Even though her position must have become gossip across the entire continent after being exiled to Lopwell, Sienna had no intention of being looked down upon by the royals of Parma.
‘They probably don’t welcome me either. But that doesn’t mean I need to take a submissive attitude.’
When she reached the prince’s room, the servant standing in front greeted her with a bow.
“Her Imperial Highness is here.”
The man who had been sitting at the table in the reception room, gazing out the window, stood up. Sienna, who had kept her eyes lowered the whole time, finally raised her gaze.
He was taller than expected. His black hair was disheveled, but his formal uniform was neat and proper. As her eyes slowly examined him, they eventually met his golden eyes that were staring directly at her.
Before she could even be startled, he showed an informal smile.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Imperial Highness.”
When the prince greeted her, Sienna, who had momentarily frozen, belatedly curtsied.
“The pleasure is mine, Your Highness.”
Though she responded with upturned lips, the glimpse of his face she had just caught remained vivid in her mind.
‘…What was that?’
Sienna recalled his cold face again but quickly dismissed the thought.
She must be oversensitive lately. To be so on edge over something so trivial.
“Indeed, the imperial servants are quick. They had everything prepared even before my arrival.”
“Is that so? I do hope it suits Your Highness’s taste.”
Her gaze, accompanied by a hollow smile, turned to the table before her.
Indeed, the refreshments laid out on the table were splendid. The plates covering the table were filled with sugar confections and fruits.
Sienna internally clicked her tongue as she picked up her teacup.
“Are you finding your stay at the Imperial Palace comfortable?”
“Of course. Thanks to His Majesty’s attentive care, I’m very comfortable.”
The prince smiled brightly. Sienna, who had been staring at him intently, slightly raised her lips as well.
He was quite handsome and seemed to have an agreeable personality given his gentle demeanor. However, his constant smiling somehow provoked an inexplicable wariness.
‘Why is that?’
Well, from his perspective, she was someone who might threaten the already established succession plan, and she was the unwelcome daughter of the Empire’s previous emperor, so it wasn’t strange that there would be thorns behind his gentle attitude.
Sienna came to a lukewarm conclusion about the question that had bloomed in her mind. Still, the unsettling feeling didn’t disappear.
“If there’s anything you need during your stay, please don’t hesitate to let us know. Both His Majesty and I hope that you’ll have an enjoyable time at the Imperial Palace.”
“I’m grateful just for your words, Your Imperial Highness. But it’s already a great honor that His Majesty has allowed me to stay here.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.”
The first meeting with the prince proceeded smoothly without any particular discord. However, the subtle feeling Sienna had initially felt gradually turned into certainty.
While each word the prince spoke was laced with flattery toward the emperor, there was something questionable about it. Throughout the entire conversation, he hadn’t touched any of the desserts or teacups that the servants had prepared.
‘Of course, he might simply dislike sweet things, but…’
Even if it doesn’t suit one’s taste, it’s basic courtesy in such situations to at least try a cookie or two – something someone of his position should surely know.
“By the way, please feel free to address me casually. After all, when you become my father’s queen, you’ll be my mother.”
Sienna, who had been calmly drinking her tea, nearly choked at the word ‘mother.’ Instead of spitting out the hot water, she hurriedly swallowed it, followed by a burning sensation in her throat.
Sienna let out a small cough and managed to force a smile.
“That’s a matter for the future. You’re here representing Parma at the Empire – how could I dare to speak casually to you? Your people wouldn’t approve.”
She deflected with a joking tone while still feeling the burning sensation. But the prince continued the conversation undeterred.
“His Majesty wishes to conclude your marriage as soon as possible. Do you share the same thought, Your Imperial Highness?”
“I think that would be for the best.”
Sienna maintained her smile while expressing agreement with the emperor’s wishes. It was a matter that had nothing to do with her wishes anyway.
The prince nodded with a subtle smile.
“I see.”
And that was it. An uncomfortable silence followed the end of their conversation.
Silently drinking her bitter tea, Sienna couldn’t bear the suffocating silence and spoke up.
“Parma’s natural scenery is quite beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve heard that even the Empire’s nobles occasionally cross the border for vacation.”
“Is that so?”
Jeremiah answered with a slight smirk.
“I’ve heard that Parma’s castle is particularly beautiful with the large river flowing around it. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Oh my, I’m afraid it’s not as impressive as your expectations.”
Sienna gradually became annoyed at his halfhearted responses. She couldn’t understand why he was showing his distaste so openly when it was an unwanted marriage for both parties. She gave up on continuing the conversation and silently picked up her teacup again.
Jeremiah watched her expressionlessly.
‘She’s more brazen than I thought.’
After disappearing without a trace from the previous marriage arrangement and causing him humiliation, her empty pleasantries now couldn’t possibly move him. But one question remained.
Why did she accept this marriage now, when she had already rejected it before?
Philip had suggested that she had finally realized her position after being exiled to Lopwell… but still. Could someone who had gone so far as to spit in the emperor’s presence change their attitude so simply?
Lost in thought for a moment, Jeremiah slowly opened his mouth.
“Actually, my father’s illness is quite serious.”
Sienna looked at him at this sudden statement.
“That’s not all. Even on the rare occasions when he regains consciousness, he can’t even recognize me, his son.”
“What do you mean…”
“Would you be alright with this? Forming a marital bond with an old man who could pass away at any moment.”
When Sienna appeared slightly flustered at the sudden turn in conversation, the prince glanced toward the door once and spoke in a low voice.
“I won’t beat around the bush.”
He leaned his upper body slightly toward her.
“If Your Imperial Highness doesn’t wish for this marriage, I can have it nullified even now.”
“Why… why are you saying this?”
“Because it would be beneficial for both of us?”
The prince showed another innocent smile. Meanwhile, the confusion in Sienna’s mind intensified.
‘…What exactly is going on here?’
Could this be another trap set by Joseph? Or is this proposal simply stemming from his fear that a new queen might threaten his position as heir?
Sienna organized her jumbled thoughts and responded in an emotionless tone.
“My opinion doesn’t matter, Your Highness. Isn’t that how all political marriages work?”
“The strained relationship between His Majesty the Emperor and his half-sister is quite well-known across the continent, isn’t it?”
“…”
“While they say it’s a decision for the Empire’s sake, isn’t it ultimately a marriage for the Emperor’s own benefit? I don’t see what Your Imperial Highness stands to gain from this marriage.”
As his discourteous remarks continued, Sienna’s expression gradually hardened. Jeremiah, who had been speaking without restraint, finally delivered the decisive blow.
“Does the Emperor have some weakness to hold over you?”
His face bore a faint sneer.
“You seem to be unaware…”
Sienna’s hand gripped her teacup tightly.
“The Empire is different from Parma. My father didn’t leave me a single penny, so whether I like it or not, I must follow my sibling’s orders.”
Jeremiah frowned as if he couldn’t understand.
“But Your Imperial Highness is the rightful owner of Ricata…”
Sienna let out an involuntary laugh of disbelief. She couldn’t understand what this man was talking about.
“To be precise, my maternal grandfather was the owner. I never had any rights to Ricata, not even for a moment. That’s why I’m sitting here in front of you now.”
At her self-deprecating reply, the prince’s composed expression cracked. He immediately asked:
“You never had any rights, not even for a moment?”
“No.”
Sienna answered curtly, trying to suppress her rising irritation. She could feel her patience wearing thin.
Jeremiah stared at her with a dumbfounded expression and muttered absently.
“…This is strange.”
And indeed it was, because her words didn’t match with his memories.
He was well aware of Sienna’s past actions.
How she had been banished to a distant land for being disloyal to her half-siblings at the will reading ceremony, and how she had later returned to the capital for marriage to a foreign king.
However, after the former emperor’s death, Jeremiah could only guess at what had happened in the Empire based on information closely obtained through Philip Humphrey.
Therefore, he had always believed that she had lost Ricata and been banished to Lopwell because of her disloyalty to her half-siblings. He had never even considered the possibility that the former emperor hadn’t bequeathed Ricata to her at all.
Given the former emperor’s very stubborn attitude when he last saw him, there hadn’t been any room for doubt.
Could the former emperor have made a mistake in writing his will due to his severe illness?
‘But that meticulous old man couldn’t have…’
Jeremiah’s last audience with the former emperor was just days before his death. The sharp gaze and clear voice that hadn’t seemed like those of a man days from death were still vivid in his memory.
Jeremiah, who had been frozen for a moment, suddenly raised his head.
“Then perhaps you don’t know this either?”
Sienna, who had just picked up a cookie, looked at him with an exasperated expression, as if wondering what else he had to ask. However, the man before her wore the most serious expression she’d seen from him today.
“That your father had intended to marry you to me.”
