Stolen away again.
How many people want to be loved? Everyone only sees Irillin.
That thing has taken it all away.
Love and talent. Everything she wanted to have.
“……Princess, what is it?”
Irillin asked, concerned as if she’d noticed the darkening of Sienna’s expression.
The woman was actually more vicious than any of them, and now she was here, hiding her teeth and pretending to be docile.
It was outright disgusting.
“…….”
“Princess?”
“You’ve got the menu.”
But she couldn’t come all this way and ruin it.
Sienna was determined to get that nuisance out of her sight.
……Of course, it’s going to be harder today with Vin, who had been watching her intently from the corner of his eye.
Now that she has someone to do this with, she’ll just have to wait for the right time.
“Your order is here.”
The waitress quickly placed the menu on the table.
When the wine she’d ordered as a side was placed on the table, Sienna spilled her glass on Vin and Irillin, pretending it was a mistake.
She apologized, feigning a terribly embarrassed expression.
“Oh! Oh my God, I’m s-so sorry.”
Even at this point, the wine splashed on her clothes due to her obsessive hygiene was too much of a nuisance to ignore.
“It’s alright, we’ll just go to the cleaning room over there and get cleaned up. Irillin, let’s go.”
Unlike Serom, Abert’s magical facilities were well maintained, and a favorite of the nobility had a small room with a cleaning spell inside.
Apologizing again, Sienna watched as Irillin and Vin went into the cleaning room, and quickly poured a potion she had made into Irillin’s goblet.
It wasn’t poison, so it wouldn’t kill her, but it would influence her mind.
It was almost time, Sienna glanced at her watch and smiled when they returned.
“Once again, I’m so sorry, so as an apology, I’ll take care of the bill, and you may have as much as you like. To begin – a toast?”
Skimming Irillin’s glass quickly with his fingertips, Vin nodded and raised his own.
He checked it for poison with his magic.
She’d rather not have an escort. Even a princess can’t be exempt from suspicion.
Well, it doesn’t matter. The ‘poison’ didn’t hurt anyway.
Sienna confidently raised her glass.
“Cheers!”
* * *
Even as a princess, Sienna is a captive, so she can’t go out freely.
She has to be inside the palace before 10 at night, not to mention the knights who are always on the lookout.
“I had a great time today. If there’s ever another time, let’s meet again.”
Neatly settling the bill, Sienna looked forward to the next.
“I didn’t really enjoy it, but if you’re playing Dinner Monster 2 again, I guess I’ll have to make time.”
“Irillin…? What’s wrong? Are you drunk?”
Vin shook my shoulder, seemingly embarrassed by my overly frank remark.
Eh, I’ve had a lot to drink, but I don’t feel drunk.
Why do I feel like I can just say what’s on my mind?
“Right.”
Sienna smiled, not at all embarrassed, and climbed into the carriage.
I watched the carriage pull away, then looked at Vin.
Then I laughed sheepishly.
“Hehe.”
“…You’re drunk.”
I don’t have to hide how pleased I feel! I love it!
I don’t know why I’m feeling so good, but I’m feeling good, and I need to let it out.
“Yes! Yes! I love it!”
“What’s so great?”
With a raspy chuckle, Vin’s gaze slid down to meet mine at eye level.
The sight of the tips of his silver lashes pointing downward was beautiful.
Enough to make me want to kiss him.
“You.”
And so, without hesitation, I indulged in my desire.
“Ah, what…!”
Vin exclaimed, grabbing the sides of my face.
I squinted. His pretty eyes were covered by his hand.
I reached for his hand and pulled it away, but the hand that was in the way was just as pretty.
They were white and slender, with calluses in several places, giving them an air of nobility and strength.
Hands that would look good wielding a sword, but would also look good playing the piano.
“W-what…!”
Vin stuttered again when I interlaced our hands.
His hands had been removed, revealing a face bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
This time, I kissed him on the cheek.
“W-what…!!”
Vin repeated, pulling his face back.
I wonder if that’s all he could think to say in his panic.
As I stood there giggling at the hilarity of the scene, Vin finally said something else.
“But w-why?”
“Why, because you are so pretty and cute.”
“….”
Vin turned away in a shy huff, as I wondered where the man who had been so eagerly chasing me as I dodged had gone.
I wonder if this is what it feels like when a carnivore eats the prey it’s been chasing.
A strange feeling of exhilaration.
This time I opened my mouth wide, as if I were going to eat him, and nipped at his reddened cheeks.
The stunned, wide-eyed look on his face was hilarious, and I burst out laughing.
“Pffttt. Haha.”
“Irillin. You’re very drunk. Please let me take you home.”
Vin led me away, his calloused hand never leaving mine.
I wondered if we were going to hire a carriage, but we were headed towards the gates.
It wasn’t that far from the restaurant to the palace, so it didn’t seem like a long walk.
Still, it would have been much quicker and more comfortable to hire a carriage to take me home after drinking.
Instead, he’s walking quite slowly, which suggests he’s enjoying the situation, even if he doesn’t show it.
Oh, right. The corner of my mouth lifted slightly and then dropped.
Pretending to be nice and shy, you fox.
The entire walk to the palace, I couldn’t take my eyes off Vin’s face.
Silver hair that was finer than snow, silver lashes that fluttered whenever he looked at me, eyes as deep and blue as a lake, white skin and nose without a single blemish…
His lips.
Lips that draw me in mesmerizingly with their very presence.
What an intense desire I had for them.
There was no reason to delay any longer.
I didn’t hesitate to bring my face close to his, but-.
“No.”
Vin’s index finger pushed my lips away.
“Why?”
He said no?
One minute he said he liked me. Why? My face contorts into a sullen frown.
“You don’t like me?”
“Of course I do.”
Vin removed his hand from my lips and traced my furrowed brow.
He stroked it gently and smiled mischievously.
” I like you.”
The words went off like firecrackers in my ears.
It traveled through my ears, into my heart, and stirred within me, a great excitement.
I swear I’ll never forget this moment or his voice.
“But.”
“But?”
“If your behavior changes when you sober up, I’ll be devastated, so you can’t.”
Changing?
Well, when I’m sober, I’ll have to put my frankness on hold and weigh the situation rationally.
“Okay, you see now, so let’s just walk.”
…But then the opportunity is gone when I’m sober.
A chance to be honest about my feelings!
“I don’t see it.”
A great man once said.
It’s only a fool like Nix Heyman who doesn’t take chances when they come along.
That was a quote from a woman named Baek Mo-na.
You gotta abide by the quotes of the greats.
“Mwah!”
I stole another peck on his cheek with my lips and stuck my tongue out.
“…….”
Vin sighed, with a look that said, “Why did I ever speak to somebody who would think everything I said was bullshit?
His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword.
“I can’t do this.”
What, are you going to slash me with that?
* * *
“The drug, it’s an opener, you forget why you even need to hide your feelings, and when you wake up sober, you’ll think it was just a drunken mistake.”
Late at night in Rapel’s office, Sienna sipped her tea with a faint smile.
Sitting across from her, Rapel’s teacup was filled with a light green liquid- John Mustang-melon flavor.
She took a mouthful of the fruity liquor and refilled her teacup, turning to Sienna.
“You can’t possibly kill Irillin Heather with something like that, are you?”
“I have no desire to murder her, not yet.”
“Not yet?”
“When I’ve shaken off that loathsome pretense when I’ve shaken off everyone around her, when there’s no one left on her side. That’s when I’ll give her an awful death.”
“And your first target to shake off…why, Sith Heather?”
Sienna had explained to Rapel that the goal was not only to kill Irillin but also to alienate her from Sith Heather.
All of her goals aligned with Rapel’s. Rapel regretted that she had not co-operated with Sienna sooner, instead choosing the cowardly crown prince.
“If you can’t explain everything to me, then maybe it’s better for both of us if we don’t try to know too much.”
However, unlike the crown prince, Sienna doesn’t show her true feelings very often, which makes me wonder if she’s really a trustworthy card.
Rapel couldn’t be sure Sienna wouldn’t betray or take advantage of even her, her ally.
“…That would be better for us. I don’t know you.”
“Good to know.”
It was a straightforward statement, with no polite words of compromise or understanding.
But Rapel liked that, too.
She had always been able to read a person’s mind, and she was deeply repulsed by the other nobles who were so different on the outside than they were on the inside.
It was much easier to deal with them if they were openly honest.
Especially now that she couldn’t read their minds.
“So, how is it that just by Irillin being honest, you’ll alienate her from Sith Heather?”
“Because there’s nothing worse than looking inside a person’s head. Irillin clearly hates Sith Heather, if she drops her mask, she’ll say something that will irreparably damage the relationship between them.”
Irillin hates the Sith.
Despite never having met the ‘real ones’, Sienna was sure of their relationship.
T/n: Sienna is just a clown atp. Sorry for the late update~. I was feeling ill for most of the week but updates will continue as normal 😛
