Chapter 44

The Silvanus knights had their heads bowed to the ground.

Aristine sipped her tea silently for a moment.

The more she did so, the more the knights' faces turned ashen, unable to bear the pressure.

There was one reason they were acting this way.

They were so inadequate to guard the great and glorious princess that they begged to be held accountable and dismissed.

To achieve this, the knights showered Aristine with all sorts of flattery.

The pride of the empire, the joy of the empire, the noble princess revered by all citizens.

The guide of peace, the guardian of the empire, the hero who saved the nation, and so on.

It seemed they were better at flattery than wielding a sword.

Aristine also wanted to be separated from the knights.

However, she deliberately delayed the dismissal by making various excuses.

Each time, the knights passionately spoke about their incompetence.

Pride was all they had, and even as their faces turned beet red, they buried themselves in the mire.

How must it feel to grovel and laugh obsequiously before Aristine, whom they had once looked down upon so disdainfully?

Aristine smiled crookedly.

"Fine."

At the simple two syllables, the knights lifted their heads abruptly.

"I'll hold you accountable, then."

"Princess...!"

The faces of those who heard the words of accountability could not be any brighter.

The knights were even moved to tears.

Aristine looked at their faces and spoke in a languid tone.

"Stripping you of your knighthood is a given. And... "

"K-Knighthood stripped?"

Unexpected words froze the knights' tears instantly.

They thought they would just be dismissed from their position as bodyguards, but to have their knighthood stripped was even more dishonorable.

For the disgraced knights, the only honor left was that of being a knight.

To take even that away was too much.

They could see how they would be treated when they returned to Silvanus.

They would be buried both personally and socially.

"Sure. Do you have a problem with that?"

Aristine asked, sipping her tea leisurely.

"If you don't like it, you can continue to be my bodyguards."

At these words, the knights closed their mouths, which they had opened to protest.

The nightmare of the past few days resurfaced.

The threats and secret violence from the overbearing Ilugo warriors.

That was the better part of it.

The worst was Tarqan.

Every time he came... just thinking about it sent shivers down their spines, and their necks tingled as they trembled.

If they returned to Silvanus, they could not avoid the emperor's wrath.

But even so, the emperor would not kill them.

"The crimes you committed are not just a matter of incompetence and negligence."

Numerous lewd remarks, mockery, and sexual harassment.

They thought they held the sword, but the one truly holding it was Aristine.

"There's a lot you owe me personally, isn't there?"

Aristine looked around at the trembling knights with delight.

"Of course, mocking me as a princess is a crime that cannot be repaid even with your lives, but—"

The knights looked at Aristine, who trailed off, with anxious and uneasy faces.

When they came to request dismissal, they weren't too worried.

They thought the princess would also find them repulsive and send them away.

But Aristine toyed with them, making them lose all pride and dignity.

What would come out of her lips this time?

"Do you have some money at home?"

Aristine smiled.

It's a great opportunity to raise some business capital.

It was a smile that didn't look like she was extorting money, but rather like an angelically beautiful one.

* * *

"Wow! The knights are returning to Silvanus!"

"The knights?!"

"Then the emperor's command...?"

"No, what about us?"

The Silvanus maids were whispering, unsure of what to do.

They had been in Ilugo for about a month.

Everything had gone completely differently from what they expected.

They had ignored the princess, thinking she was half-mad and wouldn't be accepted in Ilugo.

But in reality, the number of people following the princess increased, and their influence shrank proportionally.

Still, they tried to act as if everything was fine.

They felt that showing weakness was like admitting defeat to that annoying princess, so they ignored and belittled her even more.

Acknowledging reality would mean the end of their lives.

But the knights returning to Silvanus...

"Why do we have to be treated like this?"

"This wasn't part of the plan."

"We came here to teach and guide the princess."

It was a presumptuous statement.

But the maids all nodded, agreeing.

A puppet princess.

They intended to control Aristine like a puppet.

But they were being pushed aside even by the Ilugo palace staff.

"The palace staff here are just like savages, big and rude, and we can't even communicate with them."

"We should be treated better as the princess's personal maids."

This was a daily topic among the maids.

But they only whispered behind closed doors and couldn't say it to the palace staff's face.

Even if they gathered and complained, the Ilugo palace staff just passed by without a word.

They didn't even dare to slap them.

The palace staff were all much taller than them.

They were barked at by Rozalin, who had become the princess's dog, and by the Ilugo palace staff.

They were left with no dignity.

And Tarqan, who only looked at the princess with a flushed face, ignored them.

They had even tried to get close to him privately and pretended to stumble weakly in front of him.

"Should we also return to Silvanus?"

"But then the imperial command...?"

"What kind of ridicule will we face in society? Returning because we were outdone by the princess."

Behind a pillar, someone was watching the anxious maids.

It was Rozalin.

A triumphant smile spread across her face.

'You fools, you can't even understand the situation.'

After ignoring her so much, it's good that they're getting what they deserve.

She smirked at the maids and turned to leave.

Her destination was Aristine's room.

* * *

"Princess."

Aristine sighed softly when she saw Rozalin enter the room with a triumphant smile.

'It's a rare day out.'

She wanted to get ready and go out, but things kept happening.

The knights, who had left like broken eggs, had been gone for how long when another uninvited guest arrived.

Unaware of Aristine's mood, Rozalin approached with a delighted face.

"The news that the knights are returning has caused a commotion among the maids."

She whispered in Aristine's ear with a smug smile.

"They were making faces, saying they should return to their mothers' arms. They're just cowards."

Aristine tilted her head slowly.

"So?"

Rozalin, who had been whispering excitedly, paused and looked at Aristine's face.

"What did you do?"

A cold, violet gaze was directed at Rozalin.

'This isn't right?!'

Rozalin was at a loss with the unexpected reaction.

She thought Aristine would be pleased and share her delight.

And she thought this would make Aristine open up to her even more and let her guard down...

"Even a toothless old dog can bark back at a noisy dog from a distance."

Aristine slowly stood up from the sofa where she had been lounging.

"Rozalin, I clearly told you before."

Aristine's violet eyes, now closer, looked into Rozalin's.

The oppressive gaze made Rozalin break out in a cold sweat.

Aristine raised her hand and gently stroked Rozalin's chin.

As if petting a cherished pet, softly and affectionately.

"What I want is a hunting dog."

The voice was soft and velvety.

But the meaning behind it struck Rozalin like a whip.

"Ugh"

But Rozalin couldn't shake off Aristine's touch.

She couldn't.

Aristine's presence made her whole body feel limp.

Rozalin, pale and sweating, accepted Aristine's touch.

Aristine didn't just use Rozalin to keep the maids in check.

The palace staff could do that.

She had no intention of keeping the maids around and wanted Rozalin to become a hunting dog.

"Rozalin."

"Yes, yes?"

At the soft call, Rozalin jumped in surprise.

"Do you know what happens to a hunting dog that can't hunt and becomes useless?"

Rozalin looked up at Aristine blankly.

'A useless hunting dog... '

Aristine, stroking her chin affectionately, had a benevolent smile.

She smiled sweetly when their eyes met.

'... gets eaten.'

Her fingertips were cold.

Rozalin trembled, unable to look away.

"Of course, I love dogs very much."

Aristine spoke gently and withdrew her hand.

Still, Rozalin remained frozen in the position where Aristine had stroked her chin.

Aristine stood up from the sofa.

The palace staff, who had gone to fetch a gift, entered the room.

"Your Highness, we've brought it."

"We paid special attention to it."

"Wow, really?"

Aristine approached the palace staff with delight.

"Shall we go now?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The palace staff, who had been looking at Rozalin with wary eyes, turned and followed Aristine.

Anyone watching might mistake the personal maids for the palace staff and Rozalin for a misbehaving maid from the in-laws.

Rozalin watched as Aristine and the palace staff moved further away.

She could see the long hem of Aristine's dress fluttering with each step and the spring breeze.

"Huh."

Rozalin exhaled in disbelief.

As the oppressive feeling lifted, a fierce anger rose up.

She clenched her fists.

'Fine, I'll become the hunting dog you want!'

Not just a dog that growls and barks, but a real hunting dog that bites and kills.

The plan came easily to mind.

With Tarqan as a tempting bait, how could it be difficult?

'And after that, I'll tear the throats of the other women.'

Rozalin's eyes, already focused on where Aristine had disappeared, flashed.

'The final meal will be you.'

* * *

A long corridor extended from the intersection of the white arches.

The columns were inlaid with opalized agate, sparkling in the sunlight.

The corridor itself exuded an elegant restraint, but inside, it was as luxurious as it could be.

'Truly a prestigious family that produces generals.'

The architectural style of Ilugo was distinctly different from Silvanus, making it a pleasure to see.

While Silvanus emphasized opulence with geometrically arranged ceiling paintings and bas-reliefs, Ilugo emphasized the beauty of natural curves and negative space.

Although it was called the beauty of negative space, Ilugo was not at all simple.

Expensive jewels were hung on chains, creating negative space and allowing light to pass through, making everything sparkle.

This characteristic was also evident in the clothing.

While Silvanus dresses emphasized formality with heavy skirts puffed out by petticoats, Ilugo dresses draped lightly on the body, emphasizing the free-flowing curves in the wind.

The Ilugo-style dress draped on Aristine's body fluttered in harmony with her steps and the spring breeze.

Each time, the mansion's staff sighed.

'Really, Her Highness...'

'Wow, she's even more beautiful than in the pictures.'

'How can her shoulders be so delicate?'

'She's so precious!'

'She's a fairy!'

People of all ages had their eyes wide open.

Seeing this, the palace staff who accompanied Aristine held their heads high.

Of course, our Highness is the best.

The staff, unaware of the palace staff's reaction, whispered among themselves.

'By the way, what did the young master say about Her Highness?'

'A fairy?'

'An angel?'

'A goddess?'

'It's not that.'

'Don't say your thoughts out loud.'

The staff, engrossed in their whispers, couldn't remember what the young master had said.

At that moment, the young master appeared from the other end of the corridor.

With the towering young master, who was like a mountain among the Ilugo people, the princess looked even smaller.

The staff exclaimed, "Ah!"

'Thumbelina!'

More accurately, 'a small and insignificant Thumbelina who was just born,' but the unnecessary modifiers in their minds were all gone.

'...Thumbelina?'

The word "Thumbelina" reached the ears of the palace staff, who were listening intently to what the distant staff were saying about their Highness.

'Thumbelina...!'

The palace staff's eyes were fixed on Aristine's back.

'Oh my, this must be told to the whole world!'

Forget about a husband, I'll make money.