Her eyes that glistened like light on dew were the eyes of a mad bull!
“…So, you got beaten up by the bride you married today and ran off to your harem?”
“I wasn’t beaten! It was just a hit, a nudge!”
“Is that so…”
Fatima looked at me in disbelief and muttered to herself. She didn’t look like she believed me, but I wasn’t lying. I’d only gotten hit once on the chin because I’d gotten out of there before I got hit twice.
“Your lip is broken.”
Fatima sighed and retrieved a medicine box.
“What an extraordinary girl. Usually, those who come as hostages are scared out of their wits.”
The process of cleaning and disinfecting my lip was painful and stinging to the point of tears. But I thought it would be too pathetic to show pain on top of being beaten up by a girl smaller than me, so I did my best to pretend I was fine.
“And you just took it?”
“I couldn’t hit her. And it didn’t hurt that much.”
I closed my eyes and spoke nonchalantly, but somehow Fatima didn’t respond. I slowly opened my eyes and realized that her gaze had shifted downward. When I looked down, I saw my arm was covered in dark bruises.
“……”
“……”
It had clearly only been a little red just a while ago… I tried to hide my arms in embarrassment and muttered to myself in disbelief.
“No, really, how strong is she?”
“…She must’ve used a lot of force, judging from your bruises.”
“No, no… when she grabbed my arm and shook me, I was shaken around like a blanket. How does that make sense? I’m much taller and bigger!”
Moreover, when I was hit in the chin, it seemed to knock me out for a very brief moment. Maybe half a second?
I was confident in my physical strength and stamina because I had trained a lot, but… at that time, I panicked and grabbed Aegis’ wrist with all my strength. I started to wonder if she had bruises too.
When people got agitated, they usually didn’t feel pain. Perhaps Aegis, like me, was just starting to feel the pain coming on.
I sat down on the soft sofa, looked at the white ceiling, thought about various things, and said.
“I think she needs some etiquette lessons.”
“Is she willing to take them?”
“I really tried not to care about her, but this can’t go on. I mean, it’s one thing if it’s me, but what if she does that to other people? She tried to smash my head in with a vase!”
Even if she could get away with it with me, it would be a big deal if she did it to someone else.
“That’s true… and you say it like it’s no big deal, but the fact that she put her hands on you is already a crime that warrants death.”
“No else one knows but you. I’ll just say I broke my lip because I fell.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
I felt like a fool for worrying for Aegis after being beaten up, but no matter how angry I was, I didn’t want her to die.
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“P mjc’a ifa atja wjv yeii ibbrf klatbea j ifjrt.”
Rbk atja rbwf alwf tjv qjrrfv, Cfulr rtbeiv’nf mjiwfv vbkc. Ccv rlcmf kf kfgf rqfcvlcu atf cluta abufatfg lc atja gbbw jcskjs, P tjv ab ub yjmx.
“Shall I go with you?”
Fatima asked, looking at me not with concern, but with excitement. I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Why on earth are the women around me like this…”
“If she hits you again, run away. I’ll give you some medicine.”
“Alright…”
I slumped my shoulders and shuffled out of the harem. Then, passing through the garden, I walked down a long hallway and arrived in front of the room where Aegis would be. Taking a few deep breaths, I grabbed the doorknob.
When the door opened with a soft click, the first thing I saw was the room in complete disarray. Shards of glass, pieces of broken chairs, and the remains of a smashed dresser littered the floor.
Aegis was sitting on the floor with her legs spread wide like a bandit leader in the middle of all that garbage.
“……”
When I saw that, I started to feel out of breath, so much so that it became pointless that I had calmed myself down.
“Hey, calm down first.”
I thought she might charge like a bull that saw red again, so I held up both my hands in advance. Aegis spoke in a steady voice.
“I’m extremely calm.”
“No… I don’t think you’re in a calm state right now…”
“Do you think I’d be here if I wasn’t?”
“……”
She was right again. I stayed away from Aegis and nudged a piece of wood on the floor with my shoe.
“I’m sorry I hit you.”
I wasn’t sure what to say, but Aegis apologized to me first. It was so unexpected that I was stunned to the point where I lost all my guard.
I walked over to Aegis and squatted down beside her. Then she spoke again.
“But you insulted me and my family first, so let’s call it a fair exchange.”
I listened, nodded, and then said.
“Don’t ask me strange questions from now on, either.”
“Was it hot air?”
“What’s hot air?”
“Was it a rumor?”
“Some of it was true, but my brother isn’t that kind of person.”
Whatever rumors about Khalifa spread, it was none of my business. But Mahir was different. Who was managing the country with utmost care, unable to even eat or sleep properly, on behalf of a deranged Khalifa?
Mahir was such an upright and kind-hearted man that it was hard to believe he was Khalifa’s child. He was always busy worrying about the safety of the country, thinking of his people, listening to his advisors, or cleaning up the mess the emperor had made. I was a completely different person from him, a prince in name only, who was always thinking about having fun.
At my words, Aegis glanced at me a few times with an awkward expression, then averted her gaze and spoke.
“Okay.”
“You’re free to believe whatever you want, but if you insult my brother one more time, I’m not going to stand idly by.”
In truth, I felt like I’d suffer more if that happened, but it was weird to think about it. Aegis looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes, let’s not touch each other’s families.”
“Alright.”
We made that firm promise. I was momentarily taken aback by the sudden silence, hesitated, then held out my hand and spoke.
“Would you like to shake my hand? To apologize.”
“Put it away.”
“……”
Didn’t we have a good moment? Why did she get so mean again? Was she just having a bad day? Well, we agreed not to mess with each other’s families, but we didn’t agree to reconcile.
“That aside, like I said earlier, you need to get some lessons.”
Aegis’s face contorted in displeasure, but thankfully she didn’t say no. I could see her small, white fists clenching, so I hastened to add.
“What, you think I’m doing this to spite you? I’m doing this all for your sake. Honestly, whether you act like this to anyone else is completely irrelevant to me. You’re the only one who’s going to get in trouble.”
“……”
Whether Aegis agreed with me or not, she didn’t refute my words. However, her fists were still clenched, so I coughed and opened my mouth to speak.
“You didn’t come here to die, did you?”
“I’ll go back soon anyway…”
“You’re still saying that.”
As I sighed and muttered to myself, Aegis glared at me with a venomous expression. I could almost feel the blades in her eyes.
“Are you saying I can’t go back?”
“Isn’t that a given?”
“I don’t believe a word you say.”
“Okay, then don’t believe me. Anyway, if you want to stay comfortably for a year, you might as well learn what I say you should.”
Seeing her expression, I wasn’t sure I could convince her, so I decided to just let the issue go.
“…Then, can I just do one hour a day?”
“What?”
That was when Aegis said something strange. I asked with a puzzled look.
“What? An hour a day? Are you kidding me? If you learn an hour a day, how many years will it take for you to learn everything? If that’s what you’re going to do, just don’t learn it to begin with.”
“Then for how long do I have to learn?”
“I don’t know. The person who’s going to teach you will see where you’re at and plan out a schedule for you.”
“So how much?!”
Aegis’s shout made my head ache. I was already worried about how she would learn with such a temper.
I sighed and spoke calmly.
“Remember when we said we wouldn’t bother each other unless we needed each other?”
Aegis nodded.
“But do you want to cause me trouble?”
“……”
I raised my eyes and looked at Aegis, who was glaring at me, and sighed again.
“If you make a mess, I’m the one who has to clean it up.”
“I’ll clean it up myself, so mind your own business.”
“What can you do here?”
“What?”
I thought about leaving her alone because she didn’t know what she was doing and it wasn’t my place to fuss about her, but then I realized that it was better for Aegis to know what she needed to know.
“What can you do, in this castle, in this country, when you can’t even get a maid to do what you want?”
I thought my words would once again spark a fire in Aegis’s eyes, but she merely looked away. Perhaps she had realized her predicament, or she had realized that I was stating the stark reality of her situation with no intention of mockery.
“Unless you really gave up everything and came here to die, you’ll eventually have no choice but to adapt and live. At least learn what not to do and say, so you don’t get in trouble.”
“…I was going to do it anyway…”
“Okay. If you want to stay comfortably even for just one year, violence is absolutely prohibited. If you want to get angry and break things, do it alone in your room when no one is around. Don’t do it when someone’s present, alright?”
“……”
Aegis raised her head and glared at me. But the longer I spoke, the more she bowed her head, like ripening rice. By the time I was done, she had sunk down so low that I could see the back of her head.
Ooohhh lets goo progress I wanna know what happens nextt
Thnx yafor the chappiiee~