TVHR 37

"What do you think, Hatan?"

"Wouldn't your thoughts be my thoughts?"

"I know that. I asked for the chief's opinion."

late at night

The woman, Khan, seated at a table inside the large tent, looked at her first husband and the chieftain and asked.

"It didn't really seem like he was lying."

"yes."

Khan, resting his chin on his hand, spoke as he put the pipe in his mouth. Hatan naturally lit the pipe.

"He was bold, unlike those imperial bastards, and he was good with words."

"The second one did talk about nothing but that kid all day long. It seems the first one likes him too."

At Hatan's words mixed with amusement, Khan chuckled lightly and ruffled the hair of the man, who was twice his size.

"It was bold, but dangerous."

Hatan did not deny Khan's words.

Roserin Bellion was certainly bold today.

It means that while I couldn't be certain she was right, I couldn't say she was wrong either.

"On top of that, he held his head high in front of me in that state."

I was shocked to hear that he had collapsed not long after leaving the tent.

It was altitude sickness that outsiders commonly contracted when visiting Kaluta.

If it were altitude sickness, he would have been feeling unwell since last night or this morning, but his mental fortitude in standing up to me clearly without even changing his expression was admirable.

"It’s amazing that you’re still alive in a body like that."

Khan spoke, recalling the report he had received from the councilor in Kaluta.

Even Kaluta's child would be stronger than that.

"It is a matter of whether or not to open the border."

Khan muttered softly.

"Fly the "thousand birds."

Hatan's eyes widened slightly.

The Thousand-Li Bird was named because it could travel a thousand li in a single night, and it was a bird that lived only in the jungle where Kaluta was.

And this bird moves only when there is literally an urgent call.

"Tell everyone to come here within three days. It is the first tribal meeting in a long while."

The Khan convened a tribal council for the first time for the envoy from a foreign land.

“Yes, my Khan.”

Hatan tried hard to suppress his surprise, lightly kissed her cheek, and turned to leave the tent.

Khan chuckled softly at my husband's cute behavior.

"I'll be nice to you tonight for the first time in a while, so finish up and come back."

"yes."

Hatan, having answered obediently, recalled what had happened earlier that day as he left the tent.

***

"Do you want to die right now? How dare you threaten me while talking about my child?"

Khan, who easily understood what Roselyn was saying, was furious and did not hide his anger.

Roselyn grabbed Arma's wrist as she was about to draw her sword. Arma flinched slightly, her shoulders trembling, and then cautiously lowered her gaze.

"...Roselyn."

"It is alright, Your Highness."

At Roselin's dissuasion, Arma let go of the sword hilt. Only then did Roselin release Arma's wrist.

Arma looked at her burning wrist, then looked back at Roselin.

‘My head hurts’

Even though Roselyn thought that, she did not avoid Khan's gaze with a nonchalant attitude.

Khan's anger was something even the Kaluta tribe avoided.

The murderous gaze was fierce, and the oppressive intimidation and threat weighing down the opponent were too heavy for an ordinary person to handle.

"I told the truth, not a threat."

“What?”

"The Empire and other nations will continue to advance scientifically. They will ceaselessly develop weapons, and someday, weapons that far surpass human capabilities will be born."

“Nothing like that...!”

"I know the Kaluta are strong. There aren't many who can defeat the Kaluta tribe in one-on-one combat."

Rojalyn abruptly cut off Gan and spoke her own words.

"Keeping the door closed is not the answer."

"..."

"Doesn't countless historical records prove that?"

Khan glared at Roselin but did not open his mouth.

"The 'Ul Empire,' which ruled the vast Ulgrang steppes, also practiced isolationism, but in a war hundreds of years ago, the Ul Empire was defeated and the Ulgrang steppes were fragmented and taken away."

"..."

"And now, at the edge of the steppe, it has become a small country barely maintaining its existence while relying on alliances with other nations."

Roselyn smiled sweetly at Khan.

"Many people pointed fingers at the All Empire, calling it arrogant………………."

Khan's lips twitched at Roselyn's drawn-out words.

"History cannot always be right, but I don't think I have ever seen those who forget history survive for long."

Roselyn said that much and rose from her seat in a relaxed and calm manner.

"The table is broken and the place is messy today, so I think it would be better to schedule it for another time. What do you think?"

Khan remained silent at Roselin's question.

Roselin smiled and slightly bowed her head when she saw Khan's head move heavily after a long while.

"I hope that at the next meeting, a smooth agreement based on mutual respect can be reached, accompanied by a solid table."

Roselyn tapped the fallen table with the tip of her foot and said.

The arrogant gaze was intense enough to fully conceal the pale cheeks.

It was somewhat rude behavior, but strictly speaking, Kaluta, who smashed the table with his fist right in front of him, was the one who had less to say.

Arma naturally escorted her out of the tent.

"her!"

All Khan could do, having been pushed around by words for the first time in his life, was let out a hollow laugh.

***

"Water..."

Arma sprang to her feet at the sound of Roselin's voice, who had been lying in bed focusing on recovery from altitude sickness after the negotiations.

"I'll be back, Roselin."

“Ah. Thank you.”

She watched Arma scurrying out with a sour expression.

Not long after Arma left, someone knocked on the door.

"Yes."

The door opened slightly, and little children poked their heads out through the gap.

One of them was a familiar face.

"Good heavens, they say an adult can get so sick they can't move an inch……………… Lord Batar, you were right!"

Right? I told you I don't lie.

It was Batard who answered triumphantly.

I wonder what on earth rumors had been spread; everyone's expressions were all close to, "Does such a person really exist in this world?!"

So, it means he had the expression of someone who had come face-to-face with a rare animal or a legendary creature.

Batar was surrounded by them and nodding with a proud look on his face.

I couldn't understand what on earth was so rewarding, though.

"May I come in!"

Batar glanced at Roserin and asked.

"I won't cause any trouble."

Roselyn didn't really like showing her weak side to anyone.

Even so, I couldn't bring myself to be such a rotten person that I would treat even children harshly and cast them out.

For that reason, Roselyn nodded with a sour expression.

“Ah. Permission granted!”

“I’m going in!”

"Hey. What did I tell you guys? I told you greetings are essential, right? I told you there are polite ways of greeting in foreign countries."

“Ah. That’s right.”

The four children, excluding Batar, lined up in a row and bowed deeply.

“Excuse me!”

It was a very wrong way of greeting.

"Wow. Your skin is really pure white. It must be incredibly painful......."

"Are you okay? Pretty sister?"

"Pretty Noona! Let's get married, I'll make you healthy!"

A boy took a flower out of a vase, placed it in Roselyn's hand, and proposed.

"hey!"

Batar's fist slammed against the boy's head.

“It hurts!”

The boy who proposed rolled on the floor.

"Wow, your white hair is so pretty………………."

"Is there anywhere else that hurts? I'll tell Mom and Dad and bring you something to help you get better."

“No, it’s okay.”

Roselyn let out a hollow laugh as she looked at the children huddled together beside her.

"Get healthy, unnie."

"That's right, that's right. Get healthy and marry your big brother Batar!"

The children grabbed Roselyn's hands and arms and spoke.

"Ack! Don't talk nonsense!"

The tension in Roselin's eyes slightly relaxed at the warm, small grip that was holding her hand tightly despite the bickering.

Roselyn slowly closed her dim eyes.

"Huh...? Noona is sleeping."

"Shh, shh! Mom told me to treat weak outsiders with more care than a feather."

"You're right. But I think you should treat a pretty older sister even more carefully than a feather."

Amidst the whispering sounds, Roselyn fell asleep again.

Not long after, Arma returned, sent the children who were hissing amongst themselves out, and sat at the end of the bed where she was lying.

"Why do you make me want you more and more, Roselin?"

A shiver ran down my spine as I watched her not back down a single step from the barbarian chief.

At the same time, a cheap emotion bordering on jealousy churned inside me.

Because it is a look that Arma does not know.

"If you act this tempting, I don't want to let you go.."

Arma whispered softly.

He carefully kissed the ends of Roselyn's hair while she was asleep.

His blue eyes slowly sank into the darkness.