‘What’s wrong with you?’

Erdene stared intently at Arkan, feeling a mix of absurdity and slight irritation.

Although his expression was indifferent, his eyes were sparkling too intensely.

It was like the moment when a fisherman who had spent all day with an empty fishing rod finally felt a tug on the line. His eyes were even more unsettled as he tried to forcibly remain calm, unable to hide his excitement.

Right. Erdene thought.

She didn’t know what it was, but she decided to just go along with it for now.

Arkan spoke.

“Why aren’t you answering? Didn’t I ask why you’re acting like this?”

Erdene’s body tilted diagonally, and her upper body slightly rested against the back of the sofa.

The thick book on her lap slid outward, making the folds of her dress a little taut.

“You’re angry right now. No, you’re not just angry. You’re angry at me, right? That’s why I asked. What on earth are you angry about?”

White fingers tapped the open book pages.

Arkan’s gaze was momentarily captivated by her wrist exposed beyond the fluttering sleeve, but he quickly came to his senses.

Arkan said.

“You’ve become quite sensitive without me knowing. It seems like your dead emotions suddenly revived after meeting the people you missed.”

Tap, tap…… The movement of her fingers tapping the book pages faster and faster ceased.

Although only the faint noise disappeared, the silence that swelled in between felt even heavier and more immense.

Erdene stared at Arkan for a while, then quietly opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty.”

“Why are you calling me that?”

“Do you really want to be hit?”

Arkan’s mouth fell open, dumbfounded.

“What did you say?”

“If that’s not the case, I really can’t understand why you’re so eager to get on my nerves.”

Erdene, who had been leaning back, straightened her upper body and made a short tongue-clicking sound.

“If you have something to say, why don’t you just say it directly? You’re a grown man…… why are you beating around the bush like this?”

“Were you about to call me a ‘man-child’?”

“Don’t get hung up on such trivial things.”

“Trivial? Is it trivial for a married person to call me a ‘man-child’? I guess that’s how it is in the Empire.”

Erdene’s fist cut through the air.

At the smacking sound, Arkan’s fingertips twitched and his eyes widened.

Erdene, who had accurately punched the middle of the thick book, spoke indifferently.

“This guy got hit instead of you, Your Majesty.”

Arkan, who sharply inhaled, put down the novel he was reading and retorted.

“The books in this library are like my own flesh.”

“Oh, is that so? Good for you.”

This time, Erdene tapped the book even faster, at a speed that Arkan’s eyes couldn’t even see her fist.

Fortunately, it was a thick book with a sturdy cover. Otherwise, it certainly would have been rendered unable to function as a book anymore.

The book pages seemed to scream under her rock-solid fist.

Erdene’s eyes narrowed as she tapped the book until Arkan’s face turned red.

“If you don’t want to be hit more, quickly tell me properly.”

“This is unbelievable.”

“When is it ever not unbelievable to you?”

“And whose fault is that? You’re saying that to me?”

Finally, even Erdene frowned.

“I came as you told me to, I read the book as you told me to, so what on earth are you dissatisfied with to act like this!”

Arkan slightly lowered his chin and pointed at her with his finger.

Erdene thought about biting it off… but refrained.

She wasn’t confident in how well the Vetorian palace doctors could perform suturing surgery.

“You said it well for once. Then let me ask, did you listen to me because I told you to come? Or did you come reluctantly because you thought it would be bothersome if you didn’t?”

I should have just bitten his finger off. Erdene thought.

“You told me to come, Your Majesty, so I listened to you because I thought it would be bothersome if I didn’t come. Even though you broke your promise with me and didn’t show up at the restaurant.”

Arkan, who felt a pang, closed his mouth for a moment. But it wasn’t that he had nothing to say.

“Don’t play with words. In the end, you’re saying you came even though you didn’t want to because you didn’t want to be bothered.”

He slyly left out the mention of lunch.

Erdene noticed it but didn’t bother to point it out.

She had a feeling that skipping the meal and sulking here now were for the same reason anyway.

“Does it matter either way? You came in the end, didn’t you? Are you saying you can’t be satisfied with that? Do I have to, like, put flowers in my hair, tie ribbons around my neck, hum a tune, and sprinkle tears of happiness for you to be satisfied?”

Arkan’s lips flapped like a fish.

He had never cursed his own imagination as much as he did at that moment.

Erdene with flowers and ribbons hanging all over her, humming a tune and shedding tears of happiness.

It would only be fitting if there were about a hundred severed heads of enemies piled at her feet.

“Don’t exaggerate. Who said they wanted that? You seem to want to say that it’s important that you came, not how, but I told you earlier. The process is just as important as the result.”

“Yes, yes. I understand. Since Your Majesty told me to come, as a Queen, it is only right for me to obey, so I came here like this. Now may I finish reading the book I was reading?”

A groan-like sound escaped from between Arkan’s lips as he gritted his teeth.

When Erdene pretended to open the book again, Arkan abruptly said.

“Don’t read that.”

Erdene’s head moved slowly.

It was like the eerie movement of a crazy puppet doll in a nightmare.

“Why?”

“Anything related to war is prohibited here.”

“Since when?”

“From now on!”

As Arkan shouted loudly, Erdene closed the book as if she had been waiting for it.

Then, without even looking at him, she started pounding the cover of the book with both fists.

It sounded like a huge horse running at full speed.

“Please, do continue.”

Erdene glared.

Despite her words, if Arkan really spoke, she looked ready to beat him up this time.

In fact, if his face was at least the size of Telma’s, she would have already landed a punch.

Unaware of her thoughts, Arkan pressed his knees with both hands to calm himself down.

He couldn’t help his troubled breathing, but at least he could pretend to be composed.

“You… don’t need to worry about war anymore. Why don’t you read a social etiquette book instead? Or read a philosophy book. If you don’t like either, a novel is fine too.”

Erdene let out a snort.

“I don’t need to worry about war? Are you saying that sincerely, Your Majesty?”

Arkan stared at her blankly. As if saying, of course, what other danger could there be?

Erdene openly showed a mocking expression on her face.

“Do you think there will be no more wars in the future?”

No. Arkan thought. He didn’t expect this peace to last for long.

He had married Erdene, the Imperial Princess, and formed an alliance with that expectation, but anyone with a brain could tell from the attitude of the envoys who came this time.

The Empire, Emperor Tenek, would undoubtedly target the inland.

Whether it would be a year from now or a month from now, no one knew.

However, Arkan didn’t want to tell Erdene his thoughts. That war would really happen…

He didn’t want to insist that she would have to face her homeland, which she had left the throne to depart from and still loved, in that way again.

‘Wouldn’t it hurt her? No matter how much of a female warrior she is.’

Arkan said.

“Even if your elder brother decides to attack the Inland Alliance, do you think I’ll just stand by and watch?”

“Then what are you going to do? Try to persuade him with words?”

Erdene frowned and gave a bitter smile. It was a look of pity for his naivety and concern at the same time.

“If you think you can communicate with that beast, Your Majesty, you’re greatly mistaken.”

Arkan replied.

“The essence of diplomacy is communication.”

“Do you realize that you’re not even communicating properly with me right now? You can’t even have a proper conversation with me, yet you expect communication from Tenek? I assure you; he will be about three thousand times less communicative than me.”

“That’s just your opinion.”

Erdene’s eyes narrowed again.

“You don’t know him as well as I do, Your Majesty.”

“But I have more political experience.”

“Even though I lived right next to him for twenty years?”

Arkan made a mischievous expression.

“Can the relationship between siblings be the same as foreign relations?”

Erdene’s head tilted slightly. This time she neither laughed nor frowned.

But it was as if the words ‘What should I do with this poor thing’ were clearly engraved on her forehead.

“Believe me, Your Majesty. The relationship between siblings and foreign relations? Tenek is not someone who cares about such things. It will never be less, only more. That’s why I’m trying to reorganize the knighthood.”

Arkan, who suddenly fell silent, stared at her blankly.

He no longer cared about the curses against Tenek.

It was a known fact that he was the world’s worst scoundrel anyway. More than that, Arkan was at a loss for words because he didn’t immediately understand what Erdene added.

“What does that mean? Reorganize the knighthood… What knighthood? Who?”

This time, it was Erdene’s expression that became puzzled.

“Didn’t the Duke tell Your Majesty?”