Chapter 6

It was as if the sunlight lingered only on that silver hair.

Contrasting sharply with Tarqan's black hair, it appeared even more vivid.

‘Could it be...’

He tried to deny it, but in this situation, it was obvious who the owner of that silver hair was.

"Why are you just standing there? Why don't you come in?"

The king asked the three people who had stopped in their tracks.

Only then did they regain their composure and move towards the tea table.

As they approached Aristine, their hearts began to churn with a foreboding they tried to suppress.

The scene was different from what they had expected, but there was nothing strange about it.

He reassured himself several times.

‘It’s just silver hair. There are black, red, and blonde hairs in the world, so there can be silver hair too. It’s just ordinary silver hair.’

But the color and the shine of the hair were anything but ordinary.

It was a color that seemed to exude the fragrance of flowers just by looking at it.

‘T-That’s right. It was silver all along. I thought it was a dull, ash-like gray. That makes sense. She must have washed her hair. Just her hair...’

‘Right. No matter how clean she got, her face wouldn’t become beautiful.’

As they whispered to each other, their shoulders, which had shrunk, regained their confidence.

Embarrassed and with their pride hurt, they approached Aristine with a mouth full of venom.

"I came to see Father, and here, the famous princess is also present."

"I was surprised to see someone I didn’t expect."

That was their excuse for stopping.

"It’s an honor to meet you in advance. As the princess of the Thousand-Year Empire, I expected you to be as noble and intelligent as your lineage suggests."

"Brother, just be honest. You were expecting how beautiful she would be. The Sylvanus royal family is known for its handsome men and beautiful women."

"Haha, it’s quite obvious, isn’t it? Tarqan also seems to be very lucky."

The reason for excessively praising Aristine was simple.

To lift her up high, only to bring her down into the mud.

"The Sylvanus royal family has the oldest bloodline. A noble blood that combines beauty and intelligence..."

Princess Faellamien, who was approaching the tea table with a smile, stopped when she saw Yenikarina’s face.

Yenikarina was smiling as usual, but her lips were subtly stiff, and her complexion was slightly pale.

‘Why is the one I like the most...’

Something was off.

The unease that she had been suppressing since seeing Aristine’s back earlier was now swelling up.

It had grown so large that she couldn’t suppress it anymore.

Something was definitely wrong.

The moment she felt it, Aristine turned to look at them.

The silver hair fluttered, revealing a small face.

Under long eyelashes, mysterious violet eyes, a face as smooth as cream, and lips as sweet as sugar cookies.

Unlike the strong-featured Irgoans, she had a slender neck and limbs that looked like a fairy.

‘Is this the beggar princess I saw earlier...?’

An involuntary sigh escaped her lips.

She had thought the princess would be clean and dressed in a luxurious dress, but she hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful.

The Aristine she had seen earlier was not just dirty but also repulsive.

No one could have imagined that such a beauty, one that could captivate anyone at first sight, was hidden within that mess.

‘They said she looked like a Cinderella...’

‘I didn’t know either!’

Silent conversations were going back and forth.

"Who?"

Aristine’s lips parted, and her voice sounded almost surreal.

There’s a difference between something being beautiful and that something being alive and reacting to you.

"I... I am Prince Marten of Irgo. It’s an honor to meet you, Princess."

Marten, who had always been fond of women, introduced himself to the entranced Aristine.

He didn’t notice that Aristine’s manner of asking who they were was like addressing a subordinate.

‘That guy’s brain is between his legs, not in his head.’

Faellamien frowned and dramatically opened her fan.

"I am Princess Faellamien, Princess. This time, I’ll let it slide, but be more careful with your words from now on."

She laughed sarcastically, as if finding the whole situation absurd.

"Who are you talking about? You don’t look like someone who came to serve the palace."

"Exactly. As a princess of Sylvanus, don’t you know basic etiquette?"

Princess Stalina glared at Aristine with a look of disbelief.

Despite being openly criticized and ignored, Aristine’s expression didn’t change.

Not only did it not change, but there was no reaction at all.

This made Faellamien flinch.

She had attacked, and it had been accepted without any counterattack, but she felt no impact. Instead, she felt uncomfortable.

After a moment of awkward silence, Aristine spoke quietly.

"I think you misunderstood my question..."

"Misunderstood? How exactly did I misunderstand?"

It was a ridiculous excuse, fitting the rumors of her stupidity.

Faellamien, determined to refute Aristine, raised her lips.

"I wasn’t asking who you are. I was talking to myself, wondering if I’ve seen you somewhere before."

"......"

Upon hearing Aristine’s response, Faellamien was speechless.

She felt a sting and half-covered her face with her fan.

‘I didn’t expect her to remember my face in such a chaotic situation...’

Faellamien and Marten were among the royals who had been watching the newly arrived Aristine at Tarqan’s palace.

‘It can’t be. She must just think she’s seen me somewhere because we passed by...’

She had already mocked the princess once.

If she pretended not to recognize her and then got caught, it would be embarrassing.

‘Especially in front of Father.’

She couldn’t afford to give Father a reason to scold her.

The more she pressed, the more disadvantageous it would be for her, so she had to keep quiet.

‘She probably doesn’t know. She was exiled and didn’t receive proper education. She probably doesn’t know how to speak diplomatically.’

Faellamien calmed her stinging heart.

‘She must have just asked out of familiarity. But just in case...’

Tarqan chuckled, amused by Faellamien, who was fanning herself and pretending to be indifferent.

Seeing the first princess, who always held her head high, unable to speak was entertaining.

‘I didn’t expect this situation to arise.’

Aristine, as the legitimate heir of the Sylvanus royal family, which had lasted for a thousand years, was born with the most noble and precious blood.

Tarqan had expected her to despise him for being born to a lowly mother.

Even his half-siblings, who shared half his blood, despised him.

Aristine, if anything, was expected to be even more disdainful.

Of course, he had thought that she might not be if they actually met.

‘Indeed...’

Though he led many people, Tarqan was accustomed to solving everything on his own.

He thought that whatever Aristine did wouldn’t benefit him.

But if she continued to provide such entertaining scenes, his opinion might change.

"Hah! You make all sorts of excuses. How do you talk to yourself like that? You don’t admit your mistakes and only make excuses. I’m starting to doubt if you’re really royalty."

Princess Stalina snorted and glared at Aristine.

"Oh, right. You were the one who couldn’t even be treated as a princess, right?"

Stalina, smirking, looked at Aristine, who was staring at her.

"Why? I was just talking to myself."

Faellamien wanted to hold her head in her hands.

Her clueless and stupid sister had caused another incident.

‘It’s fine. If she doesn’t really remember, it’s not a big deal.’

She tried to maintain her composure.

‘Besides, the Queen Mother sent us to torment the princess...’

It might even be a good thing.

As long as Aristine didn’t remember seeing her and Marten.

‘How could she remember with so many people around, especially in such a chaotic situation? We didn’t even make eye contact.’

Still, Faellamien subtly observed Aristine.

Aristine’s expression was unreadable, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"Prince Marten."

Aristine ignored Stalina and called out to Prince Marten.

Stalina’s face turned red with anger.

In contrast, Marten looked at Aristine with a dreamy expression.

"Have we met before?"

Aristine’s violet eyes, a mix of blue and red, were like the universe.

Even the elegant, slender eyes that framed them seemed to smile at him.

Marten nodded involuntarily.

"Yes... I think we have. No, I’m sure we have. I’ve been to Sylvanus before..."

Marten, suddenly flustered, started rambling about things no one had asked.

"It’s an honor that you remember me, Princess. Well, I do have a face that’s hard to forget. Haha!"

Of course, Marten had never been to Sylvanus.

But how could a man say no to such a beauty who was working on him?

‘I’m much better than that Tarqan guy!’

Marten was lost in his own delusions.

"I’m not sure. I think I met you somewhere else, not in Sylvanus."

Aristine smiled and stared at Marten.

"Haha, where? A dream? Did I see you in a dream? I think I did too. Hahaha!"

Faellamien wanted to shut Marten’s mouth.

‘She definitely remembers seeing me and Marten at Tarqan’s palace!’

Now it was clear. She was doing this on purpose.

‘...I heard she was uneducated and had gone mad from being exiled.’

But in reality, she was nothing like that. She was frighteningly intelligent.

‘She’s just letting us know she has the upper hand without using it.’

It would be easier to deal with if she used it.

In the current situation, Faellamien had to keep an eye on whether Aristine would use her advantage.

She glanced at her father.

He didn’t seem to want to intervene.

But.

‘He’s looking at the princess with interest.’

Faellamien pressed her lips together.

‘Even if Father is pretending not to know about the incident at Tarqan’s palace, the moment it comes out of the princess’s mouth, the story changes.’

The king would no longer be able to pretend he didn’t know.

He might side with her and give a small punishment, but—

‘Father is clearly curious about how the princess will act.’

If Aristine gives a satisfactory result, he will definitely side with her.

‘I need to protect myself.’

The best thing would be for Aristine not to have a reason to use her advantage.

Just as she thought this, Stalina spoke.

"What are you doing, talking to another man in front of your fiancé? You’re really vulgar, even after being told so many times—"

"Stalina!"

Faellamien raised her voice to cut her off.

Stalina, surprised, looked at Faellamien.

The first princess, who always scolded her siblings, was scolding her.

"You’re just asking a question. How can you call it talking to another man? What do you see in your eyes?"

"But, sister, he was—"

"Still saying that?! Everything you see is what you think."

"What? Sister, what are you—"

"Go on, keep talking."

Stalina, taken aback by the low, challenging tone, closed her mouth.

"Even when I point out your mistakes, you don’t admit them and question me?"

Stalina lowered her head without a word.

Seeing this, Faellamien clicked her tongue.

‘She won’t cause any more trouble now.’

Although she had been harsh, it was a success as long as she could silence Stalina.

"Reflect on your usual behavior and repent."

Stalina pressed her lips tightly.

She was angry, hurt, and frustrated.

It was hard to believe that Faellamien was scolding her.

Wasn’t she the kind sister who always let her get away with minor missteps?

‘Why is she...’

"Stalina."

Faellamien urged her.

Stalina clenched her fists. She couldn’t keep being stubborn with such anger.

"...I understand. I will repent, Your Highness."

Though filled with resentment, Stalina bowed to Faellamien.

* * *

‘A clean shot.’

Tarqan felt like applauding.

Aristine had hunted her enemies so cleanly that it was almost too much.

And she did it without lifting a finger, just by standing there.

Even Tarqan, who was only interested in hunting monsters and not in human politics, found it thrilling.

To Tarqan, who was a warrior among warriors, Aristine was an excellent hunter.

If this were the Monster Plains and she had hunted a monster, he would have wanted to recruit her immediately.

Tarqan’s golden eyes swept over Aristine’s profile.

Where did such aggression hide in such a delicate and slender face?

The more he looked, the more mysterious she became.

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