The Emperor had been quite conscious of people’s passionate response toward Declan lately. This was evident in how he hastily approved the succession title that he had been postponing, and how he assigned his son Joseph as a military commander rather than to the knights’ order.
Many people were impressed by how Declan, despite his noble birth, stood at the forefront of war to protect the empire – and it seemed the Emperor intended to use this for promoting the imperial family.
‘Nothing has changed,’ Declan thought cynically.
The Emperor, seemingly not wanting to be known for treating a national hero coldly, frequently invited Declan to the imperial palace and treated him with great respect.
It was around this time that he encountered the Imperial Princess again.
While turning the corner in the corridor leading to the Emperor’s office for an audience, Declan collided head-on with a woman coming from the opposite direction. Though the collision wasn’t severe, one of her hair ornaments fell to the ground due to the impact.
“I apologize…”
Declan picked up the ornament to hand it over but froze upon seeing her face.
She wasn’t difficult to recognize. The woman was the spitting image of Empress Melophe’s beauty with the Emperor’s blue eyes.
Nevertheless, he was somewhat shocked because the Imperial Princess before him showed no trace of the child that remained in his memory.
Though surprised by the gap between his memories and her current appearance, it was natural that just as he was no longer a fourteen-year-old low-ranking soldier, she was no longer a child carrying around candy. Moreover, she was still tall, just as she had been in childhood.
The difference was that compared to her former pretty and childishly round features, she now had an incredibly sharp appearance. And the fact that no emotion whatsoever showed on her face.
How many more years had passed?
While he was reflecting on the passage of time, Sienna slowly spoke.
“Selin.”
A calm voice flowed from her red lips. The low, monotonous tone was mature. Declan snapped back to his senses at that voice.
The maid whose name was called stepped forward and received the brooch from his hand. The Imperial Princess watched her ornament being handed to the maid and then withdrew her gaze without lingering. She passed by him without any word of thanks.
That’s when he suddenly realized.
‘She doesn’t remember.’
It wasn’t surprising. Not only had considerable time passed, but Declan had been just a common soldier then, so it would be difficult to connect him with who he was now.
Though understandable, somehow it left him feeling deflated.
That was their reunion.
****
Regardless of his intentions, after that day, rumors about the Imperial Princess naturally reached Declan’s ears.
That her vanity was so extreme that the expenses for her luxuries in one season alone amounted to enough for imperial citizens to live comfortably for years, that her temperament was so violent she had once disabled a maid who displeased her.
People avoided the Imperial Princess while still gossiping about her every move.
Meanwhile, Declan encountered Sienna several more times. They shared meals at luncheons hosting nobles, and he occasionally saw her at balls.
But that day was the only time he heard her voice.
At parties and balls, she would stand expressionlessly near the terrace, then suddenly return to her quarters after some time had passed. Yet her presence was never unnoticeable.
Her exceptional beauty caused some men to linger around her, attempting to ask her for a dance. Though she consistently ignored such advances…
And clearly, such behavior never had a positive impact on her reputation.
“Such a high-and-mighty attitude…”
“I don’t understand why she acts so proud when she’s already fallen from the Emperor’s favor.”
Today was no exception. As soon as the Imperial Princess appeared, several men tried to flirt with her, but she turned away with a cold expression.
By this point, Declan began to find these men pathetic, persistently flirting with her despite knowing they would be rejected.
It was utterly contemptible how they gathered among themselves to criticize the Imperial Princess when they didn’t even have the courage to confront her directly.
“Her arrogant behavior won’t last much longer. When the next Emperor ascends to the throne, that woman’s head will be the first to roll, don’t you think?”
It was loud enough for the Imperial Princess standing on the terrace to hear clearly. But she showed no particular reaction.
She merely closed her eyes tiredly while leaning against the terrace pillar. Declan stood quietly, observing her. Hearing the whispers from all around, he could understand why she adamantly refused to mingle with the crowd.
Here, she was no different from a fish on a cutting board. Without anyone to protect her, she was defenseless against people’s gossip as they picked her apart as they pleased.
She must have been quite the prey for the social circles. Her mother’s death on the execution block, her outstanding beauty, her precarious position despite being the only legitimate daughter – everything about her became ammunition for attacks.
As he watched her standing there with closed eyes, he unconsciously let out a soft sigh.
Had she been living like this ever since returning to the imperial palace after that day in the square?
When he thought about it that way, he felt uncomfortable.
The Imperial Princess was no longer a child, nor someone who needed consideration out of lingering thoughts of Aila. He knew well that this was certainly overstepping his bounds.
‘It must be pity.’
Declan hastily concluded. His unconscious tendency to look her way since returning to the imperial palace was merely sympathy stemming from old memories.
It couldn’t and shouldn’t be anything more than that.
He withdrew his gaze and refilled his glass with wine.
However the Imperial Princess lived her life, it was none of his business.
Not long after, Declan was deployed to the northern border battles by the Emperor’s order.
Some said this order was meant to keep Declan in check, who had gained enough public support to potentially threaten the imperial family. The northern border had been a place of constant conflict for many years, so there was no guarantee of returning to the capital.
On the day he was leaving the imperial palace after receiving his deployment orders, Declan encountered an unexpected person near the Emperor’s quarters. The Imperial Princess, emerging from the library, stopped in her tracks upon seeing him.
Declan bowed his head, assuming she would pass by silently as always.
“I heard you’re deploying soon.”
However, at this unexpected voice, Declan quickly raised his head.
Only the two of them were in the corridor.
So those words were definitely meant for him. When he looked at her with slight surprise, the Imperial Princess lowered her gaze.
“I hope you return without major injuries.”
As she was about to take a step after those words, Declan blurted out without thinking:
“…Do you wish for my return?”
It was rather a foolish question. Perhaps because he was too surprised to hear such words from the Imperial Princess who had never shown any awareness of him before.
The Imperial Princess responded with a look that suggested he was asking something strange.
“Of course. Whatever the purpose of war may be, nothing is more important than human life.”
“…..”
“Whether it’s high honor or power, they’re all useless after death.”
Her red lips suddenly formed a faint curve. Declan’s eyes widened slightly.
“So I wish you good fortune, Lord Monferrato.”
A quickly vanishing smile and a conventional phrase. Though seemingly insignificant, that moment was deeply etched in his mind.
With those words, Sienna passed by him.
It was merely politeness – she couldn’t simply ignore a man treated as a national hero when they happened to meet alone. Literally, it held no special meaning.
Even knowing this…
Declan stood dazed, watching her retreating figure.
He didn’t realize the moment when pity transformed into something else.
****
The army departed for the desolate north, enduring dry air and sandy winds for years while defending the border. Not content with just that, they advanced further north, capturing the port and expanding the empire’s territory.
Whether the Emperor desired victory in this war or Declan’s death remained unclear, but regardless, Declan faithfully followed the Emperor’s orders.
After his father, the previous Count Monches, passed away, Rio inherited the title and immediately left the knights’ order to follow Declan.
With someone like a brother by his side, there was no need to think of Monferrato anymore. Additionally, he tried his best to avoid paying attention to matters in the capital.
Now, there was someone who made him uncomfortable by appearing in his thoughts even without thinking of Aila. After all, the image that came to mind was no longer that of a child carrying candy.
The border war that lasted several years concluded with the imperial army taking the enemy commander’s head. By then, the Emperor who had ordered Declan’s deployment had already passed away.
Without time to reflect on the war’s meaning, the army prepared for their return.
“Since most of the surrounding areas are devastated, it would be better to travel through Lopwell,” Rio suggested.
Declan nodded at Rio’s words. Everyone was exhausted from enduring several years in the desolate north. Taking a route that would expose them to fewer scenes of war’s devastation would be better for the soldiers’ mental state.
As they approached Lopwell, the army’s mood gradually lifted at the thought that they could finally rest.
The restless atmosphere reached its peak when they arrived at Lopwell’s castle. Moreover, as they entered the road, crowds waiting for them on the castle walls erupted in cheers.
At the sound of cheers bursting from above, Declan instinctively raised his head toward the castle walls. His gaze, scanning the cheering crowds, stopped at a particular point.
