When she remembered herself kissing him with her arms around the neck of Carl’s yesterday, blood rushed to her face again. That’s because she remembered what happened last night so vividly.
“Ugh…”
Feeling good, but unable to bear it, her body felt stiff and her back hurt. Sienna wrapped herself in the blanket. No one saw her, but she was so ashamed that she didn’t know what to do.
“It’s not my first time with him, but…”
But it was a completely different experience. Yesterday’s Carl seemed like a different person. In the past, she felt like it was doing it with a wooden doll, but this time it was different. He was active, hot, sensual, and ecstatic.
“I feel like I lost for some reason.”
After already having shared a bed together, what was the use of winning or losing? Sienna thought absentmindedly. She reflected whether she had been out of her mind or otherwise swayed by him.
“Your Royal Crown Highness!”
From outside, she heard Hain’s voice and was up in a hurry to get off the bed, but she ended up banging her head against the bedpost and her ankle had gotten caught on the quilt which resulted in her falling down forward as well.
“Your Highness, if you’re up, may I come in?”
“No! Wait, wait a minute!”
Sienna screamed. She knew Hain was only trying to come in to help her, but she couldn’t let her in the bedroom. The bedroom was infused with the strong smell of love and the traces of Carl still remained.
She ran to the window without even wearing shoes. The rain was still pouring heavily. Rain splashed into the bedroom, but she opened the window. She had to make this smell go away somehow or another. She then examined the bedroom for any misunderstandings.
“Yes, the bed!”
Outside, Hain called Sienna in an urgent voice as she was cleaning up the messier-than-usual bedding. She told her to come in because she couldn’t wait any longer.
“Your Royal Highness!”
Hain, who rushed into the bedroom, was more tired than usual. Sienna couldn’t look at her face in fear that Hain would notice of yesterday’s happening.
‘Huh? What’s this?’
Sienna belatedly found a piece of writing with ink on her palm.
“Your Majesty the Emperor has passed away.”
/Don’t stay close to Valore while I’m away./(Gothic)
Sienna burst into laughter after not hearing Hain’s words because she was clearly indulged in what Carl had left behind.
“Ha ha ha.”
What a child-like act this was. Sienna laughed because he was so different from the beast he had revealed her yesterday.
Hain asked again, feeling strange to Sienna, who burst into laughter when she said the emperor had died.
“Your Majesty the Crown Princess! Did you hear me?”
“Huh? Hain, what did you just say?”
“The Emperor has passed away.”
“What?”
A smile lifted away from her face in an instant.
It was a week earlier than in the past. But she responded calmly, as she had already known it would happen. She changed her clothes and assembled her maids and servants working under her.
“As you all know, if there is a death in the imperial family of Laifsden, everyone living in the imperial palace should be forbidden from eating meat and using firearms. So, if there’s meat we’re supposed to bring in, we’re going to suspend deliveries, and if there’s food that’s already in the palace, we’re going to throw it out. Even if the food looks fine, you shouldn’t hide it just because you think it’s a waste. It is possible to give to someone outside the palace, but you shouldn’t have it or eat it inside the palace Also, from today, any use of fires and lanterns should be banned for a month, so remove any ashes and spray water on the furnaces.”
In the event of an Imperial family member’s death, the etiquette to follow was complicated and exhausting, but it was inevitable. Sienna’s words were listened to with nervous faces by her servants working under her.
“You shouldn’t even light the candles, so clean away all the candles and let the important tasks be done during the day. We don’t allow any hair decorations, so you have to let your hair down. We can’t hear a laugh for a month or run frivolously. I want you all to thank the Emperor, who ruled the country, and honor him.”
Sienna called Shaylin, standing on one side and listening to the story.
“Shaylin.”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”
“Go to the Phoenix Knights Training Center now and tell Lord Waters to stop all the training and come over here. As I said before, tell him to never run, and tell Lord Waters to come slowly. Your clothes will be wet when you get back, so go straight back to your room, change your clothes, and rest today. Cover yourself with a thick blanket so you don’t catch a cold.”
It was Sienna’s consideration for her, who was worried that she would get sick from working even though she couldn’t even use a lantern. Shaylin nodded and went out. She checked out the window. There was a lot of rain today as well. If it were the same as in the past, the rain would last for nearly a month.
“Hain, it’s going to rain a lot in the future, so while not using any firearms or lanterns, there will be a lot of people who will become sick.”
“Will it keep raining?”
“I can’t be sure, but we always have to think about the worst-case scenario. First of all, keep a close eye on the weak and reduce work to a minimum. Since firearms should be banned anyway, let’s stop the kitchen’s work and get some bread and food from outside the palace. I’d rather give you all a vacation. For those who say that they will continue to work, they will be given an eighty percent raise in their salary for this month instead.”
“Yes. Even if you don’t work, your salary will be partially paid, so there will be no problem with your life without working.”
She could give them the same salary as it is, but the department outside the kitchen decided to cut back on their salary because they thought there would be some equity issues.
“I think it’ll be hard to dry the laundry if the rain persists. You can’t use firearms either. How much laundry do you usually get out of our palace?”
“The daily laundry is like the clothes and bedclothes of Your Highness the Crown Princess. I wash the curtains and tablecloths once a week. If you add up the women’s clothes and underwear, it’s a lot more.”
Sienna blushed at the word bedclothes. It was because yesterday came to mind.
“Let’s replace my sheets with new ones once a week instead of washing them every day. Instead, I’ll make sure to replace it with a new one today. Don’t wash the curtains and tablecloth until the sun rises, just dust it off. Buy two new suits for the maids and reduce the workload as much as possible. When the weather is humid, infectious disease will spread easily so don’t worry too much and let me know when an infection starts or when someone begins to cough hard or has a fever. First, let’s do this. If there’s anything else I could think of, I’ll let you know when I think of it again.”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”
Sienna asked Hain, who answered with a smile.
“Why are you laughing like that?”
“I don’t mean to say this, but I’m very proud of you. It’s been almost ten years since I worked in the Imperial family, but I’ve never dealt with a death in the royal family, so I was at a loss. I knew the procedures, but… But I’m glad and proud that you’re so good at giving orders.”
“Being so sweet.”
“But don’t you have somewhere to go?”
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t you think you should see to the arrangements for the funeral or visit Her Majesty?”
“The funeral arrangements will be carried out at the bureaucratic meeting, so there won’t be any room for me to step in. I have to go see the Empress, but…”
It seemed like a play to her that she should express her sympathy through words of consolation even though she clearly knew the cause of the emperor’s death. But it was her duty to visit Arya and convey her condolences.
“I have a purple dress, don’t I? Please take off all the jewelry on the top and get it ready.”
Sienna wondered what kind of expression Arya was wearing. Was she hiding her joy and showing crocodile tears, or was she smiling with no qualms?