Chapter 14
Princess Sienna’s collapse was sudden.
Like a puppet with its strings cut, her body fell backward without any warning.
“Your Highness!”
If Percy hadn’t caught her calmly, she would have hit the ground hard.
Normally, they would have mocked her—asking if the wicked princess was pretending to gain sympathy. But today, they couldn’t.
Sienna’s limp body bent at unnatural angles. No one could fake unconsciousness to that extent.
‘Why collapse at a time like this?’
‘And in front of Duke Stuart, of all people!’
The maids’ faces turned pale.
In truth, this wasn’t the first time Princess Sienna had fainted.
With irregular meals and small portions, her body was as light as a doll’s. On top of that, the beatings she occasionally received from the Emperor and Crown Prince had left her back in tatters.
Even though the imperial physician treated her, there was no one to ensure she took her medicine, so she was always suffering.
If she hated it, she could have said so. If she needed help, she could have asked.
But the foolish princess seemed to think everyone in the world lived while being beaten like that.
‘At the very least, she could have reported it to His Majesty.’
Instead, she couldn’t even do that, and just lashed out at the easier targets—the maids.
The maids, who had ended up assigned to a princess who offered neither future connections nor benefits, had enjoyed the situation and freely disrespected her.
But now, of all times, she had collapsed in front of Percy Stuart, right as he was questioning them!
‘What the hell is going on?’
‘What’s his relationship with her?’
When a servant had claimed that someone resembling Duke Stuart had come out of the princess’s room, everyone had laughed it off—maids and even the head chef.
Of course they did.
Why would someone like Duke Percy Stuart have any interest in a princess like Sienna Riata?
If it were still the age of allied kingdoms before the empire, he would have been a king. Even now, because of his “ability,” even the Emperor couldn’t treat him lightly.
So why was such a man suddenly here, speaking of insulting the imperial family?
‘They must not have an ordinary relationship.’
‘But isn’t her fiancé Sir Daniel?’
As the maids exchanged glances—
The corners of Percy’s lips, who should have been enraged at the princess’s collapse, curved slightly upward.
“…Interesting.”
“?!”
Percy Stuart.
He had everything, yet he wasn’t a popular marriage candidate in high society.
There was only one reason.
No one could ever tell what he was thinking—he was always expressionless.
And yet today, he was smiling faintly.
With his perfectly sculpted features, it felt as though a statue had come to life.
He lightly shook his head and murmured,
“So when the heart beats fast, it aches like this?”
No one understood why he was smiling, and they all shrank back.
‘I can’t read him at all.’
Still, it was far better than him flying into a rage.
“Uh… Your Grace?”
One maid, bolder than the others, spoke first.
Percy’s crimson eyes turned toward her. She forced an awkward smile.
“Shall we lay Her Highness down?”
Before she finished, the others chimed in.
“I’ll fetch the physician.”
“We should loosen her clothes first.”
They were low-ranking, but still nobles. Each had at least seen Percy before.
And so, they misunderstood.
They thought Percy would take their side.
He looked at them—smiling like a mask.
Then he stood, lifting Sienna into his arms.
“There’s no need.”
Sienna was light—like a paper doll.
As light as the sword he usually carried.
Without realizing it, Percy frowned slightly.
At his response, the maids smiled in relief.
In a flat tone, Percy said,
“She means nothing to you anyway. You were assigned here against your will, weren’t you?”
“Exactly!”
They nodded eagerly.
“So you were just being kind out of pity.”
“How generous of you.”
“She may look weak, but she’s vicious. You don’t need to treat her well.”
With each word they spoke, Percy’s eyes grew colder.
If his subordinates had been here, they would have run the moment he smiled.
Nothing good ever followed his smile.
“…You really don’t understand.”
Before becoming the commander of the Imperial Knights, Percy had led the northern army.
He had been summoned to the capital after only two years—not just out of imperial favor, but because they feared him gaining more military achievements.
His “ability” alone was already terrifying.
Percy stomped once.
At that moment, an unknown force slammed the door shut and drew the curtains tight.
“W-what is this?!”
“Duke Stuart!”
Ignoring their screams, Percy spoke lazily,
“But she has meaning to me. You no longer need to concern yourselves with Princess Sienna.”
From now on, he would personally take care of every detail of her life.
As he slowly turned his head, he looked like a ghost.
But the maids still protested.
One stepped forward boldly and snapped,
“No matter who you are, don’t think this outrage will go unpunished!”
Those were her last words.
Blood sprayed.
Her frail body collapsed.
Only then did the screams erupt.
“Aaaah!!”
No one saw what happened.
Of course not.
His ability was known only to him and the Emperor.
Which meant—
Everyone here was subject to immediate execution.
Realizing this, they desperately argued,
“My father won’t stay silent!”
“You think you’ll be safe after killing nobles without trial?!”
To Percy, their words were nothing more than wind.
Tilting his head, he asked curiously,
“And what will he do if he doesn’t stay silent?”
His tone was calm.
Leisurely.
Yet every word was chilling.
“Insulting the imperial family is punishable by immediate execution. You should be grateful you’re spared the humiliation of a public trial.”
“Your Grace!”
Now they begged.
“Please spare us!”
“I wasn’t part of the bullying! It was her fault!”
“I’m innocent! We were only assigned here recently!”
None of them were original.
If they were going to die anyway, they could at least curse him.
Maybe he would have spared them for amusement.
—This is so pathetic, I can’t stand it anymore.
That thought made his lips twitch again.
It had been a long time since he felt amused.
No—
Perhaps this was the first time.
“Please! I didn’t do anything! I just watched quietly!”
One maid grabbed his clothes.
He felt no sympathy.
Tilting his head, he said,
“Then would you be satisfied if you just couldn’t see?”
“Eek!”
One by one, they fell.
Until only one remained.
She crawled backward, trembling, staring at him in terror as he approached.
“Why… why suddenly…?”
Her pitiful confusion didn’t move him at all.
His heart was frozen.
“Because it’s interesting.”
Percy realized something clearly.
The only person who could entertain him—
Was the woman in his arms.
“And you are not.”
So—
Goodbye.
* * *
The penalty-induced traumatic memory was sticky and unpleasant.
Like peeking into someone else’s dream, I floated through the air, watching Sienna’s past.
‘She looks about eleven.’
Young Sienna was so adorable you’d want to bite her cheeks.
Her red hair was tied with a pink ribbon—like a doll.
And the ones pointing fingers at her looked like terrible children.
No—they were terrible.
No matter the reason, ganging up on one person was wrong.
‘They called her “big sister.”’
I rested my chin in my hand and sighed.
So those were her half-siblings.
‘They’re not sisters. They’re strangers. Worse than strangers.’
Young Sienna was naïve.
Just because they called her “big sister” with smiles, she happily followed them like a puppy.
And they—
Pushed her into a pit.
It was a hole dug for a well, abandoned when no water came out.
‘Where did they even find something like that?’
Don’t they have anything better to do?
—Help me! Please help me!
Sienna was trapped there for four days.
Her fingers bled as she tried to climb the dirt walls.
And dehydration set in.
