Aries stood in front of an establishment situated in the heart of the shopping center of the capital. Her lips were stretched from ear to ear, arms folded under her chest. The workers had finished renovating the place and were now busy moving in things for her boutique.
"Lady Ari —" Violet, who was standing beside Aries, cleared her throat. "Mister Ariel."
Aries's lips stretched wider, twisting her upper body to face Violet. "Yes, my lady?"
"Uhm…" Violet smiled awkwardly, gazing at Aries from head to toe. The latter was in men's clothes with a wig to cover her green hair. If she didn't know better, Violet would mistake him for a charismatic young Lord with that bright smile Aries was wearing.
"This is…?"
"The shop you'll be managing," Aries smirked, setting her eyes back to the establishment. "I got a loan from my brother to start a small business."
"Small?" Violet nearly cringed as she gazed around.
This street was definitely one of the best places to shop in the Imperial capital. It was a great location from her point of view. When Violet set her eyes on the establishment before them, she caught a few pieces of furniture the workers were carrying inside.
Violet was royalty all her life. Although the princess was humble in nature, she had a good eye for pieces that had value. The shop Aries wanted to run wasn't a simple boutique, and that was for sure.
"Mhm. A small shop." Aries rocked her head, arching a brow as she cast Violet a side-eye. "Violet, how can you agree to my request to manage my business without knowing every little detail? Aren't you afraid it's an illegal one?"
"Lady Ari — I mean, Mister Ariel, I trust you." Violet smiled warmly, almost making Aries shake her head in disbelief.
How could this woman be this trustful? No wonder Roman sees Violet as precious as a diamond. Violet was precious, almost like a saintess.
"Goodness… I feel so manly beside you," Aries blurted out in a joking manner, making Violet blush in embarrassment. Seeing that Violet was a little flustered, Aries bumped her shoulder against her.
"Haha. Don't be surprised. I know I don't stand a chance against Rome," she teased, causing Violet's face to redden even more. "Will you look at that? You're so fun to tease."
"My lady…" Violet pouted. "This is unfair."
"How is that unfair? I mean, you fancy that man, even though he doesn't have enough courage to marry you. Ah… I'm getting frustrated whenever I think about it. Abel and I did our best to help him, but that — tsk. Never mind." Aries huffed, stopping herself from ranting about Roman's politeness towards Violet it was becoming rude.
"The seventh prince had his reasons." Violet defended him, tucking a portion of her hair behind her ear. "He is stubborn, but it's not like we're in a rush. I also want to take things slow with us since there were children involved."
A subtle smile dominated Violet's face as her eyes beamed with affection. "Although my sons were fond of him, it is best to build the foundation of our relationship before marriage."
"My…" Aries observed Violet and smiled subtly. "Good for you then. Forgive us if we're being nosy."
"Not at all." Violet raised her head and flashed Aries an even bigger smile. "I learned a lot from you and His Majesty. If not for you —"
"Violet." Aries walked in the same spot and faced Violet. She held the latter's arms, looking at her dead in the eye. "Don't see me and Abel as your models. Trust me. Roman will kill us if he figured we corrupted you."
Violet laughed. "My lady, your relationship with His Majesty isn't as bad as you think it was."
"I'm not saying it is bad." Aries shook her head. "What I'm saying is, Abel scares the hell out of me."
"Pardon?"
"I always tread on thin ice and burn every brain cell when I'm with him," Aries confessed under her breath as if she was in deep distress. "I had to stay on my toes at all times or else I'll fall for his tricks. We're not good models. Trust me on this one."
"My lady, are you alright?"
"I am… fortunately." Aries carefully released Violet's shoulder as she dramatically faced the establishment.
"Thanks to my survival instinct, my arse is still safe," she mumbled, only for her ears to hear.
Meanwhile, Violet observed Aries worriedly. At first, she thought what Aries said was some sort of sign of being maltreated. But the more she observed Aries's demeanor, Violet was certain she misunderstood Aries's claims.
'That isn't the face of someone who is afraid of her spouse.' Violet smiled. 'Well, I heard His Majesty was quite an unpredictable man.'
Violet didn't dwell on Aries's warning anymore as she gazed at the establishment before them. Her lips stretched broader, forgetting what Aries said regarding not taking her relationship with Abel as a good model. But for Violet, she wanted to focus on the good thing between Aries and Abel.
It was Aries who misunderstood Violet. Because what Violet meant was that Aries and Abel loved each other, and had a deeper understanding and respect for each other. Abel was there in the Maganti Empire, even when Aries was married to another man. If Abel was just as selfish as Violet had heard, he wouldn't even agree to send Aries to settle scores for those who tormented her.
'I'm glad Lady Aries found a man who accepted her for who she was regardless of the past.' Violet's lips curled up, relieved that Aries got the life she truly deserved. It may not be the same as when she was the princess in the land of Rikhill, but her new family wasn't so bad.
The guilt of Carlos' involvement in Aries's cruel past was still engraved deep in Violet's heart. That was why Violet wished for Aries's happiness just as intensely as her desire to give her children a peaceful life.
"Right!" Violet was snapped out of her thoughts when Aries clapped. "Let's head inside. I'll tell you the details there."
"Yes, Mister Ariel." Violet nodded, following Aries inside the boutique to get down to business.
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