Chapter 41

She was so choked up that she couldn't speak.

"Besides, I shouldn't have made it a milk tea... I didn't treat you properly as a guest."

Aristine looked dejectedly at the milk tea, rich with milk, and muttered to herself.

Then she lifted her head and said firmly to Diona, "I'll send you some good things for exercise as an apology!"

As if she was going to offer some form of compensation.

"No, no!"

Diona cried out in a hurry.

"That's not it, that's not it at all!"

It would be embarrassing to be misunderstood even when they were alone.

Let alone now, with Tarkan in front of her.

"I can eat all of this. I didn't leave it because I couldn't eat it..."

Diona quickly picked up a fork and stabbed the tart.

Just as she was about to put it in her mouth,

"No."

Aristine grabbed her arm firmly.

"It's made with flour and fruit. It's not good for constipation."

Then, with her other hand, she took away the tart plate in front of Diona.

"Milk tea is also not good because it contains caffeine and milk."

She swept away the teacup as well.

Aristine took the fork from Diona's hand, which was frozen in shock, and placed it on the tart plate.

Diona's expression was so shocked that Aristine fell into thought.

'Hmm... Did I give and then take away too much?'

Thinking about it, from Diona's perspective, she must have wanted to eat the tart but was restraining herself due to constipation.

And by suggesting she try it, her resolve must have wavered even more.

By making her want it more and then taking it away.

'I was wrong, even I can see that.'

Aristine gave Diona a supplementary explanation.

"If your constipation is mild, you could close your eyes and eat it without any problem."

There was a reason for her harsh act of taking away the tart.

"But you are quite... no, seriously troubled by it."

"Me?!"

"Yesterday, when you were in the bride's waiting room, I was really surprised. How bad was it to make you act like that..."

Aristine couldn't finish her sentence, filled with sympathy.

Defecation is a basic human need.

How difficult it must be for her, not being able to satisfy it.

Aristine patted Diona's hand.

Diona scrunched up her face and pulled her hand back.

"What are you saying?!"

Diona, whose face had turned as red as a tomato, hurriedly protested.

"I don't... I don't have that kind of condition! How often do I..."

"Often?"

Aristine tilted her head.

So, you go to the bathroom often?

Realizing the mistake in what she was about to say, Diona quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway!"

Diona, making eye contact with Aristine, spoke clearly, word by word.

"It's not true!"

Aristine, who had been giving her a doubtful look, asked cautiously.

"Then, is it irritable bowel syndrome? Did I have a major misunderstanding...?"

"No!"

Bang!

Diona slammed her hand on the table.

The force was so strong that the plates and teacups rattled.

She had even forgotten that Tarkan was in front of her.

"There's absolutely no problem with that!"

Aristine looked at Diona, whose face was flushed with excitement.

"Diona, I understand your feelings."

"It's not about feelings, it's about the facts!"

Despite her exasperated outburst, Aristine nodded as if she understood everything.

Then, in a gentle and affectionate tone, like a psychological counselor, she explained.

"But whether it's constipation or irritable bowel syndrome, it's just a disease."

"No, that's not what I mean—"

"You have no reason to be embarrassed. It's just a disease, like having a cold. You don't feel embarrassed about having a cold, do you?"

Pat, pat.

Aristine patted her hand again, as if to comfort her.

"Yes, you're right. There's no reason to be embarrassed."

Tarkan, who had been silent until then, interjected.

'Hmm?'

His voice seemed to have a hint of amusement.

Aristine looked at him with a puzzled expression.

But Tarkan's face was the same as always.

Lazy, dangerous, and cold, without a hint of warmth.

'Maybe it's just my imagination?'

Just as Aristine was about to speak to Diona again,

"Why do you keep saying it's not true! If you have no understanding, how can you properly play the role of a princess? I'm not doing it on purpose!"

Diona, who had jumped up, shouted as if she was about to overturn the table.

Then she ran out of the room without looking back.

Aristine, watching her go, felt a sense of déjà vu.

'I think I saw Diona run out like this yesterday...'

When she asked where she was going, Diona replied,

'To the bathroom...!'

Aristine stroked her chin.

"Is she in a hurry to go to the bathroom again? She said she was going to the bathroom when she ran out yesterday."

"That's right."

"Maybe she misunderstood constipation as irritable bowel syndrome. I might have made her feel even worse by misunderstanding."

"Jumping to conclusions is a bad habit."

"I don't think it's a habit of mine."

Tarkan, who had been answering well until then, stopped and looked at Aristine.

"Why? This is the first time."

Seeing Tarkan's genuinely puzzled expression, Aristine chuckled.

'After treating her like a shy pervert on our first meeting...'

And what about last night?

The destruction of the bed was also a result of Aristine's misunderstanding.

"What should I do? I really hurt her feelings."

"What can you do? If you're really concerned, you could send her something good for irritable bowel syndrome."

"Maybe that would be best?"

Aristine's face showed no malice as she asked.

She had no idea why Diona had come here.

Tarkan suppressed a laugh.

"But do you need to go after her?"

Aristine gestured towards the direction Diona had disappeared.

For some reason, Tarkan's mood suddenly sank.

"Why should I?"

"Huh?"

Aristine was taken aback by his sharp response.

"Well, Diona is in a bad mood, right?"

Shouldn't a boyfriend go and comfort her in such a situation?

'Did they have a fight?'

Now that she thought about it, Tarkan had also refused when Diona asked to speak to him alone earlier.

If they had a fight, that would explain it.

Diona probably wanted to talk about the fight.

It wasn't really Aristine's business as a third party.

Deciding to leave them alone, Aristine brought up the topic she had intended to discuss with Tarkan.

"Well, about the knights."

The mention of 'knights' made Tarkan's face instantly harden.

He was ready to go and cut off their throats at once if Aristine said the knights had insulted her.

It wasn't because he had any special feelings for her.

Tarkan had always protected his people, and Aristine, as his fiancée, was also his person.

That's all there was to it.

"They seemed a bit off, didn't they? Mentally... I couldn't predict what they would do."

Tarkan tensed at the unexpected comment.

The knights' strange behavior was due to Tarkan.

'Could they have found out that I followed them?'

Tarkan's golden eyes scanned Aristine's face, searching for any clue.

But Aristine's expressionless face revealed nothing.

He stiffened, worried that his secret of beating up the knights without her knowing would be exposed.

He didn't think it was wrong, but he felt it would be troublesome if it came out.

"Still, don't worry. I managed to guide them to say that they were attacked by the Irugo warriors, not by me."

"…What?"

Tarkan's flustered face made Aristine feel satisfied.

"They even boasted about being attacked by demons in the process. Anyway, this way, it won't become a diplomatic issue."

Aristine looked at Tarkan with a confident expression.

"How was that? Did I do well?"

Tarkan was silent for a moment.

His Adam's apple moved. Then,

"…Yes. You did well."

Tarkan smiled.

His sharp eyes softened, and his lips curved into a gentle smile.

It was an unexpectedly soft smile, and Aristine looked at him in surprise.

A gentle spring breeze blew between them.

'Oh, the reaction is better than I thought?'

Aristine's eyes sparkled.

The atmosphere was good.

It seemed her competence had made a significant impression.

'After all, if this had become a diplomatic issue, it would have been awkward.'

The completion of yesterday's wedding parade would have been in vain.

'Then...'

Aristine subtly observed Tarkan's expression before speaking.

"About the topic we discussed before."

"What topic?"

Aristine swallowed hard.

She had brought it up because it seemed like the right time, but she was a bit nervous.

"Didn't I ask if I could start a personal business?"

Tarkan's left eyebrow shot up.

"Are you saying you're not obsessed with business now... I understand, right?"

Last time, when she brought up the topic of starting a personal business, she didn't get an answer. This time, she wanted a clear response.

'I want to meet that blacksmith as soon as possible.'

"Sure, it was just a few days ago that you insisted on getting a seal first."

Tarkan leaned back lazily and said.

He found it interesting to watch Aristine's eyes darting around nervously.

'She seems a bit angry.'

It was surprising to see such a variety of emotions in a woman who seemed so detached from the world.

It was new to discover these emotions in an expressionless face.

"So, I showed you what the properties were like, right? As soon as I showed you, you insisted on getting a seal."

Tarkan chuckled at Aristine's words.

Yes, that was true.

He had become her partner without hesitation after getting to know her.

"Why do you want to do it?"

"Why would I start a business?"

Aristine shrugged as if it was obvious.

"To make money, of course."

She thought it could be for self-actualization or a hobby... or, given her one-sided thinking, for political influence.

But it was about money.

What could a princess of a powerful nation need money for?

Especially when her husband was the heir to the throne.

Tarkan's eyebrows twitched in disapproval.

"I have a lot of money."

"I know."

Are you boasting in front of someone with no money?

Aristine looked at Tarkan with disapproval.

The corpse of a demon is worth a fortune.

Skin, horns, teeth, claws, mana-infused fluids, crystallized eyes.

And most importantly, the heart, the source of their mana.

None of it goes to waste.

Tarkan, who hunts demons, must have astronomical private wealth.

Nobles with commoner mothers usually lack powerful in-laws and thus have weaker financial power.

But Tarkan had accumulated more liquid assets than the Skiera Duke family, known for their vast wealth over a long period.

'Including real estate, it might be different.'

But the gap wouldn't be that large.

Given his many achievements, the king had bestowed him with prime land, buildings, and mines.

'How nice.'

Aristine's eyes glowed with envy, and Tarkan was taken aback.

"You are my wife."

"Yes, I am."

Aristine nodded, and Tarkan found it even more absurd.

"But you need money?"

"That's your money, isn't it?"

Aristine sipped her milk tea.

"I will have a personal allowance, right? But that's money I should use as the princess of this country."

Even if it was money she could use freely, it was still money she received as a princess, so she should use it accordingly.

She shouldn't treat it as if it were truly hers.

"Or do you want to transfer it to my name? I heard that managing finances is usually the wife's job."

"What?"

"I'm not asking for much. One building...?"

Aristine, pretending to be casual, added a condition after gauging his reaction.

"Preferably one in the capital. Ideally, one in the central square."

Tarkan's eyes narrowed.

"You're not obsessed with business; you have a con artist's nature."

He shook his head.

For some reason, he didn't dislike his wife's thief-like mentality.

Aristine giggled and put down her teacup.

With a light clink, she asked,

"Well, are you going to help me with my personal business, partner?"

Tarkan looked at the white hand extended in front of him and slowly took it.

It was soft and warm, like a small bird.

Forget being a husband, I want to make money.