The Great Wish - Chapter 46: Today, Tomorrow and Then… (2)

Sienna set down the report she had carefully read through to the end. It had been a while since she received news from afar.

While the Empire was finding stability under the rule of the new emperor, the situation in the desert remained a constant state of chaos.

At least the Peroh Alliance held things together, but just barely. The desert was home to countless small tribes, like grains of sand, and they refused to integrate into any order, whether it be the Empire’s or the Alliance’s.

The uncontrollable desert was always a thorn in the Empire’s side. It bordered a vast area of the Empire’s frontier and was also a den for monsters.

‘Has it already been eight years?’

It had been that long since Sienna had visited the desert as an envoy.

After returning from recognizing the ownership of the Sacred Tree’s branch to Grand Chief Tuisa, the Alliance had appeared to stabilize for a time.

However, the Alliance King had a serious fallout with his adoptive mother, Queen Dowager Reka, and shockingly, the king allied with the Hotu tribe.

Interestingly enough, one of Grand Chief Hotu’s sons, who was considered a strong contender for succession, married Fatima.

Upon hearing of Fatima’s marriage, Sienna personally sent a congratulatory message and a gift. If it weren’t for her personal ties, she wouldn’t have sent an envoy at all—she had grievances with the Alliance King at the time.

‘He was a fool.’

Sienna muttered to herself, Recalling the Alliance King, who was now the former king.

He had been swayed by whatever whispers led him to bring the Hotu tribe to his side, declaring that the Alliance would no longer tolerate any interference from external forces, seeking to strengthen its independent status.

This declaration included the Rad Clan. It was clear that the ultimate target was Raad’s chieftain.

Sienna had been deeply displeased, but Kuhn, the one actually involved, reacted indifferently.

“If they want to cut ties first, then I’m actually thankful. That means less to worry about.”

Kuhn hadn’t entered the desert’s tribal wars out of a desire for power. He had only used the desert to build a reputation.

But even if he had intended to use it for his own purposes, it wasn’t Kuhn’s style to just take what he needed and leave. He was relieved that the Alliance had pushed him away first, making things easier for him.

Since Kuhn let it go easily, Sienna didn’t pursue the matter further, though she found it highly offensive.

Ungrateful fool! Had he already forgotten that Kuhn had saved his life?

From then on, Sienna regularly checked in on the Alliance through her informants. She had been certain that such a foolish man would meet a poor end, watching with a “let’s see how well you fare” attitude.

And then, a major event unfolded.

Queen Dowager Reka attempted to overthrow the king, and in the process, Fatima nearly lost her life at the hands of Reka’s forces.

Although the Empire had a principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of its vassal states, Sienna dispatched troops to save Fatima, repaying a past debt.

Reka’s rebellion sparked a bloodbath in the Alliance. Reka was imprisoned, and the king purged those loyal to her in a massive crackdown.

Most of those purged were from the Tuisa tribe, and the king had effectively strangled himself by doing so.

As Sienna predicted, the king did not hold onto the throne for long. The chief of the Hotu tribe soon took the crown.

For a while after that, Sienna lost interest in the Alliance’s affairs. She was already too busy. She had no time to spare on the distant desert unless it was of great importance.

She had told them to only report major events. Now, after a long time, she had received news: the Hotu Grand Chief, who had become king, was bedridden.

‘Will there be a new king soon?’

The new king, greedy as he was, had not appointed a successor, instead allowing his children to fight for the throne. Currently, a brutal battle for succession was unfolding in the Alliance.

The strongest candidate was Zahoman, Fatima’s husband.

‘Fatima might become queen.’

Zahoman was known for being rather weak-willed. There were even rumors that Fatima was the one pulling the strings behind him.

‘Where did things change?’

In her dream of the future, Fatima had already been dead. Something had twisted Fatima’s fate.

Sienna had no idea when or why Fatima had died in the future, so she couldn’t even guess at the reason.

‘What should I do…?’

Should she stand by or intervene?

Sienna pondered as she lightly drummed her fingers on the desk.

‘It would be better for someone favorable to the Empire to take the throne.’

When Sienna had saved Fatima years ago, Zahoman had nearly died as well, if not for the intervention of Imperial forces.

For Sienna, Zahoman’s life had only been a bonus, but Zahoman himself was grateful to the Empire for saving him.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to make Fatima owe me a debt as well.’

If Zahoman became king, Fatima would likely wield significant power. She had secured her position by bearing two sons for him.

Sienna picked up her pen and retrieved a special sheet of paper from a drawer.

―Establish secret contact. Promise unofficial Imperial support.

The writing soon disappeared, and the paper turned blank again. Sienna rolled the paper, sealed it, and placed it in a black wooden box.

“Your Majesty.”

The chief attendant approached.

“His Highness Iron King has arrived.”

“Have you shown him to the drawing room?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sienna rose from her seat, her belly quite swollen. She was about four months away from giving birth to her third child.

***

Sienna’s eyes widened when she heard the reason for Dian’s request to meet. Dian said he intended to leave the Iron Palace and depart from the capital.

“Why all of a sudden?” she asked.

“It’s not sudden. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.”

“Brother, did something happen?”

Seeing Sienna’s serious expression, Dian chuckled and shook his head.

“If you’re asking if someone pressured me, not at all. It’s just that Uncle seems lonelier these days, and I want to be with him. We may have had our differences, but when I look at his life, I feel pity… I can’t turn my back on him.”

“I understand…”

Sienna, too, had someone in her life who she couldn’t fully embrace but also couldn’t abandon—her mother.

Sienna had arranged for Patricia to only see the children when she was present. One day, Isabel disappeared, causing a huge commotion. It turned out that Patricia had taken Isabel to her quarters without informing anyone.

Sienna had been furious and raised her voice at Patricia over the incident. As a result, Patricia had left for the Duchy of Rimone in anger—a year had passed since then.

Recently, the Duke of Rimone had been trying to coax Patricia back, showing subtle signs of wariness, but Sienna pretended not to notice.

“I’m not leaving immediately,” Dian added. “I have to see my soon-to-be-born nephew before I go. When is Kuhn coming back? He’s been gone for quite a while this time.”

“I received word that he’s already on his way. He should be arriving soon—if not today, then tomorrow.”

Dian joked, “Once we leave the palace, your family can finally enjoy some peace and quiet.”

Sienna responded with a serious expression, “What are you saying? Your family is our family too.”

Dian smiled awkwardly. His normally reserved sister would sometimes say things so sweet and sincere that even as a joke, they couldn’t be taken lightly. At moments like these, he felt an indescribable warmth.

“Even if I leave the palace, it’s not like I’ll be far away. The Acheron Duchy is close enough that I could visit often,” Dian reassured her.

“Your decision seems final. Is something happening with Duke Acheron?” Sienna asked.

“Not exactly… but since he visited the estate last year, he’s been quite despondent.”

Even after the restoration of the Duke’s status, Jeffrey continued to live in the capital, receiving reports about the estate in writing. He hadn’t even attended his sister’s grand funeral held in the estate. His wounds were deep, and he hadn’t had the courage to face how much the estate had changed from the glorious past he remembered.

After finally visiting the estate last year, Jeffrey fell ill for several days. That was around the time Dian’s concern for his uncle grew.

“I’ve heard the Acheron Duchy is being revitalized and will soon regain its former glory.”

“True, but Uncle was shocked by the state of the Black Shadow Fortress.”

The Black Shadow Fortress had long been the symbol of the Acheron family. Though it had crumbled under charges of treason, no one had dared touch it. Even the Rimone family, who ruled the duchy in Acheron’s absence, hadn’t tampered with the fortress, leaving it to decay in solitude.

An uninhabited place quickly deteriorates, and the fortress was no exception. Seeing the ruins of the once-great Black Shadow Fortress had struck Jeffrey harder than he had expected.

“He’s thinking of building a new duchy residence elsewhere…”

Most of those who remembered the glory of the Blackstone Fortress were gone or had left. Dian had no attachment to the fortress, having no memories of it.

“So, the fortress will likely be abandoned completely. But Uncle’s been torn about it, so I suggested an idea…”

Dian hesitated, glancing at Sienna’s reaction before continuing.

“How about letting Kuhn take it?”

“…What?”

“It’s old, but the black stone used to build the fortress is now impossible to find. While the interior is in ruins, the core structure is intact. If the Rad clan establishes a kingdom, they’ll need a royal palace. Why not dismantle the Blackstone Fortress and reuse the stone?”

“…”

“You might think it’s bad luck, given the history there, but I just thought it would be a shame to waste it…”

Dian spoke cautiously, watching Sienna’s expression. But she wasn’t upset—she was simply trying to calm her surprise.

In her dream of the future, the Acheron Duchy had become a principality, and the Black Shadow Fortress had been Kuhn’s royal palace after he became the Grand Duke. Although things were playing out differently, if she accepted Dian’s suggestion, the fortress would still end up in the hands of the Raad clan.