Chapter 3

“Huh............!”

A collective gasp escaped from the Ailugoans as they inhaled sharply.

Aristine’s words were met with disbelief.

Durante’s expression was quite something to see.

Everyone reacted as if they had just witnessed a bomb being swallowed right before their eyes.

“Khum.”

Durante cleared his throat once to lighten the atmosphere.

“There was a demon beast outbreak.”

So, that’s why they rushed out, Aristine realized.

‘It wasn’t just a hunt, but a demon beast hunt, I see.’

If that’s the case, it makes sense that he left his seat when his fiancée was coming.

‘But.’

“Why didn’t you tell me that from the beginning?”

Despite Aristine’s sharp question, Durante’s expression didn’t change as he calmly replied.

“You asked where it was, so I answered that question.”

Aristine paused at this.

That’s true. He didn’t exactly lie to her.

Aristine looked at Durante and slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.

“Lying isn’t the only way to deceive someone.”

Given that this was their first meeting and the other party was wary of her, it might be better to be more amiable. She smiled appropriately without pressing the issue.

First impressions are important.

But at least Aristine had no intention of doing so.

It’s different from when she was in the empire.

Now that she has escaped that tedious place, she plans to move in Ailugo.

‘I’m done cowering.’

If she tolerates it in their first meeting, they might think it’s okay to continue giving her misleading information.

This needs to be made clear from the start.

‘People who are wary of and dislike me’

In other words, since they have no expectations of her, there’s no need for her to meet those expectations, right?

“Giving a half-truth that leads to a false conclusion is also a form of deception.”

For the first time, a hint of confusion appeared in Durante’s eyes.

Aristine stared directly into his eyes, her gaze sharp.

Durante momentarily held his breath.

Despite her dirty face, mixed with dirt, dust, and sweat, the princess’s eyes were striking.

Her eyes, a deep purple like the sky at dawn, were captivating.

“I hope you don’t try to deceive me again.”

* * *

Durante suggested that the princess wash and change her clothes before going to the palace.

However, Silvanus immediately objected.

‘Are you daring to say our princess is dirty? ’

‘What is your intention in making our princess wear Ailugo’s clothes before she enters the palace? ’

It was absurd that they suddenly cared about what the princess did when they hadn’t bothered before.

After a few exchanges, the polished Silvanus refused to back down.

Since he couldn’t start a conflict without his lord present, Durante had to step back.

“Can we really bring her to the palace in this state?”

“There’s no other way.”

“What do we care about what the Silvanus say?”

“Do you want to create a national dispute during a political marriage? Who will clean up the mess?”

“Looking at her, it seems a conflict will happen regardless.”

That’s true.

The king of Ailugo would feel insulted upon seeing the princess and the delegation.

The king wants a complete end to the war.

So, while the political marriage won’t be broken, there will be some noise.

And that noise will be the lord’s burden.

Moreover, the rude attitude of the Silvanus clearly indicates they are deliberately seeking conflict.

“Even so, the conflict shouldn’t start with us.”

The warriors fell silent at this.

Durante hoped no one was in Tarcan’s palace.

‘It’s a vain hope, but at least the king is unlikely to come in person, which is some comfort.’

“Still, I didn’t expect the princess to be like this.”

Everyone knew he didn’t mean she looked shabby.

“She’s something else. So different from what I imagined.”

“Our lord, he’s, quite shy… Haha!”

Laughter spread among the warriors.

At first, it was shocking and even frightening, but the more they thought about it, the more they laughed.

Only the princess could say such things to their lord.

“I like her.”

“Me too.”

“Yeah, much better than I imagined. I was surprised in a different way when I first saw her.”

Durante turned his gaze to the carriage the princess was in, listening to the warriors’ chatter.

The carriage was luxurious and ornate, making it hard to believe the disheveled princess was inside.

What’s her story?

It was natural to wonder.

The princess’s eyes from earlier were unforgettable.

Even in her dirty face, her eyes shone like stars in the night sky.

They were transparent, as if you could see through them, yet deep like the ocean, impossible to fathom.

Durante quickly dismissed these thoughts. His priority was his lord.

“Don’t be too trusting. The Silvanus are cunning, and you can’t read their intentions. The princess might be here to kill our lord.”

Chapter 2. Pervert

‘Do these people expect the princess more than our lord?’

‘The one who will marry the princess is our lord, not them.’

The warriors frowned at the crowd gathered at Tarcan’s palace.

They couldn’t say anything about the lord’s siblings.

While the lord couldn’t come to meet the bride due to the demon beast, the other royals seemed so leisurely to come and watch.

‘At least the king didn’t come.’

Fortunately, the king didn’t see the princess’s dirty state.

However, the future wasn’t looking positive.

The intentions of the lord’s siblings were clear.

‘They’re here to spy on the lord’s bride and find ways to belittle her.’

Even if she were perfect, they would find faults.

But the princess was clearly flawed.

Seeing her face through the luxurious carriage, the royals couldn’t help but sigh.

They expected a bride fitting the carriage.

Please, don’t let the carriage door open. Let it break down. Or let lightning strike.

Unfortunately, the door opened smoothly.

“Goodness!”

“What is this...”

The princess, dressed in rags, appeared.

People were so shocked they couldn’t even mock her at first.

But soon,

“Haha!”

Mocking laughter erupted.

“Truly a match for her lowly blood.”

“Her level is fitting.”

“I expected more from the princess of Silvanus, but she looks worse than a beggar under the Panu River.”

The insults and mockery continued.

Countless sharp gazes pierced Aristine.

The new bride, arriving in a foreign land, was met with suffocating hostility.

Even the people from her own side, who should have protected her, laughed and ignored her.

Their eyes gleamed with more joy than anyone else’s.

“She won’t be welcomed in this state.”

“Did she think Ailugo would be different? She’s been acting strangely arrogant.”

“She’ll now realize her place and behave properly.”

Everyone except Tarcan’s warriors mocked and ridiculed Aristine.

At that moment,

The sound of fluttering fabric, and something soft and smooth enveloped Aristine.

‘Huh?’

Before she could understand what was happening, she was lifted.

Her feet left the ground, and strong hands supported her waist and thighs.

“Princess.”

A low, growling voice echoed in her ear.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Aristine realized someone had wrapped her in silk and carried her.

‘Hmm...?’

She understood what happened, but why does it feel wrong?

Aristine twisted her body in confusion.

But the man holding her didn’t budge.

He lifted his arms, making Aristine lean against his chest.

His embrace was so broad that she was buried in his hot, firm chest.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing, touching her like that!”

A Silvanus knight shouted at the man.

Of course, he wasn’t reprimanding the man for touching the princess.

“Do you know what this silk is? It’s so precious it can’t be exchanged for a golden chest! It’s specially for the king of Ailugo...”

The knight’s voice trailed off.

His mouth clamped shut, and his eyes trembled like a ship in a storm.

Completely overpowered, he looked nervous.

Aristine was puzzled.

‘This man didn’t do anything special...’

When she looked up, her eyes met the man’s.

‘Ah, eyes like the sun, sparkling.’

Beautiful.

So bright, it was gold.

“So, what.”

The man’s lips moved smoothly, his voice low and threatening.

“I must give my bride the most precious thing.”

Bride?

Aristine realized.

Turning her gaze, she saw the warriors, including Durante, bowing before the man.

The sight of rough warriors bowing in unison was impressive.

Behind them, the Silvanus knights were visibly upset but couldn’t approach or say anything.

It was the first time she saw these arrogant people act this way, especially towards the Ailugoans they usually mocked.

The man’s overwhelming presence was that powerful.

‘This man is...’

Their eyes met again.

This time, she clearly recognized him.

‘He’s the one who will be my husband.’

* * *

Tarcan glanced at the gathered siblings.

They averted their eyes, turning their heads.

Seeing them as unworthy, Tarcan strode into the palace.

The palace staff knelt, welcoming their master.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

Tarcan gently placed Aristine on a large sofa.

“Misunderstand?”

The palace staff were shocked by Aristine’s casual response.

No one had ever spoken to their master so easily.

Usually, people tried not to but still felt intimidated. Aristine’s face, however, showed no such reaction.

“It’s not because I like you.”

‘Of course not.’

Aristine agreed with Tarcan.

She never had such thoughts.

She knew her appearance without a mirror.

She lifted her arm and sniffed.

Sweat, not perfume.

‘If he liked me, that would be dangerous, right?’

A taste for falling in love with a dust ball.

It was almost insulting to call him a pervert.

‘Ah, he means don’t misunderstand him as a pervert.’

But strong denial can be a form of affirmation.

‘So...’

“Pervert?”

“What?”

Tarcan was bewildered by her sudden outburst.

Calling him a pervert out of nowhere.

Despite her words, her face remained calm.

‘No, it doesn’t matter.’

“Clean this woman.”

Tarcan clicked his tongue and ordered the palace staff.

First, he needed to deal with her dirty, dusty appearance.

“We’re not married yet.”

But the woman suddenly said this.

At first, he was confused, but then he understood.

Women always wanted this from him.

Tarcan smiled crookedly.

“I won’t eat you after you’re clean. Who would want a dirty woman like you.”

After saying this, he realized it wasn’t appropriate for a woman raised in the palace.

Moreover, the word ‘dirty’ could be interpreted differently.

Tarcan glanced at Aristine but quickly lost interest.

‘It doesn’t matter what she thinks.’

She was just a marriage partner by royal decree, not important to him.

“Eat...?”

But her words unsettled him.

Though he said it first, hearing it from the woman who would be his wife felt different.

“You...”

The woman paused, then scanned him from head to toe before saying,

“Pervert.”

It was a definitive statement.

Forget being a husband, he just wanted to make money.