HPBUY Chapter 143

The annex that Sienna had left was busy preparing to welcome a new owner.

The golden fence with rose vines was demolished, and in its place, a variety of flowers were planted. As days passed, traces of the former owner gradually faded away.

Sienna’s name was completely removed from the imperial family registry. While her existence in the empire was being systematically erased, Declan felt as though he alone was going around in circles.

He knew that his current reality was more fortunate than he deserved. Having his interests align with the Empress’s was mere luck. Therefore, he shouldn’t hope for or imagine anything more.

Whenever the excised presence suddenly appeared in his mind, Declan habitually reminded himself of this fact.

Nevertheless, foolish sentiments would occasionally rush in like a disaster and silently sweep everything away.

The faint warmth in his gaze quickly turned lukewarm. He averted his eyes again and took a step forward.

The end of longing was always similar. Only mockery remained for the foolishness of not being able to forget times that had already passed.

****

After the tumultuous period, daily routines returned to normal with surprising swiftness.

It may have been partly due to seeing the Empress’s firm stance and becoming convinced of Duke Lowell’s downfall.

But once a certain degree of authority was yielded, even the fervor of those who had doubted Declan’s abilities gradually cooled.

Public opinion still wasn’t exactly favorable, but in any case, by taking a step back, he had managed to divert much of the attention.

Thanks to this, Declan also regained a normal daily routine like everyone else. His usual schedule consisted of handling official duties in his office during the morning and reporting to the Empress in the afternoon.

Although he had stepped back from the Ricata affair, it didn’t dramatically affect the mountain of work he already had.

Even after becoming regent and gaining considerable authority, Declan never forgot his respect for the Empress. All matters within his authority were decided after consultation with her.

“It was the Crown Prince’s birthday recently.”

Just like any other day during a discussion of state affairs, the Empress looked up at this unexpected comment. Despite her puzzled expression, Declan murmured as if to himself.

“It’s still more than ten years until he comes of age.”

Finally understanding his meaning, the Empress slightly furrowed her brow.

“Don’t worry. There won’t be any need to summon you to the palace as soon as Leo comes of age.”

Despite saying this, she felt somewhat displeased. While others were desperate to attain his position, why did he show such lingering attachment in this manner?

Sighing, the Empress began pulling forward one by one the pile of letters from the side when she paused upon recognizing a familiar name.

The rounded handwriting on the letter looked exceptionally familiar—it was from Chesperl. Holding the letter, the Empress carefully recalled her memories.

Come to think of it, she had completely moved to Chesperl not long ago. Although busy schedules prevented her from replying to each arriving letter, Dahlia seemed quite satisfied with her current life.

Despite having her noble status revoked, far from being disappointed about that fact, she seemed utterly delighted about having recovered her inheritance.

Recalling Dahlia’s spirited letter about renovating Chesperl Castle and making a fresh start brought a gentle smile to the Empress’s lips.

All the recent events she had experienced were overwhelmingly bleak situations that made her feel completely hopeless, but their repercussions didn’t last as long as expected.

No matter what mud-slinging fights occurred within the imperial palace, externally even such processes were quite elegantly packaged.

The correction to the late Emperor’s will was accomplished quite smoothly. Since it was a matter of inheritance, most people outside the palace didn’t properly remember the previously announced will, though the nobility showed some enthusiasm.

Amid all this, preserving the honor of the imperial family remained the top priority. Therefore, matters concerning the Emperor’s personal life were announced with the truth cleverly concealed.

Fortunately, at the time of the hunting festival, it had rained in Sendelk not long before, leaving the ground wet, so it wasn’t particularly difficult to transform the incident into an “accident resulting from misfortune.”

The empire was plunged into grief at the news that the Emperor had suffered critical injuries from falling on a slippery mountain path.

There wasn’t a single imperial citizen who didn’t mourn the Emperor, who had become disabled at such a promising age, and no one failed to shed tears. Everyone prayed with one heart for divine protection over the Emperor.

The matter regarding Ricata and Sienna was briefly announced after some time had passed since the hunting festival incident was made public.

Public opinion regarding Ricata’s ownership being transferred to another country was actually treated as insignificant.

Although it was said that the empire’s traditional method was to seize land through slaughter, among kingdoms outside the empire, buying and selling land through peaceful agreements wasn’t particularly rare.

Compared to those foreign countries, the transfer of such a vast territory without shedding a drop of blood was actually exceptional for the empire.

Even with the late Emperor’s will, considering the empire’s history, cleanly handing over territory was rather an unimaginable action. Needless to say, neighboring countries were thrown into a commotion by this unexpected decision.

Moreover, wasn’t Ricata a land with a strong negative impression for a long time? While those who remembered Ricata’s prosperous days were quite disappointed, the majority of imperial citizens held the dominant opinion that a troublesome issue had been resolved through peaceful means.

More than the fact that Ricata had passed to another country, the fact that the late Emperor had bequeathed that land to his daughter, whom he had neglected during his lifetime, aroused greater interest. In that sense, Sienna attracted more attention than Ricata.

The news that she, who had become the owner of Ricata according to the late Emperor’s will, was removed from the imperial family as Ricata’s ownership was transferred, was the talk of the capital for quite some time.

Of course, such reactions didn’t stem from friendly interest.

Although she was a figure with strong negative public opinion, no different from Ricata, there could be no good views toward abandoning the status of an imperial princess to become some foreign noble.

Furthermore, Declan, whose relationship with her became public after it was revealed that he had accompanied her at the hunting festival, was also not free from critical glances.

Doubts naturally followed as to whether a Grand Duke who had a private relationship with an imperial princess who had betrayed her country could handle official duties impartially as regent.

At least, unlike Sienna, his external reputation had been quite good, and thanks to his wise conduct after becoming regent, he didn’t suffer a fatal stain.

It’s fortunate that the confusion caused by the hunting festival didn’t last long.

As time passed, the commotion was diluted, and the Emperor’s existence gradually faded from people’s attention. It was forgotten surprisingly quickly, making all the desperate efforts to protect it seem meaningless.

Her expression darkened again as she thought of Joseph trapped in darkness, then her gaze turned toward Declan. Naturally, the image of the woman who had risked danger and set foot in the empire to save him also came to mind.

The Empress lowered her gaze for a moment, as if deep in thought, fingering the corner of the document.

Although they had a close relationship, albeit temporarily, she had no intention of intruding into his personal realm.

However, it was awkward to just pass it over vaguely without making things clear. After all, wasn’t she the woman he had loved enough to risk death for? 

If his feelings blinded him and ended up harming the national interest, that would be a serious problem.

Even though she had proposed the regency to Declan, it didn’t mean she was willing to risk the dangers posed by his relationship with Sienna.

Having made up her mind, the Empress moved the letter to the side and asked.

“By the way, did you meet with the Princess during the hearing?”

“I heard she arrived safely in Sendelk.”

Declan replied in a casual tone without taking his eyes off the document handed to him by the Minister of Finance.

“Grand Duke, you know I’m not talking about her.”

“She is the only Princess in the empire.”

There was no distinction between spear and shield. In a situation where she should appreciate such an attitude, the Empress somehow couldn’t shake off her discomfort.

She was inwardly surprised when he naturally announced his intention to step back from the Ricata affair, but didn’t particularly object.

There was no reason to dissuade him since he had already gotten what he wanted. From a long-term perspective, it was better to accommodate their wishes at this point.

However, as the Grand Duke continued to never mention Ricata or Sienna afterward, it was the Empress herself who began to feel uneasy. His excessively clean attitude bred anxiety rather than trust.

“You haven’t asked me anything thus far. I thought you would have many questions since an unexpected figure appeared at the hearing.”

“As I’ve told others, I do not intend to be involved in matters related to Ricata or Parma. I thought the Empress would have been informed of this, but it seems not.”

While reluctantly nodding, the Empress still wore an unconvinced expression.