Bluebell said, with a stubborn shake of the head.

Not at all! Not because you sent me a pretty dress. Hehe, I really liked that, too. Ive heard that if Waters had continued to oppose me and Carls marriage, it might have taken more time to get married. Moreover, you yielded to me the empress palace.

Sienna nodded.

This place is so big and pretty To be honest, I wouldnt have given it up if I were you. Moreover, the Imperial Palace is the closest place to Carls residence, right?

Yes, this is the closest palace to the Emperors Palace.

The palace youre going to use is farther away than here. The buildings are different. But thank you for giving me this place. Of course, I would have been more grateful if you had divorced him, but it would have been an affair of adults. I heard you cant do as you want.

Whether it was divorce or concession, she chose the right words to hurt Sienna. Bluebell was so spoiled that she was cruel without consideration.

Sienna looked at Bluebell with new eyes. In the past, Bluebell and she was not close. It was all about seeing her from afar, monopolizing love and attention from Carl. Being obsessed with her inferiority complex, she envied everything about her, covetous and distressed.

At that time, Bluebell was like a lovely and pure girl. She expressed her feelings frankly, and Sienna, who was festering in her heart because she was not loved by Carl but smiled in front of others, was so envious of her.

However, she felt a little different from what she used to think in the past while talking to Bluebell recently. Obviously she was an honest person with her feelings. However, she seemed to be busy only with expressing herself. If she had the slightest care about Sienna even now, she wouldnt have visited her in person and said these things.

Bluebell wanted to express how happy she was about the fact that the apricot dress she was going to wear at the wedding was pretty and that the empress palace she was about to stay was close to the emperors palace, rather than the feeling of upset or loss Sienna would feel.

Siena frowned because she felt uncomfortable when Bluebell seemed to value only her feelings. However, Bluebell continued to speak regardless of the change in the other persons facial expression.

My father said so. I said, If you were going to allow me to get married, I would have liked her to get a divorce. And he said there were many political problems. I dont understand but whatever.

Sienna could imagine how much sweet talk Count Ferrer had to do to convince her.

Dont worry. Ill be nice to you even if I become the empress. Ive studied a lot since I was young. I was educated a lot to be Carls bride. And I learned that you shouldnt be jealous if you become an empress, the wife of the emperor. Thats the virtue of the empress. Even if Carl has a mistress, an empress shouldnt be caught up in speculation and do anything ugly. So dont worry.

Bluebell, who would be the empress number two, was talking to Sienna, the first empress as if she was a mistress. Sienna was dumbfounded and laughed again.

Whether or not she knew what Sienna was thinking, Bluebell looked at Sienna hoping for a look of praise.

Hehe.

She really seemed to have said what was on her mind without much meaning. Looking at Bluebell, who was as bright as a child who had only just learned to speak, rather than the girl who was about to become an adult, Sienna became tired and didnt feel like dealing with her.

You know that Carl and I are going to attend this coming-of-age ceremony, right? You promised last time. I will be his companion, so I will attend the coming-of-age ceremony with Carl.

Sienna didnt give an answer since Bluebell came last to ask her to let Carl join her in the coming-of-age ceremony. However, Bluebell unilaterally wrapped it under the name of a promise.

But if I go with Carl, who will you join in the banquet with?

Bluebell asked as if she had forgotten the existence of Sienna. Sienna said with a reflectively bitter smile.

You dont have to worry about me.

Then why dont you go in with that priest Roy? I heard you two are pretty close

What?

This time, she couldnt help but ask back at the absurdity. What nonsense is that she, the emperors companion, entered a coming-of-age ceremony with the priest of the Holy Empire?

I heard he was here at the last rescue and the wedding. I heard you were really pretty then. When the priest prayed for blessings, you were shining brightly, they said you looked like a princess in a fairy tale. I was really jealous of that. Could you ask the priest to do the same for me? I heard youre very close. I really want to do that at my wedding.

Sienna wondered if this was the reason why Bluebell came today. To make sure that she will participate in the coming-of-age ceremony as Carls partner, and to ask Sienna to ask priest Roy to give blessing to her at her wedding. Sienna was bitter in her mouth.

I can ask him to do it, but I cant assure you that the priest Roy will do it.

Please! Please!

Sienna made an embarrassing face, but Bluebell just stuck to a bright face.

*

How come youre busier these days?

Carl said in a voice filled with discontent.

Im sorry. Didnt I apologize already?

Sienna answered in a voice of discontent.

She had been extremely busy preparing for the coming-of-age banquet and Bluebells wedding. Because of that, she forgot her lunch appointment with Carl today. Sienna skipped lunch, and so did Carl, who was waiting for her.

As Carl came back from work early and kept grumbling beside Sienna, who was working, said she was sorry. Then, she got angry at repeated apologies.

When she saw Carl with an irritated face, she held Siennas face in both hands and made her look at him.

Now I see you.

What are you doing?

Despite Siennas dissatisfaction with being held in his hands, Carl smiled and said, without letting go of her cheeks.

You havent even looked at me before, saying youre sorry. I thought you were apologizing to that pile of papers.

Im sorry.

At Siennas words, Carl shook his head.

Stop apologizing when you dont even mean it. And Im not annoyed that youre busy right now. Im worried. I didnt think you had a proper meal.

No, I ate.

As soon as Sienna said she had eaten, there was a rumbling and gut-moving sound in her stomach.

It sounds like youre saying something different than inside your stomach.

Sienna blushed and made an excuse.

I just had a sandwich

Hain, who had been standing behind them, chipped in at Siennas excuse and said, Your Majesty! The sandwich was for breakfast.

Carl stared at Sienna as if questioning her.

You didnt realize it was dinner time now.

Oh, is that so? Geez, nothings solved, but time goes by so fast.

Sienna said, worrying about the mountain of problems.

Should I have just let Arya do this even if it felt like losing to her? I shouldnt have said Id do everything, whats the trouble?

Growlthe stomach kept interrupting.

Whether something is solved or not, I think we need a meal. Thanks to you, I skipped lunch, so lets have dinner together.

You havent had lunch yet?

You didnt come to lunch.

But you should have eaten. How unhealthy it is to skip meals. If I dont go, youll have to eat alone.

I dont know whos talking to whom. No matter how busy you are at work, I want to give you back the words that you should not skip meals.

Hain again interrupted the conversation between Carl and Sienna.

Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress, I think you both need a meal. Shall we prepare a meal?

Yes, please.

Give me a table, regardless of the order of the meals.

As soon as she was allowed to set the table, Hain set the table straight away. She had a good sense of understanding that the two were about to dine.

As Sienna requested, Hain prepared the table with no formal order. It was a favorite way of eating for Carl when he was busy with his work.

It would be bad manners if others saw it, but it was better to put all the food on one table at a time than to bring food one by one in order. The downside was that it was urgent to eat and difficult to savor each flavor, but neither Sienna nor Carl cared about it.

Sienna put a frizzy potato salad in her mouth first.

Only

What the hell is going on? I saw earlier that you were looking at the list of knights.

Sienna, who was eating, shrugged at Carls question. It was as Carl said. She had been moaning for days and days over the list of knights. This was because the most unsolved problem in preparing for the banquet was the placement of the knights.

I was the one who proposed the Mutu competition last time, but now Im regretting it a lot. Maybe I shouldnt have.

At Siennas grumbling, Carl looked at her as he had guessed right. When Carl asked if Sienna played a role in holding a new Mutu competition before, she didnt even answer.

The Mutu competition was a good opportunity for Carl. Announcing the corruption matter of the imperial knights to outside, the knights in Aryas reach were sorted out and new figures from outside were introduced.

On that occasion, the men who had worked with Carl in the army, or the many nobles of the provinces that had ties to him, provided support. Most of the newly added knights were either friendly to Carl or his men. He was able to reform the Order of Knights in his own way.

It was understandable why Sienna helped by planning the Mutu competition. However, it was not understandable why she regretted holding the Mootu competition now and how it had to do with the banquet.