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Of course, if he helped, she would be able to more actively prevent the rebellion that Arya was to cause later, but how could she have explained that to him? How could she have told him that she wanted to keep Arya from revolting in five years? Otherwise, could she have told him that she wanted him to chop her head off to remove a bad seed?
Of course, it wasn't that she didn't want to kill Arya, but she kept her thoughts only in her heart. If a person commited a murder just because she felt murderous, those of their family, left behind in their hometown, would be disgraced and in danger.
Sienna intended to get revenge on Arya, but she did not want the type of revenge that would take her own life. It was a terrible thing to think of people losing their lives because of their own selves. It was ridiculous to ask Carl to kill her. A requested murder was still murder.
'If Carl says he's going to come and help, what can I do for him?'
She pulled herself out of bed before she could put away the fleeting thoughts because she felt a foreign air floating in her room. There was a mixture of breaths and sounds other than her own. Sienna scanned the room tensely.
She caught her breath when she saw Carl standing next to the curtains by the window. She felt a sense of pressure from him as he stood against the sunlight entering the room. Sienna said, calming her surprised heart, "How long have you been there?"
"Who is the priest?"
Had he meant Roy? If he'd seen her seeing Roy off, he was, at the very least, in her room before she entered it.
"You should've announced yourself. Rather, how did you even get in here?"
"Is it that priest? Your unattainable love?"
"That misunderstanding is impolite. He only came to offer his blessing to my aunt. How did you get into this room?"
Carl pointed at the locked window, as it should have been, at Sienna's words. The room was getting dark because it was near sunset.
"The windows are not for people to come in and out."
Sienna lashed out at him by lighting candles.
'He left through the window the last time, too... '
"Next time, I'll let the servant know that you're going to visit the mansion. Come in through the front gates and the door."
It was a natural step for a typical visit. But right now, his visits had to be kept secret. So, Carl made a sarcastic remark when Sienna responded that way.
She said with discontent, "I wouldn't have been surprised if you could have at least released some of your charisma."
"I've been standing in front of the window facing the door the whole time and I think that's enough to say that was I showing myself. On the contrary, it was your fault to lie down on your bed without noticing that I was there."
Unable to find a rebuttal to what he had said, she turned the subject around, "Can I take it that you have accepted my offer since you are here?"
"The suggestion to join hands to threaten Empress Arya?"
"I didn't mean to threaten her, but to keep her in check. Though, there's not much difference in the meaning of the two. So, does that mean you're working with me?"
"No."
"Your Majesty is in a position to keep Arya in check. Why do you say no?"
"How can I trust you?"
Not too long ago, she had asked for a favor that she hadn't needed. When she heard the words of rejection from Carl's mouth, she got goosebumps.
"I know you don't believe I have the ability to keep Empress Arya in check. I'll show you my skills step by step, slowly. It won't be too late to turn down my offer after checking my abilities."
"How can I trust you? You may be in league with the empress."
"If I were on Arya's side, would I have so easily informed the prince of her ruse? If that were the case, why would I have saved Your Highness's life? It would have been easier to leave you in that alley."
"I don't know. Maybe the situation I was in at that time was a trick to draw my attention. Maybe you're trying to get me to trust you by talking about plotting against Empress Arya and, later, drag me into a very big trap."
Sienna bit her lower lip at his words. It never occurred to her that he would refuse her offer just because he didn't trust her. That was so stupid. She had only thought of her hostility toward Arya.
"If you don't believe me, why are you here?"
"You know..." he muttered with a worried face."Why on earth did I come all the way here for? What is it that I wanted to confirm so badly?"
Carl's question was not asked for Sienna's answer. That was why she kept her mouth shut.
"Why do you want to join hands with me to try to keep Empress Arya in check? I know you both have never associated with each other before."
"..."
"Moreso, how in the world did you know that Arya would designate you as my crown princess? You said it was just a guess, but guessing is basically making uncertain judgments about what's going to happen in the future with some information. But how were you able to get information even I couldn't get a hold of when you'd never left Heidel? In what way? You were so confident even as you assured me that it was just a guess. Why were you so sure of what you were saying?"
Sienna couldn't answer his question. How could she tell him that she knew what would happen in the next five years? She knew it because it was something she had already experienced.
She just couldn't tell him the truth. Even she thought it all sounded crazy.
"My aunt, who is a businesswoman, has information, so I only made an assumption based on those foundations."
"Huh!" Carl said with a sneer."Why? Are you a prophet who has seen the future?"
"..."
"That's all I care about. If you're truly on Arya's side, you'd better tell me the truth and ask for forgiveness now."
"No. Never with Arya..."
Sienna felt she was being treated so unjustly that she was speechless. How could she join hands with Arya? Arya had used Sienna to kill many and had taken her son, Joseph, and killed him. She couldn't be in collusion with Arya, the one who was worse than the devil.
However, whatever she said about Arya would sound like excuses to him.
'It was a big deal... '
She shouldn't have reached out to Carl like that. She should not have approached him that way. Now, it was clear to her that even though she had saved him, he would constantly doubt her henceforth. Sienna blamed herself for not being wiser.
Seeing that she couldn't even give him a proper excuse, Carl turned around, facing his back to her in disappointment.
"Your Highness..."
Sienna held Carl's hand. Of course, she thought he would resist, but he just looked down at her hand.
"When you went to the frontlines, were you accompanied by a servant named Azrael, who should've also come back with you to the capital?"
He looked at Sienna as if trying to read her face, thinking, 'How in the world does she know this?'
"If that's so, be careful of Azrael."
He laughed coldly at her remark.
"That's funny. Azrael is my close friend and servant."
Sienna had already known that he would become even more suspicious of her if she said that.
"No. He's not your friend, but Empress Arya's puppet. He'll certainly attack you when you're most relaxed and have your guard down on the way to the frontlines."
Carl's eyes burned fiercely.
"Is this also one of your guesses? That Azrael will attack me?"
"Not conjecture, but... I've been informed by chance."
"From?"
"..."
"So, you got some advanced information that Arya had planted my servant as a spy, just by chance, without any source? Do you want me to believe that?"
"... I know you can't easily believe what I'm saying."
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