Chapter 36

“Cough”

Tarkan hit his chest due to the cough that seemed to rise from his lungs.

He was so shaken that he not only coughed but almost slipped off the bed.

His neck and chest turned bright red as he glared at Aristine.

“I haven’t been with anyone...!”

Just as he said that, his eyes met Aristine’s.

Tarkan turned his head sharply.

“Enough!”

Seeing Tarkan turn his head away, Aristine tilted her head.

Seeing his appearance, as if he would burst if touched, a realization dawned on her.

“Oh... You couldn’t break it... Oh dear...”

Aristine sighed regretfully and apologized.

“Sorry.”

Tarkan looked at Aristine, dumbfounded.

Aristine looked dejected, genuinely appearing very apologetic.

This made it even more absurd.

What on earth was she thinking to feel so sorry!

He thought he understood, but he didn’t want to know.

As Tarkan’s outfit burst open, Aristine began to make excuses.

“No, that’s... I thought you could definitely break a bed.”

Her gaze flicked to Tarkan.

His body, tightly packed with muscles, looked solid at a glance, and the chest muscles visible through the loose nightshirt were particularly thick.

“Hmm, surprisingly... Actually, it’s not common to be able to break it. I hope you’re not too disappointed.”

Tarkan’s temples throbbed as the two headaches started again.

“Exactly, what kind of injury are you talking about?”

As he asked, enunciating each word, Aristine was startled and waved her hands.

“No, I didn’t mean it maliciously! They say this is about a man’s pride. I didn’t mean to touch on that or anything...”

“So, where exactly did you touch my pride?”

At that, Aristine shrugged her shoulders.

With her big eyes, she looked at Tarkan, unsure of what to do, then smiled reassuringly and patted his back.

“Oh, of course! Our Tarkan can break a bed! I just didn’t know that.”

Aristine clenched her fists and nodded, as if she understood everything.

“You can break it into two, no, four pieces! With one go, it will ‘crack!’ and the bed will break! You’re the king of beds!”

“Ha...”

Now, he couldn’t even speak.

Tarkan just exhaled in disbelief.

He really wanted to open this woman’s small head and see what was inside.

As Tarkan bowed his head and sighed, Aristine’s mood also sank.

She shouldn’t have brought it up.

“Don’t be too disheartened. You’re still young, so you can become even better. I’ll earn a lot of money and feed you things that are good for your vigor!”

She offered this as compensation, but the look she got in return was even more bewildered.

“What do you think of me...”

At that, Aristine tilted her head.

She thought she had told him he was a pretty good partner last time, maybe he wanted a compliment?

That could be it.

‘He’s trying to heal his wounded pride with compliments! I have to really encourage him this time.’

Determined, Aristine met Tarkan’s eyes seriously and spoke.

“You’re just shy...”

“Stop right there.”

Tarkan cut her off.

‘I was the one at fault.’

He shook his head.

He didn’t want to hear perverted comments on their wedding night.

Tarkan felt extremely tired and flopped back onto the bed.

Aristine cautiously observed his mood and then lay down beside him.

Their arms touched again.

Their body heat dyed their skin the same temperature.

Tarkan closed his eyes, trying not to think about anything, not to recall anything.

He was going to sleep.

He had no energy left to deal with this woman.

So, he was going to sleep without saying anything...

“...I’ve never broken a bed.”

Tarkan suddenly said.

Aristine turned her head slightly to look at him, which he could feel through the bed’s vibrations.

Tarkan stubbornly refused to look at her, still keeping his eyes closed.

“But I can break one.”

At that, Aristine moved her hand and patted his arm.

“Yeah, yeah. Of course.”

“It’s just that I haven’t tried.”

“Sure, sure, if our Tarkan tries, he will definitely break it!”

Aristine cooed and soothed Tarkan.

The effect was tremendous.

With a jolt, Tarkan roughly sat up.

“I really can break it!”

The problem was that the effect was counterproductive.

Crack.

With a clean sound, the bed frame made of sandalwood split into two.

At the same time, the mattress sank.

Of course, Aristine, who was lying on it, sank as well.

“......”

“......”

Aristine blinked, lying on the mattress that had collapsed in a strange shape due to the broken bed frame.

Blink, blink, blink.

‘So, so, right now...’

Oh my, the bed is broken.

‘Is that the situation?’

It took a while to process such an absurd event.

Aristine sat up abruptly.

The mattress was so soft that it absorbed all the shock, and she didn’t feel any pain.

“Wait, if the bed is broken, where will we sleep!”

Tarkan turned his head slightly.

“On the floor.”

“I like soft things!”

She had been singing praises of a good bed all along.

‘To end up like this...’

Aristine hung her head.

Feeling a surge of anger as she lay on the distorted mattress.

“...Who really breaks something like this? It’s only real if it breaks while you’re doing it!”

“So, I just haven’t tried, but I can do it!”

“You talk a good game without even trying!”

“What will you do if I try!”

“Try it! Try it!”

“I really will!”

“Go on, try it!”

Tarkan’s large body moved quickly, like a predator blending into the darkness.

Aristine closed her eyes as his movement blocked her view.

When she opened her eyes again, Tarkan was on top of her.

Aristine, who had been sitting, was now lying on the mattress.

Her long hair spread out on the bed.

Her silver hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight.

The deep shadow cast by Tarkan’s body covered Aristine.

The flickering candlelight dyed half of her face crimson.

Her purple eyes, illuminated by the light, had a strange hue.

Tarkan’s golden eyes were the same.

They were eyes that seemed to pierce through Aristine.

Their eyes met from a distance so close that their breaths could be felt.

Time seemed to stop, their gazes entwined, and they remained still.

It was impossible to tell if it was a very short moment or a long time, as the moon moved.

Time itself seemed to elude their senses.

It was a moment that felt like it would last forever.

Creak, something grated, and the bed frame, already broken and misaligned, collapsed under the weight.

The mattress jolted, and the two of them snapped out of their daze.

“Um, this doesn’t seem right, does it?”

Aristine asked Tarkan with an awkward smile.

Tarkan finally realized their position on the bed.

The softness of the woman’s chest, rising and falling, repeatedly touched his chest.

Due to the rough movements, Aristine’s nightshirt had ridden up to her thighs.

Her legs were so white they hurt to look at.

The gentle curve of her calf and the roundness of her knee continued in a curve.

His thick thighs were...

Bolt upright!

Tarkan, now bright red, violently sat up.

The mattress jolted from the force.

Aristine slowly sat up, watching him run his hand through his hair.

‘...What is it?’

She furrowed her brow slightly. She had felt an indescribable feeling just now, but she didn’t know what it was.

She thought about it for a moment but still couldn’t figure it out, so Aristine gave up.

There was a bigger problem now.

‘How do I clean this up?’

She looked at the remains of the bed, which no longer functioned as a bed.

At that moment, Tarkan lifted the mattress and placed it on the intact floor.

The mattress itself was fine; it was just that the frame supporting it had broken.

It was almost a miracle of human engineering.

‘How did the palace servants get such a mattress?’

She remembered the servants thumping their chests and insisting on self-reliance.

‘They are indeed capable. I must recruit them...’

Just as Aristine reaffirmed her resolve to recruit the palace servants,

Tarkan neatly covered the mattress with the bedsheet and spread the blanket.

He stood in front of it, hesitating.

He rubbed his neck and glared at a corner of the room, then muttered.

“Sleep here.”

Aristine looked at him.

Tarkan, without looking at her, added.

“You said you like soft things.”

Her eyes caught the redness of his earlobe, visible through his hair, perhaps due to the crimson candlelight.

After a moment, Aristine lifted the blanket.

She sat on the bed he had made and quietly spoke.

“Tarkan.”

“What.”

Tarkan still didn’t look at her.

“Where will you sleep?”

“On the floor.”

Aristine fell silent.

She had intended to do so.

But how could she, when Tarkan had made the bed and given it to her?

Especially since they had agreed to just hold hands because Tarkan didn’t like sleeping on the floor.

“Don’t worry.”

Aristine looked up at Tarkan’s back.

The moonlight coming through the window was backlight.

It made Tarkan’s black hair ends look as if they were holding light.

“We agreed to just hold hands, remember?”

Tarkan slowly turned to face her.

His expression was hard to see due to the backlight.

Aristine reached out her hand to him.

Her lips drew a soft curve.

It was a rather natural smile.

“Do you trust me?”

Tarkan looked down at Aristine.

Her face, illuminated by the moonlight, had a different hue from usual.

It was delicate, faint, but as firmly bright as the moon in the dark night sky.

‘What a strange woman.’

A smile he didn’t realize was on his face.

‘Where did she learn that line?’

For some reason, it seemed to have tremendous persuasive power.

And it was indeed true.

Tarkan, who had intended to sleep on the floor, lay down next to Aristine.

The bed was still too small for two people, so their bodies touched.

A fragrance wafted.

The scent of flowers from the corridor they had walked together.

Just as Tarkan, feeling an indescribable discomfort, was about to curl up to the side,

“.............!”

Something soft, warm, and squishy touched Tarkan’s hand.

It was a familiar sensation.

Aristine’s hand.

Tarkan held his breath.

His mind went blank, unable to think of anything.

His body felt as stiff as a board, unable to move a finger.

He remained still, barely breathing, for a long time.

When Tarkan finally managed to turn his head,

Snore, snore.

Aristine was already asleep, breathing softly.

Her face, peaceful in sleep, looked like a fairy from a myth.

Her long silver eyelashes, dyed crimson, resembled marigolds.

The shadows on her face, cast by the flickering candlelight, also swayed.

Her delicate and intricate face had no flaws.

It was hard to imagine that a peculiar and eccentric soul lay within.

Their hands, warmed by their body heat, grew even warmer.

Tarkan felt he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Chapter 11. Egg Thud!

The chirping of birds was a pleasant sound in his ears.

Aristine slowly opened her eyes as the sunlight gently caressed her face.

The bright morning sun welcomed her with open arms, heralding the start of a new day.

Aristine stretched and got up, feeling refreshed.

She had a happy dream and slept soundly.

‘After all, a soft bed is the best.’

Although the real bed was shattered in the middle of the room, Aristine was satisfied.

It was her first time sleeping with someone, and the bed was narrow, but it turned out there was no need to worry.

Feeling refreshed from a good night’s sleep, Aristine greeted the person next to her.

“Good morning.”

But the response was strange.

Tarkan was gripping the collar of his nightshirt, staring at her with hollow eyes.

His gaze was like that of someone looking at a shameless person.

As if he had been robbed of his innocence by her.

‘Forget being a husband, I’ll just earn money.’