Chapter 3.1 - Entwined Destiny

Chapter 3.1: Entwined Destiny

Sienna glanced at all the ladies-in-waiting around her . These past few days, Sienna paid close attention to the ladies-in-waiting . Before, they were like bedroom furniture to her . She never noticed them much .

 

They weren’t furniture . They were people . They were undoubtedly watching and listening . Sienna never considered this before . Just the thought of them going to the Red King to report to her about their surveillance made Sienna feel disgusted .

‘Does the Countess also have ties to Mother?’

Sienna had never been suspicious of the people around her before . But now that she’d started doubting them, she couldn’t find one person she could fully trust .

A lady-in-waiting approached Sienna and spoke .

“Princess, a lady-in-waiting has come from the Red King’s palace . ”

“Let her . . . No . I’ll just go meet with the Red King now . ”

Sienna hadn’t gone to the Red King’s palace for a few days now . She had felt uneasy and ended up avoiding her .

‘Running away isn’t proper . ‘

 

Patricia wasn’t alone . An unfamiliar man stood up when Sienna arrived .

‘Is he her new lover?’

Sienna thought to herself and ignored him . She only greeted Patricia .

“You called for me?”

“Oh, Princess . Is it so hard to give your mother a warmer greeting than that? We haven’t seen each other in a while . ”

 

Patricia lightly scowled .

“Long time no see, Mother . I should’ve visited before you called for me . How absentminded of me . ”

“Not at all . I understand that you’re very busy with your duties . ”

“Thank you for understanding . ”

“Have you been well?”

“Yes . ”

“Princess, introduce yourself . ”

Patricia introduced the young man who was standing awkwardly .

“His character and status are more than enough for the position of Blue King . ”

The blond young man approached Sienna and put one hand on his chest before bowing to her .

“I am Earl Luke’s son, Joseph . Duke Luke is my grandfather . ”

Sienna frowned . Patricia took the initiative .

“Didn’t I tell you last time we met? There are many candidates for the position of Blue King . All you have to do is pick the one you like, Princess . ”

“Mother . ”

“Princess, I’m not pressuring you . But you should still make an effort to get to know them . ”

“It’s almost time for my lessons . ”

“Then this young lord can escort you back to your palace . Even if it’s for a short while, why don’t the two of you talk amongst yourselves?”

Sienna sighed softly before getting up . Joseph quickly ran after Sienna as she left the sitting room .

 

“Princess, you’re more beautiful than the last time we met . I’m not sure if you remember me . I introduced myself to you at the Imperial ball . ”

“Is that so?”

“Yes . It’s a great honor for me to be considered a candidate for your hand in marriage . My grandfather sometimes speaks about you . He said you are fair and brilliant, so you will be a wise ruler once you inherit the throne from the current Emperor . ”

The young man’s stereotypical flattery and praise were boring . The only good thing about him was his height . It was rare for Sienna to have to raise her head to a man like she did to Joseph .

Still, he was shorter .

He was shorter than that man .

 

The two entered the carriage . Joseph racked his brains to find another topic to discuss with the Princess .

“Do you enjoy hunting or horseback riding?”

“I ride sometimes . ”

“If you enjoy riding, you may also enjoy hunting . Every year, when it begins to cool down, there’s a large hunting competition . The Emperor even participates in it from time to time as it is a tradition . Some say that one can learn to strategize by hunting . It’s a profound and pleasant activity . ”

Sienna silently listened to Joseph sing praises about hunting . Thinking that she was giving him her full attention, Joseph became even more excited as he rambled on .

Unlike the indifferent expression on her face, Sienna was upset . She believed that those who spouted grandiose praises for the hunt were pathetic people . They cornered and slaughtered animals in a secure setting for their enjoyment .

“It’s very difficult to find good hunting ground . ”

“Have you ever caught a desert mantis1?”

” . . . What?”

“The stronger the prey, the more thrilling the hunt . Isn’t this true?”

“Princess, even the knights would have a hard time getting close to a desert mantis . ”

 

“The desert mantis is the strongest of all the beasts . Even if you catch a hundred deer, it won’t equal the glory of catching one desert mantis . Try going out into the desert . You’ll find plenty of hunting grounds there . ”

” . . . ”

“Am I wrong?”

“You’re . . . correct, Princess . ”

Seeing Joseph slump his shoulders, Sienna chuckled . She knew she was being unreasonable . The desert mantis wasn’t a beast, it was a monster .

Suddenly, Sienna began to think about Kuhn . She felt that he would laughingly tell her, ‘Of course I’ve caught one . ‘

‘How strange . ‘

The man kept popping into her head .

‘Is he still coming over to the Imperial Palace now and then?’

She didn’t know why she was so curious about the impolite, cocky, and imprudent mercenary .

Seeing that Sienna was lost in thought, Joseph became nervous . As he was still hesitating over what to say, the carriage arrived at the Princess’s palace . Seeing that they had stopped at their destination, Joesph hurriedly spoke up .

“My apologies, Princess . It seems that I have spoiled your mood . You treasure the lives of even the most insignificant beasts . I am sorry I did not know your virtuous heart sooner . ”

Joseph bowed down completely . He had never met a woman who was as strong-minded as the Princess, so he didn’t know what to do in order to woo her .

“Actually, if you had some free time, I wanted to escort you to the masquerade, Princess . I was trying to figure out a way to ask you, and in the process, I began to talk about this and that . In doing so, it seems that I have made a mistake . Please understand . ”

Sienna silently got off the carriage .

‘Did it not work?’

Joseph’s eyes trembled in embarrassment .

“Where will it take place? In the duke’s residence?”

 

“Huh? Yes!”

Joseph’s sullen expression instantly brightened .

Sienna had never attended a party hosted outside the Palace before . She felt that the social events held within the Palace were enough for her . However, she changed her mind . If it was for a party, she’d have an excuse to leave the Palace .

‘Because I need to leave the pond in order to see what’s outside of it . ‘

When she remembered who said those words to her, Sienna felt irritated .

“Please let me know the date and time . ”

“I will send you an invitation . It’s an honor, Princess . ”

Joseph was cheering with joy inside his heart .

‘I did it!’

The Princess was famous for her cold temperament . Just by having her accept this invitation, Joesph had pulled off an incredible feat . On top of that, the Princess had accepted her first invitation to a social event outside the Palace . Her first appearance outside of the Palace would be at the event hosted by Duke Luke .

The position of the Blue King was right in front of his nose . As he imagined his rose-colored future, Joseph let out a laugh . With much effort, he fixed his expression .

‘It will be mine . ‘

The Blue King’s throne as well as this precious woman . I will do everything I can to put them within my grasp .

 

He imagined the aloof princess’s naked body spread out underneath him, and his mouth began to water .

 

The name of this animal is literally translated as Desert-Gwi . The spelling of this word in Korean (사막귀) is similar to the word for praying mantis or wart (they are homonyms 사마귀) . I have no idea what this beast looks like in this fictional world, so I just decided to translate it as desert (사막) mantis (since 귀 on its own literally just means ‘ear’) . I know this beast will pop up further into the novel, and they may give a better description of it then . Just be aware that the name of this beast is subject to change as we learn more about it! It may not even be a large insect! Maybe it’s closer to a wart! Or an ear! Only the author knows . . .\n