Chapter 72

"Very well done, Rosaline. As expected, you are reliable."

"Then, does that mean...?"

Rosaline's eyes sparkled like a hunting dog salivating at a piece of meat on the ground.

"Yes, since you hunted the maids for me, it's only right that I reward you."

At Aristine's gesture, the palace attendants nodded and left the room.

'What will she bring?'

Last time, it was a necklace with dozens of carats of diamonds. What about this time?

Because the necklace was taken by Tarkan, she ended up receiving nothing. Today, she would make up for that.

However, the maids brought a box smaller than she expected.

Though a bit disappointed, size wasn't everything.

There were things small but more valuable than anything else.

'Could it be Argenaqua?'

Thump, Rosaline felt a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

She stared at the silver box without blinking.

"By the way, Rosaline."

Aristine slowly stroked the edge of the box and spoke.

"I heard something quite interesting."

Rosaline's emerald eyes glared at Aristine.

'Is that important now? Just open it already.'

Click, as if reading her thoughts, the box made a small sound and opened.

Rosaline's eyes widened as she saw what was inside.

"Tarkan doesn't like sweets, apparently."

Aristine's vivid purple eyes fixed on Rosaline.

"T, that's..."

Rosaline involuntarily took a step back.

Clank, the object Aristine took out of the box reflected the light, shining a clear silver.

Two silver rings, resembling bracelets, were connected by a chain.

They were handcuffs.

"I had to pretend to be on the maids' side, I had no choice."

Rosaline said hurriedly.

"But why didn't you tell me? We were alone then."

"Because the maids might have noticed."

Aristine remained silent.

Rosaline licked her dry lips and tried to justify herself.

"When did I ever plot with the princess? I always acted alone, didn't I?"

Rosaline deliberately emphasized "alone."

I did all the work without any help, all thanks to me, right?

And now you're going to abandon me?

Aristine leaned against the table, silent.

Her delicate, slender fingers traced the silver curve of the handcuffs leisurely.

Rosaline clutched the document desperately and held it out.

"Look, thanks to me, the maids got what they deserved! They can't even show their faces now!"

Aristine smiled.

Rosaline realized something was wrong.

Like an insect struggling in a spider's web, only to realize its fate when it was too late.

"Is that so?"

Aristine's words were not directed at Rosaline.

Her gaze was fixed on something behind Rosaline.

There stood the maids, who had become extremely haggard in just one night.

"S, Seraphine, Melodia..."

Rosaline turned around, gasping as she called them.

The maids rushed at Rosaline.

When the princess visited the prison and said it was all Rosaline's doing, they had their doubts...

"Was this all part of your plan?"

"It felt strange. You pushed us all into the bedroom and then disappeared!"

"The sudden crowd was because you told them, right?"

Rosaline was right.

They couldn't show their faces in Silvanus anymore.

Moreover, the journalists dug up their family's corruption, leading to their family's abandonment.

"Aah! Let go!"

Rosaline screamed as her hair was pulled.

But the maids, their eyes wild, paid no attention.

They threw Rosaline to the ground and knelt before Aristine.

"We will thoroughly interrogate Rosaline about what she said about the princess."

"And what she has been plotting."

Rosaline, struggling, crawled to Aristine.

"This is a frame-up!"

She pushed the maids away and shouted.

"Princess, isn't that right? I have always been loyal to you."

A servile, anxious smile spread across her face.

"Jealous that only they ended up like this, they didn't want me to follow the princess, like water sprites...!"

"Rosaline, Rosaline."

Aristine smiled and tilted her head. Her silver hair slowly fell.

"Let's not waste time, shall we?"

Rosaline looked at Aristine, confused.

'What does she mean...? What does she mean...?'

It can't be.

The maids, panicking, pushed Rosaline aside and stepped forward.

"Since we've confirmed, we will do as the princess wishes."

"Even if it means avenging this traitor!"

Aristine looked down at them calmly.

'I expected as much.'

They were all the same.

'But it's convenient for me.'

Rosaline looked up at Aristine with a distorted face.

'Did she suspect me from the beginning?'

She barked like a dog, knelt, and crawled on the floor.

She put aside her pride, flattered the princess, and acted servilely, like a tongue in her mouth.

All for the sake of the mission.

'But it was all for nothing.

Isn't it too stupid? The one who planned to betray ended up being the biggest fool.

As if reading her thoughts, Aristine smiled at Rosaline.

"Were the past few days happy for you?"

"Princess!"

Rosaline's emerald eyes sparked with anger.

She lunged at Aristine.

Or rather, tried to.

"Aah!"

The palace attendants grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back.

"How dare you, to our Highness."

"Let go! You big, brutish savages!"

"Who's really uncivilized and savage?"

"At least we know loyalty."

The attendants laughed and easily restrained Rosaline.

Aristine handed the silver bracelet to the attendants, who clicked the cold handcuffs around Rosaline's wrists.

Rosaline glared at Aristine, her face contorted.

"Don't look at me like that. Isn't that how it is?"

The moment she saw Aristine's purple eyes, Rosaline realized.

'She planned this from the beginning.'

When the hunt is over, the hunting dog goes into the pot.

Why didn't she realize this obvious truth sooner?

She had been played by Aristine all along.

"The silver bracelet suits you. Do you like the gift?"

"Aaaah! Aristine!"

Rosaline screamed, going mad.

The attendants covered her mouth and dragged her away.

Aristine leaned back on the sofa.

In reality, she would have pampered the hardworking dog.

'But the dog should go into the pot.'

Aristine didn't need to prepare the pot.

Her father, the emperor, would take care of it.

* * *

★The last one, the maids who plotted against the princess

★Coincidence or someone's plot. The final mastermind, Rosaline's sordid truth

The daily newspaper used a relatively dignified headline, but the gossip magazines were much more sensational.

★Everyone else is a slut, Rosaline. Turns out she was the biggest slut

★Rosaline, turns out she's not a rose petal but an onion? The more you peel, the more there is

"What, really. She used to act like the conscience of the era in interviews."

"Turns out she was the most vicious?"

"Shamelessness has its limits."

People murmured after reading the newspaper.

Aristine came to marry in Manrita, a place she had no connection to, for the world's peace.

Yet, the maids who followed her from her homeland were all like this.

"Trying to stab her, sneaking into her husband's bed."

"And someone directing it all from behind while pretending to be innocent."

"What did she say? She would stay by the princess's side until the end."

"Scary, so scary."

The princess, who had no one to rely on, was pitiful.

"But His Highness Tarkan treats her well."

"Yes, with love, she can endure."

In every passionate love story, there is always a crisis.

Aristine and Tarkan were still newlyweds, but from the wedding parade accident to various other incidents, they had faced many challenges.

"When the maids tried to seduce His Highness by stripping, he didn't even blink."

"Instead, he was disgusted."

"Indeed, only His Highness, who loves her, can do that!"

Hehe! People laughed.

Amidst all the threats and temptations, their steadfast love!

Everyone was captivated by the story.

After the wedding, the princess and her husband rarely appeared in public.

So, they always felt mysterious, and with these incidents, the imagination only grew.

"Indeed, this couple is special!"

"I want to see them more."

"I wish they would give an interview about their married life."

"I want to see a couple photoshoot..."

"While royal news keeps featuring Princess Jenika."

Until then, when Jenika appeared, people found her cute and adorable.

But with the news they wanted, seeing only Jenika became tiresome.

"Anyway, those who dared to mock our princess and interfere with the Highnesses' marriage should be stoned!"

This sentiment was not much different among the people of Silvanus.

"Our princess has been sick since childhood and rarely goes out."

Just changing "our princess" to "our princess" in the sentiment.

"How dare these maids make life miserable for our princess?!"

"At least they could have served her well!"

The people of Silvanus, unaware that Aristine was healthy and only exiled because she was out of the emperor's favor, were outraged.

To them, Aristine was always a sore spot.

In fact, the second princess, who often appeared in public and actively engaged in charity, was the most familiar and popular.

In contrast, the first princess, who had never shown her face to the public, had little presence.

But they felt sorry for her, wondering how sick she must be.

The frail, tragic princess.

That she went to the barbarians for the sake of peace made people even more sympathetic.

Especially, when Aristine's image on the wedding carriage appeared in the newspaper, people became even more interested in her.

Her noble and spirited sacrifice for peace was very beautiful.

Originally, the face is what appeals to people intuitively.

It was natural for people to be deeply moved by the frail, tragic princess who willingly sacrificed herself for peace, the beautiful and noble Aristine.

They felt proud and outraged when they heard news from Ailugo.

Seeing the people of Ailugo like their princess, they felt both "Indeed, our princess!" and "No, she's our princess!"

"I wish she could have rested peacefully, but to suffer such humiliation in the barbarians' land..."

"But it's not because of Ailugo, right?"

"Yes, strangely, it was all the maids who got our princess into trouble. The ones who went with her from Silvanus..."

"I thought we only had to be careful of the barbarians of Ailugo."

"But with the maids acting like this, it's a bit worrying."

"The newspaper said the emperor carefully selected them for his beloved daughter."

"Didn't the knights suddenly return halfway?"

"The details are unknown, but they resigned, taking responsibility for not serving the princess well."

"Not serving her well... doesn't that mean there was a serious problem?"

This public opinion naturally reached the imperial palace where the emperor resided.

* * *

Clang!

An expensive, gilded porcelain shattered.

The head attendant closed his eyes tightly.

Besides the porcelain that just broke, various things around the emperor were already shattered.

This had been going on for days.

On the first day, when he saw the treasure-grade items shatter in an instant, the head attendant wisely replaced everything with unbreakable items.

He thought it would be safe.

'Who would have thought he would pick up that large, heavy porcelain and break it...'

Knowing the emperor's mood, he dismissed all other attendants to avoid any mishap.

After wreaking havoc in the room for a while, the emperor finally seemed exhausted, panting heavily.

"I sent them to monitor, and they end up fighting among themselves?!"

When the knights returned, sobbing, he felt more absurd and ridiculous.

Hearing that Brody tried to stab Aristine with a knife and failed, he thought they were crazy.

Aristine was destined to die.

She was supposed to die and break this peace, sparking the war.

But to try to kill her before proper war preparations were made, ruining everything!

He thought that would be the end of it.

How could anything else happen?

But an unprecedented situation arose.

"To mess things up like this because of that woman Rosaline..."

The emperor muttered.

In this scheme, Aristine was overshadowed, and only Rosaline's name remained.

It was exactly as Aristine had planned, using the maids and Diona.

Forget about the husband, she just wanted to make money.