Chapter 130 Pervert with a Grudge (5)

Time passed quickly as they studied the alloy. Aristine went to the smithy almost everyday to check the differences between each prototype with Ritlen.

‘I can’t be an idle boss when my employee is working so hard!’

“Uwa, I’m tired.”

But her body was honest, so the accumulated fatigue flooded over her. She needed to eat lunch so she might as well take the opportunity to rest a little and digest.

Aristine stretched her body and sprawled herself over the sofa.

‘Anyway, I’m glad this place has chrome and nickel. And it was discovered a long time ago too.’

According to what Aristine saw in her previous life through the Monarch’s Sight, those two materials were discovered on Earth in the 18th century.

‘It’s difficult to match where I live with an era on Earth.’

The development of civilization was very different from her previous life.

‘Of course, there’s portals and demonic beasts so they can’t be the same world. The main energy source is also different…’

Aristine looked up at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, using magic for light then she closed her eyes.

She was thinking of putting all thoughts of work aside and taking a quick nap.

But then, she vaguely sensed someone’s presence.

Aristine’s eyes flashed opened.

‘Is someone here?’

She thought nonchalantly and turned to look while still lying down but found an unexpected person standing there.

‘Brodie?’

It was Brodie, one of Aristine’s handmaids from Silvanus.

“Your Highness the Princess.”

Aristine sat up and frowned.

Although called a handmaid, Brodie had never properly served Aristine. Aristine wasn’t pleased that Brodie came in right when she was about to rest.

“I’m sure I told everyone to withdraw since I’m going to sleep.”

“I really wanted to talk with Your Highness privately.”

Brodie said, taking one step at a time towards Aristine.

Aristine felt like something was off about this behavior.

Brodie’s eyes looked more excited than she had ever seen them. No, they looked fogged.

But looking again, she definitely seemed excited. A strange energy surrounded Brodie from head to toe. She seemed thrilled but also withered at the same time.

Brodie stuck out her tongue and licked her parched lips.

‘…What is it?’

Aristine couldn’t figure out where this sense of incongruity was coming from. But she didn’t have a good feeling about this.

“Privately? Why?”

This was the same Brodie who disregarded all hierarchy with Aristine, even in front of others. Aristine didn’t know why she suddenly wanted it private.

“Princess, why didn’t you send a priest to me?”

“A priest?”

“I got burned in your place. You should take responsibility for it.”

Brodie turned her face so that Aristine could see the burn marks clearly.

The scar was pale and hard to see because it was covered with makeup but there was still a part where light reflected off it.

“You’re saying you got burned in my stead?”

“Yes, the person who should have been burned back then was you, Princess. Not me.”

‘…What is this?’

It was no longer just a feeling of incongruity; Brodie was definitely acting strange. Her actions, words, and eyes, everything was unstable.

Her attitude was also very different from when they talked about this issue before.

Last time, Brodie avoided the conversation in order to avoid bringing up the fact that she brought over the boiling water on purpose.

‘But right now, she’s…’

Aristine’s body tensed up.

“So you should have apologized, begged for forgiveness, and asked a priest to take away this hideous scar.”

“Why should I?”

Aristine was not a fool.

She knew that Brodie had brought the boiling water to burn her. She even knew that it would have succeeded.

‘If my Monarch’s Sight hadn’t shown me, that is.’

And the burns on Aristine’s face would have been bigger than Brodie’s.

“Why should I take responsibility when I didn’t even cause it?”

“So, you’re saying you have no intention of taking responsibility.”

“Because there is no reason for me to be responsible,” Aristine replied while keenly watched Brodie’s figure.

As this was an opponent with a history of trying to pour boiling water on her then pretending it was a mistake, Aristine didn’t know she was going to do.

Aristine had lived in confinement, unable to eat properly while growing up so it was impossible for her to stand up to Brodie with her strength alone.

Just when Aristine cautiously tried to get up and distance herself from Brodie…

“Alright then.”
The corners of Brodie’s lips rose eerily. Her eyes glistened with madness.

“You will take responsibility by force!”

At the same time those words fell, Brodie ran towards her and abruptly pulled out something from her bosom. It was so fast that she couldn’t see exactly what it was.

But she saw the cold gleam of silver.

“…!”

Aristine’s eyes went wide.

It all happened so fast. Before Aristine could even get up from the sofa, a sharp silver blade rushed towards her.

At the moment when her flawless, delicate skin was about to be slashed red,

Smack!

The blade stopped right before her eyes.

To Aristine, the eyes of the man behind the blade shone more clearly than the blade that was right in front of her eyes.

Those golden eyes that shone like the sun.

“Tarkan…?”

Tarkan’s face was as expressionless as always.

No, he was usually expressionless, but it didn’t feel like this. His face was so blank, like all emotion was withdrawn from it.

His face didn’t even show anger but Aristine unconsciously swallowed her breath.

Clatter—.

The knife in Brodie’s hand fell to the floor with a crisp sound. You could imagine how tightly he gripped her wrist for her to lose hold of the knife in her hand.

Tarkan bent Brodie’s arm back and pressed down.

“Argh!”

Brodie let out a sharp scream. She couldn’t even struggle. An overwhelming force was holding her down.
With just one arm.

Seeing this scene, Aristine took in a few deep breaths. She tried to calm herself down, but her heart was pounding frantically.

‘It’s okay. Tarkan is here.’

She tried to comfort herself as her gaze moved to look down at the fallen knife.

‘A scalpel?’

It was the scalpel that Aristine had asked Ritlen to make.

‘Brodie stole the scalpel?’

Since Aristine’s handmaids could move in and out of her room quite freely, there were many opportunities to steal it.

“L-Let go of me! Right now…!”

Brodie shrieked in desperation as she was flattened to the ground. Her face was contorted with blood, and she didn’t look normal at all.

Tarkan looked down at Brodie with that blank expression, then he slightly twisted her arms without batting an eye.

“Kh!”

A gurgling breath left Brodie’s lips.

“Ah, uck, it hurts…”

As if it was annoying, Tarkan put more force on his thumb that was holding Brodie’s wrist.

“Aaaak!”

“Shut up.”
The moment Brodie’s eyes met Tarkan’s, her screams stopped like it was an imagination. Brodie trembled with her mouth open, unable to even breathe.

“How dare you.”

Tarkan said in a low voice, like he was forcing the words out.

His wife, Aristine, almost got hurt.