“Moreover, I’m concerned whether the Empire will use this incident to oppress Parma. Honestly, that part worries me too.”
The woman who had been referred to as Lady Kershaw, who first brought up this topic, revealed her thoughts expressionlessly. Only after seeing Sienna’s hardened face did she add a half-hearted apology.
“Of course, I understand you’ve come a long way. But realistically speaking, that’s the situation. If I’ve offended you, I apologize.”
After a moment of silence, Sienna calmly spoke.
“I understand your concern that Ricata might bring harm to the kingdom. The Emperor of the Empire certainly has enough power to make such things happen.”
She had somewhat anticipated that some people would not welcome her. Sienna herself hadn’t come to Parma filled with purely optimistic hopes.
“But would it ease your mind to know that the Imperial throne is currently vacant?”
At those words, one of the nobles asked with a surprised face.
“Are you saying the Emperor is dead?”
“He’s barely clinging to life. I hear he can never return to his former state.”
The woman lost interest again at Sienna’s response.
“How can we believe that?”
“Because I’m here.”
Despite the sharp question that suddenly came her way, Sienna answered with composure.
“If the Emperor were well, he would have captured me first. Yet as you can see, Parma’s court remains peaceful.”
Since Sienna’s arrival in Parma, the kingdom had been on high alert for any reaction from the Empire, but so far there had been no significant developments.
The Empire remained strangely quiet. While Jeremiah and Sienna knew the internal circumstances that forced the Empire’s silence, the other nobles were judging everything based only on what was visible on the surface.
In response to this, the woman who first raised the question surprisingly conceded without hesitation, but this became the starting point for other nobles to begin voicing their opposition one by one.
“But this is still a matter that needs further coordination with the Empire. We cannot risk unnecessary conflict just to obtain Ricata, Your Majesty.”
“Moreover, as Lady Kershaw said, it’s excessive to demand such vast lands with just the former Emperor’s will! Considering our future relationship with the Empire, we should express our refusal first, Your Majesty.”
Jeremiah, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up.
“I understand your concerns, but I think the Imperial side is in the same predicament. The Emperor’s mistake is too grave to simply overlook.”
“But Your Majesty, the princess is a criminal who attempted to assassinate the Emperor.”
By this point, Sienna clearly realized that she wasn’t particularly welcome here either. But there was no turning back now.
After silently observing the back-and-forth arguments, Sienna finally spoke.
“Then are you suggesting that I should nullify the will and return to the Empire?”
Jeremiah’s eyes subtly turned toward her, but Sienna completely ignored the stinging gaze on her skin.
This was an issue she had to resolve herself. Jeremiah’s unconditional support wasn’t necessarily the best approach.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Sienna’s direct question actually caught the other side off guard. The noble who had been raising objections cleared his throat awkwardly while stroking his white beard.
“Even if the King listens to my opinion, it wouldn’t be right for me to disregard everyone else’s opposition. If my presence truly brings nothing but harm to Parma, I will respect your opinions.”
She didn’t stop there and delivered her final blow with a strong tone.
“Let’s forget everything and I’ll return to the Empire.”
The room suddenly fell silent.
Honestly speaking, debating the pros and cons of accepting Ricata was meaningless bickering.
As Lady Kershaw said, while it might be a financial burden in the short term, from a long-term perspective, it would obviously bring certain benefits.
Those who had received stipends for years couldn’t possibly fail to understand such simple calculations, so what they truly feared was the Empire harboring resentment over this matter.
Sure enough, those who had been grumbling with criticism just moments ago—as if Sienna had brought them a burden—visibly lost their momentum compared to before. Sienna said nothing more after her statement.
For a while, some complained that Sienna was taking things too extremely, but when she responded with silence, they wisely kept quiet.
Though they couldn’t hide their displeasure, amidst all this, Lady Kershaw, who had first opened the topic, seemed intrigued by the unfolding situation.
Considering she was the instigator of this issue, her attitude of observing like a third party was quite absurd, causing Jeremiah to look at Lady Kershaw with a disgusted expression before turning away.
“Are there any other opinions?”
Jeremiah’s gaze carefully scanned the nobles who were keeping quiet.
“Then the matter is settled.”
****
As the tea time concluded rather ambiguously and the nobles left one by one with rather unpleasant expressions, Jeremiah spoke when only the two of them remained.
“I should say this in advance to avoid misunderstanding—they’re not ill-natured people. This applies to the others too, but especially Lady Kershaw.”
“I don’t mind much.”
Having grown accustomed to such situations, she didn’t particularly feel offended. Though she was a bit taken aback.
After carefully examining Sienna’s face to determine if her words were genuine, Jeremiah finally sank into his chair.
“That’s good to hear. I’ve instructed Lady Kershaw to assist the Princess until you become accustomed to Parma, and I was worried how you might feel if you found her unpleasant.”
Sienna paused momentarily at this new information and looked at him. Jeremiah hastily added an explanation.
“I thought you might need someone to help you adjust. Despite appearances, she and I have grown up together since childhood, and I personally trust her. Of course… she went a bit too far earlier, but she’s not one to hold grudges, so I think you’ll be comfortable with her.”
“I suppose so. You don’t need to apologize so much; I understood your meaning perfectly well.”
As Jeremiah smiled awkwardly, Sienna gave a faint smile in return.
Perhaps because she had collapsed once, or maybe he felt responsible for putting her in such a situation, Jeremiah had been excessively considerate since her arrival in Parma.
‘You don’t need to feel so responsible.’
After all, it was a path she had chosen entirely of her own volition. Nevertheless, it wasn’t so bad to have someone paying such careful attention to her in this unfamiliar land.
Even in this unstable situation, Jeremiah was a person who gave her great strength. That was an undeniable fact.
Sienna picked up her teacup with a noticeably more relaxed mood than before. Steam was still rising from the tea, which she hadn’t yet tasted.
As she brought it close to her lips, the sweet scent of yuzu filled her nostrils. For her, who had recently found it difficult to even swallow plain water, there was no better elixir than this kind of sweet fruit tea.
Jeremiah’s gaze lingered on her face as she put the teacup to her lips, then moved to her severely thin wrist. The smile that had remained on his face gradually darkened.
Even considering her recent collapse, Sienna had changed a lot since coming to Parma. Unlike in the Empire, where she would bare her claws like an angry cat when provoked, in Parma, she seemed somehow lost.
She showed reactions when conversing, but the dark shadow that constantly hung over her face showed no signs of disappearing.
It was impossible for Jeremiah not to be concerned.
It was natural for him to feel responsible since he had encouraged her to come to Parma. His conviction that restoring Ricata would be good for Sienna was becoming increasingly clouded.
While his mind was complicated, Sienna’s was no different. After holding the teacup with both hands and tapping its surface with her fingers, she finally raised her head as if she had made a decision.
“Actually… I have something to discuss with you.”
“Go ahead.”
Jeremiah promptly replied to Sienna’s hesitant words. Unlike him, who leaned forward as if ready to listen to anything, Sienna couldn’t easily continue.
Though she had already made her decision, she hesitated to bring this up to Jeremiah. She worried he might consider it a betrayal of his kindness, or think of her as ungrateful.
But since she couldn’t avoid it forever, Sienna let out a short breath.
“I heard there will be a hearing in the Empire soon.”
“To determine the Grand Duke’s sentence?”
Jeremiah hit the mark immediately without any deliberation. Sienna looked up with a surprised face, to which he smiled slightly.
It wasn’t such a difficult matter, was it?
“Was that also what the Empress discussed with you privately that day?”
At his second accurate guess, Sienna’s lips trembled. Though no answer came, the sight of her pressing her red lips together was enough of an answer for him.
“Go ahead.”
Jeremiah’s response was refreshingly straightforward, making all the days she had spent worrying seem futile.
