On a cool, breezy afternoon in Monferrato, he couldn’t believe the reality of riding horses side by side with her.
“What are you planning to do now?”
Sienna broke the silence. She glanced at him sideways.
“Have you thought about what comes after if everything ends at the hunting festival?”
A deflating laugh escaped Declan’s lips.
“You’re even thinking about my future.”
“This isn’t a joke.”
The gaze that had been directed at him withdrew, returning to face forward. Declan quietly observed her back. Occasionally, when her hair swayed, her pale neckline was revealed.
His hands tightened on the reins.
He should have had her wear riding attire. The glimpses of her slender neck and ankles kept distracting his concentration.
Unaware of Declan’s distracted state, Sienna continued her thoughts.
“Right now we’re conspiring together because we share the same goal, but if things go wrong, I won’t be able to escape execution this time. But shouldn’t you have another plan in place?”
“That won’t happen.”
Though she had spoken out of concern for him, Declan cut her off coldly. At this, Sienna’s lips closed again. Another endless silence followed.
It was the time when the sun was at its peak.
The horizon of the field had forgotten its original color, dyed golden instead. After passing all the trees planted at regular intervals, the sunlight shone directly on her.
Sienna squinted as the sunlight became too bright. At that moment, Declan spurred his horse and moved closer to her side. The quickened hoofbeats returned to their original pace once he was beside her.
Thanks to him, the sunlight that had been shining in her eyes was now partially blocked by his figure. She glanced at him briefly, but his face was obscured by the backlight.
The sound of leaves rustling in the wind and occasional birds cutting through the air broke the suffocating silence.
Even so, both remained quiet.
“Did you hear anything from the Princess?”
Declan spoke again.
The summer heat apparently hadn’t completely dissipated yet. Sienna felt the heat become more intense than before and brushed her hair back over her shoulder with one hand. Declan’s gaze lingered momentarily on her exposed collarbone, but Sienna didn’t notice.
“The Duke had my mother’s keepsake.”
Declan turned his gaze forward as he waited for her next words. The key question was whether Dahlia had succeeded in retrieving it from the Duke, and whether it had been safely delivered to Sienna.
“It was a ring that matched the one Jeremiah gave.”
“Did the Princess bring it?”
Sienna nodded. Declan finally felt relieved.
“It seems the Duke was indeed the notary.”
Now that answers were becoming clear, it didn’t seem like such a difficult problem. However, some questions remained unanswered. What could be the reason for someone who had retired from politics to do such a thing?
The concealment of the ring was somewhat understandable. It wouldn’t have been easy to reveal to the world that he possessed items belonging to a traitor. Moreover, if the previous emperor had known about it, the Duke might have faced severe consequences.
But hiding the will seemed to have more disadvantages than advantages from any perspective.
If it had been done in collusion with Joseph, it would have made sense, but considering that Joseph had given separate orders to Declan, the Duke’s true intentions were impossible to guess.
“I don’t understand. Joseph is one thing, but why would the Duke suddenly do such a thing.”
“It’s probably not because of any grudge against Her Highness.”
At his matter-of-fact tone, Sienna turned to face him. Part of his face, previously hidden by backlight, came into view.
“Did you know that Duke Lowell was my godfather?”
When she only stared without answering, silence naturally followed. Sienna’s gaze moved from his golden hair swaying in the wind to his eyes that were fixed on her. As if that was answer enough, Declan continued speaking.
“He wasn’t a very good guardian. It probably wasn’t much different for the Princess.”
The Duke’s attitude toward Dahlia was no different from how he treated servants. His eyes couldn’t hide their contempt, and his words and actions clearly showed his disdain.
Sienna had noticed it too.
It was obvious how the Duke regarded Dahlia, given how he was more angry about his plans being disrupted than concerned about his niece’s injury.
“If the will had contained provisions guaranteeing Her Highness’s rights to Ricata, it would have inevitably led to changes in imperial law. There shouldn’t be any exceptions to the law under any circumstances.”
His monotone voice accurately pointed out the ripple effects that would have occurred if the will had been properly revealed.
“The same goes for the Princess. As a member of the Lowell family, it would be natural for her to have rights to the Duke’s property.”
The Duke was a man of great ambition. He had been so in his youth, but as he aged, he became increasingly obsessed with wealth, and eventually began eyeing the power he had long since relinquished.
Once he had given up out of fear of the previous emperor’s wrath, but the person the Duke feared was now dead. The current emperor was still young and lacked a solid foundation.
The Duke must have seen the possibility of a comeback in such circumstances. His thirst for power, which he had suppressed for fear of his life, found an outlet the moment Joseph ascended to the throne.
“Everything will return to its proper place.”
When he declared this, Sienna smiled faintly.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I will make it so.”
He uttered these arrogant words with a truly dry attitude.
As they entered back into the shade of trees, his face became clearly visible. When their eyes met, the corners of his mouth turned up gently.
“Didn’t I promise you? That I would help ensure Your Highness’s wishes succeed.”
Her eyes looking at him wavered greatly.
Sienna’s lips pressed into a straight line before she turned her head back to face forward.
In truth, she still couldn’t understand completely. Something felt suspicious about him helping her solely out of revenge.
As a result, sometimes impossible imaginings would prod at her simple thought process. He was clearly the same as before, yet why did he act in ways that couldn’t be explained by the person she knew?
Looking back, he had already given several hints. Illogical confessions and kisses. Such things had accumulated and now all pointed in one direction.
Thus, even her firm resolve was gradually beginning to waver.
Could he really like me? Her thoughts led to the most plausible yet most impossible conclusion.
While these complex thoughts were chaining together in Sienna’s mind, he suddenly stopped his horse.
“Let’s head back now.”
Sienna looked toward the horizon with a puzzled expression. When she held the reins with ambiguous force, her horse stepped in place as if frustrated.
“Didn’t you have business in the outskirts?”
“It’s not a place Your Highness should visit.”
Then he turned his horse around without hesitation. Instead of turning around, Sienna, who had been looking at the horizon stretching out before them, kicked her horse’s flank. Only then did the mare begin to move forward with light steps.
Declan frowned at her unexpected action. At the same time, she turned to look at him.
“Instead of going back and forth on the same road, just come with me. I don’t mind.”
After saying that, she loosened her grip on the reins and lightly kicked as if there was no need to hear his answer. The horse began to run along the wide-open road with cheerful hoof beats.
Declan stood still for a moment, watching her black hair flutter in the air, and let out a quiet laugh.
From far away, her voice urged him once again. Only then did Declan turn his horse around and follow her.
Unlike her, riding ahead excitedly with speed, he followed unhurriedly behind. A smile remained on his face.
He just wished this moment could last a little longer.
****
The destination was the Grand Duke’s family cemetery on the outskirts of Monferrato.
Sienna looked up at the statue standing at the cemetery entrance with an expression that made it difficult to guess her thoughts.
The statue looked down at her with the same face as before. When her neck began to ache, Sienna finally straightened her head. The densely carved prayer beneath the statue seemed to mock her for returning here once again.
Declan, who had also been looking up at the statue, shifted his gaze to her.
“Today is the death anniversary of my parents and younger sibling.”
Only then did Sienna let out a faint exclamation with a stupid expression. Yet her face remained stiff as if she had been doused with cold water.
Declan interpreted this differently and added:
“It won’t take long.”
“It’s fine, take your time. I’ll walk around the area.”
Although she had entered the Grand Duke’s cemetery, she felt it somehow inappropriate to accompany him to where his family lay.
Declan left, saying he would return shortly. Left alone, Sienna looked around as she walked slowly.
The cemetery truly hadn’t changed.
The desolate scenery was still the same. The massive marble monuments erected here and there were imposing, as if boasting about how great the people sleeping beneath this earth had been in life.
Her gaze unconsciously turned toward the hill. It was the place where he had been buried in her previous life, where the child had been buried, and where she had ended her life as well. Sienna stared quietly at that spot and began to take slow steps.
