The Great Wish - Chapter 11.4

Vol.2 Chapter 11 Part 4 

The next day, Sienna went to the Red King's palace and made a call. 

"Did you take enough time to think about it?" 

Patricia gave her a bright smile. Judging from her expression, she expected Sienna to surrender. 

Sienna threw Patricia's question back at her. 

"Have you sufficiently thought about it?" 

Patricia gave her a slight frown. She tried to read her daughter's thoughts before putting a smile back on her face. She thought that the Princess was merely bluffing. 

"You've made a poor choice, Princess." 

"Does your mind remain unchanged?" 

"The choice is yours." 

"What we need to do is negotiate, Mother." 

Sienna placed the evidence of the attempted cover-up of Duke Rimone's death that she had received from Dian on top of the table. She kept the original copies in a secure location. The documents she brought with her today were duplicates. 

Patricia gracefully opened the documents. Gradually, her lips became stiff and the ridges in her brow grew deeper. 

It was satisfying to see her mother's composure disappear. The fact that she was glad to see her mother's discomfort was quite an awful feeling. 

"Would you like to negotiate now?" 

The documents crinkled within Patricia's grasp. 

"Princess, this is..." 

"You can't make the excuse that this evidence is manufactured. What I want is simple. Put everything back as it was. Countess Pope will remain as my chief lady-in-waiting." 

"Are you threatening me right now?" 

"You're the one who started it, Mother." 

The documents in Patricia's hand trembled as she glared at Sienna. Sienna directly faced her mother's fierce glare. 

Patricia smiled cynically. 

"Princess, by attacking me and the House of Rimone, you are attacking yourself. You are making a gamble right now. You can never use this, Princess." 

"Is that so? Shall I take that to His Imperial Majesty? Or should I meet with the other dukes? I'm sure they'll find a better use for this information than me. Actually, it might be more fun for me to be the granddaughter that goes to her maternal family's home to visit her sick grandfather only to find his dry corpse instead." 

"Princess!" 

"It's disgusting." 

Patricia flinched. 

"Are you going to disappoint me further than this, Red King?" 

A look of dismay flashed across Patricia's face. Had she been too hasty? Should she have just backed off yesterday? Lately, Patricia had been feeling anxious due to the Princess's unfriendly attitude. 

The Iron King really got her on her nerves. After Dian became a king, he suddenly changed. All the people she had planted around him were swept away. 

The powerless prince wouldn't have been able to amass power overnight just because he had become a king. The fact that the Iron King laid low all this time was proof that he had been steadily preparing for this moment. 

The Iron King had been carefully watched up until now. Therefore, her shock was great when her people had disappeared. An unfamiliar anxiety tightened around her like a snare. 

Patricia felt an immense pressure. She was under a lot of stress. She had always thought herself to be the hunter. Because of this, instead of treating the Princess in a relaxed, carefree manner, she had decided to press her with her own power. 

'Just how did the Princess come to know this?' 

Feeding the Princess's animosity beyond this point would be dangerous. Since overpowering her wouldn't be advantageous, Patricia needed to trick her instead. 

"Please don't say such frightening things." 

Patricia lowered herself onto the floor and grabbed Sienna's two hands. 

"All of this was done for your sake. It wasn't done out of my own selfishness. As your mother, I'm constantly worried about you and cannot sleep properly." 

Patricia pitifully blinked her eyes. Her eyes watered as if she would burst into tears at any moment. 

"I didn't want to say this, but Countess Pope isn't who you think she is. How she portrays herself in front of you and how she acts in front of me are completely different. I didn't say this in fear of hurting your feelings Princess. I was very upset that a person like her was around you. When it comes to their child, a parent can't focus on anything else around them. You understand me, don't you?" 

Her tears trickled down her cheeks. Patricia used her talents very well. She knew how effective her smile and tears were in evoking one's goodwill and sympathy. 

People only praised her for her beauty. They never attempted to look behind her lovely looks and see what was truly inside. 

Sienna glanced at her mother. 

Patricia was born into the ducal house of Rimone, married the Emperor, and even gave birth to the heir to the throne. She was an exceptional beauty. She had never suffered a setback in her whole life. 

Has she ever sympathized with a stranger's suffering? Her mother's selfish and cold heart gave Sienna goosebumps. 

"Your methods were wrong." 

"Yes, your mother made a big mistake. I should have discussed this with you beforehand." 

"Since you made this mess, you must clean it up, Mother." 

"I will. Just leave it to me." 

"I'm trusting you to do so. Don't try to pull any tricks. As you know very well, I have my sources." 

"...Yes, of course." 

Sienna stood up and made her way to the exit. She paused and turned her head. 

"One more thing, Mother..." 

"Yes, what is it?" 

"I expect you to refrain from calling me 'Princess'. It sounds too intimate." 

Patricia's eyes trembled. She gave Sienna an awkward smile. 

"Yes, I'll keep that in mind." 

Patricia suppressed her chaotic heart and smiled. 

"Just a question, but... have you changed your mind? About your engagement to Lord Luke?" 

"No." 

"I've already discussed this with Duke Luke. You mustn't change your mind at a later date." 

"Yes, I'll leave it that in your hands, Mother." 

Sienna wondered what expression her mother would make when her engagement was broken. 

* * * 

The news of Duke Rimone's death spread throughout high society. Duke Rimone had brought about the revival of his family and protected the Emperor's throne. The Empire had lost a leading star of its political world. 

Sienna received the news from a lady-in-waiting while she was in a meeting with a group of officials. 

"It seems that our meeting must be cut short." 

She ended her meeting without showing any sign of sadness. Since she never showed any emotion in the past, no one found this strange. The officials gave her their brief condolences before leaving the room. 

'Are they trying to quickly cover up their exposed weakness?' 

Sienna burst into laughter. It had only been three days since she had negotiated with Patricia.