PTVO 13

Chapter 13

The fear from that day made her tremble for several days, but because she had always been physically weak, no one found it strange.

Everyone simply thought the fragile princess had fallen ill again and brushed it off.

Sienna couldn’t tell anyone. She had to swallow that terrifying night all by herself.

Recalling those memories made her already upset stomach churn.

“Since the weather is nice, shall we move outside?”

She didn’t want to stay here any longer.

“Yes, let’s.”

She stepped back to make way for the king, then looked once more at the Bell of Stern.

After that day, Pierre had entered this place many times, but the jewel never reacted again.

Ironically, that fact gave her a little comfort.

The three of them headed to the newly completed central garden.

They sat down at a pure white table with four chairs and were exchanging polite greetings when—

“I’m late.”

A man approached at an unhurried pace that didn’t match his words.

He had silver hair like Theo Valencia, dark green eyes, thick brows, and sharp-looking eyes beneath them.

‘Jad!’

Sienna instinctively avoided his gaze.

It felt awkward to face him right now.

Jad glanced at her briefly and sat down beside her.

Sienna blew on her hot tea and secretly looked at him from the corner of her eye.

What was so great about him that she had once been so obsessed?

The world was wide, and there were plenty of men.

And I’m a princess, aren’t I?

She only touched the tea with her lips, afraid she might throw up if she drank it.

Then the king suddenly spoke.

“Sienna, you look pale in the daylight. Are you unwell?”

“No. I just didn’t sleep well.”

She couldn’t very well say it was a hangover.

Beside her, Jad’s eyes clearly said, I knew it. Weak as ever.

So what.

She replied with her eyes—while keeping a graceful smile on her lips.

As they exchanged looks, the king finally brought up the real topic.

“You’re both twenty now. You’ve been engaged for quite some time. I’d like you to marry before the year ends.”

Jad looked as though he had expected this.

“Your Majesty, it wouldn’t be too late to proceed after the princess recovers her health.”

“I also don’t wish to rush into marriage.”

Sienna quickly added.

Jad sharply turned his head to look at her.

His eyes asked what kind of trick she was playing.

He clearly didn’t believe her sincerity.

“I’ve already discussed this with the marquis.”

“Father!”

Sienna deliberately appealed to him emotionally.

“Yes, my daughter. This was the marriage you wished for so much. Once you leave this suffocating castle, your health will improve. The marquisate has sacred trees and rivers, doesn’t it?”

Theo nodded.

“And Jad.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Take good care of Sienna.”

Jad pressed his lips together and delayed his answer.

But under his father’s gaze, he reluctantly replied in a small voice.

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

The tea time ended with an unwanted conclusion.

The king and the marquis excused themselves, saying they had matters to discuss.

The two left behind sat with equally sour expressions, as if competing over who was more displeased.

Jad struck first.

“Are you happy that things turned out exactly as you wanted?”

She could feel his anger.

When he was angry, he deliberately spoke formally.

“Haa.”

Sienna let out a tired sigh.

In this situation, they were actually on the same side.

But the foolish Jad had no intention of listening.

“Jad, I have no intention of marrying you.”

“Then show it with your actions.”

“The thirsty one digs the well. If you want to break this engagement, you try harder.”

“You’re telling me to defy His Majesty’s orders?”

A deep crease formed between his brows.

His sarcastic tone was almost impressive.

Please shut up, Jad.

She thought she had calmed down, but her stomach churned again.

Sitting there for so long had worsened her condition.

She stood up, lacking the energy to continue—

But Jad suddenly grabbed her wrist and shook her roughly as she tried to pull away.

“Sienna!”

“Let go!”

“Say something—anything!”

“Stop—ugh!”

Sienna quickly covered her mouth.

But shaken like a rag doll, she finally—

“U-urk!”

The next morning, a gift arrived from the marquisate.

It was a pink box Sienna liked, tied with a red ribbon.

Is it a terror attack? A bomb?

She poked the box suspiciously.

“There’s no way Jad would send something like this.”

“It seems to be from Marquis Valencia.”

“What? Marquis Valencia?”

That was just as unbelievable.

That stiff man?

Since Sienna showed no intention of opening it, Anna did instead.

“Oh my! It’s beautiful. Shoes!”

Sienna peeked inside.

Brilliant white shoes, covered in jewels at the toes.

The intention was painfully obvious.

She deliberately objected.

“They say if you give shoes as a gift, the person runs away.”

“Your Highness, that’s just a superstition.”

“No. This is clearly a sign telling me to run.”

Interpretation was free, so Sienna chose to believe what she wanted.

Anna ignored her muttering and found a letter at the bottom of the box.

“There’s a letter too.”

“A letter as well?”

It bore the marquisate’s seal.

Anna opened it with a paper knife, and Sienna read it.

“Congratulations on your debutante ball.
May you wear these shoes and walk only on paths of flowers.”

“Oh my, how romantic. I never imagined the marquis had such a side.”

She agreed.

The suspicion that someone else had written it was strong.

“Looks like a father-in-law who dotes on his daughter-in-law.”

“What father-in-law? What daughter-in-law?”

The marriage felt closer than ever, and she was almost in tears.

“But His Majesty clearly said—”

Even though Jad had clearly said he would give up, no one seemed to believe it.

There were more than enough reasons she couldn’t marry him.

“Anna, I can’t forget Jad’s face yesterday.”

“Ah… that…”

“I don’t even have the confidence to face him again.”

She recalled last night.

What she had done on top of Jad’s carefully polished shoes.

When he looked up, his expression was one she had never seen before.

He looked completely stunned.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m really sorry!”

She had fled without even giving him time to recover.

For him, she had probably gone beyond dislike—into hatred.

Sienna asked seriously.

“Do you think a person can die from embarrassment?”

“No way.”

“Are you sure?”

“…Probably?”

The scene replayed endlessly in her head.

The more she tried to forget it, the clearer it became.

“This marriage must never happen.”

“What? But His Majesty said he’ll marry you off this year—”

It was impossible anyway.

And even if things went wrong, she wouldn’t let them proceed so easily.

“Anna. Until you walk into the wedding hall, nothing is certain.”

Still feeling sick, Sienna skipped breakfast, slept a little longer, and went to the garden.

There, she had a late lunch alone with Arthur.

She barely touched her clear tomato soup, and Arthur asked with concern.

“Is your stomach still that bad?”

“Yes, a little.”

Come to think of it, Arthur had witnessed yesterday’s incident too.

She calmly changed the subject.

“How is what I asked you to do going?”

She had secretly given Arthur an order.

“Arthur, aren’t you curious who’s been following us? I think that person is more dangerous.”

“Should I report it?”

“No. They don’t seem aggressive, so let’s not make it a big issue. Would anyone even listen to me?”

“Then…?”

“You watch them.”

“You want me to watch the one watching you?”

“Exactly. You can do it, right? You’re capable.”

“Then who will protect you?”

Of course. She expected that.

There were very few knights assigned to the princess’s quarters, and aside from Arthur and Winter Brown, none were truly reliable.

Sienna smiled silently.

Arthur understood the meaning of that smile.

It was absurd—but it was reality.

Almost nowhere in the castle was beyond Pierre’s reach.

In the original story and by his nature, Pierre wouldn’t act recklessly—but if he ever decided to, there was no guarantee she’d wake up alive the next morning.

Thinking about it that way, it was strange that a capable knight like Arthur had been assigned to her.

“I’ll stay in the library until you come get me. So don’t worry and focus on watching.”

“Your Highness, even so—”

“Arthur, this is an order.”

She had unintentionally abused her authority.

But there was no choice.

If Arthur stayed glued to her, it would be like bringing a father on a date.

Just imagining it is terrifying.

She was also genuinely curious who was spying on her.

“Arthur?”

His expression during the report was awkward.

“Well… I think we were discovered.”

“Discovered?”

“Watching the watcher.”

“Is that okay?”

“Arthur, I’m disappointed.”

She narrowed her eyes and exaggerated her disappointed look.

“No, please listen to me.”

“Oh my. A knight making excuses?”

“That’s not it—”

“You said you joined as top rank.”

“That’s absolutely true!”

His voice rose in panic.

Teasing him is fun.

He fell for it every time.

Arthur was someone whose emotions showed clearly on his face.

Right now, his face said, That’s unfair. Just because you’re a princess!

Before he truly sulked, she relaxed her expression and smiled.

“Arthur, aren’t you too easy to fool?”

“Your Highness!”

“Alright, explain. What happened?”

He puffed his cheeks, then finally confessed.

“The moment our eyes met, he ran away.”

“He just ran?”

“Yes. Like he was clearly caught—terrified. He was big, but looked young. Around your age.”

More clumsy—and pitiful—than she had expected.

“Are you sure he’s a knight?”

“Yes. He was wearing a sword that had clearly been bestowed.”

“Did you find out who sent him?”

“Of course.”

“…Was it Brother Pierre?”

Arthur nodded with a heavy expression.

No twist. Just as expected.

“What will you do? Will you confront Prince Pierre?”

“No. Let’s bury it.”

“Is that alright?”

“He wasn’t a threat. Just a spy.”

That knight was probably trembling even now.

Everyone in the castle knew Pierre’s nature.

If Pierre found out he had been exposed, he wouldn’t survive unscathed.

So he likely couldn’t even report back.

“I’m fine, and there’s no evidence. No need to stir trouble.”

“But still—”

“Arthur, I don’t have a hobby of killing people.”

“….”

“That young knight would lose at least a finger.”

Arthur didn’t argue.

Pierre was exactly that kind of man.

The mood sank.

They both set down their spoons and silently sipped tea.

After a while, Arthur changed the subject.

“Ah, by the way… who is that person?”

“Who… ah.”

Dandelion.

“He looks familiar.”

“Does he?”

Arthur cautiously asked.

“But what kind of relationship do you have with him?”

His tone was careful, but his sparkling eyes showed pure curiosity.

“Secret friends.”

Before, it would have been hard to answer—but now she could.

“We’re getting closer.”

Sienna answered with a soft smile.

At that same time, Pierre stormed into the usually quiet princess’s palace.

His furious expression—at this timing—spelled trouble.

While everyone trembled in fear, Anna stepped forward.

“What brings Your Highness here?”

“Where is Sienna?”

“She is dining in the garden.”

He roughly ran a hand through his golden hair.

As he walked around the room, his eyes landed on the gift box bearing the marquisate’s seal.

“A gift for your future daughter-in-law, I see?”

“It’s to congratulate the princess on her debutante ball.”

Anna answered quickly, but he didn’t listen.

He flipped the table over.

“Kyaa!”

With the maids’ screams, the bedroom descended into chaos.

As if that was just the beginning, he threw chairs and shouted.

“What are you all standing around for? Bring that girl here. Now!”

No one could stop him.

Then Arthur and Sienna returned.

She wiped the smile from her face and asked coldly—

“You’ve been visiting often lately. You must be busy with state affairs. What is it—”

Before she could finish, he stepped right up to her.

“Your face looks bright.”

“……”

“Excited about getting married?”

The accusation was ridiculous.

Is he serious?

Even seeing her haggard face?

This scene wasn’t in the book, but she understood what had twisted his mood.

The king had summoned Marquis Valencia.

A gift from the marquisate had arrived.

It meant the marriage was near.

He must be doubting the king’s intentions.

Even though she knew he wouldn’t believe her, she told the truth.

“I have no intention of marrying Jad.”

“You think I’d believe that?”

Of course not.

Frustration spilled out as a deep sigh.

Why does no one believe me?

Pierre poked her with his finger.

“You’ve always been like this. Pretending to be selfless. Pretending to be kind. Acting like you don’t care about the throne—then at the crucial moment, you—”

As she backed away, her back hit the wall.

There was nowhere left to run.

“Why are you so irritating?”

At his cold, emotionless voice, her body froze.

Deep wrinkles formed on his forehead—

And in an instant, a large hand closed around her throat.

“Ugh!”

Her head snapped back in agony.

She clawed at his hand, struggling, but it was useless.

“Your Highness!”

Anna and Arthur rushed forward.

“How dare you!”