Chapter 34
Just then, Jad grabbed the hem of her dress.
“Where are you going?”
What’s his problem now?
Why was he suddenly sticking so close to her?
Had his pride been hurt because she’d refused to dance with him?
Sienna couldn’t understand his behavior at all.
“If this is about asking me to dance, I clearly said no.”
“So you’re really leaving?”
“I said I am.”
“Sienna. Do you know you’ve been acting really strange lately?”
She flinched for a moment, but quickly shot back as if unfazed.
“Jad. You’re the strange one. Why are you suddenly doing things you never used to?”
“That’s because—!”
Jad looked at her like he had a lot he wanted to say.
As Sienna stared blankly at the deep crease between his brows, irritation suddenly bubbled up.
You may not love me, but we’ve known each other for twelve years.
And yet he’d gone and asked another woman for the first dance without a single word to her.
They were still technically engaged, too.
Thanks to that, she’d become the subject of ridicule and got tangled up in some bizarre scandal.
It was such a headache.
The resentment hit her belatedly.
So… she decided to be a little petty.
With a bright smile, Sienna gently placed Shushu—who’d been in her arms—onto Jad’s lap.
“Hehehe.”
At her villain-like laugh, Shushu’s voice trembled.
—M-Master? What is this…?
Both Shushu and Jad turned to look at her at the same time.
Sienna merely smiled kindly.
“Jad, could you watch Shushu for a bit?”
“What?”
As expected, his nicely full lips slowly twisted.
—Master!
—Shushu, I’ll be right back. Just play with him for a moment, okay?
Sienna waved at Shushu and took in the sight of the two of them.
“Pfft.”
It was a scene she’d never seen in her life.
Jad—that Jad Valencia—holding a pink rabbit doll in his arms.
After standing there dazed for a moment, he turned beet red up to his neck at Sienna’s laughter and sprang to his feet.
“Why the hell do I have to hold this ugly thing?!”
—Who are you calling ugly?! Master, I hate him too!
She felt a little sorry for Shushu, but she had no intention of taking it back.
Sienna had been far too lenient with Jad until now.
“Haa…”
Just as she’d been taught long ago, she tightened her core and called his name in a dignified voice.
“Jad.”
At her low, steady tone, he flinched.
“You seem to keep forgetting.”
She deliberately dragged out her words as she pressed him back into his seat and locked eyes with him.
His green eyes wavered chaotically.
“I am a Stern. Sienna Stern.”
“……”
“You know what that name means.”
“……”
“This isn’t a request. It’s an order.”
“……”
“You’ll follow it. Right?”
“Y-you…”
His flustered expression was quite a sight.
He even looked… cute.
Teasing him was surprisingly fun, but unfortunately, she didn’t have time.
Sienna smiled sweetly again and continued.
“You always said dancing was embarrassing and that you hated it anyway.”
Ever since childhood, he’d complained about whether it was really necessary to do such shameful things.
Though he looked like he was enjoying himself plenty when he danced with Eleanor yesterday.
Apparently, the partner mattered after all.
As Sienna drifted into memories that weren’t even hers, Jad demanded irritably,
“What does that have to do with this rabbit?”
Even when using formal speech, his insolent tone hadn’t changed.
“Well, if you treat it nicely, something good might happen.”
After all, Shushu was actually the Stern Bell.
But Jad had no way of knowing that and glared at Shushu instead.
His exposed forehead crumpled fiercely.
Calling Arthur over with her eyes, Sienna offered one last piece of heartfelt advice to her longtime friend before leaving.
“Oh, Jad. Try not to frown so much.”
With a face that already looked rebellious, it made his personality seem even worse—and above all,
“You’ll get wrinkles.”
His brow furrowed again.
After Sienna disappeared, only Jad and Shushu remained.
He repeatedly stood up and sat back down.
He considered tossing the rabbit aside and leaving—but somehow felt like that would be a bad idea.
Is this what abuse of power feels like?
It was a strangely unfamiliar sensation for someone like him, who answered to almost no one.
The only people he voluntarily bowed his head to were his terrifying father Theo and the king.
More than anything, this was the first time she’d ever given him a direct order.
She always mockingly called her a “princess,” but Sienna really was one.
The one and only princess of Stern.
In truth, the fact that someone without even a title yet could casually call her by name was already a privilege.
He’d simply grown too used to it and forgotten.
Jad was confused.
Everything that had once felt natural was starting to creak and go out of alignment.
Why? What had gone wrong—and where?
“Haa…”
—Haa…
The two reluctant companions sighed deeply in unison.
“Damn it.”
—Master, I hate you.
“When is she coming back?”
—Tell her to hurry up and come get Shushu!
Though he pretended not to notice, he could feel the glances being thrown his way.
For all this, Jad was one of the hottest men in high society—second only to Pierre.
Not just because of his family name, but because many young ladies secretly admired his bold, prickly demeanor.
They said their hearts raced when he held a sword, like a wild stallion straight out of the wilderness.
Thanks to that, his personal training grounds were guarded heavily due to young ladies sneaking peeks at him.
The only son of a prestigious warrior family—Stern’s sexiest wild horse—was now sitting demurely with a rabbit in his arms.
The young ladies who’d been lingering nearby, wondering if they should strike up a conversation, all whispered among themselves.
“No way!”
“Why is Lord Jad holding something like that?”
“Pfft! But isn’t it kind of cute?”
“So he has a side like that too…”
Jad was used to attention, but right now he felt like his face might explode.
He took deep breaths, forcing his restless body to stay still.
Sienna!
“Just you wait.”
It wasn’t like he had a concrete plan behind the words.
He knew full well he wasn’t innocent either.
Thankfully, the next song began, and attention shifted elsewhere.
With nothing better to do, he tugged on Shushu’s ear.
—Hey!
“Was your name Toto or something?”
—It’s Shushu! She literally said Shushu earlier! Didn’t she?! Huh?!
Shushu burst into silent fury, but Jad continued muttering to himself.
“Hm. You’re small and ugly…”
He dragged out his words as he pressed Shushu’s cheek firmly.
“…Kind of looks like Sienna.”
Claiming her legs hurt, Eleanor declined the stream of dance invitations.
She rested in a chair for a while, then slipped quietly into the lounge when the music started again.
Several lounges had been prepared throughout the palace for invited guests, but it was easy to tell which one the princess was in.
Eleanor gave a polite bow to the knight guarding the door and stepped inside.
The moment she opened it, a gentle floral scent drifted out.
The rumored red-haired princess greeted her with a radiant smile.
Eleanor stared at that red hair as if enchanted, then belatedly lowered her head.
“I greet you, Your Highness. I am Eleanor, daughter of Duke Watson.”
“Miss Watson, thank you for accepting such an abrupt invitation.”
“Not at all. It’s an honor to be summoned like this.”
“Shall we sit?”
Sienna gestured toward a seat for Eleanor, who’d been standing at a distance.
She’s dangerous.
Seeing Eleanor bathed in sunlight made Sienna feel threatened.
She’d been pretty from afar, but up close—with natural light added—
My heart is in danger.
She’d bristled at blondes because of Pierre, yet this woman was breathtaking.
She made Sienna want to get closer, as if she might smell like lemons.
Only after staring blankly with parted lips did Sienna realize she was being too obvious and lower her gaze.
She’d instructed beforehand that the table be set with Eleanor’s favorite flower tea.
Right now, Eleanor was someone very important to her.
When warm water was poured, marigolds bloomed vividly.
At the sight, a faint smile bloomed on Eleanor’s face as well.
“May I ask why you summoned me separately?”
Sienna took a sip of tea, delaying her answer.
She was still thinking about how to begin.
So she started with the safest truth.
“I wanted to meet you at least once. I’ve heard many rumors about your exceptional swordsmanship—supposedly good enough to rival royal knights.”
“The rumors are exaggerated. It’s not a skill worth boasting about.”
“You don’t need to be so modest. I’d love to see a young lady wield a sword sometime.”
“It would be my greatest honor. If Your Highness asks, anytime.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise.”
After sipping her tea, now cooled to the perfect temperature, Eleanor suddenly spoke bluntly.
“To be honest, I thought you’d bring up Lord Valencia.”
Just as expected, she was refreshingly straightforward.
Having grown up in a harsh world, her manner of speaking differed from noble ladies who spoke in circles out of habit.
“If you’re concerned about the relationship between Lord Valencia and me—”
Sienna smiled and shook her head.
“I know. That you have no romantic interest in Jad.”
“……”
“And besides, a man who abandons his fiancée to ask another woman to dance isn’t very appealing, is he?”
“……I apologize.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
Jad was the one who asked her to dance.
Jad was the one who clung and acted on his feelings.
Eleanor merely accepted it appropriately—and made slight use of it.
Sienna had a feeling she’d get along well with Eleanor.
She, too, disliked beating around the bush.
“Do you know?”
Sienna lifted her teacup and pointed to the marigold in bloom.
“This flower’s meaning is ‘happiness that is sure to come.’”
“Oh my. I drink this often without knowing that. It has such a lovely meaning—just like its appearance.”
Eleanor studied the flower floating in her cup, murmuring the meaning Sienna had shared.
Sienna felt it.
Now.
“Today, I’d like to make a proposal—for your happy future, Miss Watson.”
“My future?”
Eleanor set down her teacup and straightened.
“I’ve heard you’re close with my brother.”
As Sienna opened with that, Eleanor’s eyes sparkled with interest.
She’d never imagined Pierre’s name would come up here.
She’d assumed she was summoned over Jad—and had even prepared herself for a slap if things went badly.
But she was even more shocked by what Sienna did next.
“Your Highness?”
Sienna suddenly stood and moved to sit beside Eleanor.
She brushed her hair aside, revealing the scar on her forehead.
“This is from when I was nine. Pierre tripped me on purpose, and I fell. For the record, it was on gravel.”
“…My goodness. How could he do something like that…?”
Without giving Eleanor time to recover, Sienna continued calmly.
“Not long ago, he strangled me. The bruises are gone, but if you look closely, there are still scratches from where I struggled.”
Though shocked, Eleanor carefully examined the marks.
“I can’t believe it.”
“I understand. It’s hard to believe.”
“His Highness really…?”
“Whether you believe me or not is up to you. Still, I wanted to tell you beforehand. That the man by your side is someone who can do this to his own sister without hesitation.”
“……”
“I don’t know what kind of man he is to you—but to me, he’s this.”
“……”
“He’s not family. Just a villain.”
And villains didn’t deserve happy endings.
“A man who’s cruel to everyone but kind only to me—that kind of person exists only in fantasy, don’t you think?”
Swallowing dryly, Sienna watched Eleanor’s expression.
If she chose to stay even after knowing everything, Sienna would walk away without regret.
She didn’t want someone who shut their eyes and ears, consumed by their goal.
But…
If Eleanor’s heart wavered, Sienna planned to utterly destroy this twisted story.
“Miss Watson.”
“……”
“Distance yourself from my brother. And instead…”
Those calm blue eyes—like the deep sea—quietly rippled.
Without averting her gaze, Sienna took Eleanor’s hand and spoke brightly.
“Meet me instead.”
She was confident she wouldn’t panic—even if hot tea were thrown at her.
