Chapter 201
When Aristine and Tarkan arrived at the luncheon, no one else was there yet. This was because Aristine had asked to go earlier so that she could prepare for anything unexpected.
The two of them took their seats once the court ladies guided them.
Aristine’s eyes scanned the table like a hawk.
Although the food had not been served yet, the table was beautifully decorated with yellow chrysanthemums.
‘I knew it.’
Aristine’s eyes sank heavily once she saw the decorations. She was now certain that the luncheon today was the day in question.
Right then, someone walked into the dining hall.
“Oh dear, you are here already.”
It was soft voice, dripping with warmth.
That voice was very familiar to Aristine’s ears. Not just because she heard it through the Monarch’s Sight.
Rather, the tone right now was more familiar than the voice she heard then.
‘No way.’
Aristine slowly lifted her head.
A head full of platinum blonde hair sparkled under the bright autumn sunlight peeking through the windows. A tall stature, and a delicate face that was uncharacteristic of an Irugoian.
‘Lu.’
Yenikarina’s hand was on his arm.
The moment Aristine saw that, she realized. She couldn’t help but realize.
“…Prince Hamill.”
“Princess Consort.”
Hamill softly replied to Aristine.
‘So I’m right,’ Aristine lowered her gaze.
She should have known.
She thought that Hamill was at the manastone mine. That theory completely ruled out all other possibilities.
Even if you consider that she found it difficult to recognize him due to their different races, Yenikarina and Hamill looked very different from each other so it was hard to tell that they were siblings.
However, their turquoise eyes were the same.
‘I just thought their eye-color was similar…’
If you use that alone to judge familiar relationships, it would be hard to find anyone who is not related.
Yenikarina frowned at the strange current flowing between Hamill and Aristine.
‘What is this?’
But before Yenikarina could examine even further, Aristine turned away completely, like she was disregarding them.
The look in her eye was indifferent and cold.
Yenikarina, who was holding onto Hamill’s arm, felt Hamill’s hand flinch for a moment.
She looked up at him, wondering what was going on and found him looking at Aristine.
And the smile that always hung on his lips had faltered.
It was a small fluctuation, but it was very unlike Hamill, who always faced everything with a smile as calm as flowing water.
‘Is he like this because of the princess?’
The moment that thought arose, Yenikarina chuckled to herself.
‘That is impossible.’
Yenikarina drew closer to the table and spoke to Aristine, “Sister Rineh, this is your first time meeting each other, right? This is my elder brother, Hamill.”
“Yes. This is my first time.”
Who knew the words ‘first time’ could sound so sharp like it was cutting off their relationship.
Hamill slowly closed his eyes and re-opened it.
Aristine felt Hamill and Tarkan’s gaze on her skin.
‘I know why they’re looking at me, but I don’t have time to care about that.’
Now she knew why she was so shocked in the Monarch’s Sight. But right now, she needed to focus her entire attention on Nephther.
Tarkan looked at Aristine’s face, which was cold without a flicker of emotion, then he turned to Hamill.
Hamill’s face, which was always relaxed, had hardened faintly.
It was a very small change, but Tarkan could tell he was feeling quite anxious. This was the first time he had ever seen such a look on Hamill’s face.
‘As expected of my wife!’
Tarkan felt proud when he saw Aristine ignoring Hamill.
Seeing this foxy bastard get shocked after wagging his tail in front of another man’s wife, Tarkan felt a sense of joy.
‘No matter how much you wag your tail, you think that this woman, who has zero clue about dating, will fall for you?’
Among all iron walls, the most terrifying of them all was the iron wall of ignorance.
Even Tarkan, her husband, spent a lot of time in torment every day, just trying to seduce his wife.
“…”
Just thinking about it made him feel a little depressed.
In the meantime, the other princes and princesses arrived one after the other.
Soon, Nephther and the Queen arrived together, and everyone rose from their seats.
Aristine’s eyes twitched as she checked Nephther’s complexion.
If Nephther passed away due to poisoning instead of health problems…
‘It cannot be undone.’
It wasn’t very obvious, but Nephther’s complexion was indeed a little pale. Judging by that, she had to assume that he had already been poisoned.
Aristine pressed down her chest, which was growing cold.
‘Did the royal physician not see His Majesty?’
Since it was important to take action as soon as possible in a case of poisoning, Aristine devised a plan to have the royal physician meet Nephther before he arrived at the dining hall.
However, things didn’t go as planned and it was already too late.
‘No.’
There was still one possibility left.
‘A possibility that His Majesty has not been poisoned.’
Hence, Aristine put more emphasis on the other option and prepared herself.