Chapter 4

Tarcan's brow twitched with shame at the misunderstanding.

“I remember saying I don’t eat people.”

Aristine, who had been quietly looking at him, averted her eyes and muttered.

“Just having that thought...”

About whether it was a clump of dust or a person.

She had omitted that part to respect his peculiar tastes.

“You said you’d wash before the wedding.”

Tarcan said in a low voice, as if chewing on his words.

But such threats wouldn’t work on Aristine.

“I did say that, but... I didn’t mean it that way.”

The woman looked Tarcan up and down again.

“You’re not exactly clean yourself.”

Don’t you wash when you’re dirty?

Her eyes were asking that.

For the first time, Tarcan understood what she was thinking.

And at the same time, a question arose.

‘What kind of woman is this?’

* * *

“We can’t wash together because it’s before the wedding.”

So, we need to decide the order fairly. Aristine was merely pointing out a simple fact.

Tarcan looked down at his body.

His clothes were splattered with the blood of the demons. It was inevitable since he had come straight in after the battle.

When he was holding the woman in the long silk, it was hidden, but now that he had put her down, there was nothing to cover it.

It was the first time the bride saw him in such a state, but Tarcan didn’t care.

This blood was a symbol of victory, a mark of battle, and a warrior’s pride.

But to call it dirty, and even “quite dirty.”

How could it be compared to dust and dirt?

‘Come to think of it...’

He thought the princess of Silvanus would turn pale or scream at the sight of blood, but she didn’t.

Even the Ilugo people, who were born as warriors, would tremble in fear at the sight of his blood.

But the woman was calm, neither afraid nor in awe.

“......”

His bride was nothing like he expected, from being covered in dust to everything else.

‘A strange woman.’

But that was it.

He wouldn’t get more involved with this woman. He would just bear the title of prince consort.

“I’ll wash somewhere else.”

“Ah.”

Aristine nodded at Tarcan’s words.

It was normal for a palace to have multiple places to wash.

She knew this in theory, but the life of being confined had made it a habit, and she hadn’t thought about it.

“Okay, then.”

Aristine hurriedly got up from the sofa.

She felt better.

‘It’s a normal palace, so maybe I can wash with warm water?’

She didn’t expect much. Even lukewarm water would be nice.

‘No, as long as it’s not too cold...’

Tarcan looked at the woman, whose thoughts he couldn’t understand at all.

What was she thinking now?

‘She’s not calling a normal person a pervert again, is she?’

Even when he narrowed his eyes and looked at her, he couldn’t read anything.

The hall they were in had no doors and was surrounded by pillars.

Each pillar led to the garden or a corridor.

So, even after Aristine left the hall with a palace attendant, her delicate back was visible in his field of vision for a while.

Her red silk fluttered like wings with each step she took.

“Your Highness Tarcan.”

Tarcan turned his head at the voice calling him.

“Diona.”

Diona approached, chuckled, and lightly placed her hand on Tarcan’s firm arm.

“To not notice someone approaching, that’s not like you, Your Highness. What were you so deep in thought about?”

At this, Tarcan frowned.

He realized he had been distracted by thinking about the woman.

“I wasn’t thinking about anything.”

“Is that so?”

It didn’t seem true, but Diona didn’t press further.

Prying here would only annoy Tarcan.

Instead, she began to talk about Aristine in a gentle tone.

“The princess is completely different from what I thought.”

Tarcan nodded half-heartedly. His golden eyes showed no interest.

‘Hmm, he doesn’t seem to care much about that woman. Well, I thought as much.’

Diona hid her satisfied smile and leaned closer to Tarcan with a worried look.

“What does it mean for her to come in such a state? Especially to marry you, of all people. It doesn’t seem like a good sign...”

Diona trailed off coquettishly and subtly massaged Tarcan’s arm.

“There must be a reason.”

“A reason...?”

“You’ve seen what my cursed siblings say. I didn’t think you were a fool who couldn’t predict this. And it didn’t seem like you were trying to insult me.”

Tarcan’s defense of Aristine surprised Diona.

It was the first time she had seen him speak up for someone he barely knew.

But she quickly erased her surprised expression and obediently lowered her eyes.

Tarcan hadn’t raised his voice, but she could feel his mood had slightly soured.

The quick-witted Diona removed her body from his sturdy arm and straightened her posture.

“Still... she’s a mysterious person.”

At this, Tarcan unconsciously turned his gaze to the corridor where Aristine had disappeared.

“Yes, a truly mysterious woman.”

Diona paused and looked at Tarcan.

It was strange to see him looking in the direction where Aristine had disappeared.

His eyes were as cold as usual, and his face was expressionless, without a hint of a smile.

His face when thinking about Aristine was not soft at all.

But Diona’s smile slowly faded.

“Truly.”

Tarcan muttered, thinking about the woman.

Her expression had been the same from the moment he first saw her until she disappeared. It was hard to tell if she had no emotions or if it was just an illusion.

She had changed a little, but not noticeably.

The most vivid expression she had shown was when he had picked her up.

Her round, completely exposed violet eyes. She was much smaller and lighter than he had expected, which surprised him.

‘I thought she would be crying.’

He thought she would be crying, enduring the humiliation alone.

But when he got closer, it wasn’t the case at all.

Her expressionless face seemed rather composed. It wasn’t that she was frozen in fear, but rather indifferent.

‘She grew up as a princess in Silvanus, so she shouldn’t be used to such treatment.’

He was also curious about why someone of such noble blood would be dirty only by herself.

A mysterious woman.

The woman who would become his wife.

His bride.

Even when the political marriage was decided, he had never thought about her like this.

“Your Highness Tarcan.”

Diona’s voice brought him back to reality.

“Do you like the princess?”

* * *

‘Hot water! And there’s even a bathtub!’

The moment she saw the steaming bathtub, Aristine instantly felt happy.

“I’ll help you.”

Aristine let the palace attendants undress her and wash her without resistance.

She was a princess from birth, so she wasn’t embarrassed to be seen by attendants.

She didn’t really care about other people’s gazes.

She had lived alone without anyone to care about since her childhood.

‘They’re good at their job.’

She thought this when she saw them wash her without complaint, with polite and quick movements.

She was so dirty that she didn’t want anyone to touch her.

But they didn’t frown once, which was impressive.

Their words were professional and businesslike, like “Is it too hot?” or “Should I rub more gently?”

For Aristine, who had been ignored by maids, their attitude was impressive.

‘The good attitude of the palace attendants means my future husband is skilled and charismatic.’

It was a good thing that the negotiation opponent was capable.

“Please close your eyes again.”

Warm water flowed over her face.

Aristine closed her eyes and thought about Tarcan, and what she should do from now on.

‘Hmm...?’

Immersed in her thoughts, Aristine realized something was off.

The hands rubbing her face and body had stopped.

‘Is it over already?’

She opened her eyes slightly and met the gaze of a palace attendant who was staring with her mouth open.

“Ah...”

The attendant involuntarily gasped.

The long, wet eyelashes moved, and droplets of water swayed.

And her violet eyes, like the mysterious dawn sky, were fully revealed.

Aristine wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes and looked at the other attendants.

They were no different. They had all stopped their hands and were staring at her.

“Is there a problem?”

At Aristine’s words, the attendants snapped out of it and bowed their heads.

“No, Princess.”

“We apologize.”

Aristine wondered what had caused such a reaction from people who had shown no reaction when she was dirty, but she kept quiet.

After a few more exchanges, Aristine finally got into the bathtub.

‘Ah, this is nice.’

After dismissing the attendants and being alone, Aristine leaned her head against the edge of the bathtub, feeling happy.

Her body felt naturally relaxed.

This alone made her think that coming to Ilugo was a good decision.

‘I’ll put off thinking about what to do next and just rest for now.’

As if reading her thoughts, the water surface rippled.

Aristine frowned, sensing something reflected.

‘It always happens at the worst times.’

She would have to postpone resting.

* * *

‘...Tarcan?’

The figure reflected in the water was her future husband.

A voluptuous woman with dark navy hair stood beside him.

‘When was this? Probably today. The near future or the near past. Or maybe now.’

Tarcan’s attire was the same.

Even if he liked the same design, he probably wouldn’t wear blood-stained clothes.

The sofa where he had put Aristine down was visible beside him.

‘...When will this man go to wash?’

Even if it’s a political marriage, she didn’t want a dirty husband.

Aristine hoped what she was seeing was from the past.

‘Please, let him be washing now.’

Then the woman in the water spoke.

Aristine was surprised.

‘No, she was talking about me?’

It made sense that she would be a topic since it was their first meeting.

‘What kind of behavior did she have to receive such a question?’

To be asked if she liked a clump of dust.

‘Is he really a pervert?’

Tarcan looked down at the woman and asked in a low voice.

She had felt it from the first time she saw him, but he was... no, extremely handsome.

She had seen many men through the imperial eye, but this was the first time she had seen someone so handsome.

Just by lowering his eyes, he exuded a lazy and dangerous aura like a predator.

The woman beside him seemed tense, slightly hunching her shoulders.

His tone was relaxed.

It was the complete opposite of the attitude he had shown when he was angry at Aristine’s words earlier.

But that relaxation made him seem even more dangerous.

Tarcan smiled and said, the corners of his mouth tilting up.

This was probably his usual expression.

His golden eyes moved smoothly.

* * *

After finishing her bath, Aristine was guided by the palace attendants.

“Shall I call the princess’s maids? You’re still getting used to the palace.”

The attendant asked cautiously.

They were probably worried that she might be uncomfortable being served by Ilugo attendants since her arrival.

For Aristine, Ilugo attendants were much more comfortable than Silvanus ones.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Understood. Then I’ll guide you to your room.”

“No.”

Aristine stopped the attendant who was about to move.

“Guide me to Tarcan.”

“Understood.”

A hint of confusion appeared on the attendant’s face, but she didn’t ask anything and bowed politely.

‘I want to rest too, but...’

She had traveled by carriage for a whole month.

During that time, she had endured the constant petty torment from her maids, without proper washing or rest.

Now, after washing and changing into new clothes, she couldn’t be happier.

The clothes prepared by Ilugo were warm and soft, with a wonderful texture.

Now, if she could just sleep in a well-dried bed, it would be perfect.

‘But there’s something I need to do first.’

She needed to make her husband an ally, not an enemy.

Tarcan was in a room not far from the hall where they had been earlier.

“The princess has arrived, Your Highness.”

There was no immediate response after the attendant announced.

It felt like he wasn’t pleased with Aristine’s visit.

‘Is it because he was with that woman?’

Aristine recalled the slender woman with long, dark navy hair.

‘I wanted to negotiate one-on-one if possible.’

But maybe it was for the best.

It could make her trump card even stronger.

It’s natural for a political marriage to lack love.

If the woman was Tarcan’s lover, emphasizing the lack of love could be an attractive condition.

‘And one more thing.’

While love wasn’t necessary in a political marriage, a child to continue the bloodline of both families was essential.

‘But I don’t need it.’

This would be a strong trump card.

Most people would want to make their child a king, even if they didn’t want love.

But Aristine didn’t want that.

What she wanted was only one thing: freedom.

She wanted to see with her own eyes what she had only seen as a reflection in the water.

To go where she wanted, see what she wanted, eat what she wanted.

To do whatever she wanted.

To never be confined by anyone again.

That was her goal.

‘To achieve that, I need a lot of money.’

Aristine put her business plan on hold.

Now was the time to get Tarcan’s cooperation.

The door, which had been firmly closed, opened as if permission had been granted.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Tarcan was visible.

He turned his head toward the door with a look of annoyance, but then froze as if surprised by something.

A slight widening of his eyes revealed his unhidden agitation.

The woman from earlier, whom she had seen through the imperial eye, was standing beside him.

She seemed to be serving tea.

‘She doesn’t look like a maid.’

Well, not only maids serve tea.

The woman was also looking at Aristine with surprise.

Then she glanced at Tarcan’s expression, her eyes showing unease.

‘Why is she like that?’

Aristine entered the room with a question in her mind.

“...Princess?”

Tarcan managed to ask.

Aristine nodded, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Even with her questioning attitude, Tarcan couldn’t answer.

‘Is she really the princess?’

Forget being a wife, I just want to make money.