After the Rain (10)
* * *
Aristine changed into clothes that were tearfully prepared by the court ladies, then she headed for the portal.
āMust you go today? Letās go tomorrow when itās bright. It must be dark over there already.ā
āTomorrow will be late.ā
At those firm words, the court ladies withered and shut their mouths.
Aristine glanced back at them and muttered as she continued moving.
āThanks for worrying about me. I know how you feel. But I think this is absolutely necessary so Iām going ahead with this.ā
āPrincess Consort…!ā
āItās enough that Your Highness understands our worry.ā
āWe will abide by Your Highnessā decision no matter what.ā
Aristine finally smiled and shook her head.
Tarkan was a pretty good partner, and one of the reasons why she was able to safely adapt to Irugo, but another important reason was because her court ladies were all good people.
As the corridor ended, an open area came into view.
A large, blue-tinged portal stone marked with pure white marble. With silver engraving on the round bottom and golden dust sprinkled on the platform.
Just the appearance alone made you feel divine.
It might be a familiar appearance to the rest of the imperial family, but this was the first time that Aristine had actually seen it.
āPrincess Consort.ā
Ritlen and the blacksmiths, who had arrived earlier, bowed towards her.
Unlike usual, they were armed. They seemed to all have weapons that they had made themselves.
āYou do not have to follow me into a danger zone.ā
āWhat are you saying! If we donāt, who will go with Your Highness!ā
The blacksmiths exclaimed at the top of their lungs.
Seeing that, Aristine broke into a smile. It seems her fortune lay in Irugo, rather than Silvanus.
āI shall activate the portal.ā
The portal guardian said with a respectful bow towards Aristine.
Aristine nodded and climbed up.
Once the portal was activated, she should be at the border in the blink of an eye.
It was at that moment…
āW-Wait!ā
A loud voice rang out.
It came from the corridor. But no one could be seen.
āWhat is it?ā
Then, a moment later, a group of people appeared.
It was the magicians, Asena included.
They were gasping for breath as they arrived at the portal, their hands braced on their knees for support.
Some of them even sat on the ground.
āTo make a magician run of all things, huff, seriously…ā Asena grumbled while trying to catch her breath.
āAsena?ā
āYou really planned to leave us behind?ā
āWell, because itās dangerous…ā
āDonāt underestimate a magicianās desire for experience. We can go anywhere dangerous for research.ā
Asena said majestically.
āI thought you were saying you hate scary things earlier.ā
āShut up!ā
Asena screamed at the other magicianās words.
āEhem, ehemā she cleared her throat a few times, then she spoke to Aristine.
āMy stamina might not be that great but if we run into a demonic beast, my magic will be quite useful.ā
The magicians were wearing different robes than usual, as if they had properly prepared beforehand.
āThank you, everyone.ā
āI will count on you for the hazard pay.ā
āOf course.ā
Aristine grinned.
āAlright, Iām activating the portal now!ā
At the words of the portal guardian, they all stood upon the platform.
As they watched this happen, the court ladies called out to Aristine.
āPrincess Consort, please come back safely!ā
āIn case you meet His Highness Tarkan and come back together, weāll make your bed lookā.ā
The following words were swallowed by the burning white light that covered Aristineās eyes.
Her eyes flew shut and she couldnāt hear anything, as if the world was muted.
But that was only a brief moment, and soon enough, noise like running water rushed into her eardrums.
The sound of the wind blowing, the trees rustling, and the sound of falling leaves.
After experiencing complete silence, even the smallest sounds echoed even louder.
Aristine slowly opened her eyes.
She was met with the sight of multiple people prostrating before her.
When her eyes fell on them, a man who seemed like the lord of the territory bowed to her.
āGreetings to Your Highness. Welcome to Avik.ā
As Aristine stepped down from the portal platform and approached, he carefully held out his hand as he prostrated himself.
āIf I may.ā He asked.
Aristine placed her hand on top of his, and the lord placed a careful kiss on the back of her hand.
āIt is an honor to meet you, Princess Consort. I am Tallistan, the lord of Avik.ā
āA pleasure to meet you, Count Tallistan.ā
Count Tallistan was a lord who guarded the border and was a man of high prestige and power.
It was surprising that he received her so hospitably.
āNow that Iāve seen Your Highness in person, I can understand why His Highness Tarkan guards you so preciously.ā
Count Tallistan gave a wide smile.
His face looked sharp like an eagle, but once he smiled, he instantly looked friendly.
Aristine returned the smile.
It seems they felt closer to Tarkan and his warriors than the royal capital because they were in regular contact with the demonic beast plains.
This was a good sign for Aristine, who needed their cooperation.
āI am very grateful for such a warm welcome despite my sudden visit.ā
āOf course. I heard that you came to offer your help.ā
It seems Nephtherās influence was also playing a part in making them more friendly to her.
āThank you, Royal father.ā
Aristine inwardly thanked Nephther and took back her hand.
āPlease rise, Count. Normally, we should sit down for a meal, but I have a matter of urgency. Please forgive me.ā
At that, Count Tallistan laughed.
āHis Majesty told me that Your Highness would say that. That you seemed so busy to even have a cup of tea with him.ā
Aristine smiled awkwardly.
āIf you are busy, that is your priority. In Avik, we are always practical. Please rest assured, I shall not take this as a disregard of my goodwill.ā
His speech was straightforward, which was as practical as he said.
āThat is truly, a wonderful principle.ā
āWe are next to the border with demonic beasts, after all.ā Count Tallistan smiled and escorted Aristine.
As they began to walk, he asked.
āDo you plan to head out to the plains right away?ā
āYes.ā
At that brief response, Count Tallistanās sharp gaze turned to Aristine.
āIt doesnāt seem like youāll listen if I tell you that itās late.ā
āI know the night is more dangerous. But I have to move fast. It wonāt be too much of a stretch since the warriors should have cleaned up the area close to the castle wall.ā
āYou are right about that. However.ā Count Tallistan came to a stop and looked at Aristine.
āWhere exactly do you plan on going? As I will have to hand over my troops, I think I need to know.ā
In other words, depending on her answer, he might not give up his troops.
Because she planned on getting help from the border troops, Aristine did not bring separate troops from the Imperial palace.
And she preferred that since she was able to move quickly.
But this also meant that if Count Tallistan didnāt give up Avikās troops, she would have to go to the demonic beast plain without any backup.
Aristine fell silent for a while and looked into Count Tallistanās eyes.
Soon, her lips opened.
āThe domain of the Great Demonic Beast.ā
* * *
āTransmission?ā
āStill canāt.ā
Jacquelin solemnly lowered his head as he replied to Tarkanās question.
Tarkan simply nodded and didnāt say much.
āWeāll press ahead.ā
āYes, understood!ā
Jacquelin didnāt mention the dangers that they would face if the other divisions ran into trouble and couldnāt group up.
Even though Tarkan knew that, he decided to push ahead with it.
And Jacquelin was well aware of why Tarkan made that choice.
āWith our strategy, every division should be positioned relatively close. If we clash first, everyone will see it and join in.ā
The odds of no one joining were less than the odds of being struck by lightning.
āUnless someone deliberately intervenes.ā
But that couldnāt be the case.
Because of the political marriage, diplomatic relations were in unprecedented peaceful state.
Although Tarkan and the queen were enemies, the matter of reducing the number of demonic beasts in preparation for winter was an important task. As a fellow Irugoian, there was no way she would interfere. Because that would be cutting her own flesh to eat it.
āRight, the expedition is going smoothly. At this rate, we should be back to the capital very soon.ā
The reason the demonic beasts were dealt with so quickly was obvious.
Jaquelin knew that Tarkan was looking at his wifeās picture every day and stroking it.
The kisses were a bonus.
*,*,*
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 62 - December 29, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapter 56 – 61 - December 21, 2025
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapters 50 – 55 - December 7, 2025
“The kisses were a bonus.”
OMG, Tarkan! You’ve been seen! Hahahaha!
Yooooooo wut a cutieeeee š„¹š„¹š„¹
As for whoooo … is it Hamil? And if yes, does he seriously think he can get Rineh if she knows he got rid of Tarkan? (assuming he is able to do it)
Yes he thinks that since he decided to obtain her
HAHAHAA Tarkan kissing Rineh’s picture š Bring some of that energy to her in person sir!!!
I wonder who spearheaded the effort to sabotage them. Hamill or mommy dearest (or both)?
Kind feels like it’s Hamill’s doing because what else could he have meant by it’s time to take the throne…the only sure way to do that is thru manipulating the king which is out of the question bt other than that eliminating tarkan would do….bt oh well could be terribly wrong..can’t wait to find out
Thank you for the chapter š„°
Iām waiting for tarkan and Rineh to meet and see his reaction!!!! Would he shower her in kisses or blow up in anger ?
Thank you for the hard work!!!!
Thanks for your hard work miss Ruby ššā¤ļø you really are gorgeous š„°š„°
The saviour of the mood, you made my Day
Caught in 4K jsnskanssnsjdj