Chapter 21
Barta carefully echoed the words.
“Last time, I met her while going to receive the tea leaves on the order of Her Highness the Princess. Even though palace maids and eunuchs were passing by, I was embarrassed by the sound of her crying.”
“See, I told you to stop with this Ayur, brother,” said Arghana.
Sagima had entered the palace around the same time as Barta and served Arghana as a maid.
Last year, when both were of age to leave the palace, Barta requested to stay by Arghana’s side, while Sagima, in her desperation, let her hair down and knelt in front of Arghana, crying, claiming it was her lifelong wish.
“I feel like I would die if it’s not him. Your Highness, I beg you so earnestly. Even if I were a concubine… please.”
Arghana was already aware that Sagima had secretly been in love with Ayur for a long time. As Sagima had said, making her a concubine wasn’t a difficult matter, but the problem lay with Ayur’s character.
“Even though Ayur seems kind, he is not. He is fully aware of his cold temper and is trying his best to hide it. Sagima, I am telling you this because I feel bad for you, but Ayur… He won’t give you what you truly deserve. There are men out there who would truly cherish you…”
“No! There’s no one! There is no such man! Your Highness, I am fine. As long as I can be by Ayur’s side, I don’t care about anything else.”
With Sagima begging so earnestly, Arghana had no choice but to relent. Ayur, after hearing this, accepted Sagima with open arms and took her in as a side consort, not as a concubine.
For a while, Sagima seemed to float on cloud nine, lost in happiness, but that bliss shattered in less than a year.
Barta spoke up.
“Her Highness, you went so far as to raise Sagima to the position of side consort, and yet, she is always crying. It’s terribly annoying.”
“Why bother? The one who decided to make her a side consort wasn’t me, but Ayur. And it can’t be easy to be in a marriage so young and left alone.”
Arghana paused for a moment before letting out a sigh.
“Poor Ayur. His first wife died so suddenly after only a month.”
Hearing those words, Barta recalled the whining words Sagima had muttered.
“What if the next consort comes in? I’ll just grow old and be treated like the cold rice.”
If she said that again next time, I should tell her to keep quiet. Barta clicked her tongue inwardly while focusing on helping Arghana finish her bath.
“Anyway, I’ll talk to Ayur. Next time Sagima comes, I’ll let her know.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Arghana’s procession was so lavish that even the newly arrived eunuchs and maids were astonished.
The sturdy palanquin had a roof made of red brocade with lifelike giraffes carved on either side. Small bells were attached to the roof decorations, chiming a refreshing sound with every movement.
“Set the palanquin down!”
At the command of the high-ranking attendant, the bearers stopped cautiously.
After Arghana stepped down, supported by Barta, she stretched her back and looked up.
“Your Highness the Princess has arrived!”
The attendant shouted again, and the palace gates opened.
A little distance from the Khan’s residence, Tantal Palace stood, surrounded by various gers, with a large lake to the north and the wilderness of the ancient Dar people to the east. This was a place the Khan held very dear.
“Your Highness the Princess, the Khan is waiting for you.”
“Am I very late, Isun?”
“No, not very late. Please, come inside.”
The attendant lifted the tent for her to enter.
Inside the ger, familiar warmth and the scent of leather and fur made Arghana feel at ease.
“Father, Wei-hui has arrived.”
“Come in, come in. Sit here.”
Arghana took her seat to the right of the Khan, glancing around at the people already present. Ayur sat on the Khan’s left, and next to him was Ishuder.
Because the table was round, Arghana could barely face Ishuder, who wore an expression full of jealousy that almost made her laugh.
“According to age, he must think he’s the eldest,” Arghana thought as she purposely smiled at Ishuder.
She got along well enough with Ayur, but Ishuder had always been a problem for her.
There were two empty spots at the table. The youngest, Tirsalan, sat beside Arghana, while the quiet and reserved Teseyer sat stiffly next to Ishuder, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
“Where is Anya, brother?”
At Arghana’s question, Ayur answered.
“Yetekir is sick.”
“Is he sick?”
Arghana glanced at her father, whose displeased expression made it clear that the excuse was likely a lie.
“Well, that brother never goes outside. I don’t even know when the last time he saw the sunlight was.”
However, the more pressing matter was to ease her father’s irritation.
Arghana switched the topic to a military campaign she had heard of while on her way to Tantal Palace.
“By the way, Father, have there been any news from the army sent to Jindan?”
“Ah, yes. They won three battles. The one you recommended, Yongbuwi, was said to have worked well with Orchai, judging the right time to attack and retreat. I must admit, I neglected his talent.”
“How could you, Father, be neglectful? I believe that Yongbuwi’s Tuhoa passed the military exams on his own and volunteered to serve. It’s just that no one has been there to guide him, and his strong character doesn’t allow him to flatter others.”
“To have even military officials distracted by bribes and flattery is unacceptable.”
The Khan’s hand trembled as he gripped the table.
Seeing her father so upset, Arghana decided it was time to address the corruption among the military officers as well.
“The capture of Tatulrai is only a matter of time. We must prepare a feast for the victorious soldiers,” said Astrahan Khan.
“Indeed,” Arghana agreed.
Just then, Ishuder broke the growing warmth with his voice.
“Capture Tatulrai alive? What do you mean by that? He’s as relentless as a demon. If we let him live, he will surely cause more trouble.”
The Khan stared at Ishuder with a deep, unreadable gaze before turning to Arghana, signaling her to explain.
Arghana spoke.
“That’s not true, Ishuder.”
“Not true? Are you saying you don’t know who Tatulrai is?”
“Of course I do. If we kill Tatulrai now, the East will find temporary peace, but what about ten years from now?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Arghana explained, as she had done before to the Khan, that Tatulrai might have hidden children, and if those children sought revenge, more people would suffer.
However, Ishuder didn’t listen to a word she said.
“The more I hear, the more absurd it sounds. You risked the lives of Dar soldiers on such a ridiculous gamble!”
“It’s not a gamble.”
“Then what is it!”
At that moment, the heavy voice of Astrahan Khan spoke from Arghana’s left.
“I heard this plan myself and approved it. If you have more to say, say it to me.”
