Chapter 307: Prepare a similar dress.
They didn’t rush back, instead, they took their time. Sienna walked slowly beside Elias, her body still weak but her mind sharper than when she opened her eyes from the fever. When they arrived in the courtyard, the queen and Lina were sitting at the new table outside. The residents of the compound had become accustomed to royalty showing up that they didn’t stand around to gawk or hop like bunnies to satisfy every demand of the queen anymore. They were going about their work, unbothered.
The queen rose immediately, her regal composure softened by genuine worry. "Sienna," she said, voice low, "How are you doing? I have seen your medical records." She paused, as if bracing herself for Sienna’s reaction. "I know it was not very lawful for me to access them without cause, but I feared you might suffer a mental break. I had to know that this was not a dangerous illness." She sighed. "Your human physique is too weak."
Sienna’s brows raised. The admission was bold, but the queen’s eyes carried no malice--only fear. "Admitting to a crime before me, How bold of you!" Sienna replied evenly, though her lips curled upward in a smile. "But I understand your concern and thank you for it."
Princess Lina, waved her right hand, that was holding a pastry between chopsticks. "Oh, sister-in-law, you worry too much. Honestly, Sienna, your miscarriage is not such bad news. The good thing about it is that you won’t look any fatter at my wedding. Small wins matter." Her words were delivered with a smile, as if she were offering a compliment.
But the people around her did not rush to smile, and they did not think of her words as a compliment. If Sienna’s miscarriage had actually been genuine, that would have been a very hurtful comment to hear.
Sienna reached for her phone. Without hesitation, she typed a message to Timothy.
[Please help me prepare a dress identical to the Princess Lina’s wedding gown.]
She hit send with sharp, deliberate force, a declaration of defiance.
"Lina, I beg you to think your words through in your mind before saying them out loud. A miscarriage is a sensitive topic." The queen tried to advise the princess, in a low voice.
Princess Lina, oblivious to the sting of her own words, glanced around the cottages she could see. "Sienna, you cottages are...quaint," she said, her tone polite but edged with mild condescension. "I mean, old things are charming in their own way. Of course, I wouldn’t live in one. This location has so much potential, it is a shame that your vision is narrow." She clapped her hands. "Don’t worry, I will fix it for you."
"I don’t need your help." Sienna replied flatly. "And I think you vision is narrower than mine."
Her words went unheard as Lina’s gaze had already fallen on Ali, who sat happily on the steps leading to the porch, with cream smeared across her mouth from a pastry. "Ah, how....wild. Does your daughter have a governess? If yes, you should fire them for doing a poor job of teaching the cub proper eating etiquette."
Elias’s patience snapped. He had been standing behind Sienna like her personal bodyguard all along. Everything Lina said, he heard clearly. His eyes blazed, and before the princess could utter another word, he strode forward, scooped her up, and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of grain.
"Enough," he growled. "You will return to your ship, go back to the palace and let your governess teach you how to talk, when to talk and what to say when you talk." His command was absolute.
He carried her outside, barking orders to her guards who scrambled to obey, and within minutes the princess was carried away by her people, her protests echoing uselessly in the distance.
The queen remained, her expression torn between worry and quiet relief. She touched Sienna’s arm, her voice grew gentler. "I apologize for her. I did not bring her with me, she followed me back on her own."
Sienna dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand. "I figured. As my friend, you would not deliberately bring that woman over to torture me. Besides, you also don’t like spending time with her. So, I doubt you would punish yourself like that."
The queen exhaled tiredly. "I am so glad you understand me. Just as I am glad I can vent with you about my relatives." Her voice grew quieter. "By the way, I heard about the fruits which help aid fertility. My mother-in-law is pressuring me about the heir matter again. I had a fight with Leon." Her shoulders fell. "The idea of choosing an heir from the family worked before, but it only stalled them. My father-in-law is unwilling to see the crown passed to another, even if its his nephew. He wants his own grandson as heir. If I don’t have a child, I might not be queen for more than two years."
Sienna rushed to answer in a low voice, "Don’t despair yet. The fruits take three weeks to sprout. They are not ready yet. But when they are, you will be the first to receive them. I promise that I will do whatever it takes to keep you on that throne as queen."
The promise carried weight, a bond between two women navigating the treacherous currents of power and family.
They sat together in silence as maids delivered the light porridge the doctor had insisted the kitchen send out now. The queen was also given a bowl. When the maids left, they resumed their talk in hushed whispers, even though they were discussing lighter topics.
"Did you ever find out who caused the accident at that factory?" The queen asked her after a while.
Sienna nodded. "Elias did. It was a guard who had been fired the week before. The cost of rebuilding was higher than the insurance payout. Elias grumbled about it for a while because the elders did not want to approve the budget."
Suddenly, they were interrupted by Numia. The woman, whose presence was unwelcome as ever, settled down opposite them as if she had an invitation. Her eyes gleamed with ambition, her voice sharp with intent.