It was not yet known whether this was a visionary dream or a return to the past, but the important thing was that she was back in a time before Aryaâs revolt had ever occurred.
The terrible thing hadnât happened yet, and Sienna felt it was all an opportunity.
*
Chelsea looked around and took a piece a fabric out of her pocket. There was a crunching sound coming from the crumpled cloth. It seemed like she apparently carried coins wrapped within it.
She put a few silver coins on her palm, and the rest she rewrapped nicely and tightly before she placed the fabric deeply in the confines of her pocket.
âMy dear, did you see me hide my money?â
â⌠Yes.â
She couldnât see who was watching them while watching Chelseaâs behavior, but Sienna nodded.
âWhew, thatâs a relief. There are pickpockets in the capital, so itâs said that if you lose even a little bit of your attention, theyâll steal all your money as well as your undergarments.â
âPickpocketing? Um⌠There might as well be some I guess. Where in the world did you hear that?â
âFrom where did I hear⌠When you read romances, pickpockets are always showing up. When an innocent family member and a miss go out to the market and get targeted by a pickpocket, a handsome prince will apparently appear to aid. A prince wonât show up for this old woman, so Iâll have to take care of myself and be cautious.â
Chelsea said emphatically with a face full of vigor.
âThis is the money youâll need to buy your dress, so you shouldnât lose a penny. The Duke has saved a lot of money to make ends meet even with the current financial difficultiesâŚâ
âI donât mind the dress, butâŚâ
âWhat are you talking about?! A dress is a must-have item! Who knows? At your coming-of-age banquet, there might appear a prince that falls for you, the lady with the beautiful dress.â
âA prince that falls for meâŚâ
Sienna stopped talking as trying to tell Chelsea that her bloated, vain dreams didnât exist was impossible. She didnât want to shatter the old womanâs dreams.
âYou watch the luggage. Iâm going to pay for the carriage.â
âOK, come back soon.â
âYou have to keep your luggage safe. This is the kind of place where people snore even when they have their eyes open!â
Chelsea didnât turn away until after emphasizing her request. They had to pay the usage fees at the transportation company because they had used a horse carriage as transport.
âIâve got it, so donât worry and go on your way.â
âYes. Iâll be right back.â
Sienna burst out laughing when she saw the old woman walking and grumbling as the hem of her skirt fluttered about while she headed for the merchant. Though she is old enough to have a grandson, Chelsea had a quirky and girlish side to her.
â⌠Am I really eighteen again?â
So far, there had been no sense of reality at all. While talking to Chelsea, it had all seemed like a dream.
âNo. Maybe it was all just a nightmare. In fact, the current prince may not be Carl, but someone else, and I may not become the empress either. If it was all just a dreamâŚâ
What had happened so far had been too similar to the past to be dismissed as such.
âWas it really a visionary dream? No, five years worth of visions⌠Is that possible? It was so vividâŚâŚ.â
While Sienna was reflecting on those five years with a gloomy face.
âMeow!â
âCoco! I said wait up!â
Next to her, she could see a priest running after a black cat. The priest had reddish dark brown hair and brown eyes, but he looked only eighteen years old. Appearing very, he didnât fit with the image of priesthood.
This situation at that moment had already been experienced. In the past, she had watched the priest who had chased the cat in a strangely intriguing way.
âNow that I think about itâŚâ
On the day Sienna first entered the capital, in a nearby area, a priest of the temple had been trampled to death in a nearby carriage accident. Sienna, who had heard the news of the terrible accident that had passed her by, had long felt bitter about that.
âExcuse me!â
Sienna started following after the priest. If her memory was right, she was sure he had worn a brown cape inside out. He ran frantically after the black cat, as if he hadnât heard her voice.
She willed her legs to go as fast as she could. She was worried that she wouldnât be able to speed up properly because it had been so long since she had been in fit shape, but fortunately, her eighteen-year-old body began to catch up to the priest. It was easier for her to run on a well-built road than through the snow-filled northern lands where she had been running all her life.
âBa-bang!â
She could hear firecrackers going off nearby. At last, Sienna grabbed the priestâs cape and pulled it back with all her might.
âAhh!â the priest screamed and fell back with Sienna.
âUgh!â
Sienna, who was under him, was not in a comfortable condition either. She winced from the pain that was climbing up her tailbone.
âNeigh!â
A horse was startled by the firecrackers. Had it not been for her, the priest would surely have been trampled by the fierce horseâs hooves.
âWhatâs wrong with this horse!â
âTake the reins!â
The horse could not easily be calmed down even though the caretakers took the reins of the jumping horse.
âWhinny!â
The priest trembled as he saw the jumping horse right in front of his face. At that moment, he couldnât grasp that there was a lady underneath him, an obvious result of the events. It was only natural that he could not calm down.
âSir priest, could youâŚ.â
But Sienna, who lay under his butt, could not remain crushed to the ground forever.
âAck! Iâm sorry!â
The priest sprang to his feet. She raised her upper body up as he reached out his hand and asked, âAre you alright? Are you not hurt?â
Taking his hand and lifting herself up, Sienna said, âEverythingâs fine except for the prickling sensation of my butt. What about the priest? Are you hurt anywhere?â
âYes⌠Iâm fine.â
âNeigh!â
The horse was still rampaging. Despite all efforts, the surprise from the explosion of the firecrackers prevented him from being easily calmed down. The priest, seeing that image, breathed a sigh of relief, a sullen expression on his face.
âIf it wasnât for you, miss, Iâd would have had a horseâs hoof⌠I almost fell into the Goddessâ arms. Really, thank you so very much. Youâre the savior of my life!â
The boyish-faced man looked at Sienna, his good-looking dark brown eyes twinkling.
She shook her head and said, feeling burdened by his gaze, âNo. All this was the will of the Goddess of the Earth. Itâs probably thanks to the fact that there are still many missions left to the priest.â
At those words, he held her hand in both of his and looked at her with emotion, saying, âYouâre being humble⌠I really think Iâm meeting an angel from the Goddess of the Earth. Oh, my introduction is late! Iâm Roy Whist.â
âI am Sienna, the daughter of the heritage from Waters.â
âI really owe you, Sister Sienna. I donât know what to do to reward.âŚâ
At his words, Sienna shook his hand. She hadnât done it for any reward. She had just wanted to check on whether she would be able to keep the five years she had been through from repeating themselves, if she would be able to change things even just a little using her own strength and by herself.
âI really donât need a reward. More than that, Iâm worried about who might get hurt.â
The horse still hadnât calmed down. The workers were trying to soothe the horse, but they looked to be lacking in manpower. Some people were likely to get hurt if they didnât calm it down soon.
âItâs not the time for me to be like this. Just a minute.â The priest turned around and approached the galloping horse. âI didnât think Iâd ever want to get close to a horseâŚâ
Sienna looked at him with her head tilted, and the priest approached the horse with a bell.
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âYou have been very surprised! Calm down. No one here is trying to hurt you.â
The ones who had been calming down the horseâs galloping rampage looked at him as if he were a madman approaching.
âItâs dangerousâŚ!â
Roy moved ahead to the unabated horse, which seemed very risky. Mindful of Siennaâs worries, he approached the excited horse.