It was painful that he had neglected me as a non-existent child until now, and then suddenly barged in on me worried that his son’s position might be threatened. Naturally, my tone in response was not pleasant.
[When Joseph ascends to the throne, he’ll deal with me first. Don’t deny it. You know better than anyone how much your other children detest me, Your Majesty.]
Tears fell involuntarily.
[Didn’t you bring all of this upon yourself in the first place?]
The feelings I had been swallowing for over a decade flowed out helplessly.
I had no interest in others’ love affairs, but looking back, the root of all this was my parents’ capricious love games.
It was he who abandoned the woman who had devoted herself to him during his time as a prince, along with their children, to marry the woman he had long admired as his empress.
While everyone warned that her ambition would bring great calamity, he stubbornly stamped the marriage papers. Thus, the emperor was responsible for everything that would unfold thereafter.
However, it seemed that even my resentment didn’t reach him. The emperor still spoke with an emotionless face.
[If you don’t get greedy, who would dare touch you? As long as I die as the emperor of this country, even your siblings can’t treat you recklessly. As you said, you are the empire’s only princess and a universally recognized figure.]
[…]
[So don’t covet things beyond your station. That’s the only way you can live honorably.]
The next morning, the emperor ordered the princess to be confined.
Beyond just issuing the order, he had the doors locked so that no one could enter or leave the princess’s quarters, and sent soldiers to monitor her every move.
As soon as the order was given, a sturdy lock was placed on the door of the beautiful annex that once symbolized the emperor’s favor.
The emperor had always been indifferent towards the princess, so everyone was in an uproar over this sudden and harsh treatment. However, no one knew the exact reason.
So, strange rumors began to circulate among people.
Some said the princess was pregnant with an illegitimate child from an affair with an outsider, while others claimed she had attempted to elope with a court jester.
These were all baseless rumors, but since no one knew the truth, no one could properly distinguish what was false.
Amidst the rampant rumors, a few facts became clear: the emperor had finally abandoned the princess, and consequently, Joseph’s ascension to the throne became even more certain.
No matter how isolated a place might be, no word fails to cross the walls of the imperial palace. Moreover, there was no need to be careful with words in front of the princess, who had become like a bucket with a broken string.
Only a few maids and Theodore Monches, in his capacity as a guard knight, remained by the princess’s side in the annex where she resided.
The maids, who were inadvertently confined along with their mistress, seemed to resent the princess quite a bit, but they didn’t show it openly to Sienna.
This was less out of fear of the princess, who had already lost her authority as a member of the royal family, and more out of consideration for Theodore, the guard knight.
In fact, Theodore was only puzzled about the reason for the confinement and didn’t resent the princess at all. Rather, he comforted her with his characteristically optimistic attitude.
[Your Highness, please don’t be too disheartened. His Majesty will soon withdraw his order. I don’t know what happened, but isn’t he known to be somewhat merciful to his flesh and blood?]
Although Sienna couldn’t agree with his words, they turned out to be half right in the end. On a day more than a month after the lock was placed on the annex, someone came from the emperor’s quarters.
It was a much earlier visit than expected.
[His Majesty has ordered that the princess’s confinement be lifted as of today.]
At those words, Theodore, who was nearby, shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘I told you so,’ but Sienna herself felt no particular emotion.
[Is it really a good thing that the confinement order has been lifted while all sorts of malicious rumors about me are already circulating outside?] She replied dryly, fixing her gaze back on her book.
[Tell him I’m grateful.]
[He also said he has something to tell Your Highness separately and asked you to come to his quarters tonight.]
Sienna didn’t even glance at the following words.
A month and a half. It was a short time, but long enough for the emotions that had been knotted inside her to wear down. She no longer had any feelings left for her father. Love-hate, resentment, expectations – none of these existed anymore.
Only fatigue remained.
[I’m not feeling well. I’m afraid I might cause trouble if I see him in this state. Tell him I’ll visit separately when my condition improves.]
Sienna sent the servant away with an appropriate excuse. Theo looked at her reproachfully for kicking away the opportunity, but she didn’t reverse her decision.
It’s obvious what he would say if I went, isn’t it? He probably intends to finish the lecture he couldn’t complete last time.
The rumors circulating inside and outside the palace were humiliating enough. Moreover, hadn’t he already come in person and poured out his thoughts once?
She always thought there would be a next time, and at the end of that foolish thought, she only realized things had gone wrong after losing something.
There were always only hopeless choices laid out before her, and Sienna had an excellent talent for picking the worst among them.
There had been no exceptions throughout her entire life.
The emperor didn’t make it past dawn that day, and until the moment Sienna took her own life, she never knew what her father had wanted to leave her with at the end.
****
It was a death everyone had anticipated.
As the emperor had been bedridden for a long time, there had already been some discussion about the funeral. Thanks to this, the funeral was concluded smoothly, but there was an unexpected issue.
Immediately after the ceremony, the imperial legal representative announced the emperor’s will before the gathered members of the royal family.
Sienna, too, for once gathered with her half-siblings, listening – or at least pretending to listen – to Baron Vermont, who held the position of legal representative.
The will was excessively long, and Baron Vermont seemed determined to recite it without missing a single letter, making it impossible to concentrate.
It was somewhat bearable up to the part praising the loyalty of some nobles, but when a clause about burying his body next to the deceased empress came up, she could hardly suppress a laugh.
Fortunately, thanks to the black veil covering her face, no one would have seen her expression.
[Lastly, I will speak about the distribution of the inheritance.]
Finally, as the baron turned to the last page, Sienna straightened her spine.
The will was as everyone had expected.
The throne was succeeded by Joseph, and Marianne and Dahlia each inherited magnificent castles and farms.
Although they couldn’t inherit titles according to inheritance law, they received a hefty portion of the emperor’s personal wealth, enough to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
And that was it.
Sienna, who had been sitting on the reception room sofa with her gaze lowered throughout, raised her eyes as soon as the words “That is all” fell from the baron’s lips.
[Is that the end?]
[Yes, Your Highness.]
Though he bowed his head respectfully, the baron’s face was tense. Understandably, he seemed to have anticipated her reaction. After all, Sienna’s name wasn’t mentioned at all in the will.
[Did you miss something?]
[We have checked the contents of the will several times, but…]
The baron trailed off, watching Sienna’s reaction. Then, in a shrinking voice, he said…
[His Majesty left nothing separately for Princess Sienna.]
[…Nothing at all.]
Sienna let out a hollow laugh alone.
[Are you joking right now?]
[I’m truly just telling you exactly as it is…]
[Cut the crap! Even the lowly illegitimate children received their share of the inheritance, but you’re saying there’s nothing left for me, the legitimate daughter?]
As her sharp voice cut off his words, the baron flinched and quickly shut his mouth. Sienna, who had been glaring at him, irritably lifted her veil and turned to the nobles standing nearby.
[My lords, do you think this makes any sense?]
[Your Highness, the emperor’s will has nothing to do with our intentions.]
Despite her angry voice, the nobles maintained a mechanical attitude.
[Moreover, after the Ricata ducal family was exterminated, all the properties owned by the family were transferred to the imperial family, so there’s nothing particularly strange about the contents of the will.]
[I see.]
Sienna nodded with a sneering face.
[If not you, then it must be someone else’s will.]
Her cold gaze turned to Joseph, who was sitting nearby. At her blatant suspicion, he smiled.
[Could it be that my sister, having spent so little time with our father, doesn’t know him well? Was His Majesty ever one to heed others’ wishes?]
Unlike his gentle smile, the tone of his smoothly delivered words was clearly mocking her. At his words touching on her long-standing inferiority complex, Sienna bit her lower lip.
It wasn’t the first time she had been overwhelmed by the urge to ruin his delicate face that so resembled their father’s, but never had it been as intense as today.
[You should know best, Sienna. He’s the one who ruthlessly eliminated even your mother, whom he so adored, when she became an obstacle to power.]
[Of course, I know well. Nevertheless, the fact that His Majesty did not strip me of my position, as well as the fact that your cunning mouth is not to be trusted… Seems like the situation isn’t very favorable for you, going around stirring things up as the crown prince?]
😁Thanks for the chapter