Episode 24: Discord (2)
‘But Julius is doing something good for me? That’s strange.’
I had every reason to be grateful to Julius for delaying my return to the palace as much as possible.
However, it was hard to believe that Julius would do something like that for my sake.
I narrowed my eyes and asked, “What’s your ulterior motive?”
Julius casually replied, without even a hint of embarrassment, “Ulterior motive? Don’t you understand the heart of a loving sibling?”
“I’m your sister? Even stray dogs would laugh at that.”
“Well, to be honest, my feelings are still the same.”
Of course, they would be. The man who used to torment his younger sister by chasing her around and bothering her wouldn’t suddenly feel guilt or familial affection.
Julius gestured for the maids to leave and continued, “Thanks to you, I was able to talk to Duke Stewart. I’m grateful, Sienna.”
I furrowed my brows and looked at Julius. With a mischievous grin, he added, “And in the future, I’ll have many more opportunities to talk to Duke Stewart because of you. So, it would be great if you could keep holding on to Duke Stewart like you do now. That way, I can use your excuse to have conversations with the Duke.”
I see, that’s the real reason. I shot Julius a skeptical look.
“He doesn’t love me.”
That’s why the idea of holding onto him like now doesn’t make sense in the first place. He doesn’t love me.
In response to my statement, Julius’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “That’s not like you. Are you in a position to talk about things like love?”
As I raised an eyebrow in response, Julius muttered something that I couldn’t tell whether it was meant for me or himself.
“Love is so dreadful. I’d rather not have something like love. There are plenty of emotions that are more reliable, like sympathy or friendship.”
It was a statement with a clear underlying story, filled with lingering emotions.
Feeling uncomfortable with his cryptic words, I shrugged my shoulders.
‘Julius can’t be one of the targets for conquest, can he?’
‘Why did only the male protagonist lose his emotions?’
Hinting at the subtle reason behind it. ‘If that were due to bad parents or child abuse, it would be an unavoidable flag.’
“Ugh, just the thought of it is terrible. Julius, keep your mouth shut.”
I needed to avoid mentioning that part, even by accident. I clenched my fist and turned my head.
Anyway, the uneventful teatime with Julius was over, and time flew by quickly until it was time to return to the palace.
“Sienna.”
As the departure time approached, Percy, whom I hadn’t seen in days, came to find me. His large hand brushed against my face as I stood in front of the palace carriage.
“It seems like your face has improved quite a bit. I’m relieved.”
He was right. Whether it was because of the food and drink at Stewart’s mansion or the days spent relaxing there, my complexion had noticeably improved, and I had gained some weight.
He spoke with a gentle tone, “It won’t be the same as before. Please return with a light heart.”
I wanted to thank him for everything during this time, but all I could manage was, “You’re meddling too much.”
It was frustrating, but Percy smiled gently in response. “Yes, meddling is my hobby.”
Looking at his unflinching face, I tilted my head. ‘Does he enjoy being refused? Or perhaps, is it amusing for him when things don’t go his way?’
Either way, it left an uncomfortable feeling. While I was pondering this, Julius overheard our conversation and nudged my side with his elbow.
“Hey, you must maintain a good relationship with Stewart’s mansion in the future. Are you listening to me?”
This brat, seriously. I glanced at Julius with a cold look that could freeze insects.
“Shut your mouth, you uncivilized boy.”
“U-Uncivilized?!”
Julius trembled as if he had received such an insult for the first time in his life. I let out a huff and got on the carriage.
Finally, I was alone inside the carriage. It took about 45 minutes by carriage to get from the mansion to the palace.
Not long ago, lying alone in bed used to be my daily routine, but after briefly staying at Stewart’s mansion, the silence felt awkward again.
‘Is Percy Stewart doing this on purpose?’ I wondered. I felt like a cat that had been tamed by someone. I clenched my fist and leaned against the wall of the carriage, closing my eyes.
I mustered my resolve, promising not to react too strongly no matter what happened. Again and again, I made that promise. When the coachman opened the door for me, I gracefully walked out. But something felt different.
“…?”
It was a completely different feeling than when I left. How should I describe it? It was quieter and heavier.
‘It’s more orderly,’ I thought, but it didn’t feel clean and pleasant. It felt sticky and heavy, like deep mud.
And that feeling only intensified as I approached the palace. Unlike before, all the courtiers were lined up, bowing their heads in unison as they faced me.
Most of them were new faces, and the only person I recognized apart from the maids was the highest-ranking lady-in-waiting. She approached me and extended her hand, indicating she wanted to take my outer garment.
I raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why is everyone being so polite?”
“No, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean, ‘No’?” I wondered when everyone started treating me with such politeness.
In response to my question, the lady-in-waiting bit her lip, avoiding eye contact with me. Her silence made me feel strangely uncomfortable.
‘Percy said that things would be different, but this is really different,’ I thought to myself. It felt like they had been scared out of their wits.
‘But I prefer it this way,’ I consoled myself. It had been a few days since I took over this body. To be honest, whether they were familiar or new faces, it didn’t make much difference to me.
I walked toward my room. Lady-in-waiting followed me, along with other courtiers who trailed behind like secretaries.
‘They’re all acting strangely,’ I thought. Typically, the maids would offer light greetings as I passed by, but today, they were bowing so deeply it seemed like they were preparing to dig a hole in the ground.
‘It’s like they’re facing a monster that will kill them if they make eye contact,’ I mused. It was as if something had drastically changed in the past week.
‘Maybe Percy gave them quite a scare.’
It had been a while since I possessed this body. Honestly, from my perspective, there was nothing particularly special about familiar or new faces. I entered my room.
“What about the maids?”
When I asked this, the lady-in-waiting was visibly surprised. I raised my chin and looked at her. She avoided eye contact and answered with a stiff tone, “They have all returned to their homes.”
‘Homes? Oh, right. I guess not everyone here considers the palace their home,’ I thought. ‘These people probably have homes to return to.’
Maybe because I knew I was inside a game, I thought that these people would stay here regardless of whether the sun or moon was in the sky.
‘It must be nice. I want to go home when the screen turns off,”’ I thought. Going home was a good thing. I wanted to encourage the lady-in-waiting to go home and rest.
Fortunately, there was a suitable response on the screen:
▶ Really? Do you want to go home too?
▶ I’m bored. Maybe you should play with me.
Surprisingly, my desired response appeared on the screen. Without any hesitation, I chose the first option.
“Do you want to go home too?” I asked.
“…!!”
Her eyes widened so much that they looked like they might pop out of their sockets, and her face turned a bright shade of blue. I realized that I had made a mistake, though I didn’t know what it was.
* * *
Sienna returned to the palace. Naturally, her return didn’t bring the activities at Stewart’s mansion to a halt.
Julius, who had been avoiding Percy, finally had a chance to meet him. Percy raised his eyes when Julius spoke.
“Now that Sienna has returned to the palace.”
Julius shrugged his shoulders.
“I think I’ve shown enough of my sincerity in this amount of time. Do you have any objections Duke?”
While it might seem obvious, the Emperor had been furiously demanding Sienna’s immediate return to the palace. He relentlessly harassed anyone involved, as if he had never known about Sienna’s suffering.
Well, he might not have known from the beginning. He was only interested in himself from start to finish.
In any case, Julius was the one who persuaded and convinced the Emperor to let Sienna stay at Stewart’s mansion. Percy’s words were true. While they couldn’t easily dismiss the Emperor’s demands, Percy was an unmarried man. Julius had definitely played a role in preventing unnecessary rumors and speculations.
‘And that was solely to gain trust from this man.’
Percy’s face was reflected in Julius’s brown eyes, like a mirror. He was an incredibly beautiful man, with distinct features, flowing golden hair, and eyes that seemed to hold the purest rubies.
His lifeless eyes met Julius’s with an indifferent gaze.
“If you want to truly prove your sincerity, you might have to stand here like a statue for about three years.”
Percy hesitated for a moment, fearing that he would be overwhelmed with sweetness if he returned to the palace now. But what was Julius even saying?
“You’re strict with me, but you’re so affectionate with Sienna.”
Julius shook his head, half in seriousness and half in jest, as he made this comment.
“I’m not sure yet. I don’t know what it is about Sienna that piqued the Duke’s interest.”
