Previously
Declan encounters Duke Lowell and his niece Dahlia at the palace, where the Duke hints at the political tension surrounding Sienna and the Emperor's favoritism toward Dahlia.
How to Break Up with You Perfectly, Episode 24
For the first time in quite a while, every high-ranking noble—including the Grand Duke—gathered for a council at the Imperial Palace.
The council itself was mere pretense; most of the nobles had attended partly to see for themselves whether the rumors of the Grand Duke's return, which had recently begun swirling through the capital, were true.
It was the peak of the social season, the busiest time of year for nobles with children who had just come of age. In the midst of all that, the Grand Duke's return could not have been more timely.
After all, ever since he came of age, Declan Monferrato had never once ceased to be high society's most sought-after bachelor.
When Declan Monferrato appeared precisely on schedule, the nobles' gazes darted about in silent agitation. Outwardly, they offered him graceful greetings, but inwardly, nearly all of them were thinking the same thing.
Envy and curiosity. It was almost always some mixture of the two.
“Through this war, the empire has secured the northern port. It is all thanks to having an extraordinary commander in chief.”
Seated in the seat of highest honor, the Emperor spoke with a pleased look on his face.
“Thanks to the military's devotion, the empire now rules over the vastest territory across the Cralto Continent. In light of this, I intend to hold a banquet before long to commend our soldiers' meritorious service. What say you, my lords?”
“How could we object, Your Majesty?”
The nobles bowed their heads willingly in agreement, bringing an even more satisfied look to the Emperor's face.
“Now that our lands have expanded, it seems we must pay more attention to governing from within for a time rather than keeping external powers in check. We will also need to forge friendlier ties with neighboring kingdoms. In any case, prolonged tension on the continent serves no good purpose.”
The nobles agreed without a single complaint once more. For once, the council was proceeding in a warm and amicable atmosphere.
“To that end, I am considering summoning the Second Princess back to the capital.”
Yet the moment an unexpected name sprang from his lips, that warm atmosphere froze instantly.
Was the Second Princess not the very woman banished to the frontier just last spring? No one could fathom why he would suddenly bring her back to the capital. Ignorant of the Emperor's true intent, not a soul dared to speak out of turn.
Smiling brightly, the Emperor continued.
“I am thinking of sending the child to become the Queen of Parma's second wife.”
Despite the gentle tone of his voice, the room turned colder still.
It was startling enough that the Emperor had personally mentioned the princess he had exiled to the ends of the earth, but to send her away as the second wife to a foreign king left the nobles speechless, nervously trading glances.
Confronted out of nowhere with the matter of the Second Princess's future, they seemed utterly at a loss as to whether they should agree or object.
“The King of Parma is unlikely to welcome such a match.”
The first to speak up among them was Declan, the Grand Duke of Monferrato.
Princess or not, Sienna's standing remained undeniably precarious.
She might carry the exalted blood of the imperial family, but the other half belonged to a house branded with treason.
Even if Parma was weaker than the empire, accepting the daughter of a woman executed in disgrace as their queen would still be a blow to their pride.
“The Grand Duke is right, Your Majesty.”
“Moreover, while the First Princess remains unmarried, it seems rather premature to arrange a marriage for Her Highness the Second Princess.”
The nobles who had remained silent at his side finally began nodding one after another, subtly throwing their weight behind the Grand Duke. Even so, the Emperor showed no sign of backing down.
“As you well know, my lords, the First Princess is too frail to live abroad. What is more, since Marianne outranks the Second Princess in the imperial family, I wish to match her with a suitable man within the empire, not in a foreign land.”
The Emperor's gaze turned overtly toward the Grand Duke, then drifted to Duke Lowell seated across from him. Meeting the old duke's eyes, the Emperor curved his own into a smile.
“Even so, we can hardly send the young Lady Lowell either, can we?”
“Your words are entirely just, Your Majesty.”
Duke Lowell agreed with a gratified smile.
Declan's eyes, which had been fixed on the Emperor the whole time, slowly shifted toward Duke Lowell. The moment he saw the broad grin on the duke's face, he finally grasped the situation. Declan let out a quiet, dry laugh.
With Duke Lowell joining his side, the Emperor seemed even less inclined to yield.
“Besides, being the queen of an entire kingdom is a remarkably generous station for the daughter of a traitor, is it not?”
“Which only makes it all the more absurd, does it not?”
“Worry not, Duke. Her birth may be somewhat low, but is her beauty not exceptional?”
He then added in a voice faintly laced with mockery,
“Even after her mother was executed for high treason, were there not quite a few men captivated by that child's looks? Isn't that so?”
As the Emperor's gaze slowly swept across the nobles seated along the long table, several cleared their throats and averted their eyes. Many of the men who had once been ‘captivated by the Second Princess's looks’ happened to be attending this very council.
Watching them with a sneer, the Emperor composed his expression once more and looked straight ahead.
“In any event, I have already dispatched a letter to Lopawell. Quite some time has passed since the Imperial Guard was sent, so they must have arrived by now.”
At his words, the Grand Duke's jaw set hard.
The Emperor was not consulting them; he was handing down an announcement. He had already decided everything. Now that he had sent the Imperial Guard himself with a letter, there was no way to overturn it.
The moment the Emperor walked out of the room after the council concluded in a flurry of unease, Declan spoke in a cold, chilling tone.
“You never change, Duke.”
At the sudden rebuke, Duke Lowell quirked an eyebrow.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“As if you wouldn't know. You are the one who recommended Her Highness as Parma's second wife, are you not?”
“Oh dear. Are you angry because I didn't take your side?”
Whatever else could be said, Duke Lowell had far more years of experience weathering the political stage. Even with his underhanded maneuver exposed before the other nobles, he parried without the slightest flicker of agitation.
“Still, it is hardly something for you to be angry about. His Majesty and I merely happened to share an interest. He finds the Second Princess's presence unsightly, and I simply disliked the thought of Dahlia being sold off to an old man in a distant foreign realm purely because she carries the Late Emperor's blood.”
The duke tipped his head lightly as though asking what the big deal was. Smiling nonchalantly, he met his godson's cold gaze.
“Whatever the case, it has nothing to do with you, does it?”
* * *
The Abbot of Lopawell read down the letter with an uneasy look on his face. Having reread the brief lines several times, he occasionally stole glances at the princess sitting across from him.
“His Majesty has summoned Your Highness back to the capital?”
He asked again, his face still full of disbelief. With an indifferent expression, Sienna gestured toward the letter in his hands with her chin.
“You can see it for yourself, can't you?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Utterly incredulous, the Abbot looked back and forth between the sparse contents of the parchment and the imperial seal stamped on the envelope that had contained it. She knew well enough what was going through his mind, but it was none of her concern.
“The Imperial Guard will arrive before long.”
Nonchalantly, Sienna ran her thumb over a tiny chip on the rim of her teacup.
“When I travel down to the capital, I am thinking of taking Jane with me.”
“Pardon? You mean Priest Semerlin?”
So her surname was Semerlin. Come to think of it, though she knew the woman's given name, she had never asked for her family name.
Tapping the teacup with her index finger, Sienna rested her chin on her other hand.
“As you know, I was quite gravely ill. I would like someone who knows healing magic to accompany me in case something happens… but I can hardly bring a healer with me, can I?”
“Well… that is true.”
The Abbot answered grudgingly, then let out a heavy sigh.
“If Your Highness needs her, you may take her… but since she came here having committed a crime, you must send her back here as long as the priest's sentence remains in effect.”
“I intend to speak with the Emperor about that myself. Since she is the savior who spared the life of his dying sister, surely he will show mercy to a single priest.”
Though she knew Joseph would shower anyone who ended her life with gold and jewels while feeling nothing for someone who saved it, Sienna spun the lie without batting an eye. She felt a wave of self-loathing, yet there was no other way.
What fool would go out of her way to tell someone who knew nothing of the details that she was considered a thorn in the Emperor's side?
Besides, it seemed not to be entirely ineffective. Hearing something that ran entirely contrary to the rumors that the Emperor abhorred the Second Princess, the Abbot could not hide his flustered look. Sienna seized the opportunity to cut to the heart of the matter.
“To that end, I would like you to assist with my preparations as well.”
“What sort of assistance do you mean…?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
When the Abbot hesitated, Sienna retorted sharply.
Even so, he simply stared at the princess's face with a bewildered expression. Her gaze meaningfully fell upon the red velvet cloak he was wearing.
Even at a glance, his cloak was of a fine quality that had no place in Lopawell.
When the Abbot looked at her as though thinking it couldn't possibly be, Sienna smiled quietly.
“Surely you do not expect me to go to the imperial palace dressed like this. I trust you are a priest who understands the bare minimum of decency.”
She wore a clear smile, but her words were laced with thorns. It was an unmistakable message: she would overlook the disrespect he had shown her so far, so he had better hand over the clothes quietly.
Faced with that, the Abbot had only one answer he could possibly give.