The Great Wish - Chapter 46: Today, Tomorrow and Then… (4)

Sienna could easily picture Russ, caught off guard and unsure how to handle Isabel’s harsh declaration. Poor man.

Holding back a smile, Sienna tried to maintain a stern tone. “Isabel, Sir Kali wasn’t treating your lessons as a game. He was simply adjusting to your skill level.”

Isabel looked down, feeling a little chastised. “I know. He only used a little more strength, but I still couldn’t hold onto my sword.”

“And that’s how you hurt your hand?”

“…Yes.”

“Sir Kali is too skilled to be your teacher right now,” Sienna said.

Isabel’s head snapped up in protest. “I was wrong, but I don’t want to learn from anyone else.”

“Why not?”

“Because Sir Kali is the best knight. I have to learn from the best to become the best.”

Sienna couldn’t help but chuckle. Her daughter was just like her—a perfectionist who wouldn’t settle for anything less than the best, just like Sienna had been when she was younger.

“Isabel, why do you want to be the best?”

Isabel hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “Because… I want to help you, Mother. I have to be the best to do that.”

Sienna’s eyes widened in surprise. Her daughter was different from her. Sienna had pursued excellence for the sake of achievement and personal satisfaction. She had never thought about helping the late emperor in the way Isabel wanted to support her.

‘You’ve grown so much already,’ Sienna thought, feeling both proud and touched.

She had always thought Isabel was still a child, but now she realized her daughter was maturing quickly.

“Come with me, Isabel,” Sienna said, taking her daughter’s hand.

Sienna and Isabel left the Prince’s palace and returned to the Sun Palace. Hand in hand, they climbed the stairs to the Chamber of the Sacred Tree.

The guards at the door straightened their spears as they approached. Just before opening the door, Sienna paused.

“You seemed all grown up.”

The late emperor’s words suddenly came to mind. Their brief conversation before his passing was something she could never forget, no matter how much time passed.

Sienna looked down at her daughter, whose face was flushed with excitement and anticipation.

“That day, I didn’t bring you to the Chamber of the Sacred Tree as the emperor.”

‘Ah… I see now,’ Sienna thought, understanding the meaning behind his words for the first time.

She had ascended the stairs today with excitement, eager to show off to the Sacred Tree. She wanted to proudly display her daughter, who would one day succeed her and wear the crown of the Sacred Tree. Not as an empress, but simply as a mother.

Closing her eyes to hold back her emotions, she smiled at the bittersweet realization that had come too late.

“Mother?” Isabel looked up at her with concern. Sienna smiled at her daughter and opened the door. A refreshing breeze blew into the room.

Isabel’s eyes widened in awe, and her mouth opened in wonder.

“Is this your first time seeing it?”

“Yes… it’s so beautiful,” Isabel whispered.

“Protecting the Sacred Tree is our sacred duty,” Sienna said softly.

“Yes, Mother.”

“Shall we get closer?”

Hand in hand, mother and daughter walked toward the Sacred Tree.

“Mother, there’s a fruit!” Isabel exclaimed.

Sienna smiled. “Yes.”

“But… it looks like only one is ripe.”

“What?”

Sienna followed Isabel’s gaze and spotted a single, bright red fruit hanging from a branch high above them.

‘When did that…?’ Sienna wondered. Although she couldn’t visit the Chamber every day, she made a point of coming at least every few days. For years, there had been no change, and now suddenly, this?

Had she simply failed to notice, or had something else caused this? She looked at Isabel and wondered, ‘Could it be?’ Was it just a coincidence that the Sacred Tree had produced its first ripe fruit for Isabel?

She led Isabel closer to the tree. Isabel had been captivated by the fruit ever since she spotted it, unable to take her eyes off it.

Isabel reached her arms toward the fruit. It was far too high for her, and even Sienna couldn’t reach it. But as if responding to Isabel’s silent call, the branch holding the red fruit began to lower slowly.

Sienna stood frozen, afraid that any movement would interrupt the moment. She held her breath as the branch descended, bringing the fruit closer to Isabel’s outstretched hands.

Finally, the fruit gently touched Isabel’s palms, as if urging her to take it. Isabel grasped it with both hands, and the fruit detached cleanly from the branch, resting securely in her grasp.

“Mother.”

Sienna, still in a daze from the surreal event, blinked in surprise.

“Yes?”

“There’s a baby inside this fruit,” Isabel said.

“Who told you that?” Sienna asked, startled.

“I don’t know… I just know,” Isabel replied.

Sienna knelt down to be at eye level with her daughter. “The Sacred Tree has entrusted you with a precious gift. So, what will you do for it?”

“I need to give it a home, just like how I was given a palace,” Isabel replied without hesitation.

“And where will you give it a home?”

“I know the perfect place—at the world’s end.”

Isabel’s answer came so quickly that it shocked Sienna. The Raad clan had recently begun settling in the lands at the edge of the Empire, and though Sienna had never spoken to Isabel about it in detail, her daughter had somehow figured it out.

Kuhn had been visiting the settlement regularly, and his absence from the capital was due to his latest trip there.

Sienna had always accepted that she would have to share part of Kuhn with the Raad clan. He was their leader, after all. She couldn’t expect him to only fulfill his role as her husband and the Empire’s prince.

The settlement was still a work in progress. The barren land could be cultivated with effort, but its proximity to the desert and the constant threat of desert beasts made it a dangerous place. Fortunately, the Rad clan’s elite warrior group, the Kaligo, regularly patrolled the area and hunted any monsters that posed a threat.

“Why did you think of the world’s end?” Sienna asked.

“If the Sacred Tree grows there, the monsters won’t come anymore. Father will be happy, and Eckart will be safe.”

Sienna had never explicitly told Isabel about the Raad clan’s new territory, which would one day belong to Eckart. Yet, her perceptive daughter had pieced it together, likely overhearing the clan elders during their visits.

“For your father and Eckart?” Sienna asked.

Isabel nodded but quickly looked uncertain. “Is that wrong?”

“No, it’s not wrong at all,” Sienna replied, smiling as she affectionately brushed a strand of hair from Isabel’s face. She realized she needed to expedite the process of securing independence for the Rad settlement. It would be easier if the land appeared worthless to others.

“But for now, let’s keep the fruit our little secret.”

“Even from Father?”

“No, you can tell your father.”

“Okay.”

Sienna glanced at the large fruit in Isabel’s hands, pondering how to store it safely and discreetly. No simple solution came to mind.

“Mother, this fruit is mine, right?” Isabel asked.

“Yes, it’s yours.”

“Then can I keep it?”

“Hmm. We’ll need to figure out a way to store it. We can’t just leave it on your desk, can we?”

At that moment, the fruit began to emit a soft glow. Wrapped in light, it slowly began to change shape. Sienna and Isabel watched in amazement as the fruit shrank and elongated before wrapping itself around Isabel’s wrist.

When the light faded, a beautiful bracelet, shimmering like a ruby, remained on Isabel’s wrist.

“Wow!” Isabel exclaimed, turning her wrist to admire it.

‘Isabel, you are truly the rightful owner of this fruit,’ Sienna thought, looking up at the Sacred Tree. Countless pearl-like fruits still hung from its branches, but only the Tree could decide when they would ripen and who would be chosen to claim them.

As mother and daughter left the Chamber of the Sacred Tree, the chief attendant awaited them at the bottom of the stairs.

“Your Majesty, His Highness the Blue King has sent a message. He has disembarked at the capital docks and will stop by the merchant house before returning to the palace.”

“Understood,” Sienna replied.

She turned to Isabel and asked, “Shall we go meet Father?”

Isabel responded with an enthusiastic “Yes!” before quickly adding, “Let’s bring Eckart too!”

Sienna smiled as she responded, “Yes, let’s take Eckart too.”

Eckart had been anxiously waiting near the entrance of the palace. When he saw the approaching carriage, his face lit up with excitement.

As the door opened and Sienna and Isabel stepped out, Eckart’s eyes darted between his sister and mother. Though he loved his sister dearly, he adored his mother just a little bit more.

“Mother!” Eckart cried, running straight into Sienna’s arms and hugging her tightly. Isabel, standing beside them, gently reminded her younger brother, “Eckart, be careful. Mother has our little sibling in her belly.”

Eckart quickly pulled back, eyes wide with concern. “Mother, does your stomach hurt?”

Sienna stroked her son’s head, amused by his round, innocent face. “I’m fine, Eckart. Your father is coming soon. Shall we walk along the road to meet him?”

“Yes!” Eckart shouted, excited, and began running in circles around his mother and sister, shouting, “Father’s coming! Father’s coming!”

Sienna walked alongside her children, with a gentle smile. Servants and guards followed at a respectful distance. Isabel walked quietly beside her mother, while Eckart couldn’t sit still, darting ahead and then running back, circling them energetically.

Eckart had inherited his father’s strong build and boundless energy. The servants in the prince’s palace could barely keep up with him, often needing to switch shifts every few hours to avoid exhaustion. In fact, the staff had to work in four shifts to keep pace with the lively young prince.

This time, Eckart ran far ahead, then came racing back, shouting excitedly, “Mother!”

Sienna looked up, following her son’s gaze. In the distance, she could see a carriage approaching.

As her son ran ahead to meet his father, Sienna’s heart began to flutter with anticipation. Even after all these years, her husband was still a kind and affectionate man, and at times, their relationship felt as passionate as it did in the early days.

Eckart veered off course, running straight toward the carriage. It stopped a short distance away, and soon Sienna could make out Kuhn’s figure stepping out. He spotted their son running toward him and effortlessly lifted him into the air.

Though they were still too far apart to see each other’s expressions clearly, Sienna had the distinct feeling that their eyes met across the distance.

She lightly tapped Isabel on the back. “Isabel, why don’t you go too?”

Isabel hesitated for a moment before hurrying forward. Soon, she was running, her long hair streaming behind her as she made her way toward her father and brother. Her figure, disappearing into the distance, looked like a scene out of a painting, etched into Sienna’s memory. She felt her heart swell with emotion and slowly closed her eyes, only to open them again moments later.

Whenever Sienna felt truly happy, she couldn’t help but recall the emperor from her dream, the one who had changed the course of her life. Even now, she didn’t fully understand the nature of that dream. It remained a mystery she had kept locked away, never sharing it with anyone.

Had it simply been a fleeting dream, the kind that vanishes upon waking? Or had it been a glimpse of a possible future? Perhaps even a reality where another version of herself lived.

If that future truly existed, Sienna liked to believe that her other self had also found happiness in the end.

But today, she sensed something new: the emperor from her dream would no longer occupy her thoughts. The lingering unease she had carried, the fear that everything might fall apart, was finally fading away. The worries that had once haunted her were gone. No matter what challenges the future holds, she felt confident that she could overcome them. As long as her loved ones remained by her side, there was no room for despair.

Sienna smiled as she watched her daughter reach Kuhn and throw herself into his arms. Despite being so mature for her age, Isabel turned into a little child whenever she was with her father.

Sienna knew she would never forget this moment. One day, she would look back on this perfect autumn afternoon, wrapped in the soft, cool breeze, and smile at the memory. It was the kind of day she would treasure forever.

<The End of “The Great Wish”>