The Great Wish - Chapter 11.1

Vol.2 Chapter 11 Part 1 

The journey home was relatively peaceful. They finally arrived at the southern dock of the capital. Sienna and her party returned to the Palace as quietly as they left it. Just as Sienna finished changing her clothes, Patricia barged inside. 

"Princess." 

Patricia's eyes glistened as if she'd burst into tears at any moment. 

"Did you have a pleasant trip?" 

"Yes." 

Joy flickered on Patricia's face. She looked like she was struggling to hold in her overflowing emotions. 

"You're amazing. You're all grown up now. It seems that I was selfish in wanting to keep my grown child in my arms just a little longer." 

Patricia's expression showed a mixture of pride and sadness, but her smile seemed cold. 

"I sent those knights after you because I was worried about you, Princess. It was my mistake. Please forgive your anxious mother. You understand, don't you?" 

"...Yes, Mother." 

"Now that I've witnessed your safe return, I can rest easy. You must be exhausted. Please rest, Princess." 

Patricia exited the room right away. No matter how many issues Sienna had with Patricia, she couldn't bring them up when Patricia merely came here to exchange a few friendly greetings. 

"Princess..." 

Sienna murmured to herself in a cold voice. After Sienna's coronation, Patricia meticulously addressed her as 'Silver King'. However, she suddenly returned to calling her Princess just now. It was her way of trying to narrow the emotional gap between them. It left a bitter taste in Sienna's mouth. 

Where did the lies end and the truth begin? If she found out that her mother's affection had all been calculated from the start, Sienna felt that it would pain her heart. 

Sienna gave an order to her lady-in-waiting. 

"Call for Emma." 

It had been a while since she last drank Emma's tea. She wanted some now. 

"She's not currently inside the Palace, Your Highness." 

"Where is she?" 

"I heard she left to go see Countess Pope. Shall I send someone out to fetch her?" 

"No, there's no need to go that far." 

She could just see her tomorrow. Countess Pope and Emma would probably enter the Palace together. However, the next morning, Sienna saw no sign of the countess when her ladies-in-waiting entered to help her with her morning routine. 

Beth didn't accompany the ladies-in-waiting every morning, but since Sienna had been on a long trip for almost a month, she expected Beth to come this time. 

'Did something happen?' 

Sienna wondered whether she should ask but eventually decided against it. At times, Beth served Sienna as a lady-in-waiting as well as a nanny. She did many things for her. It wouldn't be right for Sienna to demand too much of her. 

As the afternoon crept by, Beth and Emma still hadn't entered the Palace. Sienna sent someone to the countess's home. The lady-in-waiting returned and relayed a message. 

"They said Emma has hurt her leg. She told us to tell you that she would see you at the Palace once she has made a full recovery." 

"She's hurt? How bad is it?" 

"I wasn't able to meet with her directly, so I don't know the specifics." 

"What about the countess?" 

"I wasn't able to meet with the countess either." 

"...Is that so? All right." 

She had a lot of work that she had put on hold due to her inspection trip. Sienna was busy all day and didn't have any time to rest in between appointments. However, during all this, she couldn't shake off this strange feeling. Something was bothering her. 

When the sun began to set, she called for her ladies-in-waiting. 

"Go to the countess's residence. If Emma is injured to the point where she can't walk, carry her here. Make sure she is brought before me as soon as possible." 

"Yes, Your Highness." 

After she had finished her dinner, Sienna was told that Emma had come. Emma's head was lowered to her chest as she followed behind the ladies-in-waiting. Her legs were fine. Sienna's eyes narrowed. 

"The rest of you can wait outside." 

"Your Highness!" 

Emma cried out before kneeling down onto the floor. 

"I lied. Hurting my legs was just an excuse." 

"Why?" 

"I was... I was scared. I didn't want to enter the Palace. I find life at the Palace to be too difficult. I believe I am way over my head in this position." 

A cold gleam flashed across Sienna's eyes as she looked at Emma. However, the usual calm expression returned to her face. 

"Emma. It seems that I wasn't able to understand how difficult it was for you to be here." 

"I'm sorry, Your Highness." 

"I'm not the kind of person who forces people to endure something against their will. I'm also not as generous as to try and coax someone to do something they claim they cannot. I understand. You may leave." 

Emma's shoulders flinched. 

"Since she has done a good job while she was here, make sure to send Emma off with an ample reward." 

"Yes, Your Highness." 

A lady-in-waiting replied. 

After Emma left, Sienna sent out the rest of her ladies-in-waiting. Her indifferent expression began to crack. She lifted a hand and grasped her forehead before letting out a sigh. 

"I've been away from the Palace for too long." 

She mumbled in a strained voice. She slowly blinked. 

Emma had been absolutely terrified. When Sienna was about the send out all the ladies-in-waiting, Emma's eyes had widened in horror. She had been afraid to be alone with Sienna. 

In the past, Sienna would never have forgiven one of her attendants for lying to her. It didn't matter what their reason was. If they lied, she would not pay them any more attention. Therefore, someone who knew Sienna very well concocted this conspiracy. 

"Ha." 

A cold laugh flowed out of her lips. The identity of the mastermind behind all this was obvious. 

The next day, Sienna went about her day as if nothing happened. The countess still had not entered Palace. It wasn't just Emma. Something had definitely happened to the countess as well. 

Levan entered the Palace and reported on the changes in Sienna's schedule. After hearing his report, she spoke. 

"There is a favor I'd like to ask of you." 

"There's no need to ask for a favor. Please give me your command." 

His flattering words did not sound like flattery. For some reason, Levan's attitude had become a lot more polite recently. 

"My chief lady-in-waiting, Countess Pope... Find out what happened to her and those around her while I was gone. Can you do that for me?" 

It was a difficult order to give to a mere aide, a man who belonged neither to the empire nor the nobility. However, Sienna had a strange feeling that he would be able to carry it out. Gilbert had secretly mentioned to her that Levan 'didn't seem to be a man of ordinary origins'. She wanted to trust in those words. 

"Yes, Your Highness." 

Levan replied without any hesitation. Two days later, Levan came to the Palace to give her his report as always. However, he merely left her a thick bundle of papers and left.