Chapter 392
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 392
Chapter Title: It's Simple.
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"......"
"Don't worry about eavesdropping. There are no listening ears."
Straight to the point.
He'd already concluded she'd joined hands with Ekaterina and was asking her purpose outright.
After staring at Rimon with a blank face—having even preemptively cut off her excuse that she couldn't answer carelessly—Aynsha finally spoke.
"......Before I answer, I'd like to know how you figured out I joined hands with Ekaterina."
"Plenty of reasons."
Rimon shrugged.
It wasn't just that Ekaterina, who could seize Tiamat's shares, had readily accepted Aynsha's proposal.
Ekaterina coming out to greet them.
Her failure to block the revolutionaries' sniping.
Provoking him with Gulag.
Too many suspicious things to overlook.
Enough to suspect it was all a deliberate scheme.
And if it was a ploy to blatantly showcase the conflict between the Silver Dragon Clan and the revolutionaries, luring Rimon to intervene.
Then the one who could steer the situation as desired by cooperating with Ekaterina—the "traitor"—could only be one person.
"You were acting off even before we left, too."
"I don't know what you mean by 'off.'"
"Handing food distribution for the Holy Alliance to the Black Dragon Clan."
Entrusting distribution to Li Chingwei meant handing over control of the Holy Alliance's food supply.
Once they dominated the network, the Black Dragon Clan would wield overwhelming influence over it.
They'd suffered food shortages until now, and the moment they overcame it, to hand the lifeline to another clan?
It made no sense.
Especially considering the princess's obsessive attachment to her domain.
"Unless you had some ulterior motive, it makes no sense that you'd tag along with me, even shoving Holy Alliance duties onto someone else."
"......Even knowing that much, I'm curious why you allowed me to accompany you."
Aynsha pointed out thoughtlessly.
If he found her suspicious, he could've just refused.
Even if it was his instinct, she couldn't understand why he'd permitted it.
Rimon's answer was simple.
"You're allied with our princess."
"......"
When no one in the Seven Dragon Society sided with Li Chingwei, Aynsha alone had supported her.
He knew there were calculations involved.
But thanks to that, Li Chingwei had weathered the crisis.
Considering that debt, as long as Aynsha didn't clearly betray her, it was only natural for him—as an ally—to trust her in return.
Mentioning "honor"—a word rare even in ancient times, let alone the present—Rimon asked softly.
"That enough of an answer for you?"
He'd answered.
Now it was her turn.
Staring at Rimon—who calmly requested an explanation rather than doubting her even now—with her expressionless face for a long while.
Aynsha quietly closed her eyes.
'This is unexpected.'
This shouldn't have happened.
Or more precisely, not at this timing.
According to her original foresight, Rimon wouldn't notice until the plan advanced further.
Still, Aynsha didn't panic.
She'd already experienced that foresight against Rimon was as meaningless as a street fortune-teller's card tricks.
'......It's earlier than planned. But it's fine. Still within expected range.'
In the end, an event that would happen someday had just come sooner.
After calmly thinking it through.
Aynsha opened her eyes.
She looked straight at Rimon and asked bluntly.
"Ri, are you curious about my goal?"
"I'd be lying if I said no."
"What Ekaterina's scheming is complicated. But my goal is simple."
At that moment.
Change occurred.
Her calm eyebrows lifted like the horizon.
The corner of her refined lips twisted faintly.
Her transparent eyes darkened.
Thus, on her ever-expressionless face, a faint smile appeared.
The Seven Dragon Society's purest princess revealed her goal to Rimon.
"I'll become a bad woman and earn the right to be Ri's bride."
For a moment.
Rimon fell silent.
Not just because of the unexpected answer.
The smile on her doll-like face.
Above all, the gleam in those transparent eyes forced him to gaze at Aynsha mutely.
Watching the silent him.
With an even clearer smile.
Aynsha took a small step forward.
Step.
Like a leisurely stroll.
Impossibly slow.
Utterly quiet.
Approaching the sofa where he sat.
Perching lightly on the armrest, brushing his cheek with her white hair.
Aynsha whispered to him.
"Ri, you smell good."
Her voice, always flat like reading a book—lacking the inflection befitting the world's top courtesan, coming off blunt.
Thus, the faint variation alone shook the heart and induced enchantment.
It was pure demonic allure.
An ecstatic resonance even harder to ignore for a Sword Master with acute senses.
"But mixed in with it... is another scent."
Yet Rimon could sense it.
The chill deep within that beautiful voice.
And Aynsha didn't hide her emotions.
Like a beast spotting an intruder marking her precious treasure, she revealed cold displeasure.
"—Li Chingwei's scent."
"......"
"Can you explain why Li Chingwei's scent is on you, Ri?"
Watching silent Rimon.
Aynsha smiled quietly.
Other princesses might not notice.
But she, the most sensitive in the Seven Dragon Society, detected faint traces of Li Chingwei amid Rimon's intense dragon cytonic fragrance.
Especially now that his scent had deepened.
Four days?
Or five?
How many days of clinging would it take to seep in so thickly? Aynsha couldn't guess.
Instead, she could imagine.
When she'd visited Li Chingwei at her sickbed.
If she hadn't masked it with herbal medicine and incense—how intoxicating it must have smelled.
And one more thing.
"Not just Li Chingwei's. Faintly... Rose's scent too."
Any lesser fragrance would be buried under Li Chingwei's.
How deeply must it have soaked in to linger? she wondered aloud with a smile.
"Ri, you said you'd test bride qualifications. But you accepted one before the results."
"Rose swore fair neutrality and betrayed everyone."
"Li Chingwei ignored my warning and cut in line."
"All of them... cheating."
The white-haired girl pointed out.
In sports, they'd get red-carded, maybe even forfeit for such fouls, betrayal, and rule-breaking.
Of course, that was sports.
With even the fair Rose leading the betrayal, and Rimon—the prize and rules himself—ignoring them.
No one could punish them.
"Thanks to that... I realized."
"......Realized what?"
"To claim what I want... I need resolve to match."
She'd thought giving her all was enough, but it wasn't.
She had to abandon everything.
Betray everyone else.
Commit bad deeds if needed.
Resolve to claim Rimon—and proof was the sly Li Chingwei and Rose, who'd betrayed all.
With a mysteriously hollow smile.
In a voice laced with faint emotion.
The doll-like girl, emanating a distinctly human aura, declared.
"So... I decided to become the traitor."
If only a bad woman who breaks rules and deceives all could be Rimon's bride, then she'd become one too.
So simple.
Yet intensely so.
Hearing her unwavering resolve.
Rimon broke his silence.
"......That's why you joined that mad princess? To betray Li Chingwei and prove your bride worth?"
"Yes. But no."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll betray Ekaterina too."
"......"
"She plans to use and torment me anyway. Obvious."
A step better than Li Chingwei.
Equally untrustworthy.
But worse: Ekaterina might betray just for fun, gains aside.
Aynsha continued without hesitation.
"So I'll use Ekaterina. Push out Li Chingwei while at it. Become Ri's bride."
"......"
"Bad woman... complete."
By deceiving and betraying all, she'd be the worst and claim Rimon's bride spot.
Hearing her softly whispered words, Rimon stayed silent with a complicated expression for a long while.
Then slowly raised one hand.
And scratched.
His cheek.
"......Silly princess."
"I'm not silly anymore. Call me bad princess from now on."
"No, that's... kinda hard to say."
Unlike his usual bluntness, he trailed off awkwardly, unsure what to say.
With a truly subtle expression, Rimon continued.
"The 'bad deeds' you mean... the other princesses are already doing them all......?"
Blink.
She closed and opened her eyes once.
The white-haired girl tilted her head.
She hadn't said a word, her smile unchanged.
Yet her forehead might as well read "What do you mean?" Watching her, Rimon spoke even more awkwardly.
"From the start, not all princesses would compete fairly for shares."
Gathering half of Seven Dragon Society shares was near impossible legitimately.
Charlotte had a shot.
Others, unbeatable in money games, naturally sought backdoor methods.
Hasneti ignored alliances to monopolize Rimon; Ekaterina allied with Aynsha.
"Even that proud Gold Dragon Princess wouldn't trust alliances at face value."
Charlotte knew too.
She was likely preparing to check Silver and Red Dragon Clans covertly.
If even haughty her did, others wouldn't fully trust alliances.
Especially since Rose—the conscience—had fallen, turning the contest into a default den of betrayal and schemes.
......One naive princess hadn't realized. But now she had.
Should he be relieved the last one caught on?
Or lament her smugness at finally starting—like she'd done something terribly bad?
Deeply troubled.
Rimon said awkwardly.
"So calling you 'bad princess' just for a little betrayal... seems tough."
"......"
Alliances form on mutual gain.
When gains misalign, abandoning them is natural—not truly bad.
In that sense, Aynsha's betrayal wasn't particularly evil.
Seasoned by countless battlefields, Rimon pointed out.
After blinking repeatedly at him.
Aynsha spoke again.
"......That's fine. This proves I'm right. I just need to deceive and use them all."
"Hm, method-wise, not wrong......"
Scratch.
"Think you can?"
That Li Chingwei.
That Ekaterina.
All the other princesses.
Could Aynsha deceive and use them?
Struggling not to show surging doubt, Rimon asked.
Aynsha answered without hesitation.
"Of course. I've been practicing smiling a lot lately."
"......What practice?"
"Smiling practice."
Deception basics: surface acting.
And practicing the best liar's smile diligently meant fooling others would be easy.
Beaming confidently at her, Rimon realized.
The moment he saw that smile.
The source of his odd feeling.
Faint as it was, he'd recognized the familiar vibe.
"......Imitating Li Chingwei's smile won't make you a good liar."
"It's fine. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Basics down; now advanced."
"Just to check... who taught you that?"
"Tata, of course."
Why did the image of the white-haired woman clapping and exclaiming "Splendid, Princess!" pop up?
Ignoring his budding headache, Rimon asked again.
"Uh...... Anyway, putting that aside. Why reveal all your schemes?"
"Because Ri asked."
"No need to spill everything. You practiced lying for times like this."
"It's fine. I planned to tell Ri everything anyway."
"......What does that mean?"
He was helping Li Chingwei now, and had acknowledged Rose's qualification.
If she truly meant to betray and use all princesses, she'd hide it from him too.
So why tell all?
Anxious, Rimon asked.
Aynsha answered proudly.
"I'm not silly. I know secretly doing bad things might make Ri hate me."
Rash betrayal risking Rimon's dislike was what she must avoid.
But staying put meant losing to Li Chingwei, Rose—or another.
A true dilemma.
But Aynsha solved the irresolvable paradox with genius insight.
"So I'll get Ri's permission first... then do bad things."
"......"
Worried about hate? Confirm with him first to avoid it, then proceed.
Chest puffed proudly.
Very triumphant.
As if demanding praise.
But with a smile whose depths were unfathomable.
Staring at her for a while.
Rimon covered his face with both hands.
And thought amid the throbbing pain.
'What to do with her......'
Already a fool living for the future; now blinded by love, ignoring reality—a total idiot.
How to shoulder responsibility for turning her that way?
Bewildered without answers, Rimon could only groan.