Under Arkan’s deep honey-colored eyes, a faint shadow formed whenever his lashes touched his slightly protruding, sensual-looking lids.

It was faint and delicate, like a slender willow branch reflected on a transparent water surface.

‘I want to touch it.’

The moment she saw it, Erdene was startled to find herself thinking such a thought without realizing it.

If she had noticed just a little later, she surely would have reached out to touch him.

She simply refrained from touching him, but failed to realize that she was staring intently at Arkan’s face.

Arkan suddenly blushed at Erdene’s unfamiliar gaze, staring at him to the point of embarrassment.

‘Why are you staring at me like that!’

Her expression was unfamiliar, neither glaring nor teasing.

As if she had discovered something she had never thought of before—and something very good at that—her gaze looking at him in amazement made his face tingle.

No, rather than that. Arkan thought.

“Feeling hurt, I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s not like that. Why are you misinterpreting it?”

The moment those words fell, the strange gaze that made Erdene look unfamiliar sank again under an expression of absurdity.

Arkan felt a sudden sense of loss, like a child whose snack had been snatched away, and then felt perplexed at himself for feeling such an emotion.

“Whether it’s a misinterpretation or not, as long as it’s the right answer, isn’t that enough? No matter the process, the result is what matters.”

Arkan immediately retorted.

“What are you talking about? Of course the process is more important. Saying the result is all that matters regardless of the process, does that mean it’s okay to use tricks in a fair competition as long as you win?”

Erdene snorted.

“Is there even such a thing as fair competition in this world? If I don’t even use tricks, my neck will be on the line, so I can’t be picky about whether it’s a dirty or despicable thing to do.”

“Can’t you please speak in a way befitting a queen?”

“What part of what I just said was unqueenly?”

“You said ‘neck’!”

“How else should I refer to a neck then?”

Arkan threw his head back and clenched his fists.

Sometimes when reading novels, there are scenes where the protagonists, caught in conflict or despairing in the face of pain, scream in the wilderness.

It would be a lie to say that while deeply empathizing with their emotions, he didn’t also think ‘instead of that, they should find one more solution’.

But at this moment, he could empathize with their feelings more desperately than ever when reading any piece of writing.

If someone were to say something like ‘instead of that, a solution’, he felt he could slam the spine of a book against their forehead.

‘This is why people scream. Otherwise it feels like I’ll get an ulcer from anger.’

Erdene said.

“Anyway, I got it.”

Arkan, who had been holding back from shouting to maintain the dignity of a king, opened his eyes wide and looked at her.

“What do you mean, you got it?”

“I understand that Your Majesty is feeling hurt, so from now on, I’ll at least tell you beforehand before doing anything.”

“No, when did I ever…”

Arkan, who was about to refute, soon waved his hands and shook his head at the same time.

There was no reason to continue this unnecessary and tedious fight… Sometimes retreating was also a strategy for victory.

‘Although I always feel like I’m retreating.’

Arkan sighed bitterly.

“Fine. Now that you understand, don’t do that anymore.”

“I said I got it.”

Erdene replied indifferently, glancing at Arkan through slightly raised eyes.

‘Seriously, nitpicking at every little thing. So demanding. Is it because of his pretty face or what?’

Arkan looked at her with a gaze full of suspicion.

“You just insulted me, didn’t you?”

Erdene, startled, widened her eyes.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“You did. You insulted me. You definitely did. Don’t even think about lying. I can tell just by looking at someone’s eyes whether they insulted me or not.”

“You seem quite experienced at being insulted.”

“It’s the opposite. Because I’ve rarely been insulted, I’ve become good at recognizing people who insult me.”

“Ah, I see.”

Again!

Arkan’s tightly closed lips trembled.

He had a feeling that today’s fight would also end in his defeat…

No, why on earth!

‘What kind of upbringing produces such an irritating person? Where else but Hirschstein. What do they feed the princess there to raise someone who only says mean things like this?’

As he grumbled inwardly with all his might, Erdene turned her head with an indifferent expression and said,

“Now it seems Your Majesty is also insulting me inwardly, so let’s call it even. If you’re done complaining, please leave now. I’m busy. Your Majesty must be busy too, so you don’t have time to engage in a battle of words with me here, do you?”

“I’ll handle my own business. I was just about to leave anyway!”

Arkan’s movement, who was about to jump up and leave, abruptly stopped.

Erdene, who was about to turn and sit down, glanced at him this time as if asking what it was again.

Arkan hesitated for a long time, as if debating whether to speak or not, gripping the armrest of the chair and shrugging his shoulders.

Then, as if he had finally made up his mind, he stared at Erdene’s face to the point of discomfort.

“What about the time we agreed to read together?”

Erdene blinked, looking as if she was wondering what this absurd remark was, and replied,

“Didn’t you already give up on that?”

“Give up, who said anything about giving up?”

“Sigh…”

Right. Erdene thought. That trivial thing, how much time could it take… It wouldn’t be too much trouble to do it together.

No, the more she resisted, the more troublesome he would become in cunning ways.

‘It’s not like I haven’t dealt with guys like this before.’

Erdene nodded.

“All right. In half an hour… no, I’ll be there in an hour.”

“We might as well have lunch together then.”

“Yes, let’s have lunch together and read together. Are you satisfied now? I’ll see you later, Your Majesty.”

Although it was no different from an order to leave, Arkan obediently got up. Then, after taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around.

“No double talk.”

Snap! There was a sound. Arkan left the queen’s palace, pretending not to see the sturdy pen shaft breaking in Erdene’s grip.

After sending Arkan out—or driving him out—Erdene finished writing the letter she had put in the drawer, then deliberately chose a tough kind of envelope and put it inside.

Melting the sealing wax, she sealed the opening tightly and hid the envelope in her sleeve, leaving even Sophia behind and heading back to the training ground.

‘I need to talk about Rolls too, so the fewer ears listening, the better.’

The training ground, which had been bustling with soldiers, was quiet.

Perhaps they had gone for an early lunch, she didn’t know, but as Erdene looked around, she spotted Telma under a distant elm tree.

“Your Highness!”

Telma, who had been lying down chewing on something, jumped up at the sight of Erdene and brushed off his clothes.

Dust flew in a haze, but Erdene paid no mind and hurried him to a secluded spot.

“What’s the matter, Your Highness?”

When Telma asked in bewilderment, Erdene made a gesture to be quiet and then spoke.

“Where are Merton and Aiman?”

“They were dragged off by that commander, Wizard or whatever his name is.”

Then Telma suddenly giggled.

“At this rate, the empire’s military operations will all be exposed.”

Erdene did not laugh at those words. Instead, she quickly took out the letter she had hidden under her sleeve and pressed it into Telma’s palm.

“Open it once you cross the empire’s border. Understand? Don’t open it before then.”

Telma looked down at the envelope with a puzzled expression, but didn’t ask what it was and just put it in his pocket for now.

“I understand, Your Highness.”

She wasn’t worried that Telma would disobey her orders.

Like the other officers, Telma, Merton, and Aiman in particular had tremendous loyalty to Erdene.

Even if Erdene had said ‘open it ten years from now’, they were subordinates who would surely keep that promise.

But one thing she couldn’t trust was their temperament, especially Telma’s impatient nature.

‘If he opens it early and comes running back, that would be troublesome. I need to shut that possibility down completely.’

Erdene quietly watched until Telma put away the letter properly, then added,

“Keep a close eye on Rolls.”

Telma made a puzzled expression as if asking what she meant.

“What did that bastard do to you, Your Highness?”

“No, how could a rat like him dare to do anything to me? But once out of my sight, he’ll act all high and mighty again and try to sit on top of my head. Rein him in tightly so he doesn’t do that. Once you return to the empire, watch closely that he doesn’t babble any nonsense to Tenek about Vetor’s situation or about me. Understood?”

“What should I do if he runs his mouth, Your Highness?”

After a moment of silence, Erdene said lightly,

“Kill him.”

As soon as her answer fell, a very sharp and caustic smile spread across Telma’s lips.

“That’s not a difficult task. I understand.”

“And one more thing.”

“Speak, Your Highness.”

“I wrote more details in the letter, but this is urgent so I’ll say it now. As soon as you return to the empire, pick a trustworthy fellow and assign him to Atelgadis.”