“Does His Majesty not consider this child his son!”
Unable to contain her anger, the empress threw a teacup at the marble floor. The teacup collided with it, shattering into pieces. With only that, her unquelling anger wasn’t yet satisfied. She immediately kicked a large ornamental vase, knocking it over. A broken piece rebounded off the floor, scratching the cleaning maid’s cheek. However, Empress Sienna could not afford the leisure of caring about the maid’s wound.
She felt as though the vase was herself. The shattered pieces were the same as her heart, which was bursting with emotional torture.
“I-I can stand him neglecting me. But he cannot do that to Joseph!”
Sienna covered her face hesitantly, sitting down in place. The maiden, Hain, tried to soothe her by cradling her on her shoulders, but it was useless.
Sienna recalled a story told to her by an ignorant woman. The imperial court ladies had been calling her “The Powerless Empress by Title.” Sienna had just smiled a sad smile at those words that described her position exactly. Nevertheless, she desperately wanted her child, Joseph, to not be called ‘The Only by Title’ like herself….
“Joseph, like me, is going to die hoping fruitlessly for Carl’s love.”
At Sienna’s words, Hain patted her on the shoulder.
“What are you talking about, Your Majesty? No matter what anyone says, the Crown Prince is first in the royal line!”
“I’m the first empress and, yet, I’m turning a blind eye to Joseph being treated the same as me… He didn’t even give Joseph a name.”
Hain was about to disagree by saying that it will not be the same for him, but a servant outside informed Her Majesty that the emperor’s stepmother, Queen Arya, had come.
Hain lifted Sienna’s body while Siena struggled to put on a calm expression. If there was anything she’d learned from her years of imperial experience, it was that she shouldn’t easily reveal her feelings.
“Bring her in,” she said in a calm tone.
The door opened, and Arya entered. Her black hair, shining like the night, was rolled up nicely. Though she was a mother, her beauty didn’t lose to Sienna’s. Rather, the elegance and richness of her years overwhelmed Sienna. She looked at the pieces of glass lying on the floor once and said hello.
“I must have come for nothing.”
Sienna blushed at her words. She tried not to reveal her feelings on her face, but failed to do so because of the evidence lying on the floor.
“I’m sorry. I’m afraid the new maid isn’t used to the job…”
The maid, Hain, stepped forward, making excuses for Sienna. Arya looked at Sienna without replying to the maid’s words, “My master should be teaching me a lesson by whipping this servant who has committed a great humiliation towards you, but Empress Sienna seems to have a big heart.”
The queen had once wielded her whip in front of Sienna, stating that she would teach her how to deal with her servants. Sienna didn’t agree with Arya’s disciplinary acts, so instead, she said wearily since she could not afford to argue with her, “I’m still getting the hang of dealing with the people under me. Hain, prepare some tea for the queen, well-dried Milton if possible.”
Afraid of getting whipped like before, Hain prepared the tea and brought it out in a hurry.
Sienna picked up the well-dried Milton flowers with tongs and put them in Arya’s teacup and then hers. She then carefully proceeded to pour an appropriate amount of hot water into the teacup. When the dried petals hit the hot water, they found their own shape, emitting reddish yellow colours.
“The scent of the tea is good. The production of our tea has gotten much better.”
Despite Arya’s praise, Sienna didn’t answer her. Instead, she stared blankly at the teacup. She wasn’t in a good mood because the petals, which were turning yellow, were reflecting and mocking her jealousy and her lingering feelings.
Arya looked at Sienna, who hadn’t answered, and said, “Has Empress Sienna heard about Queen Bluebell’s pregnancy?”
Sienna worked hard to straighten out her frown. By looking at the pieces of glass lying on the floor, it seemed as though Sienna had already heard the news, but what was it that was keeping her from revealing that truth?
“I’ve heard the news. It’s a blessing for the Imperial Family.”
“Then, do you know the story? There are rumors that the baby in Bluebell’s belly may be a boy. The Head of the Family, who was accompanied by a doctor, had a bright expression on his way back.”
“Yes, that is so…”
Sienna already knew of the news. The fact that Carl had given Bluebell a necklace that had been handed down only to the empress who bore a son meant that the child she was carrying was a boy.
She looked at Sienna’s hardened face and felt bad for her. However, Sienna wondered if she was very pleased by the situation because Arya’s black eyes were shining like those of a predator who had snatched up food.
Sienna tried her best to console herself by distracting herself, saying that everything in sight seemed negative.
Arya continued to talk.
“The Empress Sienna and the Imperial… Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know the name of the prince yet, so I don’t know what to call him…”
At Arya’s words, Sienna blushed.
The name was Joseph, which meant “The Loved One.” That was the name of the child, and it was a name filled with her well wishes.
“…It’s Joseph.”
Sienna blushed with embarrassment while saying the child’s name.
“You’re using the name’s old meaning for a loved one. It’s a very good name. Anyway, considering the news about Queen Bluebell and the sapphire necklace she received, it’s a pity for Empress Sienna and Prince Joseph. The Crown Prince’s position was taken away by the Queen Bluebell’s child.”
Sienna’s expression hardened at her words.
“It is natural for the Bluebell’s baby to succeed Carl.”
Joseph had yet to see the light of the world despite being the eldest son.
“The first prince in line for the Laifsden Empire was Joseph. It’s natural that the the next heir should be Joseph, the eldest son.”
“You really think so?” Arya asked.
Looking at Arya’s face full of derision, Sienna grabbed her skirt with trembling hands. She tried hard to keep a calm face, but her face was distorted.
“As the empress knows, Laifsden has long chosen its successor to choice and good fortune, not through the inheritance of the eldest son.”
“And yet…”
“The Emperor requested a sapphire necklace, the Royal Gazette, as soon as he heard of Bluebell’s pregnancy. It’s a gift that has always been given when an empress produces a Crown Prince.”
“That’s….”
“The necklace was supposedly called ‘The Mother of the Emperor’ back in the day. The Emperor passed the necklace down to Queen Bluebell. You know what that means.”
“…”
Sienna bit her lower lip at her words. Who didn’t know that? It was something you knew but couldn’t do anything about.
“The life of a prince who cannot be emperor… I think you know what it means even if I don’t explain it to you.”
At Arya’s words, Sienna’s eyes clouded over, forcing her to endure her desire to cry. Carl, the current emperor, had also lived through that type of hardship. Even if he wasn’t that now, the miserable words of the prince-who-had-not-been-loved-by-the-emperor could be found easily throughout history.
Joseph was Sienna’s child, and she had no political power. Sienna bowed in despair as she thought of the difficulties ahead. Tears filled her eyes, falling down her face.
‘If I hadn’t fallen in love with you that day, if I had answered your request to divorce me on the day we met for the first time after our marriage, I wouldn’t feel so miserable… No, it’s certainly less than Joseph, who has lived a miserable life…’
Sienna recalled the time when she met Carl at her eighteenth-year ceremony.
At the coming-of-age banquet, he was leaning against the wall of the banquet hall. Even in the corner, he had stood out.
The golden hair that glistened like sunlight had caught her eyes first. The olive-colored eyes, in the eyes of many women, had contained nothing, as if indifferent.
Sienna had thought she would only have him in her eyes. It was definitely the moment she thought she had fallen in love with her destined love.
That was why she had happily accepted the offer from Queen Arya, who had asked her to be Carl’s princess.
It was not because she longed for a splendid royal life, nor did she want to sit in the best position as a woman. She had just wanted to stand by Carl and be in his heart. Sienna had thought he could also hear the bells of fate within himself.