Chapter 37

‘...Why is he acting like that?’

Aristine looked at Tarkan, who suddenly started behaving strangely, with a puzzled expression.

"Why are you like this? Did you have a nightmare?"

As she said this, she reached out her hand to him—

Thump.

Tarkan clutched his nightclothes tighter and stepped back.

Aristine, with her hand still extended in the air, looked at him in bewilderment.

She felt as if she had really become a pervert.

Someone who had teased an innocent young man in various ways.

‘I just slept...’

She felt wronged to be treated like this.

"What's wrong? Why are you like this?"

In response to Aristine's question, Tarkan looked at her with a face full of suspicion and spat out a reply.

It felt like looking at a large black leopard with its fur bristling.

"You said you would just hold hands while sleeping."

Confused by this even more, Aristine tilted her head.

She had not done anything more than holding hands.

She had fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow; what could she have done?

After looking at her hand for a moment, she suddenly realized.

"Oh, I must have let go of your hand in my sleep. I'm sorry."

It seemed he was upset because she had let go of his hand halfway through, despite promising to hold it.

Despite his appearance as a lazy yet dangerous beast, her husband seemed to be the type who got upset easily.

‘He really is a high-maintenance man.’

She thought this, but it was true that she had not kept her promise.

Aristine moved closer to comfort him.

But Tarkan glared at her with a hardened expression.

"What are you doing now?"

His low, narrowed voice was colder than ice.

If someone else had heard it, they would have turned pale and immediately knelt down and prostrated themselves.

Unfortunately, to Aristine, he looked like a little black leopard baring its teeth, upset because she had not held his hand.

"Alright, it was my fault. You must be disappointed. I'll make sure to hold your hand tightly and not let go from now on, okay?"

Seeing her looking up at him and speaking in a soothing manner, Tarkan suffered from a migraine even before the day had properly started.

It was no wonder.

He had not slept a wink all night.

‘What is this woman...’

It was not because he was worried about the woman lying next to him that he could not sleep.

‘She treated me like...’

It was so absurd and ridiculous that it was almost funny.

‘She touched me...!’

He had not been able to sleep because he had been teased by a woman.

The veins on Tarkan's forehead bulged.

"Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know?"

His sharp, golden eyes, like those of a predator, glared at Aristine with a menacing look.

It was a gaze that made the hair on his entire body stand on end.

"Did you forget that you were rubbing my chest all night?"

Aristine blinked at his words, spoken as if he were grinding them out.

"Rubbing your chest?"

Tarkan's eyes grew even more menacing, with a hint of embarrassment.

Aristine was incredulous.

"Me?"

"Who else?"

"You?"

At this, Tarkan pursed his lips.

His cheeks turned slightly red as he averted his gaze.

This was as good as an admission, so Aristine let out a sigh of exasperation.

‘So, I really did rub Tarkan's chest?’

After thinking it over, she realized how absurd it sounded.

"There's no way."

She shook her head, chuckling as if she had heard a funny joke.

Tarkan's veins bulged even more at her reaction.

I wish it had been a joke.

He recalled the sensation of her soft hands rubbing his chest all night.

Her delicate fingers traced the contours, pressing firmly, and then massaged with her whole palm as if it were her own.

He never thought he would experience such a thing in his life.

He wanted to scold her for what she was doing, but incredibly, Aristine was still sound asleep.

And she was sleeping deeply.

‘How could she... do so many... varied and elaborate... hand movements while sleeping...’

Tarkan's hand, gripping his nightclothes, trembled.

If he squeezed any harder, the nightclothes would surely tear, so he barely managed to control himself.

He could not show his bare chest to this woman.

Surprised by Tarkan's unexpected reaction, Aristine's laughter gradually faded.

She thought he would have confessed the truth by now.

‘What is it?’

Aristine observed Tarkan.

‘Could it be...?’

Was it really true?

At least, Tarkan's reaction suggested it was.

‘Now that I think about it...’

A memory suddenly came to mind.

"I had a dream..."

At this, Tarkan flinched.

A dream.

It must have been a naughty dream.

No, it was definitely a naughty dream. He was certain of it. It was clear!

Otherwise, such... technical skills would not have emerged.

Even though he denied it, Aristine, like other women, must have wanted his body.

Her trembling pupils and flustered expression were proof.

She must have been confused by the intense dream she had.

Aristine's lips parted as if she was about to confess.

"I had a dream about kneading bread."

"Bread?"

"Yes, it was a really well-risen, warm loaf. The texture was amazing."

As she spoke, Aristine seemed to recall the scene from her dream and licked her lips.

"It looked delicious, but I couldn't eat it."

Her eyes became wistful and affectionate, as if reminiscing about a lost lover.

"Since it was bread, it was a bit firm. They said it would become softer if I kneaded it, so... I, um, kneaded it, and it... "

Aristine bowed her head deeply.

"...I'm sorry."

Tarkan looked at Aristine's head, feeling both exasperated and speechless.

The woman who had treated his well-risen, warm chest like a loaf of bread was now bowing her head in apology.

So absurd that he had no energy left to be angry.

This proved one thing.

Among those who say they will only hold hands while sleeping, there is no one trustworthy.

* * *

Aristine thought it was morning, but in fact, the time she woke up was well into the afternoon.

The palace servants were smiling happily as they helped Aristine with her meal.

Nourishing food was prepared for her, considering the possible exhaustion from the previous night.

Although the one who was exhausted was the new husband, not the new wife, the servants did not know this.

Tarkan left after Aristine woke up, saying he had matters to attend to.

Aristine did not think it was strange that he would go to work on their first day of marriage.

The servants felt the same way.

They were not disappointed but rather surprised.

'That' His Highness Tarkan waited in the bedroom until the bride woke up.

It was hard to believe even after seeing it with their own eyes.

The same went for the warriors who had been with Tarkan for a long time.

They had gathered in the meeting room at dawn, waiting for their lord.

But no matter how much time passed, even when it was time for the morning meeting, Tarkan did not appear.

When they heard he was still in the bridal chamber, the warriors were in an uproar, wanting to confirm if it was true.

It was already a surprising event.

And then,

'The bed not only collapsed but shattered.'

No one could understand how such a thing could happen.

What had happened last night?

Something beyond imagination must have occurred.

They were not entirely wrong.

Something beyond their imagination did happen.

But it was not in the direction they were thinking.

Unaware of this, the servants glanced at Aristine, who was chewing on a buttered abalone.

'She even bathed alone.'

Aristine had never refused assistance in bathing before.

But today, she insisted on bathing alone and dismissed the attendants.

'How intense must the marks have been...!'

The perverts thought this and chuckled lewdly.

They were enjoying themselves just by imagining it.

But since they had been involved in everything from the bed to the lingerie and the decoration of the bridal chamber, they wanted to hear the details.

"Your Highness, Aristine."

"Yes?"

"How was it?"

It was an unexpected question.

Aristine, who was scooping up a pot-au-feu with plenty of beef, asked back.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean His Highness Tarkan."

Hmm, Aristine chewed the meat while looking around.

The servants were all staring at her with intense expressions.

They looked like puppies staring at a bone.

Not wanting to disappoint them, Aristine recalled the previous night with Tarkan.

She could not talk about him sleeping on the floor or only holding hands.

Then there was the incident with the bed breaking.

'So...'

There was one special thing.

"It was soft."

She had expected the man's chest muscles to be firm, but they were surprisingly soft.

"Oh, His Highness Tarkan?"

Tarkan was the only person in the world who would describe him as soft.

The servants' eyes sparkled like the Milky Way.

'So, he is soft.'

'He is rough to others but gentle to his wife...'

'For such a fearsome man to be a gentle husband at night...'

The servants' mouths were agape in excitement.

Aristine tried to describe the texture of the bread she had touched in her dream.

"Yes, it was smooth, firm, and elastic."

"Oh my!"

It sounded like she was describing a specific part.

Her description was too explicit.

The servants were shocked and their eyes widened.

Of course, their mouths were also wide open.

"Was it big?"

"Very big."

Aristine nodded and looked at her hand.

Although she did not know the exact size because she had touched it in her sleep, the bread in her dream was really huge.

Moreover,

"It was hot."

It was warm like a freshly baked loaf.

Aristine's expression became dreamy as she recalled the well-risen, tempting bread.

She felt happy just thinking about it.

'What a hot night...'

'So, it was that good.'

'I'm glad it was a good match.'

'Indeed, you two are a perfect match...'

The servants laughed with delight.

"Please eat more, Your Highness."

"Yes, you need to eat more to keep up with His Highness Tarkan's stamina."

"How can His Highness Tarkan do such things to such a delicate and small person?"

"Especially to the point of breaking the bed..."

"That's right. People should have a conscience and not be so greedy."

"He should have only broken one leg of the bed, considering the size difference."

"Yes, it looks like Her Highness Aristine might fly away."

To clarify, Aristine was not small in Silvanus.

'Is he criticizing or praising him?'

Aristine looked at the chattering servants.

Despite their critical words, their expressions were full of praise.

They were not just praising but giving high praise with their expressions.

Aristine understood the misunderstanding the servants had.

She did not correct it.

She had even partly intended to let them misunderstand.

She wanted it to be known that she and Tarkan had a good relationship.

'I'm worried about Diona...'

Aristine thought while finishing a strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

It would be uncomfortable for her lover to be involved in such rumors with another woman.

Tarkan would probably say nothing happened, but...

'No, something did happen.'

She had inadvertently taken Tarkan's chest's purity.

After pondering for a moment, Aristine felt it didn't matter as she savored the combination of fresh strawberries and soft cheesecake.

'They will figure it out on their own.'

Lovers should not have a third party interfere.

Now was the time to focus on the remaining cheesecake.

While eating the dessert diligently, Aristine realized something.

'I didn't eat the egg.'

A boiled egg was cutely placed on top of a luxurious egg cup.

She had forgotten about the boiled egg because she had never eaten such a dish before.

'Can't help it. I've already had dessert.'

Just as she thought this,

Bang!

The dining room door opened with a loud noise.

Aristine knew who it was without looking.

There were only a few people in the palace who would act so rudely.

Sure enough, when she looked up, Silvanus's maid, Brodie, was standing there, fidgeting.

"Princess!"

Her shrill voice echoed through the dining room.

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? Didn't you hear the news from last night?"

"What news?"

"News that something happened to the knights!"

Brodie exclaimed, sounding exasperated.

"Something happened?"

Aristine, who had never heard of it, widened her eyes and tilted her head.

At the same time, she lifted a small spoon with her right hand.

Using the snap of her wrist, she brought it down.

Snap!

The egg cracked with a crisp sound.

Brodie's face crumpled at the sight.

Forget about a husband, I'll earn money.