“The emperor was probably worried because he did not have an heir yet, so he must be so relieved now.”
“Sienna, are you okay with this? The fact that I’m pregnant?”
“What do you mean okay? I’m very happy about this great news for the empire.”
The response wrinkled Bluebell’s forehead. It was clear that Sienna’s calm attitude was an unwanted response.
“What a wide heart, Sienna… You seem to be relaxed because you are already loved enough by Carl.”
In Bluebell’s reproachful tone, Sienna shut her mouth because she couldn’t think of a suitable answer.
There was no word between Sienna and Bluebell for a while. Bluebell looked at Sienna with a nervous look on her face, and Sienna just watched her still.
Bluebell glanced at her nanny with a stuffy face. The nanny shook her head several times with a pale complexion, and Bluebell frowned.
A secretive look between Bluebell and the nanny came and went several times. The nanny, who was standing behind Sienna, approached Hain quietly, saying she had something to ask her. Then a vase caught an edge of her sleeve.
Clink, clink!
Sienna turned back at the shrill noise. Bluebell’s nanny broke the vase. The nanny apologized to Sienna.
“I’m sorry. I was careless and broke the vase that the Empress loved.”
“It’s all right. Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
It was then when Sienna told Hain to clean up the broken vase and tried to turn her head back to face Bluebell.
“Your Majesty the First Empress!”
The nanny called Sienna with a scream. Sienna looked back at her in a fit of surprise.
“I have sinned to death! Punish me!”
She only broke a vase, but she asked for forgiveness to a point where it was too much.
“No, you don’t have to go so far…”
It wasn’t until Sienna came to her in person and raised her body that she gained back a relieved face.
“I’m really sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“It’s alright. It’s just a vase. If only you weren’t hurt.”
Perhaps relieved, tears flowed down the nanny’s face. Sienna comforted her and returned to her seat.
Oddly enough, while Sienna was bewildered at the nanny’s bizarre behavior, her master, Bluebell, did not seem to care whether her nanny broke the vase or apologized. She seemed preoccupied with something else.
“Let’s have the tea.”
“Yes…”
Bluebell offered Sienna tea. But she didn’t drink tea and just trembled her hands. Sienna looked at her with a curious look. Then her ring caught Sienna’s eye.
A ring with a storage.
It was a ring similar to the one that Sienna saw in Aunt Kelly’s room. She thought it was amazing that the area supporting the jewel was particularly large, but then Aunt Kelly showed her that there was a small box below the jewel.
Sienna wondered what to carry in the hole, which dimensions were less than one centimeter by one, Aunt Kelly said that it used to be popular to carry poison in the box.
‘I remember asking why it was ever fashionable to carry poison, what did she say? I only remember It was a ridiculous reason.’
Then Sienna remembered after thinking for a long time.
When a son of a Marquis, who had gained the interest of many women with his good looks, presumably had said, “Women must have poison in them to be truly beautiful.”
It became a trend for aristocratic women to carry poison in their jewels. Although Sienna was pretty sure that the poison he meant wasn’t a literal poison.
A ring with a box and barita tea, Bluebell and her nanny with a suspicious behavior.
It almost made Sienna laugh. If Arya had made this up, she would have handled it so well that even though Sienna was always wary of Arya, she would never find out. Bluebell’s awkwardness carrying out her plan was funny.
“Please take the drink fast.”
“Yes. You too, Bluebell. You said you like barita tea.”
“I do.”
Even though Bluebell answered Sienna, she only stared at the teacups. Sienna also looked at the teacups.
‘Huh?’
Sienna found something strange. Of course, Sienna thought Bluebell would have drugged her glass, but rather found traces of white powder in the cup of Bluebell. There was a subtle difference between her teacup and Bluebell’s teacup.
‘Why not in my cup, but in her own cup?’
Sienna belatedly figured out what Bluebell was thinking. It was clear that Bluebell was not trying to poison Sienna, but that she herself was going to take the poison and accuse Sienna.
This was taking place at Sienna’s palace, and the person who brought tea and food was Hain, Sienna’s maid, and the person who poured the tea was Sienna, so it was certainly Sienna who would be accused of the crime if Bluebell died or was greatly ill with poison.
Sienna’s body chilled all over. It didn’t matter if she was hurt or misunderstood, but she never wanted anyone around her to get hurt. It was not long after the orphanage children died and were injured because of her. She couldn’t bear to see it happen again.
If Bluebell was sick after taking that medicine, it was clear that not only Sienna herself but also Hain would be questioned. Although she would not be seriously hurt because of her status, Hain could be tortured or executed. This had to be stopped.
‘But why? That would be too dangerous.’
Sienna didn’t understand. Isn’t Bluebell pregnant right now? Sienna couldn’t understand why she would do this with a child in her belly.
It would have been understandable if she was trying to kill Sienna and become the only empress. Sienna didn’t know what she was up to when she even had a child in her. What Bluebell was about to do now could endanger not only herself but also the child of Carl.
‘What the hell is she thinking?’
Whatever Bluebell was planning, Sienna couldn’t let her do as planned.
“Oh, I’ve prepared a gift to congratulate Empress Bluebell on her pregnancy…”
Bluebell was deep in thought and responded late to Sienna’s words.
“…a gift?”
“Yes. It’s ready over there. Would you like to take a look? I’ll see if it looks good on you. Hain, can you bring me the one I mentioned earlier? Bluebell, please stand up.”
“Yes.”
Bluebell rose from her seat. Sienna did not miss the nanny’s gaze following Hain. Sienna induced Bluebell to leave the table first and quickly changed the two teacups. The tea overflowed a little because she was in a hurry to change the teacup.
‘Hopefully, she wouldn’t notice.’
Sienna stood up along with Bluebell.
“I chose a color that matches both Bluebell’s blue eyes and Carl’s olive-colored eyes because the child is not born yet.”
Sienna received the box that Hain handed over and opened it so that Bluebell could see it well. Inside the blue velvet box was a pair of rattle bells that toddlers play within their hands. The round part of the bells, which was brilliantly crafted with gold, was decorated with green and blue jewels.
Bluebell said in a quivering voice.
“It’s very pretty.”
“It’s an only toy in the world of its kind because I’ve asked a famous craftsman to work on it specifically. I want the child, I mean the heir, would like it.”
“…he’ll like it.”
In addition to the toy, Sienna also presented a cradle and a blanket for the child to lie on. Sienna said that she will send the gift through a knight to the palace of Bluebell.
After seeing all the presents, the two sat down again. Sienna asked Bluebell just in case.
“I think the tea is cold. Do you want a new one?”
“No! No.”
Bluebell anxiously raised her voice.
“I think this temperature is better than when the tea is too hot.”
Sienna had hoped Bluebell would withdraw the plan even now, but she didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so. Bluebell looked up at Sienna with her cup of tea. She looked at Sienna as if to ask her why she was not taking the drink.
Sienna tried to pretend she was losing strength while lifting the teacup, but she lifted the teacup because Bluebell was looking at her every move.
‘Is it really a poison? Bluebell was going to drink it herself.’
Sienna thought it wouldn’t be enough poison to lead to death. It didn’t seem like Bluebell was trying to kill himself.
Sienna guessed perhaps it’s a poison that’s probably harmful to a pregnant woman. But Sienna didn’t think Bluebell would want to lose her child, so it would be a very weak poison that maybe causes a stomach ache. Sienna took a careful sip while she was thinking about these things.
Sienna wasn’t sure if it was because of the strong scent of tea or if the medicine was weak, but it wasn’t much different from the usual barita tea. Sienna thought she probably wouldn’t have noticed anything at all if it wasn’t for the traces of powder she saw earlier. Besides, fortunately, there was nothing wrong.
‘Perhaps I misunderstood…?’
But just as she was about to relax, Sienna felt a searing pain in her lower stomach. Sienna instinctively wrapped her arms around her belly.
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
She screamed in pain.