You must be very shy (4)

A month after Aristine's departure from Silvanus; at the west gate of the Irugo Kingdom.

"I wonder what kind of person they are."

The man didn't specify who he was referring to, but everyone knew exactly who he meant.

Right now, in Irugo, there was only one person Tarkan's men were curious about: Aristine, the princess of Silvanus who would soon become their lord's bride.

"I heard the Silvanus bastards are all treacherous and cunning."

"They're weak cowards."

"Maybe the princess will faint when she sees us."

Ha-ha-ha.

All those gathered to greet the princess were warriors. This was Irugo's way of welcoming an honored guest—or so it seemed on the surface.

But you couldn't say there wasn't mischief behind it. They'd be pleased if the Silvanus delegation showed fear—or worse, wet their pants—at the sight of Irugo's warriors.

"Quiet down," the scarred man at the front said in a low voice, silencing the chatter.

In the distance, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of hooves, Silvanus' delegation approached.

"Why the hell did they use a carriage instead of a portal?"

The complaining warrior caught a sharp glance from the scarred man and quickly shut his mouth.

Soon, the delegation—so extravagant that it made their eyes want to roll back into their heads—came to a halt before them.

"Can they even fight properly with all that nonsense?"

"These people look like they've never held a sword in their lives."

"Well, it's all for show."

The Irugo warriors chuckled among themselves as they took in the shiny armor worn by the guards.

The handmaids were all beautiful, elegant, and dripping with extravagance. None of them spared a glance at the Irugo people. Contempt and arrogance were etched onto their faces.

At this point, the Irugo warriors could already guess what kind of person the princess was.

'With knights and maids like these, it's pretty obvious.'

Soon, the door of the most luxurious carriage—adorned with gold, ivory, and topaz—opened. And the person who stepped out…

'Oh?'

'What?'

At the sight of a petite woman in shabby, dirty clothes, the mouths of the Irugo warriors fell open unconsciously.

"That's the princess…?"

Compared to the maids beside her, she looked like a beggar. It wasn't just her clothes that were ragged; she truly looked filthy. Whether she had even washed her face was questionable—her skin was smeared with dust and sweat, and her hair was greasy and unkempt.

"This is… really unexpected."

"Hah! What the hell do they take us for?"

Amidst the lavish delegation, the bride marrying into Irugo looked no different from a beggar. The message was clear.

"Such petty tricks aren't surprising from Silvanus."

"But still, to make herself so dirty…?"

"Is she trying to say it's that insulting to marry our lord?!"

"No, look—the servants' attitudes toward the princess are a little strange…"

"Quiet," the scarred man cut in sharply. "Don't let your guard down. I don't know what the princess is thinking, but one thing is certain: she's a Silvanus. She could be targeting our lord."

As soon as he finished speaking, the warriors' eyes sharpened like forged blades.

'Well, I'm not surprised.'

Aristine surveyed her surroundings with that thought in mind.

As soon as her dusty figure descended from the dazzling carriage, the waiting Irugo delegation was visibly stunned. At the sight of their reaction, the envoys of the mighty Silvanus Empire couldn't help but sneer. The Irugo people's expressions hardened at the sound of their mocking laughter.

She half-expected them to protest or declare the marriage a fraud, but they didn't.

She was thankful for that, at least.

'The fuss about my appearance doesn't matter.'

It was within the range she had anticipated anyway.

What mattered to Aristine was the attitude the Irugo people would adopt next. Quickly masking their bewilderment, they regarded her with the same wary expressions they had worn before.

'They seem very cautious of me.'

Aristine walked forward quietly.

'Come on now, I came here to get married.'

No matter where she looked, the atmosphere felt nothing like a celebration for a new bride. Every eye was trained on her as though she were an envoy—or assassin—from an enemy nation.

Seeing those piercing gazes made her feel a pang of sadness.

'Ah, maybe calling me an assassin from an enemy nation hits the mark?'

She recalled the emperor's orders when he had taken her aside to speak privately.

"Kill Tarkan."

His whisper sent chills crawling over her skin, like a snake slithering across her body.

"Either stick a poisoned knife in that irritating bastard's chest or slip poison into his wine."

To the emperor, Tarkan was the thorn that thwarted his ambition to bring Irugo to its knees.

And honestly, he wasn't wrong.

In every battle Tarkan participated in, Silvanus ended up retreating. Because of that, the mere mention of Tarkan's name filled the emperor with rage.

He lifted Aristine's chin with his hand, his calculating gaze sweeping over her face.

"As useless as you are, your appearance is at least tolerable. You should be able to manage that much."

A nasty, twisted smile spread across the emperor's lips—a crude, vulgar expression.

"It works out perfectly. For someone like you, who shouldn't even be called a noble princess of my blood, you'd be better suited for a filthy barbarian's enjoyment, wouldn't you? Vulgarly in bed, I mean."

Who knows? But as of now, the only person acting vulgar and thinking vulgarly was the emperor himself.

"If you succeed, I'll consider acknowledging you as my daughter."

His tone suggested he was offering her a great reward.

'I'd rather not be recognized as your admirable daughter, thank you very much.'

The emperor released her chin as if discarding something worthless, then placed a glass vial in her hand. The cold, hard texture of the bottle felt as vivid as death itself.

That vial was currently hidden in Aristine's carriage.

The emperor had ordered her to kill Tarkan—but he didn't actually expect her to succeed.

'I'm sure he thinks it doesn't matter whether I try and fail.'

Either way, it would provide an excuse to break the peace agreement and ignite a new conflict between the kingdoms—a conflict so intense that war would be inevitable.

'He's such a fool. Did he really think I'd obey him and handed me the poison?'

And it wasn't just any poison—it was the kind that could kill in a single breath.

As she reached the front of the Silvanus delegation, Aristine consciously curled her lips into a relaxed smile. Through her Monarch's Sight, she had seen how effective a confident demeanor could be.

'I'm still dirty, though.'

But it was far better than cowering or looking ashamed.

A man from the Irugo party stepped forward. It was the scarred man with short hair.

'Is this guy Tarkan?'

Her future husband.

Well, his looks weren't bad, and the air around him seemed decent enough. His personality remained a mystery, but he didn't appear obnoxious at first glance.

"Welcome, Your Highness."

His voice was pleasant too.

Most importantly, it was refreshing to see him remain courteous despite her disheveled appearance.

'But isn't he being overly polite?'

It almost felt like he was treating her as a subordinate.

"I am Durante, and I am responsible for guiding you."

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, the scarred man introduced himself.

"I look forward to being in your care, Sir Durante."

Aristine greeted him and quickly scanned the line of Irugo people. However, she couldn't spot anyone who resembled the prince of Irugo.

Durante seemed to be the highest-ranking person present.

'I heard Tarkan was supposed to meet me at the kingdom's gate.'

"And where is my husband-to-be?"

"He went hunting."

Aha.

His wife-to-be was arriving, yet he went hunting? This was not a good sign for their future marriage.

She understood what her future husband intended—to deflate Silvanus' ego with this cold reception.

'And dampen my spirits as well.'

Unfortunately for him, after everything Aristine had endured, this minor act of neglect couldn't dampen her spirit.

Her lips parted slowly.

"I suppose my future husband is quite shy."

[NT: LOL. The emperor calls Tarkan a bastard who won't even fill his stomach if he eats him. I simply settled for "irritating."]