HPBUY Chapter 94

Their gazes intensely intertwined for a brief moment. Declan was the first to look away.

He straightened his upper body that had been leaning over the table and answered stiffly.

“I’ll handle that myself.”

Sienna looked at him with confusion.

Something felt off. Abandoning the military for personal revenge? This wasn’t something the man she knew would ever say.

Just as he had departed without hesitation despite her pleas when Theodore died, he had always prioritized his duties above all else.

He clearly stated he was joining her plan out of personal grudge, and that made sense. However, regardless of that, interfering with the military was far too dangerous.

While secretly helping Sienna for revenge against the Duke was one thing, betraying the military was quite different. After all, it was Declan himself who had reformed the empire’s military organization into its current prestigious position.

It would be no different than dismantling the organization he had built with his own hands.

That wasn’t all. Declan might once again find himself in danger because of her.

She could understand his desire to exact some small revenge against those who had dragged his family into the mire. The problem was that the incomprehensible aspects far outweighed the comprehensible ones.

If it were just minor assistance, she could deal with his brazen behavior, but meddling with the borders was a different matter entirely.

Even though she had obtained his life-staking promise, this wasn’t right.

Looking carefully at what Declan called a “proposal,” he stood to lose far more unilaterally, while the contents were entirely favorable to her. There were clearly questionable aspects that couldn’t be dismissed under the pretext of revenge.

On the other hand, she was well aware that in her desperate situation, he was the only one she could rely on.

Deep contempt settled over Sienna’s face, which had been momentarily lost in confusion.

What meaning was there in all this?

Her reason for leaving to find her own path was to find a way to survive without his help.

That was the only way to protect both herself and him. Pushing Declan into danger like this completely reversed the means and the ends.

“You don’t need to go that far.”

Sienna flatly refused.

“It’s practically treason in the first place. To be honest, I’m a bit uncomfortable with the fact that I’m the reason you’re getting involved in something like this.”

“If we’re calling this treason, then the starting point would be His Majesty the Emperor’s sin of going against the late Emperor’s will.”

Declan smiled sardonically as he mocked.

“Of course, the best solution would be for His Majesty to admit his wrongdoing and correct it even now.”

That would indeed be the most righteous course of action the Emperor could take. However, the concerning point was whether the Emperor would be wise enough to meet Declan’s expectations. Sienna seemed to share these thoughts, as her expression remained blank.

“Therefore, crossing the border is merely the next best option.”

“……”

“Even if it might go against His Current Majesty’s wishes, it would be difficult to label it as treason since it properly follows the late Emperor’s will.”

Despite his coherent response, Sienna still showed no positive reaction. Instead, the anxiety lurking in her heart was clearly visible on her face.

His words weren’t wrong. If Joseph’s misconduct was revealed during the hunting festival, even the nobles would find it difficult to overlook the Emperor’s transgression.

What Joseph had done went far beyond what could be simply ignored. Considering that altering his father’s will was his first act as Emperor, it was clear this would have negative consequences for Joseph himself. He would find himself in a position where not only his legitimacy was lacking but his morality was also questioned.

But wouldn’t that anger spread to Declan as well? That was what Sienna feared most.

Her expression suddenly darkened as she continued her inner struggle in this dilemma.

How foolish. From the moment he set foot in Monferrato territory, he was already deeply involved in this matter.

After coming this far, trying to protect him now was nothing but disgusting pretense. Declan could no longer be free from her.

Would Joseph not know this as well? But Declan seemed prepared even for that.

Biting her lower lip firmly, Sienna asked in resignation.

“…Are you certain there won’t be any danger?”

“Your Highness need not worry about anything. So please put your mind at ease.”

Declan curved his lips to reassure her. Though it didn’t seem very effective, his resolve remained unshaken.

Since it was essentially an abuse of border authority, the military would inevitably take a hit. The Emperor might even find satisfaction in erasing Declan’s existence from the military, though even that would be a significant blow to the military itself.

In any case, to gain one thing, another must be sacrificed. If he wanted to protect the military, he had to give up Sienna, and if he wanted to protect Sienna, he had to abandon the military. Trying halfheartedly to keep both would result in failing to obtain either completely.

That was the most valuable lesson Declan had learned from his previous life.

And in Declan’s life, nothing existed that could be weighed against Sienna.

If the outcome was already determined, he intended to devote himself to a single purpose this time.

****

“You incompetent fools! Can’t even keep track of luggage properly?”

The Duke’s angry roar echoed through the street.

All the luggage bags lay strewn about the road, messily opened and being ransacked.

Here’s what happened. While returning to the Duke’s residence from the Imperial Palace, the Duke realized something was missing and immediately had the carriage stop by the roadside. They pulled out all the luggage and searched through it, but the item he was looking for was nowhere to be found.

This had been going on for hours now.

While the Duke was beside himself with rage, some servants were still searching through bags while the rest couldn’t even lift their heads as they bowed before him. Despite this, there was no sign of the Duke’s anger subsiding.

This was understandable, as the missing item was nothing less than a sore spot for the Duke.

If it became public knowledge that he had been holding that ring, he would certainly face execution.

The Emperor already had an enormous inferiority complex about his legitimacy, and his hatred for his dead stepmother was beyond description.

Even though his own father had already hanged that woman, those feelings hadn’t easily subsided. Though that sentiment was now entirely directed at this Princess, what guarantee was there that he would be safe once it was revealed that he had possessed the ring?

The Duke’s possession of Melophe’s ring wouldn’t end as simple theft. Having concealed an item belonging to a traitor, there was a high possibility he would be branded as a hidden accomplice.

Just imagining it sent chills down his spine. After all he had obtained… After everything he had done to reach this position… He couldn’t lose everything so meaninglessly like this.

“This won’t do. We’re returning to the capital right now!”

“But Duke, it will be dark soon. Perhaps we should spend the night at a nearby territory and search again tomorrow…”

“Shut that nonsense! We can’t waste any more time on this damned roadside!”

Dahlia, who was in the carriage, quietly peered out the window. As she was ultimately responsible for all this commotion unfolding before her eyes, her fingers trembled slightly as they gripped the curtain.

Even amid all this, one thing became clear to her: the ring she had obtained was an extremely important item to the Duke.

While the Duke’s hysterics were commonplace, today was particularly severe.

Even to Dahlia’s eyes, the Duke was in an unusually unstable state. His face was flushed red to the point where she worried he might actually collapse, and his throat was visibly strained from his constant shouting.

At that moment, their eyes met through the window. With a gasp, Dahlia quickly drew back.

“Search her luggage too, now!”

The shout from beyond the carriage wall reached her ears clearly.

Her heart began to pound.

The Duke had realized the ring was missing not long after they left the capital. This was quite early compared to Dahlia’s prediction that he wouldn’t notice until they reached his residence.

She needed to deliver this ring to the Grand Duke’s residence, but given the Duke’s current state, it seemed they would return to the Imperial Palace.

Dahlia nervously kept glancing out the window. If they returned the way they came, when would she have another chance to leave the Imperial Palace? Moreover, given their current location, reaching the Grand Duke’s residence would be much faster than returning to the capital.

Dahlia blinked calmly.

Then what reason was there to keep hesitating?

Her hand gripped the fabric tighter.

Once she made up her mind, she opened the door with a resolute expression. The maid standing below the carriage looked up questioningly.

“What’s wrong, My Lady?”

“It’s stuffy inside, so I thought I’d get some fresh air.”

The maid easily acquiesced and stepped back, apparently thinking Dahlia just wanted to leave the door open. As soon as the maid’s attention returned to the Duke’s ongoing tantrum, Dahlia rose from her seat.

Looking down, the carriage was quite high off the ground. While falling from this height wouldn’t cause serious injury, a twisted ankle seemed quite possible.

Feeling the intense fear, Dahlia tightened her grip on the door.

She was currently the Duke’s most valuable commodity. Damage to someone of her status wouldn’t be welcome to him either. Eventually, the Duke would have no choice but to head to the Grand Duke’s residence.

Dahlia squeezed her eyes shut and stepped into the air. As she released the tension in her leg that was still in the carriage, her body fell.

The maid, belatedly noticing the body falling beneath the carriage, let out a horrified scream.

“My Lady!”

Then came the terrible pain.