Episode 16: Turning Point (Part 1)
‘Why did the tutor go to see Princess Sienna?’
Sienna’s visit to Count Bohan mansion was the first time in several years, except for when they reached an agreement about the engagement. Regardless of whether Sienna got along with Daniel, she was his fiancée and the first princess of this country.
But why did the recently hired tutor intervene in a situation where she had barely been at the Bohan mansion for long?
As Daniel meticulously buttoned his shirt, he twisted his lips.
‘I should scold Harjang. Harjang should have personally attended to the guest.’
Daniel recalled that time. It was when Sienna had poured tea directly onto the tutor, and Count Bohan had angrily scolded the Sienna while soothing tutor with a damp towel.
‘I’m glad the water wasn’t too hot! This beautiful face almost got hurt!’
Whether it was his father, who casually reacted to the teapot falling, or the other people in the room, they were all quite surprised by the exaggerated response, as the rumor had it. But Daniel found those words quite strange.
‘Why do they think the tea we serve is lukewarm?’
Lukewarm? Did that mean they had no intention of properly welcoming the guest? Or perhaps…
‘Did they add something to the water?’
Thinking that far, Daniel tilted his head. It was their first meeting with the tutor, and predicting that Sienna would pour water on her was purely speculation.
Daniel calmly put on his gloves. The tutor’s behavior was awkward, but Sienna’s action of pouring water on her clearly had room for criticism.
Normally, he would have been disgusted by such behavior, but as he thought of Sienna, Daniel’s lips softened.
‘Is she jealous…?’
The reason Sienna had shown such intense emotions was likely jealousy. She had said she would confirm with her own eyes whether the tutor was the mistress, and immediately upon arrival, she had poured water on her. It was clear.
Daniel tapped the desk with his fingers.
‘She’s a strange woman. When did she become so indifferent?’
What was even stranger was that he didn’t feel so bad himself.
When Daniel couldn’t figure out his own feelings and just pursed his lips…
Knock, knock.
The door rang. Daniel, who was about to put on his jacket, looked up. He hadn’t even asked her to come in, but the woman opened the door and walked in gracefully.
She was radiant. Each strand of her hair, as if made of pure gold, was scattered like melted gold, and her blue eyes seemed to have moved an entire lake.
Daniel furrowed his brow.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Beth, sir.”
She was the tutor they had recently hired.
The hair was neatly braided and fell down her shoulders, with only a shawl covering them. Under the shawl, it was clear that she wore a light one-piece nightgown.
‘Why is she dressed like this at this hour?’
As if not sensing Daniel’s resistance, Beth put down the tray she was carrying on Daniel’s desk with a calm smile
“I thought you might have trouble sleeping, so I made some chamomile tea for a good night’s rest.”
“This is not the job of a tutor.”
As if she couldn’t hear Daniel’s words, she poured tea into a cup. The well-brewed chamomile tea flowed out with a soothing fragrance.
That warm sensation captured Daniel’s attention. It felt like a nuisance that gnawed at his nerves. With a slight headache coming on, Daniel frowned and turned his head. Then, in a cold voice, he said, “You came as my brother’s tutor, so please take good care of him. Don’t concern yourself with me.”
It was a harsh statement that could hurt deeply. However, she did not respond.
‘Why isn’t she saying anything?’
Daniel turned his head in puzzlement. Then, he froze.
Beth seemed to have something she wanted to say but couldn’t, like a person who had gone mute.
This attitude, too, gave Daniel an odd sense of discomfort. The more he looked at her, the more uneasy he felt. She was undoubtedly a beautiful and virtuous person.
He sternly told her not to come again.
“And it’s not that I can’t sleep. I have night duty at the palace tonight, so I’m preparing to leave. There’s a lot of work like this, so please don’t concern yourself in the future.”
“…I’ll be waiting.”
“No, I mean… Why are you…!”
Daniel raised his head, irritated by her words. Then, looking at her translucent face as if she were a paper doll, he finally picked up his jacket and briskly walked past her and out the door.
‘This is just too strange.’
No matter how hard he tried to understand, he couldn’t. A sudden visit from a beautiful woman who stayed in his house, then acted presumptuously toward him, and even showed jealousy toward his fiancée.
Once he left home, he wouldn’t have to feel this discomfort. Thinking that, Daniel entered the palace earlier than usual for his nighttime guard duty.
His subordinates greeted him warmly when he arrived unexpectedly.
“Welcome, Daniel.”
“Is everything all right?”
Daniel asked, expecting nothing to have happened.
“Well, can we call it nothing?”
“What’s going on?”
As Daniel pulled the reins a little loose, he furrowed his brows and turned to look at his subordinate. The subordinate responded with a somewhat restrained expression.
“The commander has executed those who committed noble contempt charges.”
The commander of the Royal Knights was none other than Duke Percy Stewart. However, mentioning his name felt unnatural because he had been responsible for the night guard duty the previous night.
“The commander? I thought he left the palace in the morning.”
“Yes, we were aware of that as well.”
It was unexpected, but not entirely strange. Contempt of the nobility was a serious crime, and Percy had the authority to carry out immediate punishments.
Not all knights within the palace had the power to execute immediate punishments. Daniel swept his hand through his hair and said, “Contempt of the nobility in front of the commander? There are still people who don’t know their place. Which noble is involved?”
“It’s Princess Sienna Liata.”
There was a pause.
But he couldn’t just let that answer slide.
Princess Sienna Liata.
Lately, that name had been heard more frequently.
“Why would she be charged with noble contempt? She’s not the type to just endure quietly.”
To Daniel, Sienna was a contemptible woman. She tormented and beat powerless maids, showing no regard for their lives.
But strange things had been happening lately. Suddenly, this question crossed Daniel’s mind.
‘What if she had been enduring continuous contempt? What if she had resorted to misconduct because she couldn’t resolve it with her own power?’
If that were the case, it would mean that he knew a completely different Sienna.
‘But that’s a useless thought.’
Daniel shook his head. There was no way she could be an innocent person. Something was clearly wrong with her lately.
This wasn’t about being interested in her. As today’s security officer, it was his duty to inquire about this matter.
While reassuring himself with these thoughts, Daniel asked in a composed voice, “What kind of noble contempt?”
“I, I’m not sure. The commander passed judgment immediately.”
“Wouldn’t there have been a hearing for the victim afterward?”
“That’s…”
It was only then that Daniel seemed to remember that he was Sienna’s fiancé, and he stumbled over his words. Then, carefully watching Daniel’s reaction, the subordinate continued, “In the name of protecting the victim, the commander escorted the princess out of the palace.”
“…”
Daniel bit his lip. Unidentifiable emotions surged within him, and his fist clenched involuntarily.
But he couldn’t understand what this emotion was.
❀❀❀❀
I spent eventful days in this world, and it’s been three days since I woke up here. I have 97 days left. Finally, I received a proper breakfast.
‘Wow, it’s Eggs Benedict.’
As I pierced the runny yolk with my fork, it wobbled like jelly. It was when I aggressively wielded my knife and fork for a full-fledged breakfast.
Julius, who sat next to me, elegantly sipped his tea and gave Percy a gentle smile.
“You were impatient yesterday, Duke. Taking the unmarried princess to be the Duchy. Thankfully, I followed you swiftly; otherwise, a scandal would have erupted.”
My heart, which had softened due to the delicious Eggs Benedict, plummeted at Julius’s words.
‘What is this guy saying?’
Regardless of whether I faced a scandal or someone took me to elope, this guy, who wouldn’t care about it, was pretending to be a good older brother, acting like he’s concerned.
‘Oh, he’s really getting on my nerves.’
I’m such a timid person, but he’s making me clench my fist involuntarily. That’s why Sienna turned into a villain.
While I was grumbling, Percy spoke calmly.
“You’ve done something unnecessary.”
Well done! That’s what I wanted to say! But Percy said something different from what I intended.
“After all, Princess Sienna will be marrying me. It’s better for the rumors to spread a little faster than for it to be a scandal.”
“Pfft!”
Julius, who was drinking tea without any dignity, spat it out and asked with a wrinkled forehead.
“…Are you serious, Duke?”
“I am serious.”
When Percy replied calmly, Julius turned to me with a bewildered expression. I raised my chin.
‘What’s the matter? Am I a joke for receiving a proposal?’
