TGW Chapter 26 Part 2

 

After three days of traveling by carriage, they finally arrived at the dock. At dusk, the White Chip was anchored there.

Kuhn and Sienna were the first to board the ship, followed by the knights. Then, the workers began unloading their luggage from the carriage.

Shortly after the White Chip departed, a small, fast boat arrived at the dock. The door of a carriage that had been standing by opened, and a slender old man stepped out. The carriage had arrived at the dock along with Sienna's party but had remained closed the entire time.

Jeffrey boarded the fast boat with the people who had come to greet him. Since there were only a few passengers and little luggage, the boarding process was quick. Soon, the fast boat set sail.

---

Sienna looked around the cabin’s bedroom with a sense of nostalgia. It felt like coming home, even though she had only stayed there for a few days.

“Your Highness.”

“Come in.”

Sienna's eyes widened at the sight of what the maids brought in.

“What is that?”

The structure, made of an iron frame covered with fabric, was a dress stand used in high-end dress shops. A lavender-colored dress was draped over it. The maids wheeled it up to Sienna’s view.

“The Marquis sent this.”

“Why?”

“He has arranged a special dinner and called this his invitation to Your Highness.”

Sienna glanced over the dress. She reached out and touched the sleeve adorned with delicate lace. She smiled slightly.

“That’s quite the elaborate invitation.”

Her refined taste, accustomed to wearing only the best dresses, found the dress suitable. The dress fit her perfectly as if it had been tailored for her. The neckline was cut wide, revealing her shoulders and collarbone. The bodice and sleeves were puffed, and the waist was fitted to accentuate her curves, making her waist appear even slimmer.

As she finished putting on her lace gloves, there was a knock on the door.

“Your Highness.”

It was Kuhn’s voice. Sienna nodded at her maid, who hurried over to open the door.

Kuhn entered, also dressed up. His attire was fit for a grand banquet. He stopped as soon as he took a step inside. He stood still, staring at Sienna, unable to move or speak.

The marquis's intense gaze made the maids feel embarrassed. Slowly, their heads lowered, and they quietly sidestepped out of the bedroom to give them privacy.

Kuhn’s mesmerized gaze, as if he saw only her, filled Sienna with a sense of pride. She was used to being admired by those around her, but his eyes were different. Her heart responded.

"A gentleman should wait while a lady prepares. Knocking is not considered polite," Sienna said.

Kuhn slowly approached her and took her hand. He bent down and kissed the back of her gloved hand.

Sienna looked down at the top of his head and caught her breath. Her hand felt warm as if his lips had touched it directly, without the glove.

Kuhn lifted his head and looked at her with a soft smile.

“I apologize for my rudeness. May I have the honor of inviting you to dinner?”

Sienna blinked at him, slightly puzzled, then gave a short nod.

“Shall we go?”

Kuhn stood beside her and extended his arm. Sienna placed her hand on his arm, finding his sudden display of formality a bit odd.

“What is this about?”

“Um, Sienna, please cooperate with me.”

“With what?”

“I’m holding myself back from picking you up and turning in that direction.”

Sienna followed his gaze to the bed. When she turned back to look at him, his eyes were filled with expectation. If she nodded, he looked ready to scoop her up and carry her straight to the bed.

Sienna smiled softly.

“Thank you for the invitation, Marquis Raad.”

“...It is my honor.”

His voice lost some of its strength. Sienna laughed as she accepted his escort out of the bedroom. Hearing his sigh of resignation, Sienna's laughter grew a little louder.

---

They walked down the corridor and up the stairs to the deck. Pebble-sized light stones lined both sides of the staircase. Although the lights on the stairs were off, the light stones emitted a soft glow, illuminating the path.

Light stones are special stones that absorb light during the day and emit it at night. Each stone has a slightly different property, causing them to shine in different colors.

Following the path lit by the red, yellow, green, and orange stones, the two of them ascended to the deck.

"Oh..."

Sienna gasped in admiration as she saw the scene on the deck. A smile naturally spread across her face. The deck was covered with colorful light stones.

In the wide center of the deck, a dining table was prepared. Lamps were set around the table, making that area bright. Musicians had started playing a soft melody as soon as they appeared.

Sienna sat in the chair Kuhn pulled out for her. She looked around once more.

The night sky was densely packed with stars, like small jewels embedded in a black velvet carpet. The river was dark, as if it would swallow everything.

It felt like they were on a small, illuminated island in the vast sea of darkness. Even the sound of the waves crashing against the boat became part of the music.

“Do you like it?” Kuhn asked.

Sienna beamed at him.

“I think I will never forget this day for the rest of my life.”

Kuhn gazed at Sienna for a moment before speaking.

“That is the highest compliment. I hope the meal I’ve prepared is also to your taste.”

The weather had gotten much warmer over the past few days. It was truly spring. Even the breeze from the river felt warm. The food was impeccable, and the dreamlike atmosphere further enhanced the flavors.

After their meal, the two strolled around the deck, discussing light topics like the weather. It was a perfect evening.

 

***

 

The Sun Palace was quiet in the late evening. Most of the palace staff had finished their work for the day. Aside from those on guard duty, the majority had returned to their quarters.

Fatima walked through the dimly lit corridor of the Sun Palace. A maid led the way, walking a step ahead of her.

Round stones, each the size of a human head, were embedded in the walls of the corridor at regular intervals. As Fatima passed each light stone, her shadow would shorten, lengthen, and then shorten again.

‘It’s my first time seeing light stones that big.’

The value of light stones increased exponentially with size. If a stone the size of a finger was worth one silver coin, a stone twice that size would be worth four silver coins. For stones of this size, the price would be a secondary concern; finding one at all would be difficult.

‘I should have come during the day.’

Fatima regretted not being able to properly see the Sun Palace on her first visit. The ceiling, which was dizzyingly high, was obscured in shadows, yet its grandeur was palpable.

They reached their destination. The maid stopped walking and addressed the firmly closed door.

“I have brought the guest.”

A moment later, the door opened. Fatima and the maid stepped inside. Inside was another small corridor with several more doors leading to unknown places.

“Please wait here for a moment. I will announce your arrival.”

The maid opened the most ornate door and went inside. It wasn’t long before the maid returned.

“Please, come in.”

Fatima took a deep breath and followed the maid through the ornate door. In the center of an elegantly decorated drawing room was a large sofa. As soon as she saw the noblewoman sitting on the sofa, Fatima lowered her gaze. She grabbed the hem of her skirt and bent her knees in a curtsey.

“Greetings to Your Majesty, the Red King.”

Patricia, with her cold, piercing eyes, looked Fatima up and down before offering a seductive smile.

“Welcome, Princess Fatima. Thank you for accepting my invitation at this late hour. After all, important discussions are best held at night.”

 

***

 

Returning to her cabin's bedroom, Sienna changed into more comfortable clothes. As she stepped out into the sitting room, she was surprised to find it empty. Kuhn, who she had expected to be there, was nowhere in sight.

She sat down on the sofa and opened a book. As she turned the pages, she glanced up at the closed door of Kuhn’s bedroom.

‘It doesn’t seem like Kuhn is in his bedroom.’

Her gaze shifted to the exit of the sitting room.

‘Does he have something urgent to do?’

Even after she finished reading an entire book, he still hadn't returned. Sienna called for a maid to prepare a bath. The maids brought in a large tub filled with hot water.

As she soaked in the tub, her mind was filled with thoughts of him. They hadn’t planned anything specific after dinner, nor had they made any promises. Yet, his absence was subtly bothering her.

During their previous journey on the White Chip, he had stuck by her side to the point of being annoying, not wanting to be away from her. Why was this time different?

‘What could it be?’

She could have asked the maids to find out, but she didn’t want to make a fuss over not seeing him for just a few hours.

After her bath, Sienna picked up another book and went back to the sitting room. Time passed. When she reached the last page, her eyes lingered for a long time without moving.

“Phew…”

She sighed softly and closed the book with a snap. She glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight.

‘I should go to bed.’

She felt a bit irritated. She thought about locking the door behind her as she entered her bedroom. Just as she was getting up from the sofa, the door to the sitting room opened. She made eye contact with Kuhn as he entered.

Kuhn gave a sheepish smile.

“I thought you’d be asleep.”

There was an uncharacteristic weakness in his voice. Sienna’s aloof expression softened with concern.

“Is something wrong?”

As she studied him, she noticed the bandage wrapped around his left hand. Her eyes widened in surprise.

“What happened to your hand?”

“Oh…”

Kuhn looked down at his hand.

“Did you get hurt?”

“Just a little.”

“How?”

Sienna approached him, carefully touching his bandaged left hand.

“While sparring with the guys.”

“The guys?”

“Martin, Russ.”

It was then that Sienna noticed his hair was still damp.

“Why were you sparring all of a sudden? At this hour, and on a ship, no less.”

“Because of the Black Sword. I left it in the soundproof room for too long. As I mentioned before, if the Black Sword starts acting up, it can be a real headache. The best way to calm it down is to swing it around properly before it gets to that point.”

“So you got hurt while sparring? Even though they’re your subordinates, isn’t it unusual for them to injure you? Even with a master-servant relationship as different as yours?”

“I didn’t get hurt because of them. Do you remember what I said when we first met? About the sword needing to draw blood whenever it's unsheathed.”

“Oh… So, like that time, you injured yourself?”

“I couldn’t exactly cut them down, could I?”

“That’s unacceptable. That sword is a cursed weapon. What kind of weapon harms its master? Did you get proper treatment? A bandage means it must be a serious wound.”

As she frowned with displeasure and then asked with concern, he quietly watched her and smiled. No one had ever worried about such a small injury before.

“It’s not a deep wound. After I washed up, I couldn’t stop the bleeding, so I wrapped it to stop the bleeding.”

“My goodness! Of course, you couldn’t! That’s such a reckless thing to do!”

Sienna scolded, her voice rising. Kuhn couldn’t help but laugh as she scolded him.

He had always had to walk in the lead, with everyone else following behind him. As the strongest guide, no matter how difficult the path was, he could never admit that it was hard. No one ever asked if he was alright. He thought that was natural, his destiny. He had resigned himself to a life of battling fate alone, in solitude.

‘You are a miracle to me.’

He had never imagined he would meet someone like her. At first, it was the thought that “If it’s for her, I can bear even more weight on my shoulders.”

The more he got to know her, the more he realized how arrogant he had been. She was a woman who wouldn’t be crushed even if she shared the burdens he carried. She was someone who could walk alongside him, holding his hand.

He felt he wouldn’t be embarrassed to show some weakness or complain a little in front of her. That was an extraordinary feeling. The thought of a life without her filled him with dread. He would likely wander aimlessly for a long time, possibly forever, unable to find his way.

All throughout their journey from the Duke’s estate to the port, he had been conflicted. He just wanted to let things drift without doing anything.

She was smart but also somewhat naive. Compared to the various people he had dealt with so far, she had a lot of gaps. He was confident he could cunningly exploit those gaps. He was tempted by the thought of taking her by any means necessary, without regard for the methods.

He wanted to keep the raw gem she was, to himself, without letting anyone else see how brilliant a jewel she could become. What ended his internal struggle was a piece of advice from his father that he had always kept in his heart.

"Never be a coward to yourself."

He had lost his parents when he was young and didn’t have many memories. That was why his father’s words, spoken while gently patting his young head with his large hand, had guided him all these years.

Yes, he would not be a coward. He finally made up his mind just as the carriage reached the dock.

He had prepared that dinner, smiling and talking with her, thinking it might be their last meal together.

But he hesitated until the very end. He used the Black Sword as an excuse to stall for time, secretly hoping the day would pass quickly.

“Sienna, why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Sienna remembered that he had asked a similar question just moments ago. She tilted her head.

“Did you want me to be asleep?”

Instead of answering, Kuhn grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms. He didn't use much force, but she was drawn to him as if by a magnetic pull.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

“This might take a while.”

Sienna hesitated, unsure of how to respond. It could be a difficult conversation.

‘I knew something was off.’

Despite the perfect dinner, she had felt uneasy. It seemed like he was forcing himself to smile. If she ignored it now, she wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully tonight. She wasn’t one to put off until tomorrow what needed to be done today.

She gently pushed against his chest with both hands and lifted her head. His gaze, when it met hers, was somber.

“Alright. Come to my room.”

She turned and went into her bedroom.

<PREVIOUS | NEXT>

Previous

Next