Chapter 22

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 22

Chapter Title: The Crown I'll Take from You

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"My apologies. I didn't realize you had prior company."

An aide with an urgent look on his face hurried over and whispered into Sise's ear.

The head maid had reported Princess Medea's illicit affair, sending the Queen Dowager into a fury and prompting her to summon the princess to the palace.

Sise froze.

'The princess has a lover?'

Moreover, the ears he'd planted in the Queen Dowager Palace reported that the head maid had secretly let slip to them that the man in question was Interior Minister Etienne.

She planned to expose their relationship right in front of the Queen Dowager for all to see.

'Etienne, playing your dirty little tricks. Not satisfied as the Regent Duke's right-hand man?'

Sise instantly realized this was a joint scheme between the head maid and the minister.

The head maid, nursing a grudge against the princess, and the minister, hungry for power. The worst possible combination.

He rubbed his throbbing temple.

This mess had all started from the clash between the head maid and the princess.

If she couldn't be helpful, she could at least stay out of the way.

But he couldn't just let it slide.

If it was urgent, he'd have to bury this incident by force if necessary.

"Sise, take care of Deia."

He couldn't ignore the king's repeated pleas before his departure, either.

"We'll talk another time."

Sise curtly announced the end of the conversation.

"Do as you like."

"Sorry for the wasted trip."

Sise slipped away without a second thought.

A minimal farewell, hurried footsteps. It was clear something urgent was unfolding in the palace.

"Boss, looks like the show's started."

Garo watched Sise depart, cracking his knuckles and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Heard the head maid bought off the princess's closest attendant. Wonder if the princess can dodge this trap?"

Garo eyed the spot where Sise had stood, curiosity gleaming in his gaze.

"What do you think, huh~?"

"Nothing much."

His tone was bored.

"Nothing much? Aren't you curious if the princess survives?"

"If she can't, then that's that."

"Harsh as ever. Boss, no pity for the poor girl struggling valiantly?"

Pity?

She'd comported herself shrewdly enough so far, but if she let some lowly hyena snapping at her heels take her down, then that was the end of her.

"If she couldn't bite, she shouldn't have barked."

"Bite who? In this situation, seems like the princess is the one doing the biting."

Garo drooped his brows in mock regret.

"We'll see."

He'd know soon enough.

If Baldina's princess took after her homeland, she stood no chance.

Queen Dowager Palace.

The assembly buzzed at the synchronized testimony from the head maid and Mariyu.

"Evidence, you say?"

"Y-Your Highness, the princess has a token exchanged with her lover! An item engraved with the name of the man she promised marriage to..."

Mariyu shrank her shoulders but recited every detail of the evidence without omission.

"...It's in the Princess Palace. Her Highness would gaze at that token day and night, pining for her lover."

In conservative Baldina, exchanging love tokens was something done only between those pledged in marriage.

That serious? Mouths gaped open. It was hard to believe.

Everyone swallowed hard at the maid's lurid account of the princess's behavior, stealing glances at the Queen Dowager.

"...Then we must verify it ourselves."

The Queen Dowager commanded in a frosty voice.

"Pinatelli."

"Yes, Your Highness."

A tall, gaunt woman standing beside the dais stepped forward and bowed.

It was Marchioness Pinatelli.

She had been the Queen Dowager's closest confidante for nearly twenty years, her calm demeanor and incorruptible nature earning her unshakable trust—no temptation could sway her.

"From this moment, go to the Princess Palace and search every inch. If you find the token they speak of, report back to me immediately."

The Queen Dowager turned her head to gaze down at Medea.

"Any objections?"

"None at all."

Medea replied evenly.

Time passed in tense silence thereafter.

The Queen Dowager fanned herself to mask the rage boiling up inside.

But her temper still simmered, and she soon flung the ducal-feathered fan aside with a cold snap.

Duchess Catherine, meanwhile, strained to read the head maid's intentions through exchanged glances amid the tension.

'Hmph. When your husband tried to oust me, why didn't you look for me so eagerly then?'

Lady Quizin turned away entirely, shutting down her efforts at the source.

Once she turned the minister into her puppet, Catherine would be the one watching her every move.

Gasp! The thrilling thought nearly drew a laugh, which she barely suppressed.

On the other hand, Lady Birna yawned, bored by the endless wait.

'Ugh, this is dragging on. When's that Pinatelli woman coming back? Did the old hag spend her life eating nothing but grubs?'

Still, curiosity kept her glued to her seat.

The others clamped their mouths shut to avoid stray sparks, exchanging only glances.

Medea sat serenely amid the hushed commotion, as if oblivious to it all.

Her posture was so rigidly perfect in place that she could have been mistaken for a statue.

Everyone awaited Marchioness Pinatelli's return to shatter the icy atmosphere.

"The Prime Minister has arrived."

At that moment, a page from the Queen Dowager Palace slipped in and whispered to her. With permission granted, Sise entered through the doors.

"My respects to Your Highness, the Queen Dowager."

"Oh, Lord Sise. Come here."

The Queen Dowager's face softened, her anger visibly eased.

Sise was the nation's treasure, cherished even by the late king.

A loyal vassal who staunchly supported her grandson Peleus—how could she not favor him?

"What brings you here?"

"I came looking for the head maid and heard she was at the Queen Dowager Palace."

Sise answered smoothly.

"Your Highness, if it's alright with you, may I take the head maid with me?"

He concealed his true purpose for coming.

Even the Queen Dowager, who viewed him favorably, wouldn't take kindly to learning he'd been receiving reports on her inner palace.

"Afraid not. Unless it's urgent, it can wait."

The Queen Dowager refused outright.

"It's not pressing, so do as you see fit, Your Highness. But what brings Princess Medea and the Claudio mother and daughter here?"

He deftly shifted the topic.

The Queen Dowager hesitated. She pondered whether to keep the prime minister here.

'This matter will come to light anyway. He'll have to clean it up in the end...'

"Perfect timing. Judge the severity for me. Medea, that insolent wretch..."

After a brief explanation, Sise accepted the Queen Dowager's request.

The head maid tensed at this unexpected variable.

'Why is the prime minister here? He can't be here to defend the princess, can he?'

The two were famous rivals.

The princess abused seals to bungle administration, and the prime minister thwarted her every time—their relationship was a powder keg.

'No matter. Even if he interferes, once Mariyu's hidden evidence of Minister Etienne surfaces, he's got nothing. Medea, you're done.'

The head maid's lips twitched.

At that moment, the page opened the doors.

"Your Highness, Marchioness Pinatelli has returned."

"Ah, come in."

"Your Highness. I have carried out your orders."

The returning marchioness bowed.

Head Maid Lady Quizin lifted her chin triumphantly, eyeing her as if to say, Just as I said.

"Well? Did you find it?"

the Queen Dowager asked.

A heavy silence fell.

Gulp. The sound of someone swallowing echoed in the room. All eyes fixed on Marchioness Pinatelli's mouth.

Had the princess truly had a secret affair?

No, what drove them mad with curiosity was something else.

Who was the princess's mystery lover?

They'd exchanged items with each other's names, so if the marchioness had brought the evidence, its owner would be revealed right here.

As anticipation peaked, Marchioness Pinatelli finally spoke.