Chapter 95

Even after drinking water, the feeling of thirst remained.

Aristine tilted her head slightly, her expression calm, as if acting on impulse.

"Well, I'm not sure... It's just that we seem like a married couple."

"What?"

Tarkan's eyes trembled instantly, a different kind of tremor from before.

Seeing this, for some reason, her thirst only grew stronger.

"Aristine."

The tone in which he called her name was filled with anxiety, dissatisfaction, and urgency.

Tarkan, with his fierce gaze, looked like a wild beast with its ears pinned back, drenched in the rain. Aristine smiled.

"Right, we are married. But if we were really a married couple, this wouldn't be a big deal, right?"

"What—"

Aristine pulled on Tarkan's arm with a "Hey," and as his body leaned toward her, she lifted her heels and reached out her arms.

Her soft hand brushed past Tarkan's firm chest and suddenly wrapped around his thick neck.

Aristine dangled from Tarkan, giggling.

"Right?"

"You—"

Tarkan couldn't continue, his lips tightly pressed together.

Despite her innocent, childlike smile, her soft chest was pressed firmly against his hard chest.

Tarkan was almost bare-chested, and Aristine's Irlugo-style dress, without a corset, clung to her body, revealing every curve.

"Ugh......"

It was still late summer. The heat had subsided, but the fabric of Aristine's dress was incredibly thin.

"Stop playing around."

Tarkan gritted his teeth, trying to distract himself as much as possible.

He deliberately looked away.

Looking down at Aristine would only make things more awkward.

'Why is she wearing a dress that shows so much cleavage?'

It wasn't something he, who always left more than half of his chest exposed, would think.

"I don't like it. If we're a married couple, this should be fine, right?"

Aristine enjoyed Tarkan's flustered reaction, swinging her legs back and forth.

Each time, the softness of their bodies touching made Tarkan even more uncomfortable.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Tarkan glared at Aristine.

"You really—!"

He couldn't finish his sentence.

Aristine and Tarkan's eyes widened simultaneously.

Tarkan's head turned roughly toward Aristine, and an accidental contact occurred.

Aristine's lips touched the corner of Tarkan's lips.

It wasn't even a place that could be called lips.

Somewhere between his chin and cheek, her lower lip barely touched his, almost embarrassingly so.

But it was a kiss.

Tarkan felt her lips on his.

Their eyes met from a distance so close that no one could get any closer.

Her body heat, her breath, her touch—Tarkan's eyes deepened as he felt everything.

His eyes, dark and humid, flickered like a night curtain had fallen.

Under that predatory gaze, Aristine shivered.

She didn't understand why she was so flustered, thinking it was just because their lips had touched, and quickly pulled away.

Feeling a bit embarrassed and a little guilty, she laughed and said,

"Well, we are a married couple. This is—"

Aristine couldn't look at Tarkan, her gaze darting away, and she tapped the floor with her toe, trailing off.

Her white cheeks were flushed.

A heavy silence fell between them.

"Ah, I'm full! I need to wash up!"

Unable to bear it, Aristine fled, leaving those words behind.

Tarkan stood there, staring at her, then covered his face and slumped down.

"Really, what am I supposed to do with you."

He didn't finish his sentence.

He should have known from when she dragged him out to the garden or when she made a fuss about being tickled, that his wife was playful and troublesome.

'No, not necessarily troublesome...'

Tarkan inadvertently recalled her touch.

To him, with his heightened senses, everything about her was delicate and clear, and the sensation remained vivid.

"Ugh..."

A groan escaped his lips.

Indeed, it was troublesome.

The palace attendants' gazes on Tarkan were tinged with sympathy.

'She really has Tarkan His Highness wrapped around her finger.'

'This is a bit too much, even for Her Highness.'

'If you made him like this, you should take responsibility!'

'Tarkan His Highness, hang in there! But it would be nice if you suffered a little more.'

'It's so much fun to watch from the sidelines.'

In the end, the attendants' sympathy was nothing but crocodile tears.

* * *

Aristine splashed water on her flushed face repeatedly to cool it down.

Even as the cool water refreshed her face, the heat didn't subside.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror.

'Red.'

Apart from that, her face looked no different from usual, but her lips seemed to stand out strangely.

She touched her lips without realizing it.

Tarkan's skin, hot, smooth, and strong.

He smelled of fire and iron.

A scent that seemed to refine Aristine into a different form, not her current self.

She didn't know what form that would be.

She couldn't know.

Because if she did, it might be too late to turn back.

Aristine splashed water on her reflection in the mirror.

The droplets scattered, reflecting light and making her expression blurry.

'Pull yourself together.'

Aristine returned to her room, dismissed the maids, and looked at the water basin with floating flowers.

Inspired by the water basin she saw in the game room, she had ordered one for her own room.

It was the first time Aristine had requested something for the room's decor, so the attendants were excited to set it up.

As a result, new flowers were placed in the basin every morning and evening.

Aristine gently stirred the water with her finger, pushing the blooming dahlia to the edge, and looked at the surface.

She was checking if anything would be reflected.

Since her business had stabilized, she checked this every day, but nothing had appeared so far.

'Another failure today?'

Just as Aristine was about to get up, the water began to ripple on its own, a sign that her imperial eye was manifesting.

Sure enough, something other than reality appeared in the calm water.

'Is this the future?'

As soon as she saw what was reflected in the water mirror, Aristine knew the time.

Because it was her own reflection.

Since it was something Aristine hadn't experienced yet, it was definitely the future.

The question was, which period?

The leaves outside the window were beginning to turn yellow and red.

'Early autumn, maybe? I hope it's this year, not too far in the future.'

In the water mirror, Aristine was lying on a sofa, almost leaning on someone.

To say she was leaning was an understatement; she was practically draped over them.

Naturally, or surprisingly, the person was her husband.

'Hmm?'

Aristine frowned at the sight.

'Why, why are they so close? And what's with this atmosphere?'

In the water mirror, Aristine was lying on the sofa—no, on Tarkan, looking into his eyes.

Their gazes were so intense that it was hard to describe the emotions flowing between them.

'Really, why is it like this?'

Aristine, who had never seen herself and Tarkan from someone else's perspective, was shocked.

'Until now, we were just a cool business couple, right?'

Even though others might not have seen it that way, Aristine firmly believed it.

Even as she clung to Tarkan, she hadn't really been aware of the physical closeness.

[Lina.]

Tarkan's low, husky voice echoed.

It was... that... kind of voice.

'Why are you calling me by a pet name? What's with that voice? What happened?'

My freedom!

It felt like her nose was being pinched, and Aristine felt a chill down her spine.

Tarkan's large hand swept through Aristine's long hair.

Once, then again. This time, he gently cupped her cheek.

Their faces were close.

Aristine, covering her face with her hands in frustration, looked at the water mirror.

Of course, today, while playing around, their lips had accidentally touched, but it was an accident.

No, it wasn't even a proper kiss.

Moreover, the atmosphere wasn't like this.

'Am I crazy, or am I drunk?'

Looking at her face, she knew something was off.

Her face was flushed, her eyes filled with moisture, as if she were drunk and her head was numb.

'Both of us... '

Realization brought a sense of self-loathing.

Meanwhile, the gaze between her and Tarkan in the water mirror became even more intense.

'No way? This can't be happening!'

As if hearing her thoughts, a voice echoed.

[This can't happen! How dare you!]

[Her Highness is resting!]

The attendants outside the room shouted urgently.

Amid the commotion, the sound of heavy footsteps and a gruff male voice echoed.

[Be quiet! I'm just taking a criminal into custody!]

At the same time, the door burst open, and a dozen soldiers rushed into the room.

All were armed and didn't even bother with formalities.

[What's going on?]

Tarkan, frowning, lazily raised his upper body and asked.

Aristine had already moved away from his embrace, and Tarkan, sweeping his hair back, looked at the soldiers with disapproval.

The soldiers hesitated for a moment at the sight of Tarkan.

But it was only a moment, and the man at the front stepped forward, looking down at Aristine and shouting.

[Princess Aristine, you are being taken into custody for the attempted assassination of His Majesty the King!]

[Assassination...?]

Aristine's face in the water mirror was filled with shock.

It wasn't just the shock of being accused of a crime.

[Then, does that mean His Majesty...]

Has passed away.

She couldn't bring herself to say the rest, but the present Aristine knew what her future self had left unsaid.

[Stop pretending! You are the one who poisoned His Majesty!]

The man, his face red with anger, pointed at her.

He seemed ready to drag Aristine from her seat and make her kneel.

[Who are you accusing?]

Tarkan stood up from the sofa, completely blocking Aristine from the man's view.

The sheer presence of his gaze was overwhelming.

The man flinched but swallowed and tried to sound brave.

[Your Highness Tarkan, please stand aside. We have evidence.]

[Ha, what kind of evidence is so great that you can be this rude? To my wife, no less.]

Tarkan's sharp golden eyes swept over the soldiers, making them shrink back.

The man, seeing the soldiers retreat, spoke.

[Poison was found in Her Highness's possessions.]

His voice was much more subdued compared to when he burst in.

[Is that really hers? And you're taking her into custody without any confirmation?]

Tarkan laughed, a bitter, blood-soaked smile.

[If you keep interfering, I'll have to consider you an accomplice!]

[Consider me one, then.]

Tarkan said sarcastically, holding out his hands loosely.

[What are you waiting for? Arrest me.]

The man couldn't bring himself to arrest Tarkan and couldn't just back down.

At that moment, Aristine, who had been sitting on the sofa, stood up.

[Wait. Is His Majesty... really gone? Or was there an assassination attempt, and he's safe, and I'm just being accused? Just being accused, right? He's safe, right?]

Aristine's face was filled with desperate hope.

She hoped it was the latter, completely ignoring the fact that she was being accused of assassinating the king.

The man hesitated for a moment.

Aristine looked at him with a persistent gaze.

Finally, the man spoke.

[His Majesty... has passed away.]

Forget the husband, I'll just make money.