Chapter 9
The Emperor’s cold gaze pierced into Aymon like an arrow. Aymon’s trembling grew worse.
“And yet it wasn’t enough for you to disobey me—you even dared to clash with the princess? She is the princess raised in Lespris, cherished and treasured in every way. Is there any reason the princess should be worth less than you? Her presence here is proof of goodwill between Setrit and Lespris. Do you even understand the business dealings currently happening between the two nations?”
The Emperor let out a deep sigh.
He truly could not understand his son.
Aymon had everything in abundance and would gain even more if nothing went wrong in the future. And yet, he was lacking—stupid.
This matter was a prime example.
Lespris had promised to reduce trade tariffs in exchange for curing the princess’s illness. What a tremendous benefit that was. But this foolish child did not comprehend it at all.
And so, the Emperor’s eyes kept wandering toward Roel, who at least caused no trouble.
He knew the Empress bullied Roel. But the Emperor had no intention of intervening on his behalf.
“If a beast’s cub cannot endure even that much, then he is no beast at all.”
And a cub that was not a beast would be of no use to the Empire. Roel was too meek and quiet, while Aymon was too noisy and incompetent.
The Emperor frowned. He did not yet know which of his children was born with a beast’s heart, but until he found out, he would simply watch.
Still, Aymon at least had the Empress behind him. That was a better position than Roel’s. All the same, his childish behavior was unacceptable.
The Emperor’s voice was cold.
“If you cause trouble like this again, I will not spare you. Do you understand?”
Aymon, tears streaming down his cheeks, forced himself to nod. Before the Emperor’s frosty eyes, there was nothing else he could do.
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The princess is a guest of the Empire. Treat her in a manner befitting our dignity.”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty…!”
That should have been the end of it.
Until news reached the Emperor that Princess Sienna had collapsed once again.
To Aymon, the attendant delivering the report looked like the grim reaper himself.
“…So, has the princess regained consciousness?”
“They say not yet. All the physicians have been summoned. Her governess is currently meeting with the Lespris embassy. Your Majesty, you must intervene…!”
In the end, the Emperor gave Crown Prince Aymon a new command.
“Go and properly apologize to Princess Sienna! Unless she accepts it, it won’t count as an apology! You will resolve the mess you made yourself!”
At the Emperor’s wrath, Aymon shed tears as much as Sienna had sweated from her fever. Naturally, this display of weakness only angered the Emperor further.
***
The clash between Aymon and Sienna quickly spread among the palace servants. No matter how much they tried to suppress gossip, whispers always circulated under the guise of “just between us.”
“Oh my, heavens! They say Princess Sienna drove out Crown Prince Aymon?”
“I’m telling you, it’s true. The knights and attendants were crowding around so I couldn’t see clearly, but—I saw it myself while carrying laundry! I couldn’t hear exactly what was said, but His Highness was shouting in rage. Honestly, it felt refreshing to watch—ah, no, no. He is still our crown prince. I suppose I should feel sorry he lost…”
“What, that tyrant prince… lost?”
The maids shook their heads.
Many attendants had been struck by the crown prince before; some had even needed stitches on their foreheads from cups he threw. But this time, the foreign princess had subdued his foul temper.
“That princess has quite the temper herself, it seems.”
“You should have seen it! She yelled right back at him—and then suddenly collapsed…”
The maid shook her head. This was no simple children’s quarrel; the powers standing behind them were too great.
“All the attendants were trembling, trying to stop them, but how could they? They say the princess was raised like a jewel in Lespris.”
“So did the princess also throw a tantrum? I heard the prince struck innocent attendants again.”
“No, nothing like that. She just fainted—”
The maid tilted her head, mimicking Sienna collapsing.
“Her governess caught her as she fell. Then every physician in the palace was summoned. The crown prince was dragged before the Emperor. They even say His Majesty scolded the Empress.”
“What? What did he say?”
“That she must educate her son properly. If such a thing happened again, he’d cut the Empress’s palace budget.”
“Heavens, how imperial of him!”
The maids clicked their tongues in amazement.
“For a while, anyone going to the Empress’s palace had better be careful.”
“It’s always us lower servants who suffer from the affairs of those above.”
Indeed, Crown Prince Aymon had learned his habit of venting anger on servants from the Empress herself. She, too, would no doubt be striking her maids or smashing furniture until her temper cooled.
The only quiet place now was the detached palace where Sienna stayed. Aside from the occasional sobs of her governess and maids, it remained calm.
“Still, I’d bet on the princess’s side. My brother once got his forehead split open by the crown prince.”
“Well, it’s just a fight between two brats. Who knows how it’ll end.”
“I don’t care, I’m supporting the princess!”
The maids burst into giggles. Their work had become a little harder, but the quarrel of nobles was never truly theirs to bear.
***
“Ugh…”
My throat felt dry and scratchy as I opened my eyes. The fever that had burned my body like fire had finally broken.
“You’re awake?”
A quiet voice came from the darkness.
Through my hazy vision, I followed the sound—it was Roel. What on earth was he doing here at this hour?
A glance outside showed the deep black of late night.
“…Why are you here? What if someone catches you?”
“Drink some water first.”
Roel handed me a cup.
With his help, I drank and lay back down. My body still swayed weakly. All thanks to that wretched Crown Prince Aymon, who had driven my blood pressure through the roof.
“…Are you alright?”
“More or less. But how did you even get here?”
“You never came, Sienna.”
“So you waited until it was dark, and when no one was around, you slipped in?”
Roel nodded. Well, I had promised to visit but never showed, so of course he worried.
“Did you eat? You must’ve been hungry. I really meant to come, but—”
“I know. I heard everything that happened.”
“…How?”
There shouldn’t have been anyone in Roel’s palace to tell him.
He gave a bitter smile.
“The crown prince stormed in, furious, and took it out on me. He loudly boasted of your ‘heroics,’ so I learned from him.”
“What?!”
That damn brat. He’d gone all the way over there just to make trouble? Truly born to be a villain—he put so much effort into doing evil!
I scanned Roel up and down with my eyes.
“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
I tried to sit upright in alarm, but my body failed me and only slumped forward. Roel gently held me back.
“I’m fine.”
“Wait a second.”
Fine, my foot!
The faint light slipping through the curtains revealed his face—an utter mess.
His lip was split, a dark bruise circled his eye, and even his cheekbone looked greenish with bruising.
If his face was this bad, I didn’t need to ask about the rest of his body.
“You did hit him back, right? Tell me you didn’t just take it.”
I sniffled as I asked.
Guilt gnawed at me. If I hadn’t provoked Aymon, maybe none of this would’ve happened.
Roel stayed silent. Which meant, of course, he had only taken the blows.
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
Why did he have to be so pitiful? It hurt to see.
“…Why did you let him hit you?”
“Sienna.”
“What?”
“…Because I have no one to stand on my side.”
Right. The crown prince had the Empress firmly behind him.
If Roel resisted, what would he gain? Nothing but more torment from her.
“From… from now on, I’ll be on your side. I’ll take your side, so don’t just let them beat you anymore.”
Roel gazed at me quietly.
“I’ll be your ally, Roel.”
In the darkness, I thought I saw his eyes glisten with unshed tears.
Suddenly, I wanted to embrace him.
Was that what the system was making me feel? My heart ached.
