Sienna Vale's eyelids moved. She mumbled something unclear, then slowly opened her eyes, her face still foggy with sleep.
"What time is it…?" she muttered.
Tiara quickly answered, "Young Miss, it's already evening. It's time to eat."
Sienna Vale blinked, then turned her head toward the window. The sky outside was black, and only torchlight flickered faintly in the courtyard. She sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her neck, trying to chase away the sleepiness.
Then she looked at Tiara and asked, "What day is it?"
Tiara lowered her head again. "Young Miss, today is April 6."
Sienna Vale's eyes narrowed slightly as she calculated. Sienna had fainted on February 17, 1637. That meant she had been unconscious for more than a month. Yet her body felt fine, her limbs moved normally, and there was no weakness at all. If this were Earth, it would have been impossible.
But Sienna Vale didn't bother asking Tiara why her body was fine. Sienna's memories already explained it. On this continent, magic could preserve the body. A mage could keep someone alive even after months of unconsciousness, and once they woke up, they could move as if they had only slept through the night.
Sienna Vale swung her legs off the bed. Tiara immediately bent down, picked up her boots, and moved to put them on her.
Sienna Vale reacted almost instantly, reaching out to stop her.
"No, Tiara. I'll do it myself."
Tiara froze, as if she had heard something unbelievable. She looked up slightly, then quickly lowered her eyes again.
"But Young Miss… it is my duty."
Sienna Vale shook her head and took the boots from her hands.
"It's fine," she said calmly. "Small things like this, I can handle. Don't worry about it."
Tiara stood awkwardly, watching her put on her boots with her own hands. Her mind was full of confusion. The old Sienna would never have done this. The old Sienna wouldn't even pick up a cup of water unless someone brought it to her lips.
When Sienna Vale stood up, she turned toward her with a steady expression.
"Lead the way. I'm hungry."
Tiara nodded quickly, then walked ahead, guiding her down the corridor.
Sienna Vale followed, taking in her surroundings with curious eyes.
The castle was old, built in a style that felt heavy and ancient. The stone walls were thick, and the hallways were narrow. Some places looked clean, but others carried signs of long neglect, as if the building had been abandoned for years before they arrived. It didn't have the elegant beauty of the Vale residence in the capital, but it had a strange, gloomy strength, like a beast sleeping in the dark.
Sienna Vale noticed the torches mounted on the walls. The firelight made the shadows jump, and the smell of smoke lingered in the air. She understood immediately why they used torches. Magic items were expensive. Even Sienna, careless as she was, knew the price of such things.
When she remembered that her own room had a magic lamp while the rest of the castle did not, Sienna Vale felt a small pressure in her chest. Harold and Mirella were already being careful with every resource. Their situation was far worse than she had imagined.
The dining hall wasn't far. Soon, Tiara pushed open a wooden door, and Sienna Vale stepped inside.
Harold, Mirella, Wood, and Stone were already waiting. The moment Sienna Vale entered, all of them bowed respectfully.
"Good evening, Young Miss. Please dine."
Sienna Vale nodded, then glanced at the dining table. Only one set of tableware was prepared and placed neatly in front of the main seat. The rest of the chairs were empty.
From Sienna's memory, Sienna Vale understood immediately. In noble households, servants and guards were not allowed to sit and eat with the master. They had to stand aside and wait, like shadows.
Sienna Vale sat down, but her eyes moved around the room.
The dining hall was not large, perhaps twenty square meters. A long wooden table sat in the middle, covered with a clean white cloth. Candlesticks stood along the center, their flames trembling. Torches on the walls provided extra light, making the room bright enough to eat comfortably. The chairs were finely made, clearly noble furniture, but the rest of the room was bare. No decorations, no paintings, no warmth.
Sienna Vale turned her head toward Harold.
"Grandpa Harold," she said, "sit down and eat with me. After dinner, I want to ask you something."
Harold's expression stiffened immediately. He stood straighter, as if those words were dangerous.
"Young Miss," he said firmly, "This is not allowed. When you eat, we cannot eat with you. These are the rules of the empire."
Sienna Vale's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The empire's rules are not my rules," she said calmly, but her tone carried weight. "The empire threw us into this wasteland. They stripped our title and our dignity. Now you want me to still follow their etiquette? Why?"
Harold hesitated, his mouth opening but no words coming out.
Sienna Vale continued, her voice steady.
"Sit down. Eat. If you refuse, then I won't eat either. We are not in the capital anymore. Here, we survive together."
Harold's face turned complicated. He looked helplessly toward Mirella, hoping she would stop Sienna Vale.
Instead, Mirella glared at her like he was an idiot.
"What are you looking at me for?" she snapped. "The Young Miss hasn't eaten properly in over a month. Do you want her to go hungry again?"
Harold's expression changed at once. In the end, Sienna Vale's health mattered more than etiquette. He nodded reluctantly.
"Yes… Young Miss."
Mirella led Tiara toward the kitchen to bring the food, while Harold sat down, followed by Wood and Stone. The twins looked stiff and uncomfortable, sitting as if they were afraid the chair might bite them. They lowered their heads and spoke in their dull voices.
"Good evening, Young Miss."
Sienna Vale nodded slightly. Sienna's memories told her clearly who they were. Wood and Stone were adopted by Sienna's father.
hey weren't clever, and people often called them fools, but they were born with monstrous strength.
They had also trained in the Mad Dragon Battle Spiritual Energy before the technique was handed over, and both of them had reached the level of a sixth-rank warrior. More importantly, they were loyal to the House Vale like trained dogs. They would never betray.
Once the food was placed on the table, Sienna Vale began eating. The taste was simple, far from the luxurious meals of the capital, but it was warm and filling. While eating, Sienna Vale looked at Harold and asked directly.
"Grandpa Harold, how many gold coins do we have left?"
Harold straightened and answered immediately.
"Young Miss, we currently have one hundred and eighty gold coins."
Sienna Vale nodded slowly. The number was small, but at least they still had something. She didn't ask about supplies because Harold had already explained earlier that most wealth had been turned into food and tools.
Sienna Vale took another bite, then continued.
"When we left the capital, did we bring wagons? What about the horses?"
Harold's expression became slightly awkward.
"Young Miss, to save food, we kept only five horses. The carriages were hired on the way. We did not bring them."
Sienna Vale understood instantly. Horses ate grain, and grain was life here. Keeping too many horses in a dead territory would be the same as raising mouths that produced nothing.
Sienna Vale nodded lightly, then asked in a casual tone, "Grandpa Harold, what about meat? How are we handling that? Should we raise some war beasts for food?"
Harold looked surprised, as if he didn't expect such a question. In his mind, the Young Miss had always cared about only one thing: whether there was meat on the table. So he immediately answered with confidence, trying to reassure her.
"Young Miss doesn't need to worry. Before coming here, we bought blue-eyed rabbits and long-haired pigs. They are easy to raise, and they reproduce quickly. We won't lack meat."
Sienna Vale almost laughed, but she held it in. She understood Harold's misunderstanding at once. The old Sienna had been so selfish and greedy that even a normal question sounded like a complaint about food.
Still, Sienna Vale didn't correct him. There was no need to explain everything right now. If she wanted to raise livestock, Harold would understand sooner or later.
Just as she was thinking, Mirella and Tiara returned from the kitchen carrying several trays. They placed the food on the table, and Sienna Vale's eyes quickly swept across the plates.
Her own meal was clearly the best.
White bread, two eggs, a piece of meat, and a portion of vegetables. It wasn't luxurious, but compared to the situation they were in, it was already generous.
Then Sienna Vale glanced at Harold's plate and felt a tightness in her chest. Harold had only dark bread and vegetables. No eggs. No meat.
Sienna Vale didn't say anything, but the feeling stayed in her heart like a stone. These people were living poorly so that "Sienna" could still eat like a noble.
The former Sienna probably never even noticed.