HPBUY Chapter 36

Even the Count Monches at that time, who had barely survived, were placed under house arrest and forbidden from ever setting foot in the capital again – it was truly a complete destruction.

However, everyone knew that the Grand Duke’s incident wasn’t merely the result of misfortune.

After the Grand Duke’s family, even the Ricata Duchy. Before the devastating sight of prominent noble families of the continent crumbling under the Emperor’s hand, no one had the courage to speak the truth.

“I know very well what’s best for me, Your Highness.”

He finally spoke. His voice was unexpectedly calm.

“Besides, the late Grand Duke’s incident was merely an unfortunate accident that had nothing to do with the late Emperor.”

“……”

“I personally admitted this fact before His Majesty.”

Declan said this with a completely unbothered expression. Instead, it was Marianne, who had spoken first, who couldn’t hide her agitation as she looked at him. Her lips, which were about to say something more, quickly pressed shut.

“They say the carriage wheel’s screws weren’t properly assembled at the time. That’s all there was to the accident.”

“But……”

“Your Highness.”

His quiet voice stopped Marianne’s words. When their eyes met, her face stiffened.

“The late Emperor has already concluded this matter. Is there any need for further discussion?”

“……”

“Whatever happens, the dead don’t come back.”

His voice grew rough as he spoke these last words.

The dead can never come back to life.

This obvious fact was most painful to Declan himself. All those he loved followed this law of nature, so why was he alone forced to deviate from this supreme providence?

His family, whose faces he could no longer remember, and his daughter who had been his everything – they could never return to his side.

The sense of loss and pain was his alone to bear. He would spend long years missing his dead child and pursuing the woman who had forgotten him.

“No matter what I do… they won’t come back.”

Declan muttered absently.

He had wished for her happiness by his side. Since that wish couldn’t be fulfilled, he hoped she would at least reclaim a proper life in this lifetime.

However, when he saw her finding her own life without him, he felt contradictory emotions. While wanting her to live a new life, he resented her for completely forgetting their time together.

For him, left alone, this life was an unbearably vivid hell.

“…I spoke out of turn.”

Marianne backed down at his unsettling demeanor. Pressing further would do her no good either.

An awkward silence fell between them.

Only the sound of footsteps on dirt echoed softly.

At that moment, Marianne, who was turning a corner, suddenly stopped. Declan, following her gaze, also spotted Sienna and his face hardened.

Sienna was equally surprised by the unexpected encounter.

When her eyes met Declan’s, she froze in place while patting the sleeping Leo’s back.

While she was caught in bewilderment, unable to move, Marianne’s gaze fell on Leopold. Marianne’s face gradually filled with anger.

“What kind of scene is this?”

To explain the circumstances: The maid holding Leo looked very uncomfortable, and Leo, already quite irritated, was crying and throwing a tantrum in her arms, so Sienna, unable to watch any longer, had temporarily taken the child into her arms.

The child, having missed his nap time, quickly fell asleep in the more comfortable embrace, and Sienna had simply continued holding him.

However, seeing Marianne’s face already colored with anger, explanations seemed futile.

Her furious gaze turned to the maids standing behind Sienna.

“Where are the nursemaids, and why is this wench holding the Prince?”

The maids froze at her sharp shout. One maid, who appeared to be the oldest, bravely stepped forward.

“The nursemaids are all away on summer vacation, Your Highness. While the Empress took the Prince out for a brief walk, they met Her Highness…”

“I suppose she’s personally caring for the Prince again, citing those nonsensical customs from her commoner background?”

Marianne cut off the maid’s words with an expression of utter disbelief.

“This is why you can’t change where someone comes from.”

The maids, who had been frozen in fear, now stiffened for a different reason.

Although she was the Emperor’s only full-blooded sister, Marianne’s behavior toward the Empress was incredibly disrespectful, despite the Empress outranking her.

Unlike Emperor Joseph, who, despite his insecurities about being illegitimate, knew when to be humble, Marianne had begun throwing her weight around as soon as she regained her status as Imperial Princess.

With her brother’s protection, she feared nothing and could act however she pleased. Now she’d reached the point of looking down even on the Empress.

At that moment, Marianne strode forward and raised her hand high.

“Ah!”

With a sharp sound, the maid who had stepped forward collapsed with a cry. It happened in an instant.

“If the Empress was away, you, as His Majesty’s maid, should have protected the Prince properly. The Prince is His Majesty’s only child and future heir to the throne. What if she had harmed the Prince while you weren’t paying attention!”

Marianne vented her anger, unsatisfied even after striking the maid’s cheek.

The previously peaceful and relaxed atmosphere turned suddenly violent. Sienna glanced at the maid being helped up by her colleagues and spoke stiffly to Marianne.

“I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding you have, but that’s enough.”

“Misunderstanding?”

Marianne let out a loud snort. Her body was already trembling with anger.

“Given your mother’s crimes, is it really just a misunderstanding? The same dirty, treacherous blood flows through your veins.”

Sienna looked at her with an expression of utter disgust. Still, Marianne paid no mind.

“Not only do you have a mother who was executed for attempting to assassinate the Imperial family, but you yourself have already been punished for insulting His Majesty. Who knows if you might try to harm the Prince out of resentment for being exiled? You…!”

“Please calm yourself, Your Highness. There are many eyes watching.”

It was Declan who interrupted Marianne’s hysterical shouting. When Marianne hesitated, he nodded toward Leo in Sienna’s arms.

“The Prince isn’t used to such commotion.”

He was right. The shouting from all directions was enough to make the child uneasy. Leo, who had been sleeping peacefully in Sienna’s arms until now, opened his eyes amid the chaos. Sensing the tense atmosphere, the child began to whimper.

Sienna tried belatedly to comfort him, but Leo burst into tears. Having been woken from his deep nap only to hear loud shouting nearby, he seemed quite startled.

His piercing cries began to echo throughout the garden.

“There, there. Leo, don’t cry.”

Sienna tried to distract him by moving him this way and that, but it wasn’t enough. She was physically struggling to control the child thrashing with all his might in her arms.

This was because she had barely moved since injuring her ankle, and her already weak body had grown even more frail.

At that moment, someone took the child from Sienna. As her arms were freed, Sienna massaged her tingling arms and turned her head.

She expected one of the maids had taken the child, however it was Declan who was holding Leo. Seeing this, Sienna’s face unconsciously hardened.

Declan plucked a dandelion blooming in the field and waved it in front of Leo’s eyes to divert his attention.

Leo, who had been shedding large teardrops, stopped crying and stared intently at the wildflower held before his face. Having successfully redirected the child’s interest, Declan blew on the dandelion.

As the seeds scattered and floated in the air, Leo’s eyes sparkled and he reached out toward him. As Leo’s tear-stained face began to smile again, Declan’s lips also curved into a smile matching the child’s.

Sienna, who had been watching the scene in a daze, dropped her gaze.

Leo’s laughter made her heart feel as if it was being trampled bit by bit.

“Oh my. What brings you two here?”

Just then, the Empress, who had returned after changing her clothes, walked over, looking curiously between the Grand Duke and Marianne. Then her eyes widened at the sight of Leo playing happily in the Grand Duke’s arms.

While this scene didn’t feel particularly strange to Sienna, it was different for the other two.

The current Declan was an unmarried man who had spent most of his life on battlefields. He’d had no opportunity to become skilled with children. This was something Sienna had overlooked, fooled by her intense familiarity with him.

The Empress’s gaze shifted subtly from Leo to where the maid who had been slapped by Marianne stood. Turning her head slightly to look behind, she could see the maid’s cheek was visibly red and swollen from being struck.

Sienna didn’t miss how the Empress’s elegantly clasped hands fidgeted. Treating one’s subordinates roughly was equivalent to insulting their master.

However, instead of investigating who had harmed her maid, the Empress gave the two a gentle smile.

“I was just about to have tea time with this Princess. Would you two care to join us for some tea if you’re available?”