The imperial doctor rushed in at the call and examined Sienna’s pulse. While he was doing so, Carl was not at ease with a worried face. His anxiety made Sienna worried for no reason.
The doctor who had finished his diagnosis said, “Your Majesty the Empress and the prince are both in very good health. Contraction was just a temporary phenomenon coming from your stresses lately.”
Carl urged, saying, “make sure you see her thoroughly without missing anything,” several times. The doctor repeated over and over again that it was all right. Still, Carl did not seem relieved so Sienna said, “It’s really okay. I’d like to take a rest now.”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that.”
Carl soon sent away the doctor. As Sienna rose, Carl dissuaded her.
“Try to lie down…”
“I’ve told you several times, but I’m not a patient. I feel more stuffy lying down.”
Sienna stood up and looked around Carl’s room.
“Your room seems to empty for the emperor’s room”
She said pointing to the weapons on the wall decorating his room.
“Can you sleep when there’s something like those on the wall? I think I would have sleep paralysis…”
Carl said as if he had never thought about it.
“I’ve never cared much.”
She nodded. Although she expressed it in a harsh way, it was also true that she felt familiar with Carl’s room.
“This reminds me of Heidel’s castle. It looks similar. The walls are decorated only with well-made armor. It’s not even a decoration. It’s made just in case the walls that are blocking the monsters may fall.”
At Sienna’s words, Carl asked, narrowing the space between his eyes. He seemed to be worried.
“Heidel would never have had the first line of defense fall apart. At least since your father became the lord of the place.”
“That’s right, but he always said we should be prepared for anything. Danger comes when you’re not ready.”
Carl nodded in agreement with Sienna.
“When did you find out? The fact that you conceived a baby.”
“It hasn’t been long for me either.”
“But… …I wish you had told me earlier.”
There was a little bit of resentment in Carl’s words. It was a sense of shame that he would not have caused her to suffer the trial if she had told him in advance. Sienna did it out of fear that Arya would do anything harmful to the fetus, but she couldn’t tell Carl that.
At first, Sienna was afraid of whether she could protect her child. But not anymore. She thought she would be fine with Carl.
“I was suddenly afraid that something would happen to you and the child.”
Said Carl, sitting next to Sienna.
“I’m so glad you’re safe. Really…”
Carl murmured ‘I am glad’ several times. Sienna felt warmth spreading in her heart whenever Carl repeated the words.
*
After the news of Sienna’s pregnancy, Carl postponed any political meeting because he spent most of his time with her. The official reason was that Sienna, who was framed, was not in good health.
Carl ordered his subordinates and servants who knew about the truth to be careful not to let news of Sienna’s pregnancy flow outside. Of course, it will be known slowly over time, but it was still too early.
While he was away from his post under the pretext of Sienna’s illness, a bloody purge began in the Leipsden Empire.
Prime Minister Pavenik, who was acting as a sheath for Carl, sharp as a sword, purged those involved in treason. He had been blowing away the public’s reputation for being smart but weak.
“You are the one who brought all these knights into the palace! It has been confirmed that all these knights are people of the Castro Empire. It’s no use trying to back out now. So don’t increase our work and just confess. That way, it’s convenient for you, and I can handle things quickly.”
In front of Pavenik was a Bronis. The man, who had a mean smile, had his arms tied together and hung from the wall. Pavenik brought a red-hot iron rod to his side with an expressionless face.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
A shrill scream came out of the mouth of the Bronis.
Said Pavenik, who looked at Bronis with a dull eye, struggling with pain.
“I heard Baron Kozeco bribed you. Does it sound right?”
“I’ve never even spoken to Baron Kozeco… Ahhhh!”
Pavenik was not interested in what kind of answer he gave. What Carl ordered was not to find out the truth, but a list of nobles to be removed.
He wanted to have Bronis mention Arya, but he needed more solid evidence than just a testimony in order to bring her down from being the empress. It was clear that she was deeply involved in this, but the clever one left no evidence.
The only ones who took part in this work were the low-level aristocrats, so Carl could not bring Arya down through them. So he decided to use them thoroughly to deal with her supporters and those who had been bothering him.
In fact, the documents found in Leia’s room were fabricated by Pavenik. The maid who framed Sienna, the empress, wouldn’t have kept the evidence so sloppy in her room.
Carl and Pavenik were running out of time, so they chose to fabricate evidence rather than find evidence.
The most effective way to disprove what the enemy called the “fact” was to turn the witness who pointed to Sienna into an unreliable witness. Castro’s gold bullion played a very important role.
Pavenik added his opinion to Carl’s idea. He suggested that while fabricating the evidence, he would frame as if discovering documents that reveal those who had been suspected of being spies. That way, it would be easier to handle them along with the incident.
“That’s what Kozeco did… Ahhh…”
His scream awoke Pavenik from his thoughts. While Pavenik was thinking about something else, Bronis was constantly giving the answer he wanted.
Pavenik took off the iron that was poking at the side of Bronis. The flesh that had fallen from him was hanging around.
“Haha. I’m sorry about this, Baron Bronis. I misheard it. What did you say?”
Pavenik asked, shaking the iron before his eyes.
“Kozeco, no, that bloody kid in the Kozeco family did it…please…”
“Oh, is that so? I have to believe it because mighty Baron Bronis said it himself.”
When Pavenik shook his head, two knights guarding the entrance stepped out. Next, it was time to bring in Kozeco. For the time being, the screaming and burning smell of flesh in an underground prison would not stop.
Arya looked out of the window with an uneasy face.
“Damn it.”
She thought her plan was perfect – she didn’t know it would be ruined like this.
“You little rascal.”
She gritted her teeth thinking of Carl.
Everything from Leia’s room was clearly false evidence. She wasn’t so sloppy as to put such evidence around them.
But even though she knew the evidence was fake, she couldn’t come forward. If she were to cling to the authenticity of the evidence, she could have been misunderstood as the mastermind of the affair. Of course, it was true that she did it.
“By the way, I have to shut their mouths…”
Leia and Bronis were held in Carl’s hands. She didn’t know what the two were going to say.
In Leia’s case, she took her family hostage just in case. Especially since her young son was in Arya’s hands, her name won’t come out easily.
But Bronis was different. He was a frivolous man.
That’s why she didn’t give him any information, only insinuating that the first empress seemed to be committing treason. As the case has been large in scale, he acted on his own greed thinking he would rise to a higher position if he solved it well.
The problem at this point was that he would say anything to survive.
“If he needs to, he’s going to make up stories that don’t exist. I shouldn’t stay still. Before he talks nonsense…”
Arya thought she should call the leader of the Knights of the Black Eagle to keep the two prisoners quiet. Arya has specifically chosen him for being good at hiding and capable of assassinating. Moreover, his loyalty to Arya was so high that he could do whatever she asked for.
It was time for her to call the leader. Then there was a commotion outside the door.
“What are you doing?!”
“Arrest him!”
Arya frowned and asked the maid to find out what was going on.
Soon, the maid ran in and told Arya what had happened outside.
“Royal Knights are taking the Black Eagle Knights.”
“What?”
Arya hurried out. The Emperor’s Knights had already surrounded the Knights of the Black Eagle. Among them was the leader of the Knights of the Black Eagle.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Arya frowned and said to the emperor’s knights. Kissinger, the head of the Royal Knights, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty the Empress. I’m Rufus Kissinger, the leader of the Royal Knights. His Majesty was ordered to capture the spies of the Castro Empire.”
The Royal Knights stand for the Imperial Guard. After Carl became emperor, Lord Kane quit and Kissinger, a close aide to Carl, became the head of the Royal Knights.
Arya raised her voice at his words.
“What are you talking about? How dare you say that there is a spy for the Castro Empire among my Knights? Are you certain enough to bet your own f*cking neck!?”
“These are the knights whose names are on the list of spies that a maid named Leia had. You’ll find out the details when we investigate.”
“I am not in this! This is all a huge conspiracy!”