Chapter 16

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 16

Chapter Title: Rumors and the Retired Marquis

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"The rumors have already spread throughout the royal castle," he said, spittle flying as he spoke excitedly.

"They say the Royal Head Maid has completely taken over the palace and is tormenting the princess. She's sending rotten food only to the Princess Palace and even sticking needles into her clothes."

"Yeah, yeah. I heard it from a shoe shiner on the capital streets too. Things got so bad that the princess, unable to bear it alone, gave her jewels to her maids and begged them to protect her from the bullying."

The people tilted their heads in disbelief.

"Is that really true? She's a princess, after all. How could she do that to her own servants?"

"Princess or not, she's an orphan with no brother the king and no other family to protect her. That's why they dared to mess with her. I mean, look. What could a bratty girl our Emma's age do on her own?"

A soldier stroked his daughter's head as he spoke.

The girl with braids was already fairly tall, reaching about up to her father's chest.

But her hands were still small, and her cheeks retained their baby fat.

"Father?"

The girl looked up at her father with wide, innocent eyes, puzzled.

It was the moment when everyone who had been ranting and raving suddenly felt awkward.

The people suddenly realized it.

The princess they had just been cursing as cursed, greedy, a parasite—she was the same age as this girl.

What had they been doing?

Pouring all their resentment and anger onto a young girl who had yet to taste the bitterness of the world?

"Those damned scoundrels."

"No matter what, she's the king's sister and carries Baldina's bloodline. How could they treat her like that?"

They chimed in as if angry, partly to assuage their subtle guilt.

"But still... isn't the princess's uncle that Regent Duke, Duke Claudio? How could he not know?"

Someone pointed out.

"The jewels she supposedly sold were all gifts from that duke. For someone as powerful as the Regent Duke, who dotes on his niece so much, to not know she was being bullied? I can't wrap my head around it."

"Hey, don't you remember how ambitious the duke—er, the former prince—was in his youth?"

"Losing the throne to his nephew must have stung, and his last remaining niece probably felt like a thorn in his side. Anyone can pretend to adore someone right in front of them."

"Nah, no way."

"Either way, that's why it's so pitiful without parents. The princess is really unfortunate. Cursed or not, to be left alone at such a young age."

The conversation shifted to whether Regent Duke Claudio truly cared for his niece, the princess.

"Still, I don't like it. To begin with, I can't trust the king who handed the seal to such a young child."

"It's all because of this damned war. When the hell is it going to end?!"

"When will the goddess of victory finally grace our Baldina?!"

The soldiers' conversation, boiling like a pot, veered into endless topics.

In any case, the megaphone Medea had given to the maids had served its purpose.

As the rumors spread bit by bit, the steadfast faith the people of Baldina had in the Regent Duke would gradually fade.

Medea closed her eyes and leaned back.

Memories of her foolish self from her previous life surfaced. She vowed to make things different this time.

The sunset's gentle rays shone fully on her face.

Clatter. The carriage set off again.

They finally arrived at Marquis Giliphos's mansion.

"A visit from Princess Medea."

Medea followed the butler, who bowed respectfully, into the mansion.

The residence seemed to reflect its master, who had stepped away from all power—rustic yet possessing a profound dignity.

"He is waiting. Neril, you stay here."

The butler said this in front of the thick mahogany door.

"I am also Her Highness's guard. I must stay by her side."

Neril firmly shook her head and positioned herself in front of Medea.

"Worried that His Lordship might harm the princess? Do you intend to tarnish your master's honor as well? Step aside."

The butler scolded Neril coldly, but she did not budge.

Perhaps it was because the vulgar insults the people had hurled at her master earlier still stung.

She looked sharp, like a mother bird protecting her chick, her legs planted firmly on the carpet like ancient tree trunks.

"Your stubbornness hasn't changed."

The butler shook his head and turned to Medea.

"Princess, if I may be so bold, my master said he would only meet alone. If you are concerned for your safety, he understands if you return to the palace."

The butler was polite and unflinching, as if prepared for this. Neril was greatly disappointed.

'Even Master wants to sit above Her Highness! What's the difference from the Regent Duke then?'

"I didn't expect this from Master. If he's going to insult her like this, why bother replying to my letter?"

As Neril's face hardened and she began to protest, a small hand rested on her shoulder.

"It's fine, Neril."

Just that, and the tension that seemed ready to explode eased.

Reading the princess's intent, Neril stepped back.

"Let's go in."

There were no further words. That made her feel all the more like the master of the place.

"......Yes, Your Highness."

The butler hid his surprise at the young princess, who, like a seasoned old tree, never lost control of the situation.

Swish.

The silence inside was so profound that only the faint sound of the hem of Medea's dress brushing the floor could be heard.

A heavy atmosphere settled in the room they entered.

An oppressive pressure bearing down on the shoulders.

A sharp tension that allowed no relaxation.

True to a warrior who had once trained knights and fought on the front lines, weapons of all kinds adorned the four walls of the marquis's room.

Medea looked at the old man standing with his back to the window.

Her eyes were first drawn not to his still-imposing frame, but to the leather cord meticulously tying back his snow-white hair and his thick beard.

"Princess."

Former Royal Guard Captain Marquis Giliphos turned. Even in old age, his back was straight.

"It's been a long time, Marquis Giliphos."

"Time is fleeting."

The marquis gazed at the princess.

The child who used to clutch her pillow and sob had grown and now stood before him alone in his study.

"You remain unchanged, Marquis."

But she still had that soft, downy fuzz.

Her faint eyebrows, round face, and small stature evoked a fawn not yet fully grown.

That was why Giliphos couldn't fully believe the rumors.

This fragile girl, who seemed like she'd tremble even holding a silver spoon, had beaten the head maid?

'Sounds like some exaggeration.'

"I heard the news. Thank you for saving my unworthy disciple. This old man offers his belated gratitude."

"Neril is my person, so there's no need for your thanks."

Giliphos inwardly felt relieved at the princess's response.

Even a naive and foolish princess seemed to look after her own, so his disciple wouldn't meet a dog's death.

"Since you've made the difficult journey, I shall be frank."

As if all formalities ended there, Giliphos spoke.

"It's good that Your Highness has finally gained wisdom, albeit late. However, I left the court long ago and have no intention of returning."

"......"

"If you've sought me as a replacement for the Regent Duke, I must humbly say I cannot bear such a weight."

'She must be anxious after clashing with the head maid.'

Giliphos assumed the princess had come seeking his backing.

'Why else would she make this secret, arduous trip to meet me?'

A bitter taste rose in his throat—disappointment toward the child of the lord he had served his entire life.

'To think the princess is so weak, seeking yet another to lean on.'

His lord had been a man worthy of respect, but his bloodline was a failure, Giliphos thought.

The former king's brother was a wolf eyeing the throne, his son a stubborn fool lost in war, and his daughter a frail dimwit.

"Princess. Do not be swayed by their tongues. They only seek to use Your Highness for their own gain."

"So, you're saying you're not like that, Marquis? I know you're after the seal too!"

Giliphos's earnest advice was drowned out by the cunning whispers poisoning the princess's ears.

"A leader's power comes solely from the trust of the people. You must listen to their voices. This is my final counsel before departing."

But the princess ultimately ignored Giliphos's words, and so he left the palace and politics behind.

He saw no hope in the princess, who had become the Regent Duke's puppet, nor in this kingdom.

"If the late king were alive, it wouldn't have come to this...... Is Baldina forsaken?"

Baldina had lost its light, and it seemed unlikely to shine again anytime soon.

Thus, he had no intention of reentering the swamp of power.

"I am old now, with much to protect. Even surviving myself is burdensome—how could I shoulder Your Highness's great task?"

Medea could tell his elongated eyes were scrutinizing her.

"You might say what more do I lack after living so long, but remember this old man's final wish: to live thin and long."

Giliphos drove the point home.

He made no effort to hide his intent to evade Medea by claiming age and frailty.

'To live thin and long is his dream?'

Yet that same Giliphos, in her previous life, had died blocking beasts from entering the royal castle when a horde overran Baldina.

While the Regent Duke and nobles fled, he stayed until the end to defend Baldina.

"I understand your thoughts well, Marquis."

One of his eyebrows arched.

Medea's expression remained serene. Neither disappointed nor angry.

Surprise flickered across Giliphos's face.

'I thought my judgment of character was reliable.'

Strangely, he could read nothing from the young princess before him.

At that moment, Medea placed a bundle of papers on the desk.

As Giliphos narrowed his eyes to read the text,

"This is my entire fortune. I have a request for you, Marquis."

As expected.

Giliphos sighed at the princess's predictable response.

"Your Highness, as I said again, no matter what you offer, I have no intention of leaving this plac—"

"No. What I need is neither your protection nor your support."

Medea cut him off firmly.

"Then......?"