Caught in such a shameful misconception, Tarkhan's eye twitched. 

"I remember you saying that you wouldn't eat me while I was dirty."

Aristine, who was still glaring at him, slipped away and muttered, "The thought of that itself…"

Whether he considered her a lump of dust or a person, she couldn't even tell.

The least she could do for the pervert would be to not ponder on it too much.

"You were the one who suddenly said we were married when I told you to wash up," Tarkhan said in a low voice, but Aristine wasn't threatened.

"I said it first, but…I didn't mean it that way." 

Aristine gave him a look up and down and contemplated, "You're just as dirty."

You're dirty too, did you even wash?

That was what her eyes seemed to be asking, and Tarkhan knew it too. 

At the same time, he began to question.

What kind of woman is this?

. * . * . * . * . * . * . * .

When the Princess had first met him, though his appearance resembled a blood-thirsty demon, Tarkhan hadn't cared. This blood was the evidence of his victory, a sign of battle and of warrior pride. There was a clear difference between his 'dirty' and her dirtiness. How could his bloodied clothes compare to her dusty ones? 

And then ….?

He had thought she would turn sick and scream at the sight of blood, but she did not. The blood of a warrior was a natural sight for the people of Airugo, though everyone was terrified to see him. 

But this woman was so calm. She was not afraid. She showed not a hint of alarm.

His bride was different in every way, starting with her ragged appearance.

This woman is so strange.

But that was it.

There is nothing more to this woman. All you have to do is call her princess.

"I'm going to wash up somewhere else."

"Ah."

At Tarkhan's words, Aristine nodded her head.

Naturally, a palace would have multiple bathing facilities.

Even though she knew so, she could not help but to think otherwise. Her secluded life within the abandoned palace had become ingrained within her. 

"Yes, yes."

Aristine rose quickly from the couch.

She felt better.

It's an ordinary palace, so we can wash ourselves with warm water.

Aristine didn't want much.  She was okay with being deceived.

As long as it is not too cold…

She looked at Tarkhan and wondered what he was thinking.

He looked at that strange woman and wondered, What is she thinking now?

'She wasn't thinking of me as a pervert again, was she?'

His eyes squinted at her, but he could not read anything. 

The halls were empty and encircled by pillars, each two connecting to garden or a corridor. Even after Aristine followed the servant out into the hall, he could still see her from afar.

With every step she took, the red silk draped around her fluttered like a b.u.t.terfly's wings.

“Your Highness Tarkhan.”

He turned his head to the voice calling for him.

“Diona.”

Diona came close, and with a smile, she slipped her hand onto Tarkhan's solid arm.

"It's not like Your Majesty Tarkhan to not notice someone coming. What were you thinking about?"

Tarkhan frowned at the remark. He hadn't realized earlier because he had been too focused on Aristine to detect the woman.

"I wasn't thinking of anything."

"I suppose not."

He was worried that she would question him more, but Diona did not pry any further.

If you were too curious, Tarkhan would get tired of you.

Diona had really lucked out for a woman like Aristine to have arrived.

"Your princess — she must be completely out of her mind."

Tarkhan nodded imperceptibly, though there was not a spark of interest in his dry gold eyes.

"Well, you don't seem to be as concerned with her as I thought you would be."

Diona clung closer to Tarkhan with a satisfied smile, but her face turned apprehensive. However, she immediately hid her anxiousness away.

"What about you, Diona, who comes to visit me? Even though you are married to his Majesty the King, and no one else. I don't think this is a good idea…"

With a charming backbone, Diona did not falter, and again she gently touched Tarkhan's arm.

"I suppose that we're a situation."

"A situation… huh."

"…."

“You saw what my f.u.c.king brothers and sisters said, right? Did you do anything then? Was that a 'situation' too?

Diona was somewhat surprised when Tarkhan defended Aristine. She'd never seen him s.h.i.+eld the character of a person he didn't know intimately. But she soon erased her look of surprise and lowered her eyes obediently.

Tarkhan did not raise his voice very much, but nevertheless she felt a little subdued.

The quick-witted Diona pulled away from him and straightened herself into a more composed appearance.

"That's true, but…. you don't even know anything about that woman."

At that comment, Tarkhan turned his gaze toward the corridor that Aristine had disappeared down.

"Right. She's a woman that — that I know nothing about."

Diona paused and looked at Tarkhan.

He seemed strange as he looked in the direction where the Princess had left. His eyes were cold as usual, and beyond a smile, his face was impa.s.sive.

When he was thinking of her, his face never slackened.

The smile slowly faded from Diona's face.

"Really." 

Tarkhan had fumbled his words. She knew he was thinking of a woman.

It changed little by little, but it has not been a noticeable change.

It was when he hugged her that his expression was most clearly revealed.

Her purple eyes grew wide and full, and she was surprised to see them smaller and lighter than she thought.

I thought you were crying.

She had thought that he would be crying from the time where had to endure the humiliation alone. 

But as she got closer to him, she could not say anything.

The expressionless face looked rather resolute, it's seems to be a little better. This face was not for those scared expression, but they should be hardened and be unafraid.

She grew up in Silva.n.u.s in line to become a queen, a far cry from my own upbringing.

He had wondered why it was that the royal lineage is so dirty on its own.

An unknown woman.

A woman who would be his wife.

His bride.

He had never been conscious of her existence, even when the political marriage had been decided.

"Your Grace. Tarkhan."

Diona's voice had brought him back to reality.

"By any chance, do you like her?"

. * . * . * . * . * . * . * .

Hot water! There's even a bathtub here!

From the moment she saw the steaming bathtub, Aristine's spirits were lifted.

“Let us help you.”

Aristine left the courtiers clinging, undressing and was.h.i.+ng everywhere.

Except when she was very young, she had never been bathed by others, even though she was a member of the royal family. As a result, Aristine couldn't help but feel awkward in such a situation. However, she did not think that she was ashamed of showing her body to others, since Aristine had never cared about other people's gazes. She'd been alone since childhood and no one had cared about her existence.

They're good at their job.

However, she would still have preferred to politely reject their offer and wash herself instead. 

Nowadays, she felt as if she were a defiled statue that no one wanted to touch. It was nice to feel accepted and not judged.

They were extremely invincible and professional and didn't cross any sort of personal boundaries, only saying things like, "Is the water too hot for you?" or, "Do you want us to rub a little bit more gently?"

For Aristine, who had long been ignored by her maids, their attentive service was impressive.

Their courteous att.i.tude means my prospective husband's skill and charisma are excellent.

It was a good thing that her negotiating opponent was so outstanding.

“Please close your eyes again.”

Warm water ran down the lines of her face. Aristine closed her eyes and thought about Tarkhan and what she should do from now on.

Aristine, who was lost in thought, realized something was wrong.

The gentle ma.s.saging of her face and body had suddenly stopped.

Is it over?

When she opened her eyes, she saw a servant standing still, frozen.

Ah…

Once again the King's Presence had involuntarily activated. 

A mysterious pair of purple eyes that resembled the dawn were fully visible. 

Aristine turned her eyes and looked at her surroundings. The rest of the servants were no different. The courtiers were still looking at her, their hands motionless in mid air, as if time were paused.

"Is something wrong?" Aristine wondered, looking down at the surface of water. 

Tarkhan?

The figure who rose within the Mirror of Sleep this time was none other than her own husband.  

A woman with dark blue hair stood beside him.

When was this? The near future? The past? Or maybe now?

From the looks of it, Aristine thought it was today.

Tarkhan's clothing was the same.

No matter how much he liked the same design, he wouldn't be wearing the same blood splatters over and over again. Aristine could see the sofa where she had been sitting earlier beside him. 

……When the h.e.l.l are they going to wash this guy?

She did not like unwashed men, even if they were in a political marriage.

Aristine wished that what she was looking at was the past.

Please, I hope you're was.h.i.+ng now.

The woman reflected in the water opened her mouth.

< do="" you="" like="" her?="">

 Aristine jumped at those words.

No, you were talking about me?

She had just met her marriage partner for the first time today, and he was talking about her behind her back.

Is his usual behavior like this?

He was being questioned whether he liked the dust or not. (T/N: she referred to herself as the dust)

Is he going to say yes?

< what?="">

Tarkhan looked down at her through the water, his eyes low. She'd felt it ever since she first saw him, but he was breathtaking. Being born in the royal family, Aristine had naturally come into contact with many men, but honestly, she had never seen anyone as handsome as him. Just by him lowering his gaze like that, you could feel the fear and danger of being stalked by a beast.

Even the beautiful woman in front of him was nervous, shrinking back slightly.

< do="" you="" like="" her?="">

It was a relaxed tone, the exact opposite of Aristine's att.i.tude when she presented herself to him at the castle earlier. But the relaxed atmosphere only made the man before her seem even more dangerous.

< no="" way.=""> Tarkhan said, laughter rumbling. At that, Aristine couldn't help but say 'sorry' to Tarkhan inside her head. Her lips thinned as she noticed his carefree appearance, which seemed to confirm his words as his inner thoughts.

< you="" know="" better="" than="" anyone.="">

The golden eyes were moving.

< my="" heart="" does="" not="" change.="">

. * . * . * . * . * . * . * .

After taking a bath, Aristine moved under the guidance of the courtiers.

“Do you want me to call the head maids? I'm still learning the inside of the palace," a royal attendant cautiously asked. 

After arriving, she was worried that she would feel uncomfortable, because despite supposedly being set for marriage, she was still on the market (editor's note: Aristine being 'on the market' means that she's open for the taking). On the contrary, though, Aristine ended up feeling much more comfortable with the Airugans than the Silvanians.

"No, it's okay."

“I see. I'll take you to your room.”

“No.”

Aristine stopped the retainer from taking another step.

“Take me to Tarkhan.”

“I see.”

A question flashed across the courtier's face, but she bowed politely without asking anything.

I wish I could take a break, Aristine silently thought. She had traveled by carriage for a month, and because she was hara.s.sed by the maids the whole time, she could not wash or rest properly. But now, after getting clean and being able to wear new clothes, she could not even fully enjoy it. The clothes that they'd prepared for her in Airugo were warm and soft, though, and their touch was wonderful. If she could sleep in clean sheets now, it would be perfect.

There's something I must do first, though.

She has to make her husband to take her side, but her person.

Tarkhan's room was fairly close to the previous hall.

"Your Majesty, the Princess is here."

There was no immediate answer even after the courtesan announced her arrival.

It seemed that he was not too pleased with Aristine's visit.

Is it because you were with her earlier?

Aristine recalled a slim woman with long locks of indigo blue hair.

If possible, I wanted to negotiate in a one-on-one setting.

But perhaps this was a good thing. 

It was possible that Aristine's cards were more valuable.

Naturally, political maneuvering was no environment for love to flourish.

If she were Tarkhan's lover too, their match would have been too perfect.

There's one more.

Love might not be a priority of political marriages, but a child who succeeded the blood of both families was, as it would represent the union of the two. 

But I don't need a child like that.

This was her trump card.

Most lovers would want the crown for their own children, even if their partner didn't, but Aristine wanted no such thing.

All she wanted was a free life for herself.

She wanted a reality that was truly real, not a superficial illusion of the water that was always within her eyes. She wanted to go about as she pleased, see what she wanted to see, eat what she wanted to eat. She wanted to do whatever she wanted to do.

To make sure no one would be able to ever lock her up again.

That was the goal.

I'll need a lot of money to do that.

Aristine would start emerging her business plan soon.

Now, though, she needed to focus on getting Tarhkan's cooperation.

The door which had been shut tight earlier opened for her.

As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw Tarkhan.

He turned his head towards the door as if it were a nuisance, but when his gaze fell upon the thing that surprised him, it lingered there. His eyes widened slightly, revealing an indisputable agitation. Beside him stood the woman whom she had seen with the King's Presence earlier.

Perhaps she was serving tea.

She doesn't look like a maid.

Well, maids weren't the only ones who could serve tea.

She, too, was looking at Aristine with surprise.

For a moment she was trembling, but she quickly turned back to look at Tarkhan. 

What's wrong with you?

Aristine entered the room in question.

“……Princess?” Tarkhan managed to ask.

Aristine nodded and looked at him with a strange expression.

Tarkhan could not answer any questions about why.

Is she really the princess that he had seen from before?

. * . * . * . * . * . * . * .

. * . * . * . * . * . * . * .

Edit by Xia.

Moe's Comment: Did you guys prepared your highblood pressure medicine like I told you too? Ohohoho, you didn't expect Aristine to confront Tarkhan and his ‘lover' so soon right? I'm not so sure what kind of ‘villainess' Diona is going to play so far. But she not making top list of my blacklist so far yet. Aristine's Father is number one on the that top list for sure, and their a few more I can think of~ But that would spoilers ?

Anyway, thank you for reading like always. See you happy Friday or any days, whenever you decide to read this~ Do people even read these comments?