âIf God doesnât do it, thatâs what Iâm going to do.â
Eventually, she spread out on the bed, exhausted, and closed her eyes. Her face was wet.
Months had passed since Sienna had been locked in the tower.
Sienna, who used to curse Arya every day, was no longer able to do so and spent every day lying on her bed. All she could do was think about the past or worry about Carl and Joseph.
âBy what means would he be able to get in here? Like Arya said, as long as Carlâs army doesnât have a hole to go through, there wonât be any open doors.â
Suddenly, things turned noisy outside. The clamor did not subside quick enough to dismiss it as just a mere disturbance. The two soldiers guarding Sienna also seemed nervous about the noise outside.
A soldier went down to check on the situation, but even after a long time, the soldier who had gone down did not come up. Only the screams and the heavy footsteps got closer.
The seemingly anxious soldier checked on Sienna. Sienna, who hadnât had a good meal in a long time, looked tired. The soldier left the door. Whether he thought it was impossible for Sienna to flee even if he wasnât sure.
âCarlâŚâ
Sienna thought that Carl might be the reason for the commotion.
Once he returned, she expects Queen Aryaâs and her own head to be taken shortly after. She was sure he thought that she and Arya had joined hands in the rebellion, and that he resented both of them for Bluebellâs death. In fact, Sienna herself had never dreamed that Arya would prepare a rebellion, nor had she wanted Bluebell to die in that way. She shook her head.
âWhoever saw it wouldâve thought Arya and me to be together. I was blinded by jealousy and tried to kill Queen Bluebell and make Joseph the emperor. Thatâs what it shouldâve looked like.â
Sienna smiled grimly.
âRather, itâs better this way. It wouldnât be too bad to die by his hands because Iâd be able to see Carl for one last time.â
If he had entered that door and swung a knife at her neck, she wouldâve received it with a smile. That, of course, if it could put an end to that painful nightmare.
âBut Joseph isâŚâ
What wrong had the child done?
âMy ignorance and folly have led to the Aryaâs rebellion, and I deserve to die, but Joseph has done nothing. Heâs a toddler who canât even speak yet⌠At least, he wonât kill Joseph with his own hands.â
Joseph was now the only important heir to the imperial line of the Laifsden Empire. Of course, the child had been used in the rebellion to take the emperorâs seat, but Sienna still believed Carl would spare him.
âBecause heâs your child⌠you should at least spare him that.â
Sienna rose from her seat, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. And with trembling hands from the lack of strength, she brushed her disheveled hair. It was funny that she wanted to look beautiful in that situation, but she couldnât help but feel sorry that all she had was a white sleeping gown.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
There was a scar on one of her cheeks from the tears streaming down her face. Her pale lips already looked like those of the dead.
There was nothing she could hide of her shabby self. In the past, maids had groomed her hair, dressed her in fancy dresses, and decorated her with beautiful jewels. Now, all she had was a wooden comb.
âObviouslyâŚ.â
Even when she had met Carl in her full attire, he had not looked at her properly. She had put a lot of hard work into her dresses and accessories to impress him, but that had not worked. He had done nothing else but care about himself.
She stopped brushing and sat on the bed, staring at the door.
If he went in there, heâd cut her head off. She would congratulate him with a pleasing expression. His revenge and the throne heâd recoveredâŚ
âKoong, koong!
She could hear the sound of a bunch of soldiers stepping in unison.
Soon, the door opened.
âAh, ahâŚâ
Far from saying congratulations, her mouth froze when the door opened and she saw him.
Sienna had wanted to see him. Even if she died, even if she had died by his hands, she wanted to see his face and have him close her eyes. But the man now standing at the door looking at her didnât seem like the man she loved.
He looked thin and tired, more than he had when she had last seen him. No well-kept hair, no shining armor nor red velvet cloak could cover his weary face.
Above all, his eyes.
It was terrible to see his eyes. His eyes were no longer shining as before. They were the eyes of the dead. She couldnât feel any life coming from him.
Carl slowly drew his sword, and Sienna, who couldnât face him, bowed her head.
The knights knelt her down in front of Carl. Sienna did not feel afraid to die even though the tip of his sword lay on her neck. His eyes, which seemed to have given up everything, rather than make her afraid to die, choked her heart.
Carl was a tough guy. He had lost his mother at a young age to grow up in the arms of his guardians, survived the numerous murder attempts perpetrated by Queen Arya in that vicious palace, and experienced the battlefield from the young age of eleven. In all those circumstances, he had never appeared like the way he was now.
Even if he chopped the head of his nemesis, Arya, he was the one who had lost everything.
âYouâŚâ His voice cracked. It was not his original voice, which was heavy and soft, but a dry, split voice. âIs there any reason why I should keep you alive?â
Sienna couldnât give him an answer.
âBecause of you⌠I lost my wife, my child was⌠lost.â
Carl had a hard time trying to voice the deaths of Bluebell and the child within her belly.
âIâve lost both the people I trusted and those who supported me, so why should I save you? Will you be worth it?â
ââŚ.â
âWhy the hell did you do that? Did you want to make your son emperor? So, what did you get? Getting locked up in this tower like a prison. Were you still comforting yourself with thoughts about Joseph, who became a puppet emperor in Queen Aryaâs arms?â
Carl laughed at Sienna to his utmost. What had she gotten from the blood of so many people?
If she protested that sheâd never wanted to do it, that she had just been a tool played by Arya, would she soothe his mind? Sienna closed her eyes tightly.
âCan I tell you a funny story?â Carl said sarcastically. âYour child, I mean, the one you wanted to raise to be the emperorâŚâ
Carl was talking about Joseph as if he were dealing with a child he didnât know, as if he were not his own. Sienna, forcing open her parched mouth, said, âItâs Joseph. Though there was never a time you called him by his name, he has one.â
At Siennaâs words, one side of Carlâs mouth curled up.
âHuh, JosephâŚThatâs right. Your son, Joseph⌠Do you know what happened to the child? The child you wanted so badly to make emperor?â
Hearing his words, Sienna raised his head and asked, âDonât tell me youâve already killed him?! Heâs your child, too! Your blood is mixed!â
When Sienna tried to stand up and run at Carl, the soldiers behind her pressed down on her shoulders.
âI didnât kill him.â
âThen, Joseph⌠Carl⌠No, Your Majesty. Joseph did nothing wrong. He canât speak; he canât walk. He was just used as a tool in Aryaâs devious plot. So, cut me at the neck, but save Joseph. Please.â
Sienna hit her head on the floor and begged him to spare Joseph. Her forehead open with the impact, and she started bleeding. Nevertheless, she could not feel any pain. If only his own child could be safeâŚ
Carl dropped to one knee and put a hand on her shoulder.
âYou donât have to that.â
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Sienna looked up at him. The blood caught her eyes, the contrast of the red against the paleness of his face.
âAre you saying youâll let Joseph live?â
âNo. I couldnât do that even if I wanted to because thereâs no way to save a child whoâs already dead.â
âWhatâs thatâŚâ
He looked down at Sienna. His expression still bore a grudge against her, but there was a greater feeling of compassion mixed into it, which made her even more anxious.