Beth was summoned by the
Red King. The maid from the Red Palace, who had come to fetch her, was
unusually courteous today. It didn’t seem like the king had called her with ill
intentions. Without informing Sienna, Beth headed to the Red Palace. Still, as
she approached the entrance, she took a deep breath, feeling tense.
The maid pushed Beth's
wheelchair from behind, guiding her inside. Patricia, seated on the sofa, noticed
them and gestured. The maid immediately wheeled Beth’s chair to the table in
front of the sofa.
It seemed as if they had
timed Beth's arrival, as tea was already prepared on the table.
"Come, sit,"
Patricia said.
"I hope you've been
well, Red King," Beth replied.
Patricia nodded and
motioned for the maids to leave. Once they were alone, Patricia picked up her
teacup, and Beth silently followed suit. The suffocating atmosphere Beth
usually felt in Patricia’s presence was almost nonexistent today. It struck her
as quite strange.
"How is the Silver
King?" Patricia asked.
"He's returned to his
usual routine and has resumed audiences," Beth responded.
"There haven’t been
any more episodes of fever, have there?"
"I check on him every
morning and evening. He's in good health."
Patricia had been deeply
shaken after that day at the Silver Palace. She hadn’t realized how much
resentment the Silver King harbored toward her. If he had expressed such raw
emotions as "hate" and "resentment," it certainly wasn’t
something he felt lightly.
It was likely that, in his
delirium from the fever, he had revealed feelings he would normally keep
hidden. The Silver King was not the type to openly show such inner thoughts. If
anything, had he criticized her logically with sound reasons, Patricia wouldn't
have taken it as seriously.
Patricia recalled Zabet
Schultz, the mother of the current emperor and the former Red King. Zabet had
borne two sons for the late emperor. It was said that the second prince died
immediately after birth, and the shock of losing her child left her frail and
ailing ever since.
Zabet spent most of her
days bedridden, rarely appearing in public. So much so that people had nearly
forgotten about the existence of “Red King Zabet.”
Yet, she outlived the late
emperor, surviving eight years beyond Sienna's birth.
Patricia had been horrified
when she saw that, despite being the emperor's biological mother, Zabet was not
treated with the respect she deserved. The emperor showed little interest in
her, rarely visiting even for formal greetings. The relationship between mother
and son was exceedingly cold.
The sight of Zabet filled
Patricia with fear that her own future might mirror hers. That was why she had
tried so hard to assert her presence to the Silver King, to make sure he didn’t
forget her as his mother.
Once, the late Duke Rimone
had offered Patricia some advice:
"My dear, the princess
is both like the emperor and not like him. If you follow the proper path, the
princess will repay you with proper respect. But don’t be too greedy."
At the time, Patricia had
brushed off her father’s words, confident that she knew her daughter better.
Perhaps she had been too arrogant.
"Yes, Father was
always perceptive about people," she thought.
The Silver King was unlike
the emperor. The emperor lacked even basic warmth, but while the Silver King
seemed cold, he still had a heart. However, like the emperor, once he decided
something wasn’t right, he was utterly unforgiving.
How had things come to
this? Patricia pondered over and over. Eventually, she concluded that the root
of the problem was Countess Pope.
She believed that the
countess's inability to walk was the reason for the Silver King's unresolved
feelings. This was as far as Patricia's understanding went. Beyond that, she
couldn’t grasp the situation.
Patricia had summoned Beth
to apologize. Not because she genuinely felt remorse, but because she wanted to
placate the Silver King.
Still, for Patricia, the
Red King, to admit her fault and offer an apology was an astonishing step. If
the late Duke Rimone had known, he would have laughed heartily and said,
"Even you can't win against your own child, can you?"
"That... wheelchair of
yours, it always looks strange to me," Patricia remarked.
"Yes, it’s a specially
modified custom model," Beth replied.
Patricia asked various
questions, most of them irrelevant. Beth dutifully answered, though she
couldn’t help but wonder what Patricia was getting at. After a lengthy
back-and-forth, Patricia finally spoke up.
"I... I was a bit too
harsh on you," she admitted.
Beth’s eyes widened in
surprise.
"I thought you were
trying to drive a wedge between me and the Silver King. It was my
misunderstanding, and though that misunderstanding has been cleared, your legs
ended up like this. I... regret that."
Patricia's tone and
expression conveyed confidence, as if she were the victim rather than the
perpetrator. But Beth could recognize that this was a significant concession
from Patricia, an olive branch of sorts.
Still, Beth couldn’t bring
herself to say, "It’s all right." Sometimes, she still woke up from
nightmares. The wounds she had suffered hadn’t healed.
Patricia felt annoyed by
Beth’s silence. After all she had done, what more did Beth expect—should she
grovel at her feet?
However, Patricia quickly
reined in her irritation. For now, calming the Silver King's heart took
precedence.
"I suppose your
feelings won't be soothed so quickly. There's no use dragging this out. We’d
both find it tiresome. You may go."
"Yes, Red King. I will
take my leave."
"Countess."
"Yes?"
Patricia hesitated for a
moment before speaking.
"Please... convey this
to the Silver King as well."
"Yes, Red King."
As Beth left the Red Palace
and walked down the hallway, she couldn’t help but smirk. Patricia's intentions
were painfully obvious. Would she ever hear a genuine apology from the Red
King?
"People don’t
change," Beth muttered to herself, shaking her head bitterly.
***
"Your tea is truly
unique. Why is it that no one else can replicate this taste?"
Emma had returned to the
palace after a long time. Sienna felt pleased as she sipped the tea Emma had
brewed, something she hadn’t had in quite a while.
When Emma left the palace
to prepare for her marriage, she had taught the maids at the Silver Palace the
secrets of brewing tea, but none of them could perfectly recreate the flavor.
"You flatter me, Your
Highness. It's been a while since I handled the teapot. I’m just relieved I
didn’t make any mistakes."
"You’ve mastered it
with your own hands. How could you possibly make a mistake? The wedding is in a
month, right?"
"Yes."
"Is everything going
smoothly?"
"Yes. The countess has
been looking after everything, as kindly as if she were my own mother."
"I heard your future
husband is quite fond of you. The countess mentioned that."
Emma blushed and smiled.
"How do you feel about
the upcoming wedding?"
"I suppose I must be
unusual. Most people feel nervous or melancholy, but I’m just happy."
"What makes you
happy?"
"Albert... I'm about
to start a new family with him. And his mother has set up a separate house for
us, saying we should enjoy our newlywed life. The idea of having our own home
makes me so excited."
Sienna smiled as she lifted
her teacup to her lips.
"And the best part
is... if anything happens to him, I'll be the first person notified. Not his
parents, but me."
"I see."
Sienna felt a sudden
admiration, like a scholar discovering a profound truth. She instantly grasped
the true meaning of marriage and becoming a family—gaining the right to be the
first to know everything about your partner.
"Your Highness, Beth
is here."
Beth knocked from outside,
and after a moment, entered the room.
"I have something to
report."
Sensing the situation, Emma
quietly excused herself. Beth then shared her visit to the Red Palace and
recounted the conversation she had with Patricia.
"Is even a formal
apology better than none at all? What do you think, Countess?"
"For her, it’s a
significant concession. It’s a gesture that she wishes to improve her
relationship with Your Highness."
Beth sincerely hoped for a
reconciliation between mother and daughter. In her eyes, the Red King remained
a crucial pillar supporting the Silver King. For the sake of the Silver King,
Beth was willing to overlook past grievances and appease the Red King.
Sienna sipped her tea
without comment. Recently, she had met with Ben, who shared his experience
visiting the greenhouse.
Patricia had revealed the
secret greenhouse, long kept hidden, for Sienna’s recovery. Had it not been for
recent events, it might have taken much longer for Ben to step inside that
place.
Yet Sienna wasn’t moved.
Her heart toward her mother had long since turned cold. All she could think
about was how to protect Violet from her mother’s schemes.
She had instructed Ben to
describe the appearance and characteristics of the herbs he saw in detail and
sent that information to Levan.
"Countess."
"Yes, Your
Highness."
"If my mother asks you
about today, tell her that I’m responding positively to her change."
Sienna’s voice was
emotionless. Beth, observing her for a moment, finally replied.
"...Yes, Your
Highness."
For the first time, Beth
found herself thinking that Sienna was indeed a very cold person.
.png)
0 Comments