Chapter 7

Though the onlookers enjoyed the scene, the hunter’s prey did not. Stalina lowered her head in humiliation as anger crossed her face. She bit her lip. This was the first time her eldest sister had ever scolded her.

And it’s all because of that idiot!

Stalina silently glared daggers at Aristine. It was the most she could do since she had been forbidden from speaking. Aristine noticed and tilted her head slowly.

“Hmm? Do you have something more to say? Oh, I think I heard you say a certain word earlier...” her voice droned on languidly. “I can’t quite remember. I believe it was... vulgar.”

The smile that followed was angelic, but it held a serpentine edge, squeezing around Stalina’s neck and tightening.

Paelamien’s face turned pale. Her anger soared at her half sister, who was adding fuel to the fire she had just put out.

“Stalina.” Her ice-cold voice stabbed into Stalina like arrows. “Apologize to Her Imperial Highness.”

“Paelamien!” Stalina shouted.

Paelamien’s gaze turned colder at the protest.

“Right now! Apologize for your rude words, and ask her for forgiveness.”

Stalina stubbornly pressed her lips together. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

Why should I?!

Her sister was being unfair. Being forced to say she would reflect on her actions had been humiliating enough.

Paelamien looked at Stalina, who turned away. The older princess spat out her sister’s name in a low voice, “Stalina.”

This time, the tone was completely different. It was dark and threatening.

Stalina flinched. Her heart pounded. She could tell instinctively that her sister would truly hate her if she didn’t do as Paelamien said.

This was unimaginable, impossible even. But right now, that very possibility was before her eyes, waiting for her like a cavernous and foreboding maw.

Stalina turned pale, hesitated, then bowed her head to Aristine.

“I’m sorry... Your Imperial Highness.”

Her voice was as quiet as a mouse, but it was an apology nonetheless.

“About what?”

“About... my rude words.”

“Which words were that?”

Aristine’s questioning voice was flat. But that made Stalina feel even more humiliated. Still, she had no choice but to reply honestly.

“L-like vulgar.”

“I don’t think that was the only one I heard.”

Stalina raised her head and looked at Aristine. She didn’t know what more to add.

She hadn’t carefully selected her words when flinging her insults at Aristine. Stalina had simply said whatever came to mind with the intent of humiliating the princess. She knew her habit of speaking without thinking was one of her shortcomings, but everyone overlooked it.

In fact, some praised her for it. But Stalina’s bullying had only been possible because she targeted those weaker than her, below her own status.

To her, the Silvanian princess should have been the same. So why was this happening? Stalina couldn’t understand it.

“I remember you questioned whether I really was of royal blood. Your Highness, are you doubting my royal lineage?”

Her breath left her when Stalina realized the weight of Aristine’s question. Questioning the princess’s origin was the same as offending the entire royal family of Silvanus.

Such an accusation wouldn’t have mattered in the past when Ilugo and Silvanus were at odds. Back then, the Ilugoans had joked about the Silvanians all the time. Silvanus was a synonym for cowardly. The incompetent were described as a “Silvanian on a hunt.” Even arrogance and outlandishness could earn an Ilugoan a comparison to their rival nation.

As a conqueror’s country, Silvanus ruled over several principalities, but Ilugo had never cowered before Silvanus’s might. Unlike the duchies and principalities under Silvanus’s control, Ilugo was a strong, independent state that had never been subjugated.

But now, Ilugo was proceeding with an arranged marriage to tie itself to the Silvanian royal family.

If the peace agreements that His Majesty wanted so badly are broken because of what I just said...

Stalina felt chilled as though a blade had been pressed against her neck.

I didn’t do anything different from normal. I was only dressing down the princess everyone else hates as well!

She hadn’t done anything wrong.

So why is this happening? Why?!

“Your Highness, you’re not from just any noble family. You are a direct descendant of the Ilugoan royal family,” Aristine said.

Unlike Stalina, who was thrown into confusion, Aristine’s voice and attitude remained calm and unperturbed.

She continued, “Shall I take this as Ilugo’s official stance on the legitimacy of the Silvanus royal family?”

Stalina was shocked speechless.

“Y-Your Imperial Highness!” Marten exclaimed, broken from his reverie—and his drooling.

Aristine’s voice was quiet, but the storm it brought was catastrophic. Even Marten, who had been ignoring Stalina’s plight, grasped the seriousness of the situation.

The king of Ilugo had said nothing and still said nothing to address the problem that could soon become an international incident. In fact, it had already turned into one. His Majesty only stared at Aristine with a curious expression.

Tarcan, her future husband, remained silent as well. In fact, he was smirking.

I can understand Tarcan, but His Majesty...

Paelamien felt dizzy. It was clear why the king refused to intervene. He planned to make the person who had started the issue shoulder the blame.

No.

His Majesty had negotiated for an arranged marriage because he wanted their line to have legitimate blood from the Silvanian royal family.

If this triggers a conflict and something goes awry with the arranged marriage...

She doubted the marriage itself would be called off.

However...

...it might give the Silvanians an advantage.

Silvanus had lost the recent war. That was why they had initiated the cease-fire, and that was how Ilugo had been able to sway the negotiation with their upper hand. They had demanded war reparations, an arranged marriage with the royal family’s direct line, and other advantages, such as a direct portal and the initiation of trade routes. Silvanus had no choice but to agree to most of Ilugo’s demands.

But if Silvanus uses today’s mistake to draw out a longer conflict...

Regardless of whether they tried to explain that the accusation was caused by the princess’s immaturity, peace hadn’t truly settled. Silvanus was still looking to overcome its losses. Since this incident had happened even before they’d met the official entourage, it was obvious how the representatives would conduct themselves during their official greeting the next day.

If we lose our advantage because of this, I’ll be the one they blame!

While Stalina was bound to bear most of the blame as the initiator, Paelamien knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid His Majesty’s anger. Marten knew this too.

“Ilugo’s official stance couldn’t be further from that,” Paelamien choked out as she forced a smile meant for Aristine.

Marten supported her. “Princess Stalina is young. She wasn’t thinking things through.”

“Y-yes, she still struggles to understand what’s best left unsaid.”

“Although I don’t understand how she reached such a conclusion...” Marten added.

“Unfortunately, she’s often driven by her own fantasies. So please be gracious and understanding, Princess Aristine.”

Stalina’s face steadily turned red as she listened to her siblings’ excuses. She could understand why they were using her youth as an explanation for her transgressions, and she knew she needed a way out of the situation.

But they were also making her look like a fool.

Stalina trembled in anger, but she saw Aristine gaze at her, and immediately composed herself.

Hmm.

Aristine observed Stalina’s reaction without much thought. To her, the younger princess looked old enough to know what she could and couldn’t say.

Although her thought process seems immature.

In all honesty, Aristine had no desire to dig too deeply into the matter. That was why she allowed Paelamien to defend everyone and monopolize the conversation.

His Majesty might be offended if I scold them directly.

Aristine knew there was a great difference between his children’s infighting and a foreign princess upbraiding his children. She had no reason to earn the ire of the Ilugoan king when this would be her home for quite some time.

She glanced at His Majesty. Their eyes immediately met—likely because the king had been staring at her the entire time.

I’ve seen in the past that people find others who smile to be friendlier.

Which meant she had to smile more. So Aristine did just that.

However, someone other than the king interpreted her smile differently. Paelamien, who assumed Aristine was about to say something to the king, immediately launched into another tirade.

“Stalina, apologize to Princess Aristine for everything you did wrong.”

Startled by the order, Stalina whipped around to face Paelamien.

“B-but, Paelamien, I was just—”

“What did I say earlier about making excuses instead of admitting to your faults?”

Stalina opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. She wanted to respond, but she couldn’t because she didn’t remember what she had even said.

“You questioned her royal blood. How could you do something that would make others question your own standing as an Ilugoan princess?”

“But...”

But she had just said anything that had come to mind. She hadn’t actually meant anything by it. If she’d known her words would mean she’d be dragged through the mud later, she never would have said any of it. Stalina wanted to explain, but Paelamien’s eyes said the older princess wouldn’t allow it.

“Apologize to her officially as a royal.”

Officially as a royal? Is she asking me to kneel in front of that halfwit?!

The blood drained from Stalina’s face. She scanned her surroundings, but no one stepped in to help her.

The only person who ever took her side was Paelamien, who was now her greatest critic.

That Silvanian princess didn’t complain about what I said until Paela took her side and started scolding me!

Princess Aristine had only become haughty after Paelamien began screaming at her.

If Paela hadn’t started yelling at me in the first place, she wouldn’t have been able to say a word, and everything would have worked out fine!

Stalina started to hate Paelamien. She didn’t understand why her older sister was upset, which spurred Stalina to feel even more wronged.

She looked to her father for help, but the king’s blue eyes only stared back at her. She couldn’t read a single thought in them. All Stalina knew was that he had no intention of helping her.

This really was it. Stalina grabbed a fistful of her skirt.

“I, Stalina, fourth princess of Ilugo, would like to deeply apologize to Princess Aristine of Silvanus.”

She slowly knelt in front of Aristine, suppressing the surge of anger and tears that welled up from within her.

Hmm, I wasn’t even fishing for a formal apology.

Aristine held back her surprise. All she had been trying to do was appeal to Tarcan by using her skills to silence the princesses and prince during their tea. None of the accusations had upset her, and she gained nothing from Stalina’s official apology.

Despite all of that, what was done was done, and the princess was already kneeling before her.

It’ll be for the best if I smooth over the situation.

She held the reins and could do away with the tense situation. But suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

Oh, but will Tarcan like that?

After all, Tarcan might have grudges against his half-siblings.

In my visions, I saw that most people were ecstatic when they forced those who were rude to them to kneel in apology.

Then, wasn’t this a good thing for Tarcan?

While Aristine pondered her revelation, Stalina fumbled through her apology.

“I didn’t think before I spoke, and I offended you.”

Again, silence followed.

Unable to bear its weight, Stalina continued to apologize.

“I-I was the one without manners. I wasn’t doubting your lineage at all. Please forgive me.”

She lowered herself even more before the princess she had once looked down upon. This was the first official apology Stalina had ever made in her life.

* * *

As Stalina knelt on the floor, Tarcan looked down on her with humorless eyes. He couldn’t believe the arrogant and impudent fourth princess was apologizing—especially on her knees.

Suddenly, he wondered what Aristine thought of the situation.

Is she enjoying that she’s gotten twice as much payback for what they did to her?

So he turned to look at Aristine...

...only to find her sparkling purple eyes staring back at him. They were like the last few stars scattered across the sky, holding on to their light at dawn.

She’s enjoying it, but...

Not in the way he had expected.

Her twinkling eyes sent him a clear message:

So? What do you think? I’m good, right? Don’t you think you can have me as your political partner? See, this is deserving of a contract signing!

He almost laughed when he realized it. No one had ever made him laugh before, so he rubbed his mouth awkwardly.

Was this a normal reaction to receiving a formal apology from a princess?

Now that he thought about it, the woman next to him had shown no signs of anger when subjected to Stalina’s insults. It was almost as though the insults were nothing but a dog barking in the distance to her. At first, he thought she was good at hiding her emotions, but now he knew she really hadn’t been paying any mind to the jabs at all.

Well, she was very composed back then too.

Tarcan recalled his first look at her, as she had stood confidently before the pointing and jeering crowd. He also remembered her thin form, which had been featherlight. He could have circled her entire waist with his hands.

Tarcan frowned and started to look away, when Aristine smiled at him.

Her oblong eyes curved and her straight mouth twitched into a soft smile. Sunlight landed on her high cheekbones. A spring breeze meandered through the window and carried her lilac-silver hair closer to him.

Tarcan’s irises constricted. Before he could react, Aristine turned away.

You haven’t seen enough yet to be surprised, Tarcan, Aristine thought calmly. She was happy Tarcan was reevaluating her. I’ll make you beg to be my business partner.

This was just a taste of what was to come. After all, simply starting a fight wouldn’t show her selling points.

All right. Now then...

Aristine looked at Stalina, who knelt on the ground. It was time to wrap this up.