The next day after the night she spoke to Carl, Sienna was called into interrogation. In the livingroom of Sienna’s palace, Bronis, the head of the treason investigation team, came every day and sat opposite her.
On either side of Bronis stood the Royal Knights. They were sent by Carl to protect Sienna, the empress. As he said at first, Sienna was not yet a sinner and should be respected as the empress.
Bronis questioned Sienna strongly even though he was aware of the presence of the knights.
“Do you know this letter?”
He stuck out an envelope and a letter. It was a letter from Roy, stamped with the red seal of the Holy Empire on a blue envelope.
“Of course I know. It’s a letter from Priest Roy.”
“So you know these letters, too?”
He took out an envelope of the same color and shape.
“No, I’ve only received one letter in person.”
“Does that make sense? It’s the same envelope and paper. It’s even from your desk drawer. In a drawer locked with a key!”
“The drawer was opened with the key Empress Arya had. Doesn’t that mean that the empress, or that reliable witness, can put in a fabricated letter if she decides to?”
“Why would a maid do such a thing?” Said Bronis, frowning.
“Then why would I, the empress of a country, do such a thing? What would be my benefit of selling the country?”
Having lost his words, Bronis raised his voice again after coughing for no reason. It’s been repeated for the past few days.
“A letter apparently came from your drawer!”
As usual, Sienna answered in a calm voice.
“You can’t call me a spy with that letter alone. If you’re to claim that I’ve exchanged it, at least you have to prove through what channel the letter came into my hands. You don’t mean to say that I went to Castro and received the letter, do you?”
“…”
Bronis was speechless for a moment and could not open his mouth. Soon he came to his senses and raised his voice a little more than before.
“You’re going to deny even such solid evidence? We have evidence and reliable witnesses. Be honest. There is no advantage to the Empress in dragging your time. You leaked national secrets to the Castro Empire, didn’t you?”
“I can answer you several times. I’ve never done that.”
“It’s no use arguing no.”
“I said, I’ve never done that.”
Similar remarks were repeated over and over again – Bronis telling her to turn herself in, and Sienna claiming her innocence. Bronis raised his voice more at the tediously repeated assertions.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
One of the Royal Knights sent by Carl grabbed him by the shoulder.
“Your Majesty has ordered your due respect to the Empress when you have something to ask her. Who on earth would raise their voice to the Empress like that?”
As if Bronis’ shoulder in the knight’s hand caused great pain, he groaned. “Then how the hell do you want me to interrogate her?” He said. The knight spoke to him in a quiet tone.
“This is not an interrogation. You are just questioning the Empress. The Emperor has never given you the authority to interrogate the Empress.”
“But the Empress…”
He mentioned Arya, but the knight said with an unwavering look.
“Are you saying that you will ignore the emperor’s order because the Empress is looking after you?”
“That’s… …not what I am saying.”
“Then be courteous and ask the Empress gently.”
Only after hearing the knight’s warning did Bronis get back to work.
“This letter is the only proof that I’ve done anything but transfer secrets to the Castro Empire. A letter that can be manipulated as much as one likes.”
“This evidence is not fabricated.”
“Then tell me. How did I deliver the information to the Castro Empire? I have never ever left the Imperial City since the emperor ascended to the throne.”
“You could have made someone working for you to steal information and transfer it.”
“Can you prove that?”
“If we investigate the maids who work for the Empress, we’ll soon find out.”
Sienna frowned visibly at the words of Bronis. Now he threatened to persecute the maids unless she confessed to him. She felt her lower stomach was aching when she thought of those who would be embarrassed by her.
The knight interrupted as he noticed Sienna’s face turning pale.
“Your Majesty, you don’t look so well. May I call you the doctor?”
Sienna shook her hand. She felt a slight pain, but it wasn’t a serious problem. Maybe it’s because she was stressed out by what Bronis said. She was worried about the child, but she wanted to finish this work with satisfaction.
“No, I’m fine. Did the Emperor allow you to interrogate the maids?”
“No. Even if he allows it, it will be held fairly and publicly.”
The knight meant no torture, threats or physical harm were to be done. Sienna said only then, feeling relieved, sweeping down her dry face.
“I’m tired today. Let’s stop here.”
At her request for departure, Bronis and the knights left the living room.
“What do we do? They say we have to bring in maids for interrogation. They are going to drag away Miss Hain!”
Pavenik raised his voice with a red face. Carl replied, frowning.
“Have you checked what I said before?”
“Yes, as you said. The witness is Leia, the maid of the Empress.”
“What’s her relationship with Arya?”
“Nothing has been revealed yet. But isn’t it strange that she ran straight to Empress Arya just because she found the letter? If you’ve found anything like that, you’d have to let the Emperor know first.”
“You are right. By the way, there’s something I think we should check out before anything.”
Pavenik asked Carl with a curious face. Carl said, rubbing the temples stinging with long agony.
“You said the maid saw the letter and told Arya that the content was suspicious, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can she read?”
At Carl’s words, Pavenik looked surprised.
Because of the high illiteracy rate, not many people could read. But that didn’t make it clear that she didn’t know how to read. Hain can read even though she’s a maid.
“That’s… I’ll check.”
Pavenik nodded with quite a bright face.
“And this!”
Carl threw a big chunk of gold at him. Pavenik managed to hold a lump of gold suddenly thrown at him like a weapon. The golden chunk was peculiarly shaped like a leaf.
“What is this?”
“I managed to search the imperial warehouse and find it. It’s Castro’s gold bullion.”
“Why do you want Castro’s gold bullion… ahh!”
Pavenik easily noticed what Carl wanted to do and left the office at a leisurely pace.
“How’s my gift?”
Said Arya, who came to Bluebell. Even though she threw the word ‘gift’ randomly, Bluebell understood what she meant. She meant that Sienna was suspected of treason.
“Of course, the charge is not clear yet. But with clear evidence and witnesses, there won’t be any other way to stop the Emperor. Even if she’s a member of the royal family, she’ll be severely punished for her transfer of information. Empress Sienna will soon be sentenced to death.”
Arya grinned and said the terrible words that someone was going to die in her trap. The nanny was right in saying that Arya was an unbelievable person – that she had a smiley face but was evil inside. But it was late for Bluebell to reject Arya’s helping hand.
“It doesn’t matter whether or not Empress Sienna gets a trial for this treason. The important thing is that I’m not pregnant.”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t I tell you? You have a very healthy, blonde boy with olive-colored eyes in your womb.”
Said Arya, stroking Bluebell’s belly. Watching her careful hand gesture, Bluebell wondered if she was really pregnant. Arya’s remark that the emperor’s child did not necessarily have to be the blood of the emperor may not be a joke.
“But I’ve never slept with Carl…”
“Don’t worry about that. Your Majesty the Emperor is still acquiescing. You just have to make sure you keep silent.”
Bluebell could not understand Arya’s words. There was no way that Carl would admit a child who was not his child as his son. As the next emperor.
But there was no other way. Bluebell can’t help but believe Arya. Even if Arya was a rotten rope, that was all she could hang on to at this point.
The next day after the night she spoke to Carl, Sienna was called into interrogation. In the livingroom of Sienna’s palace, Bronis, the head of the treason investigation team, came every day and sat opposite her.
On either side of Bronis stood the Royal Knights. They were sent by Carl to protect Sienna, the empress. As he said at first, Sienna was not yet a sinner and should be respected as the empress.
Bronis questioned Sienna strongly even though he was aware of the presence of the knights.
“Do you know this letter?”
He stuck out an envelope and a letter. It was a letter from Roy, stamped with the red seal of the Holy Empire on a blue envelope.
“Of course I know. It’s a letter from Priest Roy.”
“So you know these letters, too?”
He took out an envelope of the same color and shape.
“No, I’ve only received one letter in person.”
“Does that make sense? It’s the same envelope and paper. It’s even from your desk drawer. In a drawer locked with a key!”
“The drawer was opened with the key Empress Arya had. Doesn’t that mean that the empress, or that reliable witness, can put in a fabricated letter if she decides to?”
“Why would a maid do such a thing?” Said Bronis, frowning.
“Then why would I, the empress of a country, do such a thing? What would be my benefit of selling the country?”
Having lost his words, Bronis raised his voice again after coughing for no reason. It’s been repeated for the past few days.
“A letter apparently came from your drawer!”
As usual, Sienna answered in a calm voice.
“You can’t call me a spy with that letter alone. If you’re to claim that I’ve exchanged it, at least you have to prove through what channel the letter came into my hands. You don’t mean to say that I went to Castro and received the letter, do you?”
“…”
Bronis was speechless for a moment and could not open his mouth. Soon he came to his senses and raised his voice a little more than before.
“You’re going to deny even such solid evidence? We have evidence and reliable witnesses. Be honest. There is no advantage to the Empress in dragging your time. You leaked national secrets to the Castro Empire, didn’t you?”
“I can answer you several times. I’ve never done that.”
“It’s no use arguing no.”
“I said, I’ve never done that.”
Similar remarks were repeated over and over again – Bronis telling her to turn herself in, and Sienna claiming her innocence. Bronis raised his voice more at the tediously repeated assertions.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
One of the Royal Knights sent by Carl grabbed him by the shoulder.
“Your Majesty has ordered your due respect to the Empress when you have something to ask her. Who on earth would raise their voice to the Empress like that?”
As if Bronis’ shoulder in the knight’s hand caused great pain, he groaned. “Then how the hell do you want me to interrogate her?” He said. The knight spoke to him in a quiet tone.
“This is not an interrogation. You are just questioning the Empress. The Emperor has never given you the authority to interrogate the Empress.”
“But the Empress…”
He mentioned Arya, but the knight said with an unwavering look.
“Are you saying that you will ignore the emperor’s order because the Empress is looking after you?”
“That’s… …not what I am saying.”
“Then be courteous and ask the Empress gently.”
Only after hearing the knight’s warning did Bronis get back to work.
“This letter is the only proof that I’ve done anything but transfer secrets to the Castro Empire. A letter that can be manipulated as much as one likes.”
“This evidence is not fabricated.”
“Then tell me. How did I deliver the information to the Castro Empire? I have never ever left the Imperial City since the emperor ascended to the throne.”
“You could have made someone working for you to steal information and transfer it.”
“Can you prove that?”
“If we investigate the maids who work for the Empress, we’ll soon find out.”
Sienna frowned visibly at the words of Bronis. Now he threatened to persecute the maids unless she confessed to him. She felt her lower stomach was aching when she thought of those who would be embarrassed by her.
The knight interrupted as he noticed Sienna’s face turning pale.
“Your Majesty, you don’t look so well. May I call you the doctor?”
Sienna shook her hand. She felt a slight pain, but it wasn’t a serious problem. Maybe it’s because she was stressed out by what Bronis said. She was worried about the child, but she wanted to finish this work with satisfaction.
“No, I’m fine. Did the Emperor allow you to interrogate the maids?”
“No. Even if he allows it, it will be held fairly and publicly.”
The knight meant no torture, threats or physical harm were to be done. Sienna said only then, feeling relieved, sweeping down her dry face.
“I’m tired today. Let’s stop here.”
At her request for departure, Bronis and the knights left the living room.
“What do we do? They say we have to bring in maids for interrogation. They are going to drag away Miss Hain!”
Pavenik raised his voice with a red face. Carl replied, frowning.
“Have you checked what I said before?”
“Yes, as you said. The witness is Leia, the maid of the Empress.”
“What’s her relationship with Arya?”
“Nothing has been revealed yet. But isn’t it strange that she ran straight to Empress Arya just because she found the letter? If you’ve found anything like that, you’d have to let the Emperor know first.”
“You are right. By the way, there’s something I think we should check out before anything.”
Pavenik asked Carl with a curious face. Carl said, rubbing the temples stinging with long agony.
“You said the maid saw the letter and told Arya that the content was suspicious, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Can she read?”
At Carl’s words, Pavenik looked surprised.
Because of the high illiteracy rate, not many people could read. But that didn’t make it clear that she didn’t know how to read. Hain can read even though she’s a maid.
“That’s… I’ll check.”
Pavenik nodded with quite a bright face.
“And this!”
Carl threw a big chunk of gold at him. Pavenik managed to hold a lump of gold suddenly thrown at him like a weapon. The golden chunk was peculiarly shaped like a leaf.
“What is this?”
“I managed to search the imperial warehouse and find it. It’s Castro’s gold bullion.”
“Why do you want Castro’s gold bullion… ahh!”
Pavenik easily noticed what Carl wanted to do and left the office at a leisurely pace.
“How’s my gift?”
Said Arya, who came to Bluebell. Even though she threw the word ‘gift’ randomly, Bluebell understood what she meant. She meant that Sienna was suspected of treason.
“Of course, the charge is not clear yet. But with clear evidence and witnesses, there won’t be any other way to stop the Emperor. Even if she’s a member of the royal family, she’ll be severely punished for her transfer of information. Empress Sienna will soon be sentenced to death.”
Arya grinned and said the terrible words that someone was going to die in her trap. The nanny was right in saying that Arya was an unbelievable person – that she had a smiley face but was evil inside. But it was late for Bluebell to reject Arya’s helping hand.
“It doesn’t matter whether or not Empress Sienna gets a trial for this treason. The important thing is that I’m not pregnant.”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t I tell you? You have a very healthy, blonde boy with olive-colored eyes in your womb.”
Said Arya, stroking Bluebell’s belly. Watching her careful hand gesture, Bluebell wondered if she was really pregnant. Arya’s remark that the emperor’s child did not necessarily have to be the blood of the emperor may not be a joke.
“But I’ve never slept with Carl…”
“Don’t worry about that. Your Majesty the Emperor is still acquiescing. You just have to make sure you keep silent.”
Bluebell could not understand Arya’s words. There was no way that Carl would admit a child who was not his child as his son. As the next emperor.
But there was no other way. Bluebell can’t help but believe Arya. Even if Arya was a rotten rope, that was all she could hang on to at this point.
