Chapter 5

"Can't be, can't be," she asked, and even after receiving confirmation that it was true, she couldn't believe it.

The hair, which was difficult to discern its original color due to oil and dirt, had a silver hue, as if tinged with lilac flower water.

Even in such a dirty state, her eyes were mysteriously and beautifully captivating, so there was no need to mention that.

Her long, arched eyelashes were like butterfly wings, and her lips were plump and soft, like petals.

Perhaps because she had just finished bathing, her damp hair and rosy cheeks made anyone who saw her feel strangely.

Her slender jawline and straight neck, with skin so pale it seemed almost transparent.

Tarkan had never reacted to someone's appearance like this before.

No beauty who visited the palace had ever caught his eye.

But this woman in front of him now....

‘It’s just because she contrasts with the one I saw before.’

Tarkan quickly came to this conclusion.

"......?"

Aristine, seeing the two acting strangely, turned a blind eye and sat down in a chair.

Seeing the teacups set on the table, she assumed someone had brought an extra one for her.

Since she had already sat down and no one was pouring her tea, Aristine reached for the teapot.

Only then did Diona, startled, grab the teapot.

"Forgive me, Your Highness."

Diona bowed her head and hurriedly poured the tea.

She was worried that the princess might think she was being ignored.

‘I can’t create a conflict in front of His Highness Tarkan.’

She quietly observed, but the princess only shook her head silently.

Her expressionless face made it impossible to tell how she felt—whether she was hurt or indifferent.

Even so, it somehow seemed mysterious and strange.

It was surprising how an expressionless face could be so attractive.

‘I was happy that the first princess, not the second, had come…!’

But now there was no reason to be happy.

No matter how much Tarkan claimed he wasn’t interested in a woman’s appearance, seeing such a beauty every day would be a different story.

‘He definitely showed some动摇 just now!’

Diona’s grip on the teapot tightened.

It was rare for Tarkan to show any动摇.

But since this woman arrived, he had already shown it several times.

‘And it’s only been a few minutes!’

Hiding her surging emotions, Diona poured the tea and bowed to Aristine.

"I greet you, Your Highness. I am Diona."

"Thank you."

Her voice was clear and melodious.

Diona forced a smile, but a dark shadow fell over her heart.

"Now, please leave."

At Tarkan’s words, Diona, who was tidying up the tea set, hesitated.

‘Leave? He wants to be alone with her?’

But she soon smiled without a trace of emotion and bowed.

The palace attendants also withdrew, leaving only Aristine and Tarkan in the room.

* * *

Silence fell.

Tarkan was the first to speak.

"What is it?"

"You didn’t come here just to chat, did you?"

"We’re about to be married. Do we need a specific reason to have tea together?"

"At least that’s how it is with you."

‘She’s more cynical than I thought.’

Aristine thought.

Trying to lighten the mood with small talk might get her kicked out before she could say what she came for.

It would be better to get straight to the point.

"Anyway, you did accept this marriage proposal, right?"

At this, Tarkan frowned, clearly displeased.

His expression suggested that accepting the marriage proposal was not his idea.

‘Well, I feel the same. Who would volunteer to marry you?’

Aristine muttered, her lips touching the teacup.

The fragrance entering her nostrils was intoxicating. The warm tea smoothly coated her tongue before sliding down her throat.

This was the first time she had tasted such high-quality tea.

Honestly, it was delicious. It was quite good.

…She didn’t come because she desperately wanted to, but maybe this wasn’t so bad.

‘But I’ll keep it a secret from Tarkan.’

"Sure, fine. I didn’t come here to chat and gossip."

Aristine straightened her posture and looked directly at Tarkan.

Now that Diona was gone, it was better to talk about something more concrete than love or children.

Using external relationships was a secondary option.

Aristine was confident in her own abilities.

"I’ll be straightforward."

Golden eyes like the sun and violet eyes like the dawn sky met in the air.

"Let’s do business together."

Chapter 3. A Fiancée with a Business Bug, Can We Still Get Married?

"…Business?"

Tarkan’s eyes became strange.

"No, no! I don’t have a business bug."

Aristine quickly waved her hands.

In her previous life, as seen through the imperial eye, and in this world, a business bug was the root of all evil.

"I’m not asking for a loan. I’m not asking for an investment. I’m not saying this will be a huge success! Well, of course, I do have some business ideas that I think will be successful…"

"……"

"No, really, I’m not. Really. So please don’t look at me like that."

"Surely you’re not planning to use the imperial treasury for business funds. This needs to be adjusted…"

Tarkan muttered, averting his gaze.

The imperial treasury was certainly money that Aristine could use as a royal after marriage.

He was saying that he needed to manage it before his business-bug fiancée wasted it.

Aristine quickly denied it.

Tarkan’s gaze lingered on her face.

Her expression showed a bit of emotion, and her cheeks were flushed, unlike before.

It was a bit surprising. So her lips opened on their own, and a playful remark came out.

"Loan, investment, this will definitely be a huge success—minus those, can you stamp this for me, or something?"

"That’s not it."

Aristine grumbled.

Her facial muscles didn’t move much, but her lips became slightly fuller.

Tarkan took in this sight.

"Through this political marriage, we are politically intertwined."

Aristine intertwined her index fingers.

"So, wouldn’t it be good if we had a mutually beneficial win-win relationship? Not personal friendship, but business… professionally."

Aristine chose her words carefully.

Love was out of the question for their marriage, and she was suggesting a strategic transaction, but it seemed she was being treated like someone with a business bug.

It seemed that direct communication with people was not something she had much experience with, so her message was coming across strangely.

‘But I’m doing pretty well, right?’

She definitely didn’t say anything incomprehensible.

"Win-win."

She’s quite bold. No one would dare suggest a win-win to Tarkan.

Tarkan’s lips curled into a fierce smile.

"Sure, it would be great if that could happen."

His tone suggested it was impossible.

"I will help you. But what about you?"

Tarkan looked down at Aristine.

His golden eyes were more relaxed than arrogant.

"What can you do for me?"

Everyone else would be intimidated by Tarkan’s attitude, but Aristine was different.

Not only was she not intimidated, but she even countered.

"What do you want from me?"

"Just to be there, breathing quietly."

"Oh my."

Aristine covered her mouth and sighed lazily.

"I appreciate it, but it’s a bit awkward."

Though she said this, her face showed no gratitude or awkwardness.

"I don’t believe you fell in love at first sight. But still, our first meeting…"

Aristine had been in a state where she couldn’t bathe for a month.

"Well, tastes are diverse and should be respected, but…"

Aristine’s gaze swept over Tarkan from head to toe.

"First, you’re a bit embarrassed by your own tastes, right? You were trying to hide it by saying it was a misunderstanding, weren’t you? By the way, strong denial is strong affirmation, they say."

Watching this chattering woman, Tarkan’s head ached.

What was this woman, really?

He had seen countless types of people in his life.

But this was the first time he had encountered someone like this, regardless of age or gender.

"I don’t mean to just be there, breathing quietly."

"Right."

Aristine smiled and nodded at Tarkan’s deliberate words.

"Tarkan."

A low, soft voice called his name. Her fine silver hair swayed with her movements.

"Is there something you want from me?"

Her eyes, with their mysterious light, looked at him.

‘Come on, speak up. I have a rough idea of what you want.’

Aristine waited for Tarkan to speak.

But he just stared at her blankly, then frowned and turned his head, as if he had seen something he didn’t want to.

"What can you do with those thin arms that can’t even hold a fork?"

He muttered.

Indeed, to the Ailugo, all Silvanus people seemed frail.

‘But I’m average for Silvanus.’

She was taller than most, considering she had been exiled and couldn’t eat properly as a child.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"You can’t help me."

Tarkan dismissed Aristine’s grumbling.

"I don’t call a one-sided contribution a win-win."

He stated this and asked Aristine.

"What’s the difference between asking me to stamp something without reading it and asking me to invest in a business that’s clearly a loss?"

‘He’s treating me like a con artist.’

Aristine raised her eyebrows.

"You’re completely dismissing the idea that I can help."

"That’s the truth."

‘I don’t like it.’

Aristine tapped the teacup with her fingers.

When things were going well, she didn’t care if the other person ignored her or thought poorly of her, but now she needed Tarkan’s cooperation.

‘Hmph, will you still act like that after you know about me?’

Once it was revealed that she had the imperial eye, not only Tarkan but even the emperor, who had treated her coldly, would treat her warmly, as if they had always been a close father and daughter.

Thinking about it made her angry. She felt a surge of determination.

‘At least I need to confirm what cards I have in my hand, right?’

Tarkan had agreed to this political marriage, and they were now political partners.

This was a matter of courtesy.

‘Ha, I’ll make this guy beg on his knees to do business with me!’

With this resolve, Aristine gulped down a cold sip of tea.

"Fine, if I want to sit at the negotiation table, I need to prove my abilities first."

Clang, she roughly placed the teacup on the tray and stood up.

"Let’s go."

"Where to?"

"To check the goods before stamping."

* * *

"The princess wants to meet me?"

"What should I do?"

At the palace attendant’s words, the Ailugo king raised an eyebrow.

The Silvanus delegation was originally scheduled to rest until noon the next day and have an official audience in the evening.

‘But why does the princess want to meet me separately…’

The second princess, Yenikarina, who was massaging the king’s shoulder, smiled lovingly and whispered in his ear.

"Should you meet her? I’m also curious about the princess of the rumors."

The king’s gaze turned to Yenikarina.

He already knew that she and several of his other children had visited Tarkan’s palace.

He could see through her intention to ask for an audience despite having already seen the princess.

‘It’s the first princess, not the second, who was exiled.’

And she came in a state worse than a street beggar.

Yenikarina’s intentions were so obvious that they were almost cute, so the king didn’t scold her but told the palace attendant.

"There’s no reason not to meet her if I’m not in the middle of official business."

"Wow, great!"

Yenikarina hugged the king’s neck and smiled broadly.

‘Now I can crush that dirty and ugly princess in front of my father.’

This would also lower Tarkan’s reputation.

Yenikarina was pleased at the thought of humiliating Aristine and putting her on display.

Moreover, with that ugly person next to her, she would stand out even more.

‘Then my father will favor me even more.’

Since the king had strongly desired the Silvanus princess, Yenikarina had been in a constant state of tension.

‘But when I saw her just now, she wasn’t worth it at all.’

It was fortunate, but thinking about the sleepless nights she had spent worrying, Yenikarina felt the princess deserved it.

She would make her pay for it.

Yenikarina looked at one of the palace attendants.

The palace attendant, understanding her gaze, nodded slightly.

* * *

The palace attendant who received the look went outside and immediately informed the queen.

"Right, that’s what you said."

The queen folded her fan and muttered.

"A sudden, informal meeting. It would be too much if I went."

"Then…"

"I have my dear Yenikarina, so it should be fine, but it would be good to have someone to assist. Send these three. They’re idle, so it won’t be strange for them to go."

"Understood."

The palace attendant bowed and left the queen’s palace.

Shortly after, the princesses and princes, following the queen’s orders, headed to the king’s palace.

"I’m looking forward to my father’s reaction."

"Right, what will he think of that beggar princess?"

"Is that all? Even so, she’s a direct descendant of the Silvanus royal family…"

"She’s a rat, fitting for a rat."

They chuckled and mocked Aristine.

"Still, she must have bathed. Tarkan must have cleaned her up and dressed her up for the king."

"Hmph, even if he did. No matter how much he cleans her, will she look any different? The core doesn’t change."

"Right. She’s even worse than her own maids. The maids shine more than the princess."

"I heard the Silvanus princess was beautiful, but it seems they were talking about the second princess. Marten, haven’t you met the second princess?"

"The second princess was definitely beautiful. She had golden hair, was slender, and was refined, a typical Silvanus woman. Even sisters don’t look the same."

"They’re half-sisters, so that makes sense."

"Poor Tarkan. He thought he was getting the beautiful and popular second princess, but got this scrawny one."

"I heard the first princess was exiled because she was mentally unstable."

"Oh, so she’s a lunatic?"

The faces of the princes and princesses were filled with undisguised delight.

How much they had resented it when they heard that Tarkan, born to a lowly mother, was to marry a noble princess.

"Tarkan must be quite desperate. This sudden request for an audience can’t be the princess’s idea. It’s Tarkan, panicked by the arrival of this defective product, trying to see his father."

"Yenikarina won’t even know her father is there."

"Or that we’re there."

"Today will be a really entertaining show."

As they chatted, they arrived at the tea room.

They looked at the opening door with full smiles of mockery.

Tarkan’s back, always intimidating, was visible.

And the shining silver hair next to him.

‘Shining……?’

‘Forget about marriage, I just want to make money.’