"It's been a while since I've been to the imperial palace."
At Sigrid's answer, Awen nodded and then asked:
"Um, Sigrid."
"Yes."
"Did you... give the tea to Duke Lunatil...?"
"Yes."
Awen's shoulders flinched at Sigrid's response. His eyes trembled anxiously.
"I've procured so of that tea."
"Huh?"
Awen looked up in surprise. Sigrid turned to the maid.
"Go brew this tea."
Awen watched with a pale face as Sigrid handed over a small pouch. Anyone could see that Awen's state was unsettling. When the maid hesitated with the pouch, Sigrid frowned.
"What are you doing?"
"Y-yes, right away."
The maid quickly disappeared with the pouch. Sigrid looked at Awen and said:
"Shall we have a cup together?"
Awen clenched his fists.
"If you—"
"Your Highness?"
"If you want to kill , just tell
to die!"
Sigrid's eyes widened at his outburst. Alkerto, even more surprised, reflexively asked, "Your Highness?"
"Si-Sigrid must be tired of
now too—!"
"That's not true!"
Sigrid shouted back. Awen looked at her, gasping for breath. Tears welled up in his black eyes. He blinked rapidly and said:
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
Sigrid looked around. The servants who t her gaze quickly left the room. Sigrid knelt on one knee to et Awen's eyes.
"So you knew that tea was poisoned."
"......"
"You told
when we first t that it's better to be honest, Your Highness. So I'd like you to be honest with
too. Did you try to kill Beramund?"
Tears stread down Awen's face.
"sob hiccup— I, I just thought, I wished he would disappear—"
"That's attempting murder, isn't it?"
Alkerto's jaw dropped at their conversation. After a mont of uncertainty, he quickly moved to stand by the door. He thought he should prevent anyone else from hearing or entering.
Awen shook his head. Tears dripped down his cheeks.
"No, I didn't......"
"Why did you do it? Did soone order you to? Or......"
Awen looked up at Sigrid, then lowered his head again.
"Mother also......"
Mother? Does he an the forr Empress?
Wondering why this was being brought up, Sigrid quietly waited for Awen to continue.
"Father, sob, loved her....... I was always left out....... In the end...... Father......"
Awen burst into sorrowful tears. As he covered his face with his small hands, round tears trickled down beneath them.
"Every...one... hates... ...... Mother hates
too....... No one loves... ....... Even Sigrid....... In the end, because of that man......."
Sigrid stared at him blankly for a mont before speaking.
"Your Highness. The Empress—your mother—loved you more than anything. Enough to endure being hated."
"H-how do you know?!"
"I t Her Majesty the Empress."
At those words, Awen's head snapped up. Sigrid spoke softly:
"She t with
privately and told . She said she loved you, Your Highness. She told
she was doing it to protect you. She never abandoned you."
"Really......?"
"Yes."
She wasn't sure if it was good to tell him or not.
She had the foolish thought that if he kept believing his mother didn't like him, maybe the shock of her death would be less.
But that wasn't the case.
"It's true. She thought of you as the most precious thing in this world, more than anything else. That's why she ordered
to protect you, and I will keep that promise."
"Why......."
Awen sobbed.
"Why couldn't she protect our mother! Why! Why!"
Awen began hitting Sigrid with his fists. Sigrid embraced him, absorbing the painless blows.
"I'm sorry."
"sob gasp Mom, Mom, I miss, hiccup......"
Awen hugged her tightly and wailed. Soon, his cries turned into apologies.
"I was wrong. I'm sorry— sob, I was so scared Sigrid would hate
too, I'm sorry—"
Sigrid inwardly sighed.
Giving poison but not intending to kill, just wanting to make soone disappear.
But she couldn't say she didn't understand why he did such a thing. However, it wasn't sothing she could just let slide either.
Sigrid cupped Awen's cheeks.
"Your Highness. This thod is not right. Nothing is solved by killing people. And if you kill soone like this, it's murder. Do you understand?"
"I was... wrong......"
Awen said, sniffling.
"You must never do sothing like this again."
"Okay. I promise."
"I hope you'll apologize to Beramund as well."
"I will."
Awen nodded vigorously.
"But where on earth did you get that tea?"
"I received it from Father."
"From His Majesty the Emperor?"
"He said to give it as a gift to my brother......"
"Ah."
That bastard Emperor.
Repeating it once more in her mind, Sigrid asked:
"So you've been keeping it?"
"I... knew it was strange...... I said I lost it......"
"I see. You did well."
Sigrid nodded.
Awen hesitantly reached out with his childlike thin arms and hugged Sigrid.
"So you forgive
now?"
Sigrid looked at the ceiling for a mont before turning back to Awen.
Forgive and give a second chance.
"Yes."
She had received that second chance herself. It wouldn't make sense for soone like her not to give others a second chance.
"Thank you, Sigrid."
"But you must apologize to Beramund too. And he hasn't said he's forgiven you yet."
At those words, Awen shrank back but soon nodded.
He asked cautiously:
"Then Sigrid......."
"Yes."
"You, you don't hate ......?"
At that almost whispered question, Sigrid looked at Awen for a mont.
A child who lost his mother, surrounded by people trying to use him, with only Sigrid herself —and Alkerto— as soone he could trust.
'I should have given him more assurance.'
Marrying Beramund doesn't change her feelings towards Awen. But Awen didn't have that certainty, so he beca anxious and tried to get rid of Beramund.
"Your Highness."
"Yes......?"
"I like you."
Awen's eyes widened. He looked as if he hadn't expected such words at all.
"It's true."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Really? Really? Even if Sigrid has a baby? Even if I play pranks—"
"It doesn't matter. Even if you talk behind my back."
"I won't!"
"Even if you try to kill
or those around —"
"I absolutely won't!"
Awen shouted again. Sigrid nodded.
"I like you, Your Highness."
"I, I like Sigrid too."
"I see."
Sigrid smiled and stood up. There was a knock at the door.
"I've brought the tea."
It was the voice of the maid who had left earlier. Alkerto looked at Sigrid, and she nodded. Alkerto opened the door. The maid entered and set the tea set on the table one by one. Sigrid poured the tea into cups. She asked:
"Would you like so too, Alkerto? It's delicious."
Alkerto responded with a "Huh?" and Sigrid said:
"Beramund gave it to — he said the leaves themselves have a sweet taste, and it's really good."
After filling three cups, she picked up her own and took a sip.
"Sigrid!"
Awen cried out in surprise, and Sigrid tilted her head, saying:
"It's delicious."
"Ah......."
Only then did Awen realize it wasn't the tea leaves he had given from the beginning. His shoulders slumped. Alkerto approached, picked up his cup, and asked:
"Isn't it against etiquette to drink tea while standing?"
"There's no rule that says we must sit to drink, is there?"
"I think it's so obvious they didn't bother writing it down."
Alkerto replied and drank the tea. A subtle sweetness spread in his mouth.
"Oh, it really is sweet?"
"Right? Your Highness, you should try it too."
Sigrid said, offering the saucer with the cup.
"Perhaps Your Highness should sit to drink, according to etiquette."
Awen took the cup without a word and drank the tea. It was indeed sweet, and Awen blinked, muttering:
"......This is delicious."
"Isn't it?"
"It's weird for the three of us to stand and drink tea."
Alkerto finally laughed. Sigrid said, "Shall we sit then?" and took a seat.
Sitting at the table, the three of them emptied their teacups completely.
Arkana and Beramund listened to Sigrid's explanation without a word. Sigrid slumped her shoulders, sighed, and said:
"That's how it went."
"Sigrid, are you really okay with this?"
At Arkana's question, Sigrid turned her head.
"With what?"
"Taking His Highness to your territory."
"It's fine."
"Just because it happened once doesn't an it won't happen again."
"We should give a chance to correct mistakes."
At Sigrid's words, Arkana let out a light sigh.
"Alright."
He answered, but he intended to keep an eye on the Third Prince for the ti being.
"And if I say I can't forgive him, does that make
the bad person who didn't give a chance?"
At Beramund's words, Sigrid turned to him with wide eyes.
"That's not it. I made it clear that it's an issue between you and His Highness."
"Yes, but it sounds like pressure."
"It's not."
Sigrid replied and continued:
"I'll be more careful in the future. But Beramund, it really isn't."
Her crimson eyes looked at him, full of trouble. Beramund, who was sitting draped over the back of the sofa, smiled.
"I know. But you need to be careful. You're in a higher position now."
"Yes."
Sigrid sighed. Beramund clenched and unclenched his fist.
"Actually, what I really can't forgive is that you could have drunk that tea too, Siri."
"You almost died too, Beramund."
Sigrid said glumly.
"If Beramund had died, or even if sothing else had happened. I don't know if I could have said I'd give a second chance."
"You would have."
"Beramund."
"I'm not saying you take
lightly, but that's the kind of person you are."
Fair, upright, always looking at people straight on, that's the person I love.
Beramund grinned and said:
"Well then, I guess I should receive His Highness's apology first and then think about what's next. Is that alright?"
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