Chapter 8

"Oh, my."

Aristine smiled gently at Stalina.

"I just asked if there was something you wanted to say, but I didn't expect things to turn out this way."

She clicked her tongue softly and continued.

"I feel uneasy seeing the princess kneeling like this. Come, please stand up."

Aristine's demeanor as she helped Stalina up was the epitome of a superior.

Her generous and calm attitude.

King Ailugo's eyes sparkled as he watched her.

'Smart, Aristine.'

Throughout the entire ordeal, Aristine never lost her temper.

She neither scolded nor demanded an apology.

It was Paellamien who moved first.

'She knows her political standing well and uses it to her advantage.'

The second daughter was quite intelligent.

To rattle and manipulate Paellamien, who usually blended in so well, was no small feat.

If things had gone wrong, Aristine might have been blamed for disrupting the peace as soon as she arrived in Ailugo.

'Bold, but just right. Not at all excessive.'

If Aristine had overstepped even a little, the situation would have worsened.

And that would have been worse than just being passive.

Ailugo and Sylvanus had been long-time enemies, and now they were finally trying to establish friendly relations.

Stalina was rude.

But if Sylvanus' princess had to kneel and beg Ailugo's princess, the fragile peace would shatter like thin ice.

Moreover, Ailugo was the victor, and Sylvanus the defeated.

But what was the current situation?

In the end, the older princess had scolded the younger one, making it an internal matter of Ailugo.

The king had silently observed, hoping for something from Aristine.

But even if he hadn't, she had handled it in a way that left him no room to criticize her.

There was nothing to fault in her words.

Even if there were, she had already created a way out.

'I thought it would be a relief if she could at least meet my gaze properly.'

The king's gaze swept over Aristine's expressionless face.

Of course, what he truly wanted was Sylvanus' second princess.

Who would want the first princess, who had such a significant issue of being under house arrest?

When he heard that the first princess was coming, King Ailugo clicked his tongue and frowned.

It was disappointing, but he thought it didn't matter.

What was important was the person who could end this war and eliminate Tarkan's political weakness.

She wasn't under house arrest due to any flaws in her legitimacy, bloodline, or physical condition; she had merely fallen out of favor with the emperor.

Tarkan had hoped to meet a clever political partner, but...

'Even if she just breathes, she fulfills her minimum value. As long as she doesn't cause trouble...'

The king shook his head.

It had been a long time since his judgment or thoughts were completely wrong.

But it was a pleasant miscalculation.

'The emperor of Sylvanus sent such a gem without recognizing her worth.'

The emperor was originally a greedy and foolish man.

"Stop standing around and sit down. What are you doing, suddenly barging in for tea?"

The king gestured for the prince and princesses to sit, settling the situation.

They realized they had been standing and talking and blushed.

It meant they had been swayed by Aristine.

"Yes, Father. Yenika was surprised."

Yenikarina clung to the king's arm, cooing and batting her eyes.

"Why are you all acting this way on such a joyful day? Speaking rudely to the princess, or being too harsh on your sister."

Stalina and Paellamien flinched under Yenikarina's gaze.

"Yenika is so sad."

She pouted at Aristine.

"We're about to become family, and this is the first impression you see. What if the princess misunderstands and thinks we dislike her?"

It was a cute pout mixed with a bit of a tantrum.

Aristine showed no reaction, so Yenikarina started talking to her directly.

"I don't understand why everyone is treating the princess this way."

Her large eyes were the same turquoise blue as the king's.

"Yenika is so happy to have an older sister."

She smiled sweetly.

Aristine, who had been watching her, slowly lifted the corners of her mouth.

Yenikarina reached out to Aristine with a friendly smile.

"Can Yenika call the princess 'Lina-nee'?"

Aristine's smile deepened.

"Of course."

"Wow!"

Yenikarina clasped her hands to her chest and beamed, a face as lovely as her gesture.

"...It feels like I'm seeing my own sister."

Aristine smiled faintly, thinking of her younger sister in Sylvanus.

"The second princess?"

"Yes, she's very beautiful and lovely."

She really was.

Even when Aristine saw her as a child and later through the Imperial Eye, she was always lovely.

'Even when she put me under house arrest, she was so lovely.'

Aristine's faint smile bloomed like a flower.

"Will you think of me as your sister? I'm so happy!"

Yenikarina blushed, but couldn't hide her excitement and anticipation.

Her eyes sparkled with joy, forming half-moons.

But beneath that innocent face, she had different thoughts.

'Hmph, too easy.'

Indeed, her lovely face was her most powerful weapon, effective everywhere.

Even Aristine, a foreigner, was immediately captivated.

'After all, she's been living alone under house arrest. She'd be overwhelmed by a little kindness.'

Here, Aristine was surrounded by Ailugo people, who were probably more mature than her.

Seeing someone as cute and lovely as herself, it was natural for her to be moved.

'At least our builds are somewhat similar, so she might think of her hometown.'

Yenikarina's maternal grandmother was from a foreign country.

Yenikarina, inheriting that blood, was softer in appearance compared to other Ailugo people.

That's why Aristine thought of her sister.

'Ah, boring. I can't embarrass her in front of my father. If she likes me too much, it will be troublesome.'

Yenikarina's eyes flicked to her father.

King Ailugo was clearly pleased with Aristine.

He made no effort to hide it.

'...For now, I should pretend to be close to her.'

It would please her father.

'Think positively. It will be easier to stab her in the back later.'

While thinking this, she met Tarkan's eyes.

Yenikarina smiled her usual sweet smile.

She enjoyed the disgust that briefly appeared on Tarkan's face.

'Anyway, if I can manipulate this foolish princess well, it will help my brother.'

It would be fine if Tarkan warned Aristine not to be close to her.

Approaching the princess, who had been living alone and longed for human warmth, with brightness and friendliness.

A large, rough, and bloodstained man who didn't love her, a terrifying political marriage partner.

Who would the princess be more wary of?

'Yes, this could be quite fun.'

Yenikarina smiled at Aristine.

"Lina-nee, if you're uncomfortable in the palace, come to Yenika. I'll help you with anything, really anything."

Including her relationship with her husband.

Yenikarina's gesture made Aristine smile back.

"That's very kind of you."

It was the answer she wanted, but Yenikarina's lips stiffened slightly.

'Is... is she being subtly rude now?'

Is this half-wit looking down on her?!

"Ah, sorry. Princess Yenika, can I speak more casually?"

'How dare she.'

But Yenikarina managed to smile.

What an annoying woman.

She says sorry, but her expressionless face shows no remorse, making it even more annoying.

"It's just that... I didn't expect—"

Before she could say "I'm shy," Aristine spoke.

"It's because you remind me of my sister. You said you wanted to think of me as your sister, right?"

'What?'

Yenikarina was speechless.

"Was it just a polite gesture? I can't tell the difference. I thought you were sincere."

Aristine lowered her gaze.

Indeed, a beauty like her looked even more pitiful with just that.

Marten sighed sympathetically, making Yenikarina even more annoyed.

'How can she be sincere?! How dare you think of me as a sister!'

The only person who could think of her as a sister was Hamir.

But what she finally said was...

"Of course! I'm sincere, sincere."

Yenikarina forced a bright smile.

"Is that okay?"

Aristine's casual tone made a crack appear on Yenikarina's smiling face.

She had always maintained her smile, but today was the hardest day to do so.

'Damn. She's been living alone, so she's clueless, right?'

But from what she saw with Paellamien, she didn't seem clueless.

Anyway, if the other side is casual, there's no need to be formal.

"Um, then Yenika can call you—"

"Ah."

Aristine interrupted her.

"My sister always uses formal language with me. Even when she was very young, she never spoke casually."

"......"

Yenikarina was momentarily speechless.

Her mind was blank.

Then, a laugh burst out from beside her.

"Ha!"

It was Marten.

He tried to suppress his laughter but couldn't stop it from escaping. His shoulders shook.

After a moment, Yenikarina smiled.

"Marten-oppa."

"Wh-what?"

"What's so funny? Yenika wants to know too."

"Wh-what? Well, it's just..."

"What is it?"

"Sorry."

"What are you sorry for? Did you do something wrong to Yenika?"

Aristine watched Marten squirm under Yenikarina's attack with indifference before turning her gaze.

In fact, she had been watching someone else the whole time.

The emperor of Ailugo, Nefter.

His sharp eyes, similar to Tarkan's, were on her.

His turquoise eyes held a hint of interest.

'Good sign.'

She had only closed her mouth to avoid conflict with Stalina, but it seemed to have an unexpected effect.

The king had become interested in her because of it.

'He values Tarkan, so he probably wants a politically savvy woman as Tarkan's partner.'

Currently, Ailugo's crown prince had not been designated.

There were two factions in a fierce succession battle, one of which included her future husband, Tarkan, and the other, the queen's eldest son, Hamir.

Yenikarina, like Hamir, was the queen's child.

The other princes and princesses were from different concubines.

'Except for Tarkan.'

Tarkan was not born to a properly appointed concubine.

He was born to a commoner mother.

This birth was Tarkan's political weakness.

Because of this, most of the royal family supported Hamir.

The most basic reason was their disdain for Tarkan's commoner birth.

More complexly, the existing nobility wanted to exclude new forces that might share their power.

The nobility were tightly united to maintain the status quo.

'Politics is ultimately a struggle for interests.'

All the politics Aristine had seen through the Imperial Eye were like this.

* * *

As the royal family sat down, the palace servants brought out freshly brewed warm tea and pastries.

Aristine gazed in awe as the amber tea filled the teacup.

The aroma spread as the tea swirled in the cup, mixing with the air.

The shiny, glossy jelly that came with it looked delicious, and her eyes kept drifting to it.

'But today, I'm here to sell... no, to present myself as a good catch.'

Aristine needed to prove to Tarkan how good a catch she was.

And she was quite confident.

Aristine had an excellent memory.

She never forgot anything she had seen through the Imperial Eye.

In the secluded confinement palace, where she had no one, Aristine's activities were limited.

The Imperial Eye was not something she could use at will, so Aristine spent her time reflecting on what she had already seen.

It was the only way she could live.

Sitting alone, she would recall the outside world she had seen reflected in the water, over and over again.

Memory is a skill that can be trained.

Aristine forgot less and remembered more.

This habit also made her more observant when using the Imperial Eye to see the past, present, and future.

Not just conversations, but the beauty of the flowers behind people, the blueness of the sky, the sparkle of the sunlight.

She would store these in her heart and cherish them in her dimly lit room.

Her observational skills could only improve.

So why was this important now?

Because Aristine had seen King Ailugo through the Imperial Eye.

Not just once, but many times.

Because of this, Aristine knew secrets about the king that even Tarkan didn't know.

Forget about being a wife, she just wanted to make some money.