Chapter 4

Tarcan's brow twitched with shame at the misunderstanding.

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

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

“Just thinking that...”

About the dust and dirt.

She had omitted this, in her own way, out of respect for his peculiar tastes.

“You were the one who said you hadn’t washed yet.”

Tarcan said this in a low, grinding voice.

But such a threat wouldn’t work on Aristine.

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

The woman looked at Tarcan up and down again.

“You’re not exactly clean yourself.”

Don’t you wash when you’re dirty?

Her eyes were asking this.

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 we’re not married yet.”

So, they should 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 couldn’t be helped since he had come straight back after the battle.

When he was holding the woman wrapped in 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 is a symbol of victory. A mark of battle and a warrior’s pride.

Yet, she called it dirty. And not just a little dirty.

How can 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 him.

But the woman was calm. She showed no fear, no reverence.

“......”

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 name of a prince’s wife.

“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 is she thinking now?

‘Is she calling a normal person a pervert again?’

No matter how he narrowed his eyes, 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 figure remained in his sight for a while.

Her red silk fluttered like wings with each step.

“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 is unlike you, Your Highness. What were you so absorbed in?”

At this, Tarcan frowned.

He realized he had been distracted by thoughts of the woman.

“I wasn’t thinking of anything.”

“Is that so.”

It seemed odd and bothered her, but Diona didn’t press further.

Prying here would only make Tarcan dislike her.

Instead, she spoke about Aristine in a gentle tone.

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

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

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

Diona hid her satisfied smile and moved 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 to be 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. She didn’t seem like a fool who couldn’t predict this. She didn’t seem to have any intention of insulting 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 look and lowered her eyes obediently.

Tarcan didn’t raise his voice, but she could feel his mood had slightly worsened.

The quick-witted Diona removed her body from his strong arm and straightened up.

“Still... she’s a mystery.”

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

“Yeah, she’s a real mystery.”

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.

“Really.”

Tarcan muttered, thinking of 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.

She did change a little, but not noticeably.

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

Her round, completely exposed purple eyes. She was much smaller and lighter than he 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.

Her expressionless face seemed rather composed. It looked more indifferent than scared.

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

He was also curious about why she was the only one who was dirty.

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! There’s even a bathtub!’

From 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.

Except when she was very young, she had never been bathed by others, so it felt a bit awkward, but she was born into royalty.

She didn’t have the notion that it was shameful to be seen by attendants.

Aristine 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.’

Seeing them wash her without complaint, politely and quickly, she thought this.

Now, Aristine was so dirty that she didn’t want anyone to touch her.

But it was impressive that they didn’t frown even once.

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 has excellent skills and charisma.’

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

“Please close your eyes again.”

Warm water flowed over her face.

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

‘Huh...?’

Lost in thought, Aristine realized something was off.

The hands that had been rubbing her face and body stopped.

‘Is it over?’

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 swayed.

And her mysterious, completely exposed purple eyes, like the early morning sky, were revealed.

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

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

“Is there a problem?”

At Aristine’s words, the attendants regained their composure and bowed.

“No, Princess.”

“We apologize.”

Aristine wondered what had made them react so strongly to her dirty state, but she kept quiet.

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

‘Ah, it’s good.’

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

Her body felt naturally relaxed.

Just this made her think she had made the right decision to come to Ilugo.

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

As if reading her thoughts, the water rippled.

Frowning, Aristine thought, ‘It always happens at times like this.’

She would have to postpone resting.

* * *

‘...Tarcan?’

The figure reflected in the water was her future husband.

A sultry woman with dark blue hair stood beside him.

‘When? Probably today. The near future, the near past, or the present.’

His outfit was the same.

Even if he liked the same design, it seemed unlikely he would wear blood-stained clothes.

The sofa where he had put Aristine down was visible.

‘...When will this man go to wash?’

She didn’t want a dirty husband, even if it was a political marriage.

Aristine hoped what she was seeing was from the past.

‘Please, he’s washing now.’

Then the woman in the water spoke.

[Do you like the princess?]

Aristine was startled.

‘No, I was in the middle of thinking about myself?’

It was natural for the marriage partner to be a topic of conversation after their first meeting.

‘What kind of behavior did he usually show to get such a question?’

To be suspected of liking a dust-covered woman.

‘Is he really a pervert?’

[What?]

The Tarcan in the water looked down at the woman, asking in a low voice.

From the first time she saw him, he seemed quite... no, very handsome.

She had seen many men through the imperial eye, but this was the first time she saw such a handsome man.

Even just lowering his eyes, he exuded a lazy and dangerous aura.

The woman beside him seemed tense, slightly pulling her shoulders up.

[Do you like her?]

His tone was relaxed.

It was the opposite of the anger he showed at Aristine’s words earlier.

But that relaxation made him seem even more dangerous.

[No way.]

Tarcan said, smirking. His lips curled up crookedly.

This was probably his usual expression.

[You know that, right?]

His golden eyes moved smoothly.

[My heart doesn’t change.]

* * *

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

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

The attendant asked cautiously, probably worried that she might be uncomfortable being served by Ilugo people.

For Aristine, Ilugo people were more comfortable than Silvanus people.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Understood. 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 been constantly tormented by the maids and couldn’t wash or rest properly.

Now, after washing and changing into new clothes, she felt incredibly happy.

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

If she could just sleep in a clean, dry 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.

“Your Highness, the princess has arrived.”

The attendant announced, but there was no immediate response.

It felt like he didn’t welcome Aristine’s visit.

‘Is it because he was with that woman earlier?’

Aristine recalled the tall, slender woman with long, dark blue hair.

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

But maybe it was for the best.

It could make her card 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.’

Love isn’t necessary in a political marriage, but a child to continue the family line is essential.

‘But I don’t need it.’

This would be a strong card.

Most people want to make their children kings, even if they don’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.

‘For that, I need a lot of money.’

Aristine put aside the business plan that came to mind.

Now was the time to focus on getting Tarcan’s cooperation.

The door, which had been firmly closed, opened.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Tarcan turned his head toward the door, then froze as if surprised by something.

His slightly widened eyes showed unmistakable shock.

The woman from earlier was standing beside him.

She seemed to have been serving him tea.

‘She doesn’t look like a maid.’

Well, not only maids serve tea.

The woman was looking at Aristine with surprise, then glanced at Tarcan’s expression. Her eyes looked anxious.

‘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 puzzled attitude, Tarcan couldn’t answer.

‘Is she really the princess?’

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