As she lowered her head towards the window, she could see men busily moving around the castle walls.
Would she have to live here for the rest of her life, enduring cold and hunger every winter? Without any hope.
Sienna, leaning against the wall, closed her eyes with a faint sigh.
Though less severe than winter, the days were monotonous. It was the end of spring, soon to enter summer.
Although it seemed early, the monastery was already preparing for the harsh winter season. Preparations merely involved repairing the castle walls to keep out the cold and securing as much food as possible.
For this reason, Theodore had been busy helping the male priests repair the castle walls lately.
Sienna’s only semblance of a daily routine was sitting by the window, absentmindedly watching the wall repairs, or having brief conversations with Jane, who occasionally visited her room.
Recently, Sienna had been spending more time with Jane than with Theodore. It had been this way ever since Jane stayed by her side when she was bedridden with a high fever, instead of the healers who were busy treating the soldiers.
Even after Sienna had somewhat recovered her health, Jane continued to visit her room regularly to check on her condition.
It wasn’t uncomfortable. Jane was knowledgeable about healing arts and herbs, and didn’t show unnecessary interest in others, which in that respect made her even better than the overzealous Theodore.
“Your Highness. You’re not planning to stand there all day, are you?”
Sienna, standing by the window, turned her head at the voice from behind.
“You haven’t been eating properly for days, and Sir Monches is worried. He’s even asked me to keep an eye on whether you’re having proper meals.”
“I told you I have no appetite.”
“Still, you need to eat well to take your medicine.”
Sienna, who had been looking at Jane organizing herbs for the healers with a bored expression, suddenly asked.
“By the way, you’re not a healer, so how did you learn the healing arts?”
Healers were usually selected from a small number of clergy and given qualifications after a separate process. They wore clothing distinct from priests and focused solely on healing instead of conducting mass, but Jane looked no different from an ordinary priest.
However, considering her skillful handling of herbs and apparent familiarity with patient care, there was something different about her compared to a typical priest.
“Before coming here, I was in training to become a healer.”
“Before coming here?”
“Yes. I was dismissed from my trainee status and sent here for a behavior that went against the doctrine.”
Sienna nodded silently at the calm reply.
“I see.”
Jane suddenly looked up at the equally indifferent response.
“Aren’t you uncomfortable, Your Highness?”
“About what?”
“You don’t know what crime I committed to end up here.”
“Well, I don’t think you would have done something so heinous to be sent here.”
Sienna snorted silently as she replied nonchalantly.
“Besides, from my experience, the Empire’s trials don’t seem very fair. I suppose the Church is no different.”
It was a rather blunt statement, but Jane kept her mouth shut.
She silently resumed preparing the herbs, and Sienna turned her head back towards the window.
Peaceful silence fell again. It was then that a knock on the door was heard.
“Come in.”
Sienna said without even turning her gaze, assuming without doubt that it would be Theodore.
However, the person who opened the door and entered was a well-groomed man in a pristine white uniform. It was the distinctive attire of the Imperial Guards, adorned with numerous glittering medals. Sienna frowned slightly as she recognized the identity of this unexpected visitor.
The reason for a member of the Emperor’s direct unit to come here was always obvious. She knew that while ostensibly inquiring about the Princess’s well-being, in reality, they were trying to persuade Theodore to return to the capital.
The man walked up to her, stopped in front of her, and bowed his head.
“I greet Your Highness, the Princess.”
“If you’re looking for Sir Monches, he just stepped out for a moment.”
Sienna replied without even giving him a glance. Despite her cold attitude, instead of retreating, he took out a piece of mail from his bag and handed it to her.
“I apologize, but His Majesty instructed that this be delivered to Your Highness, not Sir Monches.”
At these words, Sienna’s gaze shifted back to the man and then to the mail held out before her. As she slowly accepted it, the man withdrew his hand with precise movements.
“The Imperial Guards will come to escort Your Highness in the near future.”
“…..”
“It should be an appropriate period to prepare for your return to the capital.”
Sienna, who had been examining the glossy envelope, suddenly raised her head.
“The capital?”
Instead of answering, the man smiled faintly. It was a smile of unclear intention.
“I will visit again soon, Your Highness.”
Rather than answering Sienna’s question, he bowed as if his business was concluded and left the study. Jane, who had been staring blankly at the man, turned to Sienna with a puzzled expression.
But Sienna was equally clueless. She looked down at the envelope she was holding with a face full of confusion. The envelope, made of soft parchment, was sealed with the imperial seal.
–[To Her Highness Princess Sienna Maloney, Lopwell Monastery]
Her heart pounded ominously.
****
That afternoon, Theodore returned earlier than usual, carrying something packed, and began to move busily on his own.
However, Jane was busy writing prayer texts for the weekend mass, and Sienna was deeply lost in her own thoughts as usual, so neither paid much attention to him.
As Sienna sat by the window, staring blankly outside, Theodore suddenly held out a glass of water to her.
Sienna, who had mindlessly accepted it, frowned at the sharp sour smell that assaulted her nose.
“What’s this?”
“It’s water with lemon juice.”
That wasn’t why she had asked.
Fruit was a luxury food that only the wealthy ate even in the capital, let alone how precious it must be here. Sienna, who had been staring at the glass Theodore offered for a while, replied sarcastically.
“Seeing you bring something like this to me, I wonder if the Abbot has finally gone senile?”
Theodore looked down at her blankly.
“That’s unlikely. His Grace the Grand Duke gave it to me before he left.”
“…What?”
“When he heard that Your Highness had no appetite, he gave me this. He said that when the body is weak, drinking water mixed with lemon juice and sugar is effective.”
Then he added with a slightly embarrassed face.
“Sugar is so hard to come by, so it’s just water with lemon juice. Still, it should be easier to drink than plain water.”
Sienna accepted the glass, muttering thanks with a sour expression. But far from drinking it right away, she just stared at the glass of water for a long time.
Jane suddenly looked at Theodore as if puzzled.
“How did someone who’s been on the battlefield all this time manage to get fruit?”
“Well… It must have been sent by His Majesty. Unlike the Emperor, who pays little attention even if people starve to death in this remote land, His Grace is always very attentive.”
“You’re capable of quite irreverent speech, Theodore.”
“I’m merely stating facts.”
Theodore replied glibly. Nevertheless, Sienna’s face remained furrowed. She looked down at the glass of water she was holding, still frowning.
“You didn’t just put in rotten fruit, did you?”
“How could I? Even I can tell the difference between rotten and fresh fruit.”
Theodore responded, pretending to be offended, but Sienna brought the glass to her lips with a face that couldn’t shake off her suspicion until the end.
A tangy and slightly bitter flavor spread through her mouth. In her previous life, this was the taste she had craved addictively when bedridden.
When her health had severely deteriorated, even swallowing anything was a struggle. Even plain water tasted unpalatable, and when she reached the point of not being able to drink water properly, Declan had sent all sorts of fruits to the Grand Duke’s residence, instructing that they be added to her drinking water.
After Sienna’s body had fallen apart, even though they were living separately in mansions near the capital and in Monferrato, he would send enormous quantities of fruit with each change of season.
So, apart from feeling somewhat refreshed, a question bloomed in her mind.
Is this just a mere coincidence?
After taking a few sips and wiping her lips with the back of her hand, Sienna narrowed her eyes.
‘It can’t be a coincidence.’
What exactly was she expecting?
It’s just a lemon. It was quite a spectacle that she was indulging in such absurd imaginations over a mere fruit. Sienna glared at the innocent glass of water for no reason and then placed it on the table.
This must be just an act of consideration. A coincidence stemming from his habitual thoughtfulness.
Sienna bit her lower lip, trying to find a suitable topic to divert her mind elsewhere. In the process, she turned to Theodore with a faint exclamation.
“By the way, did you hear anything from the Count?”
“My brother? What do you mean…”
“Joseph sent me a letter. He said he had something to tell me and asked me to return to the capital.”
Theodore blinked his large eyes with a clueless expression. His green eyes rolled upwards in a parabola as if recalling past memories, then turned serious.
“What sudden reason could there be?”
Sienna shrugged with a face that said ‘how should I know?’
“The letter only said to return to the capital.”
He had once thrown a fit when she returned to the capital ignoring his orders, so what was this about now? No matter how much she pondered alone, nothing came to mind.
“I suppose I’ll have to visit the Abbot soon.”
💕❤💕