“Your Majesty the Empress!”
After seeing Sienna coming out of Carl’s office, Pavenik greeted her with a warm welcome.
“I enjoyed the cookies you sent me last time. I was craving sweets while I was working, and I just happened to get rid of hunger thanks to cookies.”
Pavenik greeted her pleasantly.
“I’ll have to pack you plenty of cookies next time. You must be tired because of the heavy workload.”
“I’d appreciate it, then.”
Scratching his head, Pavenik replied. As Sienna’s expression hardened, he tilted his head.
“But you’re already going back? We still have a lot of lunch time left…”
He kept talking, and at one moment he felt an urge to stop. He was glad to see Sienna and forgot that Bluebell was here.
“By any chance…”
Sienna stopped Pavenik as he tried to talk hesitantly.
“Don’t tell Carl I was here. Could you just tell him that I have a previous arrangement so we won’t be able to have a meal together?”
“But…”
“Please.”
She turned away, and Sienna’s back looked very lonely after saying that.
A little while ago, a knight who saw Sienna visiting Carl sent her into the Oval Office. Because there had been an emperor’s order before to let her in without asking. Just at that time, the knight who was on duty after Bluebell came was about to change.
Sienna came to talk to Carl because she had something to say. Recently, she heard that Carl and the officials were at odds over his marriage to Bluebell.
Sienna thought the reason he opposed the marriage to Bluebell was due to his own consideration for her. So she decided to push him to make politically correct decisions without caring about herself. It was a reluctant step for her, too.
She didn’t want to tie him up with Bluebell on her own. However, Carl has not yet established all the imperial powers.
Arya’s forces were still strong, and they were estranged from Count Ferrer, who had been instrumental to Carl. He didn’t have to go down a difficult road to keep his loyalty. Getting rid of Arya, which has been Sienna’s primary goal, had a high chance of winning when Carl was with Count Ferrer.
Sienna entered the Oval Office with care not to disturb Carl’s work but saw Carl hugging the crying Bluebell. Sienna closed the door carefully so they wouldn’t notice.
There was a bitterness in her mouth as if she had been drinking bitter water.
“I almost got in their way…”
It seemed only a rumor that Carl was opposed to Bluebell’s marriage. After witnessing the close-up of the two, it seemed that Sienna had become a disturbance between Carl and Bluebell.
Sienna sighed deeply. She wished the rest of her time would go by quickly. The time felt so long.
She was well aware of the terrible future that would happen if she made the wrong choice, but she wasn’t sure. She was not confident that she won’t make a stupid choice again. There was no guarantee that she would not be greedy again if she stayed with Carl.
He has been nicer to her than in the past and gave her a warm smile. She even saw new aspects of him that she didn’t know in the past. If she pretends she doesn’t know about the terrible disaster of the future and thinks she wants to hold his hand if she wants to do it again…
Sienna shook her head. She was giving herself an excuse by repeating “what if?”, an excuse to stay by Carl’s side.
She didn’t know what was different from the past or what was the same, but she knew one thing for sure. The fact that the loved one next to Carl was Bluebell and that does not change.
But why does she feel like she lost something big? It occurred to her that the plan might have been based on the wrong hypothesis from the beginning. Was it really the revenge against Empress Arya that she wanted in the past?
Sienna shook her head. She decided to get rid of all the nonsense. The hidden greed raised its head like a snake.
*
Normally, she would spend her time busily managing a list of imperial personas or checking accounting books, but from a few days ago, she had been sitting on the couch blankly, with a gloomy face, as if she could not focus on work.
“Your Majesty, you look depressed.”
Said Hain. She brought out sweet food and tea even though Sienna didn’t ask. Recently, Hain looked anxiously down at her owner’s shoulders, who had become thinner because she had no appetite and had not eaten properly.
“No, it’s okay.”
“You don’t look well at all. Is it because of Lord Waters? Two days ago, I heard him and Queen Marie left for her estate. Don’t worry. I looked into it, and I heard that although the territory is located in the north, it is a place where there is little monster invasion and high wheat harvest, so there is no financial shortage. And I hear it’s half a day away from your Majesty’s home town, Heidel?”
“It’s not because of that.”
Jamie’s departure was unfortunate, but it wasn’t depressing.
“Then why…”
Hain looked on Sienna’s countenance with a troubled look and shut her mouth. She seemed to have heard rumors that Bluebell would be the second empress.
The day Sienna visited Carl’s office, Sienna felt bad after seeing him hugging Bluebell. It’s because she couldn’t forget the scene.
“Have this. It’s a tea that cleans your head, and it’s good to drink when you feel stuffy inside.”
The tea Hain gave Sienna smelled of peppermint. After a sip, the sweet honey flavor with a cool mint scent passed through the throat.
How much honey was added? It was more like honey water than tea. Even though Sienna doesn’t usually enjoy sweet tea, she drank a lot. Apparently, she’s been craving for a sweet taste.
A guest came to Sienna when she was chewing on the cookies that Hain had prepared for her. It was Pavenik, who was always on Carl’s side.
“I stand before Your Highness. I’m afraid I disturbed you. You haven’t been to the Oval Office in the meantime.”
“There’s nothing to disturb. Sit down. Hain, will you give the Chancellor a tea, too?”
At Sienna’s voice, Hain brought him tea. Pavenik took a sip of the tea and put it down, frowning at the immense sweetness.
“It’s not my type of tea, but it would be good for work. It would be possible to work without eating and just drinking this. It’s so sweet…”
Hain, who brought out the tea, asked him.
“Should I bring it to your office every day if you want?”
Hain’s face turned grim as Pavenik waved his hands and refused.
“What is it, that look? Your Majesty, was the tea that bad?”
It was a taste that Sienna would also not normally enjoy, so she struggled with how to answer it.
Moreover, she hesitated to say it because on one side—Pavenik was giving a look saying, “Please tell her that it’s not delicious!” While Hain was giving the look saying, “what I made can’t be that bad.”
In the end, she sided with Hain. She thought there’s nothing good about hurting the people she’s always with.
“No, it’s very delicious. Any tea you make is always amazing.”
Hain shrugged with a triumphant look on her face. Pavenik looked at Sienna with a betrayed look on his face.
“I’m not saying it’s nasty, but it’s so sweet…”
He became sweaty and looked at Hain’s face.
It was a very interesting situation. Although Hain was the empress’s maid, Pavenik, a chancellor, had a higher status. So now Hain was acting very impolite. Nevertheless, Pavenik did not scold or offend her.
Sienna smiled at the two people’s airflow.
‘Did the Chancellor and Hain get close at the Tromil?’
It seemed that the relationship between Pavenik and Hain had become close without her noticing it. Sienna talked to herself because she was annoyed by the two people who looked particularly close.
“The hot summer is starting, and how come it’s still springy here?”
“What do you mean? It’s summer and so it’s summer wind!”
Hain tilted her head, but Pavenik looked at Sienna as if he understood and said, “I hope there would be a spring breeze all year round.” Then he reached out to the cookie lying in front, and Hain’s hand came up quickly and hit him on the back of his hand.
“You said it wasn’t delicious. Don’t eat.”
Sienna looked at her with astonishment at her rude behavior, and Hain’s face hardened as if she had belatedly realized her actions.
“The tea is a little sweet, but the ginger cookie you sent me before was really delicious.”
Fortunately, Pavenik seemed to have no intention of blaming Hain. Sienna was relieved but thought she should warn Hain later. She was afraid that Hain would cause an accident if she let it go.
“I have to go first because I have a new recruit training today.”
Hain said so and hurried out of the living room. Sienna and Pavenik burst into laughter at her back.
“Haha!”
Her bulging skirt moved gently whenever she moved at a rapid pace. It was like the butt of a plump rabbit. Pavenik kept laughing as if even the back of Hain looked cute.
“Yes, for what reason did you come to me?”
When Sienna asked, Pavenick erased his smile and put on an embarrassed face.