Kuhn left the back alleys
and headed to meet Lindy. He had tasked Russ and Martin with leading the other
members, who would return to Rad Trading Company.
Lindy ran a general store
on West Street, selling all sorts of goods. People of all ages, genders, and
social statuses visited her shop daily, which made it the perfect cover for
someone in her position. As the head of the intelligence branch, she needed to
meet a wide variety of people.
Even though the shop had
closed long ago, Kuhn pushed the door without hesitation. It wasn’t locked.
He climbed the narrow
wooden stairs inside. The creaky steps made loud noises, serving as a signal of
visitors. Lindy likely left them unrepaired for that very reason.
She was in her office on
the second floor, engrossed in her work, but looked up when the door opened.
Smiling, she removed her glasses.
“You’re here earlier than I
expected.”
“I finished things by just
recovering the item.”
“So, Olga...?” she
inquired.
“They’re still intact. Keep
an eye on who Olga associates with for now.”
“Yes, Kuhn.”
Lindy wouldn’t have been
surprised if Olga had disappeared without a trace tonight, considering how
serious the matter was. However, she didn’t question Kuhn’s decision, trusting
him completely. The fact that they had caught the leak of the personnel records
early was entirely due to Kuhn’s diligence.
Had he not ordered a
thorough check of the records, they might have been unaware of the leak for
quite some time. The potential disaster that could have unfolded was terrifying
to think about.
“Thank you for your hard
work this late,” Kuhn said.
“I hardly did anything.
Losing one night’s sleep doesn’t really count as hard work,” Lindy replied with
a smile. But just as Kuhn turned to leave, she called out to him.
“Kuhn, I heard there’s
going to be a meeting of the elders soon.”
Kuhn stopped in his tracks.
“My teacher sent word that
he’ll be arriving in the capital soon. He also mentioned that you might be
preparing to leave the Empire.”
Lindy’s teacher had
overseen the intelligence branch for a long time. He never gave out information
without a price, even to his own pupil.
Yet, Lindy had a feeling
that the meeting’s agenda would somehow involve Kuhn’s relationship, perhaps
his rumored romantic involvement.
Kuhn turned his head
slightly. “Did Elder Ryman say that?”
“Yes.”
“My decisions are my own.”
“But you can’t stay in the
capital forever, can you? This is the heart of the Empire, and we’re just
passing through,” she said gently.
“...”
The clan members had been
gossiping lately, saying Kuhn might marry soon, that a new lady of the house
was coming. But from the moment Lindy heard that Kuhn’s potential partner was
the Silver King, a member of the imperial family, she had doubts. While she
hadn’t outright opposed their relationship, she had never believed marriage was
realistic.
“The one who leads the clan
alongside Kuhn should be someone who can share that burden.”
It was clear that the Silver
King, a member of the Empire’s royal family, was not that person.
Without a word, Kuhn turned
and walked out again. Lindy, sensing the weight of his thoughts, didn’t call
him back.
*
Kuhn walked through the
dark streets after leaving the general store.
“A traveler…” Lindy’s words echoed in his mind.
His ancestors, and even Kuhn
himself, never stayed long in one place, unless it was an attempt to settle the
clan. They had never intentionally planned to move around frequently, but
circumstances always forced them to leave. Kuhn had inherited the wandering
fate of his predecessors. Even after arriving in the Empire to support Diane,
he had to leave the capital intermittently.
“I always found myself
leaving the Empire for one reason or another.”
Just last year, he had
spent several months in the desert. Now, it had been almost nine months since
he returned from that trip.
“Three more months, and it
will have been a year. That’ll be a record.”
Now, more than ever, he
wanted to stay in one place. He wanted to settle down by her side.
Kuhn looked up at the dark
night sky. His ancestors had been bold, sometimes even reckless. They had even
left behind a guiding principle: “Don’t overthink. Act.” Kuhn had
inherited that spirit, boldly pursuing her with all his might.
When he first set out, he
hadn’t considered the circumstances surrounding both of them, nor the
consequences. Some might call it irresponsible.
But he had no choice but to
move forward. Nothing else mattered—she was all he could see.
He had never been so drawn
to someone so recklessly before. She was like an oasis discovered in the middle
of an endless desert, something he couldn’t pass by.
In the end, a project that
had taken vast amounts of time and resources, one that held the future of his
clan, was dismantled by his own hand. Yet, he had no regrets. The only
frustration was that despite the sacrifices he had made, the path ahead
remained unclear.
As he walked toward Rad
Trading Company, Kuhn veered toward the Ivy Mansion instead. The loose ends
could wait. Dawn was approaching, and his head felt heavy. He needed rest.
Upon returning, Levan was
there to meet him.
“What’s going on?”
For Levan to be waiting for
him at this hour was never a good sign. His expression was serious.
“Kuhn, the king of the Peroh
Confederation has passed away.”
Kuhn frowned. He had
already heard rumors that the king was on his deathbed.
“But just before he died,
the king named Ahin Tuisa as his successor,” Levan continued.
“Ahin? Who is that?” Kuhn
asked.
“He’s the king’s twelfth
son. He’s seven years old,” Levan replied.
Kuhn muttered a curse under
his breath. Had the old king lost his mind before dying?
The Peroh Confederation made up of three desert tribes, had been unstable from the start. The Tuisa
chieftain had been elected king, but the other two tribes had likely been
biding their time, expecting that their turn would come next.
Queen Reka, the king’s
primary wife, had worked tirelessly to strengthen the monarchy and ensure that
her adopted son would ascend the throne. Reka was a woman who would stop at
nothing to achieve her goals.
Kuhn had neither opposed
nor allied himself with Reka. He didn’t want to get close to her personally,
but he acknowledged her abilities. Without her, the Confederation wouldn’t have
solidified so quickly in such a short time.
If Reka’s adopted son had
taken the throne, the chaos following the king’s death could have been kept to
a minimum. But instead, the crown was passed to an unknown child.
Kuhn sighed, rubbing his
forehead in frustration.
“There must be chaos. ...So,
what now?”
“You should hear the
details directly. Yudan is here,” Levan answered.
“Yudan? Don’t tell me
something’s happened to Princess Fatima...”
“From what I’ve gathered,
the princess is safe. The concern is Yudan. He was severely injured by the time
he contacted us.”
“Where is he now?”
“At the meeting point. His
injuries were too severe to bring him here. It’ll take half a day by ship.”
“And the ship?”
“It’s waiting at the dock.
You can depart as soon as you’re ready.”
“Then let’s go,” Kuhn said,
immediately turning back and heading out of the mansion once more
***
It was considered improper
to visit someone’s home after sunset, a social etiquette that extended even to
the imperial palace. Yet, despite the late hour, Sienna and Violette sat across
from each other in the reception room of the Silver King's palace. Beth, having
been caught just as she was about to leave for the night, was there, personally
serving tea for the unexpected guest.
Beth had intended to leave
and return in the morning, but upon running into Violette at the entrance, she
decided to delay her departure.
“I’m so sorry for intruding
at such a late hour, Your Highness,” Violette said, her voice tinged with
embarrassment, though she smiled through it. She was clearly struggling to
maintain her composure, her face betraying the tears that were threatening to
spill at any moment.
“It’s alright. I told you,
you can come by anytime,” Sienna reassured her.
“Thank you, Your Highness.
You’re always so kind,” Violette replied with a shaky smile. But as she lifted
her teacup, tears began to fall, dripping into the tea. Sienna’s expression
stiffened in alarm.
“Please, put the cup down
and calm yourself, my lady,” Beth gently soothed her, offering a handkerchief.
Violette took it and pressed it to her eyes, wiping away her tears.
“Have your emotions been
unstable lately? It’s normal to feel up and down, sometimes happy and then
suddenly sad,” Beth continued softly.
Sniffling, Violette nodded.
“It’s natural when you're
expecting a child,” Beth added.
“Did you experience that
too, Countess?”
“Of course. When your body
is changing every day, people around you just say it’s part of becoming a
mother, but they don’t understand how difficult it can be,” Beth said with a
sympathetic smile.
“Yes, that’s exactly it,”
Violette replied.
“And sometimes you wake up
in the middle of the night, terrified for the safety of your baby.”
“Yes, yes,” Violette said
again, tears streaming down her face.
“Have you had any morning
sickness?”
“Yes, I can barely manage
to eat a little fruit,” Violette admitted.
“I thought you looked a bit
pale. You should try to find something your body can tolerate and eat a little
more. Oh dear, I wasn’t thinking. The tea—does the scent bother you?”
“The tea is fine,” Violette
reassured her.
Sienna silently observed
their conversation, unable to relate to any of it. She hadn’t experienced
anything like it yet.
“My husband’s been walking
on eggshells around me because I’m so sensitive, but he doesn’t really
understand what I need. Sometimes, I can’t even stand the sight of him,” Violette
confided.
“I keep getting annoyed
with His Majesty. He’s always so patient and kind, but I can see he’s confused
sometimes. And when I see that flicker of confusion in his face, I feel so hurt
for no reason. Earlier, I heard him sigh quietly, and I got so upset that I
just left. I didn’t know where to go, so I ended up here.”
Violette’s erratic
emotions, swinging from laughter to tears, made her seem almost unhinged to
Sienna. But Beth calmly comforted her, nodding along and offering soothing
words.
‘I’m so glad the Countess
stayed,’ Sienna thought. If she had
been alone, she wouldn’t have known how to comfort Violette at all. Shortly
after, King Dian arrived, his face a mix of gratitude and awkwardness, as he
came to collect Violette and take her home.
After they left, Sienna
turned to Beth.
“Is it normal for a
pregnant woman to go through such changes?” she asked, amazed at how much
Violette had transformed. She had always been so gentle, the kind of person who
would smile even when faced with harsh words. Yet, judging by how flustered
King Dian had been, it seemed Violette had been quite difficult to handle.
“It varies from person to
person, but the queen seems especially sensitive. It also seems her morning
sickness is quite severe. If she could relax more, I think it would help.”
Sienna winced at that,
knowing she was likely part of Violette’s anxiety. Upon hearing of the queen’s
pregnancy, she immediately met with Violette to issue a stern warning to be
cautious.
“Never consume food from an
unknown source. It’s not just about food—anything with a scent, like perfumes,
could be dangerous. And don’t touch anything that comes from outside without
being sure it’s safe.”
She recalled how Violette
had nodded, her face pale as she absorbed the warning.
‘I was just trying to
protect her, but I suppose it could have sounded alarming.’ Sienna thought, feeling a twinge of guilt. ‘Maybe
I wasn’t as gentle as I should have been.’
But Violette wasn’t the
type to pick up on subtle malice from others. If Sienna hadn’t been direct,
Violette might not have taken the warning seriously.
After Beth finally left the
palace to go home, Sienna prepared for bed. Her attendants had all retired,
leaving her alone in the room. But instead of lying down, she sat on a sofa,
deep in thought.
‘Mother must have heard the
news by now.’
Sienna worried about what
her mother might do next. While she was certain Patricia wouldn’t act overtly
for now, the real danger would come if the truth were ever exposed.
‘If Mother finds out that
Dian’s heir could surpass me in the line of succession, she’ll do everything in
her power to ruin his chances.’
In the future she had seen
in her dreams, she never would have ascended to the throne if King Dian had an
heir. Violette’s pregnancy had proven that the royal couple was not infertile,
solidifying Sienna’s growing suspicion that her mother had played a role in
preventing Dian’s child from being born in the past.
The royal family was
naturally resistant to poisons, but a pregnant mother was more vulnerable. If
Violette had miscarried and suffered complications that left her unable to bear
children, Dian’s loyalty to his wife would have prevented him from seeking
another heir.
‘Even when I left the
palace to become the Crown Princess, Mother kept a tight grip on that
greenhouse. I can only imagine what kind of dangerous things are hidden
inside.’
Sienna hated leaving it
unchecked. She wanted to go to the emperor and demand that the greenhouse be
cleared out. But Kuhn’s advice to avoid involving the emperor had been wise.
‘Why didn’t Kuhn come to
the palace today?’
Her thoughts drifted to Kuhn.
Ever since Jeffrey had been appointed as an investigator, Kuhn had visited the
palace every day without fail. But today, he hadn’t come, and she hadn’t heard
from him at all.
‘Did something happen?’
Worry and curiosity gnawed
at her, her thoughts spiraling. She sat there for a long while, arms crossed,
lost in thought.
‘I should just go to
sleep,’ she finally decided.
Sienna let out a long sigh
as she stood up. Her sleep schedule had become unpredictable lately, with
restless nights filled with swirling thoughts. The real culprit, though, was
her increasingly frequent late-night outings. Every time she visited the Ivy
Mansion, her routine was thrown off.
When she was with him, she
found herself talking endlessly. It baffled her that despite seeing him so
often, she always had so much to say. But it wasn’t just the conversation that
filled their nights.
Their talks inevitably led
to kisses, and from there to deeper, more intimate moments. Their encounters
often stretched past dawn, leaving her exhausted but satisfied, drifting into
sleep from his relentless, tireless desire.
Once they were fully
unclothed and their bare skin touched, it felt as though Kuhn became a
different person. The gentle, smiling man who never raised his voice turned
into someone utterly unyielding when they were together in bed.
It could be overwhelming at
times, but she had never truly disliked it. Even the moments when she was pushed
to the brink of tears by the intensity of pleasure were exhilarating.
Sigh…
Sienna let out a soft,
languid sigh, her body already warming at the thought of him. She wanted to
feel the firm muscles of his body under her hands. The mere thought made her lower
abdomen tingle. Her body, having grown accustomed to pleasure, was becoming
more sensitive with each encounter.
Should I send Sir Stus
tomorrow?
It had only been three days
since her last visit to the marquess’s mansion.
Has it really only been
three days?
She knew that if her visits
became more frequent, someone would eventually notice. The idea of the Silver
King sneaking out to visit the Marquess in the middle of the night would send
shockwaves through society.
Then again, what was one
more rumor among so many? There were already endless whispers, so what harm
would one more do?
The Countess won’t like it, she thought.
Kuhn had mentioned it once
in passing.
"It seems like the
Countess dislikes me because of those rumors."
"That can't be. I
haven’t noticed any change in how she treats you."
"I can tell. She looks
at me with such cold eyes."
After that conversation,
Sienna had observed Beth more closely, noticing that her feelings toward Kuhn
did seem strained. Beth never said anything outright, but whenever the topic of
the Marquess of Rad came up, she subtly steered the conversation elsewhere.
Sienna chuckled softly as
she remembered the melancholy expression on Kuhn’s face. She pressed her hand
to her chest, where her heart beat a little faster just thinking about him.
Thoughts of him made her smile, but there were moments when a sudden loneliness
crept in, as if she were standing alone in some vast, barren land with the wind
blowing harshly around her.
She had learned what it
meant to feel lonely. The happiness of being with him had shown her the deep
ache of being apart.
She was about to head to
bed when her gaze shifted toward the balcony window, for no particular
reason—just an impulse. And there, standing with his hand raised as if to
knock, was Kuhn.
Sienna’s eyes widened,
blinking in disbelief. She froze in place, holding her breath in shock.
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