In the afternoon, Gilbert requested an audience with Sienna . It had been three days since she had ordered him to find the mysterious knight . After all that wait, the result of his search disappointed Sienna .
“You can’t find him?”
“Yes, Princess . I couldn’t find the man with the characteristics you’ve given me . ”
“He was definitely wearing a knight’s uniform . ”
“Knights aren’t the only ones who can wear the uniform . . . ”
“What do you mean?”
Sienna asked Gilbert with a straight face as he flinched .
“The process of entering the Palace is a long and frustrating one . ”
“You mean . . . The knights’ uniform is used as a way to freely enter the Palace?”
” . . . Yes . ”
“Since when?”
“It has been going on for a long time . ”
“How long?”
“It was already happening when I entered the Palace ten years ago . ”
This meant that it was a prevalent occurrence . However, Sienna had never heard of this before . She had believed that every rule in the Palace was followed perfectly .
“This is the place where the Emperor resides . If what you say is true, that means there is a serious hole in our security . ”
“That’s not quite true . ”
Gilbert quickly interjected .
“The knights’ uniform is produced within the Palace, so it is strictly managed . Only the lowest-ranking uniforms can be given away, but it cannot be taken by just anyone . ”
“What are the requirements to be able to take a uniform? Do you have to have special connections with the Captain of the Knights?”
Gilbert became pale . He felt like he was digging himself into a deeper hole the more he spoke . He suddenly bent down on his knee .
“That’s not what I meant . Princess, please do not continue to think that . ”
Sienna’s eyes became cold as she looked down at Gilbert . If this had happened just a few days ago, she would have been furious . She would have called for a thorough investigation and tracked down every person that had taken a uniform . If necessary, she would have followed the trail and punished all those involved as well .
However, Sienna merely glowered at the knight and softly bit her lip as she calmed down . Something had changed within her . It wasn’t that she was turning a blind eye to corruption . Rules were important . Principles were to be upheld .
It was just that . . . Gilbert would be put in an uncomfortable situation if she decided to noisily investigate this case . He would be deemed a whistle-blower, and there was a big chance that his life as a knight would become unbearable .
Sienna realized just how much faith she had in Gilbert . Whenever she wanted a personal order to be executed, she always thought of Gilbert . The violation of stealing uniforms was not so important that she’d give Gilbert up to investigate it .
“How should I go about finding him?”
“What?”
“That other issue doesn’t matter for now . I just want to know who that man is . Who do I need to call in order to find that man?”
“Like I said earlier, not just anyone can get their hands on a uniform . ”
“So who is he?”
“The Captain . . . might know who he is . ”
Gilbert struggled as he spoke . He felt like he was exposing his boss .
“I see . You may leave . ”
“Princess . ”
“Don’t worry . I won’t mention your name . ”
“Thank you, Princess . ”
Gilbert lowered his head, his expression bubbling over with relief . The reason why she called for Gilbert whenever she had business with the Imperial Knights was because of his forthright manner . She had never seen him try to curry her favor . This was the first time she had seen him so moved .
Sienna stared at Gilbert with an odd look in her eye . It wasn’t that big of a deal to cover for him . Why was he acting as if she had given him some great reward? Rewards and punishments . The two weren’t perfect opposites . Sienna felt as if her sturdy world was crumbling .
“Ah, Princess . ”
Gilbert turned around as he was about to leave the room .
“About the sword with a black hilt and a black blade . . . I heard a story about it when I was young . They say that the black sword of Kaligo is famous . ”
“Kaligo?”
“It’s the name of a famous organization of mercenary soldiers . ”
“If you heard this when you were young, are you sure it wasn’t just a fairy tale?”
“It is said that the leader of the group changes with time . They are an organization that has existed since before I was born . ”
Sienna’s expression turned bitter .
‘An organization of mercenaries? They’re just a group of wicked law-breakers . Is he really a mercenary? He didn’t seem like a brute . . . ”
However, the more she thought about that black-haired man, the more she seethed .
‘He was rude and arrogant . He certainly didn’t behave like a knight . ‘
Sienna felt that she didn’t have to call for the captain of the knights after all . If that man had gained special access to the Palace, she felt that she knew who was responsible for it . It had to be Prince Dian . If she asked the Prince, she’d be able to find him .
‘But . . . Do I need to find him?’
Maybe they weren’t at the same level as that man, but the Palace was filled with excellent knights . They were much more polite and very loyal .
‘Let’s just leave it alone . ‘
Sienna decided to pretend it didn’t happen . Even though she felt that this was the right thing to do, she still felt a strange sense of loss .
To calm her restlessness, Sienna called for the lady-in-waiting to brew some tea . It was her usual favorite herbal tea . After sniffing the slightly bitter aroma, Sienna took a sip . It was so sweet that it made her come back to her senses . Satisfied, the corners of Sienna’s lips went up slightly .
‘Will there ever come a time when I won’t enjoy this sweet taste?’
“Princess . The Grand Chamberlain has brought your gift from His Majesty the Emperor . ”
Sienna was surprised at the lady-in-waiting’s announcement and abruptly stood up .
“A gift? Bring in the Grand Chamberlain . ”
The Grand Chamberlain entered holding a small box wrapped in velvet .
“Did he pass along any message with this?”
“No, Princess . ”
“I better go and thank him . ”
“His Majesty is currently in a meeting . He is not available to meet with you at this time . ”
“I see . Let me know when it is a good time for me to see him . ”
“Yes, Princess . ”
After the Grand Chamberlain’s departure, Sienna couldn’t bring herself to touch the gift and just stared at it .
‘Why did His Majesty suddenly . . . ‘
The joy was only brief . She thought deeply about what his intentions could be . After staring at it for a long time, she finally unwrapped the velvet covering cautiously . A sleek wooden box appeared .
She opened it . It was filled with dried tea leaves . It was an unexpected gift . It was the first time she had received such a small gift .
“Tea leaves . . . ?”
Sienna furrowed her brow . She recalled the words from her dream .
「I received them just before my twentieth birthday . An unexpected gift from an unexpected person . 」
Was this merely a coincidence?
All the thoughts about the intent behind the gift flew out of Sienna’s mind . As she continued to gaze at the tea leaves, she began to remember the emperor from her dreams . She began to remember the emperor’s words .\n