Arkan stared intently at Erdene to gauge her intentions.
It wasn’t something to boast about, but he could discern people’s inner thoughts and feelings to some extent just by quietly observing their faces.
His former mentor once described it as ‘exceptional insight’, but Arkan himself thought of it as ‘an ability developed from being overly cautious since childhood’.
Anyway.
Whatever it was, Arkan desperately needed that ability now.
He already knew that Erdene had engaged in a fierce psychological battle with Lady Fiddlers even before crossing the capital’s borders.
In his judgment, someone like Erdene rarely forgives those who have fallen out of her favor—he was correct—so he wondered why on earth she wanted to keep the daughter of Marquis Fiddlers by her side.
Arkan said,
“I already know you have a grudge against Lady Fiddlers. Even before today’s incident.”
Erdene’s eyes narrowed askew.
“So what?”
“And I also know that what Lady Fiddlers did to you today was something that shouldn’t have been done.”
Thank goodness. Arkan thought. The saying that actions move the heart was indeed true. As he tried to converse calmly, the confusion in his mind somewhat subsided. And it seemed Erdene felt the same way…
“Of course. She dared to lie while mentioning the king, so she should be beheaded in the square for treason against the monarch.”
Arkan immediately retracted his thoughts at Erdene’s nonchalant words.
‘I didn’t know I had such a talent for delusion. If things go wrong, I might as well give up on the king and write novels instead.’
Arkan, who had casually expressed a thought that would have made Platt mime hanging himself if he had heard it, let out a long sigh.
“…Princess, first let me say that in Betor, we don’t use the guillotine for punishment.”
“Why not? It’s efficient and quite good.”
“Efficient… No, wait. What exactly is efficient about it?”
Erdene blinked at him as if it were obvious.
“You just pull one string and it’s over. One, two, three. The heavy blade falls and snap. The criminal disappears and people are relieved.”
Arkan retorted with a reddened face.
“Can we really judge something as efficient or inefficient based solely on immediate results? For example, have you not considered how negatively public execution scenes might affect people’s emotions?”
“Everyone seemed to like it though.”
“That’s because the masses tend to like stimulating things! But just because something is stimulating or momentarily exciting doesn’t mean it’s automatically positive, right? It’s not right to let children cheer at the sight of a blade cleanly severing a person’s neck. I don’t know exactly how criminals are punished in the Empire, but…”
Erdene said,
“I could explain it to you one by one if you want.”
“No, that’s enough. Really, it’s fine. I’d like to enjoy my meals for the foreseeable future. Anyway, I may not know the Empire’s methods, but Betor is a country that loves music and poetry. Even our treatment of criminals isn’t that cruel. We… don’t do public executions. We don’t have guillotines either.”
Arkan, with an almost desperate feeling, hoped that Erdene would accept the conversation up to this point.
He didn’t expect her to be emotionally moved—no, he did hope for it, but objectively knew it was close to a delusion—but he at least expected her to acknowledge it.
However, Erdene didn’t seem to have even a teaspoon’s worth of intention to fulfill Arkan’s expectations.
“How soft.”
A vein throbbed visibly on Arkan’s temple.
“It’s humane.”
Erdene chuckled in a barely audible voice.
Arkan wanted to say ‘I can hear you clearly’ but held back and took another deep breath.
How did the conversation end up going in this direction? Isn’t this a flow without context or logic? It was unacceptable to him.
“Let’s stop talking about executions. Returning to the topic of Lady Fiddlers and Sophia, it’s clear that Lady Fiddlers’ actions were wrong. So I will decide on her punishment. We won’t use the guillotine, but I’ll make sure she thoroughly reflects on lying to you. However, Princess, there’s one thing I want to ask you. This time, answer directly without digressing.”
Erdene was tempted to further provoke Arkan but decided against it.
In just a moment, his face seemed to have become quite haggard.
She reminded herself once more that his face was the only thing worth looking at, and ruining it would only be a loss for her.
“What do you want to ask?”
“About letting Sophia Fiddlers serve by your side. Why are you doing this?”
“Because I liked her.”
Arkan made an incomprehensible expression.
“You liked her? Sophia?”
“That’s what I said. Why? Do you have something to feel guilty about, Your Majesty?”
“What is this… Guilty? Why would I?”
Erdene glanced up at him as if to say ‘don’t you know?’
“I heard that Sophia was originally meant to be your companion. If Your Majesty had been eagerly waiting for that day, I might understand. Since Sophia will become my close aide, you’ll inevitably see her face often, so your heart might be breaking…”
“This is absurd. I thought I was the only one with a talent for delusions, but it seems the Princess is the same.”
Arkan’s face was flushed red as he snapped back. Even red-hot coal couldn’t be redder than that.
Arkan turned sharply away from Erdene, as if he no longer wanted to speak.
The hem of the peony-embroidered cloak brushed over her ceremonial attire.
“If you truly like Sophia Fiddlers, keep her as your close aide. But let me make it clear, I have no feelings for Sophia. If I had even the slightest emotion for her, I would have already made her my queen!”
He shouted abruptly and strode across the living room.
Erdene stared blankly at Arkan’s back, feeling somewhat bewildered.
She couldn’t understand at all which part had made him so angry.
Was saying that he might have had feelings for Sophia Fiddlers such an infuriating thing?
“By the way.”
Arkan, who had gone some distance, suddenly turned his upper body towards Erdene.
Then, as if to say ‘what now’, he stared at her, who had her fists on her hips in a combative stance, and said,
“That ceremonial attire suits you very well!”
After saying that, Arkan finally disappeared completely from Erdene’s sight.
Erdene, who had been unconsciously listening to his footsteps that rang clearly against the floor as if he wore spurs, let out a chuckle.
“If it’s pretty, he should just say it’s pretty nicely. What a strange fellow.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Your, Your Majesty! What did you just say…?”
Lady Fiddlers unknowingly let out an almost scream.
It was loud enough to make the servants passing by the king’s study flinch and stop in their tracks.
Arkan said,
“I said you cannot enter not only the royal palace but also Lesprit, the capital, for the time being. Consider that I’m not sending you to a place without connections, taking into account that you were my mother’s close lady-in-waiting.”
Lady Fiddlers’ body, stiff as a log, trembled.
She had just heard that she was to go down to the western region where her married eldest daughter lived, and that she couldn’t return to the capital until separate permission was granted. Her vision blurred and her hands and feet shook.
“Your Majesty, what is this… How could you give such an order. Your Majesty, why are you driving me out?”
“Do you ask because you don’t know? I hear you said it was with my permission that you placed your youngest daughter, Sophia, as the princess’s close aide. Lady Fiddlers, although your family has accumulated many merits for the Betor royal family, did you think I would overlook you daring to mention the king to tell a lie?”
“Your Majesty!”
Lady Fiddlers fell to her knees, almost prostrating herself. However, the displeased look did not leave Arkan’s face.
Lady Fiddlers said,
“Your Majesty, of course… of course, it was wrong of me to say I had your permission. How could I not know that I shouldn’t have done that? But Your Majesty, the reason I did so was…”
“I don’t want to hear the reason. Whatever reason you give, I have no intention of reversing the punishment I’ve given you, so you may leave now.”
Lady Fiddlers was severely shocked by Arkan’s cold tone.
She wouldn’t have been this shocked even if her beloved youngest daughter Sophia had said, ‘I’d rather become a nun than become queen.’
“Your Majesty, the princess of Hirschsten does not suit the Betor royal family. She knows nothing about our culture or… refined etiquette, and will have no will to learn! So, so I… to mitigate the burden on the royal family, my daughter who was raised with excellent education…”
“Will you not stop!”
Arkan’s hand slammed down on the table. A long-necked vase toppled over, and blue ink splattered onto the documents.
Lady Fiddlers was so startled that she forgot to speak and hiccupped.
“Your, Your Majesty.”
She had been the close lady-in-waiting to the late queen and had watched over Arkan from the moment he was born until now, and even taught him basic royal etiquette when he was young.
Nevertheless, this was the first time she had seen Arkan so angry.
It was also the first time he had raised his voice at her.
__________
Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up! (Female-dominant)
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead