Chapter 44

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 44

Chapter Title: Dawn's Dewdrop

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They pinched Saya's cheeks, cooing over how cute she was, and fed her snacks, asking if she'd ever tried anything like them before.

Once word spread about how Saya had come to follow the princess, the soaring hostility began to noticeably fade away.

Small and nimble, with a knack for tackling the toughest jobs, Saya quickly carved out her place in the Princess Palace.

"Your Highness, is it really all right to let Saya speak so freely?"

Worried that it might give ammunition to those watching her closely, Neril voiced her concerns.

"It's fine. She's a clever girl."

Saya had come to Medea first.

"Your Highness, is it okay if I talk like this?"

Not only did she seek permission in advance and align her words accordingly, but she also astutely read Medea's inner thoughts and acted swiftly ahead of time.

"Medea sis! You promised to come to the tea party with me and the marquis's lady today, eek, what?!"

"Oh dear, what should I do? I'm so sorry, miss. Waaah, I'm still so clumsy..."

She had even turned away Birna, who came barging in uninvited and causing a nuisance, using ignorance of etiquette as an excuse.

"Your Highness seems to dislike Miss Birna, so... Did I misjudge?"

"Saya, you must refer to her as the Lady of the Claudio Ducal House. I've taught you the proper etiquette."

"I'm sorry, Lady Neril. But Miss Birna calls our Your Highness 'sis'—where does that etiquette come from?"

Neril couldn't help but laugh at the cheerful yet bold retort.

Rumors even spread that the Lady of the Claudio Ducal House was just as ignorant of etiquette as a street urchin freshly arrived at the palace.

"Your Highness, I know what you did that day—not dodging the poisoned needle meant for me. I'll never forget the grace you showed in saving my life."

She had survived alone in the slums for nearly three years.

Unconditional protection, even from her own brother, was something she could never have dreamed of. The small, fragile back that had shielded her without hesitation—Saya would remember it for the rest of her life.

'How can I be of help to our Your Highness?'

With that thought, she constantly pondered ways to assist Medea.

Once she grasped the palace dynamics, Saya soon befriended maids from other palaces too.

"I heard you rescued a poor child. Well done. A true princess must care for her people."

Medea was a little surprised when even the Queen Dowager brought up Saya during a conversation—somehow, the impression had stuck.

After that, no one mentioned Saya's background again.

It added to Medea's reputation as a generous and warm-hearted princess.

The sharp intellect of Theo, the rebellion leader in her past life, must have been fully inherited by his twin sister.

"By the way, Your Highness, about the day you brought Saya... Before entering the palace, you told Tom to look for that strange old woman again."

When Medea said nothing, Neril continued.

"But apparently, Facade's mercenaries had been through that street too—not just us."

"Facade?"

Medea looked up.

"Yes. Tom said he tried to find out what they were doing there, but their presence was so sharp that he got spotted midway and chased off."

"......"

"It seems a high-ranking Facade official was there—they completely locked down the street and only left after some time."

Medea frowned.

What business could a continental arms dealer have in this small kingdom's slums?

In her past life, Facade had never surfaced. Which meant this was a new variable in this life.

'As Prime Minister Sise said, they'll help keep the empire in check, but afterward, I need to find a reason to send them packing.'

"Got it for now. Did they find the old woman?"

Neril shook her head.

"But Your Highness, about that strange thing the old woman said that day... Do you believe it?"

"What, that my future is filled with chaos?"

Medea teased, and Neril flushed, looking flustered.

"No, Your Highness's future will shine brighter than the sun. I just wondered if that 'Dawn's Tear' might somehow help you..."

"......"

"That's what she said, right? That you're the only one who can find it."

"The blood of once the continent's wisest sage and the goddess's oracle flows in the young lady's veins."

"Hmm. The conditions don't quite match. My father was certainly wise, but calling him the continent's greatest is a bit of a stretch—"

Medea paused.

Once the continent's wisest.

The Sage.

And the kingdom protected by the Sage's Stone—Baldina.

Could it be that Baldina possessed the Sage's Stone, outshining greater powers, because its founder was the Sage himself?

"Your Highness...?"

"Wait a moment. I have somewhere to go."

Struck by the fleeting thought, Medea rose smoothly.

Medea's shadow fell over the stone wall.

Chilly air greeted her.

The Sage's Stone still emitted its eerie blue glow from the central altar.

"The blood of once the continent's wisest sage and the goddess's oracle flows in the young lady's veins."

Even if the first part was the Sage, the latter remained shrouded in mystery. The goddess's oracle?

Medea's mother was a dancer from a fallen kingdom, long destroyed, leaving her to wander as a refugee.

Hardly connected to any goddess.

Feeling a bit at a loss, Medea reached out.

"Ancestor of Baldina."

A familiar chill wrapped around her fingertips.

Cradling the Sage's Stone in both hands, she murmured.

"Tell me. Is there something you wish to convey? What should I—"

She flinched as a sharp sting pricked her fingertip.

A jagged edge at the stone's base, not fully smoothed.

A thin crack-like wound appeared on her finger.

Then, as a single drop of blood welled from her index finger and fell onto the stone, something astonishing happened.

The stone split cleanly in half with a resounding crack, unleashing a vast burst of pure white light.

"......"

Having witnessed countless bizarre sights on her expeditions, Medea barely managed to keep her composure.

Anyone else would have fainted at this miracle.

The light filling the room slowly subsided.

Blinking her dazzled eyes, Medea peered inside.

Within the halved Sage's Stone lay a small, finger-sized cylinder.

Thud. As Medea picked up the cylinder, the stone sealed shut again.

The split vanished without a trace, returning to its pristine form as if nothing had happened.

If not for the lingering wound on her hand, she might have thought it a dream.

Medea examined the cylinder.

At its top was a goddess statue, at the bottom, an engraved water droplet pattern.

"Dawn's... Dewdrop?"

As if answering her mutter, the silver liquid inside the cylinder sloshed gently.

Ch 3.

Sunny day at the District 1 Opera House.

"Your Highness, how was the performance?"

Catherine, dressed as vibrantly as a blooming rose, asked Medea. Birna stood beside her.

The mother and daughter of the Claudio Ducal House often took Medea on outings around the capital.

"You've spent your whole life cooped up in the palace—how stifling it must be. See? The world outside is so free and beautiful."

The world they showed her was fresh and safe.

Like a birdcage for a captive songbird.

"I remembered you loved this opera, so I gathered a new orchestra and cast just for a private show."

Thus, Catherine was trying once more to melt her niece's heart with such 'efforts'.

Medea gazed at her aunt, who clearly expected effusive gratitude.

"I see. No wonder it grated on my ears. The arias were dreadful. The whole orchestra and cast had been replaced."

Catherine's smiling face stiffened slightly.

'Do you know how much money I poured into staging this opera?'

Boiling rage simmered within, but she suppressed it behind her smile.

"I see. Our talents fell short and displeased Your Highness. I should have selected more carefully—my failing."

Dropping her gaze with a worried expression, Catherine soon approached and clasped Medea's hands firmly in hers.

"But you won't be disappointed at the evening banquet."

"Banquet?"

At Medea's question, she eagerly brought up the main point, as if she'd been waiting.