REBOOT SIENNA

Chapter 14: Live To Sienna Pt.14

Carl stood in front of the sign of the stand that sold the best pickled mir, remembering how a woman with red hair had recklessly called him by his name.

“It seems as though she knew me, but…”

She was not in his memories. If there had been a time when they had gotten acquainted with each other, it would have been difficult to forget her with that hair color…

“What are you thinking about so intently?” Azrael, who was cleaning up Carl’s bed next to him, asked.

Azrael, who had short, bright scarlet hair, was a servant who had been serving Carl since he was very young. However, rather than staying in the castle, more often than not, Carl had been out on the battlefield instead, making his servant more of a knight than a servant.

“Just… There was a woman who recognized me, but I just didn’t know who she was.”

Azrael responded to Carl’s woes as if they were nothing, “How clever can you be to remember all of the people in the world? Maybe she’s been to the banquet hall or something.”

“She seemed to know me well…”

Azrael burst into laughter at Carl’s words.

“If we were to immediately announce who knows you, there would be a line reaching all the way out to the city gates right now. Wouldn’t it be more suspicious if no one knew about the Emperor of Laifsden?”

“The nobles must be the only ones who know my face, and I should be acquainted with most of them and their families…”

“How can it only be the nobles? There are many more who know the lord’s face, more than you think. Maybe she works in the palace, or maybe she’s a noblewoman from the countryside with an introductory banquet soon to be held. The lord may not remember her, but she might be someone who might have found that encounter with you precious.”

“Is that so…” Carl tilted his head at Azrael’s words. “But why did it feel like she was going to cry right there?”

“It’s because, emperor, you have such a handsome face. I guess you look just like the prince of her dreams. Anyway, are you really not going straight to the Imperial Palace?” asked by Azrael.

Carl lay down on his bed and said, “I’ve told you so many times, I need to go meet the nobles of Arya’s side who secretly stood by me without her knowledge. I’m sure some of them have changed and might have had a change of heart since I left my position unattended for a while now. I’ll meet with them quietly and pat them on their shoulders to let them know that I care about them personally. If I stay still, everyone will become a part of Arya’s following.”

Azrael sighed deeply at his words.

“Sigh, I’m sure you know, but if the empress finds out that you are staying in the capital unofficially, she will surely send an assassin. It may be difficult to reach you the palace, but it’s easy to do something like that in the market. If she sends an assassin and you get hurt or killed, she will not miss this opportunity to say that the prince, who had left the battlefield, had gotten into a small dispute that had led to his demise.”

Carl laughed at his worried words.

“Don’t worry. You’re the only one who knows I’m in the capital this time.”

“You said you’ll be meeting with the nobles. Information can be leaked easily and from anywhere. Today, in the daytime as well, you said there was someone who recognized Your Highness.”

“Well, even if Arya finds out and sends an assassin… Do you think I’ll let myself be taken or be killed like that?”

“It’s said you can even stab a dragon with a sword if you keep it away from his eyes.”