TGW Chapter 21 Part 3

 

In the afternoon, during the break, the Silver King suddenly showed up at the Iron Palace. Thanks to her previous visits, the attendants were able to escort her inside without much commotion.

The Iron King was leisurely drinking tea while reading a casual book. He was chuckling to himself when he heard the news that the Silver King had arrived. Startled, he hastily shoved the book under a cushion.

As Sienna entered the drawing room, she noticed a few displeasing scenes: the teacup, the plate of snacks, and the lingering smile on the Iron King's face. He looked like someone enjoying a very leisurely break. ‘Is this really the time for such behavior?’ Sienna felt her insides boiling with irritation.

“Welcome, Silver King.”

“Sorry to drop by so suddenly. Did I interrupt something?”

“I was just resting. Please, have a seat.”

Sienna glared at Dian with a look of disapproval as she sat on the sofa.

‘Is she glaring at me?’

Dian dismissed the thought. There was no reason for the Silver King to do so.

“Serve the Silver King some tea.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After the attendant served the tea, Dian gestured for them to step back and keep their distance.

“What brings you here?”

“I heard that the dates for the Marquis of Raad's party and my mother’s party overlap.”

Upon hearing the news for the first time, Sienna was once again struck by how malicious her mother could be. It was clear she intended to ruin Kuhn’s debut social party. It was a spiteful act of sabotage.

Sienna couldn’t confront her mother directly. She wondered if her mother had somehow sensed something about her and Kuhn’s relationship. Stewing over this alone, she couldn’t hold back any longer and came to the Iron Palace.

“Have you made any plans?”

“There’s not much I can do. It’s not like the Marquis of Raad can solve the issue by protesting to the Red King. And it would look ridiculous if I intervened.”

Dian's response was correct. But that wasn't the answer Sienna had come here to hear.

“What does the Marquis of Raad think?”

“He plans to hold the party as scheduled.”

“Most people will go to my mother’s party.”

“Of course. The Red King holds a prominent position in the social circle.”

“And yet, he still plans to hold the party on that day? The empty hall will become a rumor spread by those who attend his party. Everyone will mock the Marquis of Raad’s failure.”

Dian stared at Sienna for a moment before breaking into a grin.

“Then what about you, Silver King? Where will you be that day?”

Sienna frowned. This wasn’t something she needed to think about. She had already promised Kuhn that she would attend. She always honored her first commitments.

“You, of course, will go to your mother’s party. That’s what the Marquis of Raad expects as well.”

Sienna's eyes wavered.

‘Of course?’

She was slightly shocked to hear that Kuhn assumed as much. Did he see her as someone he couldn’t trust?

‘Does he not believe in my promise?’

“Anyway, there’s a lot of fuss about this party. It should just end soon. And as for the Marquis of Raad, well, he’ll be fine. His nerves—or rather, his spirit—is strong. The Marquis needs to experience failure too. It’s not good for anyone to always be on a winning streak in the long run…”

Dian wasn’t too concerned since he knew this party wouldn’t really harm Kuhn. He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the piercing gaze of the princess’s golden eyes, so bright it seemed they were glowing. Instinctively, he straightened his posture, quietly put down his teacup, and clasped his hands together.

“Watch your words.”

There was a sharp edge to Sienna’s voice. Kuhn had called the Iron King a friend. Even though those words were spoken by the Kuhn of the future, they likely reflected the opinions of the current Kuhn as well.

But here was a friend, treating his friend's difficulties as a spectacle and speaking about them as if they were someone else's problem. Sienna was furious. She abruptly stood up.

“I'm truly disappointed in you, Iron King.”

There was a chill in her expression and tone as she turned sharply and left.

Dian stared blankly at her back as she opened the door and walked out.

“…Silver King, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

But the Silver King, who should have been there to hear his explanation, was already gone. Feeling like a child who had just been scolded, Dian slumped, feeling dejected.

 

 ***

 

The next day, as usual, Sienna visited the Red Palace to pay her respects. Patricia handed her an invitation.

“Silver King, it’s the first royal palace party of the year. I hope you’ll attend and grace us with your presence.”

Sienna opened the invitation and checked the date. As expected, it coincided with Kuhn’s party. The invitation made it official. She closed the invitation and placed it on the table, pushing it back toward Patricia.

“Don’t drag me into your noisy battles, Mother.”

“Silver King, it hurts me to hear you speak like that.”

Patricia let out a delicate sigh.

“How long will this continue? I understand you’re upset, but you must recognize your mother’s sincerity in doing everything for your sake. Are you going to keep opposing me? Remember, I overlooked the matter of the greenhouse use last time.”

“Did you say I’m opposing you?”

“Silver King, you’ve been causing me a lot of distress lately. Everyone envies me for having a dutiful daughter like you. Why don’t we return to how things were? Let go of your resentment. As for the incident with Countess Pope, I made a mistake. It won’t happen again.”

Sienna was displeased. The distance she had maintained from her mother was being dismissed as a childish tantrum.

‘Ah, so that’s why the greenhouse party issue was let go so easily.’

Sienna had expected her mother to say something at the time.

‘I thought it was strange that she didn’t say anything.’

Suddenly, Sienna thought she could use Patricia’s misconception to her advantage. She would ensure that whatever she did seemed rebellious in her mother’s eyes.

‘Fine, Mother. I’ll be the disobedient child you think I am.’

“I admit it. My attitude has changed.”

Patricia’s face brightened, but it quickly hardened again at Sienna's next words.

“Thinking about it after hearing your words, that must be why. I feel uneasy every time I see you these days. I must be narrow-minded. Even when I hear your apologies, I don’t feel better.”

“Silver King, what must I do?”

“I don’t know. It’s quite unsettling not to be able to control my own feelings. What I do know for sure is that I don’t want to follow your wishes for the time being.”

“Silver King.”

“The broken engagement, for example. The Duke of Rouk never came to apologize to me.”

From the start, Sienna had never expected an apology from the Duke of Rouk. Her display of indignation in front of her mother and uncle was all an act.

“My honor was severely damaged by an engagement arranged under your trust, and the subsequent handling was merely adequate. You know me, Mother. I detest anything that is merely adequate.”

Sienna was being stubborn, emphasizing her rigid nature.

Patricia was taken aback by her daughter’s intense resistance. She had no words to defend herself regarding the broken engagement.

After Sienna left, Patricia rubbed her aching temples. The headache that had been dormant for a while seemed to be resurfacing.

“Summon the physician.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Patricia pressed her temples and furrowed her brows. She had thought that troublesome children were a problem for other people. She never expected this to happen so late in the game.

“What a pity. The princess’s stubbornness only grows stronger... A person needs some flexibility in their character.”

Should she have encouraged her daughter to socialize more broadly during her formative years? Patricia regretted her past decisions belatedly.

---

As soon as she returned to the Silver Palace, Sienna gave instructions to Beth.

“Bring me all the invitations that have come for me, excluding those for events that have already passed.”

Soon, Beth returned with a silver tray piled high with letters. Sienna picked a suitable invitation from the stack. It was for a tea party hosted by Countess Merze. It was an all-ladies event, with about twenty attendees.

“Two days from now. That’s a good date.”

Handing the invitation to Beth, Sienna said, “I intend to attend this. Inform Countess Merze of my decision.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Beth glanced at the invitation and looked surprised.

“A tea party? It’s the first time Your Highness will attend an external tea party.”

“I thought I’d give it a try.”

“You’ve made a good decision. It will be a great experience. I personally prefer tea parties over grand events. Although the number of attendees is large, since it’s hosted by Countess Merze, it should be fine.”

“Is twenty people a lot?”

“Yes. Typically, tea parties don’t exceed ten people.”

“Does having too many people cause problems?”

“The main issue is selecting the right guests. If a self-centered person attends, they can ruin the atmosphere. You also need someone to play the role of brightening the mood. If everyone just sits quietly sipping tea, it’s no fun. The host needs to understand the personalities of all the guests and have the connections to send invitations. A tea party of this scale isn’t something just anyone can host.”

“Hmm, it sounds complicated.”

Sienna had attended several tea parties hosted by Patricia. There were always at least fifty participants. She would drink tea and watch as the noblewomen fawned over the Red King. These occasions only highlighted her mother’s powerful position in social circles.

Thus, in this upcoming contest, Kuhn stood no chance against her mother.

“I will be an unexpected guest.”

“That’s true, but you are a distinguished guest whom they would welcome with open arms.”

“That’s true.”

Beth chuckled. She laughed even more because she knew the princess wasn’t joking.

“I should prepare your outfit for the outing, Your Highness. Spring is approaching, so you’ll need a fresh hat. I’ll visit the dressmaker, Your Highness.”

Beth, pleased to have something to do, went out cheerfully. She had been feeling a vague emptiness since the Marquis of Rad, who used to visit daily with flowers, had stopped coming.

Sienna quickly wrote a short letter and instructed the maid.

“Send this to the Marquis of Raad’s estate.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Sienna had decided she wouldn’t just sit back and watch as her mother tried to ruin Kuhn’s first party.

 

Countess Merze had been on edge since the morning. Today was the day of the first tea party she was hosting this year.

Her record was impeccable. Among the ladies of the capital, none hosted tea parties as frequently and successfully as she did, without any issues. Hosting a tea party was like having a cup of tea for her; it was simple and effortless.

But this time was different. It was all because of the letter she received the other day from the Silver Palace. She had casually opened the letter, but what she read inside shocked her. She read it several times over.

‘The Silver King is attending my party!’

Normally, invitations to a tea party were sent out at least two weeks in advance. Since the number of attendees was limited, those who received the invitation were expected to RSVP within three days.

The Silver King's notice of attendance was against basic etiquette. However, that didn’t matter. As the hostess, it was an honor just to have the Silver King attend.

The countess hastily made preparations for an additional guest. She added another portion of the special dessert she had prepared for the exact number of people invited.

“Teapots, teacups, chairs, tables, desserts… Am I forgetting anything?”

“My lady!”

The butler burst through the door.

“Oh my goodness, you scared me!”

The countess clutched her chest, startled, and glared at the butler.

“The guests are arriving. There’s also a royal carriage among them.”

“What? Already!”

The starting time mentioned in the invitations was approaching. The countess had expected the princess to arrive later. She hurriedly rushed out.

The courtyard of the Count’s estate wasn’t large enough to accommodate dozens of carriages. The carriages would drop off their passengers in order and then leave, only to return at the end of the event to pick them up.

The first carriage came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the mansion. The coachman set up a small step and opened the carriage door. A middle-aged noblewoman, who was getting out of the carriage, saw Countess Merze rushing down the stairs in a hurry.

‘She’s giving me such a warm welcome. I guess the trading company she recently invested in has been doing well.’

Feeling her social status rise, the noblewoman lifted her shoulders confidently. But the countess hurried past her without even a glance. The noblewoman felt quite embarrassed when she was ignored while trying to greet the countess.

‘Why is she in such a rush...?’

The noblewoman turned her head, feeling irritated. Her eyes widened in surprise. At the end of the line of carriages, there was a royal carriage.

“Oh my!”

The noblewoman quickly hurried toward it.

---

The final destination for each carriage was just below the stairs. Once the owner of a carriage alighted, the carriage would leave, and the next one in line would take its place. In this manner, the carriages took turns dropping off their passengers.

Finally, the royal carriage, waiting its turn, reached the drop-off spot. An amusing scene had unfolded by this point. The noblewomen who had already gotten out of their carriages did not enter the mansion but instead gathered around the royal carriage. Every time a carriage moved out of the way, the royal carriage advanced a little, and the noblewomen moved with it.

The battle of pride among the noblewomen was subtle. In official settings, they avoided showing their rank openly. Even if a duchess of high standing arrived in a carriage after them, they wouldn’t wait in front of her carriage unless they had a personal acquaintance with her.

But there was an exception. Only two people could possibly attend the tea party in a royal carriage: the Red King or the Silver King. In front of those two, the pride of the noblewomen was meaningless.

The door of the royal carriage opened, and the Silver King stepped out. A hushed gasp spread among the crowd.

Countess Merze, her face flushed with excitement, bowed her head.

“Welcome, Your Highness.”

“Thank you for graciously allowing me to attend on such short notice, Countess.”

“The honor is mine, Your Highness. Today will be a very special gathering with Your Highness present. Please, this way.”

The Silver King and the countess climbed the stairs side by side. The countess's attention was entirely on the Silver King. It was as if she didn’t see any of the other guests.

However, none of the noblewomen following them up the stairs found this to be a problem.

“It’s my first time seeing Her Highness the Silver King up close.”

“Mine too.”

“My goodness, I could hardly breathe when I saw her.”

The noblewomen whispered excitedly among themselves, praising the Silver King's beauty.

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