Chapter 154: Live to Sienna Pt.154

Sienna told Carl to smile for the sake of Bluebell, but he couldn’t smile easily. He thought it was because his pride was hurt because he had to move like a puppet as the nobles wanted. At the same time, he didn’t like the fact he became an emperor with two empresses.

At the ceremony, Sienna was smiling. She looked as if she had no objection to the marriage. The same was true of Arya standing beside her. She watched the wedding with a satisfied smile.

Carl realized again that Sienna was indeed skilled at dealing with difficult situations. Seeing that she was not intimidated by Arya who was stained with ambition in the political world.

It was only that day that he saw Sienna lose her temper. The day she strangled Arya and screamed to kill her.

Carl was worried again that Sienna might be rushing to kill Arya, but fortunately, at the ceremony, she remained calm.

Carl suddenly remembered that, not long after they met, Sienna shouted loudly, “I’m going to marry you and I’m going to get revenge on Arya.” At that time, she said so with a younger face than she was now.

He thought it was ridiculous at the time. It was funny that she would use marriage with himself only as a means of revenge. Now he didn’t find it funny that he was just a means. Rather, it was bitter.

Carl held Bluebell’s hand according to the order of the ceremony. However, he couldn’t take his eyes off Sienna. Why was her calm appearance frustrating him? He took a deep breath as if a heavy stone had been placed on his chest.

After a long and boring wedding, Carl entered his own bedroom. The maids rushed in to take off his heavy robes. Pavenik leaned against the door and looked at Carl.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“What?”

“I felt guilty today when I saw the eyes of the First Empress because I felt like I was the villain that separated your Highness from her.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“I’m sure most people who watched today’s wedding felt that way.”

Carl didn’t feel it was worth replying to Pavenik’s words.

“But we’re being tactless... No, I’m sure the Second Empress, who was so happy today that she couldn’t see the surroundings well, didn’t feel it. The second Empress has been smiling for so long that her cheekbones were twitching.”

Thinking of Sienna who had said things with a wistful face, Carl said, drawing up one corner of his mouth.

“...I’m glad the bride, the main character of the wedding, was happy.”

“Oh, your Majesty can say such things?”

When Pavenik spoke with a mixture of exclamations, Carl waved his hand as if annoyed and ordered his leave.

“No thanks. Shut up. Get out.”

“I can’t leave you alone. Your Majesty looks like you’re going to run to the First Empress’s, not the Second Empress’.”

Carl looked at Pavenik with a look saying what was wrong with that.

“I knew you’d do this. You Majesty got married to the second Empress today. If you go to the First Empress’s palace instead of the Second Empress’s, all the hard work of this marriage will be in vain.”

Carl looked back at Pavenik with an irritating face. Pavenik said, avoiding the eyes of his fierce-looking master.

“Which father would like it if he hears that his daughter was ditched on the first night? Isn’t that the Second Empress, who was called a treasure in the Ferrer family? Go to the Second Empress’s bedroom for today. That’s good for the first Empress too.”

With Carl’s look, which seemed to ask what that meant, Pavenik shrugged and said, “The First Empress is not publicly despised because of her relationship with the Holy Empire, but the Duke of Waters is far too far away from her for her to rely on. No matter how fierce a brave lion with claws and teeth, it has been far away for a long time, and the nobles have completely forgotten how terrifying the lion beast is. So when you give more affection to the First Empress, not to the Second Empress, those who want to use the First Empress to enjoy the power will rush in. Moreover, to those who don’t like Count Ferrer now, the First Empress will be seen as a good hand.”

Pavenik’s words were not wrong at all. Carl wasn’t that stupid.

It’s alright if it’s a group of people who approach Sienna and have a good will. Since she’s smart, she’ll take care of it. The problem was that as many people were against her while they were pretending to be on her side. Such antipathy could have threatened her life.

Carl nodded with assent. It’s not that he didn’t know in the first place. That’s why he’s got Pavenik close to him to stop him. But his mind was not so logical. Pavenik, who thought Carl understood what he meant, bid Carl farewell with exaggerated hand gestures.

“Then have an amazing night.”

“Stop talking nonsense and get out of here.”

Carl was irritated by Pavenik’s jokes and threw things in his hand. The glass thrown by Carl flew past Pavenik’s cheek and got smashed against the wall.

“Oops! Then have a burning night.”

Pavenik was so surprised that he even hiccupped but didn’t forget Carl as he left the door.

Carl changed his clothes and headed for the Imperial Palace, where Bluebell lived. Even though it’s the same road he walked on, he felt like it was very unfamiliar to him perhaps because the person he was going to meet at the end of the road was not the same one.

Carl headed for the Imperial Palace door without a change of expression. Instead of the Phoenix Knights, the face he’s always seen, other faces were guarding the entrance. They were knights of the Ferrer family.

Originally, the Knights of the Imperial Household were to be bestowed as the Knights of Bluebell, but Kenyon Ferrer asked that the Knights of his family keep their daughter’s side.

The Knights of the Imperial Household should not belong anywhere. They were loyal only to the emperor, who had to protect the people of the imperial family according to his orders. Therefore, Kenyon’s words to organize the Knights for Bluebell only were very rude.

But Carl accepted. It was partly due to the lack of imperial knights, and Carl cited the condition that the Knights escorting Bluebell belonged to the imperial family and that Ferrer had to pay the imperial family a huge amount of money each year to maintain the Knights. It was a way to save money by showing off imperial power.

Pavenik said that these precedents should not be made, but Carl did not care.

He scanned the Knights of the Ferrer with sharp eyes. Ferrer had selected them carefully, but after all, they were just young people who had no experience in war.

Carl expressed his inhospitality on one of the knights guarding the door. The knight was startled by the sharpness of his temper and rushed his hand to his sheath.

Cling-!

A close aide, Kissinger, who was quietly guarding Carl’s side, quickly pulled out the sword and put the tip of the knife to the knight’s throat. The knight, who was guarding the door, took a knife out of the sheath but was stopped.

“How dare you...”

Carl’s voice was very small, but it was enough to be heard by the knight, or by all the knights of the Ferrer family standing there. They were choked with Carl’s ice-cold voice.

The knight tried to take the sword out of the front of the emperor. This was by no means a light sin.

“I’m sorry. It’s his first time guarding the imperial family, so the young knight is nervous.”

The skillful-looking old knight quickly knelt to Carl. The knight, who had actually made a mistake, stood shaking his legs at the blade of a knife around his neck, seemingly unaware of how to apologize. Kissinger spoke in an angry voice on behalf of Carl.

“The imperial knight, who has to die protecting the Emperor, is about to take out his sword against the emperor! Is this why the Ferrer family organized the Knights of Second Empress?”

At Kissinger’s words, a middle-aged man bowed his head with a blurry look.

“Sir, that is not true at all. It’s definitely not what the Ferrer family intended. It’s my fault that I let a young knight guard the imperial gate without properly teaching them. Please punish only me.”

Carl knew the man now kneeling in front of him.

When he visited Ferrer as a child, he often saw his face, and it was a favorite knight of Count Ferrer. He was loyal enough to be the chief Knight of the Peer family. Carl had a good feeling for him as well, so he didn’t want to punish him.

Carl’s intimidation of the knights guarding the door was intended to test them, but it was like a grumble committed out of frustration. He didn’t mean to make this a big issue and lose the favor of the Ferrer family.

“For Bluebell and your sake, I’ll let this go. I just hope you don’t expect me to be generous twice.”

When Carl beckoned, Kissinger and the Guard removed the sword. With just that small action, the difference in ability from Bluebell’s knight, which did not respond properly to life, was evident.

“Thank you.”

The elderly knight bowed his head to express his gratitude. Carl nodded and entered the living room. He still had a bad look on his face. The maids looked nervous as if they heard the scuffle outside.

“Your Majesty the Emperor. The Empress awaits you from the inside.”

Carl also knew the one who greeted him at the door. She was a nanny who helped Bluebell for a long time. He gave her a soft smile as if he had never hardened his face. From behind, a knight thrust out a prepared bottle.

“It’s already been a month since Bluebell’s coming of age, but I’d like to have this drink with her.”

It was a wine with a distinctive pink label that had the name of “the first experience.” The sweet but high-calorie wine was one of the first drinks that people who had the coming-of-age ceremony had.

Bluebell’s nanny said with a pleased look as she was handed a drink from Carl.

“The Empress will be pleased. I will prepare some snacks before the Emperor can eat them.”

Carl nodded. The maids bustled in and out.

“He’s here? Really? Do I really look okay? Don’t I have to put on makeup again?”

Carl could hear the voice of Bluebell from inside. Her voice was lowered only after the nanny nagged her that she should not let her voice escape the room when the groom had not yet seen her face.

The maids read Carl’s expression. It was important for the empress to be loved by the emperor she served. The power of those who she serves was soon linked to her convenience.

“Your Majesty, would you like your tea?”

An affable maid asked him.

“I’d rather have some wine than tea.”