Chapter 8

"Oh, my."

Aristine smiled gently at Stalina.

"I just asked if there was something you wanted to say, but I didn't expect things to turn out this way."

She clicked her tongue softly and continued.

"I feel uneasy seeing the princess kneeling like this. Come, please stand up."

Aristine's demeanor as she helped Stalina up was the epitome of a superior.

Her generous and calm attitude.

King Ailugo's eyes sparkled as he watched her.

'Smart, Aristine.'

Throughout the entire ordeal, Aristine never lost her temper.

She neither scolded nor demanded an apology.

It was Paellamien who moved first.

'She knows her political standing well and uses it to her advantage.'

The second princess was a clever girl.

To rattle and manipulate Paellamien, who usually blended in so well, was no small feat.

If things had gone wrong, Aristine might have been blamed for disrupting the peace as soon as she arrived in Ailugo.

'Bold, but just right. Not at all excessive.'

If Aristine had overstepped even a little, the situation would have worsened.

And that would have been a worse outcome than just letting Stalina have her way.

Ailugo and Sylvanus had been long-time enemies, and now they were finally trying to establish friendly relations.

Stalina was rude.

But if Sylvanus' princess had to kneel and beg Ailugo's princess, the fragile peace would shatter like thin ice.

Moreover, Ailugo was the victorious nation, and Sylvanus the defeated.

But what was the current situation?

In the end, the older princess had scolded the younger one, making it an internal matter of Ailugo.

The king had silently observed, hoping for something from Aristine.

But even if he hadn't, she had handled it in a way that left him no room to criticize her.

There was nothing to fault in her words.

Even if there were, she had already created a way out.

'I thought it would be a relief if she could at least meet my gaze properly.'

The king's gaze swept over Aristine's expressionless face.

In fact, what he had wanted was naturally Sylvanus' second princess.

Who would want the first princess, who had such a significant issue of being under house arrest?

When he heard that the first princess was coming, King Ailugo clicked his tongue and frowned.

It was disappointing, but he thought it didn't matter.

What was important was the person who could end this war and eliminate Tarkan's political weakness.

She wasn't under house arrest due to any flaws in her legitimacy, bloodline, or physical condition; she had just fallen out of favor with the emperor.

Tarkan had hoped to meet a wise political partner, but...

'Even just breathing, she fulfills her minimum value. As long as she doesn't cause trouble...'

The king shook his head.

It was rare. His judgment or thoughts were not entirely wrong.

But it was a pleasant miscalculation.

'The emperor of Sylvanus sent such a gem without recognizing her worth to Ailugo.'

He was originally a greedy and foolish person.

"Stop standing around and sit down. What are you doing, suddenly barging in for tea time?"

The king gestured for the prince and princesses to sit, settling the situation.

They realized they had been standing and talking and blushed.

It meant they had been swayed by Aristine.

"Yes, Father. Yenika was surprised."

Yenikarina clung to the king's arm, cooing and batting her eyes.

"Why are you all acting this way on such a joyful day? Speaking rudely to the princess, or being too harsh on your sister."

Stalina and Paellamien flinched under Yenikarina's gaze.

"Yenika is so sad."

She pouted at Aristine.

"We're about to become family, and this is the first impression you see. What if the princess misunderstands and thinks we dislike her?"

It was a cute pout mixed with a bit of a tantrum.

Aristine didn't react, so Yenikarina started talking to her directly.

"I don't understand why everyone is treating the princess this way."

Her large eyes were the same turquoise blue as the king's.

"Yenika is so happy to have an older sister."

She smiled sweetly.

Aristine, who had been watching her, slowly lifted the corners of her mouth.

Yenikarina reached out to Aristine with a familiar smile.

"Can Yenika call the princess 'Lina-nee'?"

Aristine's smile deepened.

"Of course."

"Wow—!"

Yenikarina clasped her hands to her chest and beamed, a face as lovely as her gesture.

"...It feels like I'm seeing my own younger sister."

Aristine smiled faintly, thinking of her younger sister in Sylvanus.

"The second princess?"

"Yes, she's very beautiful and lovely."

She really was.

Even when she saw her in person as a child, and later through the Imperial Eye while under house arrest.

'Even when she put me under house arrest, she was so lovely.'

Aristine's faint smile bloomed like a flower.

"Will you think of me as your younger sister? I'm so happy!"

Yenikarina blushed, but couldn't hide her excitement and anticipation.

Her eyes sparkled with joy, forming a crescent shape.

But beneath that innocent face, she had different thoughts.

'Hmph, too easy.'

Indeed, her lovely face was her most powerful weapon, effective everywhere.

Even Aristine, a foreigner, was immediately charmed and lost her composure.

'After all, she lived alone under house arrest, so she must be desperate for any kindness.'

Here, Aristine was surrounded by Ailugo people, who were probably more mature than her.

Seeing someone as cute and lovely as herself, it was natural for her to be moved.

'At least our builds are somewhat similar, so she might feel nostalgic for her hometown.'

Yenikarina's maternal grandmother was from a foreign country.

Yenikarina, inheriting that blood, was softer in appearance compared to other Ailugo people.

That's why Aristine thought of her younger sister.

'Ah, boring. I can't embarrass her in front of my father. If she likes me too much, it will be troublesome.'

Yenikarina's eyes flicked to her father.

King Ailugo was pleased with Aristine.

He made no effort to hide it.

'...For now, I should pretend to be close to her.'

It would please her father.

'Think positively. It will be easier to stab her in the back later.'

While thinking this, she met Tarkan's eyes.

Yenikarina smiled sweetly.

She enjoyed the disgust that briefly appeared on Tarkan's face.

'Anyway, if I can manipulate this foolish princess well, it will help my brother.'

It would be fine if Tarkan warned Aristine not to be close to her.

Approaching the princess, who had been living alone and craving human warmth, with brightness and familiarity.

A large, rough, and fearsome political marriage partner who didn't love her.

Who would the princess be more wary of?

'Yes, that would be quite amusing.'

Yenikarina smiled slyly at Aristine.

"Lina-nee, if you're uncomfortable in the palace, come to Yenika. I'll help you with anything, really anything."

Including her relationship with her husband.

Yenikarina's wink made Aristine smile back.

"That's very kind of you."

It was the answer she wanted, but Yenikarina's lips tightened slightly.

'Is... is she being subtly rude now?'

Is this halfwit looking down on her?!

"Ah, sorry. Princess Yenika, can I speak more casually?"

'How dare she.'

But Yenikarina managed to smile.

What an annoying woman.

She says sorry, but her expressionless face shows no remorse, making it even more irritating.

"It's just that... I'm more reserved than I thought."

Before she could finish, Aristine spoke.

"It's because you remind me of my sister. You said you wanted me to think of you as a sister, right?"

'What?'

Yenikarina was speechless.

"Was it just a polite gesture? I can't tell the difference. I thought you were sincere."

Aristine lowered her gaze.

Indeed, a beauty like her could instantly look pitiful with just that.

Marten sighed sympathetically, making Yenikarina even more irritated.

'How can she be sincere?! How dare you think of me as a sister!'

The only person who could think of her as a sister was Hamir.

But in the end, what she said was...

"Of course! I was sincere, sincere."

Yenikarina forced a bright smile.

"Is that okay?"

Aristine's casual tone made a crack appear in Yenikarina's smiling face.

Despite always maintaining a smile, today was the hardest day to do so.

'Damn. She must be clueless from living alone, right?'

But from what she saw earlier with Paellamien, she didn't seem clueless.

Anyway, if the other side is being casual, there's no need to use formal language.

"Um, then Yenika can call you—"

"Ah."

Aristine interrupted her.

"My sister always uses formal language with me. Even when she was very young, she never spoke casually."

"......"

Yenikarina was momentarily speechless.

Her mind was blank.

Then, a laugh burst out from beside her.

"Ha!"

It was Marten.

He tried to suppress his laughter but couldn't stop it from escaping, his shoulders shaking.

After a moment, Yenikarina smiled.

"Marten-oppa."

"Wh-what?"

"What's so funny? Yenika wants to know too."

"Wh-what? Well, it's just..."

"What is it?"

"Sorry."

"What are you sorry for? Did you do something wrong to Yenika?"

Aristine watched Marten squirm under Yenikarina's attack indifferently before turning her gaze.

In fact, she had been watching someone else all along.

The emperor of Ailugo, Nefter.

His sharp eyes, similar to Tarkan's, were on her.

His turquoise eyes held a hint of interest.

'Good sign.'

She had only closed her mouth to avoid conflict with Stalina, but it seemed to have an unexpected effect.

The king had become interested in her because of it.

'He values Tarkan, so he must want a politically savvy woman as Tarkan's partner.'

Currently, Ailugo's crown prince had not been designated.

There were two factions in a fierce succession battle, one of which included her future husband, Tarkan, and the other, the queen's eldest son, Hamir.

Yenikarina, like Hamir, was the queen's child.

The other princes and princesses were all from different concubines.

'Except for Tarkan.'

Tarkan was not born from a properly appointed concubine.

He was born from a commoner mother.

This birth was Tarkan's political weakness.

Because of this, most of the royal family supported Hamir.

The most basic reason was their disdain for Tarkan's commoner birth.

More complexly, the existing noble forces were trying to exclude new forces that might share their power.

The nobles were tightly united to maintain the status quo.

'Politics is ultimately a struggle for interests.'

All the politics Aristine had seen through the Imperial Eye were like this.

* * *

As the royal family sat down, the palace servants brought out freshly brewed warm tea and pastries.

Aristine gazed in awe as the amber tea filled the teacup.

The aroma spread as the tea swirled in the cup, mixing with the air.

The shiny, glossy jelly that came with it looked delicious, and her eyes kept drifting to it.

'But today, I'm here to sell... no, to present myself as a good catch.'

Aristine needed to prove to Tarkan how good a catch she was.

And she was quite confident.

Aristine had an excellent memory.

She never forgot anything she had seen through the Imperial Eye.

In the secluded confinement palace, where she had no one, Aristine's activities were limited.

The Imperial Eye was not something she could use just because she wanted to, so Aristine spent her time reflecting on what she had already seen.

It was the only way she could live.

Sitting alone, she would recall the outside world she had seen reflected in the water, over and over again.

Memory is a skill that can be trained.

Aristine forgot less and remembered more.

This habit also made her more observant when using the Imperial Eye to see the past, present, and future.

Not just conversations, but the beauty of the flowers behind people, the blueness of the sky, the sparkle of the sunlight.

She would store these in her heart and cherish them in her dimly lit room.

Her observational skills could only improve.

So why was this important now?

Because Aristine had seen King Ailugo through the Imperial Eye.

Not just once, but many times.

Because of this, Aristine knew secrets about the king that even Tarkan didn't know.

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