Chapter 8
Tureggen’s voice was unusually clear and naturally flirtatious for her age, but it carried no warmth.
In contrast, Marata maintained a calm and composed tone, making their conversation feel like a clash of two extremes on stage.
Tureggen took a sip of the tea, brewed with goat’s milk, molasses, and spices, before speaking.
“So I hear Prince Isuder wants to be the supreme commander for the campaign against Jindan?”
A faint smile curved Marata’s lips.
“Yes. I’m proud of my child’s courage.”
Tureggen burst into laughter.
“You might be, Lady Marata, but considering His Majesty rejected his request, shouldn’t you be more worried about him becoming a laughingstock rather than a source of pride?”
“That’s too much, madam!” Dain snapped, her face flushed with anger.
But Marata, without so much as a flicker of expression, waved her hand to quiet Dain and calmly replied,
“You have a point. I was disappointed when I first heard the news as well. But thinking it over, His Majesty made a fair decision. Isuder is certainly skilled in martial arts, but he can’t compare to General Orchai.”
“Hmph.”
“Everyone born in this land has their role to play. Don’t you agree? I heard your son Yoschmuth is quite good at arithmetic. Makes sense, considering he’s been playing with dice since he was a child.”
“What did you just say?!”
Tureggen leapt to her feet, her face flushing red. Goat’s milk splashed across the fragrant cedar table, leaving a messy stain.
Everyone knew Yoschmuth had long fallen out of favor with the Khan due to his indulgence in gambling and women.
Marata had struck right where it hurt.
“How dare you say such ridiculous things about my son!”
“Why are you getting so worked up? You seem to have misunderstood me. Didn’t you just boast recently that your son was praised by his arithmetic tutor? And it’s hardly unusual for children to play with dice. So what exactly did you think I was implying, for you to react like that?”
“Lady Marata! Words are not without consequences!”
Tureggen raised her voice and pointed a finger accusingly.
Marata simply touched her forehead with her fingertips and turned her head away, lowering it slightly.
“My head aches. You may leave now. One word of advice—though we both serve the Khan, you and I are not equals. Keep that in mind, and don’t behave so rudely in other places.”
“Why, you—!”
“Dain, show them out.”
No sooner had Marata spoken than Dain shoved Tureggen and her maid out of the room and slammed the door shut behind them with a loud bang.
✦
Argana had spent many days trying to remember what she had eaten before she died, but aside from what she had already told Kartak, nothing came to mind.
“I was probably just tired, right?”
At Kartak’s words, Argana nodded.
Yes. Even if she hadn’t died that day, she probably wouldn’t have remembered what she ate or who she saw during the mourning period.
The mourner must stay awake for seven days, offering ritual cries and praying to the ancestors every hour to embrace the departed.
Though tradition demanded it, very few could actually stay awake for a full week.
But Argana had endured it through sheer willpower alone.
“Still, even if I was tired, if it were poison strong enough to kill me instantly, I would’ve noticed something.”
Kartak understood why Argana was so certain, and he also believed she was right.
All surviving children of the Khan who reached the age of ten underwent small, deliberate exposures to various poisons.
Since poisoning was the most common method of secret assassination, building up resistance was essential.
“Kartak, I know nearly every poison obtainable in the empire and surrounding regions. I remember the smell, taste, and the faint sting on the tongue or lips.”
“And you felt none of that then?”
“Exactly. There was no strange smell, no odd taste. I’m sure of it. It wasn’t that I missed it because I was tired—it was a tasteless and odorless poison from the start.”
“And the food didn’t look strange either.”
“Right.”
A poison with no taste, smell, or discoloration wasn’t easy to come by.
Even those known to have such characteristics were often neutralized long ago, or simply no longer available.
“It won’t be easy to find out what kind of poison killed you. It’d be better to have someone investigate.”
“Yoschmuth could’ve gotten his hands on such a poison. We all know he has more than a few shady connections.”
Kartak replied, “Then maybe we should investigate the people Yoschmuth associates with—see if any of them are knowledgeable about poisons or medicine. But… didn’t you say that the incident hasn’t happened yet? There’s still time, right?”
“Yes, but it won’t hurt to investigate in advance.”
With that, Argana laid down on the grass, not caring if her fine silk and leather garments got dirty.
“Kartak, help me with this.”
She lifted her head slightly.
Her long black hair had been neatly braided and twisted up, held in place by a gold hairpin.
As the soft, silky sheen of Argana’s hair released a subtle, enchanting fragrance, Kartak’s face turned slightly red.
His heart beat unevenly, stirred by the unclear scent like a distant star in the night sky, and by the nape of her neck, long and delicate like a daffodil stem.
He gently removed the hairpin and placed it in her hand.
“Don’t go asking just anyone to do this for you.”
“Of course not. I’m asking you because it’s you.”
Letting her hair fall loosely, Argana closed her eyes and took in the scent of the wind.
That small act made her suddenly aware that she was still alive.
If only I could live like this forever.
She knew it was impossible, and yet she let herself imagine it anyway.
“By the way, I heard Prince Yoschmuth has been frequenting gambling dens lately.”
At Kartak’s words, Argana opened her eyes and scoffed.
Her furrowed brow and sharp gaze brimmed with disdain.
“That’s hardly news.”
“True. Did you know about it too? They say he’s gambling with enormous sums of money. Rumor has it he got that money by secretly selling off royal treasures.”
“What?!”
Argana shot to her feet, staring at Kartak.
It wasn’t surprising that Yoschmuth was reckless—but selling royal treasures? She’d never heard of that even in her past life.
“Are you sure? Who said that?”
“Tatassi overheard some eunuchs gossiping and passed it on to me.”
Tatassi was a lower-ranking official close to Kartak and a noble of Tahijin. He had accompanied Kartak to the Dar Empire as part of his escort.
Argana bit her lip hard and her eyes gleamed at the unexpected news.
Perhaps she could use this as an opportunity to expose Yoschmuth’s foolish and conniving nature to their father.
“Tatassi isn’t one to make things up… I’ll have to investigate this.”
“Yeah, I thought you’d want to, so I brought it up.”
“Yoschmuth probably didn’t handle the transactions himself. One of his eunuchs or attendants must’ve smuggled the items out under his orders. If we could find out exactly what’s missing…”
“I’ll leave that to Tatassi. He’s on good terms with the finance officer—he should be able to check the inventory.”
“Perfect. I’m counting on you.”
Everything’s going smoothly, Argana thought, just as a figure began approaching them from afar.
