As time passed, Sienna grew into an exceptionally beautiful woman without fail.
Her pearl-like skin contrasted with her black hair. With facial features closely resembling her mother, who was known for her exceptional beauty, and inheriting her father’s aristocratic aura, she was undeniably a stunning beauty to anyone who saw her.
However, what use was such an excellent appearance?
Having experienced her mother’s death, others’ cold treatment, and her father’s capricious affection, Sienna grew into a young lady full of cynicism and twisted pride.
She distrusted others and was always anxious that someone might harm her, abnormally obsessing over her bloodline and status.
Her mother’s death constantly lingered in a corner of her mind, whispering that there was no guarantee she wouldn’t end up the same way.
Her insomnia, stemming from emotional instability, worsened, eating away at her day by day.
****
At an untimely hunting competition held during the rainy season, the Emperor contracted severe pneumonia.
In his youth, he had enjoyed hunting even in heavy rain, but now in middle age, he couldn’t easily shake off the illness.
After a month of being bedridden with no signs of improvement, discussions about the next imperial succession began among the nobles.
Of course, there wasn’t much to discuss. The Emperor had only one son. Although he was born out of wedlock, the nobles were grateful that the son wasn’t born to a traitor.
As the Emperor’s condition worsened, the tide rapidly turned in Joseph’s favor.
Even the nobles who had kept silent began to side with Joseph one by one.
While Joseph showed no particular reaction, his only full sister, Marianne, began to act triumphantly, as if her brother had already inherited the throne.
All of these circumstances suffocated Sienna.
[Your Highness. Have you heard?]
It was the day when young ladies of high society gathered at the Imperial Palace for the New Year. Among all the young women of high status in the empire gathered in one place, Marianne, who would normally have been quick to ignore Sienna, suddenly approached her with an impertinent face.
Despite usually giving even perfunctory greetings with an insulting expression, today her face was exceptionally bright.
[My brother has been appointed as the commander for the Bunlosher battle this time. His assigned unit is none other than the army led by Grand Duke Monferrato. Even Your Highness, who is uninterested in outside affairs, must know how great His Grace the Grand Duke is, right?]
The tone was somehow condescending. It seemed she wanted to boast about her brother’s promotion in front of others, but Sienna had no desire to play along.
Sienna responded with an expressionless face.
[Is that so? Congratulations.]
[Of course. It seems His Majesty is finally going to share military power with my brother.]
While saying words clearly meant to provoke, her eyes were busily observing Sienna’s reaction.
Sienna let out a hollow laugh at this behavior that knew no bounds. It seems she has nothing to fear now that her brother is starting to be treated as a successor.
Rumors were openly circulating that the Emperor wouldn’t survive the year, and she had also heard that those flattering Joseph had increased, but she never expected them to reveal their true intentions so blatantly.
It wasn’t unreasonable for Marianne to be elated, having lived without a proper title due to being an illegitimate child, and now suddenly having all sorts of nobles fawning over her.
The noble young ladies around them watched the two with faces mixed with anxiety and curiosity.
Staying silent to see how far she would go, the other party seemed to think she felt insulted and continued to chatter with an even more excited face.
[That’s not all! This time, my brother to the Grand Duke..]
Marianne, who had been excitedly running her mouth, suddenly seemed to realize her mistake and hurriedly closed it. However, just seeing her ears turning increasingly red, it was clear what she had been about to say. Sienna couldn’t help but sneer.
[Why? Is he going to try asking the Grand Duke to take you as his wife this time?]
At those words, snickers could be heard from the gathered crowd. Marianne’s face instantly flushed red.
[Your brother seems to care for you a great deal.]
The comment was half genuine admiration and half sarcasm. Even Sienna, who was detached from social circles, knew well that the young head of the Grand Duke’s family hadn’t shown interest in women despite being over twenty.
She had heard that several families had discreetly proposed to him, yet he still hadn’t taken a wife. Still, if it were the imperial family, even a man with such high standards wouldn’t be able to refuse easily.
However, Marianne, thinking she had been unnecessarily embarrassed, frowned.
[It’s probably because they’ve been through so many hardships together since childhood. Besides, forming a connection with the Grand Duke would be a strong support for my brother, not just for my sake.]
She paused for a moment, then twisted her lips into a smirk.
[Of course, it’s probably not something Your Highness would be interested in. If you’d like, shall I ask my brother to find a suitable match for Your Highness?]
[Thank you, but I’ll just accept the sentiment. For now, it seems more appropriate to focus on your own marriage first, don’t you think?]
Sienna’s patience was wearing thin. She replied in a dry tone and waved her hand dismissively.
[That’s enough of your presumptuous meddling. You should withdraw now. Starting the new year facing each other isn’t pleasant for either of us, is it?]
A deep look of disgust flashed across Marianne’s face at the sudden insult, but she quickly composed herself, paid her respects, and quietly withdrew.
There would be plenty of opportunities to return the insult she had suffered anyway. Sienna also knew that today was just the beginning.
After returning from the gathering that had continued in a chaotic atmosphere, Sienna reflected on the earlier conversation and suddenly recalled the face of a noble man.
His excellent appearance, unsuited for a soldier’s profession, and the power and honor he possessed.
As Marianne had said, if his only younger sister became his wife, it would be tantamount to Joseph gaining a truly powerful ally.
The power that came with the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Army was indeed tremendous. Moreover, the influence the Grand Duke held in his own right was not to be underestimated. Wasn’t he revered by the people of the empire almost as much as the Emperor?
Considering that high-ranking officials of the Imperial Knights had previously overseen the military, he was the first to rise to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Army as a soldier.
Unlike other soldiers who were mostly of humble origins, his noble birth had played a part. But considering the past when the Grand Duke’s family had been on the brink of extinction, this was an achievement he had accomplished entirely on his own.
The Imperial Knights, acting high and mighty as nobles, often looked down on the soldiers, so it was natural for the soldiers to support the Grand Duke who had rolled in the battlefield with them.
Moreover, the man was loyal. Those who disliked him disparaged him, saying he could even lick the Emperor’s boot, but Sienna quite liked him.
The Emperor was suspicious and sometimes abnormally emotional, so being excessively humble was the best way to ease the Emperor’s wariness. Therefore, the Grand Duke’s conduct was extremely wise.
Despite having immense military power, he only obeyed his master’s orders without ever showing ambition. What better military dog could there be?
The more she thought about it, the more he seemed like an excellent card. Sienna needed such an existence.
Someone noble and solid who could be an excellent shield in any situation.
As her thoughts reached this point, she belatedly felt a twist in her gut.
The empire’s foremost grand nobleman would hardly side with an imperial princess labeled as the daughter of a traitor.
And unlike her, who had no particular connection with him, Joseph was close enough to go hunting together. Not to mention Marianne, who openly admired him.
While Sienna wasn’t particularly moved by the beauty of the man everyone praised, she did highly regard his political acumen.
While the deaths of the previous Grand Duke and his wife were officially concluded as accidental, it was obvious whose scheme was behind it.
However, instead of rebelling against the Emperor, the Grand Duke obediently left for the battlefield and eventually returned as a hero. Therefore, gaining him was tantamount to gaining the military.
Unlike Joseph, who had the backing of the powerful Grand Duke’s family, Sienna was at a disadvantage in every situation. To survive, she needed to win over the influential class and those with military power, but what noble would side with a princess in name only?
Although she was still treated as an imperial princess now, people were whispering that it wouldn’t be long before that worn-out thread would break.
Even the families who had sworn loyalty to the House of Ricata had long since turned their backs on her, let alone other nobles.
So, in the end, the answer lay elsewhere.
****
As the succession was clearly leaning towards Joseph, in her current situation, it was more feasible to challenge the empire’s archaic inheritance laws than to persuade the nobles to take her side.
To this end, Sienna began gathering all the materials she could find related to inheritance laws in other countries. This was to prove how absurd the empire’s current inheritance law was.
Along with the evidence she had gathered, she wrote and submitted her own opinion paper, but the council repeatedly ignored her views.
While acknowledging the inequality in the law, they seemed displeased that a princess dared to meddle in their rights.
They always made excuses like “We understand Your Highness’s feelings, but it’s not right to tamper with the law book carelessly” and rejected her proposals.
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