so easily. She may not have harbored any attachment to the position until now, but she will from now on. Do you still intend to let Empress Roelica know about your existence? Are you still going to send her a foolish letter, saying that you cannot forget her?]
Eorshin was silent for a long time. He wasn't worried about whether to tell Roelica his news or give up.
He was just speechless because he was purely shocked by the fact that she was carrying another man's child, Tenek's.
"Yes, I will."
"You fool."
Erdene retorted in disappointment but eventually granted Eorshin's wish.
He cut off a bit of his hair, wrapped it in a thick cotton cloth, and handed it to Roelica along with a note.
"I will send it to the duchy when I hear back."
Then Erdene returned to the palace as if nothing had happened.
She got up before dawn and tied her letter, Eorshin's note, and the cloth containing his hair to Glucker's leg and sent them flying.
Eorshin fainted as soon as Erdene left and didn't wake up until morning.
He slept so soundly that the maids almost caught him without his disguise if Limepale hadn't woken him up to tell him that he had to go.
“Eorshin.”
Limepale, who had been watching him, called his name in a quiet voice.
You probably won't hear her. Your mind will be full of thoughts of Empress Loelica...
Limepale thought, but unexpectedly, Eorshin turned his head precisely toward her.
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