Chapter 329 – Ishakan Takes Over Her Mind (1)

Translator: Atlas / Editor: Regan

The hand that had been busily trimming away thorns stopped. Ishakan frowned.

But Haban wasn’t done.

“Both the King and Queen are reputed to possess great beauty,” he went on.

There was a strong possibility that they would have attempted to break up Ishakan and Leah’s marriage even absent political motivation, to satisfy their own pleasure.

Ishakan slowly lowered his rose to the ground. Haban, sensing that time was almost up, hastened to offer the last and most dangerous tidbit.

“Also, the King of Balkat was one of Queen Leah’s suitors.”

The King’s offer for her hand had failed because of Byun Gyeongbaek, at the time. But now the situation had changed, and even though Ishakan and Leah were married, that made no difference among nobility.

The King of Balkat must surely have heard rumors of Leah’s great beauty. If he were to see her in person, he would certainly attempt to seduce her. Ishakan’s frown deepened as he thought of his wife. Leah, the most beautiful woman in the world.

It had been too long since he had been home. And he would have liked to quietly spend time with his family when he returned, but now he was going to have to get rid of trash. Ishakan felt wretched, thinking of the little time he would have to enjoy his family.

“If they hadn’t bought Kurkan slaves in the first place, they would never be allowed to set foot on Estian soil,” Ishakan said, flipping his dagger over in his hand and spinning it between his fingers. His face was expressionless as he thought, the blade of the dagger glittering as it spun in the air.

Catching it, he tossed it again, and then finally stopped.

“Three days,” he said.

Haban blinked. He was sure he must have misheard.

“What…?” He asked incredulously.

“We’ll go back in three days.”

He had compressed a fifteen-day plan into a long weekend. Ishakan rose.

“Bring me my scimitar,” he ordered. Haban’s mouth was still hanging open. “Today we will take the capital of Herben.”

***

Lesha was already half asleep.

His eyes were drowsy as he looked up at his mother, and Leah stroked his soft hair.

“Night night, mama…” He mumbled, with a sleepy smile, and drifted off. Leah bent and kissed him on his forehead before she slipped out of the room.

The royal family’s rooms had changed, since the Kurkans had moved into the palace of Estia, and many places were decorated in that style. The rooms Leah shared with Ishakan looked very like the rooms in the palace of Kurkan, with fine fabrics separating the spaces. There were colorfully patterned cushions, low chairs, braziers, and many pipes for smoking, all brought by Ishakan.

He often would go and sit on the railing of the balcony, with one of his long pipes between his fingers. As she approached the bed, she could remember everything about him, and the empty bed seemed too large. Slowly, she pulled back the sheets, and found them cold.

It never felt that way when he was there. Wherever Ishakan was, it was always so warm.

Turning from the bed, Leah went instead to a small table where documents were piled and waiting for her. She meant to go through them before she went to sleep, but it was hard to concentrate. Her mind was elsewhere.

He’s still so far away.

Only a few days before, she had received news of the fall of the kingdom of Herben. Given the distance the messenger bird had traveled, she knew it would take a week at least just to travel, and that didn’t include all the things he would have to do, to leave people in charge of the government after conquering the kingdom.

Ten days at least.

Leah set down the sheaf of papers, trying to push those thoughts aside. Draping a scarf over her shoulders, she decided to take a walk in the garden. As she gave herself a glance in the long mirror, a smile suddenly curved her lips.

“……”

Her face flushed. Everywhere she looked, there were traces of Ishakan. She remembered him with everything she saw. Even that long mirror reminded her of her husband.

It had been the day before Lesha was born, and Leah had been murmuring distractedly to herself, all the things she had read that a new mother needed to know.

“…difficult for the baby to latch on and drink, if the n!pples are hard…”

The books said she ought to rub them before delivery to soften them, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Leah raised her hands to her br3asts and then lowered them several times. It was just too embarrassing to do that to herself.

But at that moment, someone had arrived who would be perfectly willing to help her.

“Ishakan?”