Joseph slumped into the seat across from Sienna with the chessboard between them.
After dealing with the Duke, he no longer had the energy to be angered by Sienna’s provocations. He fidgeted with the chess pieces, suppressing the urge to smash something. He regretted not bringing his cigar case.
“You’ve been quiet all this time only to pull something like this during the hunting festival? You must have calculated this. Rather clever of you.”
When he had dismissed her to the Grand Duke’s household, he had vaguely anticipated that the two might conspire together. But he never expected it would involve a will.
It didn’t matter to him that Sienna had discovered the will made public wasn’t authentic. Even if she raged about it alone, without evidence, everyone would have dismissed it as the princess’s paranoid delusion.
Sienna already had no popularity among the people, and although Declan’s existence was an issue, even that wouldn’t make much difference without proper evidence.
Of all people to be caught, it had to be the Duke.
He never imagined that the always gentle Dahlia would stab him in the back like this.
His hand trembled with anger as he gripped the chess piece, until finally he threw it into the fireplace. Just as Sienna’s gaze was about to turn toward the flames blazing in the hearth, Joseph spoke.
“You think that mere piece of paper is all-powerful?”
He was the Emperor. No matter what backing from the Grand Duke they had, he could easily crush the rebellion of two women working together.
“Born from the womb of a traitor woman, yet you don’t know your place and dare to do something like this. It seems you truly don’t fear the consequences.”
“You still think however you please. Compared to you who inherited the throne with just a piece of paper, what I’m asking for isn’t so extraordinary.”
Joseph’s habit of insulting her with the same repertoire no longer evoked any new feelings in Sienna. She idly tapped the chess piece in her hand with her index finger as the corners of her mouth curved upward.
“If you want to nullify the will’s effect, wouldn’t the only way be for you to step down from the throne?”
“Don’t act so arrogant.”
Joseph responded with a rather cocky attitude to her playful question.
He swept all the chess pieces off the board with the back of his hand and crossed his arms on the table. The distance between them shortened drastically as the pieces clattered to the floor.
When his eyes, the same color as her own, suddenly came closer, she felt an instinctive revulsion. Just as Sienna furrowed her brow, Joseph opened his mouth.
“No matter how grand the intentions our esteemed father left behind, in the end, I’m the one sitting on the throne now.”
“As you say, if you crush this with your power, what can I do about it?”
Sienna answered nonchalantly.
The revelation that the will had been forged was enough. She had already caught the attention of all the nobles. Regardless of whether Joseph accepted the will or not, trust in the monarch had already been shattered.
Joseph’s already unstable reputation would be completely destroyed from this hunting festival onward. Instead of gaining the absolute power he so desperately desired, he would face increased suspicion and wariness.
Not because the nobles supported or sympathized with Sienna, but because going against his father’s wishes fully exposed Joseph’s moral failings.
So even if he crushed Sienna’s request with his power, what remained for him would be a victory no different from defeat.
Sienna had nothing to lose.
She hadn’t intended to gain the nobles’ support through this meeting anyway. Those who were downstairs in the hall, eagerly listening to the conversation taking place here, would likely take a position not much different from the Duke’s when it came to revising the succession law.
From the beginning, she hadn’t expected things to go smoothly.
“Let’s continue this discussion later.”
After a stagnant conversation, Joseph retreated a step.
“It’s your first hunting festival, isn’t it? The other nobles came here to enjoy themselves, so we can’t cause a disturbance over this.”
He raised the corner of his mouth and spoke quietly.
Sienna had no intention of giving up Ricata, and Joseph had no intention of admitting his wrongdoing. So the negotiation had already failed.
On the surface, he was proposing a peaceful truce, but Sienna knew better.
There would be no next time.
Instead of immediately leaving the audience chamber, Sienna looked at Joseph. In contrast, Joseph withdrew his gaze without hesitation.
“Head Chamberlain.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Escort the princess to her quarters.”
The head chamberlain’s gaze shifted to her.
“No need.”
Sienna stopped the head chamberlain who was about to follow her and left the audience chamber alone.
On her way back to her quarters, she paused and looked out the window. The mountain ridge was vaguely visible through the thick fog. Obscured by the mist, it was impossible to properly gauge its depth and length.
It seemed that even if a person disappeared into that fog, knowingly or unknowingly, it wouldn’t be so strange.
After staring intently at the mountain as if peering into the fog, Sienna slowly withdrew her gaze and continued walking.
So she had no objection to Declan’s statement that this hunting festival was an opportunity. The hunting festival would definitely put an end to their long, bitter relationship in some form.
****
The morning of the main hunting festival dawned, leaving the earlier commotion behind.
There was considerable gossip about the Duke’s untimely return, but the Emperor didn’t postpone or cancel the scheduled events.
Rather, as he acted as if nothing had happened, the nobles followed suit cautiously. Everyone treating the Duke as if he had never existed seemed no different from a coordinated play.
Sienna also woke up early as usual and began her preparations. She had just finished washing her face lightly and changed into the riding clothes she had selected in advance, and was about to sit at her dressing table to brush her hair.
A neat knock sounded from outside. The maid who was helping Sienna with her preparations opened the door.
“May I intrude for a moment?”
Sienna raised her gaze at the familiar voice from behind her. When their eyes met in the mirror, her gaze narrowed.
After signaling to the maid who was watching attentively, the maid seemed to have been waiting for this and excused herself.
“Is this a ‘whatever will be, will be’ attitude now?”
As she picked up the brush and asked emotionlessly, Declan, who had approached without a sound, silently grabbed her hand. When she looked up with a puzzled face, he took the brush from her.
“I’ll attend to you.”
“We don’t have much time.”
Sienna reached out to retrieve the brush, but he was insistent.
He made her face forward and placed the brush at the top of her head.
Sienna reluctantly lowered her hand and looked at the mirror with a displeased expression. The man reflected in it had a serious face without any hint of playfulness.
She had expected the rough sensation typical of men unfamiliar with brushing hair, but surprisingly, the hand grooming her hair was extremely gentle.
Looking at him now, she thought that the reflection in the mirror didn’t seem so unfamiliar.
Come to think of it, he used to brush Soliet’s hair exactly like this.
It was somewhat embarrassing that he was doing for her the same thing he did for his daughter, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He even effortlessly untangled the occasional knots with the brush.
As she watched him with a curious expression, Declan suddenly raised his eyes to look at her.
“I won’t tie ribbons in it, so don’t worry.”
Sienna chuckled at the bland joke. He smiled faintly in response before lowering his gaze again.
“It won’t take long to reach the border.”
He looked quite skilled, holding her hair with one hand and brushing with the other. Declan habitually tried to flip her hair over her shoulder, but when her white neck came into view, he hid it by letting the hair fall down her back again.
“If you’re quick, a day. Even if you get a bit lost, if you keep heading east, you should arrive within a few days.”
“My ears are about to fall off from hearing this so much. Shouldn’t we be exchanging more tender farewells right now?”
Sienna deliberately chided him in a lofty tone, having heard these instructions countless times since before coming to the villa. It was meant to dispel the heavy atmosphere preceding their separation, but he didn’t respond.
As soon as he finished brushing, Sienna immediately stood up. She had no time to waste if she wanted to participate in the hunt that started early in the morning.
“This will be our last time together.”
Sienna, who had been heading toward the door, stopped. After a brief silence, she smiled slightly.
“Who can say for certain? If everything turns out successfully, who knows? We might meet again sometime in life.”
Though she spoke as if joking, her lingering attachment was evident. But he didn’t answer.
It wasn’t that he felt nothing about sending her alone into dangerous territory.
Although it was true that Sendelk was not far from the eastern border geographically, it wasn’t an easy path for a woman to traverse alone.
Even if she succeeded in safely leaving Sendelk, Ricata was a land that had been closed off for a long time. No one could be certain that Sienna, who had lived her entire life in the inner palace, could properly cross what was essentially a wasteland and reach the border.
“I apologize for not being able to think of a better plan, and for having to send you alone like this. I am truly sorry.”
