Chapter 70

Tarkan had always thought that things would come full circle and end up with him. Ever since he couldn’t forget his first love, he had been thinking this way. He had watched Tarkan, who never once looked back at himself over the long years, alone. 'I can endure this much.' Just then, he heard that the palace ladies who followed Aristine had chosen a certain type of lingerie for the first night. Diona also whispered this fact to the maids. If they were going to do it, they should do it properly. 'It’s fine, Your Majesty. Feel free to play around. In the end, you’ll end up in my Diona’s arms.'

Chapter 22. When the Hunt Ends, the Hunting Dog Is Discarded

The summer night was filled with the sounds of insects. Tarkan walked down the corridor toward the bedroom, inhaling the fresh scent of grass rising from the night garden. A small insect, glowing like a firefly, flew low among the bushes. However, Tarkan’s steps were heavy. They had been heavy for the past few weeks. Before getting married, Tarkan always slept and woke up alone. Sleeping meant being vulnerable. There was nothing more annoying than someone being by your side at such a moment. 'I was sure I thought that way.' But perhaps he had grown accustomed to it. When Aristine didn’t return late at night, claiming she was improving the scalpel, his mood sank. 'It’s not that I want to sleep with her or anything.' Despite this thought, Tarkan’s steps slowed. He had finished work late and entrusted Aristine’s protection to another warrior. If he had known it would end so early today, he would have gone himself. 'Should I go to the forge now?' As he thought this, he suddenly stopped and lifted his head. 'A sound?' His steps toward the marital bedroom quickened. He sensed a faint sound inside the bedroom. Aristine must have returned early. His expression relaxed. But at the door, he stopped. There were multiple sounds. His golden eyes sharpened. 'Is she with the palace ladies?' If so, that would be fortunate, but he was still concerned after the incident with Brody. He opened the door without hesitation. 'This is...' A delicate and refreshing fragrance, slightly sweet at the end, filled the air. It was like burying your nose in a fresh, dewy flower, a scent fitting for a summer night. Tarkan felt the tension in his neck ease. It also reminded him of Aristine. 'Did the palace ladies do this?' Always talking about the bed, they must have prepared some event. The marital bedroom still had no lights, only candles. 'Is today a special day?' Perhaps the chocolate fudge Aristine sent during the day had some meaning? Tarkan, despite thinking that a woman as indifferent as Aristine wouldn’t have such delicate thoughts, couldn’t help but guess the date. They had been married for more than a month... Seeing Aristine’s indifferent expression, Tarkan felt a bit annoyed. He definitely didn’t want to celebrate a month anniversary—there was nothing specific that came to mind. The lace curtains on the bed had been replaced with ones that didn’t show the inside. The red silk curtains created a sensual atmosphere. Tarkan frowned but approached the bed quickly. "What kind of prank is this..." Tarkan’s voice trailed off. On the bed, two of Aristine’s maids lay in strange positions, wearing what might not even be proper clothes. They were the lingerie the palace ladies had chosen for Aristine, the hideous things they had shown him, asking which he preferred. * * * "Sir Mukali, you’re a general. Is it okay for you to guard me like this?" Your rank doesn’t match. Concerned, Aristine asked. Mukali laughed. "You worry too much." Aristine had no idea how many people coveted this position. Regular warriors couldn’t even be considered for it. It was a position fiercely competed for by Tarkan’s closest generals. A brutal and ruthless competition where camaraderie disappeared! Mukali had won. He had won the lottery. Mukali proudly puffed out his chest. The pleasure of seeing other warriors envy him to death! Mukali, already favored by Aristine, received even more glares. A villain who monopolized the Empress’s favor! That was Mukali’s new title. 'Men’s jealousy is truly despicable.' Mukali huffed. Over the past few days, while guarding Aristine in place of Tarkan, Mukali had become quite close to Litren. They got along well. Most of all, they could talk for hours about alloys, processes, and chemical principles, topics they couldn’t discuss with others. They were even more delighted to find each other. Aristine, not rushing them, sometimes let them chat, making her return home even later. "By the way, Your Highness." "Hmm?" Aristine looked at Mukali. The moonlight illuminated her face, and the summer breeze played with her hair. Mukali, looking at her with one eye, nodded. "You look happy. Is something good happening?" Aristine blinked and smiled. "Is it that obvious?" "I can read your expressions now." Though she was usually expressionless, the more you knew her, the more you realized the rich emotions within. "Should I give you a hint first, Sir Mukali?" Aristine said playfully, her eyes twinkling. "It was a success." Mukali’s single eye widened. "You don’t mean..." "Yes, you can be hopeful." Seeing Aristine’s confident smile, Mukali’s face slowly broke into a smile. He knew how much Aristine and her new friend Litren had struggled. Though they didn’t show it, both carried heavy and massive fatigue. "That’s great, really great!" Mukali’s thick hand tightly gripped Aristine’s small hand and shook it roughly. Aristine laughed, her clear laughter blending into the night air. "But what exactly is it? The previous one was called a revolution by that stone doctor." The stone doctor referred to Umiru. Though he called him that, Mukali respected him the most. He could call him a stone doctor precisely because of that. They despised each other but, in Aristine’s view, were quite close. "I want to tell you, but it’s still a secret." Aristine put her index finger to her lips and smiled. "A secret..." Mukali felt a bit disappointed. He had chatted with Litren at the forge but hadn’t even heard a hint of success. 'Am I the only one who thinks I’m close to them?' They hadn’t even told him how they were improving the scalpel. "Sorry, there’s someone who will be upset if I don’t tell them first." Aristine looked at Mukali with an apologetic smile. When she first made the scalpel, Tarkan had given her a hard time for showing it to Mukali first. At first, she didn’t believe it, but when he kept saying he was her first business partner, she realized it was true. 'My husband is indeed a man who needs a lot of attention.' Despite this thought, Aristine couldn’t help but smile. "Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do." Mukali backed off, knowing exactly who Aristine was talking about. Honestly, he was afraid of the backlash and didn’t want to know before Tarkan. Still, he added, "But I’ll reserve the next spot." Aristine smiled. "Sure, I’ll definitely show you. You can be hopeful." Because it would bring a storm to this country, no, this world. 'A money storm!' The thought of standing amidst a whirlwind of money, arms raised, made him happy. She arrived at the bedroom, but something was off. 'Huh?' In front of the bedroom, people stood with faces hardened by contempt and disgust. Following their gazes, she saw, 'Wow...' For some reason, the maids were sprawled on the floor, in revealing lingerie. Aristine was amazed that people actually wore such scraps of cloth. "Oh my, how shameless..." "They pretended to be high-class and dignified ladies." "To desire the husband of the person they serve and hide in the bed in such attire." "How vulgar." People gossiped, criticizing Aristine’s maids, Selian and Melodia. Their gazes felt like whips, making the two women huddle together. When they first arrived at Tarkan’s palace, these people had laughed and mocked Aristine for being dirty. Now, their reaction was pitiful. "What? Who are you to say that?" "Let’s see that shameless face." The latecomers’ voices made the maids pale and cover their faces. "You must know it’s shameful." "If you knew, you shouldn’t have done it." People spat. The maids wanted to escape but were too scared to move. Tarkan had been looking down at them the whole time. His gaze was calm, without anger. At the same time, it was like the gaze of a predator looking at its prey, not blinking once. He didn’t shout, hit, or throw anything. He just looked. But the maids felt their throats constrict, their breaths stifled. 'Why, why did it come to this...' They were confident. Even that barbarian woman, Diona, who claimed to be close to Tarkan, had said so. "Though it may be presumptuous, I’ll be honest with you." Diona had lowered her voice and whispered carefully. "The only reason Tarkan is showing any interest in you is because of the bedroom." Bedroom? The maids were shocked but thought it made sense. Honestly, what other charm did Aristine have? Most importantly, everyone knew they had destroyed a bed in the countryside. Diona’s words seemed even more credible. "So, you need to firmly secure him during the honeymoon." In other words, if you don’t, Tarkan won’t even look at Aristine. "Men are like that, right? If they’re not satisfied, they’ll look for another woman." Diona pushed out her ample chest as she spoke. The maids nodded, thinking, 'Is that so?' Diona seemed to have a lot of experience with men. Though they thought it was vulgar for a barbarian, they didn’t want to seem inexperienced. "So, tell her to be more proactive in bed. And..." Diona hesitated, then took a deep breath and whispered. "Though it’s really difficult to tell you, I know Tarkan’s very private preferences... But I know that it’s good for both countries if you two get along." She subtly boasted that she knew Tarkan’s intimate preferences. The maids were even more anxious. It was natural to want to know the intimate preferences of the man you desired. "What is it?" "Tarkan’s preference in lingerie." Lingerie? The maids’ eyes widened. They blushed in embarrassment but imagined other things in their heads. "I’ll send it to you specially. So, you must make sure to assist Her Highness well, right?" The maids confidently promised to rely on them. Of course, they had no intention of assisting Aristine. On the contrary, they hoped the opposite. And tonight, Rosaline brought the information that Aristine would be late again. She said it was a perfect night for the plan. But they needed someone to watch if Aristine would come or not, so Rosaline volunteered. She said it was an apology for deceiving the maids while serving Aristine. The plan was perfect. 'So, I even wore the lingerie Diona sent...' She had followed Diona’s advice, sprayed perfume, and made all the preparations. She was excited and nervous when Tarkan roughly pulled back the bed curtains. But then. 'Forget it, I’ll just make money.'