The Great Wish - Chapter 9.6

Vol.2 Chapter 9 Part 6 

This shock was almost as great as the one she felt when she learned that Dian would become the next emperor. Even though the sun hadn't come up yet, Sienna was pacing around in her bedroom. She couldn't sit still. 

'Husband? The Gong King was my husband?' 

Patricia said that the Blue King's Palace was empty. Her future self didn't have a husband or children. But it wasn't that she wasn't married before. She had married, but the Blue King's Palace was empty. 

'Was it divorce?' 

Even among the nobility, couples rarely got divorced. The union of two noble households couldn't be severed by the two people involved. This held true with the Imperial family. But to think that the emperor had gotten divorced. This had never happened before. 

'Does this mean I'm the first?' 

Sienna grasped her head with both hands. To think that she'd leave behind such a legacy... She felt ashamed. 

She paced around the bedroom until her legs hurt. When she settled down somewhat, she perched on top of her bed. 

'Who is it?' 

It had to be someone from one of the six ducal families. The emperor's spouse had to be a descendent of one of the original feudal families. 

'Someone who supported the Iron King ended up becoming the Gong King and married me...' 

No matter how much she pondered over this, she couldn't think of anyone. 

A few days passed. However, the shock didn't settle. Whenever Sienna had some free time, she went over the contents of that dream over and over again. 

Today, Countess Pope sat across from her as they enjoyed a cup of tea. 

'Good as always.' 

The tea brewed by Emma was always the best. 

"Your Highness, has something been bothering you these days? You seem worried lately." 

"Thank you for worrying about me. It's nothing." 

Beth nodded with a smile. These days, Beth and Sienna had been sharing a cup of tea quite often. It showed to those around them that Sienna had begun trusting the countess a lot more. 

"How have things been for you, Countess? I'm talking about your search for Emma's husband." 

Emma's face reddened as she lowered her head. 

"I've been looking, but no one's caught my eye." 

"I trust your judgement, Countess, but pick carefully. I cannot send Emma off to a terrible man." 

"You're right." 

"Shall I help with the matchmaking?" 

"Oh my. Emma is quite blessed." 

Beth had noticed more and more that Sienna had begun showing an affectionate side. She'd speak more often, and she even made a few jokes here and there. This was almost unimaginable a few months ago. 

"Countess, I'd like to ask you a personal question." 

"Yes, please speak." 

"Do you have a lover?" 

Beth's smile faltered. 

"Your Highness, I'm not sure what you've heard, but..." 

"I haven't heard anything. I was just curious. Was my question too rude?" 

Beth examined Sienna's face. Her expression was clear despite the sensitive question. 

"...I don't have a lover." 

"What about a boyfriend?" 

"I-I don't have one." 

"Since when have you been alone?" 

"Your Highness, I've never had... a lover or a boyfriend." 

"Why not?" 

"Sorry?" 

"How long have you been married?" 

"Twenty-three years." 

"So you've been alone for twenty-three years since you've been married?" 

"Your Highness, I'm married, so I have my husband. I'm not alone." 

Sienna gazed at Beth and hummed. It didn't seem like Sienna totally understood what Beth was saying. 

Beth couldn't let the conversation end like this. 

"Your Highness, it's true that there are faithless marriages where people take lovers. However, there are just as many couples who remain loyal to their spouses." 

"Then are you saying that it isn't the norm for people to take lovers after getting married?" 

Beth didn't answer right away. The Emperor and the Red King. It was an open secret that they enjoyed company outside of their marriage. Afraid that the Princess's question had some hidden meaning, Beth was cautious with her words. 

Beth decided to just be honest with her. 

"Everyone has differing opinions. If you ask me, then yes. It's not the norm." 

Beth's resolute answer shook the values Sienna had known all her life. 

"Then... What happens if the person you marry and the person your heart yearns for is not the same person?" 

Beth didn't know what to say. She never expected the Princess to ask such a question as this. Having spent so much time with the Princess over the years, Beth knew her very well. She wasn't the type of person to have such vague worries. 

This meant that the Princess was worrying about this in the present. 

'A person your heart yearns for?' 

Did the Princess have a man? Who could it be? 

In the end, Beth couldn't ask, and she didn't have any advice to give. 

* * * 

Joseph came to see her. 

"Your Highness. I cannot express just how happy I am to see you again." 

Sienna had a feeling that Joseph had already met with Patricia before coming here. His face was filled with a confidence she hadn't seen before. 

"It's been a while." 

"Yes, Your Highness. It's been a while since I last saw you. You're still just as beautiful as always. I was very disappointed that I wasn't able to greet you at your coming-of-age banquet." 

Objectively, Joseph met all the standards the ladies in high society sought after. He was handsome and had the sturdy background of a ducal family. He had good manners and was an excellent speaker. 

At first, Sienna also thought that Joseph wasn't bad. However, seeing Joseph again, she realized how horrible he was. She felt that his sleek looks were wasted on him. 

'How shameless. He rolls around outside, and he's not even able to clean up properly afterwards. And he still steps up to participate in a royal marriage?' 

Recalling the information in her dream, Sienna became furious. 

"Don't bring up my birthday. It wasn't a completely pleasant night." 

Sienna rebuked in a cold voice. 

"Ah... I wasn't thinking straight, Your Highness." 

Joseph was embarrassed for a moment, but he quickly found his smile again. 

"Your Highness, the weather is nice outside. Won't you go out for a stroll with me?" 

Sienna was unable to land another cold blow on Joseph. The Princess he knew had always been cold. He had never even seen her smile. After having received the hint that he was basically engaged to the Princess, he felt as if he owned the whole world. He feared nothing. 

Sienna silently passed by Joseph and walked towards the door. She felt that she'd become even more irritated if she had to face him while drinking her tea. 

'It'd be better to just walk outside.' 

Taking Sienna's reaction as a silent permission, Joseph became overjoyed and followed after her. 

"The wind is quite cold, Your Highness. Do you prefer cold weather?" 

"I don't particularly prefer one over the other." 

"I find that I cannot stand hot weather. I'm looking forward to the upcoming autumn. I heard the deer hunting tournament will be held this year." 

If one went north of the Imperial Palace, there was a large forest. The training facilities for knights were also found in the north. The forest was thought to be a strategic location, so access was usually restricted. 

There were no predators in the forest. Therefore, the deer population grew unhindered. In order to preserve the forest, a deer hunting tournament was held every few years to keep the population in check. 

On the years the deer hunting tournament was held, the annual fox hunting tournament was canceled. 

"Will you come to observe the tournament this year? I will bring you the biggest deer if you do." 

Sienna snorted softly. She had already told him that she wasn't interested in things like hunts, but it seemed that Joseph didn't really understand her. Joseph's excited voice irritated her. 

Just as she was about to turn past a shrub, she was faced with two people that were coming from the opposite direction. The four of them stopped in their tracks. Dian quickly brushed the surprised expression off his face. 

"Silver King, now that our residences are closer together, it seems that we can meet by chance like this." 

Sienna nodded slightly in greeting. The lady she had met at her coming-of-age banquet, Violet, was standing by Dian's side. 

'She's Lord Grosi's granddaughter, right?' 

When Sienna gazed at her, the woman shyly bowed her head. 

"Now that we're all here, shall we take a stroll together?" 

"Yes, let's do that." 

Sienna replied quickly. This was a lot better than walking with Joseph alone. 

Joseph bitterly looked back and forth between Sienna and Dian. Surprisingly, the Silver King and the Iron King seemed to be on good terms. He wasn't sure how to conduct himself, so he merely kept his mouth shut. 

"It seems that this is our first meeting." 

"Yes, Iron King, Your Highness. I am Joseph Luke." 

"Hm, Luke..." 

Dian quickly flipped through his memory. He thought Duke Luke's grandson was out of the running, but was that not the case? 

"You were out on a walk with the Silver King at this time? The Silver King considers her time to be precious. You're receiving special treatment." 

Dian only prodded slightly, but it already got to Joseph's head. 

"I look forward to greeting Your Highnesses on New Year's Day." 

Only family spent the New Year's Day together. It was a tradition of the Empire that spanned all social classes. Joseph's comment was hinting that he would one day be a part of the Imperial family. 

Dian furtively glanced at Sienna. Sienna didn't deny it. Dian hid the interest from his face. 

'I see. In the end, it all goes according to the Red King's plan.' 

An alliance between the ducal houses of Rimone and Luke. This was no surprise. It was one of the expected outcomes. 

Sienna stared at the necklace hanging on Violet's neck. It looked familiar. 

"That's an unusual necklace." 

It was the same wooden doll pendant that she had gifted to Dian when he had come to visit her residence. 

Violet flushed as she fidgeted with the necklace. 

"I know it doesn't match my outfit, but it's very precious to me. The Iron King told me that he personally bought it outside the Palace and gifted it to me." 

"Oh, personally..." 

Sienna glanced at Dian with condemnation. That con-artist. 

Dian coughed awkwardly and changed the subject. 

"What were you two talking about?" 

"We were in the middle of discussing the upcoming deer hunting tournament. I was asking the Silver King to come and observe the event." 

"Oh! Deer hunting!" 

"Do you enjoy hunting, Your Highness?" 

"I haven't had a chance to enjoy it before, but I think I'll be going to the deer hunt this year." 

The two men hit it off as they discussed hunting. 

"I won't go easy on you on the first day of the hunt, Your Highness. The trophy is mine." 

"The first day? Ah... Do the nobles hunt on the first day?" 

"Yes. The first day is the real deal." 

The deer hunting tournament took place over several days, but the first day was reserved for the pleasure of the nobility. Knights were restricted from participating. 

"If the knights won't be participating, then I have a good chance at winning." 

"Deer hunting isn't that easy." 

"How confident you are. Then will you make a bet with me?" 

"That sounds good to me." 

The two men bet their bounties and their valuables. Sienna watched them make this childish and unexpected bet and felt that they were pathetic. 

"Silver King, won't you come and observe the event? If our deer is visibly different in size, then it won't matter, but if they come close, we'll need someone to make the final decision." 

"I will also follow your judgement, Your Highness." 

The two men eagerly looked at Sienna. 

'It's a waste of time.' 

Sienna was about to refuse when she suddenly stopped. 

If she decided to go, Kuhn would definitely make an appearance. Just as he did before. The hunting tournament was a justified excuse to leave the Palace. 

"I don't think it's a bad idea to go just this once." 

Sienna's answer satisfied both men. Joseph thought about how he'd show off his hunting prowess. Dian thought about how this was an easy opportunity for him to catch the eyes of the nobility gathered there. 

An attendant approached them. Dian looked at him. 

"What is it?" 

The attendant went up to Dian's side and said something in a low voice. Dian nodded. 

"It looks like I have something to attend to. A guest is waiting for me." 

Sienna's eyes shook for a moment. Was Kuhn the guest Dian needed to meet? She wanted to ask, but she couldn't.