TGW Chapter 24 Part 6

 

When Kuhn returned to the cabin, Sienna was sitting on the sofa in the parlor. Gilbert, who was sitting across from her, stood up.

“I shall take my leave, Your Highness.”

“Hmm. Go ahead.”

As Gilbert passed by Kuhn, he bowed his head slightly. Gilbert increasingly avoided coming close to Kuhn.

Kuhn thought to himself with a hint of sarcasm, "I should find and send him a more expensive quill." He then sat down in the seat where Gilbert had been.

“Those men we saw at the night market—Sir Gilbert thinks they’re loan sharks.”

Kuhn furrowed his brow.

“...Is that what you’ve been talking about this whole time?”

“But Sir Gilbert has rarely been outside the capital, so he doesn’t really know the situation in this area...”

“I told you I’d explain it to you.”

His voice had grown cold, causing Sienna to stop mid-sentence.

“Are you worried I might deceive you with some ridiculous story? Were you planning to verify it with Sir Gilbert first?”

Sienna stared at him silently. His expression was sharp. She was taken aback, as she had never seen him like this before.

Her face became expressionless. Without a word, she stood up. Kuhn’s eyes, watching Sienna rise, wavered.

“I can’t talk to you right now.”

She abruptly turned around. As she moved toward the bedroom, Kuhn quickly blocked her path.

“I’m sorry.”

“...”

“I was wrong.”

“I’m not saying you have to pretend to be happy in front of me. Just don’t force your feelings on me without convincing me first.”

“I won’t.”

Kuhn sighed. Seeing his expression, it was clear his apology wasn’t a mere attempt to get out of a situation but was filled with self-reproach. Only then did Sienna’s expression soften.

As he watched her turn and head back to the sofa, Kuhn chastised himself.

“What a pathetic fool.”

He must have been on edge from his conversation with Jeffrey. He couldn’t understand why he had taken out his frustrations on an innocent person when it was Jeffrey who had provoked him.

As they sat down again, Sienna made it clear how she intended to handle similar situations in the future.

“Kuhn, I don’t plan to listen to only one side of the story, no matter the matter at hand.”

The price of having only listened to her mother’s one-sided stories was severe. She resolved not to repeat the same mistake.

“It’s not because I doubt you. But if you can’t accept this, then there will always be a gap between us that we can never bridge.”

“You’re quite ruthless.”

Kuhn muttered gloomily. He realized he had been mistaken. Her fortress of ice was still intact. To her, a man she had spent just one night with was nothing.

If you weighed their hearts on a scale, his side would likely tip completely down. But that was fine. As long as he could hold even a piece of her heart, that was enough.

The woman sitting before him, with her cold expression, was so dazzlingly beautiful that his heart trembled. If this was a sickness, then he was truly a gravely ill patient.

“I understand what you mean. You want to hear various opinions from different people.”

“Yes.”

“Allow for an exception. For example, when it comes to matters between the two of us, you shouldn’t listen to anyone else’s opinion but mine.”

“Of course, I can make that distinction.”

“That’s good, then.”

Sienna felt a sense of déjà vu. She had heard similar words before.

“What are you so worried about?”

It was as if he had already decided that someday a major conflict would arise between them that would worsen to an irreparable degree.

What could the problem be? The people around them, or the man himself?

If it was the people around them, there wasn’t much to be done immediately. The relationship between them was like a tangled knot that needed to be carefully untied. Sienna had no intention of cutting through the knot; she was thinking long-term.

But if it was purely a personal issue, it was all about the heart.

“Is he unsure? Is he thinking that one day his feelings might change?”

For a moment, Fatima’s face flashed across her mind. Since she had learned about Fatima’s existence, a feeling of discomfort had been coiled in her stomach. Some days she would forget about it, while on others, it would grow so much that it made her feel uneasy.

From what she had observed, people who existed in both the present and future were always bound by some special fate. So, she couldn’t ignore even the brief mention of Fatima in her dreams.

But that didn’t mean she wished for Fatima’s death, as suggested in the dream. She just didn’t want to see her. She hoped Fatima would go away to the desert or somewhere far.

“No, even if she goes back to the desert, Kuhn, as a diplomatic representative, would keep coming and going.”

How could she ensure she never saw her again?

“...Marriage?”

There was that option.

Once, Violet had briefly mentioned Fatima while chatting away.

“Your Highness, if Princess Fatima returns to the desert, she will have to marry, regardless of her own wishes.”

“In the Empire, it’s the same, isn’t it? Marrying according to the family elder’s wishes?”

“The desert is more coercive. There, a wife is almost like her husband’s property.”

“Property? That’s a barbaric custom.”

“Exactly. The man she marries might already have several wives or might have a terrible reputation for being violent. At least in the Empire, divorce is possible. But over there, even if a husband kills his wife for her supposed crimes, it isn’t considered a crime. It’s truly horrible.”

Violet had seemed quite sympathetic toward Fatima’s situation.

“Fatima says she wants to live in the Empire. I hope she can live as an imperial citizen, just as she wishes.”

Back then, Sienna didn’t feel sorry for Fatima. Her very existence was uncomfortable. Listening to Violet, she had merely thought, “I wish she’d just hurry back to the desert.”

“I need to find out what Fatima wants.”

Does that woman want the man named Kuhn, or does she want a foothold to live in the Empire? If it’s the latter, a deal could be made. Once the journey was over and they returned, there would be work to do. When she looked up, he was staring at her intently.

“I was planning to leave in a bit to give you some space, but you seemed deep in thought. You’re not still angry at me, are you?”

“No...”

She gave a small cough. She felt embarrassed. She hadn’t imagined she would have to contemplate how to deal with a romantic rival. She glanced at him sideways. This man stirred many unfamiliar feelings within her.

“Tell me about those men we saw earlier at the market. Gilbert said they’re loan sharks? People who lend money and charge interest in return.”

“A profession...”

Kuhn muttered and gave a bitter smile.

“They do make a living that way, but they’re a necessary evil.”

He explained what loan sharks did. Sienna tilted her head in confusion.

“There are institutions in the capital that serve a similar function. But such institutions don’t exist in every part of the Empire. They don’t seem to be doing anything wrong. If someone urgently needs money, those who have it lend it, and in return, they charge for it. It’s a fair transaction.”

“It looks that way on the surface. There might be legitimate uses for them. Loan sharks exist wherever people live. But I’ve never seen an example where they acted with good intentions.”

Kuhn stood up and fetched a piece of paper. He sat next to her instead of across from her.

“Look here. Let’s say someone borrowed one silver coin initially.”

Kuhn wrote down the principal and an enormous interest rate. He calculated how the repayment amount would snowball over time.

Sienna’s expression gradually hardened.

“That’s absurd. The principal was only one silver coin.”

One silver coin quickly turned into ten. It was outrageous, like daylight robbery.

The shabby appearance of the bystanders they saw at the docks reflected their harsh lives.

Since her visit to the fiefdom, Sienna had been consistently studying the lives of the common people. An assistant from a humble family helped her. She now knew the monthly expenses and prices for a commoner’s family. She also understood how difficult it was for a commoner to afford ten silver coins.

“Are there people like this in the capital too?”

“There aren’t any in the capital. It’s relatively well-managed. As you said, there are lending institutions in the capital, and many pawnshops too.”

In the capital, there were many lending institutions operated by various merchants. There’s no business as simple as lending money. The reason why loan sharks didn’t flourish in the capital was largely due to the Raad Trading Company. They charged reasonable interest rates.

Naturally, everyone flocked to the Raad Trading Company, so other lending institutions had no choice but to offer similar rates.

Kuhn deliberately didn’t explain this in detail. It might come across as a criticism that the state wasn’t doing its job properly and that the trading company had to step in.

“The biggest issue is those who demand such interest rates, but why do people comply? Imperial law regulates unreasonable private transactions; this is illegal. Moreover, this is the Emperor’s direct territory. Once we return, I’ll report to His Majesty and have it dealt with immediately.”

“Do you think cracking down on just this area will solve the problem? Loan sharking is a nationwide issue.”

“Then we should crack down nationwide.”

“Do you have enough manpower for such a massive operation?”

Sienna hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“We can delegate it to the lords of each fiefdom.”

“Sienna, the ones backing the loan sharks are the local lords. They hand over a portion of the loan shark profits as tribute. Sometimes, the lords are directly involved.”

“Lords... targeting their own subjects?”

Kuhn nodded.

“They do collect taxes.”

“The loan sharking by the lords is like an unofficial tax.”

Kuhn explained the general loan sharking system throughout the Empire. In regions that weren’t close to ports or trading hubs, bartering was more common than currency transactions. So, instead of lending money directly, they would lend grain or other goods and then collect them later with interest.

Loan sharking had already become a vicious cycle. During the spring lean period, they would borrow grain. By harvest time, after paying taxes and returning the borrowed grain with interest, the farmers had almost nothing left.

In the worst cases, farmers had to hand over up to 70% of their harvest to the lords.

“Seventy percent...?”

Sienna murmured in shock.

“With only that much left, they can’t survive, so they have to borrow from the lords again.”

“Exactly.”

“Do all lords engage in loan sharking?”

“There might be some kind-hearted lords. There are exceptions to everything.”

“You’re saying that exploitation of the Empire’s citizens is widespread.”

Sienna’s gaze dropped. Were even the dukes, considered the pillars of the Empire, only concerned with their own gain? She clenched her fists so tightly that her fingers hurt.

Kuhn just watched her quietly as she remained silent for a while.

She suddenly lifted her head.

“But this area is the Emperor’s direct territory. Who would dare back a loan shark here?”

Kuhn looked troubled. Sienna’s face turned pale.

“Don’t tell me it’s His Majesty?”

Kuhn chuckled.

“Of course not. He wouldn’t stoop to collecting such petty profits. From what I’ve seen, he’s not that type of person.”

“That’s right. His Majesty wouldn’t do that.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. Then she wondered what his subtle expression from earlier had meant.

A sense of unease swept over her.

“...The Rimone family?”

Her voice came out in a strained whisper.

“My mother and Duke Rimone.”

Kuhn didn’t answer, but Sienna understood well enough. She was devastated.

“It’s a mess. I didn’t think it was this bad...”

Sienna recalled a dead tree in a corner of the garden. It was a special variety whose trunk was naturally white. No one had noticed anything unusual about the tree. People had even marveled at its glossy, healthy-looking appearance.

They hadn’t realized it was rotting from the roots up.

Sienna thought the state of the Empire was like that dead tree. They say you can tell a lot from a single example. If the Empire’s order were properly maintained, a duke’s family wouldn’t be running a loan shark operation in the Emperor’s direct territory.

“Have I done the right thing?”

Kuhn felt heavy-hearted. She was someone untainted by the world. It would be a shock that shattered her world.

When confronted with an unbearable truth, people deny it and get angry. It takes quite some time before they resign themselves to accept it. He worried she might suspect him of trying to drive a wedge between her and her mother.

He prepared himself. He was ready to accept whatever she might throw at him.

Sienna took a long breath as if to calm herself. She slowly closed her eyes and then opened them again.

“You’re probably the only one who would tell me this. Thank you.”

Kuhn’s eyes widened.

“...Wow.”

“What?”

“Thank you? How...?”

Sienna furrowed her brow. His reaction was odd.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“You believe me?”

“Was it a lie?”

“No, it wasn’t a lie.”

“Then I believe you.”

“...”

“What’s the problem?”

“You’re a very interesting person. I’ve never met a woman like you before.”

“Of course. There’s no one comparable to me.”

Kuhn burst into laughter. He wrapped one arm around her waist.

“Can I kiss you?”

Sienna gave a short laugh.

“You have no sense of timing.”

“I’m in no condition to think about timing.”

His lips touched hers immediately. What started as a light kiss quickly deepened.

There was something Kuhn didn’t know. Her world had already shattered long ago. Sienna had already lost trust in her mother and her uncle. She had just never shown it.

Only the Countess of Pope, who was always by her side, vaguely sensed that Sienna was distancing herself from them emotionally.

 

***

 

Sienna opened her eyes. The windowless cabin was dark. Thanks to the lamp always lit in the corner, she could make out the shapes of objects. Usually, when she fell asleep at night and woke up, it was early morning. Her biological clock was always accurate due to her regular lifestyle.

But now, she didn’t know what time it was.

“A week, perhaps.”

It had been about that long since they had begun their voyage on the White Chip. And her disrupted internal rhythm was struggling to get back on track. The man she was using as a pillow right now was the main culprit.

Sienna was lying half-turned on her side, with her head resting somewhere between his chest and arm. One of her arms was draped across his abdomen, and even one of her legs was resting on his thigh.

There was nothing between their touching skin. Every time she woke up like this, Sienna felt troubled. To think she would wake up tangled up with a man, skin to skin—until recently, she had never even imagined such a thing.

Sometimes she would wake up with her back turned to him, his arms wrapped around her from behind. Other times, like today, she would be the one actively snuggling into his embrace. It was hard to say that he was the only one being clingy.

“It's because my body temperature drops while I’m sleeping. It’s warmer when I’m close to someone.”

She muttered to herself, thinking up excuses.

It could easily be resolved if she just wore nightclothes to bed. Before getting into bed, she was definitely wearing pajamas. But once he removed them with his hands, he never gave her a chance to put them back on.

“Something is strange.”

She was starting to feel suspicious. If what he said was true—that it was normal for lovers sharing a bed to make love until dawn every day—then when were they supposed to sleep? If they did this every day, they wouldn’t be able to function properly during the day.

Since they were on a voyage, Sienna didn’t have much else to do, but she still felt drowsy all day.

She forced her heavy eyelids open. Today, she felt particularly weighed down, like a soaked sponge. Last night, he had been unusually persistent. He had made a big deal out of the fact that it was the anniversary of their first meeting, and she couldn’t stop him from going wild like he had on their first night.

She was conflicted. The temptation of sleep was too sweet to resist, but if she stayed in bed any longer, it would likely be well past noon before she got up.

Sienna lowered her leg from his and turned her back to him. She thought this much movement would wake him up, and sure enough, his arm slipped under her waist and pulled her close. His lips brushed against her nape and then moved away.

“Good morning.”

His voice, still heavy with sleep, was deep and calm. She liked the feeling of hearing this voice only in the morning when he had just woken up.

“Mm, good morning.”

“You woke up early.”

“Early? How do you know?”

“Just a feeling.”

He pulled her tightly into his arms. Her back was pressed completely against his chest. Then his lips began to place soft kisses from her shoulder down to her arm. Though the kisses were light, Sienna didn’t let her guard down. He had a knack for not missing even the smallest opening.

When his hand, which had been wrapped around her waist, started to gently caress her breast, Sienna knew this wouldn’t do. If she got caught up in this, she’d be stuck in bed until the afternoon.

“I want to get up.”

“Let’s sleep a bit more.”

“I said I want to get up.”

Sienna struggled to free herself from his grip, but she couldn’t move an inch. Straining, she reached behind her and slapped his butt.

“Don’t show off your strength!”

Kuhn chuckled and released his arms. He rolled over and sat up, stretching his arm to turn on the lamp by the bed.

The room brightened up. Sienna glanced over and found herself staring blankly at his back.

His naked back was flawless. His broad shoulders and the tapering line of his waist formed an inverted triangle. His firm buttocks were taut. The way his back muscles subtly and gracefully moved was almost beautiful.

Before he could turn around, Sienna quickly looked away and pulled the blanket over herself to pretend she hadn’t been looking.

Kuhn picked up the robe he had thrown on the bedside table last night and put it on. He glanced at the clock.

“You really did wake up early.”

When he looked back at the bed, she was lying with her back to him, completely covered by the blanket. A smile tugged at his lips. She could be surprisingly bold, yet at times, she acted like a shy girl.

“As I mentioned yesterday, we’ll be arriving at the final dock this afternoon.”

Sienna turned over quickly.

“You didn’t say that yesterday.”

“I didn’t?”

“No.”

“We’ll be disembarking this afternoon and switching to a carriage. It’s said to be about a three-day journey by carriage to the duchy. Didn’t I mention that too?”

“You told me that when we first set off.”

“So, in other words, the comfortable part of our journey is ending. The carriage trip will be tough, so be prepared.”

“When I inspected the southern fiefdoms, I traveled by carriage the entire time.”

“Oh, that’s right. How was it back then?”

“The road was rough, so the carriage ride was a bit bumpy. But it was bearable.”

“It should be less rough than that.”

Kuhn placed one knee on the bed and leaned over. He kissed her exposed shoulder.

“If the weather’s nice, should I have them set up breakfast on the deck? It’ll be our last leisurely morning.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

He left the bedroom, and she heard the door close behind him. Sienna lingered in bed for a while, not immediately calling for her maid. She lay there, basking in the soft, warm feeling in her heart. A leisurely morning and a gentle conversation, even though it wasn’t about much.

“This is... nice.”

A life where she could share mornings like this with that man every day seemed quite appealing.

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