HPBUY Chapter 61

‘What’s this about?’

It was his first private audience with the Empress.

While public opinion held that the Empress’s presence was overshadowed by the First Princess, he couldn’t afford to be careless. Regardless of how minimal her presence might be, she was still the Empress of a nation.

Jeremiah stood beside her, maintaining his vigilance. However, the words that flowed from the Empress’s lips were somewhat different from what he had expected.

“I hear that Parma is known for its advanced medicine and pharmacology. Is this true?”

Caught off guard by the sudden topic, Jeremiah stared at the Empress with a momentarily stunned expression. Unlike earlier, her face now lacked any trace of a smile. Her gaze was so earnest it bordered on desperation.

Jeremiah quickly composed his expression and smiled.

“Yes, our kingdom stands at the highest level in the Kralto continent. I understand many of the Imperial Palace’s healers are from Parma as well.”

“I see.”

The Empress nodded with a smile at his words, which carried a subtle hint of pride.

“So about that…”

She hesitated for a moment, glancing toward the inner hall. Only after confirming there was no one around did she ask in a quiet voice.

“By any chance, is there a medicine that can treat those who cannot see in darkness?”

****

Sienna walked alone toward the wall, holding a champagne glass. Trying to keep as far as possible from the Emperor and Marianne naturally led her to the most secluded corner of the hall.

Only after reaching this spot far from the center did she finally feel at ease.

After sipping champagne alone in the corner for quite some time, Sienna spotted a man entering the hall by himself and hurriedly followed him. When she grabbed his shoulder, the Baron turned around with a puzzled look and was startled.

“Y-Your Highness.”

“May I have a moment, Lord Vermont?”

The Baron’s face turned pale at her characteristically low and even voice. The Princess gestured with her chin for him to follow.

First the Grand Duke, and now this Princess. Lately, the Baron felt his life expectancy shortening. He had chosen this profession hoping for a long and peaceful life, but being summoned by such high-ranking figures one after another was causing him no small amount of mental stress.

Unaware of his inner thoughts, Sienna headed toward a secluded spot, and the Baron followed behind with trembling steps.

“I have something urgent to ask you.”

Sienna looked around once and asked in a hushed voice.

“Who gave you the will during the late Emperor’s funeral?”

Even the question is identical to the Grand Duke’s. The Baron let out a quiet sigh and made a dejected face.

“As I mentioned before, Your Highness. I merely recited what was handed to me by the Head Chamberlain.”

“‘As you mentioned before’? This is the first time I’m asking you this.”

“The Grand Duke asked me the exact same question not long ago.”

Sienna’s eyes widened.

“Why would the Grand Duke?”

“I wouldn’t know. All I heard was that he was acting on His Majesty the Emperor’s instructions.”

The moment she heard the word “Emperor,” Sienna’s face froze in shock. After standing still for a moment, she took a deep breath and asked.

“What else? What else did he ask?”

Her face was intense as she fired questions rapidly. The Baron unconsciously stepped back as he replied.

“Well… When I received the will, and if I knew any circumstances about the Head Chamberlain having the will. Things like that.”

As Sienna’s face grew more ashen, the Baron’s voice became increasingly quieter.

“I see. Thank you for telling me.”

She mumbled a farewell without even looking directly at the Baron and immediately turned away.

Her initially slow steps toward the hall gradually quickened.

Despite the weather not being cold, a chill ran through her body. She frantically rubbed her arms and then clenched her molars together.

When that failed to calm her anxiety and unease, she began to nervously bite her thumbnail.

Walking distractedly, she stopped abruptly when the second-floor terrace came into view.

Declan was on the terrace, a cigar in his mouth, conversing with others. Sienna stood still, gazing blankly up at Declan as he stood there casually, surrounded by people.

Yes. In her memories, he was always like this. A man who easily won people’s hearts while standing in the center of crowds with a face that seemed indifferent to others.

Sienna let out a faint sneer and remained standing there, trying to steady her irregular breathing.

What orders had he received from Joseph?

Why had he asked the Baron the same questions as her and interrogated Jeremiah about the events at the funeral?

Right now, Sienna couldn’t think of anything other than the will. The timing and targets of his investigation overlapped oddly with hers. This couldn’t be coincidence without sharing the same objective.

As she quietly gazed up at him, her eyes wavered.

What did he want to know? If he already knew something, why hadn’t he said anything before?

The more she thought about it, the more everything led to conclusions she didn’t want to believe.

****

“So, do you think it will be resolved well?”

At the sudden question, Declan paused mid-sip of his champagne and looked at the Marquis.

“I haven’t quarreled with the Duke.”

“Ah.”

Finally understanding the question, Declan nodded half-heartedly. The Marquis furrowed his brow.

“How could I forget that? I have nightmares for days whenever I hear the Duke’s hysterical voice.”

Though he spoke with a serious face, Declan laughed softly.

“Don’t worry about the Duke. He won’t stay in the capital much longer anyway.”

At this point, at least one thing was certain.

The Duke and the Emperor weren’t on the same side. Therefore, the Duke couldn’t be excluded from the list of suspects for the notary.

The Marquis glanced sideways at the interior. The envoys from Parma were mingling freely with the Imperial nobles.

Observing this scene, the Marquis narrowed his eyes.

“I wonder if forming a marriage alliance with Parma in this way is really the right thing to do. That prince, from the start… There have long been rumors that he’s considered radical even within Parma.”

“That’s precisely why they’re intent on sending this princess, abandoning other options.”

Declan replied nonchalantly.

The Imperial family held immense power in the Kralto continent. Therefore, sending the only legitimate Imperial princess as a secondary wife to a small kingdom was clearly a losing proposition.

However, from Joseph’s perspective, it could serve as an opportunity to strengthen relations with Parma while providing legitimate grounds to expel his troublesome half-sister from the Empire, so he had nothing to lose.

The Marquis nodded in agreement and rested his chin on the balustrade with a tired expression. Just then, the Second Princess crossed the garden below, entering his line of sight.

“Well, if things go wrong, they’ll have more trouble than us.”

The Marquis muttered, gesturing with his chin toward Declan, who had his back to the garden. Declan’s gaze followed the direction the Marquis indicated.

“…Things were already wrong.”

If the will hadn’t been tampered with in the first place, she wouldn’t have needed to go to Lopwell. Then she wouldn’t have had to ask for his help, and furthermore, their paths wouldn’t have become so entangled.

Thus everything had been wrong from the very beginning.

****

Time passed quickly after Empress Melophe’s execution.

Declan returned to being a mere soldier, wandering the borders and enduring times between life and death. Rolling through various battlefields, Declan, who had become battle-hardened, demonstrated his wit by leading several battles to victory.

During this time, news from the capital continued to reach him steadily. He couldn’t help but smirk at the news that the Emperor had a new consort and illegitimate child.

Letters arrived regularly from Monferrato. Rio kept sending letters complaining about how he hoped to join the military but was flatly rejected by the Count. In response, Declan wrote back supporting the Count’s decision.

Rio was like a brother to him. He didn’t want him to step into this living hell.

After sending his reply to Monferrato, Declan flopped down on the dirt ground. While blankly staring at the star-studded sky, he suddenly sniffed himself.

Despite having finally found a stream and washing himself for the first time in a while, the faint smell of blood still lingered in his nostrils. And now, that smell didn’t even seem so repugnant anymore.

Sometimes, he would think about the child somewhere in the Imperial Palace.

Of course, the feelings weren’t particularly intense. Their meeting had lasted only a day, and he would simply think in passing, ‘She must be doing well.’

However, regardless of the depth of emotion, the frequency with which he remembered the Princess was quite high. Occasionally, when he thought of his parents, Aila came to mind, and when he thought of Aila, thoughts of that child would push their way in.

He saw Aila reflected in the Princess, and unconsciously saw himself reflected as well.

In fact, the only thing the Princess and Aila had in common was that they were girls of similar age, so perhaps the latter comparison held more weight. While the Princess was the daughter of his parents’ killer, she was also a victim who had lost her mother to the Emperor.

The year Declan came of age, his counterattack victory in the great battle at the Kelt Mountains made his name known throughout the continent. Even the Emperor, who had consistently ignored his achievements, could no longer maintain his dismissive attitude by that point.

Though it was partly forced, the Emperor acknowledged Declan’s achievements and awarded him honors.

In stark contrast to how he had been practically driven out to the battlefield, he returned to the capital amid fervent cheers.

“There could be no greater joy than the Empire gaining such great honor thanks to an excellent commander.”

The Emperor said this with what appeared to be a genuinely overwhelmed expression. He didn’t stop at mere words, even approving the long-delayed succession to the Grand Duke title. Not particularly surprised by this duplicity, Declan silently bowed his head.