The Great Wish - Chapter 40: I Can’t See an Inch Ahead (7)

It was indeed a strange statement. However, Dian didn’t dismiss Sienna’s words lightly, knowing she wouldn’t say something like that without reason.

Dian had been uneasy about sending Violet to the Duke’s estate because of the Red King’s schemes. While the estate might have been secure in terms of guarding against assassins, invisible threats, like poison, were a constant concern.

Anything could become a vector for poison—not just food, but cosmetics, or even a scent.

Sienna’s advice had come to mind, and Dian had decided that if his blood truly had the power to counteract poison, it might be wise to administer it to Violet regularly. His fingers were so covered in tiny pricks that there wasn’t a single unscathed one left. Yet, after watching Violet drink the tea, he felt reassured.

Dian took the tea into Violet’s chambers. She had just finished eating and smiled at him as he entered. He sat beside her and handed her the cup.

“Again today?”

“Yes, again.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what this is?”

“It’s a secret. It’s good for your health.”

Violet drank the tea in one gulp. She tilted her head, puzzled. The taste was simple, like any other grain tea. Holding the empty cup, she repeated the complaint she had made the day before.

“I really hate oatmeal.”

She ate it every morning because of the baby, but oatmeal was the food Violet despised the most.

“It’s good for you and the baby.”

“Hmph.”

“So, how’s the little one today? Playing nicely?”

Dian placed his hand gently on Violet’s belly. The handmaids, who had been watching the loving conversation between the Iron King and Queen, quietly withdrew, smiling at the couple’s tender bond.

***

The day after Sienna handed the emperor’s letter to the king, she was ready to depart. However, a sudden sandstorm swept over Homan, and the fierce winds continued for over five days.

Once the storm subsided, the delegation finally left Homan. The king accompanied them for half a day’s journey to bid them farewell.

The combined members of the first and second delegations formed a massive procession. Kuhn led the imperial delegation as their guide, bringing them to the port at the end of the land in just three days, without any major incidents.

At the port, the knights and officials boarded the anchored regular ship one by one. Sienna, who was busy exchanging farewells with Kuhn, was the last to board.

Gilbert, along with the other escorts, waited several paces away.

“Take care on your way back.”

“All I have to do is sail down the river. Easy.”

“I never know what kind of trouble you’ll stir up when you’re out of sight.”

“You make it sound like I’m some notorious troublemaker.”

“You didn’t know?”

Kuhn gently cupped her face with one hand, still torn inside. This was his last chance to abduct her and run away. He was confident that even if all the imperial knights came after them, they wouldn’t catch him.

“You’ll come back soon, right?”

“…Yes.”

“By the time you reach the Imperial Palace, it’ll be the start of the last month of the year. You’ll come before the year ends, right?”

“Yes. Definitely.”

Their eyes met, and before either of them realized, they were embracing. The guards of the Silver King and the Kaligo members who had been watching them quietly averted their gazes.

As she stepped out of his embrace, Sienna felt a deep sense of regret. She wanted to ask him to come with her to the Empire immediately.

Kuhn watched her and the knights as they moved farther away. Once Sienna boarded the ship and disappeared from sight, the ship set sail. Even after it vanished from view, Kuhn found it difficult to leave.

The regular ship that had departed from the port at the end of the land arrived at the capital’s dock in ten days. Sienna calculated the time—she had been away for about two and a half months.

Upon her return, she headed directly to the Sun Palace to report to the emperor, informing him of the successful completion of her mission. She considered stopping by the Red King’s palace to formally greet her but instead went to the Silver King’s palace, not to avoid her mother but because she was utterly exhausted and wanted to rest.

Beth, eyes brimming with tears, was waiting for her in front of the Silver King’s palace.

“You must have had such a hard time on your long journey.”

Sienna felt a pang of guilt and gratitude toward the countess, who welcomed her so warmly despite the worry she had caused by leaving without a word.

“Have you been well? No issues?”

“What could possibly happen to me? But you… having traveled to such harsh lands…”

Beth carefully observed Sienna’s complexion.

“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah… I’m just feeling a bit queasy from seasickness.”

Sienna took a deep breath and exhaled. Her stomach was still churning from the journey. She had suffered from nausea the entire way back.

It was her first time experiencing seasickness. Initially, she hadn’t known what was wrong. It wasn’t until Gilbert mentioned, “It seems like you’re seasick,” that she realized what she had been feeling.

“Oh dear, your stomach is upset?”

Sienna nodded.

“How strange. Seasickness usually subsides once you’re off the ship. You should lie down. You’ll feel better after some rest.”

“I’ll take a nap. Please send someone to the Red King’s palace to deliver my greetings.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Sienna changed out of her clothes and went straight to bed.

“She’s been napping for quite some time. She must be thoroughly exhausted,” Beth muttered worriedly.

***

The emperor sat down to read the report submitted by the Silver King, which detailed the success of the imperial envoy’s mission. What began as a brief scan turned into a full reading, leading the emperor to push back his subsequent appointments.

The thick report revealed the Silver King’s meticulous nature, chronicling in detail every meeting and action taken from the delegation’s arrival at the Federation’s capital until their departure. The emperor smiled slightly as he read.

“If only my officials could emulate this attention to detail.”

The report required no further questions or clarifications, sparing the emperor the trouble of calling in the author to explain vague points—a rarity, indeed.

After finishing the report, the emperor sat in thought.

Following the king’s death, all three tribes of the federation had sent envoys to the empire, each seeking the emperor’s favor in exchange for promises of gifts and alliances. The emperor had ultimately sided with the new king, Yota Tuisia, for a simple reason: his offer had been the most appealing.

The Lama and Hotu tribes had promised material tributes. But Yota Tuisia had sent a politically savvy and long-term plan, offering a vision that would benefit both nations. Several aspects of his proposal were particularly attractive from the empire’s perspective. Clearly, the king had been advised by someone with a deep understanding of the empire’s needs—and the emperor knew exactly who that advisor was.

The envoys from the Lama and Hotu tribes had even accused Rad, the powerful general, of stirring chaos within the federation. It was evident from the start that the Marquis Rad supported Yota Tuisia.

However, the emperor had no interest in whether the new king received help from Rad or whether Rad was manipulating events behind the scenes. None of it concerned the empire directly.

The empire had already granted the sacred tree branch. With the ownership confirmed, the empire stood to gain much from the arrangement, making it a profitable venture. But the emperor had no intention of actively supporting the new king beyond this gesture.

Though the emperor had dispatched an envoy with full authority, it was merely to convey the empire’s stance in support of the new king. The details of the process were left to the envoy’s discretion, as long as the desired outcome was achieved.

“Well, she handled it cleanly.”

The emperor had expected the situation to devolve into chaos, potentially requiring military intervention to retrieve the sacred tree branch. He had anticipated that the Marquis Rad might even get involved to assist the Silver King.

“Using the founding law of the federation… clever.”

Although the outcome was favorable to the king, the method was skillful enough that no one could easily argue it was unjust.

“The Silver King truly is remarkable.”

While the emperor lacked deep affection for her, it didn’t mean he was disinterested. Despite his grievances with the Rimone family, he never associated them with the Silver King. After all, she was of divine blood.

The emperor Recalled the day the Silver King had come to him, volunteering to take on the envoy mission in place of the Iron King. When asked why, she had given a direct answer:

“Your Majesty, I was crowned solely because I reached adulthood. I wish to test myself, to see if I am truly capable as a ruler, and to prove my worth to you.”

Her words had carried a hint of ambition, as if suggesting she believed herself to be a more suitable successor than the Iron King. Yet, there was something strange about the request.

“Your Majesty, I humbly ask that the change in envoy from the Iron King to myself not be publicly announced until the day of departure.”

The emperor had granted the request without questioning her reasoning at the time. However, after her quiet departure to the federation, the emperor found himself wondering why. If the Silver King wanted to bolster her reputation by completing the difficult mission, it would have been in her interest to publicize the switch and garner support.

“What is she thinking?”

The emperor hadn’t even considered the possibility that the Silver King had volunteered for the mission for the Iron King’s sake. For the emperor, the concept of sibling affection was as foreign as someone from the desert knowing the sea. He had never experienced it.

Recently, the Silver King’s unpredictable actions had piqued the emperor’s interest.

There had also been rumors that she was distancing herself from the Red King. This, too, baffled the emperor. Now that the Iron King had emerged as a powerful rival, shouldn’t the Silver King be allying herself more closely with the Red King?

“Your Majesty.”

The emperor turned his gaze. His attendants had quietly left, leaving the study empty except for one figure, kneeling on the floor, cloaked entirely in black.

The emperor gestured with a flick of his hand, and the man rose, approached, and handed him an envelope, bowing deeply.

The emperor retrieved the documents from the envelope. As he read, his previously indifferent expression began to crack. His hands grew more tense as he turned the pages.

The cloaked man, still kneeling a few steps away, held his breath, tense with unease. After reading, the emperor tossed the documents onto the table, standing abruptly as he began pacing around the sofa, his breathing heavy.

It was rare for the emperor, who usually remained calm and detached, to reveal his inner turmoil in front of a subordinate.

‘How dare they! How dare they!’

The emperor seethed, directing his anger at an unseen adversary. He was the ruler of the realm, and the sense of power slipping through his fingers was intolerable.

Memories of the past stirred within him. Long ago, when the previous emperor had relentlessly pursued the destruction of the Acheron family, the Mad King had been powerless. He had been reduced to nothing and utterly excluded, his cries of protest echoing in a void. The bitterness of that helplessness now resurfaced, so potent that it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Upon discovering the treachery of the former Rimone Duke, the emperor had chosen not to act immediately. Instead, he had silently consolidated his power, biding his time. Back then, had the emperor decided, he could have moved against the Rimone Duke. However, it would have been a difficult battle.

His pride had been deeply wounded. The former emperor had crushed the Acheron family with overwhelming force. How could he, the current emperor, find himself struggling against a single ducal house? He had resolved to destroy the Rimone family just as his predecessor had obliterated the Acherons, crushing them while looking down on their desperate attempts to resist.

The emperor had waited patiently for a long time. Yet, the former Rimone Duke had been more cunning and methodical than anticipated. He was a man who surpassed the emperor’s calculations. In the pursuit of overwhelming power to crush the duke, the emperor had missed his opportunity. The Rimone Duke had died, succumbing to the passage of time.

Suddenly, the emperor had found himself without a target, momentarily lost. That’s when Jeffrey, the rightful heir of Acheron, reappeared—both as a stimulant and a catalyst. If Jeffrey regained his title and land, the emperor would lose the ability to use the Acheron people against the Rimone family. Time became of the essence, and in his impatience, the emperor took action.

The emperor had secretly supported the former Acheron subjects in organizing themselves into a rebellious force against the Rimone family. These people had no idea that the emperor was backing them as they rose up in revolt.

Simultaneously, the emperor reached out to dissident factions, encouraging them to assist the rebellious peasants while also drawing closer to the Rimone family.

The Rimone Duke, Doug, had initially underestimated the rebellion, thinking a few executions would be enough to quell the unrest. However, those seemingly insignificant peasants had the emperor behind them, and the Rimone forces were soundly defeated due to their complacent response.

Up to that point, everything had proceeded according to the emperor’s design. All the pieces were in his grasp. But the problem arose after that.

When the Rimone family began to endure more than expected, the emperor hadn’t been concerned. He had assumed it was their last desperate struggle. But one day, the Rimone Duke changed his strategy.

Instead of continuing to fight, Doug opted for appeasement. He promised to compensate the Acheron peasants for the exploitation they had suffered, even opening the ducal treasury to distribute wealth and food.

Moreover, Doug executed the corrupt officials who had earned the hatred of the Acheron people.