By Zephyria 
The eyes that were supposed to sparkle like dewdrops holding light were bullshit; it was the Eye beam of a crazy bull!
“…So you’re saying you got beat up by the bride you married today and ran away to the Harem?”
“I didn’t get beat up! I just got hit once! It just grazed me!”
“That’s the same thing…”
Fatima looked at me with a dumbfounded expression and muttered to herself. She didn’t seem to believe me, but I wasn’t lying. I really only got hit once on the jaw, and I just got out of there before I got hit twice.
“Your lip is busted.”
Fatima sighed and brought the medicine box.
“Anyway, she’s really something. Usually, the kids who come as hostages are intimidated and terrified.”
The process of wiping away the hardened blood and disinfecting it was so stinging and painful that tears welled up in my eyes. But if I, who got beat up by a girl smaller than me, even showed that it hurt, I would look too pathetic, so I did my best to pretend that I was fine.
“You just stood there and took it?”
“I can’t hit her back. And it didn’t hurt that much.”
I said nonchalantly with my eyes closed, but for some reason, Fatima didn’t answer. I opened my eyes slightly and saw that her gaze was directed downwards. I followed her gaze and saw my arm, which was bruised blue.
“…”
“…”
It was just a little red until just now… With a flustered face, I tried to hide my arm without realizing it, but it was so absurd that I muttered to myself.
“No, why is she so strong?”
“…She must be really strong. Seeing as you’re bruised.”
“Like, like… No, she grabbed my arm and shook it, and I was shaking like a blanket? Does that make sense? I’m much taller and bigger than her!”
Besides, when I got hit in the jaw, I think I lost consciousness for a brief moment. About 0.5 seconds?
Still, I had trained a lot, so I was confident in my stamina and strength… More than that, I was so flustered that I think I grabbed Aegis’s wrist with all my might earlier, and I started to worry if she was bruised too.
When people get excited, they don’t feel pain well. Maybe Aegis was just now feeling the pain like me.
I leaned back on the soft sofa and looked at the pure white ceiling, thinking about this and that, and said.
“She needs some etiquette education.”
“Do you think she’ll accept it willingly?”
“I really wasn’t going to care, but I can’t let it go on like this. I’m okay, but what if she does that to other people? She tried to smash my head with a vase!”
I could just let it go, but it would be a big problem if she did this to other people.
“Well, that’s true… And you’re saying it’s nothing, but the fact that she already touched your body is enough to get her killed.”
“No one knows except you. I can just say I fell and tore my lip.”
I was an idiot for worrying even after getting beat up, but no matter how angry I was, I didn’t want Aegis to die.
“Are you going right now?”
Fatima asked with wide eyes as I jumped up, seemingly having finished the treatment. I calmed my trembling heart and nodded at Fatima with a determined face.
“I can’t let that crazy bull loose without a leash.”
Some time had passed, so Aegis would have calmed down too. And since we have to spend the night together in that room anyway, I have to go back.
“Should I come with you?”
Fatima looked at me with interested eyes, not worried eyes, and asked. Looking at Fatima like that, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Why are the women around me like this…”
“If she hits you again, run away. I’ll put medicine on it.”
“It’s okay…”
I drooped my shoulders and trudged out of the Harem. And after passing through the garden and walking down the long corridor, I arrived in front of the room where Aegis was. I took a few deep breaths and grabbed the doorknob.
As the door opened with a click, the first thing I saw was the chaotic mess inside the room. Glass shards, fragments of broken chairs, and the remains of smashed cabinets were scattered on the floor like trash.
Aegis was sitting on the floor in the middle of that trash, with her legs wide open like a bandit boss.
“…”
Seeing that, I started to feel breathless, making it pointless to have calmed my heart.
“L, let’s calm down.”
I thought she might jump at me like a bull seeing red again, so I raised both hands in advance and said, and Aegis said in a calm voice.
“I’m in an extremely peaceful state.”
“No… I don’t think you’re in a peaceful state right now…”
“If I wasn’t, do you think I would be sitting still like this?”
“…”
That was true. I couldn’t bring myself to approach Aegis and stood far away, kicking the wooden fragments on the floor with my toes.
“I’m sorry for hitting you.”
I was wondering what to say first, but Aegis apologized to me first. It was so unexpected that I was so flustered that all the wariness inside me disappeared.
I rushed to Aegis’s side and squatted next to her. Then Aegis said again.
“But you insulted me and my family first, so let’s call it even.”
I nodded and listened quietly, then said.
“Don’t ask weird questions in the future.”
“Is that all a lie?”
“What do you mean, a lie?”
“Is it a rumor?”
“Some of it is true, but anyway, my brother is not that kind of person.”
I didn’t care how the rumors about Khalifa spread. But Mahir was different. Who was taking care of the country with all his heart, not even sleeping or eating properly, instead of the crazy Khalifa?
Mahir was such a righteous and kind person that it was hard to believe he was Khalifa’s son. He was always worried about the safety of the country, thinking about the people, listening to the words of the officials, and busy cleaning up the mess that the Emperor had made. He was a completely different person from me, who was just a prince who only thought about playing.
At my words, Aegis glanced at me a few times with an awkward expression, then avoided my gaze and said.
“Okay.”
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you, but if you insult my brother one more time, I won’t let it go either.”
In fact, if you think about it, I was the one who suffered more to be considered even, but it was strange to count such things one by one. Aegis seemed to think for a moment, then nodded.
“Okay, let’s not touch each other’s families.”
“Yeah.”
We made a firm promise like that. And I was suddenly embarrassed by the silence, so I hesitated and reached out my hand and said.
“Do you want to shake hands? As a sign of apology.”
“Get lost.”
“…”
Wasn’t our atmosphere pretty good? Why did she become so fierce again? Is she just a bad person? Well, we just agreed not to touch each other’s families, not that we were going to reconcile.
“Anyway, that’s that, but as I said before, you need to get some education.”
Aegis’s expression twisted unhappily, but fortunately, she didn’t say she didn’t want to. But I could see that her small, white fist was clenched, so I hurriedly added.
“Do you think I’m making you do this to make fun of you? I’m saying this all for your own good. Honestly, I don’t care at all if you act like this to other people. You’re just going to be in big trouble.”
“…”
Aegis seemed to agree with that, and she didn’t say anything back. But her clenched fist hadn’t loosened yet, so I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
“You didn’t come here to die, did you?”
“I’m going back soon anyway…”
“You’re still saying that.”
As I sighed and muttered to myself, Aegis glared at me with a venomous expression. I was almost stabbed to death by her eyes.
“Are you saying I can’t go back?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“I don’t believe what you guys say.”
“Okay, then don’t believe it. Anyway, if you want to be comfortable for even a year, it’s better for you to learn when they tell you to.”
Looking at that expression, I didn’t have the confidence to persuade her, so I just decided to skip this issue.
“…Then can I just do it for an hour a day?”
“What?”
Then Aegis said something strange. I asked with a puzzled expression.
“What? You’re going to learn for an hour a day? Are you kidding me? When are you going to learn everything doing it for an hour a day? If that’s the case, then don’t learn at all.”
“Then how much do I have to study?”
“I don’t know. The person who’s going to teach you will figure out the schedule based on your condition, so just follow it.”
“So how much!”
Aegis shouted, and my head throbbed. I was already worried about whether she could learn properly with that temper.
I sighed and said calmly.
“Remember we agreed not to bother each other unless we need to?”
Aegis nodded.
“But do you want to cause trouble for me?”
“…”
I glared at Aegis, who was glaring at me, and sighed again.
“If something happens to you, I’m the one who has to solve it.”
“I’ll take care of it myself, so don’t worry about it.”
“What can you do here?”
“What?”
I didn’t hate her for running wild without knowing her place, so I was going to leave her alone, but I thought it would be good for Aegis to know what she needed to know.
“What can you do in this castle, in this country, where you can’t even control a single maid?”
I thought sparks would fly from Aegis’s eyes again at my words. But whether she had realized her situation then, or whether she had realized the meaning of my words, which were only speaking the truth without any intention of mocking, she just turned her gaze away.
“If you haven’t really given up on everything and come here to die, you’ll have no choice but to adapt and live. Then at least learn what you shouldn’t do and say. That way, you won’t get into trouble.”
“…I’m going to…”
“Yeah, if you want to be comfortable for even just a year. And violence is absolutely forbidden. Absolutely. If you’re angry and want to break things, do it alone in your room when no one’s around. Don’t do it when someone’s there. Got it?”
“…”
Aegis, who had been looking up and glaring at me, lowered her head more and more like ripening rice as my words got longer. Then, by the time I finished speaking, she was bowing so deeply that I could see the back of her head.