A very shy pervert (3)
–
“As you said, I wore Irugo clothing to show my favor towards Irugo.”
“If that’s the case─.”
“It seems your eyes only see one thing, Duke.”
As she spoke, Aristine’s purple eyes were tinged with sadness and disappointment.
“Just as you had expectations of me, I also had high expectations of you…”
She even clicked her tongue softly.
No one would dare act like this to Duke Skiela, father of the Queen and grandfather to Hamill, the number one successor to the throne.
However, Aristine did not hide her contempt. She was completely looking down on the Duke.
In the exact same way that they did to her just now.
There was a very distinct difference between a majority overwhelming one person and one person overwhelming a majority.
“I said I used a carriage because I wanted to see the effects of the war on both countries with my own eyes.”
“You did say that. So, are you trying to remind me of that right now? My memory is not that bad, Princess.”(Duke Skiela)
“Oh no, pardon me. I didn’t know you remembered.”
Aristine’s eyes widened as if she was startled.
“If you remembered, then perhaps, I might have some reason for wearing Irugo attire.”
As the words slowly left her mouth, her lips drew a small arc.
“─Is what I thought you would naturally consider.”
Her smile was beautiful enough to draw your gaze away in an instant, but the meaning behind that smile was vicious.
The obvious ridicule made the Duke of Skiela clench his jaw.
“From the looks of it, it seems you are not able to think that far, Duke.”
This arrogant princess was treating him like a fool.
‘What is so great about her dress! Anyone can tell that her clothes are entirely Irugoian!’
And just when Duke Skiela’s gaze fell on Aristine’s dress.
“…Silvastian-Carriere Silk.”
Paellamien, who took a close look at Aristine’s dress after hearing that, mumbled softly.
“That is correct, Princess Paellamien.”
Aristine nodded softly and picked the hem of her dress.
“This, is made of Silvanus’ Silvastian-Carriere Silk.”
Now, do you understand what I mean?
Her eyes were practically saying that.
Almost as if she was a kind and friendly adult teaching an ignorant child.
Silvanus had always been famous for its beautiful and high-quality silk. Among them, the Silvastian-Carriere silk was a special product that was produced entirely for the Imperial Palace.
And that silk was used to make this Irugo apparel.
‘I doubt there is anything more appropriate to symbolize the union of the two countries.’
“This silk would originally have been offered to His Majesty Nephther, but I imagine I can accept this as a wedding gift, right?”
Aristine flashed Nephther a bright smile.
Seeing that smile, the king momentarily fell silent. And soon, boisterous laughter resounded through the hall like it was driving the silence away.
“Right, I present that silk to you, princess. It suits you very well. It’s worthy to be called a present.”
The king’s broad smile could be heard in his voice.
“It seems the Princess is the only one here who truly thinks about the peace and future of our two countries. I urge everyone to emulate the princess.”
Those words imprinted themselves in the minds of everyone in the room.
This was the first time the King sounded so pleased since Tarkan killed the great demonic beast, Murzika, at ten years of age. At that time, the young prince whom no one expected anything from, showed amazing capabilities.
The same thing was happening now.
No one really expected anything from Aristine. However, she skillfully dealt with the insults that flew her way and even returned it with a nice package.
And someone like her had become Tarkan’s partner.
‘This is practically giving wings to a tiger.’
‘Princess Aristine, huh.’
‘And I was told she’s a lunatic who was locked up and uneducated…’
‘Hmm, this is turning out to be quite interesting.’
The nobles who had been quietly watching everything unfold without joining the whispering thought to themselves as their eyes lit up.
* * *
‘Good. Everything is going as expected. Maybe I should say thanks.’
Aristine thought as she glanced at the Duke of Skiela.
Although she was Tarkan’s partner in a political marriage, she was also the representative of the Silvanus delegation. It was unprecedented for a representative to wear Irugo attire to an official audience with the delegation.
There was no way these hyenas would not point out what the Silvanus maids were able to pick out.
‘Which is why I asked Tarkan for this.’
Fortunately, Irugo clothing had a style that emphasized the flow and beauty of the fabric itself. If it needed a lot of cutting and sewing like Silvanus dresses, then it would have impossible to make it on time. Furthermore, the formal attire here did not require embroideries like jewels or ribbon to be sewed onto the dress like in Silvanus.
In Irugo, it was custom to decorate the person with platinum or gold-plated jewels, gorgeous body chains, or arm rings rather than the dress itself.
‘Thanks to that, it was finished just in time. Ta-da.’
As soon as the hall quieted down, the King of Irugo opened his mouth.
“I would have said have a seat now that we’ve exchanged our greetings.”
His gaze moved to the Queen.
“But it seems the servants calculated the seats wrong. There are not enough chairs of all things.”
The Queen spoke up with an apologetic face.
“This is my fault for not checking beforehand. I am ashamed to face the princess. I understand even if you are upset with me.”
Even though she was saying ‘you can blame me’, she didn’t expect anyone to actually blame her.
“How can I expect the Queen to handle every little thing? I do not mind.”
And sure enough, Aristine who hadn’t let go of any word since she came in, took a step back. And the moment the Queen let out a smile…
“But since Your Majesty, the Queen has apologized, I will gladly accept so do not worry.”
Aristine said with a smile full of goodwill.
The smile of the Queen’s face instantly cracked.
Aristine’s words assumed that the queen had apologized.
The Queen had never apologized to her nor did she intend to apologize. But she couldn’t get up and say that she never apologized here. She only said that to appear virtuous, but she also clearly acknowledged her own negligence and said she couldn’t face the princess.
If she says it was not an apology now, that would be slapping her own face.
The Queen tried to smile and appear benevolent.
“Haha, you have a kind heart, Princess. Tarkan is very blessed to have such a bride.”
“Yes, as you say, my blessings seem to be overflowing, Your Majesty.”
The queen’s mouth trembled when she heard her words completely twisted.
“That said, what shall we do? There are no seats for the two of you.”
The Queen’s gaze swept over the audience hall. Then she pointed to an empty spot as if she just discovered it.
“Ah, it seems there is an empty spot right there. You can’t keep standing, why don’t you sit over there for now?”
The place the Queen recommended to Aristine was usually for people in the lowest position. In fact, it was a spot left empty to make it easier for court servants to remain on standby without sitting down.
Naturally, there were no chairs, only the cold floor.
‘Now, what are you going to do?’
The Queen’s eyes turned to Aristine like a snake looking at its prey.
But Aristine’s eyes, which should’ve been angry, were shining brightly. With a lot of delight at that.
There wasn’t even a hint of embarrassment.
It was such a strong display of emotion from the princess whose emotions had remained unclear even when she was smiling, expressionless, or ridiculing someone.
‘…Why?’
Seeing Aristine so happy, the Queen suddenly got nervous.
