How to Perfectly Break Up with You

Despite the bustling start of early summer’s first social gathering, the actual subjects of the scandal went about their daily lives as if the public commotion had nothing to do with them.

Several days had already passed since Sienna secluded herself in the annex. Even the maids who had been casting curious glances at her while coming and going had now completely lost interest.

Sienna looked down at the newspaper with an expressionless face.

The announcement of her marriage filled the entire front page. The announcement was nothing more than flowery words detailing how glorious and joyous this marriage would be.

As soon as she conveyed her intention to comply with the Emperor’s wishes, he had immediately made it irrevocable, ensuring she couldn’t take back her word.

With a look of disgust, Sienna threw the newspaper onto the table. She ran her fingers through her hair irritably as she left the room.

‘This should do it.’

Regardless of her complicated feelings, she had done the best she could to conclude things. It was time to stop looking back.

Having bid farewell to Declan, an unpredictable future now lay ahead of her. If in her previous life she had survived by clinging to Declan, in this life she would have to survive purely on her own strength.

Though daunting, it wasn’t entirely cause for despair. This was how things should have been from the start.

While the air outside had definitely grown more humid than before, the colorful scenery before her eyes remained beautiful.

Her life had been a parade of monochrome for quite some time. Death after death and the harsh environment of Lopwell. That’s why the summer garden’s scenery was quite a stimulating sight for her after so long.

Sienna began wandering the garden aimlessly, trying to shake off the thoughts crowding her mind. Though her vision was filled with colorful flowers, today they failed to move her particularly.

‘Is it right to end things like this, without saying anything?’

She couldn’t help but feel uneasy about ending things this way with Declan, without properly conveying her rejection. It was customary to deliver such messages face to face, after all.

Lost deep in this unresolvable problem, Sienna walked forward mindlessly, completely forgetting that the garden extended all the way to the Empress’s quarters.

How much more time passed? Only when she turned a corner and came face to face with the Empress enjoying refreshments in the garden did her mind return to reality.

“Princess. Out for a walk?”

By the time she realized she should turn back, it was too late. The Empress’s face brightened as she spotted her and stood up abruptly. Having missed her chance to slip away quietly, Sienna awkwardly curtsied from her frozen position.

“Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Oh my. What perfect timing. I was just feeling lonely, being out here alone with the child.”

Sienna, who had been keeping her eyes downcast, finally noticed the young child in the Empress’s arms.

“Leo, say hello to your aunt.”

At the Empress’s affectionate voice, the tiny boy in her arms made a sound close to baby talk.

Suppressing the instinctive feeling of unease that rose within her, Sienna forced an awkward smile. Fortunately, the Empress seemed to interpret her awkward behavior as simply being unfamiliar with children.

“Would you like to join us? I’ll have the maid bring out some tea.”

The Empress smiled kindly as she invited Sienna to sit beside her. Sienna had no reason to decline.

As she sat down uncertainly, Leo lifted his head to look up at Sienna. When their eyes met, his doll-like large eyes blinked before breaking into a pure smile. Her heart sank heavily at that innocent smile.

“Oh my. Isn’t he just adorable?”

Sienna silently nodded. Perhaps mistaking her blank stare at Leo for being captivated by the child, the Empress’s eyes sparkled.

“Come to think of it, this must be your first time seeing him since you went to Lopwell, isn’t it?”

Was it?

In her previous life, she had seen Leo when he was older. Back then, she only thought he was mature for his age, but seeing him this young now stirred new emotions.

“Would you like to hold him?”

Before Sienna could refuse, the Empress quickly placed Leo in her arms. When a startled Sienna looked at Leo with a surprised face, the child, who had been staring up at her, broke into a bright smile.

“It seems Leo has taken a liking to you, Princess.”

Sienna’s face wavered dramatically as she looked down at the child.

After freezing for a moment, she slowly raised her hand to the child’s head. As she gently stroked his golden hair, the child gave a clear laugh.

Just as the Empress said, Leopold was incredibly lovable, making happy babbling sounds without any fear of the stranger holding him.

However, the more the baby moved in her arms, the stronger the storm grew in the depths of her heart. The soft, tender feeling unique to young babies was painfully familiar, cutting into a corner of her heart.

‘My child is already dead, yet Joseph’s child is alive and well.’

Her face darkened as she looked down at the child.

She knew the child was innocent. But still…

Sienna averted her gaze from the child, swallowing the emotions that threatened to surge up. She turned her head, pretending to look around so the Empress wouldn’t see her tearful face.

“But where are the nursemaids? Why is Your Majesty personally caring for the Prince?”

Fortunately, the Empress didn’t seem to notice anything suspicious about her behavior.

“It’s holiday season, after all. I told the nursemaids to visit their hometowns for a while. The Emperor seemed quite displeased that I gave everyone vacation at once… but if not now, when would I get to spend time with my son?”

A dark shadow fell across the Empress’s face.

Though Leopold was the Emperor’s only son, his mother’s foreign origins did him no favors. Moreover, since the Empress was young, the nobles had completely opposed her involvement in Leo’s upbringing when he was born.

They claimed she was unsuitable in many ways to raise the future Emperor of the empire.

The Emperor ultimately sided with the nobles, and the nursemaids were personally selected by Marianne.

In her previous life, Leopold had grown into a proper young man meeting everyone’s expectations, but he had been closer to his aunt Marianne than his own mother. To be precise, it was more like Marianne’s one-sided obsession.

“Then today must be a holiday for just the two of you. I hope I’m not intruding on your private time.”

“Intruding? Not at all.”

The Empress’s smile turned bitter. It wasn’t difficult to notice the loneliness embedded in it.

“If anything, I’m grateful for the company.”

The Empress’s face grew even more melancholic. Sienna silently watched her.

‘Understandable.’

Many families had wanted Joseph as a son-in-law.

Being a handsome man who closely resembled the previous emperor in his youth, and since he would inherit the throne unless the empire’s laws were drastically changed, his illegitimate status wasn’t a major issue.

Meanwhile, the Empress, only a couple of years older than Dahlia, had quite an age gap with Joseph, and her kingdom of origin wasn’t particularly prestigious. At the time, she clearly wasn’t the optimal choice for Joseph.

Nevertheless, their relationship after marriage had been amicable. While the Emperor hadn’t granted her proper authority as a monarch, he had done his best as a husband in his own way.

Joseph, who had grown up witnessing his father’s infidelity, remained faithful to his wife and never looked at another woman after taking his marriage vows. This was something Sienna had acknowledged even in her previous life.

The problem was Marianne. Her ambition ran in a different direction from Joseph’s. Perhaps it was because she had grown up being despised as an illegitimate child. Even after her circumstances improved and her status was restored, she yearned to soar even higher.

The vision she wanted for her brother was for him to marry a woman from a royal family powerful enough to rival the imperial family, placing the entire Kralto continent under his feet.

In that regard, the Empress, with her unremarkable family background, was nothing but a thorn in Marianne’s side, someone who couldn’t contribute to her brother’s advancement.

She must have also feared losing her brother’s affection. Until now, Joseph had been an infinitely generous brother to Marianne, and to some extent, a father figure as well.

For such siblings, the emergence of a new family member besides herself must have triggered unexpected fears in Marianne.

Such anxiety would have clouded her rational judgment.

Even when the Empress gave birth to Joseph’s legitimate heir the year after their marriage, the signs of displeasure didn’t disappear. Rather, it was Marianne who incited the nobles, suggesting that the foreign-born Empress might negatively influence the prince.

“Of course… I must seem unreliable to you too, Princess. Feel free to leave if you wish.”

The Empress said with an awkward smile.

Though the Empress’s power was minimal, she was still the birth mother of the future emperor. That alone was reason enough to avoid becoming her enemy, even if they couldn’t be allies.

You never know. Establishing a friendly relationship with the Empress now might prove helpful after going to Parma.

Sienna, who had been quietly keeping her eyes lowered, smiled gently at the Empress.

“This worked out perfectly. I’ve been feeling rather stifled, unable to leave the annex since injuring my ankle.”

When she expressed her willingness to join the tea time, the dimples on the Empress’s cheeks deepened.