“Child, wh-wh… what did you say?”

Arkan’s body tried to pull away from Erdene.

However, Erdene’s arms tightened faster, and ridiculously, he could not escape her strength.

He could have broken free if he shook her off forcefully, but with just twisting his body, it was impossible to shake off her grip.

Erdene was still looking up at Arkan with her chin resting on his chest.

What on earth is this bizarre act, he thought as cold sweat ran down his back, while at the same time he felt irritated at how prettily flushed her face looked from above.

“I only did this much, and you got that jealous?”

Erdene said. Arkan twisted his body again, but it was futile.

With his arms pinned to his sides as if trapped in a cylinder that fit his build perfectly, Arkan spoke with twitching lips.

“You call this ‘only’? Only?”

“I didn’t hug them this long. You saw, didn’t you? Then you should know. It was just like patting their shoulders, but you were so jealous and bothered that you grumbled all day?”

Damn it. Arkan cursed inwardly and squeezed his eyes shut.

He felt like his face was about to burst into flames. His forehead was so hot that his skin felt prickly.

Finding his reaction amusing, Erdene narrowed her eyes and spoke again.

“If that’s the case, you should have said so honestly. What’s so hard about doing this much? Don’t you think?”

“You say it so easily.”

“Is this difficult? What’s wrong with just a hug? Are you a monk? Even monks would hug. But I’m not a monk. Is hugging the problem? If you want, I can even give you a kiss.”

Then suddenly, the arms that had been holding Arkan immobile loosened their grip.

As their bodies swayed for a moment, this time Arkan reflexively hugged Erdene.

Then Erdene’s warm hands cupped both of Arkan’s cheeks.

“This…!”

She pressed so hard that his lips protruded like a goldfish’s.

His face was so hot it was strange that it wasn’t melting, and amidst that, his wide-open golden eyes sparkled like rare stars or jewels in the light of the few lit candles.

Close. Arkan thought. Erdene’s face… was too close.

Without realizing it, his upper body had leaned back diagonally, and Erdene was overlapping her body on top of Arkan’s, standing on her tiptoes.

Their lips, or noses, or foreheads… seemed about to touch.

Her breath was close. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and tension gathered in his lower abdomen.

At that moment, Erdene chuckled.

“What were you expecting just now?”

Her fingers wriggled. Massaging Arkan’s cheeks with a touch clearly meant to tease, Erdene said,

“How foolish.”

Arkan abruptly pushed Erdene away.

“Who are you teasing?”

“Teasing? I just called you foolish because you’re being foolish.”

“Do I look like I’m joking right n…!”

Erdene suddenly yanked the hands cupping Arkan’s cheeks.

Arkan’s upper body lurched forward, and then he felt an unbelievably soft sensation.

Their overlapping lips didn’t tremble.

Erdene’s lowered eyelashes brushed against Arkan’s eyelids.

It was unbearably ticklish and hot.

Erdene’s palms cradling his cheeks were equally hot. And himself too.

Arkan’s own body was the hottest of all.

His blood surged upwards and then suddenly all poured down to his toes, and his heart was clearly galloping around his entire body like a wild horse let loose.

Just as his hands grasped Erdene’s back to tilt her towards the sofa, the soft sensation that seemed it would never part suddenly moved away.

Arkan, who had reflexively lowered his awkwardly raised arms, looked down at Erdene, clenching his molars.

“You’ve finally quieted down.”

Erdene said with a smirk.

“I should have done this sooner, huh?”

Arkan, who had been staring at her with a dazed expression, asked,

“Do you do this to your subordinates too?”

There was a light thud.

Arkan, who had been hit in his firm abdomen by an even firmer fist, hunched his shoulders in surprise.

It didn’t hurt, but the sound was startlingly loud!

Erdene kept her fist pressed against Arkan’s stomach and twisted it.

“Don’t say such disgusting things. I might throw up what I ate yesterday.”

Erdene, frowning with a sullen face, removed her fist and slipped out of his arms at the same time.

Her fluid movement, like dancing, stole both Arkan’s gaze and… his senses.

“Then… this was your first, first kiss?”

Erdene’s eyes rolled as she crossed her arms.

“No, it wasn’t.”

Just as Arkan’s eyes widened as if to say ‘what does that mean’, Erdene spoke again.

“I did it many times with Father and Mother when they were alive. Until I was about six years old. It must have been over a thousand times.”

Arkan, clenching his fists, suddenly made a strange movement.

As if invisible ropes were tightly binding his body, or as if trying to escape from them, he twitched his limbs in all directions.

“You look like a frog shedding its skin, Your Majesty.”

When Erdene said this, Arkan shouted,

“Frogs don’t shed their skin! Are you stupid?”

“Why are you stretching your arms and legs like that? Are you trying to grow taller?”

A small “I wouldn’t mind” was added afterwards, but it didn’t reach Arkan’s ears.

“I meant besides the affectionate kisses to your mother and father!”

“Then it’s the first. What are you saying? Ah, perhaps Your Majesty isn’t a first-timer? Well, that’s fine. I don’t care about such things. Unlike someone, I’m generous.”

“What are you saying? Who’s not a first-timer? I’m a first-timer too!”

Erdene twisted her lips and snickered.

“How would I know if I haven’t seen it?”

As Erdene was about to turn away after saying that, Arkan reached out and grabbed her arm.

Erdene turned her head and faced Arkan’s serious expression—probably—which she had never seen before.

“It’s true.”

For some reason, Erdene had the illusion that a wind had blown from somewhere.

Her forehead, which had been heated from laughing, getting angry, and chattering, from hugging him and kissing, cooled down pleasantly. But it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

Rather, it felt refreshing and good, like feeling a cool breeze on your forehead after sweating profusely.

Her gaze moved slowly.

She examined and surveyed Arkan’s hand holding her arm.

It felt like a very long time, though it was just a moment.

A hand unlike hers, without scars.

Smooth joints without calluses except where he held a pen, flat and clean nails that looked reddish.

As if someone had kissed them one by one.

Or as if tempting someone to kiss them.

“I understand.”

Erdene said.

She thought that opening her mouth would dissolve this tense atmosphere like untying a rope, but it didn’t.

Arkan was still holding onto Erdene, and the candles occasionally flickered, with sparks flying from the wicks making crackling sounds.

The smell of paper, grass, flame and darkness and summer intermingled, making it feel like something was about to happen. Like an excited festival night.

The next moment, the strength slowly drained from Arkan’s fingers.

Amusingly, he thought he wanted to resist his own movement.

He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to release…

“If the misunderstanding has been cleared up, Your Majesty. May I go now? My head is starting to ache from sitting here all day surrounded by nothing but books.”

Erdene’s tone was no different from usual, but her expression was not.

There was a strange heat, and a harmless cunning as if subtly testing the other person.

Arkan thought he might be making the same expression. And most of his thoughts were correct.

“Oh my…”

“What, you don’t like it?”

Arkan swallowed dryly and waved his hand with a sigh.

“It’s fine. Go and rest. I’m tired too.”

Erdene looked at him for a moment as if she had something more to say, but in the end she turned around without saying anything.

By the time she had crossed the study and was near the door, the strange regret that seemed to tug at her ankles had faded.

“Wait a moment.”

So when Arkan called out to her again, Erdene was surprised.

Not many people had surprised her so much, given her unmatched guts and courage.

Erdene turned her head. Arkan hesitated, just as she had done earlier, as if he had something to say. But…

“No, it’s fine. Let’s just finish talking about the knighthood today. About the knighthood… although it’s not originally the queen’s job, I’ll entrust it to you. Since Wizard is in charge of commanding the knights, you can consult with Wizard about training or organization. Just don’t kill anyone during training. And let me know how you’ve organized the knighthood.”

“I’ll do that. Anything else you want to say?”

“…No. Sleep well.”

Arkan replied. Erdene looked at him with a strange gaze before disappearing into the corridor.

This wasn’t it. Arkan thought.

He hadn’t called out to her to talk about the knighthood. He wanted to say something else…

But he didn’t know what to say or how to say it.

In that sense, Erdene could be called a huge puzzle suddenly added to Arkan’s life.