TGW Chapter 15 Part 4

 

The deep purple liquid at the bottom of the wine glass swirled as Sienna rotated her wrist. With a flick of her hand, the wine spun smoothly within the glass.

—This is a dream.

Her gaze lifted. She saw the face of a middle-aged man sitting across from her.

—This is just a dream.

Sienna muttered calmly to herself. The middle-aged Kuhn, whom she thought resembled someone she knew, seemed strangely unfamiliar.

That man was not the person Sienna knew. This future did not belong to her present self. It had already begun to diverge, and much had changed.

In the future of her dream, the two—a man and a woman—were bound by a forced connection, not of their own choosing. They did not secretly meet away from prying eyes, nor did the man beg the woman to kiss him, nor did he teach her swordsmanship.

And yet, the two of them were married.

—What exactly is between us?

Sienna could feel the persistent thread connecting her and him.

"Until his last breath, the late emperor must have resented me."

"He might have, indeed. But I am not him. I don't have the ability to fully understand his innermost thoughts. Still, there is one thing you should believe in: he did not only hate Your Majesty."

"......"

"Perhaps Your Majesty also suspected as much."

The emperor slowly nodded.

"Because I’m still alive. What better proof is there than that?"

Sienna flinched at their words, which she had been listening to in silence. Then she let out a hollow laugh.

—That’s true.

It struck her when middle-aged Kuhn referred to the Iron King as a "not entirely ruthless man."

She had spoken to the Iron King only a few times. It was hard to say she had truly figured him out. Yet, after the recent incident with the Countess of Pope, she had a realization.

The Iron King could have pretended not to know at that time. If he had intended to drive a wedge between mother and daughter, he could have used a more subtle tactic. Though he called it a bargain, he had not yet demanded anything.

He wasn’t a vicious person. She could already imagine her mother’s reaction, getting all worked up upon hearing this, and it made her chuckle.

"Sky King."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I’m sorry."

The man’s eyes wavered.

"I never thought I’d say this in my lifetime. Most of what happened between us was my fault. Of course, some of it is yours, too. They say it takes two to make a sound when hands clap. You must admit that you were quite difficult with me."

"…Your Majesty."

"We messed up from the very first button. There were several chances to fix things along the way, but I didn’t even realize they were opportunities."

"I failed to gain Your Majesty’s trust."

"Let me offer a small excuse. I felt alienated by you. Your subordinates refused to accept me."

The emperor chuckled quietly.

"This wine is quite good. It loosens my tongue."

The emperor drank the wine in his glass in one go.

"My greatest mistake was bringing my own people with me after our marriage. They could not mix with your people, like oil and water. I did not make an effort, and I trusted my aides' words over yours."

"You’re talking about Sir Stus."

The emperor gripped his glass tightly. His hand turned pale from the pressure.

"I was a fool who couldn’t even tell the truth from lies."

The emperor muttered softly, his voice filled with both anger and sorrow.

---

“Why did it have to be today?”

Sienna thought as soon as she opened her eyes. Today, she had no time to calmly reflect on her dream. It was the first day of the year-end party that would grandly wrap up the year.

‘Will I be able to focus on the party?’

She might feel out of place all day.

She rolled over in bed, burying her face into the pillow in a prone position. In her dream, the emperor had said:

“Most of what happened between us was my fault.”

Shame washed over her.

‘Was it all my fault?’

Even though it was a future that no longer existed, it was still another version of herself. If she hadn’t seen it in her dream, she might have repeated it exactly.

After hours of preparation, Sienna stood before the mirror. Today’s dress design was quite unique. The large ribbon tied at her back looked like wings from the front. It gave off a whimsical, fairy-like impression, balanced by a daring amount of exposure.

Recently, a famous figure in the Empire’s literary circles lamented, observing the attire of young ladies: “The cost of fabric must have gone down; dressmakers must be making a fortune.”

There was a time when women hesitated even to show their wrists. That was now a story of the past. Party dress designs grew bolder by the day. Exposed arms were common, and plunging necklines revealing cleavage had become normal.

Today, Sienna’s dress followed the latest trend meticulously. It pushed up her breasts from below, with a wide neckline that plunged down the front. The cleavage of her ample, raised bosom was conspicuously exposed.

She had never worn such a dress before. Regardless of trends, she had refrained from revealing too much before coming of age. It had been more than half a year since Sienna’s coming-of-age celebration, and soon a new year would begin. The invisible boundary had vanished.

“It suits you well, Your Highness.”

“...”

“Do you not like it?”

“It’s a bit… cold.”

Beth burst into laughter.

“Inside the banquet hall, it will be quite warm from the body heat of all the people. You look stunning. Today, everyone will be staring at you, completely mesmerized.”

“That’s nothing new.”

Beth laughed again.

“Indeed, it is.”

A maid entered and bowed her head.

“Your Highness, Lord Rouk has arrived.”

“Although Lord Rouk is not late, Your Highness finished getting ready earlier than expected. Would you like some tea while you wait?”

Going out immediately after the man arrived, as if she had been waiting, wouldn’t look good. Beth asked if Sienna wanted to make Joseph wait.

“No need for that.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Beth did not press further. The princess didn’t need to pretend to be coy; she had every right not to.

As soon as Joseph saw the princess emerge, his eyes widened. The etiquette lessons he had received since childhood had not been in vain. He managed not to stare rudely. Instead, he approached the princess and bowed politely.

“I am here to escort you to the banquet hall. I can’t take my eyes off Your Highness’s beauty.”

“Thank you.”

Joseph stood beside her and offered his arm. Her hand rested lightly on his forearm. He took a deep, silent breath.

This divine beauty was his fiancée. He felt incredibly proud. Just thinking about showing her off at the gathering filled him with excitement.

Beth escorted them out into the corridor. The handsome couple was equally captivating from behind. When they were completely out of sight, Emma whispered from behind.

“They look so perfect together… But why do I feel a sense of loss? I keep picturing someone else standing beside the Silver King.”

She didn’t say who she was thinking of, but Beth understood. She silently agreed with Emma’s sentiment.

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