TCBUP 48

Chapter 48

Half Success.

“Don’t worry, dear. The broken engagement with Duke Ortiz isn’t even worth gossip anymore.”

Why bring it up at all if it’s supposedly insignificant?

But the Empress’s face was so kind and serene that no malice could be sensed behind her words.

“I hear the Duke has already found someone new.”

Ah, so things with Lily have progressed that far.

Well, it’s for the best. Lily won’t be chasing after Nox anymore, and Damian will stop interfering with something he doesn’t care about.

Still, the memory of Damian coming to see me after finding out about my engagement to Aiden resurfaced and made me feel an odd discomfort, like a scab being picked at.

“So, Sienna, forget about the Duke now and focus on your new role as the Crown Princess. You should begin establishing connections in society and making friends.”

“I will, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Then you may go see His Majesty now.”

I answered obediently and stood up to head toward the Emperor’s palace, pretending not to notice the curious gleam in the Empress’s tilted gaze.

Once again, Madam Courtney, who had previously escorted me to Aiden, guided me out of the Empress’s residence.

Upon arriving at the Emperor’s palace, we were greeted by the chief attendant — the one said to have served the Emperor the longest and stayed by his side.

“Welcome.”

“This is Lady Sienna Hagrives. Please show her in.”

“Of course.”

With a short, dismissive comment, Madam Courtney turned away as if relieved to be rid of a bothersome burden.

“This way.”

“Oh, yes.”

I followed the attendant into the Emperor’s bedchamber.

Unlike the Empress’s quarters, the atmosphere here was heavy and antique.

A different kind of herbal scent than what I’d smelled in Aiden’s room lingered faintly in the air, and thick curtains filtered the harsh sunlight.

The light wasn’t too dim — enough to avoid disturbing a patient’s rest.

In the soft light and warmth sat a large imperial bed surrounded by four towering posts. The Emperor lay there, breathing faintly but regularly.

“Is he asleep?”

“He’s awake. Lying down is more comfortable for him.”

“I see.”

Following the attendant’s lead, I approached the Emperor quietly.

His eyes were open, but they were fixed on the ceiling and didn’t turn toward me.

I leaned forward slightly and spoke carefully.

“Hello, Your Majesty. I’m Sienna Hagrives.”

There was no reply, but I understood.

His body was thin and frail, his complexion dull and sickly, hair limp, and lips tinted a dark purplish hue — the very picture of a sick man.

Though awake, he merely blinked slowly, each movement sluggish and pitiful.

“I’m the fiancée of Prince Aiden.”

I raised my voice slightly, hoping he could hear me.

His eyes shifted briefly in my direction, then returned to their fixed position.

He didn’t even have the strength to turn his head?

It was a pitiful sight for someone who had once ruled a mighty empire.

“….”

His lifeless lips moved slightly.

Was he trying to say something?

I leaned in closer and placed my hand on the bed for support, when he tried to write something with his fingers on the back of my hand.

“Help.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m listening.”

“Quiet. Secret.”

Not even the chief attendant — who’d served him since he was Crown Prince — could know?

I closed my mouth and glanced at the attendant.

He stood still at the foot of the bed, just as he had when he led me in.

He looked older than the Emperor but not a hint of emotion or movement showed in him.

“His Majesty doesn’t seem able to speak.”

“Yes, he can hear, but lacks the strength to respond.”

“That’s… heartbreaking.”

Feigning sympathy, I turned my back to the attendant and gently held the Emperor’s hand.

He, in return, weakly curled his fingers around mine and held on for a while.

“Find it.”

Find what?

More importantly, why ask a stranger like me for such a favor?

Was the Emperor so isolated under the Empress’s surveillance that he had no one else?

Then again, even if he got caught asking for help, it’s not like things could get worse — he probably saw me as his last straw.

“Mine.”

What is this, a riddle?

He could at least give me a hint.

This entire empire is full of things that could be considered the Emperor’s.

The scope was too broad, so I gently squeezed his hand as if urging him to clarify, but there was no response.

His eyes slowly closed — he had fallen back asleep.

“I’ll just have to come back and ask again.”

The moment I thought that, a status window appeared before me.

Find the Emperor’s precious possession.

This mission will proceed in stages.

Failure to complete one stage will prevent access to the next.

Stage 1: What is the Emperor’s precious possession?

Success: You will receive a special item and proceed to the next stage.

Failure: You will not gain the Emperor’s trust.

“….”

After the hell I went through on the last mission, I wasn’t eager to do another.

Besides, the consequences of failure didn’t seem that bad this time.

What’s the point of earning trust from someone who can’t move or talk?

While I stared blankly at the air, indifferent to the mission window still hovering, the chief attendant approached silently.

“His Majesty has fallen asleep. The audience must end here. Please allow him to rest.”

“Yes, of course.”

I stepped away from the bed immediately.

As I followed the attendant out of the Emperor’s chamber, I glanced back one last time.

The mission window still floated above the Emperor’s bed, glowing softly, as if trying to lure me in.

Leaving the Empress’s residence behind, I made my way alone to Aiden’s quarters.

It was my second time visiting, but the building was smaller and simpler than the others, so it wasn’t hard to find.

Still, you never know who’s watching, so I knocked politely.

“Your Highness. It’s Sienna.”

A faint voice invited me in.

I entered naturally and saw a man rise from the bed.

“Eugene?”

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

Eugene, wearing Aiden’s loose robe, approached me.

“It must be hot.”

“There’s no helping it. We don’t know when someone might barge in.”

“You’re working hard, playing double.”

“Our heights are similar. And our hair colors, too.”

When Eugene pulled back the hood, dark navy hair — nearly black — spilled out.

He was slimmer and slightly shorter than Leon, but huddled in a thick robe and sitting in a dark room, it would be hard to tell them apart.

“You’re not doing anything dangerous, are you?”

“No need to worry about that. You’re here, so he has no reason to run off.”

So all those visits were just an excuse to slack off.

“Eugene, if His Majesty is bedridden or absent, who acts on his behalf?”

“The Empress, the Crown Prince, and then the next in line for the throne.”

“So under normal circumstances, Prince Aiden would be the one acting for him?”

“Yes.”

“Then who holds the next acting authority?”

“That would go to the Noble Council.”

Not the Empress or Prince Withro?

Eugene seemed to read my confusion and added:

“She may be the official consort, but she’s not of royal blood. And Withro only receives royal status if our prince becomes unable to serve as heir. So neither has any official authority.”

“I see. Then does Prince Aiden have the Emperor’s seal?”

“No. His Majesty didn’t pass it down.”

That explained why they couldn’t issue an official engagement document.

But something didn’t add up.

If the Emperor still had the seal, and the Empress knew where it was, there’d be no problem issuing an official decree.

Even if he were bedridden, the Emperor could still authorize Aiden to act in his place. There was no reason not to make the engagement official.

The Empress had said the Emperor wanted to handle it himself out of fatherly love, but…

Wait. Don’t tell me… the Emperor lost the seal?

Was that what he wanted me to find?

No way. Even if he were careless, he couldn’t have lost something that important—

—And then, the mission window appeared again.