Chapter 48
Argana moved through the dense forest, careful not to be seen by anyone.
Occasionally, a few servants patrolling around the house glanced back at the areas she had passed, but none of them noticed her.
‘They have a few sharp-eyed ones, huh…’
She hesitated, wondering whether to cross the path from the forest to the mansion’s third wing (where the third son of the family and his attendants lived), when she heard murmuring near the side gate.
“Careful! I’ll scold you if you drop it. Be careful, careful.”
“Uh, hey, move that stone out of the way.”
“Really, can’t you be quiet for once!”
Judging by the voices, they were household workers. Argana moved to a spot with a better view.
A large cart, almost making the side gate feel narrow, was loaded with goods and heading somewhere.
‘I never heard that General Orchai’s third son was moving out…’
She watched the fourth cart leave carefully, then nonchalantly walked out from the forest as if she were lost.
“Who’s there!”
The servants sensed her presence and simultaneously emitted a hostile aura. Argana smiled to herself meaningfully.
Look at these guys.
“Y-Your Highness!”
The first to recognize her was the steward (equivalent to a butler) of the general’s household.
He prostrated himself on the ground, and the other servants, startled, also fell to the floor, trembling.
“Enough. Stand up.”
“Y-Yes… Your Highness.”
“Are the third son’s attendants moving? Why is there so much cargo?”
“Ah, Your Highness, we report that this is not because the third son is moving. Rather, it is by the elder’s order to support the waterway project in the West.”
“The Western waterway project?”
“Yes.”
The steward’s face turned ashen as he noticed Argana’s expression turning strange.
Could it be that this needed to be kept secret? No… but if it were something to handle discreetly, he would have said so…
“Alright, understood.”
Once her words fell, the steward exhaled a long sigh that had been held in.
Argana glanced at the crates loaded on the cart and then turned to leave.
‘There’s something shiny in those crates. Gold, perhaps… If the others are similar, that’s a fortune. Supporting a waterway project in the West? Since when has Orchai been so closely involved with the Western administrators?’
Wait… waterway…
Something flickered in her mind. Argana tried to recall the Western landscapes she hadn’t visited in a long time.
It was a place where high mountains and the main river dominated the terrain. The main river, in particular, had been a contested region for the Dar Empire, where fierce battles often broke out during winters until a few years ago.
‘There’s the Itun River in the West…’
The Dar Empire controlled the Itun River from its source to the lower reaches, including access to the sea. The reason the main river threatened Dar’s territory was largely because of the Itun River’s importance.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt of realization struck Argana’s mind.
I remember! The reckless construction of dams in the West caused both droughts and floods! The delta of the lower Itun River dried up completely… that disaster…!
Argana shivered unconsciously. Her expression changed again—this time, one of confusion.
But that didn’t happen when I was seventeen… It was when I was eighteen…
Had the events she knew changed as she traveled back in time?
No, of course. Yoshmut had already been stripped of his princely status, demoted to a commoner, and even expelled from the palace.
In her previous life, he often caused trouble, but his mother, Turegen Bi, had risked her life to protect him, ensuring he maintained his position as prince.
I’m changing the past, so why would other events remain the same? How foolish of me to think that.
The drought and flood on the Itun River occurred a year earlier. General Orchai must have met Turegen Utuhou because of this waterway project. Since Utuhou commanded the army in the West, he must have been deeply involved in the waterway project as well.
The Western waterway project she remembered seemed to be progressing smoothly at first.
However, disputes over profits caused people to demand changes in the river’s course, ultimately damaging the natural flow of the vast Itun River.
As rapids and waterfalls formed toward the dams, the upper regions couldn’t retain water, resulting in droughts.
Then, because the dam construction was sloppy, it collapsed before the collected water could be redirected, and the southern regions suffered irreparable landslides and floods. Yes… that’s it.
So what about General Orchai? Why did he fall for Utuhou’s schemes?
Though he was known as rigid and unreasonable, Argana thought such a man would never ally with a swindler like Turegen Utuhou…
“It’s the glory of the family that you think of your children,” she mused.
Yes, children. His children.
Orchai’s wealth and pension were generous, but he was famous for refusing bribes. Once he died, the pension would end, leaving his unremarkable children to live off the remaining wealth.
And the youngest, Andufu? That one was a reckless troublemaker, constantly selling off parts of the family estate. After Orchai’s death, the house’s collapse would be only a matter of time.
That’s why he intervened in the waterway project. To create a magical treasure for his children… Foolish. For a general to think like that… it’s like shaping soldiers from sand and expecting them to become real people in war.
How did Turegen Utuhou find out about the waterway project so quickly? Perhaps he even devised it himself.
In the past, he had invested considerable money into the project and briefly profited, but within a year, he suffered the consequences of droughts and floods and risked his life. Back then, Yoshmut was the prince, so Turegen Bi wasn’t affected, but the incident caused the Turegen family to lose the Khan’s trust and their reputation plummeted.
But now Yoshmut is just a commoner, and Turegen Bi is under house arrest. Good. It’s time to eliminate this corrupt household.
More importantly, she had to prevent the floods and droughts. She could not stand by while innocent people suffered.
“Cartak!”
Argana hurried back to Orchai’s estate. Cartak, in the middle of a chess move, stopped in confusion and turned to her.
“Cartak, we have to return immediately. General, I apologize, but I must take Cartak with me.”
Orchai, startled, rose.
“Your Highness, already leaving? Was something wrong? I can apologize on your behalf. Please have a meal with us before departing.”
“No, nothing of the sort. I simply remembered something I had to do today.”
“I see…”
Cartak, sensing the situation, moved his words aside and respectfully bowed to the elder.
“General, I’ve learned much from you. It’s a shame I couldn’t finish learning.”
“Nonsense! Prince, feel free to visit anytime. Playing chess with a young person like you makes me feel young again. Haha!”
Accompanied by General Orchai’s farewell, they left the mansion. Once mounted, Argana looked at Cartak and asked,
“Did you really lose to General Orchai at chess?”
