A few days later, Sienna
received a thick envelope. Beth, who had returned home and entered the palace early
in the morning, brought it to Sienna.
"A stranger came by
early this morning and left it. He said His Majesty would know if I handed it
to you."
"Thank you. You might
have to act as a middleman and deliver things like this more often in the
future."
Beth smiled.
"Gladly, Your Majesty. Shall I bring some fresh tea?"
"No, it's fine. I'll call if I need anything."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After Beth left the study,
Sienna opened the envelope and took out the contents. It was the report on the
status of the Duke of Rimone's duchy, which Kuhn had mentioned. Some of the
information was familiar to Sienna, but there were also new details. She
meticulously read through the thick document, which was the size of a book.
It had been a month and a
half since the Duke of Rimone left for his duchy. Except for the Duke of Bless,
all the heads of the ducal families resided in the capital. The Duke of
Rimone's prolonged absence was unusual.
‘People will start to think
it's strange soon.’
Though the Rimone family
might try to keep things quiet, there were limits. Rumors would soon spread
about what was happening in the Duke's territory, and people would watch the
spectacle with great interest, as if observing a fire across the river.
The situation in the Duke
of Rimone's territory had escalated to an extreme level, nearing a state of
war. The attacks by those plundering the duchy had become more sophisticated,
employing hit-and-run tactics that mocked the Duke's knights.
The report included a note
stating that the Emperor was secretly supporting these attackers.
‘The Emperor is behind it.’
She pushed the finished
documents aside and leaned back in her chair, lost in thought.
‘Did His Majesty already
know about the tragedy of the Acheron family to some extent?’
The Emperor’s love affair
with the Acheron family's young lady was truly unexpected. It was hard to
believe that the cold and aloof Emperor, who never allowed anyone close, had
once fallen deeply in love.
‘If the Rimone family was
heavily involved in the destruction of the Acherons, why has the Rimone family
thrived until now?’
The former Duke, who was
directly involved, was already dead. Why had the Emperor, who had remained
silent all this time, suddenly drawn his sword against the Rimone family now?
‘Did His Majesty learn
something after meeting the Acheron investigator?’
She shook her head. It
hadn’t been long since the Acheron investigator appeared.
‘It takes time to prepare.
Judging by the fact that Duke Rimone is struggling, His Majesty must have been
working meticulously on this for a while. It’s not a spur-of-the-moment
decision.’
If there was a crime, the
Rimone family should be punished through proper procedures. Stirring up chaos
from behind the scenes was something the Emperor should never do.
The ones who suffer the
most are the powerless commoners. The subjects of the duchy were also citizens
of the Empire.
‘His Majesty has lost his
balance.’
She felt a bitter taste in
her mouth. The Emperor had always been someone she looked up to. Her idol was crumbling
before her eyes.
‘It’s not right. But….’
While her mind criticized
the Emperor, her heart understood him.
‘If I were in his shoes….’
If Kuhn were to die, caught
in someone’s conspiracy…
Sienna furrowed her brow.
Her hands clenched involuntarily, and her fists trembled. The mere thought made
her insides churn.
She wouldn’t be able to
forgive the culprit. She would do whatever it took to find and punish them.
When she herself was burning with rage, would she really care about the people’s
suffering or the proper procedures?
"An Achilles’
heel…."
Sienna muttered the words
she had once said to him.
‘Kuhn is my weakness.’
They had become each
other's Achilles’ heel. She felt powerless because of him, yet for him, she
would do anything.
Sienna opened a drawer. She
placed a small wooden jewelry box on her desk and pulled out a gemstone,
raising it high into the air and turning it in different directions. The stone
reflected a variety of colors depending on the angle.
‘I miss you.’
It had only been a few
days. He probably hadn’t even reached the desert yet. And yet, she already
missed him.
As soon as she left the
study, a maid approached, as if she had been waiting.
"Your Majesty, a guest
has arrived. His Majesty the Iron King is waiting for you."
"When did he
arrive?"
"He has been waiting
for about an hour."
"Where is the
Countess?"
"She went out, Your
Majesty. She told me not to disturb you, as you were handling important
affairs."
Sienna clicked her tongue
briefly. So inflexible. If the Countess had been here, she would have relayed
the news of the Iron King's visit.
Sienna entered the
reception room, where Dian stood up.
"I kept you waiting,
Iron King."
"No, not at all. I
came unannounced, and there's no rush."
Sienna sat down across from
Dian.
"Thank you for helping
with Violet the other day. She’s been much more stable since visiting Silver
King’s Palace. She said your comfort was a great help."
"I didn’t do much. I
just listened while the Countess spoke with her."
"Violet was deeply
moved that you didn’t scold her or kick her out, despite her sudden visit and
rude behavior."
Sienna frowned.
"I’m not that
harsh."
Dian chuckled.
"That’s not what I
meant. Violet is completely smitten with you. She probably would have been
happy even if you had gotten angry."
Feeling a little
embarrassed, Sienna cleared her throat.
"I like the Iron Queen
too."
"Oh, if Violet hears
that, she’ll be overjoyed."
"Tell her she’s
welcome anytime."
"She’s been sleeping a
lot during the day lately and staying up late at night. She might show up at
some odd hour."
"Late-night visits are
actually better. I’ll be in the palace anyway."
Dian smiled, gazing at
Sienna for a moment.
"I’ll pass that along
to Violet."
"How is she doing? I
heard she was struggling with morning sickness."
"It’s not something
that can be treated with medicine. Some people improve with time, but I’ve
heard others suffer from it until just before giving birth. She hasn’t been
able to eat much, so I’m planning to give her some medicinal supplements. I
asked Lord Rad to prepare a tonic for her, and I received it today, but…."
Dian hesitated for a moment
before asking.
"I haven’t seen Lord
Raad around lately. Is he not in the capital?"
"Ah…."
Sienna mumbled in surprise.
She hadn’t expected the Iron King to be unaware. Soon, the situation in the
desert would be known throughout the Empire. It wasn’t exactly a secret, so
Sienna briefly explained the situation.
After listening, Dian
chuckled in disbelief.
"No matter the
circumstances, to cut him off like that… wow, that’s ruthless."
"What do you
mean?"
"Iron King, Kuhn and I
have known each other for years. Even though we agreed to go our separate ways,
he left the capital without giving me any notice. Don’t you think that’s too
much? The guy's really heartless, I’m telling you."
“...”
“Don’t be fooled by how he
looks on the outside. He’s actually a cold, calculating guy.”
Sienna didn’t feel good
hearing Dian downplay Kuhn like that. She averted her gaze slightly.
"Think about it.
Haven’t you ever felt something off about him?"
"…I’m not sure."
Dian hadn't meant any harm
with his criticism. He was just looking for a casual agreement, something like,
"Yeah, he does have that side to him."
People often bond over
shared complaints, after all. But Sienna’s refusal to join in left Dian looking
dejected.
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