HPBUY Chapter 84

Recently, Sienna had been spending peaceful times. She sewed clothes for her children and spent time with Soliet. However, when night fell, nightmares came back to life.

Theo, her deceased father, and sometimes her faded memory of her mother appeared in her dreams. On nights when these characters from the depths of her memory stirred her subconscious, she couldn’t feel like she had slept at all even when she did sleep.

“Your Grace, you don’t look well at all.”

Christine carefully examined her face.

Despite Christine’s worried appearance, Sienna dismissively brushed it off. To her, she was her biological mother, but to the people of the Empire, including Christine, she was nothing more than a traitor whose name they didn’t even want to mention.

She had subtly mentioned to her doctor that she was continuously having nightmares, but he simply said it was a symptom that sometimes occurs on nights when sleeping pills weren’t effective.

But suppressing her feelings internally did nothing to improve the situation.

The dreams became increasingly vivid. Sometimes it was the moment her mother was being dragged away by soldiers, and sometimes she saw a white foot suspended in the air accompanied by thunderous screams.

By that point, she had begun to fear falling asleep.

Unable to bear it any longer, Sienna finally sought out Declan. Despite her unexpected visit, he readily let her inside.

“I have something to ask.”

Sienna blurted out without any preface.

“Do you happen to know where my mother’s remains are?”

His hand adjusting his tie momentarily stopped. Eventually, Declan’s gaze slowly turned towards her. As his tense face came into view, he let out a lukewarm chuckle.

The reason she had come to see him was quite trivial.

He stretched out his hand and closed the open window. Despite this, the interior remained chilly. Grabbing the robe casually draped on the sofa, he approached Sienna.

“They were probably scattered in the Valley of Igris. Perhaps.”

It wasn’t a significant secret, so providing an answer wasn’t particularly difficult. However, Sienna’s complexion became even paler upon hearing the response.

No wonder, as the Valley of Igris was a lake that ruthlessly drove women to their deaths during the era of witch hunts long ago.

Afterward, it became a place where various criminals were drowned or corpses were discarded. It was an appropriate location for disposing of the remains of executed prisoners who had attempted rebellion.

“…Is there no way I could go there?”

Knowing her request was absurd, Sienna’s voice became subdued.

“I’m not saying I’ll go right now. I just want to visit once after the baby is born…”

Sienna couldn’t even properly finish her sentence. Having engaged in nothing but pride battles until now, the act of humbling herself and making a request made her mouth feel stiff.

She clasped her sweaty palms together and looked at him with a desperate expression.

Declan draped the robe over her shoulder.

“The Valley of Igris is a place of execution under military jurisdiction. Civilians cannot enter.”

“But you have the authority, don’t you?”

“Haven’t I already retired from the military?”

It was a shameless lie that even he found disgusting. The military still had people he had previously commanded, and though not to the same extent as before, his behind-the-scenes influence remained significant.

However, separately, he was not pleased with his wife revisiting the past. Memories with no happy corners to dwell on. Going there wouldn’t bring back the dead.

“Moreover, there’s nothing to gain from you going there.”

At this point, public perception of Sienna was changing, so what could possibly be gained by visiting the lake?

Not only for Sienna’s reputation but also for Soliet and the unborn child, it was better to avoid actions that would remind others of her treasonous bloodline.

Understanding his underlying meaning, Sienna quietly lowered her gaze. After a brief silence, she murmured:

“…After all, all I have left are these children.”

At her voice mixed with cold self-mockery, he raised his eyes. When their gazes met, Sienna gave a slight smile.

“Isn’t that right? Grand Duke of Monferrato.”

She slowly uttered his demeaning title in a low voice. Her intention to provoke was plainly visible. Declan, who had been silently looking into her eyes, gave a faint smile.

“Do not dig up the past any further. Sienna.”

But there was no hint of a smile in his eyes.

“Unless you intend to personally pass on societal contempt to the children.”

His tone was incredibly calm, but Sienna’s face, which had been smiling sardonically, instantly hardened. Her blue eyes, unable to conceal her turbulence, were visibly trembling.

For a brief moment, her expression changed moment by moment. She seemed shocked at casually mentioning her own vulnerability and ultimately settled on anger.

Instead of responding, she pushed the robe draped on her shoulder with the back of her hand, letting it fall to the ground before leaving the room.

His gaze, following her movements, remained on the roughly closed door for a long time before shifting to the robe fallen on the floor.

He picked it up and threw it into the blazing fireplace.

****

Their relationship, beautifully ruined, had solidified its form through passing years.

Not a trace of their newlywed days could be found on the grand ducal couple. Whenever they happened to meet, Sienna did not hide her look of disgust, and Declan did not avoid those emotions.

And so, spring passed, and summer came again.

Declan lived the life given to him diligently. As the master of the grand ducal house, and as Soliet’s father.

That year, he sold his wine business, earning a massive income, and with that money, he established a new trading company, growing his wealth like a snowball.

Though there were whispers that he should live quietly after retiring from the military and that he was engaging in vulgar money-making, during that time he was considered a man without shortcomings in social circles.

Noble bloodline, self-made honor, a beautiful wife, and a daughter who took after him perfectly. Sometimes, even his tumultuous life made him appear more distinguished.

The illusion created by others’ gazes was merely ridiculous.

****

“Isn’t this taking too long?”

The Count asked anxiously, but there was no response. Declan, standing still and compulsively touching the ring on his hand, had no expression on his face.

Two full days had passed since labor pains began. For some time now, no screams had been heard from the delivery room.

The signs were not good in many ways.

On the evening of the day after Sienna entered the delivery room, the midwife opened the door and began to explain the situation hesitantly.

The baby was stuck in the birth canal and had not been able to come out for several hours, she said with a devastated face.

“I cannot guarantee the safety of both of them.”

She presented two options: breaking the wife’s pelvic bones to extract the baby, or dismembering the baby to remove it from the mother’s body.

Whichever option was horrific, but Declan remained calm.

“Her Grace instructed to save the baby, but…I think I should separately inform Your Grace the Grand Duke as well…”

“Did the Grand Duchess directly say that?”

These were the first words he had spoken after being silent the entire time. The midwife bowed her head apologetically.

He let out a soft, bitter laugh.

As no one dared to speak, the Count beside the Grand Duke cautiously spoke up.

“Perhaps the baby should…”

“No.”

He cut off the Count’s words with an expressionless face.

“Save my wife.”

“But, Your Grace…”

The midwife rolled her eyes and spoke.

“In that case, we would need to completely remove her uterus. She would never be able to have children again.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He already had Soliet. But Sienna was irreplaceable.

“Your Grace knows which direction would be more beneficial to the Grand Duchess,” the Count said carefully. Objectively speaking, that was the empire’s custom.

Wasn’t it a society that more highly regarded a noble lady who died in childbirth than a wife who couldn’t produce an heir? The attending physician added a comment.

“Even if you choose Her Grace, the side effects will be severe. You will never recover to your previous state, and furthermore-”

“It’s fine.”

Everyone looked at him with bewildered expressions.

“Save the Grand Duchess.”

Declan spoke as if driving in a nail. His lifeless gaze slowly swept over those before him.

“If you fail to save her, you’ll be held responsible.”

The midwife returned from the delivery room several hours later.

The scene was not much different from when Soliet was born, except for the absence of the baby’s cry and the wife lying motionless as if dead with her eyes open.

Declan approached the bed with staggering steps. His slightly trembling hand reached towards her cheek but dropped as soon as it touched her cold skin.

In the deadly quiet atmosphere, everyone began tidying the room while watching his reactions. Meanwhile, the physician, with a composed face, calmly reported her condition.