The decisive trigger might be something else, but Joseph’s informant was nothing short of the starting point that led to the empress being cast out by the former emperor.
However, if the curse or whatever was actually true, either the Duke himself or the former emperor should have suffered a painful death. Yet the former emperor had already passed away peacefully, and the Duke is living quite comfortably.
“If something had gone wrong, it would have happened long ago. But nothing has happened, has it?”
The Duke tried to reassure the emperor by speaking indirectly.
“Who knows. If the day comes when I completely break Sienna’s neck, perhaps we’ll dismiss the curse as a nonsensical story, just as the Duke says.”
At the emperor’s leisurely remark, the Duke’s expression darkened.
In truth, the Duke was not pleased about sending the princess to Monferrato. Of all the vast lands, why Monferrato? The Grand Duke had been involved in a scandalous incident with this princess just recently – how could things be so calm?
Suddenly, he remembered a voice that had stared directly into his eyes and spoke word by word, and a thousand curses welled up inside the Duke.
‘What method did he use?’
Did he blackmail someone? But what could possibly implicate the emperor with Declan?
If the Grand Duke and the princess were to join forces, where would their arrows be aimed?
The Duke’s molars ground together.
In the current situation, there was no room for choice. Intentionally or not, he and the emperor were already in the same boat.
‘If the princess, who he thought had no chance of recovery after being exiled to Lopwell, hadn’t returned and stirred things up, he wouldn’t be this anxious.’
He believed the princess’s existence wouldn’t trip him up. Just as his mother had done, she had once turned the former emperor’s stomach by bringing up an absurd bill, but after being placed under house arrest, she had become quiet.
But now that same princess was beside Declan. That simple fact approached the Duke as an inexplicable terror.
Would the daughter he had crushed with his own hands – Melophe and Carlos’s daughter – eventually join hands with Mikhail’s son to target him? The Duke was afraid of that. Based on the attitude Declan had shown him a few days ago, his anxiety didn’t seem to be a mere delusion.
Meanwhile, that son, who looks exactly like Carlos in his youth, was stupidly digging his own grave, being manipulated by Mikhail’s son.
The Duke’s fingertips trembling on the chair’s armrest.
He couldn’t let this continue.
“I have a good method, Your Majesty.”
Piercing blue eyes, like Carlos’s in his memories, looked at him. Duke Lowell swallowed his sudden uneasiness and raised the corners of his mouth.
“What if we invite her to the hunting festival?”
At this unexpected suggestion, Joseph looked at the Duke with a displeased expression. The hunting festival was meant for the empire’s prominent nobles and the royal family to strengthen their close bonds. Inviting Sienna would be tantamount to recognizing her as part of the family.
The Duke, well aware of the emperor’s inner thoughts, smiled and smoothly spoke.
“Historically, members of the royal family have participated in the hunting festival. Yet this princess has never participated before.”
“So?”
“It might be a good opportunity. Isn’t there a lot of beasts in the eastern mountains that harm people? It’s not uncommon for someone on a hunt to meet an unfortunate accident and lose their life.”
The Duke’s eyes glinted like a predator eyeing its prey. A momentary interest flickered across Joseph’s previously indifferent face.
The hunting festival.
Though he wasn’t sure if she could properly hold a gun with those thin arms, her horseback riding skills were quite impressive.
Sienna had a tenacious side, and she excelled remarkably in the lessons provided by her tutors. Her performance was beyond the levels of Joseph and Marianne.
The tutors couldn’t help but speak of her in front of the emperor because of her outstanding achievements.
Whether it was etiquette, foreign languages, or horseback riding – there were no exceptions.
Even while everyone looked down on her, she was ardently trying to catch her father’s eye.
Yet she had never been invited to the hunting festival, which must have been a significant blow to her pride.
“…The hunting festival.”
A despicable smile emerged on Joseph’s face as he mulled it over.
****
“You’ve arrived, Your Grace.”
As Declan entered the Grand Duke’s residence, Ruben welcomed him with a bright face. Servants waiting behind approached to take his coat.
“You must be tired. I’ve prepared bathwater.”
“The Princess?”
His voice was heavy with fatigue.
Ruben didn’t immediately answer, instead signaling to the maids taking his coat. Only after they had discreetly left did he speak.
“As you instructed, I’ve given orders to the servants. You need not worry, as they will serve the Princess without a single misstep.”
“Have you assigned separate attendants?”
“Mrs. Thames will be in charge.”
Declan nodded.
Christine Thames had previously been in charge of Sienna’s care. Since she was someone Sienna had relied on, even when she couldn’t settle into the Grand Duke’s household, this seemed an appropriate arrangement.
“There’s no need for separate bath attendants.”
After sending everyone away, Declan unfastened his cuffs and entered the bathroom. The bathtub was filled with warm water, steam rising from its surface.
Declan carelessly tossed his clothes onto the marbling-patterned stone floor and stepped into the hot water.
While his physical strength was unmatched, recent schedules had been grueling even for him. He had rushed to complete backlogged work and immediately returned to Monferrato without properly closing his eyes.
‘Still, keeping her close will provide some peace of mind.’
He pressed his stiff eyes with his hand.
Although he had fully exposed his hand to the emperor, bringing Sienna to Monferrato was a choice he did not regret.
It seemed she, like his half-brother, had an emotional side. Normally calm, but once provoked, she would charge without considering consequences – which kept him on edge.
Though that wasn’t the only reason he brought her here.
Declan leaned back, glancing through a slightly open window. The sound of late summer grasshoppers could be heard from a small gap.
If she recovers the will and reclaims everything, what will happen to me afterward?
The emperor certainly won’t let me off. It might be him, not her, who ends up on the execution platform. The thought of his body hanging in the public square was almost amusing.
Come to think of it, he was curious. In his previous life, how did Sienna react when she heard of his death?
Did she feel as relieved as if a troublesome tooth had been pulled? She always lived looking back at the past. She would have left him long ago if not for Soliet.
Wasn’t she the one who said being a social queen as his wife was less preferable than her princess days when everyone ignored her?
As the blue eyes stained with regret surfaced in his mind, he let out a dry laugh.
After lightly washing in the bathroom, Declan immediately headed to his study to tackle his backlogged work.
The Count followed behind, first reporting on Sienna’s activities during his absence.
“Apart from requesting pen and paper, saying she needed something to do, there are no other notable incidents. It seems she mostly spends time with the healer brought from Lopwell or Theodore. Though she often skips meals, Mrs. Thames is meticulously taking care of that, so you needn’t worry.”
Declan nodded absentmindedly and approached the desk. His unconscious gaze suddenly stopped on the document folder.
The position of the documents on the desk remained unchanged. Only the fixing pins seemed to inexplicably irritate him.
On the bronze-colored pin, there was a trace of paint chipped like a fine crack – a mark that hadn’t been there before. Declan slowly traced the chipped area with his index finger. The raised surface pricked his skin like a thorn. It seemed like a mark made from hastily inserting the pin.
Who else could have sneaked in like a mouse to do such a playful act? The corner of Declan’s mouth rose, and a suppressed laugh escaped.
“Rio.”
The Count raised his head at Declan’s voice, which carried a hint of laughter.
“Regarding the residence’s mail,” Declan said while adjusting the pin’s balance, “it would be better to go through a more meticulous verification process for now.”
The Count easily understood the implication and nodded.
“Indeed, that would be better. The emperor might have secretly planted spies without us knowing.”
With countless employees in the Grand Duke’s residence, it was easy to plant a spy. Though the emperor had sent the Princess to the Grand Duke’s residence, it wasn’t because he trusted Declan.
The emperor simply had no other choice.
“But Your Grace, what exactly are you trying to achieve by doing all this?”
“There’s not particularly anything I’m trying to achieve.”
There might not be anything he could achieve either. At his emotionless voice, the Count’s brow slightly furrowed.
“Let’s just call it venting.”
Declan roughly filled in the gaps of the conversation.
