Sienna’s breathing became increasingly ragged as she quickly left the banquet hall.
The reason she had come here with such a carefree attitude was simple. She just didn’t want to irritate Joseph and create troublesome situations unnecessarily.
She hadn’t given much thought to Declan. She never imagined he would approach her first.
That’s because before their encounter at Lopwell, they had merely exchanged formal greetings. But today, hearing his words, it was as if…
‘Do I have some forgotten memory?’
She tried to recall any hazy memories, but nothing particularly stood out. Even on the rare occasions when he visited the imperial palace, she hardly had a chance to meet him alone due to Marianne, who was desperate to stay by his side.
Questions that kept popping up became tangled like a skein of thread in her mind. Sienna, walking with unsteady steps, placed her hand on the railing.
Her stomach churned.
As she descended the stairs holding onto the railing, she saw people gathered in the corridor below, chatting quietly. At that sight, Sienna’s body stiffened.
Although it looked peaceful, if she were to appear before them, the current atmosphere would vanish without a trace.
Sienna recalled the stares and silence directed at her when she first entered the banquet hall earlier.
Curious gazes and a chilly atmosphere. Just remembering it made her feel stifled.
She turned the corner with muffled steps, heading towards the opposite side of the corridor. While dancing in front of the crowd, she had desperately endured to hide her emotions, but now she didn’t even have the strength for that.
The opposite end of the corridor led to a terrace connecting to the outdoor garden. Although following the corridor would be the quickest way to her quarters, right now she was more desperate to be free from people’s gazes, even if it meant taking a longer route.
Fortunately, due to the rain, there was no one on the terrace.
Sienna finally breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out onto the terrace. Compared to the sharp gazes and whispers about her, even the cold raindrops felt comforting.
As she moved away from the terrace roof, her dress began to get increasingly wet.
‘By the time I reach the annex, I’ll be a mess.’
A self-deprecating laugh escaped her as she thought about how often she had been caught in the rain lately.
Although the rain was light, the terrace floor was very slippery due to the prolonged rainfall. Moreover, the shoes Sienna was wearing had quite high heels.
In such conditions, maintaining balance on the wet marble was by no means easy. As a result, Sienna descended the stairs with extremely cautious movements.
It was just as she put her foot on the last step. No sooner had she stepped onto the rain-soaked stairs than her heel slipped, causing her ankle to twist.
Before she could even register the pain, her body, unable to maintain balance, toppled forward. A short scream escaped her.
Anticipating falling face-first into the mud, she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
At that moment, a strong grip seized her arm.
Thanks to the unexpected force, her body, which had been tilted halfway towards the muddy ground, barely managed to stop. As Sienna slowly turned around, she was shocked to confirm the identity of the man holding her.
“Why are you here…”
His breathing was slightly ragged, as if he had run here. An inexplicable heat smoldered in his violet eyes. He seemed angry, but also somehow sorrowful.
As Sienna unconsciously took a step back, she let out a low groan at the sudden pain in her ankle. Only then did Declan lower his gaze. It seemed she had twisted her foot while stepping down the stairs. He let out a faint sigh.
“Forgive my rudeness.”
He placed her arm around his shoulder, and suddenly her body was lifted into the air.
“Your Grace!”
Sienna cried out in alarm and struggled, but he didn’t budge.
Although most of the imperial palace staff were focused on the banquet, guards and maids would still be around in various places. If someone were to see them in this situation…
As that thought crossed her mind, her face turned pale. Her struggling intensified.
“This isn’t necessary. We can just call a maid…”
“In your condition, you won’t be able to take even a single step.”
Although he had never formally studied healing arts, he had spent most of his life on battlefields. After spending a long time in places where people died every day, one naturally becomes capable of administering first aid for most injuries.
He continued down the stairs while carrying Sienna. The motion caused her to press even closer to him. She could feel his faint breath above her head.
Perhaps because she had been angry at him alone until just moments ago due to the incident in the banquet hall, Sienna found this moment extremely awkward and uncomfortable.
Not only that, but the excessively close proximity was somehow suffocating. As she deliberately tried to separate herself from him, the arms holding her tightened their grip.
Sienna repeated her futile resistance several times, and he easily subdued her each time.
“If you fall from this height, your back won’t be in good shape either.”
“…”
“I assume that’s not what you want.”
His voice was noble, but it was no different from a threat to stay still. Sienna glared at him with dissatisfaction for a moment before giving up and ceasing her struggles.
All she could do while being carried by him was pray that no one else would witness this sight.
****
When the two arrived at the annex where the imperial princess resided, the maids there were thrown into a frenzy.
It was already an unbelievable sight for the Grand Duke to suddenly appear carrying the princess, but both of them were also wet from the rain, which made it even more shocking.
Although the light rainfall had spared them from being completely soaked, the Duke’s wet golden hair and the mud on the hem of the princess’s dress were enough to cause astonishment.
“Y-Your Grace! What on earth…”
“She injured her ankle. Call for a healer.”
Declan gave a brief order as he passed by the frantic maids.
As soon as he entered the room, he sat Sienna down on the side bed and selected a large piece of ice from the ice bucket where the water jug was kept on the shelf. He wrapped the ice in the princess’s handkerchief, which was neatly placed on the shelf, and approached her.
As she stared at him blankly, Declan bent down in front of her and knelt on one knee.
His hands, too beautiful for a soldier’s, removed her mud-covered shoes without hesitation. The contrast between her exposed snow-white foot and the reddening, swollen ankle above it was stark.
He slowly brought the ice wrapped in cloth to her ankle.
Sienna frowned at the cold sensation, but quickly grabbed his hand.
“Your Grace, this is enough. Please return now.”
It was still time for the banquet to be in full swing.
Joseph would certainly not be pleased with his absence. Moreover, if both he and she were absent at the same time, it would be enough to fuel unnecessary rumors.
Although Declan must have known this as well, he acted as if he hadn’t heard. His gaze remained fixed on her ankle.
Her naturally slender ankle was noticeably swollen and red with inflammation. Declan’s face darkened as he looked at it.
“It’s my fault.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Please allow me to stay at least until the healer arrives. If you wish to punish me, I’ll accept whatever you decide.”
Sienna silently let out a sigh.
Punishment? It was true that she had engaged in an untimely battle of wills with him just before getting injured, but slipping on the wet stairs and twisting her ankle was a separate issue.
“It’s my fault for misstepping, so don’t feel unnecessarily guilty. And about what you said earlier…”
Sienna hesitated, trailing off. Suddenly, she remembered what he had said in the banquet hall. She silently looked at him for a moment, then averted her gaze slightly.
“Regarding what happened in the banquet hall, I already know it wasn’t your true intention, so there’s no need to worry about it.”
She maintained a deliberately calm voice and showed a forgiving attitude, but he said nothing.
She thought that after she had gone this far, it was Declan’s turn to say something like “The joke went too far” or “Thank you for your forgiveness,” but he just silently stared at her ankle.
Sienna, who had been looking at him with a slightly displeased expression, followed his gaze down to her ankle.
The large piece of ice was slowly shrinking as it came into contact with the heat of her ankle. Declan, bending down at her feet, was turning the ice at an angle to properly cool the inflammation.
Sienna’s gaze slowly moved from the handkerchief getting wet to the long fingers holding it.
Perhaps due to the cold sensation of the ice, the tips of his fingers were slightly red. The same color as her swollen ankle.
Sienna blinked slowly.
Applying ice to her ankle was something that could have been done by the maids, or she could have easily done it herself. It wasn’t something a man of his high status should be doing.
Even as she thought this, why was it…
The cold sensation on her ankle no longer felt like pain.
As she was staring at his fingertips, immersed in this puzzling sensation, Declan suddenly spoke.
“Even if Your Highness becomes the Queen of Parma, you won’t be able to lead a peaceful life. Although we maintain outwardly friendly relations, it’s a well-known fact that the kingdoms of the continent don’t have particularly good feelings towards the Empire.”
Sienna frowned slightly at this sudden statement, then belatedly let out a faint exclamation of “Ah.”
