TGW Chapter 17 Part 2

 

Sienna drew a short horizontal line on a blank sheet of paper. She drew four lines, then added a vertical line to group them into four, marking them in groups of five.

"Twelve, thirteen..."

There were three sets in total. Fifteen. Fifteen days had passed since Kuhn had left to see off the envoys of the Allied Nations. At most, he had said it would take a month, so there was still a long way to go.

She propped her chin in her hand and scribbled meaningless doodles. Even after a deep sleep, a full meal, or several cups of tea laden with sugar, the strange hunger would not disappear.

There was much to be done. Reports summarizing the past year's activities in the southern red clay region, which she had received as her domain, were stacked high on her desk. At the Imperial Library, there were countless books to read and endless things to study.

She attended state meetings at least once a day, regularly met with officials, and never skipped her sword training.

Her days were filled with activities. Though she wasn’t overwhelmingly busy, there was always something to do.

Yet, amidst her busyness, she felt bored. Her mind kept wandering. She couldn’t stop thinking about one man's face.

There was a knock at the door.

"Your Majesty."

Sienna was startled and covered her doodles with a nearby document. No one would come and look, and even if they did, they wouldn’t understand what it meant, but Sienna wasn’t sure why she had done that.

A moment later, the door opened, and Beth entered with Emma.

"Apologies if we interrupted you."

"It’s fine."

"Lady Grossi requests an audience. She asks if it would be okay to visit you tomorrow. A messenger is waiting for your response."

"Give her permission."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Ah, she also mentioned she would be accompanied by someone—Princess Fatima."

At the mention of that name, Sienna felt her stomach twist.

"Tell her that will be fine. I'll leave it to you to prepare for the guests tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Majesty. You've been sitting for hours. Perhaps a walk would do you good."

Accepting Beth's suggestion, Sienna left the palace. As she walked along the garden path, she found herself quite far from the palace.

She stopped in front of the maze garden. As if she heard someone calling her, she went inside. She stood still in the wide, empty center of the maze garden and looked up.

The sky was clear, without a cloud in sight. A ridiculous laugh escaped her. She was exasperated by herself, troubled over a man.

 

 ***

 

The next afternoon, Violet and Fatima visited the Silver King's Palace.

The palace was normally guarded by the Imperial Guard, and the knights of the Silver King's Guard took turns patrolling. Today, the patrol was Ben Stus, who had recently joined the guard.

Stus identified the two women entering.

"The betrothed of the Iron King and a princess from the Allied Nations. What reason could they have to visit Her Majesty, the Silver King?"

Stus had attended almost every sizable gathering, thanks to Patricia's support. He familiarized himself with the faces of important figures.

However, few people remembered Stus. He had avoided drawing attention to himself and kept to the corners at gatherings.

Stus stared into the inner part of the Silver King's Palace.

"I need to get in there soon."

His fiery gaze was hidden behind a neutral expression. The only knight who could freely come and go in the palace and meet the Silver King anytime was the captain of the guard.

"I must gradually earn Her Majesty's trust and become the captain of the guard. Gilbert doesn’t deserve that position."

He thought of Gilbert and smirked. It was a mystery how Gilbert became the captain of the guard. He had no distinguished background, nor was he exceptionally skilled. He wasn't particularly tenacious or cunning. It would be easy to push aside such a person.

 

 ***

Sienna sat opposite her two visitors on the sofa.

On the last day of the previous year, Violet had been invited to the Silver King's Palace for dinner. After dinner, they had tea and light conversation for several hours, and Sienna had grown accustomed to Violet's excessively bright, admiring gaze.

"Your Majesty, this is an invitation to His Majesty the Iron King's birthday party."

Violet stated the purpose of her visit.

Sienna opened the invitation. Ten days later, at the Iron King's Palace.

"The invitation could have been sent through a messenger."

"I wanted to give it to you personally. It’s a small party with few guests. Please attend and grace us with your presence."

"I'll certainly attend."

She turned her gaze to Fatima.

"Princess Fatima, it must feel different to spend New Year’s Day in a foreign country."

Sienna had learned that Fatima remained in the Empire after the envoy's departure.

"Yes, it was both daunting and exhilarating. Your Majesty, in the desert, unmarried women have many restrictions on their actions. Traveling far from home is out of the question."

"So, are you receiving special treatment because you're a princess?"

"It's because someone my parents and siblings trust is in the Empire. They are reassured to leave me in his care."

Fatima observed the princess's expression.

"You mean the Marquis of Raad."

"Yes."

"He escorted you for all three days of the New Year’s Eve banquet. I thought he was showing you much consideration."

Fatima smiled shyly, but inside, she felt conflicted.

"Did I misjudge everything?"

When speaking about the Marquis of Raad, the princess’s expression hadn’t faltered. Even from what she heard, it seemed the princess and the marquis couldn’t be close.

"Was Lord Kuhn's gaze at the Silver King just one of reverence?"

"Fatima, didn't you say you had a request to make to Her Majesty?"

Violet spoke up. Originally, Violet had planned to come alone, but she couldn’t refuse Fatima's request to accompany her, as she wanted to make an earnest request to the Silver King.

"A request? Of me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I heard there is a library within the palace. May I be permitted to read the books there?"

"You know the Empire's language... Ah, you must have learned to write while learning to speak."

"Yes, I can read and interpret it, though not perfectly."

"There is a library in the administrative building where the nobles of the Empire may enter with a pass. I will arrange for you to receive a pass."

"I am grateful, Your Majesty."

Fatima dreamed of becoming the King of the Empire's social scene and was devising practical ways to achieve that. First, she needed to learn and absorb as much as possible.

The library pass had two advantages. The books in the Imperial Library wouldn’t be trivial. She could gain valuable knowledge from them. More importantly, it allowed her free access to the palace.

In the desert, Fatima hadn’t realized how special she was. It was strange to see how the people of the Empire made such a fuss, saying, "Oh, a princess!" The treatment of her as a princess felt like an ill-fitting outfit.

But soon, the awkwardness turned into familiarity.

Fatima realized how remarkable it was to be the daughter of a king, a princess. Her perspective changed. The devotion and respect from those around her became a given.

The Count of Merze, whom she had inadvertently relied on, turned out to be one of the highest-ranking nobles in the Empire. Her close acquaintance Violet was the granddaughter of a duke and the fiancée of the Iron King.

Suddenly, she noticed that she was surrounded by remarkable people as her acquaintances. She didn’t want to lose her current position, which she had grasped like a stroke of luck. She wanted to be truly equal to them.

She felt she needed to learn more about the Empire. So after the New Year’s banquet, she spent time exploring every corner of the capital. It was quite impressive.

In the Empire, not only were residential areas divided by status, but their forms also varied. Regardless of status, if one was wealthy, they could secure a good house, but high status often equated to wealth. And the higher the status, the more likely one was to own a grand mansion.

The palace was the pinnacle of grand mansions. It was the largest and best house in the Empire, one that only the ruler could inhabit.

When Fatima first entered the palace, she was overwhelmed by its vast scale, comparable to a small city. She understood why people coveted power.

Even if one were a noble of the Empire, access to the palace wasn’t free. Sometimes, it took months to obtain permission. The freedom to enter and leave the palace was a privilege reserved for a select few.

"Nobles with such privileges are never excluded from social circles."

The library pass would be a significant asset for Fatima’s social activities.

After the guests left, Sienna asked her maid to bring her sword. It was the treasured sword from the Duke of Rouk’s family, a gift from Kuhn. When she opened the wooden box, the beautiful white blade was revealed. Sienna's gaze softened as she looked at it with satisfaction.

She put on gloves. Carefully, she took the sword out and placed it on a table lined with a soft cloth. Her touch was delicate as if handling a glass that would shatter with the slightest pressure.

She drew the sword from its sheath, held it up to the light, and meticulously inspected the blade. She then carefully polished it with a dry cloth. The entire process was like a sacred ritual.

Every two or three days, Sienna took out the sword and tended to it herself. She enjoyed this time. She had never done anything without purpose before. Maintaining a sword that was only stored and never used was clearly a waste of time.

For the first time, she understood the mindset of people who were deeply engrossed in their hobbies. She realized there were things that were enjoyable purely for the process itself, even without results. Doing simple tasks without thinking too much brought her peace.

From the moment Fatima greeted her, she had felt unsettled. She was also displeased with her own discomfort around Fatima.

She knew why Fatima bothered her. It wasn’t that she disliked Fatima. She wanted to get rid of Fatima, who was hovering around Kuhn. It would probably be the same if it were another woman instead of Fatima.

"Such petty jealousy."

She thought it was low to attack someone emotionally. This discovery of pettiness within herself caused her inner turmoil.

Beth watched Sienna silently as she polished the sword.

"Does Her Majesty favor the sword or the person who gifted it?"

The princess had no greed for material things. She was given everything she needed before she even wished for it. But it wasn’t just her environment. There were many who desired more even after obtaining much.

"She’s never expressed a personal desire before. To think she’d be so fixated on a single sword."

Beth found this new side of Sienna intriguing.

"Your Majesty, many New Year's gifts have arrived."

"Just compile a list as usual and bring it to me."

"Part of the fun of gifts is opening them."

"I only need to know who sent what. That’s all the senders care about, anyway."

Sienna frowned as she turned the sword blade, which she had carefully polished with a cloth.

"Besides, it’s all predictable, isn’t it? Jewelry or accessories."

"They are the safest gifts for a lady."

"People lack creativity."

"But there probably aren’t many who receive such a variety of gifts as Your Majesty."

It was well known that the princess wasn’t very interested in gifts. So people made an effort. To stand out amidst a barrage of gifts, they sent unique presents.

A bracelet crafted in an unusual style, or a comb carved from jade that showed different colors depending on the angle it was viewed from.

From what Beth could remember, there had even been a sword. Someone who learned that the princess was learning swordsmanship sent the bold gift of a sword.

However, the princess had never shown interest in any of the gifts after reviewing the list. It wasn’t the sword itself that made her cherish this particular sword.

"Countess, you said that although yours was a marriage of convenience, you came to love your husband."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"What did you like about him?"

"I liked his gentle nature. I liked that he was considerate of others."

"From the moment you first met?"

"Not at all. At first, I didn’t like him. He spoke so little that I thought he was a cold person."

Beth was secretly excited to be having such a conversation with the princess. It was an opportunity to learn something she had always been curious about.

"There is such a thing as love at first sight, but that feeling doesn’t last long. As you get to know someone, your feelings can fade or deepen. What was your first impression of the Marquis of Rad, Your Majesty?"

Sienna’s reply came a little late.

"...He was rude."

Beth’s eyes sparkled.

"He picked apart my words and mocked my swordsmanship."

"Oh my. What an awful person. Does the Marquis of Raad dare to put on airs with Your Majesty?"

"No, he wasn’t a marquis then."

"That makes it even more outrageous."

"Hmm."

Sienna quickly flipped through her memories of their encounters as if leafing through a book.

"He certainly lacked manners."

She let out a small laugh.

"Now that I think about it, the Marquis of Raad hasn't changed. He is still just as rude."

Beth looked at Sienna with a curious gaze. Though the princess spoke of the marquis being rude, she didn’t seem upset at all. In fact, she seemed to enjoy talking about the Marquis of Raad.

"Indeed. He hasn’t changed."

Through her conversation with Beth, Sienna realized something new. What had changed was her feelings toward the same person.

"We seem to have digressed. Did things go smoothly for you and your husband after that?"

"It wasn’t entirely smooth. There was an issue between our families in the middle. Looking back, it wasn’t a big deal, but at the time, it seemed serious. Until then, I thought it would be fine to marry him. But when it came to whether the marriage would happen or not, I got scared. I couldn’t bear the thought of another woman by his side."

Sienna’s face grew warm as if her own feelings had been exposed. She pretended to be nonchalant as she urged Beth to continue her story.

"And then what happened?"

"For the first time, I told my parents a huge lie. I said I had already been intimate with him."

Beth chuckled, reminiscing about the past.

"Love is truly a strange thing. It makes you do things you normally wouldn’t and gives you courage you never had. But sometimes, I wonder if I should have done that."

Beth laughed again.

"I’m speaking of all sorts of things. How foolish of me."

"How strange."

Sienna thought as she looked at Beth, whose face was flushed as she laughed.

"How strange that I understand the Countess’s feelings back then."

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