It was not yet known whether this was a visionary dream or a return to the past, but the important thing was that she was back in a time before Arya’s revolt had ever occurred.
The terrible thing hadn’t happened yet, and Sienna felt it was all an opportunity.
*
Chelsea looked around and took a piece a fabric out of her pocket. There was a crunching sound coming from the crumpled cloth. It seemed like she apparently carried coins wrapped within it.
She put a few silver coins on her palm, and the rest she rewrapped nicely and tightly before she placed the fabric deeply in the confines of her pocket.
“My dear, did you see me hide my money?”
“… Yes.”
She couldn’t see who was watching them while watching Chelsea’s behavior, but Sienna nodded.
“Whew, that’s a relief. There are pickpockets in the capital, so it’s said that if you lose even a little bit of your attention, they’ll steal all your money as well as your undergarments.”
“Pickpocketing? Um… There might as well be some I guess. Where in the world did you hear that?”
“From where did I hear… When you read romances, pickpockets are always showing up. When an innocent family member and a miss go out to the market and get targeted by a pickpocket, a handsome prince will apparently appear to aid. A prince won’t show up for this old woman, so I’ll have to take care of myself and be cautious.”
Chelsea said emphatically with a face full of vigor.
“This is the money you’ll need to buy your dress, so you shouldn’t lose a penny. The Duke has saved a lot of money to make ends meet even with the current financial difficulties…”
“I don’t mind the dress, but…”
“What are you talking about?! A dress is a must-have item! Who knows? At your coming-of-age banquet, there might appear a prince that falls for you, the lady with the beautiful dress.”
“A prince that falls for me…”
Sienna stopped talking as trying to tell Chelsea that her bloated, vain dreams didn’t exist was impossible. She didn’t want to shatter the old woman’s dreams.
“You watch the luggage. I’m going to pay for the carriage.”
“OK, come back soon.”
“You have to keep your luggage safe. This is the kind of place where people snore even when they have their eyes open!”
Chelsea didn’t turn away until after emphasizing her request. They had to pay the usage fees at the transportation company because they had used a horse carriage as transport.
“I’ve got it, so don’t worry and go on your way.”
“Yes. I’ll be right back.”
Sienna burst out laughing when she saw the old woman walking and grumbling as the hem of her skirt fluttered about while she headed for the merchant. Though she is old enough to have a grandson, Chelsea had a quirky and girlish side to her.
“… Am I really eighteen again?”
So far, there had been no sense of reality at all. While talking to Chelsea, it had all seemed like a dream.
“No. Maybe it was all just a nightmare. In fact, the current prince may not be Carl, but someone else, and I may not become the empress either. If it was all just a dream…”
What had happened so far had been too similar to the past to be dismissed as such.
“Was it really a visionary dream? No, five years worth of visions… Is that possible? It was so vivid…….”
While Sienna was reflecting on those five years with a gloomy face.
“Meow!”
“Coco! I said wait up!”
Next to her, she could see a priest running after a black cat. The priest had reddish dark brown hair and brown eyes, but he looked only eighteen years old. Appearing very, he didn’t fit with the image of priesthood.
This situation at that moment had already been experienced. In the past, she had watched the priest who had chased the cat in a strangely intriguing way.
“Now that I think about it…”
On the day Sienna first entered the capital, in a nearby area, a priest of the temple had been trampled to death in a nearby carriage accident. Sienna, who had heard the news of the terrible accident that had passed her by, had long felt bitter about that.
“Excuse me!”
Sienna started following after the priest. If her memory was right, she was sure he had worn a brown cape inside out. He ran frantically after the black cat, as if he hadn’t heard her voice.
She willed her legs to go as fast as she could. She was worried that she wouldn’t be able to speed up properly because it had been so long since she had been in fit shape, but fortunately, her eighteen-year-old body began to catch up to the priest. It was easier for her to run on a well-built road than through the snow-filled northern lands where she had been running all her life.
‘Ba-bang!’
She could hear firecrackers going off nearby. At last, Sienna grabbed the priest’s cape and pulled it back with all her might.
“Ahh!” the priest screamed and fell back with Sienna.
“Ugh!”
Sienna, who was under him, was not in a comfortable condition either. She winced from the pain that was climbing up her tailbone.
“Neigh!”
A horse was startled by the firecrackers. Had it not been for her, the priest would surely have been trampled by the fierce horse’s hooves.
“What’s wrong with this horse!”
“Take the reins!”
The horse could not easily be calmed down even though the caretakers took the reins of the jumping horse.
“Whinny!”
The priest trembled as he saw the jumping horse right in front of his face. At that moment, he couldn’t grasp that there was a lady underneath him, an obvious result of the events. It was only natural that he could not calm down.
“Sir priest, could you….”
But Sienna, who lay under his butt, could not remain crushed to the ground forever.
“Ack! I’m sorry!”
The priest sprang to his feet. She raised her upper body up as he reached out his hand and asked, “Are you alright? Are you not hurt?”
Taking his hand and lifting herself up, Sienna said, “Everything’s fine except for the prickling sensation of my butt. What about the priest? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes… I’m fine.”
“Neigh!”
The horse was still rampaging. Despite all efforts, the surprise from the explosion of the firecrackers prevented him from being easily calmed down. The priest, seeing that image, breathed a sigh of relief, a sullen expression on his face.
“If it wasn’t for you, miss, I’d would have had a horse’s hoof… I almost fell into the Goddess’ arms. Really, thank you so very much. You’re the savior of my life!”
The boyish-faced man looked at Sienna, his good-looking dark brown eyes twinkling.
She shook her head and said, feeling burdened by his gaze, “No. All this was the will of the Goddess of the Earth. It’s probably thanks to the fact that there are still many missions left to the priest.”
At those words, he held her hand in both of his and looked at her with emotion, saying, “You’re being humble… I really think I’m meeting an angel from the Goddess of the Earth. Oh, my introduction is late! I’m Roy Whist.”
“I am Sienna, the daughter of the heritage from Waters.”
“I really owe you, Sister Sienna. I don’t know what to do to reward.…”
At his words, Sienna shook his hand. She hadn’t done it for any reward. She had just wanted to check on whether she would be able to keep the five years she had been through from repeating themselves, if she would be able to change things even just a little using her own strength and by herself.
“I really don’t need a reward. More than that, I’m worried about who might get hurt.”
The horse still hadn’t calmed down. The workers were trying to soothe the horse, but they looked to be lacking in manpower. Some people were likely to get hurt if they didn’t calm it down soon.
“It’s not the time for me to be like this. Just a minute.” The priest turned around and approached the galloping horse. “I didn’t think I’d ever want to get close to a horse…”
Sienna looked at him with her head tilted, and the priest approached the horse with a bell.
“You have been very surprised! Calm down. No one here is trying to hurt you.”
The ones who had been calming down the horse’s galloping rampage looked at him as if he were a madman approaching.
“It’s dangerous…!”
Roy moved ahead to the unabated horse, which seemed very risky. Mindful of Sienna’s worries, he approached the excited horse.
“It’s all right. Shh – You’re kind.”