TGW Chapter 21 Part 1

 

Overlapping Parties

Darkness clouded her vision. Then, the world appeared blurry for a moment before becoming dark again. Through her slowly blinking eyelids, the world seemed tilted. Her head, which had been resting at an angle, straightened up and regained balance. Suddenly, a glass appeared before her eyes.

“It’s cold water.”

Her gaze, fixed on the glass of water, followed the hand holding it upward. It was the Sky King.

Perhaps because she had met Kuhn in reality right before falling asleep, the Kuhn she saw in today’s dream seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

The Emperor drank the water. He finished a whole glass.

“Did I fall asleep?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“About an hour.”

“Hmm…”

The Emperor sighed, and her vision darkened. It seemed like he was trying to recall something. After the Emperor made a sound of contemplation for a while, the Sky King spoke.

“You drank several glasses of wine in quick succession. There was no time to stop you. Then, you repeatedly said to me, ‘I apologize on behalf of my mother, but I do not seek forgiveness.’ You kept repeating the same words, so I guessed that you were very drunk. Then you closed your eyes and leaned back on the sofa. You fell asleep.”

—Ah…

If she could, she would have covered her face with both hands. Getting drunk and causing trouble… She felt embarrassed just hearing about it. She guessed that if she looked at the Emperor's face now, it would be flushed, not from the alcohol, but from shame.

The Emperor opened his eyes and lifted his head. The King’s expression, like his curt speech, showed no signs of mockery.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

“Leave the drunken Emperor sleeping? I cannot leave unless you wake up sober and explicitly tell the chief chamberlain to escort me out. Who knows what blame I might be saddled with later?”

The Emperor didn’t respond to his sarcastic remark.

“There was already a commotion while you were asleep.”

“What commotion?”

“It seems someone was very worried because Your Majesty’s conversation with me was taking so long.”

The Emperor let out a sigh that sounded almost like a groan.

“…Mother came and left?”

“I didn’t know she had the authority to come and go from Your Majesty’s quarters as she pleased.”

Sienna pictured her elderly mother hysterically yelling. Just imagining the clash between her mother and the Duke was enough to give her a headache.

“Did my mother… leave quietly?”

“I told her I was having an important conversation with Your Majesty. I said that if today’s conversation ended well, she would never have to visit Your Majesty again, but if she interfered, she would find herself visiting often. It was quite a proper threat. She left without another word.”

“…”

“She is…”

Unable to finish his sentence, the Sky King let out a long sigh.

“What use are words now?”

A heavy silence hung between the two.

“Are you feeling okay? Any headaches? If needed, I can call a physician.”

—Such an inscrutable man.

He was indeed the same person. The fact that she could not understand what he was thinking was what made the Kuhn of the future so similar to the Kuhn of the present.

The Sky King’s demeanor was peculiar. It wasn’t hostile, but it wasn’t friendly either. There was a sense of drawing a line, but it wasn’t so distant as to treat her entirely like a stranger.

—The two were married.

Regardless of how the marriage came to be, the two were once husband and wife.

—There was an intention to strip him of his succession rights with the marriage. So, he must have been a Sky King before the marriage.

Being a Sky King, he would have his own territory.

—Did the Iron King give him territory?

Whatever the region, it was unlikely to be close to the capital. The nobility would never accept granting autonomy to an independent state near the capital, the center of the empire.

It seemed the two left the capital and went to the duchy after the marriage. The name “Dark Castle” was mentioned before. That must be the Sky King Castle.

“I’m fine. Perhaps because I slept a little, the intoxication has worn off.”

“Just like that? You seemed very drunk.”

“I don’t stay drunk for long. A nap for an hour or two, and I’m back to normal.”

The Sky King, who had been closely observing the Emperor, seemed to decide she was indeed alright and turned back to sit on the sofa opposite her.

“You two really are siblings. The late Emperor was also quite strong when it came to drinking. No matter how much he drank, he rarely got drunk, and even when he did, he didn’t experience hangovers the next day.”

“It must be a trait of the divine lineage.”

“…I see.”

—Hmm. Does that apply to me too?

Sienna had never drunk enough to get drunk.

“Your Majesty, I rarely saw you drink at banquets. Even while staying at the Dark Castle, I never heard of you drinking.”

“I don’t usually enjoy it.”

“Then perhaps you started drinking more after coming to the palace. You wouldn’t know what a hangover feels like unless you drink enough to get drunk.”

“Enough with such talk.”

“You asked me to be honest.”

The Emperor couldn’t refute and only turned her head away. Her gaze shifted to the corner. The shadows there were dark. Only the Sky King’s voice could be heard.

“I always wanted to ask whenever I saw Your Majesty. Why do you never seem happy?”

Sienna’s heart sank. She thought the Emperor might feel the same.

“Things have turned out as you wished. That day, you left the Dark Castle without looking back. You probably thought you were reclaiming the throne you had lost in accordance with the natural order.”

There was a moment of silence before a faint, hollow laugh came from the Sky King.

“In truth, I thought Your Majesty might come back. That’s why I didn’t stop you from leaving. It was my delusion. I didn’t expect an annulment lawsuit.”

 

***

In the morning, Beth, who had entered the palace, heard some surprising news from a maid.

"His Highness has canceled all his morning appointments?"

"Yes, Countess."

"Is he feeling unwell? Did he not summon the royal physician?"

"We asked, but he said it wasn't necessary. He told us all to leave and hasn't come out of his bedroom."

"Did you not ask him why?"

The maid couldn’t answer. Beth clicked her tongue but did not press further. The maids of the Silver Palace found it very difficult to serve their mistress. Although the princess was not harsh or punishing for mistakes, she kept her distance. She was a superior whose inner thoughts were impossible to discern.

Despite the fact that Beth received the princess’s trust, which might have aroused jealousy, the maids seemed relieved that the countess acted as a mediator between them and the princess.

After knocking on the bedroom door, Beth raised her voice.

"Your Highness, it's Beth. I've just arrived at the palace. May I come in?"

Beth quietly entered with the maid. Sienna, who was sitting on the sofa, greeted Beth with a nod.

‘From the outside, she doesn’t look any different than usual.’

Beth gestured to the maid who was pushing a chair. The chair stopped close to the sofa. At Beth’s signal, the maid bowed to Sienna and left the bedroom.

"Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm not sick. There was something troubling my mind, and I needed time to sort out my thoughts."

Beth’s gaze fell on an envelope on the sofa table. She frowned slightly but then smoothed her expression.

“Is it because of the Marquis of Raad?”

Beth guessed Sienna’s silence was an answer.

“It seems he has already been here this morning. Did that give Your Highness something to worry about?”

Beth said, looking at the envelope.

"How did you know that was given by the Marquis of Raad?"

"I can see the crest on the envelope."

Sienna picked up the envelope to check. It was stamped with a pattern of ivy.

"Is this the Marquis of Raad's family crest?"

"Yes, didn't you know?"

"Ivy for the Ivy House? Ridiculous."

A noble’s crest symbolized the dignity of their family. It typically featured fierce animals like lions or falcons, or symbolic elements like large claws or wings, or weapons such as swords or shields.

“I think it’s quite unique. Isn’t it rare? The marquis might have chosen it with much thought.”

Sienna thought there was no way that was the case.

‘If this crest held any important meaning, he would have mentioned it to me.’

He hadn’t said a word when he gave her the envelope. It was clear he had made it up on a whim.

‘Perhaps the marquis title doesn’t matter to him? After all, he wants to become king.’

Thinking back to the dream made her uneasy again. From the moment she opened her eyes that morning, she couldn’t shake off the troubled feeling in her chest.

She wondered how she had become the emperor after being deprived of her succession rights due to marriage with a lord. She had scoured the legal texts, but there was no clause stating that the right to succession would be reinstated upon divorce.

Annulment of the marriage—it was a cruel act her future self had done. By retroactively voiding the marriage from the date it was established, it was as if it had never happened, returning her to a state where her succession rights had never been revoked.

She imagined the future scenario from her dream in her mind.

The two were married by order of the Iron King, who was emperor at the time. Neither of them wanted the marriage. Naturally, their relationship had been strained from the start.

After their marriage, they went to the Grand Duchy. Their married life began there, and it was not smooth. The couple clashed. It wasn’t just petty quarrels; they never opened their hearts to each other, seemingly divided from the beginning.

The Sky King had his people, and Sienna brought her own, including Lord Stus, to the Grand Duchy. With the couple on bad terms, their followers also conflicted, which only pushed the couple further apart. During their marriage, the Iron King died, having left no heir.

Sienna remembered the words of the Sky King from the dream:

"You were the only remaining descendant of the bloodline."

By rights, as the first in line to the throne, Sienna should have been the next emperor. However, her marriage had already stripped her of her succession rights.

The future Sienna had abandoned her position as the Sky King. To claim the emperor’s throne, she annulled the marriage. Thus, the emperor in her dream, though married, was legally single.

‘I don’t disagree with the dream emperor’s decision. With the former emperor dead and no clear successor, the imperial family could have been thrown into chaos.’

But the method was wrong. The emperor showed no consideration for the Sky King. How would he have felt receiving an annulment notice from a wife who left home after only giving him a perfunctory notice?

He must have felt bewildered, angry, humiliated… it would have been impossible to describe with one word.

"Your Highness, I have something to apologize to you for."

Beth cautiously spoke while observing Sienna's expression.

“I told the Marquis of Raad to visit Your Highness through unofficial channels without your permission.”

‘Hmm?’

It was different from what Kuhn had said. One of them was lying. However, it was a good lie intended to take the blame, not to accuse the other.

‘It’s better not to mention that he visited at night, I suppose?’

“It’s fine. I wanted to talk to the Marquis of Raad soon anyway. And my worry isn’t because of the marquis. It’s not because of this either.”

Sienna handed the envelope to Beth. Beth took out the invitation inside and her eyes widened.

“Oh my, the Marquis is hosting a party. It’s going to be the talk of the town.”

“I plan to attend. You should come with me.”

“Me too?”

“From the look on your face, it seems you want to go.”

Beth gave a shy smile.

“There isn’t much time left. We need to hurry and prepare Your Highness’s dress for the event. Your Highness, you haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Shall I have them prepare it?”

“Please do. I should get moving too.”

Sienna was still in her nightclothes.

“Yes, Your Highness. I will send in the maids to attend to you.”

 

 ***

The Marquis of Raad initially sent out invitations to a select few, including the dukes.

Just that alone caused rumors to spread quickly. The news that the marquis, who had never shown his face at any social gathering, was opening his estate to host a party excited everyone.

Some wondered if they would make it onto the second round of the guest list. The nobles who were securely in favor were relaxed, while the lesser nobles were anxious. Those who were quick on their feet ran around busily, looking for ways to get an invitation.

In just a few days, the Marquis of Raad's party at Ivy House had quickly become the hottest topic.

Patricia unfolded an invitation. It was the very invitation in question. As the Red King and a prominent figure in society, she was always at the top of the list to receive invitations to every party.

She shook the invitation with a sneer.

"So the social world is all in a frenzy over this one piece of paper?"

The older maid bowed her head and replied.

"Yes, the marquis has not yet sent out additional invitations."

The maid was a close aide who had Patricia's trust. She was responsible for collecting and reporting information gathered from the eyes and ears planted in various places.

"He intends to stir up even more interest. That young man is acting like a sly old fox."

She bit her lip and muttered, "How annoying." The Marquis of Raad here, the Marquis of Raad there. Lately, all the news in the social scene was about him.

"Is there any other news?"

"Count Rouk has..."

The maid trailed off.

"Speak. What about him?"

"He showed up at the engagement ceremony of Baroness Hunt yesterday."

"Shameless. Everyone must have pretended not to see him, so he must have kept to a corner."

"...It seems there won't be any issues with Count Rouk's return to the social scene."

"What?"

Patricia's eyes narrowed sharply.

"Count Rouk drew attention by saying he was advising on the guest list at the request of the Marquis of Raad. He even distributed several invitations he brought with him right there."

"Hah!"

Patricia let out a cold laugh. Her eyes flashed with a fierce light.

A man who deserves to be crushed. And now, he's scurrying to the Marquis of Raad after causing all that humiliation? If he weren't the grandson of Duke Rouk, she would have dealt with him long ago.

"What do you think? Is the interest in the marquis's party overheated?"

"Yes. There are carriages lined up waiting outside the dressmakers. Quite a few people are deliberately rerouting their carriages to pass in front of Ivy House. It's almost... reminiscent of the atmosphere just before the Silver King's coming-of-age birthday party last year."

Patricia ground her teeth. She glared at the invitation with a terrifying look. Her grip tightened, crumpling the invitation badly, and she threw it aside.

"Then I suppose we'll need to cool that enthusiasm by throwing some water on it."

Her red lips twisted into a sneer.

---

The Red King announced the first official royal palace party of the year.

Typically, there were at least five royal palace banquets held annually. With a limited budget, the Red King preferred to put more effort into a single banquet rather than hold multiple events.

Therefore, the sudden announcement was unusual. There wasn't even a clear reason for the banquet. Most notably, the date directly coincided with the Marquis of Raad's party.

The atmosphere in the social scene, which had been abuzz with excitement over the marquis's party, turned somber. There wasn’t a single noble who failed to understand the Red King’s warning.

It was an ultimatum to choose—between me and the Marquis of Raad. And whatever choice they made, they would have to face the consequences.

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