TGW Chapter 13 Part 5

 Sienna went to the royal library early in the morning.

“Stripping of Succession Rights?”

There was something from the dream that she didn’t quite understand.

According to the Empire’s laws, the Emperor’s spouse must be of ducal lineage. However, she had never heard of a law where a royal’s right to succession was revoked because of marriage.

Sienna meticulously combed through the laws regarding rank and status.

“Ah, here it is.”

It was a clause that had almost fallen into disuse, as it had never been enforced before.

---

“When a member of the royal family enters into a marriage, as defined by the Empire’s laws, with a vassal who holds a seat in the Imperial Council, their right to succession is revoked.”

---

“Is this a law to prevent vassals from interfering in internal affairs?”

By "vassals," it referred to the six dukes of the Empire and the kings of vassal states. The Emperor always married someone of ducal lineage. However, the heirs who succeeded the dukes were always excluded from the list of candidates.

Joseph, who was engaged to Sienna, and Levi Morton, who was a candidate for engagement, were both individuals with a low likelihood of inheriting a duke’s title.

'Is Kuhn a vassal?'

Vassals became members of the Imperial Council and attended the council meetings once or twice a year. Since the Ferro Confederation joined as a vassal state, an additional seat would be added to the council.

The person to take that seat would typically be the king of the Confederation, but the Confederation appointed Kuhn as their representative. Even if Kuhn attended the council, he would only have the authority as a representative, not his own authority.

Although he received the title of Marquis, the only title recognized as a vassal in the Empire’s laws was that of a Duke. Consequently, he was not currently a vassal.

'But in the future, he was a king, so he does count as a vassal.'

When Sienna returned to the palace, someone was waiting for her. Joseph bowed his head.

“Your Highness, I came to see you out of concern. You didn’t seem well when you hurriedly returned to the palace yesterday.”

“Thank you for your concern. I was just a little tired.”

Since he was her fiancé, Sienna couldn’t send him away immediately, so she ordered tea to be brought.

“How was the banquet yesterday?”

“The atmosphere wasn’t pleasant.”

“What happened?”

“It was disappointing to see the behavior of people these days, swaying without principles. Those who had been criticizing the envoys of the Confederation as barbarians who didn’t know etiquette were now surrounding them, desperate to exchange a few words.”

Sienna could roughly guess the mood from yesterday. The Emperor had shown sufficient interest and favor towards the Confederation. No one dared to look down on the Confederation, and instead, they would have tried to befriend the envoys.

Sienna had a general understanding of Joseph's character—he enjoyed being the center of attention. Since Sienna had left first, Joseph was likely left standing awkwardly alone. It was clear that Joseph did not enjoy the party at all.

“And that man, the representative of the Confederation. There’s something strange about him.”

“What’s strange?”

“Someone said they saw him at Your Highness’s coming-of-age celebration. He seemed close to the Iron King at that time. And yesterday, he also seemed familiar with the Iron King when they were talking.”

“Hm.”

“Joseph didn’t see Kuhn that day?”

Come to think of it, Levi had escorted her that day. She didn’t recall seeing Joseph.

“Ah, right. He and Kuhn met at the masquerade ball.”

Joseph would never have imagined that the man who had stolen the first dance with the princess was him.

“Your Highness, you must be wary of him. There are many suspicious things about him.”

Sienna let out a small chuckle.

Suspicious? Definitely suspicious.

“Your Highness, this is not something to be taken lightly—”

There was a knock on the door from outside. A moment later, Beth entered with a maid assisting her in her wheelchair.

“I apologize for interrupting your conversation, Your Highness.”

“It’s fine. What is it?”

“There is someone here requesting an audience with Your Highness.”

Joseph furrowed his brow. He was the one who came first. If someone else had come, they should have been told to wait; there was no need for the Countess to interrupt.

“Who?”

“Well…”

Beth glanced at Joseph before speaking.

“It is the Marquis Raad…”

Sienna’s eyes widened.

“He said he came to keep a promise and that Your Highness would understand if he mentioned that.”

Beth had not attended the banquet yesterday, but she had already heard the rumors about Marquis Rad. In less than a day, his name had become the talk of the entire palace, with the court ladies whispering about him whenever they gathered in twos.

Beth was surprised when the famous man she had only heard about suddenly showed up as a guest, and she was further shocked by how exceptionally handsome he was. Finally, she was most surprised by the peculiar way he spoke, as if he had known the princess for a long time.

Beth had told the Marquis to wait since the princess already had a visitor, but she couldn’t stop herself from knocking on the door.

Sienna didn’t immediately understand the message Beth conveyed.

“A promise?”

---

“I will come to see you soon. At that time, I will request an audience with Your Highness, the Silver King.”

---

Sienna bit her lip. She felt like she was about to laugh. How childish it was for him to come by so openly right after becoming a marquis and to make a comment to the Countess that he didn’t have to make.

“Lord Rouk, since I have a guest, I suggest you leave for today.”

“Your Highness!”

Joseph looked incredulous.

“Countess, please see Lord Rouk out.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The princess’s firm decision left Joseph with no choice but to leave.

“I will visit again.”

Joseph’s steps were heavy with frustration as he walked away. As soon as he stepped outside the drawing room, his eyes met with those of a man sitting on a sofa. Joseph glared at him fiercely, but Kuhn did not respond to the clumsy provocation. He smiled calmly.

With an expression of utter annoyance, Joseph left. But as soon as Joseph was gone, the smile disappeared from Kuhn’s face.

When the Countess came out, Kuhn smiled warmly again, looking like a friendly person, and stood up.

“She’s ready to see you now.”

“Thank you.”

Beth’s eyes followed Kuhn as he walked past her. Seated, the man’s height seemed even more imposing. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she followed him into the room.

 

 

Sienna sat on the sofa, holding a teacup, and waited for her guest. She did not lift her head. Kuhn, showing no sign of concern, naturally walked over to the sofa and sat down across from her.

Beth's eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them, clearly confused. This was not like the princess, who was usually so strict about etiquette.

"You always seem angry whenever I see you," Kuhn said.

Sienna glanced upward. Her eyes met his, and he gave her a light smile. The middle-aged Kuhn she had seen in her dream was now sitting before her, young and vibrant. Whether old or young, he was handsome. She thought she was furious with him, but as soon as she saw his face, her anger dissolved so pathetically that she let out a small laugh.

"Whose fault do you think that is?" she asked.

"Of course, it's my fault," he replied.

"And why do you think that?"

"Someone once advised me that when a woman is angry, nine times out of ten, it's because of something the man did. They also said the best way to handle it is to apologize sincerely and beg for leniency. So, it's definitely my fault."

Sienna let out a small, incredulous laugh.

"Who gave you such ridiculous advice?"

"Ridiculous? I'm seeing the effects right now. You're feeling a bit better than before, aren't you?"

Watching his playful demeanor, she felt exasperated.

Sienna caught Beth's eyes, who was watching intently. When Beth quickly looked away, Sienna felt embarrassed and cleared her throat unnecessarily.

"Countess, there's a guest, and you haven't served tea?"

"What? Oh, yes, Your Highness. My apologies. I will call Emma. Where did she go? It might take a little while to serve the tea. Please, take your time to talk. You all, come with me. I might need your help."

The countess took all the maids with her and left the drawing room.

"She’s quite perceptive," Kuhn remarked.

Sienna shot him a glare as he chuckled quietly.

"Congratulations on becoming a renowned figure in the capital overnight, Lord Rad."

"I don’t think it’s something to be congratulated for, but thank you for your kind words."

"So, what brings you to see me?"

Kuhn looked at Sienna silently before letting out a long sigh. Maintaining a formal posture while trying to act politely was suffocating.

Sienna was startled when he suddenly stood up and approached her. She reflexively tried to move away, but she only managed to press her back against the sofa.

"Why are you...?"

He placed one knee on the sofa and leaned his upper body closer. Sienna couldn’t move as he drew nearer. His hands slid under her arms, wrapped around her back, and pulled her into an embrace.

Kuhn shuddered at the softness he felt in his arms. He buried his face in her neck. She was the most potent drug in the world. He realized he was completely addicted to her. Just holding her in his arms made him so happy that he couldn’t help but smile.

For a moment, Sienna was dazed, her arms awkwardly resting against his shoulders. Her arms weren't enough to fully wrap around his broad shoulders.

He was an exceptionally large man. Sienna often felt like a very small and weak woman when she was with him. It was different from the helplessness she felt due to powerlessness. It was a comforting sense of security as if she could lean on him.

‘What should I do?’

She was afraid that he might hear her heart beating so loudly as she held him so close.

In the dream, Kuhn had chosen marriage as a means to strip Sienna of her succession rights, thereby removing her as a threatening competitor to the Iron King. She finally understood why he had approached her. Still, she couldn't bring herself to hate him.

‘How foolish I am.’

Sienna pushed against his shoulders. He seemed to withdraw for a moment but then leaned in to kiss her. Sienna turned her head to avoid him, clearly rejecting him. Kuhn's eyebrows twitched.

"Go back to your seat, Lord Raad."

"You can speak to me as comfortably as before."

"I can't do that. Back then, you were just a mere merchant, but now you are a marquis."

"Does that matter?"

He had spent over three months in the desert to be worthy of meeting her proudly. Yet, if she distanced herself from him for such a reason, he felt it was deeply unfair.

"It's funny to hear you say that."

Her cold response confused him.

‘What’s going on?’

The Sienna who had freely embraced him during the deer hunt had changed. What had happened in the meantime? His sharp instincts warned him that he couldn't just let this slide.

"What's the problem?"

"If I weren't a princess, if I weren't the Silver King, you wouldn’t have approached me."

Kuhn tilted his head slightly.

"So, you mean I desire your status as a princess and the Silver King more than I desire you as a person? Like some rogue clinging to a wealthy widow?"

By the end of his sentence, he was almost growling.

"I will agree on one thing. If you weren’t a princess..."

His hands gripped her arms tightly.

"I would have kidnapped you long ago, hidden you in a place where no one could find you, where no one could see you. At least until you had three of my children. You wouldn't have been able to leave my sight for even a moment."

Sienna frowned.

"That's barbaric."

"I'm not particularly refined, you see. So, unless you have the bad habit of wanting to see me act like a madman, just tell me. Sienna, if you don’t say anything, I won't know. What's the problem?"

He looked genuinely angry. This was a face Sienna had never seen before. Cold and fierce. She got goosebumps as she recalled his cold eyes from her dream.

"It's because of the Iron King," she blurted out.

"The Iron King? What about him?"

"You approached me... to help the Iron King."

"..."

Kuhn stared at Sienna silently. But his expression was different from what she expected. Rather than looking taken aback, he looked incredibly dumbfounded.

The strength drained from his hands, which had been gripping her arms so tightly that it hurt. He stood up and ran his hands through his hair, looking utterly frustrated.

"This is driving me crazy," he muttered despairingly.

Then he started pacing around the sofa. Around and around, he kept circling, breathing heavily.

Watching him pace like that made Sienna realize that this was how he held back his anger.

‘His way of holding back anger is quite gentle.’

Sienna let out a small sigh.

‘I’m definitely not normal.’

The sight of this large man trying to calm his anger was oddly endearing. Using the word "cute" to describe a man rather than a delicate doll or pet made her feel like she was out of her mind.

"Let’s talk," he finally said, stopping his pacing and sitting beside her.

"Where on earth did you hear such things?"

As he calmed himself down, Sienna also felt her mood lighten compared to before. Watching a man pull at his hair while circling the sofa and then say, "Let's talk," in a calm voice almost made her burst into laughter.

"You're helping the Iron King, aren't you?"

"So what?"

"You plan to make the Iron King the emperor; I know that much."

Kuhn’s eyes flickered for a moment, but he didn't deny it.

"What does my approaching you have to do with making the Iron King emperor? You’ve known from the start that I was close to him."

Sienna couldn't say it was because marrying a vassal would strip her of her succession rights. He wasn’t yet a vassal, nor had he proposed marriage, so bringing it up would be foolish.

But then she realized a contradiction in her own reasoning. If his purpose was to strip her of her succession rights, it was based on the assumption that he would become a vassal.

However, becoming a king wasn't a simple matter. Without knowing the future, she wouldn't have imagined it. No matter how absolute the emperor's decree was, the public opinion of the establishment could not be ignored. The process of him becoming the Duke in the future she saw in her dream would not have been smooth.

‘Did I overestimate it?’

"So you're saying I used my looks to achieve my goals? And that this tactic worked on you? Should I feel honored?"

"It didn’t work!"

Kuhn ignored her protest and continued.

"On the other hand, what if I said you tried to seduce me to lure the Iron King's close aide away?"

"I never did such a thing."

"But I was completely taken by your beauty."

"What nonsense is this?"

"Exactly, Sienna. What you're saying is nonsense."

Kuhn let out a long sigh and spoke as if he were pleading.

"I’ve learned that you have a vivid imagination, but let's not be unreasonable."

"..."

"Though I lost my parents at a young age, I was raised strictly and grew up properly."

Sienna nodded as she recalled him pacing around the sofa earlier. His way of controlling his emotions wasn't unfamiliar to her. Nobles were taught from an early age to manage and express their feelings in their own way.

"So, I don’t do things like selling my body to achieve my goals. I have my reputation to uphold in front of my subordinates."

Sienna almost nodded again but stopped herself. She was being persuaded, but she couldn’t argue against him.

‘Indeed... In the dream, he said he didn’t refuse the emperor’s command or request, but he didn't act on his own accord.’

As she reflected, she noticed something she had missed.

‘In the dream, the two didn’t even seem close. It didn’t seem like they ever had a heartfelt conversation.’

But now, in reality, Sienna spoke freely with him. The dream and reality didn't match.

‘Has it changed?’

When? From where?

"Have you cleared up the misunderstanding?"

"..."

"Sienna, I would turn myself inside out to show you if I could. Otherwise..."

Kuhn hesitated before speaking with difficulty.

"Do you find it unacceptable that I am close to the Iron King?"

Sienna stared at him intently. During the brief moment, Kuhn waited for her answer, his mouth felt dry, and his throat burned.

"...No, I don’t mind."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kuhn felt a self-deprecating smile spread across his face. He was using her answer as an excuse to avoid facing the truth. A problem he couldn’t keep running away from forever.

"Then let’s talk about something else. You got engaged, I heard."

"It was a planned event."

"And your fiancé visits often, and you two enjoy intimate dates."

That wasn’t entirely true. Sienna’s tightly packed daily schedule left her little time to spend with her fiancé. Even if she had the time, she wasn’t inclined to.

There was a knock at the door. A maid entered and stood silently by the entrance.

"Lord Rad, I must leave for my next appointment. It was a pleasure speaking with you."

"...I’m glad you enjoyed it. I feel like my soul was wrung out," Kuhn grumbled as he stood up.

"I’ll visit you again tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"I’ll come the day after tomorrow, too."

"..."

"You have such an active imagination; I can’t give you any time to overthink things."

"Aren’t you busy?"

Kuhn clenched his fist tightly.

‘Is she still upset?’

Should he step back and wait until her mood improves?

‘No.’

She was like a luscious flower with a strong fragrance. Now that she had come of age, she would only bloom more beautifully. And then, pests would surely swarm around her.

‘Like that bastard.’

Remembering the smug face of Joseph he had seen earlier made his stomach churn. He couldn’t leave such pests hovering around her.

‘I’ll break off this engagement soon.’

"No matter how busy I am, I always have time for tea, don’t I?"

"Well..."

"Then have tea with me."

Sienna nodded without thinking. As Kuhn bowed and turned to leave, she realized too late what she had done.

‘Why does that feel so natural? It’s my time.’

But he was already gone.

Beth approached cautiously. The assistant who had been helping her earlier had been a maid, but now it was Emma.

"My apologies, Your Highness. I couldn’t serve tea to the guest because I was looking for Emma."

Of course, that was a lie. Beth had deliberately stayed away.

Sienna only then noticed there was only one teacup on the table. Not even offering tea to someone who had come to see her made her feel bad.

‘Why am I like this?’

Her usually calm heart would rise and fall whenever he appeared. Ever since she had read the report on the Kaligo Mercenary Corps, her mind had been troubled, and she had lost sleep. But when she finally faced him today, she didn't feel like confronting him.

She decided to watch a little longer. She still didn’t know if the future where the Iron King became emperor was the right one or if it was a future that needed changing.

"Your Highness."

"Where is the chief aide, Ritchell?"

"He is waiting outside."

"Tell him to come in."

"Yes, Your Highness. Also, Lord Raad left a gift for you."

"Later... no, bring it here."

A maid brought in a long wooden box. The dark oak wood of the box, polished to a sheen, gleamed. For a jewelry box, it was quite large. Its narrow, elongated shape was also unique, making it hard to guess what might be inside.

Sienna’s hand froze as she lifted the lid. Inside, nestled in velvet-lined slots to keep it from moving, was a single, pure white sword.

Next to her, Beth and Emma’s eyes sparkled as they peeked at the box.

"Oh my."

Beth muttered an exclamation of admiration.

'That sword is definitely...'

It was the family sword that Joseph had offered as a prize at the hunting competition.

Sienna, as if enchanted, picked up the sword.

The Iron King, who won the hunting competition, had given the "Eye of the Demon" to his fiancée, Violette, right there on the spot, while keeping the sword for himself. The noblewomen had looked at Violette with eyes full of envy, but that day, all Sienna could see was the sword.

Many people sent gifts to Sienna. However, most of these gifts went straight to the storage without even catching Sienna's eye. This sword, however, would be the most memorable gift she had ever received.

Lost in admiration for the sword, Sienna eventually remembered her next appointment after some time had passed.

"Is Aide Ritchell still waiting?" she asked.

Beth smiled gently.

"Yes, Your Highness. I instructed him to wait while enjoying some tea."

"Well done."

"I didn't want to interrupt Your Highness since you were so clearly enjoying yourself. Do you like it that much?"

Sienna, feeling slightly embarrassed, placed the sword back in the box.

"Your Highness, when you receive such a fine gift, you must give something in return," Beth suggested.

"...Tomorrow."

"Pardon?"

"He said he would come again tomorrow. Even if I'm not here when he arrives..."

"Yes, Your Highness. I will ensure he is treated as a distinguished guest."

"And since the Countess's taste is likely better than mine, please choose a return gift on my behalf."

"Gifts should be selected personally to have meaning. How about this? I will pick out a few options, and Your Highness can choose from them."

"Let’s do that then. Bring in Aide Ritchell."

"Yes, Your Highness."

If Beth could walk, her steps would have bounced joyfully as she turned away.

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