Chapter 30: Live To Sienna Pt.30
That was when Carl tried to call her name, but she suddenly grabbed the instrument from the performer and began to perform with Valore. They were both so friendly to each other that it gave them the appearance of having played together for a long time. Carl’s fist started overflowing with strength then.
“I guess the capital sure is different. I get to enjoy a lot of rare sights.”
“That’s right. I was able to watch a lady who resembles a violin play one. Interesting.”
“It’s something never seen before. The prince playing a women’s piano, and a noble lady playing the violin, the instrument of men!”
The men were looking at her with hunger in their eyes, as if they were choosing a whore. Even though they were the first ones to talk to her later, Carl had the thought of wanting to rip them apart piece by piece right away.
“I knew that the second prince was very artistic and good at arts, but I didn’t know that the second prince’s artistic prowess was that deep,” one of the people in the crowd said as if she’d known all along.
Out of the blue, Princess Marie got mentioned. Marie Panacio was Prince Valore’s wife, with whom he had had a very extravagant wedding the year before. Sienna was being mistaken for her, so Carl opened his mouth then, unable to allow such misunderstanding any longer, “She is not the wife of the Second Crown Prince.”
The men, who were surprised by Carl’s response and wanted to know more, asked again, “Then, who is that woman?”
“...”
Carl couldn’t bring himself to answer that question. It was then that Valore had kissed the back of Sienna’s hand after the performance, which caught everyone’s attention, leading their conversation to a halt. If Arya hadn’t stepped in, he might have stepped up first.
Carl started to become very upset when he saw her looking at the sad Valore, who was being led away by Arya’s hand. Without thinking twice, he grabbed her wrist and brought her out to the balcony.
“Ah...” Sienna, who was plagued by other thoughts, made a thoughtless, surprised sound.
“I’m at a loss for words.”
Carl’s expression after leading Sienna to the terrace was indescribably distorted. As if having played the violin in a performance with Valore at the banquet hall wasn’t enough, she was still able to have other thoughts.
“Miss Waters.”
It wasn’t until Carl called her name that Sienna came to her senses in a hurry. She gave him a small curtsy.
“I’d like to give my greetings to the First Crown Prince.”
“You don’t have to say hello to me like that. Since when are you so polite to me? It’s alright to stay relaxed.”
“If you say so.”
Sienna took off her shoes as soon as she heard Carl say those words. The shoes, which were high-heeled, were quite stiff and heavy because of the poor cushioning within them, so the mere act of wearing them was difficult.
The cool texture of terrace marble was transferred to the soles of her feet. Her skin, which had been reddened by the rough leather texture, seemed to have calmed down a little.
It was a pleasure to receive a dress as a gift from Aunt Kelly, but wearing a dress that straddled the waist and emphasized femininity with its voluptuous skirt, which was now in vogue in the capital, was nothing short of torture. Even though the banquet had started just after sunset, she had had to go without water since the beginning of the morning to have her corset tightened.
Moreover, she had had to keep her hair in line with the latest fashion, so she had put it on an iron rod heated in a brazier when her aunt commented that hairstyles could not be normal. She had been very anxious that they might burn her face that she had sweated through the whole process.
The fancy dress was as uncomfortable as it was beautiful. Moreover, the clothes were very heavy due to the hanging jewels. She wanted to take off not only her shoes, but also the dress and the corset that were tightening her body, but she was not yet completely comfortable in front of the opposite sex.
The only things she took off were her shoes, but she finally looked at Carl. It was not until she saw his astonished gaze that Sienna thought she was being too much.
The capital was also a place of etiquette, even when it came to drinking water. It was OK to expose a woman’s shoulders or wear deeply plunging clothes, but the act of showing her feet to the opposite sex not to be considered in that place.
Even more so in front of men and in the presence of the prince of this empire. It was natural for him to be alarmed.
“The new god is so hard. It’s because my feet hurt so much.”
Sienna’s voice dwindled because even she thought that excuse wasn’t enough to justify her act and explain her taking off her shoes.
She thought he’d laugh at her for being a little rustic, but there was no big change in his expression. He bent to one knee under Sienna’s foot. Surprised by his sudden action, she took a step back.
Carl took a handkerchief out from his chest and laid it on the floor.
“The floor is cold, so...”
‘Oh, my goodness.’
Sienna was at a loss for his strange behavior. Carl was on his knees. Now, a prince, but in the future, the emperor. He was the noblest man in Laifsden. He, who had no need to bow to anyone, was kneeling in her presence.
Carl rose slowly. He reached out to Sienna with a soft smile.
“Don’t stand on the floor. Get up on it.”
Sienna gently put her hand on his palm. The warmth coming from his own palm passed onto her hand as both hands came into contact.
As she took a step toward him, she felt the soft silk he had laid under her feet. It felt cozy and comfortable, as if she was on a cushion with a thin cloth on it.
A cool gust of wind blew. The sound of the rustling of leaves from the trees planted in the garden was like the sound of waves. The cool wind chilled Sienna’s chest.
He was such a kind person now, but she asked herself why he had been so cold and distant to her in the past. Out of the blue, Sienna felt emotional and choked up. She turned her gaze out toward the terrace, not knowing what harsh words might come out her mouth after gazing into his eyes.
Her mind had become complicated, and the word ‘if’ had taken over her head.
If in the past, he had treated her—no, things now weren’t going the way they had in the past—if he had treated her with a little bit of affection, if he had admitted that he was his companion, then she wouldn’t have unintentionally joined Queen Arya’s side... But, would she have still made that terrible choice? If he had also given her the friendly looks he used for Bluebell, she might not have soaked in that terrible sense of defeat.
She knew how futile ‘if’ was. She knew he had had no choice but to act so.
It had been a wedding that he hadn’t wanted, the wedding that he hadn’t even wanted to be present for. He had already had a fiancée, so even the wedding had been arranged by Empress Arya. The woman who had tried to take Carl’s life many times, and who had been the culprit in expelling him to the battlefields of war.
So, it had been natural for Carl to distance himself from Sienna, thinking she might be on Arya’s side. Considering her last choice of accepting Arya’s offer to make Joseph the emperor, that perception was not that wrong, though she hadn’t known anything of what might follow. Still, she had mixed feelings.
She knew how irrational she was even now, but her complex feelings toward Carl could not be easily sorted out. She wished she hadn’t found out that he could be warm to others like this. If he had only been kind and friendly to his beloved Bluebell, she wouldn’t have felt this way.