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Side Story 4: Sienna Hesaros Likes Ashiel Nacht
Sienna added hastily.
“I didn’t mean to say no.”
“
Yes.”
It felt like the dog ears only visible to Sienna stood upright again.
Ashiel held Sienna’s hand, bending and placing his forehead on the back of her hand.
“Thank you for allowing me
 Thank you.”
An expression of gratitude that went beyond politeness and seemed extreme.
The people who were watching the two from afar were agitated once again.
“Didn’t you say that there doesn’t seem to be much progress with the grand duke?”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t think there has been any progress
”
“The atmosphere is too rigid for that.”
“For now, let’s watch the situation.”
In the midst of the commotion, Ashiel slowly led Sienna.
To lead the dance, Ashiel’s large hands wrapped around Sienna’s waist. Thanks to that, it seemed like the tiny hairs on her exposed shoulders were standing.
‘Calm down, let’s stay calm.’
It took more effort than she thought to pretend that nothing was wrong.
‘Ashiel?’
Sienna looked up at Ashiel, who she faced naturally. His red eyes were deep and mysterious.
“

.”
Before she could say anything, the dance started.
Footsteps moved slowly. Rather than dancing, it felt like the movements she had learned were coming out habitually according to the music that was playing.
Unlike Sienna, Ashiel’s movements at least had strength. But that didn’t mean he danced properly.
When Sienna twirled and moved away, Ashiel would always approach and pull her a beat earlier.
It was a hasty move, as if he didn’t want to allow her to be away from him even in the slightest.
Sienna was flustered. But amidst her embarrassment, she felt strangely relieved.
‘This person still wants me.’
She knew that Ashiel liked her, but she couldn’t help but feel uneasy in front of his lukewarm attitude.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Sienna shook her head slightly as she looked at the man who was absurdly lacking in confidence.
“I thought you might not be here.”
“Me?”
Sienna answered ‘Yes’ to Ashiel’s response.
Today’s ball was like the first crown prince selection, Sienna’s choice. But Ashiel didn’t even send her a letter of courtship.
So she thought.
—Ashiel may not show up.
Whenever she thought of Ashiel, who was very unsure of her heart and thought of himself as a disgrace
 Sienna’s heart throbbed.
Because

‘Because I like him.’
Actually, the answer was fixed long ago.
Sienna didn’t appear like that, but she was a person with a deep deficiency. The only one who could fill that deficiency was Ashiel, as proven time and time again.
The problem was that Ashiel Nacht did not know the obvious facts.
‘
I couldn’t convince this man.’
Staring at Ashiel looking down at her with a somewhat nervous gaze, Sienna suddenly felt very ashamed.
He was a person who lacked self-confidence. Wouldn’t it have been better for her to be kind and let him know that he was loved rather than rushing him for an answer as if it was a test?
At that moment, like a lie, the dance ended.
“Grand Du–”
The moment Sienna was about to speak up, someone suddenly blocked them.
“Haha, Your Excellency the Grand Duke. Aren’t you trying to monopolize the crown princess too much?”
Coincidentally, it was Admiral Ferrato.
“
Duke Ferrato.”
For the first time, there was a crack in the middle of Ashiel’s forehead.
But it was Admiral Ferrato.
“The Crown Princess must be thirsty from dancing twice in a row. If you don’t mind, I’ll take care of you.”
With his handsome appearance, he threw an offer that was not burdensome.
Even so, the admiral had little hope. Since he was one of the people who witnessed the kiss between Ashiel and Sienna at the end of the battle.
He sent out a letter of proposal partly because there was some lingering regret, but the bigger purpose was wanting to burn the insides of Grand Duke Nacht.
Today, he just wanted to mischievously tease the two of them.
But

“That would be great, Duke. I just happen to be thirsty, thank you.”
“What, yes?”
Admiral Ferrato’s eyes widened as he muttered.
“Oh, I can’t believe it. Do I have a chance?”
“Duke?”
“No, it’s nothing Your Highness.”
Like a proficient adult, the admiral completely erased his embarrassment.
If there was even the slightest chance, it was a man’s duty to grab it.
“Let’s, Your Highness. I will escort you.”
“Well.”
Admiral Ferrato glanced behind him as he accompanied Sienna, who turned around with a face expressing there was nothing more to see.
He could see Ashiel standing there, as if he had become a ruin.
‘Somehow
’
Admiral Ferrato clicked his tongue inwardly. He didn’t feel good.
‘Did I interfere in a lover’s spat at a bad time?’
Anyway, this was also a gap to dig into.
Admiral Ferrato and Sienna headed to the table where refreshments and drinks were placed on one side of the hall.
“Come on, Your Highness.”
When the admiral handed her a glass of champagne, Sienna gulped down the drink; she really did feel parched.
Maybe it was because the alcohol content was a little high, or because she rushed. After one drink, her vision spun.
“Your Highness, please enjoy it slowly.”
Admiral Ferrato handed Sienna a glass of water. She gratefully took the glass and had a sip.
“Your Highness, I’m asking just in case. Did something happen with Grand Duke Nacht?”
“Keuk–”
When Sienna, whose heart was stabbed by the question, coughed, Admiral Ferrato grinned.
“Good to know. Did the Grand Duke anger Your Highness with his frustrating temper?”
“It’s not.”
Sienna shook her head sullenly.
Definitely, just a moment ago, Sienna had intended to let Ashiel know her feelings clearly.
Right before that confession, the moment Admiral Ferrato intervened, she suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed and left without realizing it.
“
I am so pathetic.”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but for now, Your Highness, please eat.”
The admiral handed her another glass of champagne.
“Thank you.”
Sienna sipped the drink. Admiral Ferrato laughed awkwardly.
“Thank you, Your Highness. But you shouldn’t trust a man who offers you alcohol in a setting like this.”
“There is no man who will confess his dark feelings with his own mouth, right?”

Or not. Sienna suddenly remembered that there was one.
“Take me inside your strong walls
 Take me entirely.”
‘Why am I thinking of those words at this moment?’
‘Is it because we’re in the same ballroom
’
Admiral Ferrato noted that Sienna was instantly lost in thought despite earlier conversing with him and thought,
‘I must have opened it.’
He sighed. This was how he lost before he even started.
‘Eh, it ended up like this anyway.’
Now that this had happened, Grand Duke Nacht, the blessed man, should be given a lot of trouble. A happy guy deserved it.
Admiral Ferrato decided that he, too, should have a glass of champagne.
“Your Highness, if you have any concerns, I can be your counselor.”
“It’s not a concern
”
Sienna laughed awkwardly and picked up another glass of champagne.
The admiral thought it was excessive, but the crown princess was also an adult. In the end, he refrained from making rude remarks, thinking that he might simply be unaware of how much she could drink.
Instead, he decided to stick to offering counseling service – which apparently seemed quite friendly from a distance.
“If it’s not a concern, then what is it?”
“It’s because my behavior today is a little embarrassing.”
In front of a trusted counselor who listened well, Sienna confided a little.
At those words, Admiral Ferrato tried to organize the situation.
At the point when something went wrong between Ashiel and Sienna, Sienna held a selection ball.
‘It must be to punish the grand duke. Or to test him.’
The upright Sienna seemed ashamed of herself for doing such a big thing for personal gain.
It was an imperfect guess, but it was still roughly close to what Sienna was feeling now. It was a pretty good approach for a fairly tactless admiral.
‘She had such a cute side.’
No matter how Admiral Ferrato looked at it, it was a waste. Again, he sighed. In the meantime, Sienna drank another glass of champagne.
She could feel her cheeks getting hotter, but it was still okay.
“Anyway, I’m sorry towards you too. I
”
“It’s okay, Your Highness. I am enjoying myself enough.”
“

?”
Letting out a bright laugh, Admiral Ferrato said,
“As Your Highness knows, I like you. So even this time is fun.”
Just because Sienna was with him, Ashiel Nacht would be burning black inside.
Sienna touched her forehead.
“Duke
 Saying that adds to my guilt
”
“Haha, to some extent, that was what I was aiming for.”
Sienna let out a sigh of her own. And she said,
“I think the Duke is really great.”
“What are you talking about?”
To that innocent question, Sienna replied with a wry smile.
“The fact that you can say ‘I like you’ so plainly and honestly?”
“Ah. Well, after this time, it will be difficult to get another chance to say these things to Your Highness.”
The admiral answered clearly.
—Don’t miss the time and opportunity.
That simple principle of action flew into Sienna’s heart like an arrow.
‘Yes. I see.’
Slowly, like a knot being untied, the thoughts unraveled.
This moment might be an opportunity that would never come again.
“
Duke Ferrato.”
“Oh, it seems my fun time is over.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
“It’s okay. Go ahead.”
Admiral Ferrato swallowed a slightly bitter smile and nodded his head.
Sienna looked at him apologetically for a moment, then resolutely turned around.
‘If I had only this one chance.’
Sienna Hesaros likes Ashiel Nacht.
Having acknowledged that fact, Sienna did not hesitate.