NOVEL NEXT Chapter 73
The day after Sienna was summoned.
In the town hall of the border city of Antrem, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the Great Forest and the Empire.
The representative for the Empire was the Emperor, and for the elves, Marcela.
The so-called ceasefire was, in reality, an announcement of the elves’ capitulation.
The conditions were heavily tilted in the Empire’s favor. Though they avoided being reduced to a vassal state, the actual damage could be considered worse.
“Forty days after this treaty is signed, the territory from the entrance of the Great Forest to the Santa Der Fen will become an imperial concession. Both sides will make every effort to maintain peace until the boundary is determined. Furthermore…”
With half the Great Forest now under imperial control.
At the cost of just two wounded men (already healed), the Empire had occupied half the enemy’s territory.
That wasn’t all. They were also allowed to establish an embassy in the outskirts of Medelin, along with a garrison to guard it.
In return, the elves secured only the prohibition of slave captures and a ban on all access to the World Tree.
Marcela’s expression remained grim throughout the recitation of the treaty’s terms.
“Administrator of the Elves, thanks to your decisive action, the long conflict has come to an end.”
Even when the Emperor offered her a seemingly friendly remark, she showed no reaction.
“I do not know if it truly has ended. I still cannot trust the Empire.”
“I understand. To help dismantle the accumulated hatred, I would like to host a humble banquet. If possible, I hope the leaders of Medelin will also attend.”
“I decline that.”
Though Marcela refused the banquet, she did not turn down the Emperor’s offered handshake. A formal gesture—gripping his hand and shaking it up and down.
Even though she accepted the ceasefire, she must realize stubborn pride would not serve as a viable solution. Nevertheless, the expressions of the knights watching her were tense.
In any case, the signing ceremony went smoothly.
After the event,
Marcela’s final destination was me.
“Great reward awaits you, Alan Medoff.”
With those words, she left, not a trace of hostility on her face.
Not because she forgave me for helping her kin detox but because she probably considered it a waste of time to vent her anger at me—she had to govern the elves now as the leader who gave up half of the Great Forest to humans.
“Reward.”
I was already promised an award.
Business rights in the concession zone, a title no less than a Comte, and the opportunity to become a member of the imperial court.
“With the treaty in place, it’s time to publicly recognize my contributions. Using intrigue, I recruited an ambitious elf and instigated a coup against the current leadership… and then the engagement will come.”
However, the Emperor’s plans were not meant to be carried out.
Immediately after the signing ceremony, when the elves had left, and the Emperor was enjoying a small party with a select few individuals—
“The Second Princess Your Highness… uh.”
“Move aside.”
Sienna appeared at this scene.
“Sienna. Why have you come all this way?”
The Emperor, putting on a stern face, reprimanded her for showing up suddenly.
“There’s no surprise. You knew, didn’t you.”
The Emperor could not have been unaware that Sienna had visited the Great Forest. She had bullied the diplomats of the Foreign Ministry and the Military Affairs Ministry to the point of tyranny to use a teleportation magic circle.
Ignoring the Emperor’s call, Sienna slowly approached me.
And then, with an uncharacteristically sorrowful smile, she said,
“I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, Alan.”
I began to scold her with “Your Highness…” while giving her a reproachful look as if to ask why she had come here.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Sienna slipped into my arms.
Surprised, I nonetheless put my arms around her.
Her delicate perfume of rosemary, her height shorter than mine by a good margin, and her soft body—which suggested a life spent avoiding physical labor—were all quite distinct.
“Sienna…?”
The Emperor’s face hardened as he observed us.
**
Alan truly is shameless.
Sienna struggled to keep herself from laughing.
“Your Highness. This isn’t right.”
Alan’s voice, as if trying to stop himself from panicking, sounded desperate. His hands fumbling, seemingly unable to push her away despite the urgency.
In behavior, it seemed as though he was genuinely startled by the unexpected skin contact.
Of course, it was all an act.
A coordinated performance intended for her father, who was trying to secretly tie Alan down.
The effect was excellent. Peering sideways while in Alan’s embrace, Sienna could see that the spectators’ expressions were quite dramatic.
Especially the Emperor’s.
“Sienna…?”
The Emperor was staring at her, his mind apparently adrift.
A ruler more soldier than statesman, with a stern appearance. In his youth, he had eliminated several of his siblings to secure the throne, and in the smaller states under imperial control, he was known as a ruthless overseer.
But now, he was nothing more than a father shocked by his daughter’s antics.
His ashen face, his tightly clenched fists, yet his lips firmly pressed together—clear signs of a man who had much to say but restrained himself due to the presence of his high officials.
Having upset her father many times before, Sienna could tell from his face just how seething he was.
“It works.”
The method of preventing Alan’s engagement to Anais.
The quickest way was to have Alan establish a prior relationship with another princess.
How stupid is it to reclaim a perfectly healthy royal lover to rescue an already disgraced daughter?
The Empress probably foresaw this—either her or perhaps Victoria, her sister, might step in to secure Alan first. Victoria likely viewed Alan as a loyal subject, but his inner circle surely recognized his value.
True, breaking the engagement was relatively straightforward.
“What, then, does that woman truly want?”
Sienna pondered this as she rubbed her face against Alan’s chest.
At this point, Alan gently stroked her head. It was probably time for them to part since they had been hugging too long.
Reluctantly, Sienna slowly disengaged from Alan’s embrace.
Although it was fun to stage this drama in front of her father, now was not the time to lose herself in the act.
“Your Highness.”
“I understand, Alan. This must not continue.”
However, Sienna did not forget to clutch Alan’s uniform and look up at him with longing, for the sake of a tender conclusion.
In fact, she even guided Alan’s hand to caress her cheek.
This maneuver was not pre-planned but rather an impromptu act. Alan’s slight startle was almost amusing.
Yet Alan was no ordinary person.
After showing a moment of surprise, he soon looked at Sienna with apparent sympathy and began to gently caress the softness of her cheeks and chin, as if they had practiced this routine many times before.
So far, so good. But—
“This feels… surprisingly pleasant.”
The feel of a large, calloused hand tenderly stroking her wasn’t unpleasant.
Why was that?
Fortunately, she quickly found the answer.
Considering Alan’s hands, they were no ordinary hands—hands that had created morphine, heroin, and ephedrine.
In a way, he was more lethal than any master on the continent, perhaps even deadlier than all the masters combined.
Such hands were now gently caressing her face at just the right intensity.
Gently teasing under her chin, wiping imaginary tears, even stroking her hair, these motions created an unexpected and unusual sensation. A tingling, almost ticklish feeling that didn’t quite fit the context.
But Sienna had much to do, so she chose to disengage before she got too lost in the feeling.
Continuing this way might make her father explode.
“I’m sorry for troubling you, Alan.”
“Not at all. It’s my mistake for losing composure. His Majesty was entirely justified and rational in his decision.”
“You keep blaming yourself… hmmm.”
Sienna stepped away from Alan.
Immediately afterward, she shot a scornful glare at her father, Edmund III.
It was not genuine resentment. Her true adversary was not the Emperor but some haughty matron within the system.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Father. You were first.”
“…Speak.”
“I heard that after recalling Sir Alan to the court to honor his achievements and bestow a title, you had plans to recognize his work. Considering our newly-established agreement with Medelin, perhaps delaying it a little would be better. Of course, this is merely my opinion.”
“It’s not about that right now.”
“Then what is it about?”
A tense standoff between father and daughter ensued.
Sienna did not entertain the notion of refusal. She had no intention of easing her father’s concerns and unrest.
Leaving him bewildered was more advantageous than seeking revenge for being deceived.
“I believe you will heed my words.”
At Sienna’s proclamation, the Emperor’s pupils trembled violently.
Although his pitiable form did not make her feel sorry, she had never intended to care for her father’s feelings, had she?
…
In the end, the Emperor succumbed to Sienna’s pressure.
“Sir Alan Medoff will remain temporarily as the consul. He will return to the capital but is tasked with fostering friendly relations with the elves until further notice. The commendation ceremony for him will be rescheduled to a more appropriate time.”
The Emperor, almost half dazed, delayed the award ceremony for Alan.
Sienna considered this a success in securing Alan’s return but gave no indication of it. She maintained her melancholic performance.
“It’s not time to rejoice yet, not at all.”
Empress Lianhua.
Now it was time to meet her.
While breaking off an engagement with Alan was easy, now that she detected another hidden intention in the Empress, that alone was insufficient. How could Sienna stand idly by while the Empress played games with her most trusted aide?
Whatever Empress Lianhua wanted, Sienna had no intentions of giving anything.
Of course, that meant the end of their pleasant mother-daughter interactions, and the peculiar sounds of her qithara, pipa, and salt flute performances would no longer be part of her life.
But there was no sense of loss.
Because Alan was here.
If she could keep this man by her side, Sienna no longer cared about her bond with the Empress.