Barcas responded in a calm voice and slowly straightened up.
Her eyes, which seemed to be excited by the heat, followed him blankly. He stared into her eyes for a long time, and just as he was about to reluctantly turn away, her slender fingertips got tangled in the hem of his cuffs.
"You have to come quickly."
"..."
"If you don't listen to me from the side, it's uncomfortable in many ways."
He chewed the flesh on the inside of his cheek with his molars.
It was only after his burning throat was soaked with blood and saliva that he could finally speak.
"...I'll be back soon. Please take a nap."
Barcas gently brushed her slightly disheveled hair and quietly left the room.
When he breathed in the cold air in the hallway, his hot stomach, as if he had inhaled strong alcohol, subsided a little.
He roughly ruffled his hair and waited in the hallway, and gave orders to the servant who stood there.
"Prepare bath water in the sauna room, and bring a change of clothes."
Then, as he strode forward, he felt his pants tighten and let out a hoarse sigh.
"You don't need to warm the water. Tell them to prepare ice-cold water."
***
Lowell Draben, with his lips moistened with fine wine from his servants, looked out the window at the view of Raedgo Castle.
As the home of a powerful family that influenced not only the east but also the north and south, there was not a single corner that was flimsy.
Inside the huge fortress surrounded by double walls, functional stone buildings were lined up in an orderly manner, and between them, a channel with clear water flowed like a spider web.
At the front of the castle was a huge barracks and training ground, which at first glance seemed to accommodate more than a thousand troops. Including Kalmor's security forces, there are probably about 5.000 troops stationed in this area alone.
Including the garrison troops in the eastern part of the country and the defense forces of the frontier, the total strength possessed by the Grand Duke of Sheerkhan is a bout 58,000 to 60.000 men. This was comparable in size to the military under the direct control of the imperial family.
In addition, most of the Khan people are said to receive horseback training from a young age, so if additional troops are recruited, it will be possible to form a larger army.
Lowell looked at the internal structure of the castle and made various calculations in his head. Then, suddenly, he felt a sense of shame and turned his head.
At the entrance to the wide open drawing room, a man in a cloak with gray fur stood over a black velvet tunic.
He hurriedly raised a hand to his chest and bowed.
"I'm late, but I greet you, Your Excellency. This is Lowell Draben, who holds the position of chairman of the Northern Merchants Association. Thank you for inviting me to the castle."
"Sit down."
The man tilted his head lightly and sat down at the end of a long table.
Lowell sat down in his side chair and looked at the young monarch of the East with a cautious gaze.
The man had a refined beauty like a marble sculpture. Delicate features, a skeleton with perfect shape, and eyes with rare colors... From the outside, he had a good appearance that would be more suitable for him to be a bard or a theater actor.
If he hadn't witnessed this man's tremendous power right in front of him, he would have regarded him as just a slippery nobleman.
"Is the spying over?"
Lowell, who came to his senses at the dry voice that resonated softly, broke the uncomfortable air with an awkward laugh.
"I was fascinated by your beautiful appearance for a moment. Please forgive me for being rude."
The corners of the man's mouth curled up. It was a smooth smile that made him feel spooky.
"You're quite good at teasing your tongue."
"Haha, isn't the merchant's tongue his livelihood? Since I have met many valuable people, my conversation has naturally increased."
"Certainly, it seems that you have been pampering yourself here and there with those three tongues."
The man who took the goblet handed to him by the young boy who seemed to be his servant said softly.
Lowell forced a smile on his face as he tried to stiffen.
What do you mean by that...
"I already know that you are selling information about the eastern military stronghold to the north. Let's refrain from exhausting verbal arguments with each other."
The man who was spinning the glass said in a sullen tone.
Lowell gulped dryly. For a moment, the thought of playing dumb crossed his mind, but it seemed that it would only provoke the young monarch's anger.
He decided to go down the formal route and opened his mouth with a calm face.
"I am a northerner, Your Excellency. It is my duty to obey the lord's orders."
"You were just following Bjorn Blodar Heimdall's orders, is this it?"
Lowell bit his lip.
The current Duke of Heimdall was named Kylus. However, the man in front of him seemed to understand that the real power of the north had passed to his son.
He felt his spine damp from a cold sweat and continued urgently.
"What I handed over is information that is too trivial to be considered military secrets. It is something that anyone with a little discernment can easily find. Road conditions, logistics in the market, the size of the army... Isn't this information that traders should know? I know that you are also collecting detailed information about the situation in the north through merchants."
"Yes. Normally. It's not a big deal to use merchants' Information networks to check on the situation of neighbors..."
The man stretched his tail long.
Lowell stared at the cool mouth that drew a flowing curve with nervous eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, the man who had been burning his insides finally spoke up.
"But joining the rebellion is a little different, isn't it?"
Lowell's shoulders shrank as if he had been struck by lightning.
He jumped up from his seat with a puzzled face.
"Wa, treason! It's an excessive slander. How can you say such a heinous..."
"Since last spring, the circulation of silver coins in the north has increased dramatically. It's really strange... The scale of trade hasn't changed much compared to last year."
Lowell, who was making up a reasonably excited appearance, stiffened his body.
Grand Duke Sheerkhan took a sip of wine and continued slowly.
"The situation in the north is quite impressive, so I found something very Interesting in my research. A fearless metalworker made a very plausible copy of the casting plates of the Roem family. Where do you think the craftsman belonged?"
Lowell slumped down with a weak leg.
He expected that there would be some reprimand and pressure during his arrival, but he did not expect that he would know the bottom of him. He looked up at the young Grand Duke with fearful eyes.
The man put down the empty glass with a thud and let out a sad sigh.
"It is a grave crime to destroy the three clans just by infringing on the imperial family's right to mint money, and the coins have filled the pockets of the traitors... It will probably be difficult to be buried in a grave in its full form. I'm sorry for your loss, and I wish you the best of luck."
Lowell immediately knelt down in front of the man.
It was no longer the time to count the cards the opponent was holding. There must have been another purpose in calling him to the castle of Raedgo instead of handing him over to the Imperial court. He put down all his pride and began to beg.
"Sir, I had no intention of participating in the rebellion! If I didn't cooperate obediently, I didn't know what would happen to my business and my family, so I had no choice but to cooperate only with the silver coin minting. Please, have mercy!"
"Do you know that turning a blind eye to your sins is also an act of treason? What is the benefit of my taking such a risk?"
The man tilted his head towards him. His expressionless and beautiful face looked like an angel of punishment.
Lowell barely spat out the back words with his trembling lips.
"If you can spare me just this time, I swear that no matter what happens in the future, I will never mention your name. Also, I will be Your Excellency's hands and feet and will not shy away from doing any dirty work. I am your servant from now on."
Lowell could intuitively know that this man had invited him in anticipation of that.
The corners of the young monarch's mouth, which had been staring into his face, twisted slightly. It was a smile like a sharpened knife.
"I'll believe your three-tongue teasing once."
***
I was lying on the bed reading a book, and at some point I seemed to fall asleep.
I, who was breathing heavily with my eyelids down, felt something cold on my lips and unconsciously opened my mouth. Soon after, something like a small grain rushed into his mouth.
When I bit into it lightly, the sweet and sour juice spread out into my mouth. I gulped down what was a little blurred and rubbed my plump eyelids with the back of my hand, and Barcas's gradually became clearer.
I quietly gathered my eyebrows. He was sitting on his elbow on his lap, touching something.
"What's that?"
"It's a pomegranate. Guests brought it as a gift. Open your mouth."
He carefully took out the red grains from the pomegranate he had split in half and brought them to my mouth.
I stared at it from a distance, then quietly opened my mouth. He put a pomegranate kernel in my mouth and immediately began to dig out another kernel.
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