The Princess’s Sharp Tongue
“Well, even so… he isn’t a bad person. Right?”
“Arkin. I didn’t say he was bad. I said he was strange.”
The rock princess frowned and drew a firm line with her finger.
“Where exactly is he strange?”
“Arkin, have you never heard the old saying? The people of Ivica don’t marry in their entire lives. They don’t even get married—just kiss anyone, sleep in the same bed, and live together with several partners.”
“Anyone? So…”
A deafening roar filled Arkin’s head. He took a deep breath, his stiff lips refusing to form the next words, hesitating again and again.
“That’s exactly how it is. The atmosphere becomes so hot and fervent that you kiss the moment it rises. And listen…”
Petra lowered her voice conspiratorially.
“I heard he has his own harem. Hundreds of dancers he keeps in his arms, and they say his skill at charming women is legendary. Everyone wants to share him.”
“Aah…”
Arkin slowly blinked. What was he supposed to say?
“Look!”
Petra poked his side hard.
When Zafiri shifted his posture, the wild brown hair that draped over his lion-like shoulders flowed like a waterfall, revealing the powerful muscles of his broad chest beneath. A magnificent, beautiful body.
“The Kepet princess hasn’t recovered her senses yet.”
Zafiri muttered something and reached out. Arkin watched it all clearly. The prince flashed a friendly smile and offered his hand to Nefetia.
The two of them… clasped hands.
“He’s already completely smitten.”
Oh. So that’s it.
Arkin suddenly felt dizzy. Zafiri’s confident laugh and those vivid purple eyes twisted something deep inside him.
That easy, sly expression. The vine prince was smiling wickedly at the small, innocent, beautiful brown squirrel in front of him, as if ready to devour it whole.
“So, you shouldn’t let the slightest crack appear when he smiles. Not at all. Got it?”
Petra shook her head vigorously and took a bite of cheese. She spoke carefully, even though she sat close to her fiancé Elio on the other side and always chose her words as if speaking to a stranger.
A lump formed in Arkin’s throat. While Nefetia stared at the hand Zafiri still held, the vine prince skillfully ran his long, slender fingers over her knuckles, stroking them gently.
When the prince asked something, Nefetia shook her head in embarrassment. Arkin didn’t want to know what they were talking about. They said it would only take a few words before they both slipped into the same bed…
“Well, it’s none of our concern.”
Arkin cleared his throat and muttered, forcing the words out. He hadn’t even eaten yet, yet his stomach felt uneasy.
“So, what you’re saying is that you felt something strange when you touched Prince Solinar?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Nefetia nodded.
“That’s interesting.”
Zafiri’s purple eyes sparkled with a mysterious light. Even after holding her hand for a long time, he had given her no feeling at all.
“The island’s holy power is said to be suppressed, so maybe nothing is felt now…”
“Hmm. Maybe. But I think there’s something between you and Arkin.”
“How did you know?”
Nefetia’s eyes widened. She had almost looked at Arkin without meaning to, so she deliberately stared harder at Zafiri.
“Look carefully, Nefetia.”
Zafiri released her hand and rested his back against the marble pillar. Vines that had wrapped around the pillar slithered like snakes toward him.
“I can communicate with the vines. We have incredibly sensitive senses. Through these friends, I hear every rumor in the forest in an instant.”
Nefetia reached out curiously, but when she brushed the vines, they did nothing.
“What I want to say is this, Nefetia.”
Zafiri gently stroked the green plants, fingers moving with care. He reached out to grab the vines, pulled, and they writhed in his grip before finally going limp and returning to stillness. The prince’s eyebrows tightened slightly as he watched them settle.
“The barrier is definitely in place now. Since it’s a holy island, it blocks the use of other powers within it.”
Nefetia watched the vines twitch faintly as if trying to break free, following Zafiri’s hand movements. What was he trying to tell her?
“If such a strong sensation was felt during the erection of that barrier, doesn’t it mean the fate that was bound must be equally powerful?”
Zafiri smiled faintly.
“I’ve been touching the vines here for a while, and I’ve never felt that kind of power anywhere. There must have been something between you and Arkin. At least that’s what I think.”
“But Arkin doesn’t seem to want to admit it.”
“Don’t rush. Just watch. He’ll figure it out when the time comes. I’m sure he’s being pulled toward you right now.”
Really? It didn’t feel that way…
Nefetia tilted her head, and Zafiri patted her shoulder comfortingly.
“Nefetia, don’t worry. You’ll be spending six months with him anyway. What’s there to fret about?”
Nefetia nodded. She glanced at Arkin across the table, but he was listening only to Petra’s story and hadn’t given her a single glance.
Time was needed…
“I’ll go play for a bit.”
Zafiri set down the wooden bowl and stood. Alone on the vast rock, Nefetia turned her eyes toward the distant sea.
Somewhere beyond the horizon lay Kepet. I hope Aunt Shadia returned safely. Is Mother resting well?
“Alright, let’s go down now.”
Seneca was gathering everyone together.
“Look! Dolphins!”
Someone shouted, and everyone rushed toward Nefetia. From the far sea, a pod of silver dolphins leaped, their bodies flashing in the sunlight.
Silver dorsal fins rose and fell again and again. When one or two leaped high and performed aerial somersaults, cheers erupted.
All eyes turned to the sea. But when everyone gazed at the ocean, Nefetia secretly glanced at Arkin’s profile beside her.
He was sparkling. The pouring sunlight made his golden hair even brighter, and the white skin of his neck and collarbone glowed with a pink tint.
They said Solinar had cold seas, yet his eyes remained calm as he watched the dolphins. Just before those jewel-like blue eyes turned toward her, Nefetia turned her body away.
The fragrance that brushed her nose and the cool sensation never left her head. When she gathered courage to look back, she only caught a fleeting glimpse of Arkin’s golden hair as he strode down the hill a few paces away.
Arkin was suffering from a merciless headache.
The accumulated fatigue of the day made his head pound as if it were being hammered by an iron mallet throughout the evening meal.
The noisy atmosphere of the dining hall only worsened his pain. Every time Zafiri tossed out a teasing joke, the laughter around him felt like a knife being hacked through his skull.
“Did you see Seneka’s priestly face today? I said it would be romantic to make love in the crystal cave, and his cheeks turned red.”
Zafiri chuckled, and Petra shot him a glare.
“That’s inappropriate. What kind of thoughts are you having in a holy place?”
“What’s wrong with holy things? Love is holy too.”
“Actually, I agree with Zafiri. Making love in a cave sounds so romantic… How beautiful it would be to kiss the person you love or lie together in such a wondrous place!”
“Amalfi! Eat your bread quickly!”
Amid the bustling noise, Arkin silently chewed his bread. It tasted as if he were swallowing paper or sand. Even water felt dry in his throat.
“Arkin, are you all right? You look tired.”
When he lifted his head, Elio’s worried expression appeared.