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Translator Note:
Hi, I just wanted to let you know that besides Vol. 4 I will also translate Volumes 1, 2, and 3.
But as I said in Table of Contents, Vol. 1, 2, and 3 will be slow update.
However, I will try to stick to the schedule (updates once a week).
And...... As it was written in bold above, PLEASE DON'T SHARE OR REPOST!!
I'm sure many of you already know that. Korean Publishers is strict, so...... Again, PLEASE DON'T SHARE OR REPOST!!
Thank you!
***
Novel The Great Wish Volume 1
Chapter 2 - Open Your Closed Eyes
Part 2
"Your
Highness, have you been well?"
"Countess.
You're here already?"
Beth,
who had taken a long trip to visit her daughter who had just given birth, had
returned earlier than scheduled and entered the Palace.
"Yes,
I decided to return early."
"You
should have gotten some rest while you were away visiting your daughter."
"I
can't do that, not when Your Highness's birthday is just around the
corner."
"Countess,
I appreciate your thoughts but the Baroness must be sad. Is your grandson
well?"
"Yes.
He's got a strong build, he is not likely to suffer from any illnesses. Your
Highness, I know it's not much, but I have a gift for you."
Beth
held out a small wooden box.
"These
are the tea leaves that are usually your favorite, Your Highness. They were
picked by my daughter."
"Thank
you. I will drink it well."
"And
I would like you to meet someone. It is absolutely not because there is a
different meaning. On my return, I was accompanied by a child who is a distant
relative of my son-in-law. She was brought here to find a suitable marriage
partner, and this child's brewing skills are truly excellent. I wanted to make
sure you had a taste of this child's tea, Your Highness."
Sienna
laughed lightly.
"I
do not misunderstand the Countess's favor. Please bring her in."
"Yes,
Your Highness."
The
Countess left the parlor and returned a moment later with a young woman in tow.
Sienna's eyes widened as she recognized the stranger's face. Strange, but not
unfamiliar.
Beth
introduced the woman, who stood stiff with nervousness.
"This
is the child, Your Highness. Emma, greet Her Highness."
Sienna's
eyes fluttered wide.
"G-Gre......
Greetings to you, Your Highness. My...... My name is Emma. Emma Dalton."
Emma.
The
trembling, stuttering woman had the same name as the woman in Sienna's dream.
It wasn't just the name. The younger version of the middle-aged woman who had
poured tea at the Emperor's side in her dream was right there in front of her.
'I
can't believe this.'
Beth,
who had misinterpreted the way Sienna was staring at Emma in awe, urged her on.
"Emma,
take the tea to Her Highness. Don't be nervous, be calm. Just be your usual
self."
"Ye......
Yes, Countess."
Emma's
hands, trembling as if they were freezing cold, came to a complete stop as she
reached for the teapot, and very calmly she brewed the tea and filled the cups.
As
soon as Sienna drank the tea, she was overwhelmed. The aroma was unlike
anything she had ever tasted before. The sweetness was perfect, just right for
her taste.
"Excellent.
This is the best tea I've ever had."
"Thank
you, Your Highness."
If
this was the tea that the Emperor in her dreams drank, the praise was not
excessive. Also, the birthmark on Emma's nose in the dream was also present on
the young Emma's nose.
'There's
no doubt. They are the same person.'
"Emma,
can I call you by your name?"
"Ye-Yes,
Your Highness."
Emma
responded, looking very surprised. Most people were nervous in Sienna's
presence, but she'd never seen anyone look so pale as if they were about to
collapse. She looked terribly vulnerable, and Sienna liked it. She didn't seem
like the kind of person who would brazenly lie or shift gears.
"I
want to continue drinking your brewed tea. Will you stay in the Palace for the
time being and brew it for me?"
Emma,
a timid country girl, was half-frozen, overwhelmed by the enormous Imperial
Palace.
Emma
was excited until she followed the Countess to the Capital. She was intimidated
by the glitz and glamor of the Capital, and the Countess's mansion seemed too
much for her.
But
an Imperial Palace, and the prospect of seeing Her Highness every day and
serving her tea? Emma wanted to return home immediately. Emma looked at the
Countess with pleading eyes. 'It is something I dare not do', she said with
pleading eyes.
"It's
an honor, Your Highness. This child will gladly serve tea to you. Emma, what are
you doing? Come on, say thank you to Her Highness."
The
Countess did not take Emma's side. Timid Emma couldn't bring herself to say no.
"I-It's
an honor...... For me, Your Highness."
Sienna
summoned her maid and instructed her to find a place for Emma to stay. Emma's
shoulders sagged as she left with the maid. Her reluctance was palpable, and
the Countess was embarrassed.
"Your
Highness, it's because that child isn't used to the Imperial Palace yet."
"It
must be awkward to live in an unfamiliar place where you don’t know anyone.
Countess, please check on her in the mornings and in the evenings to make sure
she's doing well."
That
night, Sienna lay in bed and reviewed her dream. She made little progress in
figuring out who the Emperor in her dreams was. In the first dream, it was the
garden, the one overlooking the Emperor's office.
The
garden in its current form, with its various thematic arrangements, was created
some 70 years ago. At that time, the Empire was under the rule of the First
Emperor, Sienna's great-grandfather. Since then, all the Emperors up to the
current Emperor, her father, have been men.
"Emma......"
I
wasn't sure until the Emperor sent me a gift of tea leaves, and then a dream
figure appeared in my life.
'The
Emperor in my dream is me......'
Then,
everything clicked. Her heart thumped. Sienna felt like she was about to laugh.
'So
it was indeed an oracle.'
Dreams
of a glimpse of the future were the power of the gods.
'I
saw my future.'
Everyone
around her said she would be Emperor, and she thought it was only natural. Her
pedigree and abilities were enough to qualify her. However, she even received
an oracle. The Gods said she definitely became Emperor. She received
recognition from an absolute power.
'If
the Gods wanted to show me my future, they wouldn't have shown me such a vague
dream twice. There is a clear meaning in the oracle, and I must find it.'
Then,
Sienna had a third dream.
A
middle-aged lady suddenly appeared in front of her, and she realized it was her
reflection in the mirror.
This
was the first dream she'd had since she'd been convinced that the Emperor in
her dream was her future self, and she had great proof that her conviction was
correct.
—This
is...... My future self.
Sienna
immediately recognized herself, even if she had changed with age.
Her
silver hair with blue tinges and golden eyes. Her cheeks were a bit fuller and
her eyelids thinner, making her eyes look deeper. Her skin didn't look as fresh
as Sienna's at twenty.
She
looked twenty years older, maybe a little more, but it was hard to tell.
The
current Sienna, not yet of age, was at the peak of her youth. As is often the
case with the young, she did not envision herself as old. The universal truth
that everyone walks toward death was fresh in her mind.
It
was a strange feeling to suddenly see a version of herself that had passed by
years. On the other hand, there was something about the Sienna that she liked
very much.
The
eyes.
The
eyes of her future self, the Emperor, held a deep sense of age. Something the
current Sienna could never have, no matter how hard she tried. The wisdom of
the ages was in her eyes.
The
mirror reflected the movement of the maids as they came and went behind her.
They assisted the Emperor in her chair. Two maids fastened the cloak around the
Emperor's shoulders. The colorful robes, embroidered with gold thread, were
beautiful and exuded majesty.
The
bustling maids stepped back and bowed.
"Is
it done?"
"Yes,
Your Majesty."
"Let's
go."
The
Emperor turned, and the doors that had been firmly closed swung open as she
approached. The Emperor walked down a long corridor. The round pillars are
carved at regular intervals with ornate reliefs. A path stretched through the
center of the room and opened up to the side.
Sienna
knew where this path led. She had traveled many times.
—Is
this real?
The
sunlight, slanting sideways, created the Emperor's shadow. Sienna roughly
calculated the time by the length of the shadow.
—Afternoon,
after the midday break.
Sienna
thinks she knows where the Emperor going and what she's doing. It is an
official audience in the afternoon. This was the Emperor's most common
schedule.
The
Emperors's way of governing was very evident in their official schedule. How
much time they spent there, and who they met with, was all up to them.
Some
Emperors of the Empire never granted an audience to a non-noble in their
lifetime, and there were Emperors who directly received complaints from the
people all day long.
It
was when she almost reached the throne room.
"Your
Majesty! Your Majesty......"
An
urgent shout, a mumbling sound. The Emperor sped up her pace, and her
surroundings quickly expanded around her. She could see knights and servants
dragging someone away.
"Stop!"
The
Emperor ran up to the halted figure. The middle-aged man was unconscious, both
arms held by the knight and hanging limply.
"Who's
that?"
The
knight replied,
"This
man has lied about his identity. He has trespassed into the throne room without
authorization and dared to try to humiliate you, Your Majesty."
"What
is his true identity?"
The
knight hesitated for a moment before answering.
"He
is an official, the envoy of the Pero Kingdom."
"Envoy?
They can apply for an audience according to the procedures. Why did he break in
under a false identity? Did he conspire to harm me?"
"We
will interrogate him and find out."
The
Emperor looked at the knight. Sienna couldn't read the Emperor's mind, but she
seemed to be glaring at the knight for some reason. The Emperor turned to a
servant beside her.
"Check
his clothes."
The
servant searched the fainting man's clothes.
"Have
you found any weapons?"
"No,
Your Majesty."
"Do
you mean to tell me that the man who sought to harm me has boldly entered the
Palace, single-handed and unarmed?"
The
knight could not answer.
"Bring
him to me when he is sober. I will ask him myself."
"Your
Majesty."
Hearing
the call, the Emperor turned her head.
"I
heard that a ruffian had caused a disturbance, so I hastened here."
—Hmm.
Sienna
muttered under her breath. At last, a familiar face. Of course, he was much
older than she remembered him, but she recognized that old man, who was a
replica of her grandfather.
Doug
Lehmann.
The
eldest son of Duke Lehmann and Patricia's older brother.
—You've
aged a lot, Uncle.
Sienna
chuckled as she threw out a greeting that the other party couldn't possibly
hear. Unlike her last 2 dreams, Sienna was a little excited. She was
experiencing a miracle, a glimpse of the future.
"You
didn't have to come running for something so trivial, Duke Lehmann."
"Trivial?
Your Majesty, how can you call something that involves the safety of you as a
trivial matter?"
Doug
clicked his tongue as he looked at the man being held by the knight.
"He
came all the way here to......"
"You
know him?"
"He
says the King of Pero Kingdom has made a mistake and the country is being
shaken to its foundations. The public of the country is divided, and some are
hoping for Imperial intervention. He is their representative. Although he
claims to be a vassal of the Empire, it is not proper for the Emperor to
intervene in the affairs of an autonomous Kingdom. I'm afraid it will only
upset your feelings. I will take him with me."
"......Please
do so."
Sienna's
mood sank as she listened to the 2 talks. Whatever their feelings for each
other were, they were not favorable, at the very least.
Seeing
through the eyes of the Emperor, somehow he seemed cunning. She didn't know
what was going on, but she had a feeling he was trying to hide something. This
is not something to let slide.
—Does
she not notice, or does she pretend not to?
Sienna
criticized her future self, though her future self would never hear it.
The
Emperor's gaze flickered to the envoy of the Pero Kingdom and back again as if
looking away. The Emperor turned around to enter the throne room but then she
stopped.
"I
will postpone the audience to a later date."
The
Emperor turned and walked back the way she had come.
"That
bastard."
A
small murmur through gritted teeth was clearly heard in Sienna’s ears.
***
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