The conversation topics were uniformly dull and trivial. They discussed things like Leo’s newly learned words and the latest popular jewelry items among young noblewomen.
As the conversation went on, Leo, who had been nestled in the Empress’s arms, began to squirm restlessly.
“Leo, you need to stay still.”
Though the Empress gently admonished him, he was too young for such warnings to have any effect. Sure enough, Leo frowned and struggled to break free from her embrace. Sienna watched the two of them thoughtfully and reflected.
‘He’s actually quite mild-mannered. If it were Soliet, there would have been a crying fit by now.’
There was a reason she had earned the nickname “The Grand Duke’s Wild Colt.” A faint smile flickered across Sienna’s face at the old memory before quickly disappearing.
As Sienna silently observed the meaningless struggle between mother and son, she wordlessly lifted her teacup.
That’s when it happened. Leo’s tiny hand, still struggling with all his might in the Empress’s arms, snatched at one of the teacups on the table.
“Leo!”
The Empress hurriedly reached out to grab it, but it was too late. The tea spilled directly onto her dress.
Fortunately, the tea had cooled, but the Empress’s dress was ruined. She looked down at her skirts with dismay.
“Oh dear, what should I do?”
One of the nearby maids quickly stepped forward to take Leo. She was probably around the Empress’s age, and her manner of holding the child was awkward.
“I suppose I’ll have to change clothes…”
The Empress looked between her maids and Sienna with a troubled expression.
She clearly didn’t want to end this rare moment of leisure this way. The fact that she didn’t know when she’d next get to spend time alone with her son also played a part. Instead of taking Leo with her, she apologetically asked Sienna for understanding.
“Would you mind waiting a moment? I’ll be right back.”
“Please take your time, Your Majesty.”
Since the Empress’s quarters were just nearby, Sienna nodded without much thought.
However, as soon as the Empress disappeared from view, Leopold, still in the maid’s arms, began to whimper anxiously.
****
In the Grand Duke’s office, as he worked as usual, the Count glanced sideways at his lord who seemed distracted by work.
Though he had missed the recent party to care for his sick wife, the widespread rumors had naturally reached the Count’s ears as well – those implausible rumors suggesting that this princess and the Grand Duke were more than just acquaintances.
And it wasn’t just rumors. Whether or not the scandal that had shaken society was true, it was clear that his lord had been acting strange lately.
Someone who rarely drank now came to work smelling of alcohol from the morning. He didn’t seem to be sleeping properly either, given the dark circles under his eyes, and his already sharp features seemed even more severe due to weight loss.
The Count’s face grew complicated as he looked down at his documents. In truth, he couldn’t even focus on the words on the page.
‘What exactly happened…?’
The Grand Duke normally detested dancing at balls. He would only occasionally dance with the First Princess when directly requested by the Emperor, but never voluntarily danced with anyone.
And now this princess? It was beyond unexpected – it was absurd. She was someone who could bring no benefit, only harm, from association. Moreover, the Grand Duke himself should know this better than anyone.
Perhaps something happened in Lopwell?
He might have missed something. Lopwell was unfamiliar territory for the Grand Duke, and he might have received some small help from the princess, knowingly or unknowingly… Upon reflection, this seemed like the most plausible hypothesis.
Meanwhile, the Count completely dismissed the possibility that the Grand Duke might have romantic feelings for the princess. That would be truly absurd.
Rio Monches knew better than anyone how his lord had dedicated his life to reviving his family after losing them all in a single day.
Hadn’t he survived through the mud while being mocked as the faithful hound of the enemy who had killed his blood relatives? While there was no dispute about the princess’s exceptional beauty, to the Grand Duke she was merely the daughter of the person who had massacred his family.
Even if he had developed such feelings, the Grand Duke was never one to be easily swayed by momentary emotions.
As the Count was pondering these unresolvable questions, he suddenly remembered an article he’d read that morning. He turned to the Grand Duke.
“Your Grace, have you heard? They say envoys from Parma will be arriving soon.”
“Isn’t it a bit early for envoys? The engagement hasn’t even been officially announced yet.”
Declan, wrestling with piles of documents, grumbled irritably with a cigar in his mouth.
The Count looked at him with surprise. Hadn’t he seen the announcement that had been prominently displayed on the front page of the newspaper a few days ago?
“An official notice was released recently. It announced the marriage between Her Highness the Second Princess and the King of Parma.”
At these words, the pen that had been moving smoothly came to an abrupt halt. The Count, not noticing this, continued while shuffling through documents.
“Moreover, I heard Her Highness personally accepted the proposal.”
Declan raised his head with a dumbfounded expression.
“…She personally accepted?”
“Yes. Strange, isn’t it? I never thought this princess would accept so readily.”
The Count spoke casually, as if discussing gossip about some other family while organizing papers. But Declan couldn’t say a word.
Ink dripped from his stopped pen. The ink pooled in round drops on the document before flowing down to reach his hand. Only then did his confused eyes return to the document.
It was paperwork regarding repairs to the Monferrato mansion. Some of the items that the house butler had neatly listed were now illegible due to the ink.
Declan put down his pen and crumpled the ruined document. Looking at the crumpled paper in his hand, he suddenly let out a bitter laugh.
“The Emperor played his hand well.”
At this cynical remark, the Count nodded in agreement.
“It’s true that Her Highness becoming Queen of Parma would benefit His Majesty more than anyone.”
By custom, Sienna should have had ownership rights to the Ricata territory. However, the Empire’s law didn’t recognize women’s succession rights, and even the late Emperor’s will, which had been one ray of hope, had betrayed Sienna. Thus, this princess couldn’t be guaranteed anything.
Declan stared blankly at his ink-stained hand before slowly rising from his seat.
“I need to go to the training grounds.”
The Count watched Declan leave the study with confusion, then finally checked the time. There was still plenty of time until noon when training was supposed to start.
“…He’s going early.”
The Count sighed and stood up. He was just reaching out to organize the documents the Grand Duke had written when he unconsciously looked at them and found himself frowning.
Among the butler’s documents was Declan’s additional memo in his characteristically bold handwriting. It was instructions to purchase orange tree saplings. This seemed oddly out of place among the documents that listed staff salaries and necessary supplies for the mansion.
‘Doesn’t he dislike sweet things?’
The Count tilted his head with a puzzled expression. After briefly pondering his lord’s food preferences, he shook his head.
“He’s really been strange lately.”
Even though he had always been difficult to read, lately it felt as if he wasn’t the same person the Count had known.
****
The news of this princess’s engagement was just as hot a topic within the Imperial Palace. Perhaps because of this, the atmosphere was more unsettled than usual when Declan entered the palace. Several nobles openly stared at him as they passed through the palace.
Gaius, who had arrived at the palace earlier, whispered to Declan after seeing this.
“It’s not just because of the party, Your Grace. The palace is buzzing about opening the eastern border. Though nothing’s certain yet, there’s talk of military changes when the Parman delegation arrives.”
The soldiers stationed at the border were under Declan’s command, and the eastern border with Parma was no exception.
However, the problem was that despite the announcement of the delegation’s imminent visit, Declan had yet to receive any word from the Emperor about it.
“We should bring the troops from the northern border to the capital while the delegation is here. The Imperial Guard will handle security, so it shouldn’t be our concern.”
Though Declan spoke dismissively, Gaius’s face showed unease as he spoke.
“His Majesty did say something similar… but there’s something quite suspicious about it. Instead of ordering border troops to the capital, he said he’d delegate everything to the Imperial Knights.”
Declan stopped walking and turned to look at him.
“What do you mean?”
“He says he’ll entrust all capital security to the Knights while the delegation is here.”
At these words, Declan’s brow furrowed slightly.
The Imperial Knights might have an impressive name, but in reality, they were merely the Imperial family’s private army.
The Imperial Guard who served closest to the Emperor belonged to the Knights, and the guards protecting members of the Imperial family were all part of the Imperial Knights – they were an organization dedicated solely to the Imperial family’s safety.
However, the Empire’s national security clearly fell under military jurisdiction. Though there was once a time when the military was seen as subordinate to the Knights, they were now distinctly separate organizations.
Therefore, according to Gaius’s words, the Emperor was clearly overstepping his authority.
