The Great Wish - Chapter 8.3

Vol.2 Chapter 8 Part 3 

There was no garden. Once they came to a door at the end of the road and 

opened it, they were already inside the house. The ceiling was low and it 

was very cramped inside. 

'So the commoners live in a place like this.' 

Kuhn spoke to Gilbert. 

"Sir Gilbert can wait for us here with the rest of the entourage. Her Highness didn't feel comfortable having you wait out by the carriage." 

He spoke as if he had prepared this place by Sienna's orders. 

Sienna let out a quiet scoff. No one in the world was as good as this man 

when it came to lying through his teeth. 

"Your Highness, thank you for your consideration." 

"Thank you." 

Gilbert and the knights lowered their heads to Sienna. 

"This is nothing compared to all the hard work you do." 

Sienna took the credit. 

"There mustn't be any gaps when it comes to Her Highness's safety." 

Gilbert pleaded. He didn't talk to Kuhn as if he felt jealous that his position as Sienna's guard was being taken over by someone else. Kuhn felt that Gilbert was quite an 

extraordinary knight in the Palace. 

'It seems that he's not the type to move up the ranks when left to his own devices.' 

"There's no need to worry. If you go upstairs, I've prepared it so that you can relax while drinking some tea. Your Highness, you can just follow me this way." 

Gilbert and the knights went upstairs. Sienna stayed on the first floor and followed Kuhn further into the house. 

"Is this your house?" 

"No. It's just a safe house we recently prepared for you." 

"You've prepared quite a lot." 

"Thank you for acknowledging it." 

"But it would have been nice if you let me know ahead of time. The expenses..." 

Kuhn opened the door and Sienna froze in her spot. Inside the room, two women were crouched down with their heads lowered. 

"They are here to assist you." 

"Assist me?" 

"You cannot go around in what you're wearing right now. They will help you get ready." 

"In men's attire?" 

"Yes. But it's different from last time. Your disguise last time was not adequate." 

Kuhn signaled to the two women with his hand. It wasn't a simple hand movement. His fingers were making complicated signs. 

"Are you using some sort of secret code in front of me?" 

"Ah, sorry. I was only trying to help you. These women cannot hear nor speak." 

Sienna looked at the women with surprised eyes. 

"So you don't have to worry about your secret getting out." 

Kuhn spoke up cautiously. 

"Are you displeased? Their disabilities aren't contagious." 

There were some in the nobility who felt disgusted being near those who had disabilities. 

"...I am not that narrow-minded. I was only a bit surprised. They don't look any different from normal people." 

Kuhn grinned. 

"I also need to get ready, so I'll take my leave." 

"Wait." 

"Yes?" 

"I'll say this now while the thought is still fresh in my mind. You need to send a claim to the Palace for the expenses of my last outing as well as the expenses that went into today's preparations." 

"Ah... a claim." 

Kuhn crossed his arms and was lost in thought for a moment. He looked at Sienna and slightly tilted his head. 

"Rather than a claim, I'd rather receive a reward." 

"A reward? You're not asking for money, so... a title?" 

Kuhn burst out laughing. 

"Can you just hand out titles like that? It's not like you're giving candy to a child..." 

"Just hand them out? It sounds like you're the one who's looking down on the dignity of a title." 

"Then you shouldn't offer to give me a title for merely doing something like this." 

"Tell me what you want." 

"I want nothing more than a kiss from you, Your Highness." 

Sienna couldn't help but glance at the two women's expressions. Kuhn snickered. 

"I told you they can't hear." 

Sienna glared at Kuhn as he joked around. She wouldn't be flustered by his remarks. She'd wipe that grin off his face. 

"Fine." 

Sienna placed both of her hands on her hips and raised her chin haughtily as she replied. 

"If today's outing is satisfactory, I'll give you your reward." 

His face stiffened. However, it wasn't the reaction Sienna had been expecting. His eyes narrowed and the ends of his lips went up... as if he'd been waiting for this. 

"You've given me your word." 

He quickly turned around and left the room, almost as if he was afraid she'd change her mind. An odd feeling overcame her. She felt as if she were being swept away. 

The two women helped Sienna into her disguise. Sienna had been worried that she wouldn't be able to communicate with them, but it was all for naught. The women were incredibly skilled. They were even more perceptive than her ladies-in-waiting. 

They tied Sienna's hair up and covered it with a hairnet before putting a wig on top. They took off her dress and wrapped her chest and hips with a thick leather band. Then they put her in a shirt and pants. 

Instead of covering her head with a robe or cloak, they applied a thin film onto Sienna's face. Then they used strange instruments to work it for a long time. As if they were applying makeup, they used brushes and even stuck something onto her face. 

Once they were finished, the women dragged a large mirror over to her. Sienna's mouth opened when she saw her reflection. A strange person was staring back at her with their mouth hanging open in the mirror. It was a young man with course skin whose brown hair was grazing his shoulders. 

The brows were dark and thick, and the man even had a dense, short beard on his jaw. The only feature that seemed to belong to her were her golden eyes. 

There was a knock at the door, and Kuhn entered inside. When he saw Sienna, he let out a whistle. 

"The beard is... It's quite shocking to see it on you." 

Kuhn's appearance had also changed. He had untrimmed sideburns and a beard, making him look tough. He didn't look anything like the man Sienna knew. 

Kuhn signaled to the women with his hand. A woman nodded and left the room. She came back with a tea tray in her hands. Kuhn took a teacup and handed it to Sienna. 

"This is a medicinal herb that changes your voice. It will lower your voice and make it thicker. The effects only last three to four hours, so your normal voice will return once it has worn off." 

Sienna took a sip and frowned. She forced herself to gulp down the rest of this bitter concoction. 

"How long does it take for the effects to..." 

Sienna's eyes widened as she shut her mouth. Her voice had transformed into a low-pitched, gruff voice. 

"My voice... Ah, ah." 

How fascinating. 

"This medicinal herb..." 

"Yes." 

"What?" 

"I'll give you some when you return to the Palace." 

Kuhn spoke as Sienna stared at him. 

"I learned last time that you're very curious." 

"Isn't this valuable?" 

This must be a rare medicinal herb or an herb that wasn't well-known to others. 

"It is valuable. That's why I'm giving it to you, Your Highness." 

Sienna chuckled as if she'd heard a stupid joke. 

"If we're done with all the preparations, let's go." 

Sienna turned around and lightly bit her lip. Her heart was racing for no reason, and she was afraid she'd get caught. 

There was an endless line of people who tried to win her favors by buying her expensive things. She had never felt such pleasure hearing these people's lip service before. So this is what it felt like when one was flattered. Now she understood the meaning behind the saying that a monarch must be wary of words that sound pleasing to the ear.