Chapter 218 Young and Rich, Tall and Handsome(6)

What kind of man was Tarkan?

Paellamien didn’t like Tarkan. But even in her eyes, Tarkan was a decent husband.

He was handsome, tall, fit, and capable.

She thought he would be cold and dismissive of his wife after marriage, but what?

Maybe he was the type that was affectionate to his woman even though he was cold to others, but he was practically dripping with honey.

Tarkan’s gaze on Aristine at the luncheon the other day made Paellamien confused on whether she was eating rice or scooping honey.

“Mmm.”

Aristine tilted her head.

She acknowledged that Tarkan was a pretty decent partner for a political marriage.

But as a husband, who was she to say?

“To call Tarkan a good husband is…”

“Your bed broke on the first night!” Paellamien yelled at the person trying to deceive her.

Then she went ‘oh no’ and immediately turned the other way.

Her cheeks flushed a bright red. She couldn’t even believe that those words came out of her mouth.

“Ehem, ehem.”

Aristine tilted her head again as she watched Paellamien clear her throat for no reason.

‘Is breaking the bed that important?’

Of course, she knew what breaking the bed signified. But was that so important to marital life?

Of course, if you’re doing it, it’s better to do it well(?). But it was just part of the duty to produce a successor.

“No, I mean, um… you know it was a political marriage? I didn’t even know what kind of person Tarkan was.”

A monster more hideous than a demonic beast.

A blood-crazed savage.

He wasn’t just called ugly, but all sorts of titles were being used to describe him as she was headed off to be married.

Aristine was an imperial descendant to her very core.

Naturally, she never even considered marriage out of love.

Marriage was both a means of negotiation and creating political alliance. Political marriages were one of the biggest businesses.

‘If it was Starlina, instead of Paellamien…or even Yenikarina, I’d at least understand.’

“I wish I didn’t know too. Then I could at least have hope.”

Paellamien mumbled and smiled defeatedly.

“I know. I know how childish it is to care about appearance in a political marriage. It’s not like I’m Starlina.”

Aristine was startled and wondered if Paellamien could read her mind.

“But,” Paellamien paused and opened her clenched fist.

There was a crumpled picture in her hand, alongside a bunch of fallen leaves.

Aristine picked up the photo which could be mistaken for a rag and examined it.

And then.

“Oh…”

A vague exclamation escaped Aristine’s lips.

Her purple eyes flitted over to Paellamien’s face. Her gaze was cautious.

“Uh, hmm…well, isn’t the age gap too much?”

“We’re the same age.”

“Huh?!”

This is the same age?!

Aristine stared at the picture with wide eyes.

A strand of hair dangled pitifully on top of the man’s head, like the last leaf in a wide empty field.

“Oh…I see, the same age…”

That was really hard to believe.

The last leaf aside, even his face was…well…

You shouldn’t do this with people’s looks but honestly, as a marriage partner…

At least, on the outside, it shouldn’t look like you’re having a wedding ceremony with your dad.

Of course, it would be a different matter if it was a decent person, but a political marriage was not based on personality.

“Ever since I was five years old,” Paellamien roughly ran a hand through her hair, “Ever since, I have laid flat under the Queen to survive.”

It had been a long time.

“All this time, I have never done anything. I have really done nothing.”

Paellamien’s brows twisted.

“I am a royal too. It’s not as if I had great ambitions or aspirations. But I wanted to devote myself to serving this country. But if I did that, it would raise their vigilance.”

Paellamien’s mother was a Lady from a prominent marquis family.

And unfortunately, Paellamien was clever.

A clever child born under the queen with a powerful family behind her.[1]

It was enough to raise the Queen’s vigilance.

At that time, they weren’t wary of Tarkan, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her Hamill’s sole competitor. At this rate, Paellamien would become Hamill’s biggest rival.

When the Queen, who had been watching her sharply, made her kneel with the excuse of not showing proper manners, Paellamien realized.

Ah, I’ll have to live like this for the rest of my life.

A long succession battle, ready to bleed her dry, lay ahead as a thorny path. And if she were to lose, neither herself nor her mother nor her maternal family would be safe.

Hence, Paellamien did not get up from her knees.

She went under the Queen, becoming the queen’s hands and feet.

She never held ambition to be king.

She felt a little annoyed and irritated when the queen gave her orders, but she thought of it as assurance for her safety.

However,

“If the family itself was okay, I wouldn’t even complain. They must have sent me to a family like this on purpose.”

If they sent her to a great family, Paellamien would gain her power. They were certainly on guard against that.

The family of her marriage partner was not a traditionally prestigious family, but a rich one. In exchange for giving Paellamien’s hand, the queen must have received a huge sum of money from the family.

She must be trying to buy back the nobles who turned away from her after the poisoning incident.

Paellamien chuckled.

‘I guess this is what they call disposed after being used.’

“I’ve lived as the queen’s dog my whole life, but to think this is the result.”

Tears ran down Paellamien’s cheeks.

Aristine felt a little sorry for her.

‘Right, his ugliness wasn’t the problem.’

The queen’s betrayal was the problem.

“If you’re going to do this, at least make him handsome.”

“…”

Aristine forgot what she was going to say.