Episode 27: The Marriage Proposal Letter (Part 2)
Sienna had believed that the Emperor had gone completely insane and was beyond control. In reality, that was not the case. If that were true, running the country would have been impossible.
“It’s been a while, Count.”
“Yes.”
Emperor and Count Bohan had seen each other’s faces at the meeting yesterday, not in a confrontational manner but acknowledging each other. When the Emperor greeted Count Bohan with “It’s been a while,” the Count inclined his head.
‘”Is he testing me, or does he genuinely not remember and is speaking like that?’
The Emperor had always been like this, giving the impression that he had a slight memory lapse and using it to fish for the weaknesses of the nobles.
Having already witnessed moments when several people disappeared from existence, Count Bohan wisely concealed his emotions. The Emperor, having lifted Count Bohan’s chin to look down at him politely, smiled mysteriously.
“Do you want to marry Sienna and the Count’s son now?”
“The engagement has been maintained for a considerable period, Your Majesty.”
“…”
Although they were having a reasonable conversation, the Emperor did not seem pleased. Count Bohan immediately recalled Sienna, who he had seen at the door earlier.
The woman with red hair, neatly tied back, and a tall, slender figure appeared too delicate to be labeled as an infamous villain. Count Bohan decided to keep his options open.
“Princess Sienna is indeed quite similar to Empress, don’t you think? I might even believe it if I were told Empress has returned to life.”
“That child resembles Merigold quite a lot… Isn’t she adorable?”
Could it be that he didn’t want Sienna around because she resembled Empress? I had initially thought of this lightly, but the Emperor’s reaction was quite serious. When Count Bohan’s expression stiffened slightly, the Emperor, with a gentle smile, continued to gaze at Count Bohan.
“It’s not necessary for the Count’s son to marry Sienna, right? There are plenty of beautiful daughters aside from Sienna. Noble and lovely daughters, even more so than Sienna.”
“That’s…”
Count Bohan’s words trailed off. To be honest, he had thought along the same lines. Marrying the princess was to strengthen the unity of the central power. So, wouldn’t another princess be better than Sienna, who was labeled as a villain?
“But Daniel specifically mentioned Sienna Princess.”
Count Bohan’s gray eyes sank closer to black. He was recalling Daniel’s recent words.
– Father, I know who you have in mind.
Honestly, I was surprised. It wasn’t just that he had a favorable view of Beth as a servant; I had never expected that Daniel, who was known for being strict and dull like a language textbook, would say such a thing about love with a servant.
– I do not oppose Father’s feelings. However, please listen to my story.
– I want to marry Princess Sienna now.
‘There must have been some change in his feelings.’
While it was difficult to predict what might happen between Princess Sienna and Daniel, if it was Daniel’s intention, Count Bohan wanted to respect it.
But why is the Emperor saying this now? At first, when the Emperor proposed the marriage between Sienna and Daniel, Count Bohan genuinely wanted to reject it. The marriage with the princess was necessary, and if he couldn’t change the subject, he wanted to switch his son from the eldest son to the second son.
At that time, it was the Emperor who had ignored all of those opinions. So why was he now bringing up another princess’s matter?
“Princess Sienna has been betrothed to our Bohan family as a contract in a friendly manner for a long time.”
“Still, that child has many shortcomings.”
“If we suddenly annul the engagement and bring another princess to Bohan, there will undoubtedly be unfavorable rumors. We want the engagement to proceed as planned.”
“Is that so?”
As the Emperor kept offering counterarguments, Count Bohan gently pressed on. The Emperor, who had heard all of Count Bohan’s words, smiled slyly and steepled his fingers.
The other side was sincere enough, and the negotiation would begin now.
“Duke Stewart said he would provide five of Chilia’s islands as dowry.”
“Yes?”
To the unexpected words, Count Bohan’s eyes widened. The Emperor held his chin.
“How far can Bohan go?”
Sienna was a good child. Thanks to Count Bohan, she was able to get out of the imperial palace more easily than I had expected.
‘I owe it to Count Bohan for getting me out so easily. Fortunately.’
If it weren’t for Count Bohan, I would have either hit the Emperor or the Emperor would have tried to kill me.
‘Still, in the long run, I need to have a contingency plan. I can’t just keep holding back forever.’
Thinking about the Emperor alone made me sigh deeply. It was when I was walking with small, dejected steps and my shoulders slumped.
Beautiful hair glistened like a star reflecting the sunlight. My eyes widened.
‘Oh? Who is that woman?’
She had a long, slender neck like a deer, a slim waist, and an ideal body with a shapely chest and hips. She was wearing a lace dress that felt feminine.
‘Could it be Beth?’
The heroine Beth was crossing the palace garden.
‘This can’t be a place where anyone can enter, right?
The heroine’s status was just an ordinary country pastor’s daughter. No matter what excuse she used, she shouldn’t be able to enter the palace.
‘So, what’s going on? Did someone call Beth here?’
Or could it be a hidden walkthrough character that wasn’t in the game’s opening?
Regardless, I wanted to confirm. With eyes that sparkled, I took a slow step.
“The wind is nice.”
“Yes.”
In response to my words, the servants who usually never replied lowered their heads and nodded. I pointed to the garden where Beth was walking away in a leisurely manner.
“I’m going to sit in the garden for a while.”
“Huh?”
The servants all looked bewildered. Sienna had never taken a walk like this before, as if she had never walked in the neighborhood.
‘Of course, taking a stroll with the evil sister like her doesn’t suit me very well. I somehow get the feeling she’s sitting alone in her room.’
Nevertheless, she knew exactly where Daniel and Beth met, found her like a ghost, and intervened, so she could be considered a truly annoying sister’s mentor.
Either way, since I was determined not to change my mind about taking a walk in the garden, the servants quickly lowered their heads.
“Then, I’ll order them to bring a parasol.”
“Just a moment. Why do I need a parasol?”
I would miss it if I waited for the parasol to arrive. I quickly stepped into the garden.
As I walked slowly, I couldn’t help but remember the face of the person I had met a little while ago. It also included the disturbing document, the proposal letter.
‘Why is Bohan suddenly appearing? It’s giving me a headache.’
If he’s requesting a breakup, he might as well have written a proposal letter.
‘Is Daniel suddenly pushing for our marriage? What’s in it for him?’
Since I knew almost nothing about the background of this game, I couldn’t think of anything as I wracked my brain.
As I walked, the cool breeze carried the scent of flowers toward me. I gently closed my eyes.
‘But I guess I’ve become much more comfortable. I have thoughts like this, taking a walk in the garden.’
It was all thanks to Percy Stewart, that man.
‘Life is truly unpredictable. I never thought I would be helped by a man who didn’t even appear in the opening.’
As I thought about it, I turned left, leaning against a wall made of tall trees. There was a small gazebo where I could sit.
But…
“Oh?”
“It’s you.”
In front of me, there was a person who had no reason to meet at this moment.
“Princess Sienna.”
“Lord Daniel.”
He was wearing a black suit, and he had a long sword by his side. He exuded a neat and calm demeanor.
It was none other than Daniel Bohan.
‘After Count Bohan, it’s now Daniel Bohan.’
I felt the urge to stick my tongue out, but suddenly I had this thought:
‘Could sitting here now allow me to hear why Count Bohan came to meet the Emperor?’
I had to know the reason before deciding what to do. So I chose the second option. Conveniently, there was a bench near Daniel.
As I walked past Daniel, ignoring him completely and about to sit there, he suddenly spoke.
“Just a moment.”
He raised his arm to stop me from sitting on the bench. I tilted my head, wondering what he wanted, and he spread out a handkerchief on the seat.
“Please, have a seat.”
What’s going on? Why is Daniel being so courteous today?
His gentlemanly actions didn’t seem to suit Daniel at all.
“No, actually. Until now, it could have been that I acted rashly toward you. Look at his face. He looks like a perfectly normal gentleman.”
Thinking that, I pushed my self-conscious expression aside and sat down on the handkerchief Daniel had laid out.
Daniel opened his eyes wide. This time, he seemed to ask what was going on, and muttered softly.
“Your face…”
“Oh.”
My cheek that had been hit by the Emperor earlier was swollen.
