Chapter 3.2 - Entwined Destiny

Chapter 3.2: Entwined Destiny

Joseph’s carriage left the Palace . Countess Pope had come out to greet Sienna . She chose her words carefully as she spoke to her .

“Was that the young lord from Duke Luke’s family?”

“Do you know him?”

“I’ve seen him a few times at the parties I’ve attended . He’s quite famous within our circles . ”

“Because his grandfather is Duke Luke?”

“That’s one reason . He’s also known to be a fine gentleman who is more beautiful than most maidens . ”

Objectively, Joseph was as handsome as Adonis . However, Sienna didn’t agree with the countess’s words . Thinking back to the moment she first saw him, she didn’t feel anything for him at all .

“An invitation will be arriving soon . Please prepare for our departure from the Palace, Countess . ”

“Yes, I was surprised to suddenly hear that you decided to attend a party outside the Palace . ”

“He is a husband candidate . ”

 

“Ah . . . I see . ”

“Did you know about this?”

“I have heard of it here and there . ”

“The Red King told me today . She told me to make an effort to get to know him . I felt that it was troublesome at first, but I realize that the Red King is right . My husband will be the next Blue King . I cannot let just anyone obtain that position . In order to get to know someone better, I need to be able to see different sides of him . So I’m going to attend the party outside the Palace . I’ll see everything for myself, listen to the chatter, and do my best . ”

Sienna raised her voice . She wanted the ladies-in-waiting around her to hear what she said . She wanted them to relay these exact words to the Red King .

“Are you planning on leaving the Palace often?”

“I think so . ”

“The lords and ladies will be excited to hear that, Princess . ”

Sienna’s true intentions were to find out what Patricia was thinking .

 

* * *

They left earlier than the time written on the invitation . Sienna decided to take a ride around the capital instead of heading straight to the ducal residence . Duke Luke’s residence was a short ride away, but Sienna left in the opposite direction .

 

 

Sienna’s royal carriage and the carriages holding the rest of Sienna’s entourage and attendants amounted to five carriages . Sienna frowned as she looked at the passing scenery outside her window .

‘This isn’t it . ‘

There were no other carriages in sight . Soldiers holding lances had come as public security and held back the crowd of people from disrupting Sienna’s train of carriages . The capital was normally not like this . Carriages would be moving throughout the streets, and the people would freely go about their business .

Sienna didn’t want to see regulated roads . She didn’t want to see the amazed faces of the Empire’s subjects as they watched the magnificently adorned royal carriages drive down the road .

When she had first departed from the Palace, Sienna was excited . The feeling of her heart racing from anticipation was a strange sensation, but it felt pleasant . Her excitement only lasted a moment . Her sparkling eyes quickly dimmed .

In order to receive permission to leave the Palace, she had met with the Emperor . The Emperor told her something meaningful .

「Princess, I understand that you have formed an attachment for your mother, but remember this: Before you are the Red King’s daughter, you are a member of the Imperial family . Don’t be swayed by personal feelings . 」

Sienna didn’t disagree . Sienna was already uneasy after having discovered a hidden side to her mother .

A cold wind blew inside Sienna’s heart . The Emperor said that human feelings were useless, and the Red King said that a mother-daughter relationship was special . . . Her heart couldn’t wholeheartedly agree with either of them .

As she looked out the window, something caught her eye . Sienna’s eyes widened .

“Wait! Stop the carriage!”

Sienna’s banged on the wall of the carriage as she yelled out . The driver pulled on the reins . The horse snorted loudly in surprise .

 

When Sienna’s carriage suddenly stopped, all the other carriages following behind did the same . What happened afterwards shocked all of the attendants . Sienna opened the carriage door herself and stepped down .

‘I definitely saw him . ‘

The head of a black-haired man standing above the rest of the crowd had caught her eye .

‘Kuhn . ‘

It was definitely that man . She scoured the area with her eyes . She had only lost sight of him for a moment, but he had already disappeared .

“Princess, what’s the matter?”

One of escorting knights hurried over to her . Sienna shook her head .

‘Just what am I doing right now?’

She had done something shocking . She couldn’t even explain why she did it . She felt a mixture of confusion over this unknown reason as well as a strange sense of disappointment .

“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”

Someone shouted out . It returned everyone back to their senses . When Sienna had stepped down from her carriage, everyone was breathless . Now everyone was shouting . Their collective roars became one .

“Ar! Ar!”

“Long live His Majesty the Emperor!”

 

The name of the Empire was Ar . In the beginning, it was called the Empire of Ar .

Presently, the Holy Empire of Ar was the only ruling empire, but in the past, many countries boasted their own powerful empires .

The citizens of Ar believed their empire to be special . They put themselves above the others and called themselves the Holy Empire . This unofficial term became the official title of the Empire . The ‘Holy Empire’ symbolized the pride of the people . These people were confident that they were ruled not by a human but by a god .

This was why the level of awe given to the Imperial family by the commonfolk was so much greater than that given to royalty .

With beauty befitting of her noble status, the Princess met the expectations of her subjects . There was no way she could be human . If she was human, her blinding beauty was unexplainable . As expected, the Imperial family has the blood of the gods .

The Imperial subjects came to an illogical conclusion . Nobody cared about what led to these conclusions . Only the conclusion was important .

“Quickly help the Princess back into her carriage . ”

The knights quickly helped her up into the carriage . Whether the public was excited in a good way or bad, it was dangerous .

As the carriages faded away into the distance, the cheers continued . Even when they could barely see the carriages, the people were still noisily chattering .

“To think that we got to see the Princess with our own eyes . I can’t believe it . ”

“I couldn’t breathe . As expected, she definitely received the blood of the gods . ”

Hiding in the shadows of a building as he leaned against the wall, Kuhn straightened up and slipped through the crowd . He looked in the direction of the departing carriages as his eyes quivered .\n