Chapter 80

"Sometimes you can just come over to see the cat Jodiak is raising! He said you can come over anytime."

Aristine smiled.

Tarkan's left eyebrow twitched.

He didn't like it. Talking about the cat, they seemed to have become too close.

"He's obsessed with cats and work."

"Is that so?"

"Definitely not normal."

"Isn't being obsessed with work a good thing? I'm grateful he sells the scalpels so enthusiastically."

Despite pointing out the negatives, for some reason, her favorability only increased.

Tarkan frowned.

Aristine, humming happily and whistling, was so annoying.

"Angel of Peace."

Calling her that, Aristine turned to look at him.

"Don't call me that."

"Then, Goddess of Peace?"

"Tarkan!"

Seeing Aristine immediately get angry, Tarkan's expression softened.

Angel of Peace, Goddess, Savior of the sick.

The names for Aristine were amusing.

To Tarkan, Aristine was a woman who was unpredictable and whimsical, fearless despite her frail appearance, and sometimes perceptive, sometimes completely clueless.

And her stubbornness was incredible.

'She treats people like perverts and all.'

Muttering to himself, he couldn't help but smile.

People wouldn't know this side of Aristine.

They would think of her as a noble being with a lofty purpose, someone untouchable.

'Actually, she's quite clumsy.'

Tarkan's golden eyes were warm and sweet, like honey melting.

So much so that people who glanced at them couldn't help but blush or feel embarrassed.

"So, Angel, is there anything you want to do?"

"No, pervert."

Aristine answered sullenly.

"Really? You could have met the merchant at the palace, but you came out here on purpose."

At that, Aristine was speechless.

Tarkan was right.

The palace was vast and had many things to see, but she was always curious about the outside world.

"How did you know?"

"Who knows."

Tarkan extended his arm, and Aristine reluctantly placed her hand on it.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"......I want to eat that hot dog."

A simple wish.

Whenever Aristine and Tarkan moved, people parted like the sea.

A vendor, who was grilling skewers, stared blankly at the two standing in front of his stall, unsure of what to do.

'Should I kneel? No, but they are on a pilgrimage, right? They are clearly Tarkan and Aristine, but they are in plain clothes.'

While the vendor was pondering, Aristine muttered, looking at the menu.

"......There are so many kinds."

She had seen Tarkan eat a hot dog in the Imperial Eye and thought it looked delicious, so she wanted to try one outside.

But she didn't expect there to be so many varieties.

'What should I eat?'

Seeing Aristine's eyes scanning the menu, Tarkan said,

"Get the mozzarella sausage hot dog. Sprinkle sugar, ketchup, and mustard on it."

Aristine looked at Tarkan.

"You like cheese and sweet things."

"Yeah, you know me well?"

She had never said she liked them, but Tarkan knew.

Tarkan turned his head without answering.

Meanwhile, the hot dog arrived, and Aristine took it with a pounding heart.

She blew on the steaming hot dog and took a bite.

The crispy sound, the salty, sweet, and spicy flavors, and the stretchy, savory cheese made her instantly happy.

'Delicious!'

Seeing Aristine's cheeks soften, Tarkan smiled.

Her face was one that didn't need to ask if it was good.

Excited, Aristine tugged on Tarkan's sleeve.

"Tarkan, I also want to try that lemonade. The blue one."

Although she had tried many drinks at Tarkan's palace, she had never had a blue one.

So, she got the lemonade, followed by chicken skewers, chocolate banana crepes, and vanilla cone ice cream.

Tarkan said, "Eat a bit and then buy something else," but he bought everything Aristine pointed to.

In the end, Tarkan's hands were full of street food.

"Your hands are so big, it's convenient."

Seeing Tarkan hold the lemonade cup with three fingers, Aristine marveled.

"My husband is so capable."

Tarkan laughed, finding it ridiculous.

Not only was she using him as a porter, but she was also praising him.

No one else could say or do such things to him.

"At least you recognize it now."

Tarkan muttered, twisting his lips.

Aristine leaned down and took a sip of the lemonade Tarkan was holding.

"Ah, it's refreshing."

It was a refreshing taste that cooled her down.

"You should try it. It's hot, and it's very refreshing."

Tarkan's gaze turned to the lemonade.

A straw was stuck in the middle of the cup.

Of course, there was only one straw.

"......You want me to drink this?"

"Aren't you hot? It's a bit sour, but it's delicious and refreshing."

Aristine seemed to have no ulterior motives.

Tarkan's gaze returned to the straw.

Though there were no traces, he vividly remembered Aristine's lips touching the straw multiple times.

'No, no, that's not it.'

Why was he the only one aware of it?

Aristine seemed to think nothing of it, so he should too.

Tarkan pressed his lips to the straw.

Gulp, the lemonade slid down his throat.

"How is it, refreshing?"

"Uh-huh."

Tarkan slowly nodded.

He didn't feel particularly refreshed, nor did he taste much.

Aristine offered the chicken skewer she was holding.

"This is delicious too. It's a bit spicy."

Tarkan ate it as well.

It was supposed to be spicy, but he didn't really taste it.

"The food here isn't as good as the palace, but it's still delicious, right?"

Aristine said, waving the empty skewer.

Tarkan slowly nodded, looking at her.

"Yeah."

He gently pressed her head with his empty hand.

"I found it delicious too."

Tarkan was very picky about food.

This street food should have been tasteless, but strangely, it was delicious.

He didn't even properly taste it.

"But don't do this with anyone else."

Aristine looked up at him.

Tarkan's hand was still on her head.

"Of course not."

As if it was the most obvious thing, Aristine replied.

Under the summer sun, her purple eyes were lighter and more transparent.

Tarkan felt a sinking sensation in his chest.

Thud, a sound echoed inside him.

Of course, she wouldn't do this with anyone else, but that meant...

"Isn't this a bit undignified? But since it's a pilgrimage today."

Aristine smiled mischievously.

Of course, people recognized them, but they didn't kneel and shout "Your Highness!"

After looking at Aristine for a moment, Tarkan sighed and removed his hand.

He knew what kind of woman she was.

Chapter 25. Sparrow?

The newspapers were in an uproar.

Aristine and Tarkan had gone on a street date in plain clothes.

Secret date of the royal couple?

Mature civic awareness, recognizing them but pretending not to

Royal couple's couple fashion

Affectionate moments of the royal couple feeding each other

List of street vendors visited by the royal couple

Unexpected peak season? Street vendors, joyful cries

'Isn't it strange for a major daily newspaper to publish such articles, not even gossip?'

Aristine was flabbergasted.

If the daily newspaper was this bad, the gossip magazines were even worse.

They had written a whole novel.

It wasn't even a date.

'It was an external task.'

Diona, Tarkan's real lover, would be heartbroken if she saw this.

'But, my boyfriend will handle it.'

It wasn't her concern.

Thinking this, Aristine lay down under the shade of a tree.

Her silver hair and white dress spread out on the green grass.

Even in the hot summer, the cool breeze under the shade was refreshing.

'Good...'

Aristine gazed at the golden sunlight filtering through the leaves and closed her eyes.

After the article was published, the palace staff would smile and look at her, so she had fled.

Aristine enjoyed the touch of the summer breeze, carrying the scent of grass.

Since making the scalpels, she hadn't had such leisure.

'Of course, the site must be busy.'

This was the luxury of being the boss.

Opening her eyes slightly and turning her head, she saw a sparrow fluttering away.

'Cute.'

Smiling contentedly, she felt like she had seen this scene before.

Recently.

'What was it?'

Aristine's mind quickly retrieved the memory.

A while ago, while admiring a waterfall in the central garden, she had seen a scene through the Imperial Eye.

The same weather, the same sky, the same sparrow—sparrows all look alike—flying over the water, reflected in the mirror-like surface.

And the cute sparrow...

Plop, it pooped.

On someone's head.

She felt sorry for the victim who was enjoying a leisurely garden walk and suddenly met with this misfortune.

The scene ended there.

The sparrow pooping on someone's head and flying away was all she saw.

'I don't want to see such things.'

Thinking this wouldn't help her control the Imperial Eye.

She had seen many useful scenes, but also many useless ones.

'The weather is so similar today. I'm reminded of it. Did that person wash well?'

It could be a future event, not a past one.

'But the clouds look the same too?'

Could it be now?

She shook her head.

She hadn't seen the victim's face, but the hair was very light, almost platinum.

It was rare among the dark-haired Irlugons.

'Even so, such a coincidence is unlikely.'

Smiling, Aristine sat up.

Looking around,

'Huh?'

Aristine's eyes widened when she saw a man walking in the garden.

His hair was...

'Platinum?'

Except for the lack of bird droppings on his head, it was the same color.

His build was similar to the victim she had seen in the Imperial Eye.

'And the clothes are the same?'

Aristine looked up at the sky.

A sparrow was flying freely and approaching the man.

Aristine jumped up.

"Hey!"

The man turned to look at her.

"Be careful!"

The man stopped, looking confused, and at that moment,

Plop.

The sparrow pooped and flew away.

The man looked down at the falling object and stiffened.

The bird droppings landed just in front of his shoe.

If he had taken one more step, it would have hit his head.

Approaching the stiff man, Aristine asked,

"Are you okay?"

The man finally seemed to notice Aristine and looked up.

His turquoise eyes, reflecting Aristine's face, shimmered like a blue lake.

Dazed, he muttered, and Aristine nodded.

"Yeah, that's right."

Realizing his reaction, the man was startled and bowed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

The man smiled gently.

He was an Irlugon, but he had a strangely exotic aura.

Was it because of his light hair?

Or perhaps because of his delicate face, unlike the rough-featured Irlugons.

He had a finer build, making him look more like a scholar or a poet.

"Thank you, my benefactor."

The man bowed, and Aristine waved her hand.

"No, it's nothing."

"You saved me from such a thing, you are my benefactor. If it had hit my head, who knows what would have happened."

The man gestured to the droppings on the grass.

"That would have been... terrible."

Aristine recalled the scene she had seen in the Imperial Eye.

"Forget it, I'll just try to make some money."