“A sparring match at the training grounds?”

Arkan, who had been staring at his book the whole time, looked up with a surprised expression.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Platt, who relayed the message he heard from the attendant, looked as angry as if he had been hit by a wooden sword himself.

This time, he hoped Arkan would give Erdene a stern warning, but his expression betrayed a hint of resignation deep down.

Arkan put down the book he was reading on his chest and blinked before saying:

“Why wasn’t I informed?”

“Of course. It’s not proper for the Queen of Betor to be kicking up dust and crossing swords with soldiers, is it? It’s a loss of dignity.”

Arkan glanced at Platt, one eyebrow rising obliquely.

“Well, if it’s dignity that can be lost so easily, wasn’t it nonexistent to begin with?”

“That’s… No, I misspoke.”

“You seem to be becoming more and more like the Duchess Fiddlers lately. I can’t let you wear out your wrists… Before I reluctantly send you on a retirement trip, be careful.”

Platt closed his eyes with a gloomy expression. Arkan wasn’t in a particularly good mood either.

However, unlike Platt, he wasn’t displeased because Erdene had sparred with the soldiers while ‘kicking up dust’.

He tossed the book aside and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.

For some inexplicable reason, he felt as if sharp thorns were pricking his chest.

Erdene had no obligation to report to Arkan each and every time she sparred with soldiers or rode horses.

The king didn’t need to know every detail of the queen’s daily schedule.

‘But why do I feel so…’

It was difficult to express his emotions with words like ‘feeling bad’.

Arkan stared blankly into empty space with furrowed brows. Erdene’s face flickered in and out of his mind’s eye.

He stood up abruptly, and Platt glanced at him cautiously.

“Are you going to see Her Majesty?”

“Yes, I am.”

Arkan replied curtly and strode past the surprised Platt into the corridor, swinging his arms.

Platt and the attendants followed, but he paid them no mind.

‘What is this feeling… How should I describe it? Am I angry? No, not quite. Irritated? Something like that…’

As he walked towards the Queen’s Palace, Arkan struggled to sort out the jumble in his head, but to little avail.

If anything, he only became more confused.

His emotions fluctuated from anger to calmness, then surged into something akin to irritation for no apparent reason.

When he opened the door and entered Erdene’s living room, she was, for some reason, sitting quietly at the table, busily writing something.

Seeing him approach with large strides, Erdene only opened her eyes wide, neither changing her expression nor moving an inch.

Only Sophia curtsied politely.

Platt spoke:

“Your Majesty, you should stand when His Majesty arrives.”

Erdene blinked, let out a short sigh, then put down her pen and stood up.

Her reluctant attitude of ‘standing up’ further irritated Platt, who then scolded the innocent Sophia.

“What are you doing, Miss Fiddlers? Why didn’t you inform Her Majesty that His Majesty has arrived?”

Erdene glanced at Platt.

“Do you think I have no eyes?”

Platt flinched but deliberately widened his eyes, his face full of bewilderment. At that moment, Sophia blinked at him.

In her own way, she meant to signal that Erdene was not in a good mood and shouldn’t be spoken to… Unfortunately, it seemed the message didn’t get through to Platt.

As his wrinkled forehead began to turn red and blue, Arkan spoke:

“Platt, you may leave. And Sophia, you too.”

Erdene’s eyebrows rose slightly.

She sighed as she watched the two leave and sat down. Then came the sound of the door closing.

Arkan said:

“You don’t need to stand up and welcome me just because I came.”

“I know.”

Arkan’s temples tensed at her response, which seemed to say, ‘Why state the obvious?’

Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, he tried to soften his emotions and spoke again.

“I heard you sparred with the soldiers this morning?”

Erdene, who had been looking only at the paper on the table regardless of his presence, turned her head slightly.

“I sparred with Telma. Ah, and with Captain Wizard too. Telma was my adjutant when I was in the Empire. And the knight captains Merton and Aiman sparred with Betor’s captains. Their names were Radet and… Sislan, I think.”

“I see. But why didn’t I know about this?”

Erdene looked at Arkan, puzzled.

“Do I need to report everything I’m going to do today to Your Majesty?”

I knew it, Arkan thought. I knew she would respond like this!

If he hadn’t sent Sophia away, if he had known that Erdene was in a foul mood after dealing with the Empire’s arrogant envoy, it would have been better.

However, Sophia had already left, and Arkan had thoroughly misunderstood, thinking that Erdene had happily swung her wooden sword around and was now being sullen only towards him.

Arkan tilted his head slightly and sneered.

“Even if I told you to, you wouldn’t do it anyway, would you?”

Erdene’s eyes closed very slowly, then opened again. Judging by the way she was biting her lips, it was a sign that another argument was about to start.

‘Go ahead if you want to.’

Arkan grumbled inwardly.

The indescribable unpleasant feeling, the sensation of something stabbing at his chest, had not yet subsided, and thus he was prepared for a confrontation with Erdene.

However, Arkan’s expectation was thwarted here.

Erdene, who seemed about to raise her voice immediately, turned her head away with an exasperated sigh.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll do so from now on. If you came all the way here because you’re displeased about that, I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“…”

“If you’re done with your business, would you please leave now? I’m busy.”

Erdene’s eyes were blazing as she turned back to look at Arkan.

For Arkan, it was an inexplicable anger. Moreover, Erdene’s last words were really…

“What’s keeping you so busy?”

Arkan spoke again, provocatively, pretending to look over at the paper on the table.

Erdene instantly covered it with her hand.

Arkan’s brows furrowed.

“Let me see it.”

Erdene frowned as she stared at Arkan.

What she had been writing was a letter to be sent to Telma, Merton, and Aiman.

Now that she knew there was something suspicious about the former emperor’s death, she had to find out the truth no matter what risks she had to take.

Whether it was Tenek who had plotted it or someone else, if humans were involved in the former emperor’s death, whoever it was, they had to be killed.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Erdene exhaled slowly.

She appeared calm at first glance, but Arkan could tell she was very angry. Or was it flustered? Either way.

The letter contained things the three should do as soon as they arrived in the Empire, and ways to contact Erdene.

She planned to use the well-trained messenger pigeons and falcons that were plentiful in the Empire.

However, since it wasn’t an official method of communication between Hirschsten and Betor, it was clearly against the law, even if she was the queen, and for that very reason, she wanted to keep it a secret from Arkan.

‘If there’s something suspicious about Father’s death, and he finds out I’m trying to investigate it… he’ll want to get involved too. If that happens, it’s no longer just my personal matter. It won’t do him any good if conflict between Betor and Hirschsten erupts.’

Silently staring at Arkan, Erdene folded the paper in half. And then in half again.

She could see Arkan’s expression growing colder, but she didn’t stop.

Finally, when it became the size of her palm, she put it in the drawer.

Erdene said:

“Because it’s nothing good for Your Majesty to see.”

Arkan immediately retorted:

“What could it possibly be? Have you secretly taken a lover? Is that why you’re writing passionate love letters?”

“Do you have a fever? Why are you suddenly talking such nonsense?”

“I’m talking nonsense? You’re the one acting suspiciously. If it’s not that, why can’t you show it to me? What do you mean it’s nothing good for me to see? Did you write insults about me? Or did you curse me?”

This is ridiculous, Erdene thought.

It was absurd enough that he suddenly barged in with an ‘I’m upset, you know’ expression when nothing had happened, but now this nonsensical argument?

For Erdene, who was already fuming over Rolls’ matter, every word Arkan said felt like a rake.

A rake scraping her insides.

“Are you always this obsessive, Your Majesty? Do you need to interfere with everything your wife does and see it with your own eyes to be satisfied?”

“I told you, I’m not being obsessive, you’re the one acting suspiciously!”

“I’m not showing it to you because it’s something you neither need to know nor would be good for you to know!”

Erdene shouted, glaring at him.

“If you’re picking a fight because you’re upset that I didn’t call for you this morning, let’s stop here. Even if it’s you, I really have no patience today.”