“Isn’t this an unnecessary worry? There’s no woman who wouldn’t fall for that face.”
It was a sarcastic retort, but it seemed to sound different to Christine. She lifted her shoulders with a slightly proud expression.
“Indeed, from childhood, there was no one who could match His Grace in beauty. The young ladies living nearby were so desperate to catch just a glimpse of him that they practically wore out the threshold of the Grand Duke’s residence.”
Her voice was filled with self-assurance, which made Sienna let out a faint snort.
You must know. Just thinking of Soliet’s face, it was easy to imagine his beauty from childhood.
“And it’s not just that. Even at a young age, how diligent and mature he was. The previous Grand Duke was worried about his son’s excessive scholarly enthusiasm.”
“I suppose so. Not surprising.”
The princess’s response was indifferent.
‘…How strange.’
Christine was internally flustered by the unexpectedly disinterested reaction. The slight confidence she had been harboring began to lose its strength.
In fact, everyone in the Grand Duke’s residence had been negative about the scandal that had recently swept through the empire.
Of all people, this princess was the subject of such an unseemly rumor. Whether it was true or not, everyone was busy denying the reality.
Christine thought, ‘Isn’t it fine as long as His Grace is pleased?’ but it was a statement she couldn’t dare to voice in front of the overwhelming majority expressing a uniform opinion.
Of course, before Sienna arrived in Monferrato, Christine had been tense about the visit of the infamous princess, but the actual person she met was quite different from the rumors.
It was true that she was difficult to deal with, but not because she was excessively cruel, simply due to her innate demeanor.
Moreover, the princess rarely spoke to anyone except her escort knights and the physician brought from the capital. She showed no interest in Monferrato’s famous beautiful landscapes and never displayed her emotions.
However, when looking at her subtly shadowed expression and occasionally seeing her look like a world-weary old woman, the owner of this land seemed to overlap with her. After learning the full story of why the princess came to Monferrato, her half-hearted speculation gradually turned into conviction.
Her heart had swelled momentarily at the thought that finally, an owner might enter the long-lonely Monferrato, but it quickly deflated due to the princess’s indifferent attitude.
While Christine was lost in her confusion, Sienna slowly opened her mouth.
“The previous Grand Duke…”
Her voice held an uncharacteristic hesitation.
“Was he similar to his son?”
Christine, lost in her thoughts, finally came to her senses. Surprised by the unexpected question, she opened her eyes wide before offering a soft smile.
“He looked very similar in appearance, but his personality was completely different.”
Christine began to chatter about the daily life of the old Grand Duke’s family as if she had been given an opportunity.
How the previous Grand Duke would go hunting every winter with his son and daughter, or how in summer he would build a crude cabin by the lake and spend days and nights fishing with his children.
Sienna just listened quietly. These were familiar daily scenes. Not exactly the same, but the affection Declan showed Soliet was of a similar warmth.
“At that time, the young master… no, His Grace was no different from an ordinary boy.”
It was a past hard to imagine now, Christine muttered in a bitter tone.
“So my wish is that he will continue to meet a good person and create a harmonious family like before.”
Christine laughed heartily, wondering if she had said something presumptuous. She carefully finished applying the ointment and then stepped aside.
Sienna put on her nightgown and immediately headed to the bed. The room left alone was filled only with the clear sound of insects outside.
‘I should go out early again tomorrow.’
While thinking about what would happen if she found nothing, her thoughts kept going against her will.
A harmonious family.
If not for the previous Grand Duke’s carriage accident, Declan would have lived an entirely different life.
He might not have traveled to remote places and instead succeeded his father as a politician. Like the heads of noble families before him, he might have left his name in the empire’s history books as the leader of the noble council.
She could easily imagine him living an ordinary life, married to a woman from a good family, living a monotonous daily routine without shadows.
Sienna turned her body.
That was the future suitable for Declan. And Sienna, her suitable future was not by his side.
Knowing this, Sienna carefully imagined herself standing next to him.
With just one woman standing beside him changed, the picture in her imagination felt quite alien.
****
(TL: Back to the past)
After the accident where the pregnant lady of the house fell down the stairs, the Grand Duke’s residence continued its usual daily life.
Declan frequently left the mansion to inspect the territories he had not been able to examine before. Moreover, almost all personnel in the Grand Duke’s residence were completely replaced.
Despite many changes, Monferrato remained peaceful as if nothing had happened.
Declan continued to speak kindly to Sienna as before, showing concern for her health and trying to provide her maximum comfort.
Nevertheless, their marital relationship was somehow different from before.
He was still an affectionate husband, but he no longer lived in her bedroom. His voice and gaze remained warm, but he no longer held her hand or kissed her as freely as before.
To others, they still appeared to be a loving couple. But Sienna felt an inexplicable distance from him.
‘He must have grown to dislike me.’
Sienna accepted the subtle changes quite calmly.
Having shown a disgusting appearance right before his departure, and now even self-harming, it seemed natural that he would lose affection. She was even grateful that he did not openly show contempt.
However, his kindness with clear boundaries sometimes felt heartbreaking, so Sienna indirectly conveyed that he need not deliberately make time to visit her since he must be busy with official duties. Only then did his regular visits completely stop.
The wall between them grew increasingly solid.
But she was already exhausted by the current reality. As the baby’s movements became more active, she was engulfed by a sense of helplessness.
Yet the conclusion always flowed in one direction.
‘Still, I will cherish my child.’
She vowed every night that she would never become like her mother, who ruined her daughter’s future due to selfish desires, or like her father who abandoned her because of such a mother.
That summer was particularly long.
Sienna gave birth to her child at the beginning of autumn.
A lovely and beautiful baby girl.
****
When she first heard from the midwife that the baby was a girl, Sienna was devastated to the point of mental confusion.
It wasn’t just disappointment at not bearing an heir. She knew better than anyone how tragic the lives of girls born in the empire could be. She certainly did not hate her newborn daughter.
On the contrary, it might have been the opposite.
Throughout her pregnancy, she had worried about whether she could love the child, but Sienna fell in love with the baby incredibly easily. The born child was too beautiful and lovely.
It was inevitable that Sienna, who had nowhere to attach her heart, would fall in love with Soliet. In fact, she was not the only one who was helplessly drawn to the new baby.
Not only Christine, Count Monches, Ruben, and other vassals, but Declan loved the child to an extent that was hard to imagine from his usual composed self.
Soliet was an incredibly beautiful and gentle baby. She never fussed even when Sienna or Declan held her awkwardly. She would stay calm even when the servants took turns holding her. Her occasional wink and smile were heart-meltingly cute.
So how could anyone not love her?
The precarious household regained stability with Soliet’s birth. Or at least, it appeared so.
Though Declan and Sienna’s relationship was like balancing on a thin line, they both lavished unconditional love on Soliet. The Monferrato Grand Duke’s residence, which had always been surrounded by a lonely atmosphere, began to gain vitality after Soliet’s birth.
The tiny life was addictive. Despite initially struggling with the child’s existence, she would find herself visiting Soliet’s room whenever she could.
While the wet nurse was present, she would maintain some decorum, but the moment the nurse left, Sienna would discard all dignity and devour Soliet.
Initially red like a burning sweet potato, her skin gradually became smooth, and her face became like a porcelain doll. Even the wet nurse and Christine, who had seen numerous children, would constantly exclaim about Soliet’s beautiful face.
“Soli.”
When she softly called her name, the transparent purple eyes turned towards her. Their eyes met, and the baby smiled brightly.
How could she recognize her mother when she had just been born? Was she a genius?
Sienna, with an expression of unbearable love, picked up the child and repeatedly kissed her cheeks.
