“I heard you did a great job in leading the war against Castro to victory. Thank you very much.”
“I only fulfilled my duty.”
Even though the emperor himself praised his accomplishment, Carl remained calm. Rather, it was Valore who was apologetic while thanking Carl.
Valore felt sorry for not being able to turn the credit to Carl even though he knew how important Carl was in the war. Like the hyenas, the nobles were sharing the accomplishment already. Even before the ceasefire negotiations began, they were preparing for a feast despite not having carried out the war properly.
Valore grabbed Carl by the shoulder and thanked him for a long time. Then he came up to Sienna, standing beside Carl, and held her hands with both of his hands.
“I’m really glad you came back safely.”
He looked very affectionate.
“I heard there was an attack at Tromil. I was very worried when I heard the news. I shouldn’t have sent Princess Sienna to such a dangerous place. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. By the way, Your Majesty looks worse than before. Have you been ill?”
“I’m fine.”
Valore smiled at Sienna’s concern. His sad smile made him look more sick. Watching the two acting like lovers who had been away from each other for a long time, Carl wriggled his eyebrows.
Carl said, grabbing Sienna’s hand, “It’s been tough to get to the capital. May we go back to our room and rest?”
Despite the honorifics, Carl sounded like he was ordering Valore because of his attitude.
“Oh, my God, I must have been so happy to see you two that I didn’t notice your exhaustion. I’ll see you soon.”
Carl gave a silent salute and took Sienna to walk away. The guards rushed to follow them.
“Wait! Slow down!”
Sienna pulled out her hand that held in Carl’s hand and spoke in a disgruntled tone. Carl laughed like he was dumbfounded.
“If anyone had seen it, they’d have misunderstood your relationship with Valore. It was like an old couple who had been separated for a while.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? And there are many ears in the castle. If you call the Emperor’s name recklessly…”
“Are you saying that you are dissatisfied because I called the great emperor recklessly?”
“That’s not my point.”
“Even though he is the emperor, he can’t just hold the hands of his brother’s wife so carelessly. And you too. You were holding his hand casually. Right in front of my eyes. Don’t you have to shake your hands off when that happens?”
“He must have been very worried, so I was just glad to hear that.”
“Oh, so you give your hand out to anyone who worries about you? Besides, isn’t that weird? You are the one who was taken to the battlefield and you worry about the well-being of the emperor who would have been at peace in the palace all along.”
“But he didn’t look so good.”
“That’s his original face. You don’t have to worry. Shouldn’t you be more worried about me? I was hurt by the assassins’ raid and…You know what, that’s enough.”
Carl tried to say that he was hurt, not Valore. As if he was a kid jealous about his brother because he wanted to be loved more by his mother. He was horrified by his own childishness.
There was a sudden smile around Sienna’s mouth, who was walking behind him. His behavior seemed like the one of a jealous lover blinded by love.
It may be her big misunderstanding, but it was evident that it was a pleasant one.
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After returning to the palace, Sienna felt at peace. No matter how much people around her took care of her, it was hard to sleep in barracks or carriages. It’s uncomfortable to wash up or go to the bathroom.
Sitting in her palace for tea for the first time in a long time, she really felt relaxed. The tea leaves were mixed with dried red berries, making the tea water as red and transparent as wine. Sienna, with a warm tea in her mouth, stared blankly at the pattern the sun had drawn on the floor.
“Someone has come to see you, Your Highness the Princess.”
Milton, the chief knight guarding the door, informed her that a guest had arrived.
“A guest? Who is it?”
Sienna asked, secretly hoping that either Aunt Kelly or Jane had come to her.
“Daughter of the Pear family wants to meet Her Majesty the Princess.”
“Pear’s daughter?”
Sienna’s hand, holding a cup of tea, hesitated.
“Bluebell…”
Sienna kept her name in her mouth. It was bitter in the mouth. It was someone she really didn’t want to meet.
As she shut her eyes, the last image of Bluebell was vividly depicted in front of Sienna. Her scream, the stench of blood.
It was Sienna herself who was standing at the opposite point of the sword towards Bluebell. Even if she didn’t swing the sword at her, it was her who caused them to trample on Bluebell. A sense of guilt came upon Sienna.
Hain, who was standing next to her, looked at her facial expression and asked.
“What should I do? Shall we make an appointment next time and tell her to come by later?”
“No. I’ll meet her. Tell her to come in. And can you put this teacup away and bring me a new one? I’d rather have a mint tea.”
Soon the door opened and Bluebell entered.
With enchanting blue-colored silver hair hanging on her back, she stared Sienna with blue eyes. Her unusual hair color has always been talked about among people. No, the alluring beauty of Bluebell, as well as the hair color, was enough for Carl to indulge in.
Bluebell looked younger than what Sienna remembered, perhaps because she had not yet had the coming-of-age ceremony. The remaining baby flesh reflected apricot color, adding to the loveliness. Sienna could see why Carl was attracted to her. It was an appearance that made anyone who looked at her to love. Sienna greeted her with a dejected smile as she felt a deep sense of defeat.
“Hello, Your Highness Waters. Thank you for accepting my surprise visit.”
“My pleasure.”
To be courteous to Sienna, the princess, Bluebell should not have called Sienna’s maiden name but call her by the honorific title. But Bluebell did not. Her actions did not come from ignorance, and it was definitely not a mistake. If it was a mistake, she wouldn’t have been staring at Sienna like she was now, but rather she would have apologized.
Sienna knew Bluebell was calling so because she didn’t want to admit Sienna was a princess, so Sienna offered her seat without a problem. Even as Sienna brewed tea and poured it into Bluebell’s teacup, Bluebell glared at her.
“Can I ask you why you’re here?”
“First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Bluebell, the first daughter in the House of Pear. The reason I’m here is because… actually I’m not in the mood to talk about it yet.”
Hain frowned at this because it was Bluebell who came to visit but she would not reveal the purpose of her visit. She was ready to scold Bluebell for her rudeness at any moment, but Sienna realized the tenseness and advised Hain to leave. Hain was frustrated that she couldn’t say a word to Bluebell, but she couldn’t show herself complaining to the owner in front of a guest, so she nodded reluctantly and went away.
Bluebell’s eyes were bloodshot as if she faced something so unfair, even though she hadn’t said a word yet. Sienna quenched her throat with the tea and then asked her.
“Do you feel like talking now?”
Instead of answering, Bluebell took a sip of tea. The scene of her drinking tea in spite of her anger was so graceful.
Sienna smiled bitterly at the natural touch of Bluebell’s movements. She had a different environment from her own, who had to learn manners by entering the palace and getting hit on the back of her hands. She was a lady who had been prepared to be Carl’s companion.
“You must have been embarrassed by the sudden arrival of an unknown person. I apologize for coming without notifying you in advance.”
“I already know about Lady Pear. You haven’t appeared in society yet because you haven’t had a coming-of-age ceremony yet. But believe it or not, there have been many praises for the daughter of Pear. I’ve heard you are a very beautiful and decent woman.”
“Is that all?”
“What?”
“If all you know about me is about dignity and appearance, I don’t think you’ve heard me right.”
Sienna couldn’t figure out what she wanted to say, so she blinked her eyes.
“If it weren’t for you, Your Highness Waters, I would have been standing next to Prince Carl. I was her fiance. Until you, whose name was unknown, suddenly appeared.”
Only then did Bluebell come to say what she was about to say. Sienna wanted to say, “I’m sorry for taking your place again after my last life.” But she didn’t spit it out.
“Prince and I thought we’d get married if as soon as I had the coming-of-age ceremony, but it was a sudden wedding for you while our Pear family was in trouble.”
Sienna listened to her calmly. Bluebell’s eyebrows wriggled as if they didn’t like her emotionless reaction. But she didn’t stop talking.
“I heard it wasn’t Carl’s intention. The Empress arranged the marriage because of the illness of the emperor.”