Are you serious? Erdene sighed as she pretended to fall backward.
No, she tried to pretend... but it was in vain as Arkan, who was now quite skillfully supporting her, supported her.
“Ha...”
When Erdene sighed, Arkan laughed brightly.
“What’s wrong? The ground is collapsing. It’s a fun reading time.”
“Don’t laugh like that.”
“Why?”
“You look crazy laughing like that in a situation like this.”
However, Arkan seemed to like that expression and smiled even more.
Erdene rubbed her arms as she felt goosebumps for the first time since meeting him.
“Did you eat something wrong? Why are you doing this!”
Arkan thought to himself, “Of course, I’m happy because I found a way to tease you.”
It would have been impossible before, but now he could handle Erdene to some extent.
Once he succeeded in getting her to sit down in the study, from then on... it was a stage that Arkan could control.
‘And reading is originally good. You could say it’s killing two birds with one stone.’
If Erdene had known, he would have suggested that they research a way to kill two birds with one stone with one book.
Erdene, who had been resisting in vain for a while, eventually raised both hands.
Arkan held her tightly as she became quiet, and slowly read a few passages while holding the book in one hand. He had said that he would only read the parts he liked, but he had opened it so many times that you could see that the edges of the pages were worn away.
Arkan’s head tilted toward Erdene’s shoulder.
Erdene was more quickly drawn into the tickling sensation of hair on her cheek than into the sentences in the book, which expressed love in a garden in a very noble and indirect way.
I have never felt such soft things, Erdene thought.
Even when she was very young, she had never been interested in soft and fluffy dolls or cute things for a Princess.
Her toys were wooden swords and shields, wooden horses, and stone soldiers. She liked those things.
But on the other hand, didn’t she think that she ‘should like those things’? Her father, Emperor Selem, was pleased that Erdene had a strong and gentle spirit.
Every child wants to live up to their parent’s expectations.
Erdene was proud and delighted to receive her father’s praise, so she devoted herself even more to tactics and martial arts.
As she devoted herself, she liked it, and as she liked it, she discovered that she had an overwhelming talent. She was lucky. If either one had been lacking and out of balance, her life would have been quite unfortunate and difficult.
'But this is not bad either.'
Erdene stroked his soft curly hair while listening to Arkan's soft voice.
Arkan, who had always complained that she treated him like a dog, leaned even deeper against her shoulder as if he liked her touch.
It was then. Erdene, who had been quietly listening to Arkan reading, said,
"I just read that part."
Arkan smiled and looked up at her.
"You know. I did it on purpose."
Erdene frowned and looked down at him.
"On purpose? Why?"
"It's so good. Aren't you curious about how you can write sentences like this? I really like this part. I want to savor each and every word if I can. If I were to compare this part to cooking, what would it be? It feels like a fantasy food that I have never tasted and will never taste, but that exists somewhere. This is... ugh!”
Arkan, who was about to give another long speech with an almost ecstatic expression, screamed.
Erdene, who had just stroked his hair, grabbed a handful of it and pulled it tightly this time.
Arkan, who had bounced up, pressed one hand on his cold head and screamed.
“You were trying to peel my scalp?”
“Again, you’re kidding me. I told you that if it was going to come off at that rate, it would come off just by breathing, right? It would fall off like boiled sausage skin.”
“Stop saying such horrible things! Are you going to take responsibility if we have sausages tonight?”
Erdene nodded calmly.
“I like sausages. I’ll eat them all.”
Arkan, who had become irritated, tidied up his hair and glared.
“Who would be harmed if I go bald? Is it your loss, isn't it? Haven’t you seen King Grax of Kensilom? He’s so hideously bald. What would you do if I were to go bald?”
Oh my. Erdene held back her laughter.
“Why would that be my loss?”
Arkan snorted.
“You like my face, don’t you?”
No, she tried to pretend... but it was in vain as Arkan, who was now quite skillfully supporting her, supported her.
“Ha...”
When Erdene sighed, Arkan laughed brightly.
“What’s wrong? The ground is collapsing. It’s a fun reading time.”
“Don’t laugh like that.”
“Why?”
“You look crazy laughing like that in a situation like this.”
However, Arkan seemed to like that expression and smiled even more.
Erdene rubbed her arms as she felt goosebumps for the first time since meeting him.
“Did you eat something wrong? Why are you doing this!”
Arkan thought to himself, “Of course, I’m happy because I found a way to tease you.”
It would have been impossible before, but now he could handle Erdene to some extent.
Once he succeeded in getting her to sit down in the study, from then on... it was a stage that Arkan could control.
‘And reading is originally good. You could say it’s killing two birds with one stone.’
If Erdene had known, he would have suggested that they research a way to kill two birds with one stone with one book.
Erdene, who had been resisting in vain for a while, eventually raised both hands.
Arkan held her tightly as she became quiet, and slowly read a few passages while holding the book in one hand. He had said that he would only read the parts he liked, but he had opened it so many times that you could see that the edges of the pages were worn away.
Arkan’s head tilted toward Erdene’s shoulder.
Erdene was more quickly drawn into the tickling sensation of hair on her cheek than into the sentences in the book, which expressed love in a garden in a very noble and indirect way.
I have never felt such soft things, Erdene thought.
Even when she was very young, she had never been interested in soft and fluffy dolls or cute things for a Princess.
Her toys were wooden swords and shields, wooden horses, and stone soldiers. She liked those things.
But on the other hand, didn’t she think that she ‘should like those things’? Her father, Emperor Selem, was pleased that Erdene had a strong and gentle spirit.
Every child wants to live up to their parent’s expectations.
Erdene was proud and delighted to receive her father’s praise, so she devoted herself even more to tactics and martial arts.
As she devoted herself, she liked it, and as she liked it, she discovered that she had an overwhelming talent. She was lucky. If either one had been lacking and out of balance, her life would have been quite unfortunate and difficult.
'But this is not bad either.'
Erdene stroked his soft curly hair while listening to Arkan's soft voice.
Arkan, who had always complained that she treated him like a dog, leaned even deeper against her shoulder as if he liked her touch.
It was then. Erdene, who had been quietly listening to Arkan reading, said,
"I just read that part."
Arkan smiled and looked up at her.
"You know. I did it on purpose."
Erdene frowned and looked down at him.
"On purpose? Why?"
"It's so good. Aren't you curious about how you can write sentences like this? I really like this part. I want to savor each and every word if I can. If I were to compare this part to cooking, what would it be? It feels like a fantasy food that I have never tasted and will never taste, but that exists somewhere. This is... ugh!”
Arkan, who was about to give another long speech with an almost ecstatic expression, screamed.
Erdene, who had just stroked his hair, grabbed a handful of it and pulled it tightly this time.
Arkan, who had bounced up, pressed one hand on his cold head and screamed.
“You were trying to peel my scalp?”
“Again, you’re kidding me. I told you that if it was going to come off at that rate, it would come off just by breathing, right? It would fall off like boiled sausage skin.”
“Stop saying such horrible things! Are you going to take responsibility if we have sausages tonight?”
Erdene nodded calmly.
“I like sausages. I’ll eat them all.”
Arkan, who had become irritated, tidied up his hair and glared.
“Who would be harmed if I go bald? Is it your loss, isn't it? Haven’t you seen King Grax of Kensilom? He’s so hideously bald. What would you do if I were to go bald?”
Oh my. Erdene held back her laughter.
“Why would that be my loss?”
Arkan snorted.
“You like my face, don’t you?”
“You’re overconfident, Your Majesty.”
“There’s no use pretending not to. I can tell just by the way you look at me. I’m used to that kind of gaze.”
Arkan rested his chin on his hand as if to say, “What do you think? You have nothing to say?”
Of course, Erdene liked his face.
When she first met him, she had assumed that she wouldn’t like him from start to finish, but hadn’t she thought that her face was worth looking at?
However, she openly laughed and responded,
“I indeed like your face, but it’s not my loss if you go bald. When your hair starts falling out and you become as ugly as the King of Kensilom, I’ve never seen one, well...”
Arkan’s eyebrows twitched up and down.
Erdene, who was pretending to tilt her head, said,
“Let’s find a young man with a lot of hair and some strength.”
After saying that, Erdene glanced at Arkan’s expression. She expected him to get angry like before, but he was surprisingly calm.
However, judging from the pale veins on his temples, she could tell that he wasn’t feeling too well.
Arkan suddenly smiled faintly.
“You dare to declare that you’re going to leave your husband and play around with another man.”
“You were the one who started it. You said you were going to become ugly and bald?”
“When did I say I would? And you were the one who tried to pull out all my hair!”
At that moment, Erdene's body tilted over the sofa.
Arkan, who had her wrists lifted above her head and tied her body tightly with his thighs, had his lips sticking out like a child whose candy had been snatched away.
Erdene, who had been blinking at the sudden incident, said with a hollow laugh.
"What's with your face? And what's with this pose?"
Arkan's cheek twitched.
"You have to take responsibility for what you said earlier, which was sincere."
As soon as he finished speaking, his lips bit Erdene's nape.
"Do you know about the sword called Salgal?"
Arkan, who was caressing Erdene's shoulder while holding onto the languid afterglow that was beginning to fade, lifted the tip of her chin.
Erdene was lying face down on top of him, hugging him.
Her tangled legs moved a little, and Erdene, who had tidied up her flowing hair and rested her chin on Arkan's chest, repeated the same question.
“Do you know about the sword called Salgal?”
“No, it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
Erdene smiled contemptuously as if she had expected that.
Arkan stuck out his lower lip and grabbed her hand, lightly biting her middle finger.
“Why are you suddenly talking about swords?”
“I just remembered something. You said earlier, right? You wanted to savor each and every sentence. You seem to want to chew on it so much, so I can’t help but think of it. The sword is called Salgal. I used to be obsessed with that sword.”
“There’s no use pretending not to. I can tell just by the way you look at me. I’m used to that kind of gaze.”
Arkan rested his chin on his hand as if to say, “What do you think? You have nothing to say?”
Of course, Erdene liked his face.
When she first met him, she had assumed that she wouldn’t like him from start to finish, but hadn’t she thought that her face was worth looking at?
However, she openly laughed and responded,
“I indeed like your face, but it’s not my loss if you go bald. When your hair starts falling out and you become as ugly as the King of Kensilom, I’ve never seen one, well...”
Arkan’s eyebrows twitched up and down.
Erdene, who was pretending to tilt her head, said,
“Let’s find a young man with a lot of hair and some strength.”
After saying that, Erdene glanced at Arkan’s expression. She expected him to get angry like before, but he was surprisingly calm.
However, judging from the pale veins on his temples, she could tell that he wasn’t feeling too well.
Arkan suddenly smiled faintly.
“You dare to declare that you’re going to leave your husband and play around with another man.”
“You were the one who started it. You said you were going to become ugly and bald?”
“When did I say I would? And you were the one who tried to pull out all my hair!”
At that moment, Erdene's body tilted over the sofa.
Arkan, who had her wrists lifted above her head and tied her body tightly with his thighs, had his lips sticking out like a child whose candy had been snatched away.
Erdene, who had been blinking at the sudden incident, said with a hollow laugh.
"What's with your face? And what's with this pose?"
Arkan's cheek twitched.
"You have to take responsibility for what you said earlier, which was sincere."
As soon as he finished speaking, his lips bit Erdene's nape.
***
"Do you know about the sword called Salgal?"
Arkan, who was caressing Erdene's shoulder while holding onto the languid afterglow that was beginning to fade, lifted the tip of her chin.
Erdene was lying face down on top of him, hugging him.
Her tangled legs moved a little, and Erdene, who had tidied up her flowing hair and rested her chin on Arkan's chest, repeated the same question.
“Do you know about the sword called Salgal?”
“No, it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
Erdene smiled contemptuously as if she had expected that.
Arkan stuck out his lower lip and grabbed her hand, lightly biting her middle finger.
“Why are you suddenly talking about swords?”
“I just remembered something. You said earlier, right? You wanted to savor each and every sentence. You seem to want to chew on it so much, so I can’t help but think of it. The sword is called Salgal. I used to be obsessed with that sword.”
Even as she spoke, Arkan was teasingly nibbling Erdene’s knuckles.
Erdene flicked his nose as if scolding a biting puppy and said,
“Actually, that Salgal isn’t the name of a sword, but of a blacksmith. He’s a legendary figure among the blacksmiths known in Hirschsten. All the famous swords he made were given to the most outstanding military officers in the imperial court, and they served alongside their masters on the battlefield. They say that Salgal realized that he didn’t have much time left and shut himself away to make one last sword.”
Arkan, who was listening to the story, wrinkled his nose slightly.
“I have a feeling that this will be a creepy story.”
Erdene shrugged her shoulders while lying down on his body.
“Well, it depends on how you hear it. They say that Salgal created a legendary sword without meeting anyone for a full six months, forgetting to eat or sleep. It was a sword that was better than any sword he had ever made. After stroking the completed sword with trembling hands, Salgal collapsed on the sword and died immediately. At that moment, his obsession, soul, and blood all seeped into the sword.”
“Look! It really is a creepy story. Now I remember. There have been rumors in Vetor about that fearsome sword that coils like a snake.”
Erdene responded as Arkan grumbled.
“Well, it might not be as snake-like, but it’s not like a sword made of steel. It’s made from a softer iron that has been polished. More importantly, what’s scary about this? Are you even hosting a ghost story club or something? I thought you liked spooky stories.”
“Why do spooky stories from the Empire always leave such a bad taste in my mouth? Even thinking about the portraits of my ancestors hanging in my bedroom gives me the creeps.”
Erdene flicked his nose as if scolding a biting puppy and said,
“Actually, that Salgal isn’t the name of a sword, but of a blacksmith. He’s a legendary figure among the blacksmiths known in Hirschsten. All the famous swords he made were given to the most outstanding military officers in the imperial court, and they served alongside their masters on the battlefield. They say that Salgal realized that he didn’t have much time left and shut himself away to make one last sword.”
Arkan, who was listening to the story, wrinkled his nose slightly.
“I have a feeling that this will be a creepy story.”
Erdene shrugged her shoulders while lying down on his body.
“Well, it depends on how you hear it. They say that Salgal created a legendary sword without meeting anyone for a full six months, forgetting to eat or sleep. It was a sword that was better than any sword he had ever made. After stroking the completed sword with trembling hands, Salgal collapsed on the sword and died immediately. At that moment, his obsession, soul, and blood all seeped into the sword.”
“Look! It really is a creepy story. Now I remember. There have been rumors in Vetor about that fearsome sword that coils like a snake.”
Erdene responded as Arkan grumbled.
“Well, it might not be as snake-like, but it’s not like a sword made of steel. It’s made from a softer iron that has been polished. More importantly, what’s scary about this? Are you even hosting a ghost story club or something? I thought you liked spooky stories.”
“Why do spooky stories from the Empire always leave such a bad taste in my mouth? Even thinking about the portraits of my ancestors hanging in my bedroom gives me the creeps.”
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