Chapter 24
The meal afterward wasn’t exactly cheerful, but it was smoother than before—enough to satisfy Argana.
Khan made several attempts to make eye contact with Tirsalan and engage him in conversation.
Until now, the presence of his youngest son had felt almost invisible, but suddenly, it seemed to sink deeply into his heart.
This was precisely the outcome Argana had hoped for. She gently intervened in conversation, making sure her father paid a little more attention to Tirsalan.
There was just one moment when her eyes met Ayur’s, who seemed to see through everything. She gave a simple, honest smile, careful not to reveal her true intentions to anyone.
“Thank you for today, Nuna.”
On their way out after the meal, Tirsalan grabbed Argana’s hand and spoke in a voice full of emotion.
His fingertips were warm, indicating he was still slightly excited.
“You did very well, Tiltil.”
Tirsalan glanced around, swallowed nervously, and lifted his heels in a shy gesture.
“My mother told me. She said you came and talked to her. It’s all thanks to you, Nuna…”
“Hey, Tirsalan!”
The boy’s whispered words faltered and stopped. Argana turned, shielding Tirsalan behind her.
Yoshmut, heavily drunk from earlier, swayed like a tipsy man, then straightened up and wagged a finger at them.
“Hey, kid. Come over here.”
Tirsalan flinched from his hiding spot. Argana scoffed, clearly showing her disdain.
“What are you doing, brother?”
“You stay out of this. I have business with that kid.”
Argana laughed loudly at this once more.
“And if I refuse?”
“What?”
“I said, what will you do if I refuse? You say you have business with Tirsalan… but isn’t it better to go back and start on the assignments His Majesty gave us today?”
“You little pair of pests! You think I’ll just let this slide? You…!”
As Yoshmut swung a fist, the stench of alcohol hit. Just as Argana prepared to kick his knee, his arm twisted backward midair, and a scream burst from his mouth.
“Argh! Ah! Ouch!”
“What kind of disgrace is this, Yoshmut?”
It was Ayur.
He bent Yoshmut’s arm backward, then flung him with all his strength. Yoshmut’s body tumbled across the floor under the force.
“Argh!”
“Even after being embarrassed before His Majesty, you still haven’t gotten it? If I were you, I couldn’t even show my face after being scolded for being less diligent than your youngest, Tirsalan. What kind of misbehavior is this?”
Gritting his teeth, Yoshmut brushed off his clothes and staggered to his feet. Then he pointed at Ayur, Argana, and Tirsalan, sticking out his lips.
“Quite the clique. Let’s see how long this lasts.”
“You brat!”
“Hmph, let’s see, shall we?”
Argana let Yoshmut slink away on his own. She knew the most humiliating punishment for him was to let him escape by himself.
Ayur glanced between the two of them.
“You alright, Tirsalan?”
Tirsalan nodded, his face still red.
“Yes. I’m fine, Ayur-hyung.”
“I’ll deal with Yoshmut properly next time. But for now, it’s better not to meet him. He’s vile and unpredictable; you don’t know what he’ll do.”
“Yes. I’ll remember your words, hyung.”
“Take the Sixth Prince to the palace.”
After instructing his attendants to escort Tirsalan back to the palace, Ayur turned his gaze back to Argana, who had been quietly standing nearby.
When their eyes met, his younger sister smiled—a smile both amusing and mischievous in his eyes.
“You little thing.”
“Thank you for helping, Ayur-hyung.”
“You should thank Yoshmut, not me. If it weren’t for me, wouldn’t that guy’s quarters have smelled like incense today?”
It was a joking remark implying Argana would have scolded Yoshmut mercilessly. She giggled, pleased with the joke, and held Ayur’s hand warmly—a gesture both familiar and comfortable, reminiscent of their childhood.
“Tirsalan seemed very happy to receive encouragement from you, hyung.”
“He has a kind heart, but he’s far too delicate. If he were a boy, he should be bolder.”
“Well, Mother Sorcate was a delicate person herself. He probably inherited it from her.”
“By the way, what happened today?”
Argana recounted how Yoshmut had bullied Tirsalan, omitting the core of her own schemes.
Even so, the story was enough to upset Ayur. Upright and principled as he was, he became furious at the fact that his older brother Yoshmut would behave so miserably toward the youngest, still underage, Tirsalan.
“I’ll have to give him a proper scolding sometime.”
“His Majesty already gave him a harsh reprimand today, so he should behave for a while. He was drunk earlier, so that explains it.”
The night breeze was cool. Hearing the faint jingle of earrings, Argana suddenly thought of Sagima—recalling the time she came looking for her and found no one there.
“How’s Sagima these days, hyung?”
Since Sagima had originally been Argana’s maid, even after becoming Ayur’s concubine, they spoke comfortably with each other.
“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“Just curious. She used to serve me, so isn’t it natural for her former mistress to check if she’s doing well after marrying?”
“You worry about everything. She’s neither particularly good nor bad.”
“Hyung, that’s exactly the problem with you.”
Argana nudged Ayur’s side playfully, wrinkling her nose.
“You’re perfect in every way, but you really don’t understand women’s hearts.”
“Hearing you say that makes me think it’s about time you get married too.”
“Haha, you’re quite the joker.”
Arriving in front of Ayur’s quarters, Argana patted his back encouragingly.
“Remember what I said. Tonight, make sure you sleep with Sagima, alright?”
“You really say anything to me, don’t you?”
“It’s a chilly night. Sagima gets lonely easily.”
“Alright, alright.”
Ayur laughed heartily and patted her shoulder.
‘Ah, that’s right.’
As Argana turned to leave after seeing him off, she stopped and looked back at Ayur.
“Hyung!”
“Hm?”
“How about taking a walk with His Majesty tomorrow afternoon? I heard the late-blooming lotuses in the royal garden are in full bloom.”
Then she tilted her head slightly and added,
“Mi-si (mid-afternoon) would be a good time.”
Ayur looked at her curiously, then nodded as if he understood.
“Alright, we’ll do that.”
“His Majesty mentioned playing chess with you before. I think it would be nice to play together.”
“What on earth is she thinking? Fine. We’ll do that.”
Satisfied, Argana turned to leave.
As expected, Ayur-hyung was sharp. To successfully undermine Turegen Bi, one had to plan this carefully.
Her steps lightened as she headed toward her quarters, but then she reconsidered. She should probably inform Kartak about this as well.
