Chapter 45

Aristine, unaware of what the palace attendants and servants were thinking, smiled at the person approaching from the opposite side.

"Sir Mukali!"

It was a smile of joy.

Mukali, standing in front of Aristine, awkwardly cleared his throat.

Before he could return the greeting, Aristine spoke up energetically.

"You broke the eggs of the Silvanus knights for me, didn't you?"

"Eggs...!"

Mukali was amazed at Aristine's straightforward words.

"What are you saying...!"

But seeing her face, beaming with joy, he couldn't bring himself to say more.

"Huh? Why?"

"Never mind."

Mukali sighed deeply and turned his body.

Aristine and Mukali walked side by side under the palace dome.

The servants, who had been holding their breath without realizing it, sighed again.

'Wow... She really talks and even breathes.'

'What did she say to Young Master?'

'She must have spoken elegantly, comparing her joy to the beauty of the sun.'

'Ah, I wish I could hear the poem of Her Highness...'

'It must be as beautiful and radiant as Her Highness herself...'

Aristine was indeed happy to see Mukali, and the egg metaphor wasn't entirely off.

Though it wasn't as beautiful and radiant as they imagined.

As they walked, Mukali subtly spoke up.

"It seems there's a misunderstanding; I didn't break them."

He wanted to make it clear that he wasn't that ruthless or cruel.

Mukali was a man of righteousness.

"Really?"

Aristine's face was openly disappointed.

"I thought it was you, Sir Mukali..."

Caught off guard by her unexpected reaction, Mukali was flustered.

"Well, but I was the first to pull out their teeth!"

Mukali, not ruthless or cruel but a man of righteousness, exclaimed.

"Really?"

Aristine's face lit up, and she patted Mukali's arm.

"To do that for me, Sir Mukali, you really have a sense of honor."

'...Huh?'

Mukali finally sensed something was off.

He didn't do it specifically for Aristine.

'I wouldn't do that for anyone but the Princess of Silvanus!'

"Thank you."

But seeing Aristine's bright smile, the words of denial died on his lips.

'That's not true. Absolutely not!'

There was no real reason to deny it.

'I need to win her favor for my grand scheme! That's why I'm not denying it!'

Mukali composed himself.

Everything is for the sake of his lord.

To monitor whether the new princess is committing adultery!

By the time they reached the tea room.

"Please come in, Your Highness."

At Mukali's courteous invitation, Aristine looked at him.

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

Mukali asked as he pulled out her chair.

Aristine felt a shiver.

"Just do it as usual."

"Are you not our Highness anymore?"

Mukali said as he sat down.

He had deliberately not used the proper form of address with Aristine.

Though Aristine herself didn't mind.

'Not exactly, but I need to win her favor.'

Since this was the first time meeting Aristine after she became the princess, Mukali naturally intended to use more formal language.

But the habit of the egg incident slipped out.

"That's strange. You seem like a different person."

"I've always been like this."

At this, Aristine hummed.

"General Mukali, you've always been this way. I just didn't realize it."

Mukali looked at her, surprised.

Aristine slightly tilted her chin.

In the end, Mukali conceded.

"Anyway, I've never seen someone complain about being addressed formally."

Aristine giggled.

A small smile had also appeared on Mukali's grumbling face.

Soon, the maids brought out the tea.

'Strawberry cream tea!'

As promised, Mukali served Aristine strawberry cream tea.

Though he seemed gruff, Mukali was a very considerate person.

He hadn't forgotten the casual remark she made and had invited her to his home, serving her tea.

The butler poured the tea into the cup.

A fresh, sweet aroma rose with the steam, and the ruby-clear tea filled the cup.

Aristine added a generous amount of sugar and quickly took a sip.

'Ah, it's delicious.'

The strong, fragrant aroma was intoxicating.

Adding the scones she had brought made it even better.

The scones, made with extra care by the pastry chef, were incredibly delicious.

She really wanted to hire the pastry chef when she got divorced.

Mukali smiled at Aristine's happy face.

Seeing her, he felt a bit hungry himself and reached for a scone.

The small scone was a single bite for Mukali.

"How is it? Really delicious, right?"

Aristine asked, her eyes sparkling.

Indeed, it was as delicious as she emphasized.

Mukali's eyes widened at the last remaining scone.

But liking scones so much wasn't very warrior-like.

"...It's quite good."

Aristine smiled at Mukali's response.

"Try it with jam and clotted cream. Our pastry chef makes great jam too."

As she said, a sip of tea with a piece of scone, and another sip of tea with another piece of scone.

It was endless.

The two enjoyed their tea time happily.

After some time,

Seeing the last remaining scone, Mukali snapped out of it.

'Would this be good as battle rations?'

The butter made it delicious, but the shelf life would be very short.

Wasn't it for developing new battle rations that his lord hired a pastry chef who could make good scones?

While Mukali hesitated, Aristine also fell into thought.

Only one piece was left.

'I want to eat it. I really want to, but!'

The scones were especially delicious today, as if the pastry chef had put his soul into them.

But she also wanted to offer it to Mukali.

Mukali had come to help her on Tarcan's orders, and Aristine was grateful for his presence.

After some thought, Aristine looked at Mukali solemnly.

"Sir Mukali."

"What is it?"

Mukali also became solemn.

"Here, Sir Mukali, you eat it."

Mukali, who had become solemn, let out a sigh of relief.

'What was she going to say?'

He couldn't understand why a princess, who had grown up with everything, was so emotional over a scone.

He had no intention of taking the scone she cherished so much.

"I'm fine, Your Highness..."

"No, Sir Mukali, you eat it."

Her tone was firm.

Looking at her, Mukali saw that she was serious.

Her violet eyes held pure kindness and affection.

After a moment of silence, Mukali picked up the scone and ate it in one bite.

"...It's really delicious."

At this, Aristine's lips curved into a gentle smile.

Her eyes softened.

It was a smile so beautiful that even the blooming spring flowers would weep.

"Really."

Aristine replied briefly.

But her expression and voice conveyed much more.

This was the first time Aristine had offered something to someone.

She had never had anyone to offer to, or anything to offer.

Trying it for the first time, she found it a very pleasant experience.

In the warm atmosphere, Aristine spoke up.

"Sir Mukali, you said you'd help me last time, right?"

At this, Mukali straightened up.

"I have a favor to ask. Since we're out of the palace today, I want to meet him."

'Finally...!'

Mukali's heart pounded.

Aristine had revealed her intentions. This was the moment to act.

Indeed, his efforts to win her favor had paid off.

Even the cunning Silvanus had fallen into his terrifying scheme.

'But...'

He wasn't as happy as he should be.

His heart was racing with anxiety rather than excitement, and his face kept tensing up.

It was just that he was trying not to let his nerves get the better of him as the final moment approached.

The most crucial time in monster hunting was when the monster's life was about to end.

Mukali slowly spoke.

"Of course, I, Mukali, will help you."

For some reason, his throat felt rough.

Chapter 14. You, Be My Partner

Though it was still mid-spring, the magnolia petals were already falling.

But the fresh green leaves on the branches were dazzlingly beautiful.

A peaceful spring day.

However, something out of place was happening under the magnolia tree.

"Stop him!"

"Don't let him escape!"

Crash!

The heavy sound of metal tools falling echoed.

But the men's movements were even more rough.

Their bodies, tempered like steel, were like blocks of iron.

All the men were determined to catch one man.

The man put up a good fight but was eventually caught.

"You're a disgrace to our forge!"

"Because of you, the reputation of our Catalaman forge is falling!"

"Do you know how much the Dottlten forge looks down on us?!"

"Any dog or cow would want to enter a forge with a guy like you!"

It took a lot of effort to catch him, and the men were even more furious, roughly pinning him down.

The man struggled fiercely but couldn't shake off the hands that held him.

"I don't understand why you're still here in our forge."

"Master is too kind-hearted."

Master.

At this word, the man's body trembled.

"If you tarnish the great reputation of Catalaman, you should know to leave on your own."

Maybe they were right.

His presence was causing the reputation of Catalaman, the best forge in Ailugo, to plummet.

'But...!'

Just as he clenched his teeth,

"Don't worry. If you don't have the courage to leave, we'll help you."

One of the men pulled out something from his coat.

A silver blade.

The man recognized it at a glance.

How could he not? He had made it with his own hands.

The men pinned his body to the ground and fixed his hand to the floor.

Their intentions were clear.

The man's olive eyes widened and then shook violently.

He twisted his body frantically.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

He tried to shout for help, but no one responded.

All he heard were the men's curses.

His right hand, held down by multiple hands, didn't budge.

The gleaming silver blade came closer.

Despair filled the man's eyes.

No one was coming to his aid.

No one was coming. It was over.

At that moment,

"What are you doing?"

A soft voice, like a spring breeze, whispered in his ear.

A voice that didn't belong in this place.

The men turned around, startled.

There stood a woman with long, silver hair that shone more brightly than the blade, standing calmly.

The moment their eyes met her violet gaze, the men inexplicably hesitated.

A powerful aura, far beyond what her small frame should have emitted, pressed down on the air.

While the men were frozen, Aristine stepped confidently into their midst.

"Your Highness!"

Mukali, standing behind, exclaimed in surprise.

'Your Highness?'

The men, confused, looked at Aristine.

Indeed, it was the princess they had seen in the news and the square.

Aristine stood in front of the restrained man, as if protecting him.

The man looked up at her back, dazed.

He thought no one would come.

He thought it was really over. But.

Her back, illuminated by the sunlight, was blinding.

He couldn't even open his eyes properly.

"Give it to me."

Aristine extended her hand to the man holding the dagger.

He handed it to her as if in a trance.

Mukali was even more anxious.

He was worried that the small creature, who had never held a sword, might cut her own hand.

Fortunately, Aristine safely folded the dagger. Then, without hesitation, she turned to the man.

"Are you okay?"

Her long silver hair slipped through the air as she bent down to offer her hand.

"Ritren."

The man, Ritren, couldn't respond and just looked up at the silver goddess. His savior.

Forget being a husband, he just wanted to make some money.