Egg goes cr-ack! (7)

Your Highness Tarkan, Princess.

Dionna politely greeted the two of them.

Hmm, should I leave? Aristine thought.

She could explain to Tarkan later that she had dealt with what happened so it wouldnt become a diplomatic issue. For now, it would be best to give the two of them time alone.

Such thoughts were running through Aristines mind, but Dionna spoke first.

Princess, I am sorry, but may I borrow His Highness Tarkan for a while? I have something to discuss with His Highness.

She was already thinking of doing that.

Aristine let go of Tarkans hand and was about to nod her head. But just as her hand was slipping away, Tarkan suddenly grabbed it.

He held her hand tightly as if saying he didnt plan on letting go.

Aristine looked up at Tarkan in surprise.

However, he was not looking at her.

My wife and I have something to discuss as well.

Wife.

Dionnas face paled when Tarkan said that word so naturally. But she gave a soft smile and nodded her head.

I see. Pardon me, I was not aware.

And then she bowed her head towards Aristine.

Im sorry, Princess.

Wait, why are you apologizing to me?

Aristine looked at Dionna, feeling somewhat absurd.

When she did this, it looked as if Aristine was blocking Tarkan and Dionnas date.

Come on, Im not the one who refused, its your boyfriend.

Aristine didnt want to be a third-party stuck between two lovers.

There is no need to apologize to me. Actually, would you like to come along? What Tarkan and I are going to discuss isnt exactly a secret.

As she said that, her right cheek felt prickly.

Even without turning to look, she could tell that Tarkan was fixing an intense gaze on her.

What is this guys problem now?

Even if she wanted to talk about something secret, she could do that after Dionna was gone. They both shared the same bedroom anyway, so they could just talk at night.

Oh my, is that okay?

Dionna asked with a pleased smile.

Mhm. Lets have some tea. With tart.

Aristine sneakily exposed her ulterior motive.

Thank you, Princess.

Dionnas eyes curved as she gave a deep smile.

Tarkan, who was watching this, called her. His voice was rigid.

Dionna.

Yes?

Dionna innocently looked up at him, as if to say is there anything?.

Tarkan stared at Dionnas face for a moment then he frowned slightly and turned away.

So shes planning on following us.

Dionna was a sharp woman.

So she always understood Tarkans intentions and acted before he even said anything. Even now, she must have noticed that he was not happy with her following them.

It cant be helped.

Aristine was the one who suggested it first, but Tarkan couldnt retract it. Because doing that would be disrespecting Aristines will.

Most of all, there was no real reason for him to send Dionna away and be alone with Aristine.

Why do I feel annoyed though?

The Princess is now my wife, so call her Your Highness from now on. [1]

At Tarkans cold words, Dionnas eyes trembled.

Even after marriage, Aristine was still the Princess of Silvanus.

But now that she was the wife of a Prince of Irugo, it was certainly odd for the people of Irugo to refer to her as the Princess of a foreign country.

Nevertheless, she didnt think that Tarkan would point it out.

Tarkan was never the type of man to care about such trivial things.

But why!

Why does he keep acting differently than usual when Aristine is involved?

Dionna hid her fists which were clenched tightly behind her skirt.

AhI apologize. I got used to it

Of course, her calling Aristine Princess was certainly not because she got used to it.

It was because she didnt want to call Aristine, Tarkans wife. Because that position should belong to herself, Dionna.

Dionnas sea-blue eyes reflected Aristines face.

She felt like there was a blade in her mouth as she moved her tongue to speak, Your Highness the Princess.

That simple phrase alone seemed to cut the inside of her mouth and make her bleed.

Dionna was definitely smiling but with the expression she had, she was better off not.

Aristine wanted to leave this uncomfortable situation as soon as possible.

Hm, right. Well, you can just call me correctly from now on. Shall we go then?

When she quickly changed the subject, Tarkan nodded and began to walk. He was still holding Aristines hand.

His shoulders were broad, and his shoulder blades were well-developed. His waist was slender, and his straight legs were elegant.

Tarkan looked like a male deity and Aristines delicate figure standing next to him, made for a beautiful picture.

Even seeing their figure from behind made peoples hearts flutter because it seemed like a mysterious scene from a myth.

Dionna could see the court ladies who were staring at the two of them, completely mesmerized.

Among them were also court ladies who served Dionna closely.

Dionna bit her lips harshly.

Even to her, the both of them looked good together so it must be even worse for other people.

She remembered how the crowd was praising them at the wedding yesterday. Some of the people watching the wedding parade had even cried. A fan club had formed almost immediately.

And how did the newspapers behave?

This was the wedding of Irugos Prince and Hero, and a political marriage with the Silvanus Empire.

It was an event that was bound to make headlines.

However, the tone of the writing was strange.

Instead of discussing the details of the wedding, or the reactions of each class in the social ladder, or the political changes due to the arranged marriage, or addressing future expectations

F*cking romance of the century!

All it talked about was how good the two of them looked together, how they exchanged looks at each other, what kind of crisis they faced in the middle of the wedding parade and how they overcame it with love.

It was full of such useless things.

And imagine how many photos they published. It was to the point where she had to wonder if this was a newspaper or an illustrated romance novel.

Dionna couldnt control her anger and ripped that newspaper to pieces. That wasnt even enough to sate her anger, so she burned them and cursed those reporters.

Even after doing so, she obsessively bought gossip magazines to see if there were any bad rumors about Aristine.

However.

First Night of the Newly Weds: The Bed Broke

The Condition of the Royal Couples Bed

[Exclusive] A Picture of the Royal Couples Bed.

The gossip magazines published articles about Tarkan and Aristine breaking their bed on the first night, as if they had all promised to do so beforehand.

In fact, the gossip magazine which claimed to have an exclusive photo of the bed was said to have recorded the highest sales since its inception.

Dionna, who was crying like crazy after reading such gossip, couldnt bear it anymore and came to the palace to see Tarkan.

Because she thought she would feel reassured when she saw him with her own eyes.

After all, there was no way Tarkan would give his heart to Aristine. That would absolutely never happen.

Tarkan clearly told her that his heart would never change.

Since this was a marriage for peace, it was not possible to omit the first night.

The moment the two of them used separate rooms, the whole country would be in an uproar.

The Queens faction would also attack, and above all, it would chill the hearts of all the people who were excited about yesterdays wedding.

Hence, Dionna thought that by now, Tarkan would not be paying the Princess any attention and would be going about his duties as well.

However

Dionna looked at Tarkan who was moving further away without looking back.

She was still standing here; she hadnt even taken a single step yet he didnt look back even once.

And he was still holding Aristines hand.

Dionna ground her teeth lightly.

A thunderous wave of anger erupted in her sea-blue eyes.

You think I will back down like this?

No matter what happens, she will never back down.

His Highness Tarkan will be mine.

Translators Corner.

[1] I believe Ive explained this title situation before, but Ill go over it again. What he really says is the Princess is now my wife so call her Princess(My wife) from on..

The first princess is the title for an Emperors daughter, the second princess is the title for a Princes wife. In other situations, I translate this word to Your Highness the Princess. But hes essentially telling Dionna to call Aristine his wife.