Chapter 141

It was time to find a temporary guardian for Anais, now a commoner.

For this purpose, I set out for Siena’s Palace.

“Siena, there’s something I need you to do.”

At the moment, Siena was inspecting a warehouse full of coca leaves brought up from the Great Forest. Marcela, who had sent addicts to the native lands of the coca trees for harvesting, had informed me of the quantity.

Until the farms are established, procurement will have to continue this way.

While distribution will be done under Victoria’s name, the practical matters are entrusted to Siena. She certainly has the skills for it.

“Understood. You want me to streamline this, right?”

Siena responded with a lollipop in her mouth.

A long red candy dyed with natural coloring. Her method of licking and sucking it was slightly peculiar, but I decided not to mind.

“Not exactly that. Let me hear your thoughts first.”

“Still, cocaine production is limited even if we just work amongst ourselves. We’ll get only three kilograms of cocaine if we refine all the stockpile here. How about dividing the process into three phases and delegating each to the staff?”

“Keep going.”

“There’s no need to worry about security. We can have people on rotating shifts to monitor. Besides… without the solvent you create, they won’t even be able to extract the substance, right? Let’s have the staff handle the dough-making process up to a point, and we’ll handle the crystallization in the production room.”

“Sounds good.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that. I’ve already found a place.”

“…”

“Syrup Factory. The one Anais used to use. What do you think?”

She mentioned Anais’ name before I even had a chance to.

It didn’t matter much anyway. With the right equipment, processing, mixing, and heating large quantities of raw materials is certainly possible. But remembering that Anais was the original owner made the situation seem a little unusual.

‘No, it’s not unusual.’

In fact, it might even be a good thing. I brought up the matter at once.

“Siena, you’ll have to take care of Anais for a while.”

“Why her… oh.”

“You figured it out, then.”

“Got it. Leaving her on the streets now would probably be life-threatening. Having either mother or father officially take her in would just lead to rumors about a mere pretense of her estrangement.”

All fair points.

Ultimately, she would either have to be entrusted to Victoria or Siena.

Of the two, Siena seemed the better choice.

“Victoria wouldn’t agree anyway. To her, Anais is someone not worth protecting.”

“That’s true for me too, right?”

“You might at least think she’s worth playing around with for now.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

Siena readily agreed.

Now that the once-static Anais could be played with, she must have seen her as a new toy. Anais no longer had the strength to resist, so she might not be as entertaining, but Siena would probably enjoy it for a while.

And from Anais’ perspective, it wouldn’t be the worst outcome.

Just the rumor that Anais was in Siena’s hands would be seen as a form of punishment. The one who once struck down palace attendants would hardly honor a fallen rival. There might even be false rumors that Siena was using Anais as a drug test subject and driving her to exhaustion.

‘It might not even be false.’

But I had no plans to interfere.

Anais was as good as dead anyway.

With the emperor and empress still showing some interest, it was unlikely she’d become a truly abandoned vagrant, but officially, she was that.

Even if Anais were to get stoned or lynched while walking on the street, it would be hard for the imperial court to retaliate. Being under Siena’s care might be better than being on the street.

“Alright, I’ll do as you ask.”

“Good.”

“One more thing, Alan?”

Siena showed me the lollipop she had in her hand.

The shiny candy she had been licking in her mouth. That’s when I realized why she had been licking it so intently.

It was a kind of practice, a performance for me.

The appropriate response would be to play along. When I replied that the candy seemed too small for practice, Siena let out a brief exclamation of “Really?” and a slightly seductive smile.

“I’ll take care of Anais.”

I simply nodded in response to Siena’s words.

I could have given detailed instructions on how exactly to take care of Anais, but I didn’t feel the need to care for the former princess so meticulously now that she was a commoner. There were more important matters at hand.

Besides, I just wanted to rest a little.

**

“Things have gotten much worse.”

This was Siena’s first thought upon seeing Anais.

Her half-sister, who had only hours ago been downgraded to commoner status.

Just last year, Anais had outpaced Siena with superior resources—commanding factions of traders and bankers, receiving regular visits from prominent merchants of the empire, and recruiting young talents from the Academy as a leading successor.

But now, she was a commoner who had fallen from grace, having lost everything.

Though she still clung to life, it would be a stretch to call it living. Just hours ago, she was nearly turned into a cooking ingredient. Now, Anais silently looked around with a lifeless expression.

What should she, as an older sister, do with the fallen Anais?

Siena quickly made up her mind and spoke. There was no need to overthink it.

“Anais.”

Anais remained silent.

She merely fidgeted, hesitating.

Could she still be unable to pull herself together even after the official estrangement? That didn’t seem to be the case. After some hesitation, Anais finally placed her hands together and bowed deeply, though her expression was still stiff.

Siena looked at her sister and spoke.

“You’ll be staying here, in my palace for now.”

“…”

“You know, the maids under me come from humble backgrounds. There’s a viscount’s daughter, a baron’s daughter, etc… We treat them as nobles out of custom, but they are effectively commoners. Even they rank above you.”

“A.”

“You are a commoner who committed crimes and was demoted. It’s appropriate to see you on the same level as maids.”

At this statement, Anais flinched.

Her puffy eyes quivered, and her hands, crossed above her navel, were tightly clenched.

Seeing her reaction to this provocation made Siena think there was still a bit of pride left in her.

Of course, given that she was royalty just hours ago, it would take time for her to adjust to her new status.

Even in rural areas, there are plenty of fallen nobles who still believe themselves to be lords and demand gifts from their neighbors.

There are those who’ve legally lost their noble status but react violently if not addressed with honorifics.

How much more difficult for Anais, a direct descendant of the imperial family.

She was naturally plunged into despair by her sudden downfall.

But Siena couldn’t let her one and only sister live like that, devoid of purpose.

She intended to help her adapt to this new life as quickly as possible.

Not because it would be entertaining to mess with her, but because she couldn’t stand by as her beloved sister withers away in regret.

It was time to start.

“Anais, I’ll find you a proficient seamstress.”

“What? …Sorry.”

“Don’t worry. For now, even if you make mistakes, I won’t kill you. Actually, it’s less about getting a seamstress for you and more about assigning you to a seamstress. You know that tailors who work exclusively for high-end fashion shops are treated quite well?”

“I… don’t know, Your Highness.”

Siena chuckled and lightly poked Anais’ cheek.

While it was amusing to see her flinch at such a light touch, there was real work to be done for Anais.

Siena intended to have her produce lace to be used in lingerie that she would wear during her encounters with Alan.

Although lace for lingerie tends to have simpler patterns and is less expensive compared to those used for dresses or veils, Siena placed great value on it due to its importance for special occasions.

“Anais, can you make lingerie?”

“Wha—”

“Soon, I’ll figure out Alan’s preferences and give you detailed instructions. Please make it with care. You’re under my care now, so it’s only natural that you pay your keep. Of course, if the results are satisfactory, you’ll be amply compensated.”

Anais’ expression grew increasingly vacuous.

Her lack of shock suggested she was aware of the engagement, though it seemed she believed the lingerie request to be a way of tormenting her. Such a reaction would be understandable, given her recent demotion to commoner status.

Her state of mind was understandable.

Nevertheless, a lesson was necessary.

“Anais.”

“Yes… Your Highness.”

“If you consider this humiliating, it’s best to rid yourself of that thought as soon as possible. I’m not doing this just to tease you… And there’s something more important to understand.”

“…”

“From now on, you need to get used to contempt and ridicule. If you can’t bear it, the life you’ve barely managed to hold on to will likely end.”

Anais started to speak but then closed her mouth.

Siena knew what Anais had wanted to say — probably something like “I’ve already discarded my pride.” Though her recent actions had already proven otherwise. She still had a long way to go.

Which made her all the more fun to play with.

“This task you consider a torment could very well shape your future. Do your best.”

After Siena’s words, Anais stayed silent for a while, looking ready to burst into tears.

Siena looked at her new toy for a moment, then gave instructions to a nearby maid to assign Anais a room, with treatment equivalent to that of a maid. Then she turned away without hesitation.

She couldn’t afford to spend too much time on a mere commoner.

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