Chapter 49
Kartak burst into a cheerful laugh.
“Don’t you have to let them win a little to soften them up?”
“I thought so.”
Kartak was skilled at board games. Not just chess variants native to their land, but he also excelled at Go and even the Western chess that had come from the Western regions.
Even Asturhan Khan, when bored, would occasionally play Go or chess with Kartak, so it was clear that his skill was no ordinary matter.
“So, did you manage to soften him up?”
“My relationship with General Orchai isn’t that close, so I just poked a little. Lately, it seems he’s been dabbling in usury.”
“What? Really?”
Kartak nodded, and Argana shook her head in disbelief.
Usury here referred to money-lending at high interest rates.
A proud general engaging in usury—what could possibly have driven him to such lengths to amass wealth?
‘Those carts from earlier… they were headed west, right?’
Argana recalled the several carts leaving through the side gate. They were supposedly going for a canal project in the western region. They wouldn’t be helping with construction, of course; they were clearly trying to secure a lucrative position where returns were high.
Dabbling in usury would also be a way to collect as much money as possible for personal gain.
“It’s funny… I wondered how someone like Orchai could produce a son like Andufu. Now I see—they’re all just the same.”
“Do you know why General Orchai is engaging in usury?”
Argana cautiously shared what she knew about the canal project in the west, omitting none of the details, even explaining that her knowledge came from experiences in her past life.
Kartak listened, stunned at first, then grew quietly angry.
He had visited the western region only once before, and the people’s lives had already been severely impacted by external attacks. He had been relieved that things had finally calmed down, only to find that reckless dike construction now risked both drought and flood.
If this were a natural disaster, one might say the heavens had forsaken the area—but this was clearly man-made. It was intolerable.
Argana continued.
“Timing-wise, there’s still time before a flood or drought occurs. But regardless, that dike will become a source of trouble. The only solution is to halt the construction.”
“But even a profit-ignorant person like General Orchai is involved, so there must already be countless financiers invested. They’ll fight tooth and nail. Any ideas?”
“…I have to think about it. But it won’t be impossible.”
Then, with a quiet sigh, she added,
“If my predictions are correct, that is.”
After parting from Kartak and returning to the princess’s palace, Argana noticed a commotion inside.
‘Could it be that Usurima is at it again, crying and complaining?’
Usurima, a former maid who had served Argana, often ran to complain whenever Prince Ayur ignored her. Though Argana’s scolding about considering her husband had somewhat reduced the visits, the habit was far from cured.
“What’s all this noise?”
Just as Argana, assuming Usurima was the source, entered with a strict voice, a girl, light and graceful like fluttering peach blossoms, ran into her arms.
“Sister!”
“Bogathena? How are you here…!”
The girl in her arms smiled mischievously, looking up at Argana.
Bogathena Kirgis, the youngest daughter of Argana’s distant uncle, had once lived briefly in the palace during childhood. Being two years younger than Argana, she was extremely fond of and attached to her.
“My father’s business is almost done, so I came early to see you. I greeted the Khan and offered incense to Aunt Wiran too.”
“Well done. And Borsiya?”
Borsiya, Bogathena’s elder sister by five years, had been cherished by Dowager Wiran and even given the childhood name ‘Soya.’
“She’s still at Aunt Wiran’s shrine. Probably crying again.”
“I see… but why all the commotion? Why were you angry?”
Argana gently patted Bogathena’s head and shot a stern look at the maids.
“How did you treat the princess that made her raise her voice?”
The maids, pale with fear, bowed deeply, but Bogathena quickly stopped them.
“No, Sister! My sister’s maids didn’t make me angry at all. They were very kind. It was something else.”
“Something else? What do you mean?”
“Well… um…”
Her hesitation was vague. Argana fixed her gaze on Bogathena’s attending maid, signaling her to speak since her charge wouldn’t.
The maid bowed hastily and said,
“Your Highness, on the way here, Princess Mama met Prince Ishuder…”
“Ishuder?”
Bogathena pouted.
“What about him? What did he say to you?”
“He said his usual. That nag hasn’t changed at all. Can you believe he told me, still unmarried and childish, that I shouldn’t even think of seeing you, and that I should find a husband like my sister Soya? Unbelievable! Who does he think he is, telling me to find a husband?”
Soya—Bogathena’s older sister Borsiya—had been betrothed at twelve and married at nineteen. She had already been married for two years, living in her maternal family’s western estate. She was praised for her gentle nature, rarely going out alone.
Yet Ishuder commenting on Bogathena’s future marriage, at fifteen, was entirely inappropriate.
‘The more I dislike him, the more he does annoying things,’ Argana thought, clenching her teeth. She swore to repay him.
“By the way, how is Prince Yetekerid lately?”
“Why, suddenly curious about Prince Yetekerid?”
“Well, he’s always been sickly and hardly goes out.”
The fifth prince, Yetekerid, wasn’t just weak; he broke out in hives if exposed to sunlight. His mother, Lady Ruloslav, had come from northern barbarian lands and died in misery.
“I haven’t seen him in a while either. But since the palace staff say he doesn’t come and go as much, perhaps he’s gotten a little better.”
“Still breaks out in rashes in the sun?”
“I suppose so.”
“Oh dear, Sister. You’re too indifferent to your siblings. Is that acceptable?”
Bogathena subtly scolded Argana. Argana found this younger sister endearing; at fifteen, her cheeks were still plump like little buns.
“All right, all right. I’ll check on him.”
At that moment, a servant announced that Borsiya had arrived. Argana rose with delight, and a graceful young lady entered modestly as the curtain was drawn back.
“It’s been a long time, Your Highness. Greetings.”
