The Great Wish - Chapter 8.1

Vol.2 Chapter 8 Part 1 

It was bright. Was it morning already? 

The scene in front of her wasn't familiar to her. Surprised, she tried to get up, but her body wasn't moving. She felt out of place. She knew this feeling very well. 

— It's a dream. 

Sienna let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't had another dream after the last one where it ended with the emperor losing consciousness. It bothered her. Had something gone wrong? Would she never dream again? 

The emperor stared off into space for a long time as she tossed and turned. Suddenly, a lady-in-waiting approached. 

"Your Imperial Majesty! Are you awake?" 

Someone asked frantically. With the lady-in-waiting's help, the emperor sat up and looked around. Sienna drew in a breath. 

— ...Mother. 

Patricia, now an old woman, sat at her bedside with a worried expression on her face. 

Patricia was still as beautiful as always. While she couldn't stop the effects of time, she didn't look anywhere near sixty years old. 

"I was so shocked when I heard the sudden news. How do you feel?" 

"Sorry for inconveniencing you. I'm fine." 

Patricia turned to look at the ladies-in-waiting and raised her voice. 

"Why are you all standing there? Call a doctor this instant. You should have done so before I had to tell you. My goodness, you're supposed to be serving Her Imperial Majesty with care, but you're all so slow!" 

Her shrill voice sounded unpleasant. 

"Haah..." 

Sienna was the only one who heard the emperor's small sigh. 

Doctors entered the room. 

"Do you feel dizzy?" 

"No." 

"Do you have a headache? Or do you feel any pressure inside your chest?" 

"I'm fine." 

As she listened to the emperor's condition through the doctor's questioning, Sienna glanced at her mother through the emperor's eyes. Patricia's face was completely void of makeup as she looked at the emperor with worry. She could feel the honest worry of a mother for her daughter. 

— So you are also someone who stays by my side in the future, Mother. 

Just like Countess Pope and Emma. She felt the recent disappointment she held for Patricia begin to melt away. 

"Is there nothing wrong with Her Imperial Majesty?" 

"Yes. After she takes a rest, her energy will be restored." 

The doctor and the ladies-in-waiting left the bedroom. Only the mother and daughter remained. 

"Mother, you can leave now." 

The emperor's voice sounded cold. It was different from when the ladies-in-waiting were still in the room. 

"Is that all you have to say to a mother who raced over here, worried for her daughter?" 

"It was nothing." 

"How can this be nothing? After what those wicked men did to the emperor?" 

The emperor scoffed. 

"It seems that he went running to you after that incident. I can't tell whether he's my knight or your tool, Mother." 

"Your Imperial Majesty, Knight Strus is definitely yours. You must trust those around you. You must embrace your vassals and be grateful for them. 

— Stus. So it is him. 

Sienna remembered the name of the knight in one of the documents Patricia had sent her. So it seemed that she had made the right decision in not taking him as one of her guards. 

"It seems that you stick up for him quite a lot, Mother." 

"If you're that displeased with Knight Strus, why don't you just fire him?" 

The emperor looked at Patricia for a moment before answering drily. 

"I learned that one must keep their enemies close. That is why I gave you the Founding Palace, Mother." 

Patricia's beautiful face twisted ominously. Sienna gasped as she listened nervously. This one sentence firmly drew the line. 

— She's... an enemy? 

Mother? Sienna's softened heart instantly hardened and went cold. 

"Your Imperial Majesty, how much longer will you misinterpret your mother's truth? I did it all for you. This is all those ruffians' fault. They're clouding your judgement. They're creating disorder in the strict Imperial Palace. Chase them out immediately, Your Imperial Majesty." 

"..." 

"Your Imperial Majesty. You must know who your true allies are. The Gong King is completely senile." 

"Senile? The late emperor told you to show civility when it came to him." 

"The late emperor? What do you mean 'the late emperor'?" 

Patricia's voice became hysterical. 

"That man is a shameless thief. He used dirty tricks to extort the Imperial throne for himself!" 

Patricia's eyes became bloodshot as she shouted. Her eyes were filled with an intense hatred. 

Sienna realized who this mother-daughter pair were talking about. 

— Prince Dian... The Iron King. 

"Look! He's the one who put your mother in this state. He's a monstrous madman!" 

Patricia burst out of her seat and clenched the skirts of her dress as she raised them up. 

— Gasp. 

Sienna suppressed a surprised exclamation. Nothing was below one of Patricia's ankles. 

"...I want to rest. Please leave." 

The emperor turned her head and looked away from Patricia. Patricia let out a deep sigh. 

"I understand. What more can this old mother do? If Your Imperial Majesty asks me to leave, I must leave. I no longer wish for anything. If you marry and leave behind an heir, I feel like I can even die without regrets. How much longer are you going to keep the Blue King's Palace empty? It isn't too late." 

— What? 

Sienna shouted out in shock. It did seem strange from the beginning. Only her mother came to visit the emperor who had collapsed. Sienna had wondered why other family members weren't present. 

— The emperor is unmarried? At that age? Why? 

The emperor suddenly began to laugh. She burst out laughing as if she'd lost her mind. 

"Your Imperial Majesty!" 

The emperor didn't stop laughing despite Patricia's disconcerted call. 

If she could, Sienna would have covered both her ears with her hands. The forced, self-mocking laugh felt uncomfortable to hear. 

As if Patricia felt the same way, she looked at the emperor with a frustrated expression before leaving the bedroom. Finally left alone, the emperor's laughter died down. 

"...Who else can I blame for my foolishness? I can't even turn back time." 

The emperor mumbled with regret. Her dry murmur was filled with a deep despair.