“Oho.”
Aristine smiled gently at Stalina.
“I simply asked if you had something to say—who would have thought it would go like this?”
She clicked her tongue softly and continued.
“Seeing a princess kneel so humbly unsettles me. Come now, rise.”
As Aristine helped Stalina to her feet, she embodied true superiority—showing magnanimity and speaking with easy grace. The Irugo king watched, intrigued.
“Clever, Princess Aristine.”
Not once had Aristine shown anger or demanded apology—Paelamien had acted first. She knows how to leverage her position, not just understand it. The second daughter was quick-witted indeed. To unsettle Paelamien so and steer her as she pleased… Had Aristine overstepped, it might have shattered the fragile peace—but she had been exact. The first princess scolded the fourth; it remained an internal Irugo affair. Even the king, expecting much from Aristine, had intervened not at all, yet could not reproach her. Aristine left no opening for criticism. At least she meets another’s gaze.
The king’s gaze fell on Aristine’s composed face. He had, of course, hoped for the younger princess of Silvanus—the one without scandal. When news came that the elder would arrive, he clicked his tongue in disappointment yet deemed it acceptable. What mattered was ending the war and neutralizing Tarkan’s political weakness. He wanted a capable partner, not one tainted by imprisonment. Even doing nothing, she’s already proven her value… he thought, shaking his head. The Silvanus emperor is a fool to dismiss such a gem.
“Stop fussing about and sit. What’s this intrusion upon tea time?” the king waved to his children. Only then did they realize they’d been standing and blush—proof of Aristine’s sway.
“Indeed, Your Majesty. Yenycarina was startled,” Yenycarina cooed, clinging to her father’s arm, fluttering her lashes like a lark.
“Why sully a joyful day with rudeness to the princess, or lash out at your sister?”
Under Yenycarina’s gaze, Stalina and Paelamien flinched.
“I’m so sad,” Yenycarina pouted at Aristine. “We’ll soon be family—what if the princess thinks we dislike her?”
Her tearful pout was adorable. Aristine, unmoved, watched as the little princess spoke directly to her.
“I don’t know why everyone is so unkind to you.”
Yenycarina’s large eyes matched the king’s turquoise blue.
“Yenycarina feels as if she’s gained another sister. It makes her so happy!”
She giggled cutely. Even Aristine’s lips curved in reply. Yenycarina reached out intimately.
“May I call you Sister Rine?”
Aristine’s smile deepened.
“Of course.”
“Yay!”
Yenycarina clasped her hands to her chest, beaming.
“…You remind me so much of my own sister.”
Aristine thought of her younger sibling in Silvanus and smiled faintly.
“Your Highness, the second princess?”
“Yes—she’s so lovely and dear.”
Indeed she was. Even as a child, even through the Emperor’s Eye during exile. She was sweet even when imprisoning me. Aristine’s quiet smile blossomed.
“Please think of Yenycarina as your own sister. It makes me so happy!”
Yenycarina blushed but could not hide her delight. Her eyes sparkled like half-moons of joy. Yet beneath that innocence lay other schemes.
Heh, so easy.
Her own loveliness was the strongest weapon, beguiling the foreign princess at once. After a decade alone in exile, anyone would swoon at kindness. Surrounded by rugged Irugo, a gentle damsel would stir hearts. And she’s of similar stature, perhaps reminding them of home. Yenycarina’s maternal grandmother had been from another land, and Yenycarina’s soft features betrayed that blood.
Boring. I can’t shame her before the king. If she adores me too much, she’ll become a nuisance.
Yenycarina glanced at the king, who watched Aristine with satisfaction, unabashed. Better feign friendship—he’ll approve. Later, it’ll be easier to stab her in the back.
As she pondered, her eyes met Tarkan’s. She offered her sweet smile as always. She savored the brief flicker of disgust on his face. If I win over that foolish princess, it will aid our brother. Let Tarkan warn Aristine to keep her distance—Yenycarina, bright and close, would seem far preferable to a grim, beast-stained fiancé who did not love her. Whom will the princess fear?
Hmm, this could be fun after all.
Yenycarina beamed at Aristine.
“Sister Rine, if you find anything uncomfortable in the palace, come to Yenycarina. I’ll help with anything—really, anything.”
Include issues with your husband, she thought. Aristine returned her smile.
“How kind of you.”
Though the answer pleased Yenycarina, the princess’s tone had hardened slightly. Did she grow curt? Does she look down on me now?
“Oh—pardon. Princess Yenycarina, may I speak informally?”
How dare she.
Still, Yenycarina managed a smile. Such an irritating girl—she said ‘pardon,’ yet her face showed no remorse.
“Well, actually, I—”
Before she could say she was shy, Aristine interjected.
“You feel like a sister to me. You said you’d like me to think of you as a sister, didn’t you?”
What?
Yenycarina was dumbstruck.
“Oh, was it just polite courtesy? I can’t always tell. I thought you meant it.”
Aristine lowered her gaze. A beauty indeed turned pensive in an instant. Marten’s pitying sigh as he watched her annoyed Yenycarina even more. As if she’d truly consider me a sister! Only one could call her sister: brother Hamir. But Aristine’s next words…
“Of course. I mean it.”
Yenycarina forced a bright smile.
“Then it’s settled?”
Aristine’s dropping of formality cracked Yenycarina’s grin. She had always hidden laughter behind hardship—but this day was the hardest to smile through.
Damn. Is she really so unaware?
Earlier with Paelamien, she hadn’t shown such obliviousness. But since Aristine spoke informally, Yenycarina need not maintain honorifics.
“Alright, then, Yenycarina—”
“Ah.”
Aristine cut her off.
“My sister always addresses me formally. Even when we were very young, she never spoke informally.”
…
Yenycarina lost her words, stunned. Her mind blank. Then laughter broke out beside her.
“Ha!”
It was Marten. He had tried to suppress it, but his shoulders shook with mirth. Yenycarina glanced at him and smiled.
“Brother Marten.”
“Huh? What’s so funny?”
“I want to know too.”
“Uhm… well…”
“Well?”
“…Sorry.”
“Sorry for what? Did you wrong Yenycarina?”
Aristine watched Marten squirm under Yenycarina’s playful reproach before turning her gaze. There was someone else she wished to address: Irugo’s sovereign, King Nephthel. His sharp eyes, like Tarkan’s, rested on her. In his turquoise gaze danced curiosity.
Good sign.
Though she had merely silenced Stalina for convenience, the king’s interest had been captured. He cherishes Tarkan—so he must want a resourceful partner. Irugo had no crown prince yet; two factions vied: one for Tarkan, one for Hamir, the Queen’s eldest son. Yenycarina, like Hamir, was of the Queen; the others were born of concubines. Except Tarkan—born neither of a queen nor concubine, but a commoner mother. That birth was his political weakness, causing many royals to side with Hamir. They despised the “low-born” Tarkan. Beneath politics lies the struggle for power. Aristine had seen such through the Emperor’s Eye.
Once the royals took their seats, attendants served freshly boiled tea and sweets. Aristine watched, entranced, as amber tea swirled into her cup, its aroma unfurling with the steam. The glistening jelly on the side looked just as tempting.
But today I’ve come not for pleasure… but to sell my product.
Aristine must prove to Tarkan that she was an excellent asset. And she had confidence. Her memory was phenomenal: anything seen once through the Emperor’s Eye was never forgotten. With nothing else to occupy her in exile, she had recalled those visions endlessly. The Eye was not her choice, so she relived what she had seen to pass time. That was her sole means of life alone—reflecting on the outside world glimpsed in water: conversations, the beauty of flowers, the blueness of the sky, the sparkle of sunlight. Those details she treasured in her dark cell. Her powers of observation grew, and the Emperor’s Eye now revealed past, present, and future with depth: not only words, but every nuance behind them.
And that was why these details mattered. Aristine had already seen the Irugo king many times through the Emperor’s Eye—more than once. Thus, she even knew secrets he held from Tarkan.
I’ll worry about a husband later; for now, I’ll make money.