Translator: Nox

59 - The Crown I Will Take from You

59

\ \ \

Duke Claudio's Residence.

Early in the morning, the Regent Duke's carriage, which had departed for the Royal Palace, only returned near sunset.

"Father, you're back? Give me the letter of appeal; I'll go to the Minister's residence right away."

Samon had no doubt that Medeia would affix her Seal to the matter of saving the Minister.

"Father...?"

Seeing his father hesitate, he asked with a look of disbelief.

"Did that bitch refuse?"

"No, it's not that..."

"Then?"

Unable to contain himself, Samon snatched the scroll from his father and unfurled it.

Swish-!

The space below where the King's Seal should have been affixed was blank.

"She demanded a bribe."

The Regent Duke's voice echoed in Samon's ears as he stood in dismay.

"A bribe? That simpleton?"

"Yes. That simpleton said she wanted thirty Chests filled with gold."

"Thirty?"

Samon asked back, as if he couldn't believe it.

"Is Medeia crazy?"

"She must have seen Cuisine and suddenly become greedy. She's forgotten her place with the luxurious life she's newly experienced."

"......"

Samon stroked his chin.

Medeia was foolish. She was weak to affection, and therefore, she was foolish.

But she wasn't greedy. She was even less inclined to care about money.

'What's changed? This isn't like Medeia. Why suddenly? Why now...?'

As Samon was lost in thought, Claudio patted his son's shoulder.

"Either way, it's not a bad thing for us. If she can be moved with money, it just means we need money."

Etienne's charges were intertwined with military law, making it too dangerous.

Lest their own sins be revealed in trying to help him, no one from the Regent Duke's faction could rashly step forward.

Unless it was someone as foolish as the Princess, no one would rush to save the Minister without considering the consequences.

So, they had to fulfill Medeia's demands somehow.

"The problem is how to procure thirty Chests..."

Filling thirty Chests with gold bullion was something even the Regent Duke couldn't handle alone.

"Excluding the slush funds to be sent to the rebels and Osof, the maximum amount of spare funds our family can currently mobilize is about five Chests."

"Is that all?"

The Regent Duke frowned. It was far less than he had expected.

"Yes. The military funds to be sent to the rebels were also delayed due to overdue payments. Moreover, there aren't many spare funds because of repaying the costs of this banquet."

Damn it. The Regent Duke bit his lip.

When he thought about it, the rebels and the banquet were all because of Medeia.

The very person who had cut off the seemingly endless source of money was the one he had to give money to again; it made him grind his teeth.

"Father, we can't bear the burden of saving the Minister all by ourselves. The Minister himself and his subordinates need to know this."

Samon did the math.

"Anyway, if we scrape together everything from here and there, it won't be an entirely impossible amount."

"I understand. I'll tell the Minister that."

Claudio left to contact the Minister, who must be eagerly awaiting news of his rescue.

\ \ \

Royal Palace.

"But Your Highness. If Duke Claudio really comes with thirty Chests filled with gold coins, will you really release the Minister?"

After Duke Claudio left, Saya asked. She couldn't understand it at all.

Why should our Princess save the pig-like, evil Etienne?

Even she, who was ignorant of politics, could foresee that the repercussions would be enormous.

She knew that the people who were gleefully cursing Etienne now would treat even the Princess the same way.

She hoped that her kind master wouldn't be fooled by the Duke's dark intentions, asking his own flesh and blood, his young niece, to clean up after such a dirty bastard.

"Of course not."

"But why did you say that?"

Medeia smirked.

"Our uncle will be too busy trying to procure thirty Chests to save the Minister for the time being."

That's why she demanded a bribe that the Regent Duke couldn't handle alone.

As he busily went back and forth to prepare the tight funds, he would naturally have less and less time to carefully take care of the Minister in prison.

Since the Minister couldn't run away now anyway.

"Out of sight, out of mind."

But would the Minister, locked up alone in prison, appreciate the Regent Duke's efforts to save him?

Rather, given his sinister nature, wouldn't he suspect that he was plotting something else in his absence?

"Neril, tell Ciseo to visit the prison once."

It was time to plant the seeds of doubt.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Medeia intended to test how far the trust between the Minister and the Regent Duke, which had been stronger than ever in her past life, could endure.

"Your Highness, and Umberto is waiting. When Your Highness is ready, I will escort him."

Medeia nodded.

\ \ *

"Ugh..."

Umberto groaned as he regained consciousness.

His vision was all hazy.

'Where am I?'

When he tried to move his body, he couldn't budge because he was bound by sturdy ropes.

'What happened? Who caught me?'

Umberto groped for his memories.

He had managed to slip out of Count Etienne's Residence, which had been turned upside down by the Royal Knights' raid, without a sound.

'I was about to move to the rendezvous point at the Mak headquarters. At that time...'

Thud. The dull pain he felt in the back of his head was his last memory.

'I missed the signs. Damn it, I was so pleased that the pig was being dragged away that I let my guard down for a moment.'

Umberto bit his lip as he realized he had been attacked by someone.

It wasn't that he hadn't expected this day to come as a Spy. But he never thought it would be now, at this moment.

Thud. Thud. He heard footsteps.

Soon, the tightly closed door opened. Umberto straightened his back.

'Two people. One has a heavy sound. A knight? The other one, the sound of fabric dragging? A woman?'

Scrape. With the sound of a chair being dragged, one of the two sat down. Neither of them spoke first.

'Damn it, I can only deduce from the sound.'

The sack covering his head was so tightly woven that his vision was blurred.

He could barely guess that someone was sitting there from the vague figure he could see behind the rough fabric.

"Ugh!"

Suddenly, the sack on his head was yanked off.

Umberto scowled as the light painfully pierced his eyes.

Only after some time had passed and his eyes had gradually adjusted to the light could he properly see the person sitting in front of him.

A silver-haired girl in a black dress was staring at Umberto.

Skin as clear and white as marble. Vivid green eyes, a noble jawline. She looked somehow familiar.

Umberto had seen this girl very recently.

Where? Before he could even ask in his mind, his eyes widened like saucers.

"Y-Your Highness...?"

"It's been a while, Umberto."

The Princess greeted him, placing her fan down with a snap. Her tone was quite friendly, as if she were speaking to a close aide.

"D-Do you know me?"

'It's been a while? Have I ever had any acquaintance with the Princess of Baldina?'

Danju had already judged that there were no worthwhile targets among the Baldina royalty and sent him to Minister Etienne's side.

"The Queen Dowager has been in seclusion for a long time, so it's difficult to plant a Spy, and even if we managed to plant one after much difficulty, there's no great benefit since she's been relegated to the back rooms.

Regent Duke Claudio has already joined hands with the Kazen's upper echelons. If we approach him without knowing who's behind him, there's a risk that our organization will be exposed.

And the Princess of Baldina... there's not even any value in planting a Spy."

The foolish Princess, whose presence was so insignificant that she had no influence on state affairs, wasn't even considered by them.

'Danju's judgment has never been wrong so far.'

But, as if to mock that judgment, the simpleton Princess of Baldina was now greeting him right before his eyes.

With a relaxed and friendly demeanor, as if she were seeing an old friend.

"D-Do you... know me?"