Theodore looked frustrated as he watched Marianne poking around the annex as if she owned the place.
“What are we going to do now?”
“What do you mean, what?”
Sienna, lying flat on the bed, responded weakly.
“If we’re kicked out of this annex, you’ll have nowhere else to go. Is this really the time to be so carefree?”
“It’s not like I can’t stay anywhere if not in the imperial palace. What’s the problem?”
Sienna let out a sardonic chuckle. Her response was tinged with a slight irritation.
“I’m thankful enough that they didn’t expel me from the capital.”
At first, when she was initially cast out of the imperial palace, she had felt indignant and wronged by such treatment. Now, she didn’t even have the energy to be angry.
She was disillusioned with Joseph, who had tampered with the will and was now humiliating her this way, and with her own situation of repeatedly being subjected to such circumstances.
With no one to consult, the burden weighing on her shoulders seemed to have doubled.
Sienna pressed her temples with her fingers, feeling a throbbing headache. Theodore continued to speak regardless.
“Even so, you don’t have an appropriate place to stay right now. You don’t have any noble connections either.”
“I can look for another accommodation.”
Sienna spoke as if she had found a solution.
“If you want to secure lodgings that meet Her Highness’s standards, you’d have to spend all your salary and still fall short.” Theodore said coldly, causing Sienna to fall silent.
At that moment, Jane, who had been staring out the window, suddenly spoke up.
“What if we ask the Grand Duke for help?”
“What?”
“The Grand Duke?”
While Sienna let out a bewildered cry, Theodore showed unexpected interest. Jane glanced out the window with an expressionless face.
Sienna and Theodore simultaneously turned their heads in the direction Jane was pointing.
Two figures could be seen standing and conversing. The woman was Marianne, and the man standing before her was Declan.
Sienna let out a sardonic laugh. Despite this, Jane continued firmly.
“Sir Monches is originally from Monferrato, isn’t he? Given the deep connections between their families, he probably won’t turn a blind eye.”
“That’s nonsense. Who am I supposed to ask? What on earth are you believing that makes you suggest seeking help from the Grand Duke?”
Sienna, who had been lying listlessly just moments ago, suddenly reacted sharply.
But unlike her, Theodore’s face brightened in a short time.
****
“Are you looking for Sienna?”
Marianne asked Declan, who was entering the annex, with a displeased expression.
Declan smiled softly. “I heard that Her Highness the First Princess is in the annex, so I came to visit.”
Marianne looked surprised by the unexpected response but soon realized the reason and chuckled.
“Since the Emperor won’t see you, you’re trying to make use of me?”
Declan did not deny it.
The Emperor had not been feeling kindly toward him recently. Approaching him directly in this situation would be counterproductive. He needed to find another way.
Given that he was extremely reluctant to hear troublesome stories from the Empress, Declan was left with just one card to play.
Marianne was the most trusted person by Joseph. Although her influence had diminished somewhat due to the presence of the Empress and Leo, she still maintained significant sway over the Emperor.
Declan smiled with a single, calculated smile.
“I didn’t come to ask you to keep this Imperial Princess from being cast out.”
“Oh, of course not,” Marianne retorted, clearly not believing him.
She stared at Declan for a moment before turning her gaze toward the annex’s exterior. Under the bright sunlight, the building sparkled as if made of gold. Its luxurious appearance and favorable location stood in stark contrast to how people shunned it—much like its owner’s situation.
“Have you ever been to this annex?” Marianne suddenly asked.
“This is my first time at this age,” Declan replied.
Marianne, seemingly not expecting a particular answer, kept her gaze fixed on the annex. A deep sense of regret lingered in her green eyes.
“I’ve watched this place since it was first built. I only stepped inside confidently after the former Emperor passed away.”
Her father had always been an insurmountable wall for her.
He fulfilled his duties as a father, and at some point, the difference between an illegitimate child and a legitimate daughter became meaningless, as he even treated Sienna better than his own legitimate child at times. Appropriate praise, appropriate rewards, and unconditional support.
If she had never witnessed her father’s lack of affection for Sienna, she might have been satisfied with her own situation. After all, don’t people judge the world based on what they’ve seen and heard?
But Marianne only realized how affectionate a father could be after Sienna’s birth. It was far different from casually patting her head in passing.
The loving gaze, the voice speaking love as naturally as breathing.
“She never had the right to have any of this in the first place. That girl…”
Sienna’s comfortable happiness had been nourished by her mother’s misfortune, growing from the resentment of the siblings. Marianne found this fact unbearable at times.
Originally, it should have all been hers…
To suppress the turbulent emotions surging within her, Marianne tightly clasped her hands.
“If you don’t interfere, all plans will proceed smoothly.”
Declan let out a sardonic laugh.
“Why do you think I would interfere?”
“You seem to consider her quite special,” Marianne said with a crooked smile, her tone sharp and provocative.
Declan neither confirmed nor denied it. Maintaining his smile, he met Marianne’s gaze.
“My feelings are not particularly important, Your Highness.”
“I can’t believe such words.”
“You know I have nothing to gain by helping this Imperial Princess,” Declan responded flatly, showing no emotional fluctuation, unlike a man whose hidden feelings had just been exposed.
“Moreover, it wouldn’t be right to leave this Imperial Princess abandoned outside the palace in such a situation.”
“What do you mean…”
“What if this Princess were to discover the true nature of the will?”
Marianne’s eyelashes trembled momentarily.
“If someone possessing the original document approaches her in a place beyond the Emperor’s sight, it would create quite a complicated situation.”
The scenario seemed to have never occurred to her, and Marianne’s face flushed with confusion. The Emperor’s perspective appeared narrower than Declan had anticipated.
‘Fortunate for me,’ Declan thought, his lips curving into a smooth arc.
“I have a good idea.”
****
It didn’t take long for the Emperor to summon him. Although he had anticipated a quick contact, when he received the messenger announcing the Emperor’s desire to meet, he was almost impressed.
‘He’s truly serious about casting out his half-sister. How absurd, yet somehow fortunate.’
The faster the Emperor casts her out, the more she will fall into his hands.
Just as Sienna had once been desperate to wound her siblings, her opponents wouldn’t be much different. The Emperor would never make a decision that would benefit Sienna.
His only desire would be to drive her into a corner and enjoy watching her suffer.
Therefore, Declan, who had a scandalous history with this Imperial Princess, was not a particularly advantageous choice. The incident had already removed him from the Emperor’s favor, making it even more disadvantageous. From the start, Declan’s existence would have been quite threatening to the young Emperor who had just inherited power.
Though they were of similar age, a normal hierarchical relationship could not be established between a hero who had seized victory in numerous wars and an Emperor with half-baked legitimacy.
Declan had been loyal to the Emperor, but Joseph had never ceased his suspicions. Now that his plan to marry Declan to Marianne and completely make him an ally had gone awry, his hostile feelings would have reached their peak.
But what if the Emperor sees this as an opportunity to eliminate two thorns in his side at once?
He would certainly not pass up this opportunity.
****
“You’ve quite successfully manipulated my sister.”
The Emperor said without even glancing at him.
“Now that I think about it, there’s surprisingly a sly side to you.”
A light, sardonic chuckle followed. The Emperor looked at the man before him with a mocking expression.
“Oh, it’s a compliment. I’m truly admiring your skill.”
“You’re too kind.”
Despite the clearly sarcastic tone, Declan didn’t furrow his brow. The Emperor’s hand sorting through documents stopped. His blue eyes, previously looking down, flickered and fixed on Declan.
“I might not know about Marianne, but I do not trust you.”
Joseph’s lips twisted upward.
“After all, there’s no guarantee that a dog who has bitten one master will be loyal to the next.”
Declan listened to the continuing words. His lips remained firmly closed, but his violet eyes were directly fixed on the Emperor.
The Emperor was irritated by this seemingly submissive yet ultimately composed demeanor.
