At that moment, Erdene’s eyes widened in surprise.

Though she rarely showed astonishment at ordinary events, this was truly something she had not expected at all.

What if the knights like Telma or Merton, her lieutenants, had seen this scene? They would have caught someone who claimed to be writing poetry somewhere to mourn Arkan and forced them to compose a memorial verse.

Her large eyes blinked a couple of times. Her bluish eyes stared blankly at Arkan…

‘Where should I strike to knock him unconscious?’

Unaware that Erdene was having such aggressive thoughts even in her bewildered state, Arkan tilted his head curiously as he examined Erdene’s hand.

“How interesting.”

“Shall I strike after you let go? Or should I strike right away?”

Arkan’s mouth fell open.

“Did you just say you’re going to hit me? You said communicating with fists was better, are you planning to demonstrate it right now?”

“I’m considering it. Please let go of my hand.”

In truth, Erdene could have easily pulled away with her own strength if she wanted to, but she didn’t.

The experience of having her hand held by another for the first time in her life—excluding when she was caught by her father’s hand while beating up Tenek when she was very young—was novel if anything, and above all, her curiosity about what Arkan was trying to do took precedence.

“I thought about it before, but I didn’t have a chance to look closely then. Your hands are… smaller than I expected.”

“They’re not particularly small.”

In fact, they could be considered rough and coarse for a young lady not yet twenty-five, but Arkan seemed to think differently.

“They’re small enough that it’s hard to immediately imagine them wielding swords and spears.”

As she felt the strength leaving his fingers, Erdene yanked her arm away as if pretending to be annoyed.

The inexplicable embarrassment made her face itch uncomfortably.

“No, why are you angry?”

“Who’s angry?”

“You just pulled your arm like this!”

There was a loud smack. At the same time, Arkan’s upper body bent forward sharply, and a searing groan escaped him.

He had struck his hand forcefully against the edge of the table.

Erdene, who had been staring blankly at the groaning Arkan, said,

“Are you doing this on purpose to make me laugh?”

Arkan raised his head with an irritated expression.

“Who would chop a stone table with their hand just to be funny!”

“I don’t know. Perhaps someone like Your Majesty would?”

“I think my bone is broken.”

Erdene snorted overtly.

“If your bones were that fragile, they’d break every time you breathe.”

Then she took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and chest swelling, and made a “crrack” sound with her mouth.

Then she made the same sound once more as she exhaled with her back curved, and chuckled.

How annoying. Arkan thought.

His hand was stinging, but as she said, the bone seemed fine. It would probably turn dark blue with bruises tomorrow…

Furrowing his brow and swallowing a groan, Arkan straightened his hunched back.

“Relax your eyes. You’ll get wrinkles.”

Erdene said this, then muttered under her breath, ‘Your face is the only thing worth saving.’

Arkan grumbled,

“Alright. We haven’t even started the important conversation yet, and I don’t know how it came to this. Let’s return to what we were discussing.”

By now, he couldn’t even remember what he had originally intended to talk about, but Erdene pretended not to know and listened to his words.

And on the other hand, she found it both amusing and novel that Arkan wasn’t at all nervous while she kept her mouth shut.

[Your Highness the Princess, please say something.] [What? I was listening well. What should I say?] [When Your Highness is quiet, it feels like something might fly at us. Like that golden cup next to you… Ack! Look at this!]

Telma had actually gotten a lump on his forehead then.

Erdene burst into laughter, remembering Telma pretending to faint after being hit by the cup.

If he had been more careful, he could have dodged it, but the timing must have been off, and he took a direct hit right above his brow.

“Erdene.”

Erdene startled back to her senses at the voice calling her name.

Arkan said,

“Were you listening to me?”

Erdene nodded.

“Of course, I was listening.”

Arkan narrowed his eyes and spoke again.

“What do you think? Do you agree?”

Agree with what? Erdene’s eyes moved slowly.

In truth, she hadn’t heard a word of what Arkan was saying.

She had been vividly recalling the image of Telma rolling around, and being immersed in that memory made her feel strangely as if she had aged decades all at once…

‘Well, in times like these, it’s best to go along with it.’

Erdene said,

“Yes, I agree.”

“You agree that we should revive the system of concubinage?”

Erdene, who was about to nod without much thought, stared straight at Arkan with wide eyes.

She couldn’t understand how the conversation had flowed to reach such a topic.

“Revive the system of concubinage? What are you talking about?”

“See, you weren’t listening at all. Listening attentively when others speak. It’s basic etiquette.”

“I think it’s also etiquette not to force conversation on someone who doesn’t want to listen, Your Majesty.”

Arkan ignored Erdene’s retort as if leaping lightly over it and adjusted his posture.

Though he had pretended not to mind in front of Platt, in truth, Arkan had been preoccupied with what Platt had said throughout the wedding ceremony and the reception.

The idea that in Hirschusten, whether man or woman, married or not, one could freely have multiple lovers and sometimes it was even encouraged, was stuck in his mind like a misplaced stone that just wouldn’t come out.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard from Sophia or others, but the laws of Hirschusten and Betor are different. While the Hirschusten Empire doesn’t interfere with married couples having concubines or lovers, Betor is not like that.”

Only then did Erdene recall what Sophia had said.

What did she say again? Ah yes, didn’t she say that from the moment of marriage, Arkan would dedicate his entire life to Erdene alone?

While she was silently blinking, Arkan continued.

“So I want you to promise me too. Now that we’re married, let’s vow to be faithful to each other for life.”

Erdene, leaning back leisurely in her chair, said,

“I did hear that story as Your Majesty said, but isn’t it a bit of a waste?”

Arkan’s eyebrows shot up, laden with doubt.

“A waste? What do you mean by waste?”

“I mean, having to spend your entire life with just one person. It seems Your Majesty doesn’t think so?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Far from being a waste, I think it’s rather a beautiful thing.”

Erdene, with her arms crossed, suddenly leaned towards Arkan.

Her hair, loosely adorned with minimal ornaments, flowed downwards, tickling Arkan’s knees.

“Well, you might say that now because you’re infatuated with me, but…”

Before she could finish, Arkan’s eyes widened as if he’d heard something utterly bizarre.

“No, who’s infatuated with whom?”

“Aren’t you?”

Arkan’s lips quivered for a moment. As Erdene leaned in even closer, he could now feel her breath.

As she said, her clothes were so thin that they were nearly transparent, so that with just a little focus, one could almost feel not just her hair and breath, but even the movement itself on one’s skin.

When her upper body almost touched his thighs, Arkan clenched his fists at this strange sensation he was experiencing for the first time in his life.

“See? You can’t answer. You haven’t been able to take your eyes off my face this whole time.”

“Looking at the other person while conversing is also a matter of etiquette.”

At that moment, Erdene’s body, which had been deeply bowed as if about to climb onto Arkan, suddenly shot up.

The warmth and fragrance that had been so close vanished in an instant, and surprisingly, Arkan felt a deep sense of loss at this fact.

“Well, Your Majesty is a polite person, unlike me. Anyway, it might be fresh and good at first, but what about later? Won’t you start noticing younger, more attractive people?”

Arkan wrinkled his nose, stared at Erdene, and said,

“Are you now announcing that you’re going to take a young and attractive man as your lover?”

“Who said that? You keep trying to make this about me, but is there any guarantee that you won’t do so? Kings are usually known to be fond of women’s charms. As for men, well, I don’t even feel it’s worth mentioning.”

‘Though not the dark-hearted men around me.’

Erdene thought.

The men around her, without exception, desired to swing a sword forged by a renowned blacksmith more desperately than to hold hands with a pretty lady.

Arkan clicked his tongue softly and shook his head.

“I don’t know what prejudices you have about kings or men, but I won’t do that.”

“I wonder. If a maiden smitten by Your Majesty’s face were to throw everything away and come running, could you really reject her?”

As Erdene threw out this joke that wasn’t quite a joke with a grin, Arkan’s face turned bright red.

“What are you imagining? I’m not that kind of lecher! Why are you so persistently… Ah, I see.”

Arkan snapped his fingers.

Suddenly claiming to understand something, Erdene couldn’t help but ask, despite feeling an ominous premonition.

“What do you see?”

To her words, Arkan shrugged.

“You’re worried that I might fall in love with another woman and leave you, aren’t you?”