Chapter 54

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 54

Chapter Title: The Crown I'll Steal From You

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"It's ridiculous."

"What is?"

"Out of all those people at the banquet, not a single one was truly protecting that little girl."

The princess didn't seem to expect it either.

Fragile as a fledgling beneath his palm—enough that the slightest pressure would crush her—yet she tried to face that massive brute charging like a wild boar all on her own.

As if she knew only she could save herself.

Those dry eyes adjusting her fan without a hint of expectation lingered in his mind like the calluses on his fingertips. Was it because they reminded him of his own childhood self once again?

Garo snorted derisively. Far from pity, he shuddered as if frightened instead.

"What? So the princess looks pitiful to you now? Hmph, you know she orchestrated that whole mess last night, right?"

Yes. Interior Minister Etienne's outrageous behavior at the banquet hadn't been some accident.

Nor had the involvement of the Claudio children.

"Now I get who that impotence poison was meant for. It was all the princess's doing!"

"Doesn't that make her worthy of pity?"

With so little in her grasp, squeezing out every last drop of strength to lay down one grueling gambit after another—even a heart of stone like his felt sorry for her.

"Ha... Boss, we must feel sympathy in very different places. I'd understand if you said you fell for her because she's pretty."

Garo shook his head, eyes screaming utter incomprehension.

"Anyway, next time, try holding back on the pity. The princess didn't yield an inch even alone. Because of your meddling, we Facade got called a doghouse for strays."

"......"

Kill him?

Cezare's fingers twitched, betraying his dark contemplation.

"My lord, the Sage's Book was taken as an inheritance by Regent Duke Claudio when he left the palace."

Just then, Zeta returned with perfect timing to report.

"I tried to investigate further, but the knights suddenly returned..."

They'd come back sooner than expected, cutting the search short.

"Ah, the banquet ended early."

"What happened?"

"Oh, something did. Our most noble lord from the empire got treated like a clueless mutt—ack!"

Garo leaped back.

"Even if I can't watch my mouth sometimes! That's too much, Boss! You gonna kill your sworn brother like this?"

A silver dagger was embedded where Garo had stood moments before.

Right at mouth level.

The next day, rain poured steadily.

"Did you hear? About what happened at the royal banquet yesterday?"

"Count Etienne? Of course. I saw it with my own eyes!"

Despite the gloomy weather, the salon buzzed with scorching heat.

"Not content with crushing Duchess Catherine Claudio underfoot, he even groped the Young Duke. Said his pretty face made him perfect for night duty."

"The Young Duke? Then the rumors are true? The minister was into... you know."

Etienne's hidden perversions had been exposed root and stem, but he'd gone further—drugged and toying with young nobles.

And his victims just happened to be the Regent Duke's only son and daughter. How could this be?

"Hmph, the Duke himself sent word to keep last night's events quiet. Why are you all chattering so lightly?"

The Regent Duke had scrambled to seal people's lips.

But it was too late.

"Hah. Go out on the streets. Everyone's talking about it. No matter how great the Regent Duke is, how's he going to track down who started it?"

They'd invited twice the usual guests in Princess Medea's name.

No amount of effort could plug every eye and mouth among that crowd.

The minister's scandal spread across the capital before the day was out.

"Hey, did you hear? At the banquet..."

"Oh my goodness! Of course!"

The moment someone broached the topic, others chimed in eagerly.

"Even blackout drunk, he was so heavy it took ten knights to pry him off."

"Goodness, the Claudio siblings must have suffered terribly."

"Exactly. The ducal house must have spent a fortune on that lavish banquet, only for their supposed ally, the minister, to wreck it..."

Wherever she went, tales of the Claudio siblings flowed naturally.

"Still, the ducal house will weather it fine. Did you see Duchess Catherine Claudio's dress yesterday? Jewels dripping from the bodice, all dolled up—no one could tell her from the princess."

As conversations deepened, the hidden truths slipped out.

A noblewoman lowered her fan to whisper.

"Frankly, it was a bit much, wasn't it? Her Highness the princess restrains her luxuries and pleasures, yet she struts around like a preening peacock..."

"That dress was originally made for Her Highness, but she threw a fit and snatched it."

"Her father hosted the banquet, so the daughter's no different. Does the Regent Duke need to bow to anyone in this country?"

People pitied the Claudio siblings harmed by the minister, yet secretly savored their humiliation.

"Did you hear Duchess Catherine Claudio shrieking as she was pinned? Ugh, I thought a pterodactyl had returned. She even yelled at people trying to help."

"I clocked the Young Duke early. Boys his age fight on the front lines for the nation, but he puffs up his shoulders as 'Young Duke.' Oily and slick—that's why weirdos flock to him. See? Real men like me didn't get approached."

At a tea party, one flighty young lady mocked openly.

"Oh my, Duchess Catherine Claudio, are you alright? If only you'd worn something lighter, you could've escaped faster."

Thus, the blame and scorn once aimed at Medea in her past life now fell squarely on the Claudio siblings.

They'd long monopolized the social pinnacle by scapegoating Medea.

So it was only natural that those waiting for their fall were legion.

"Why on earth did things turn out like this!"

For the Regent Duke, it was maddening.

His children were pure victims—why was the backlash spilling onto them?

"Your Grace, best to avoid going out and gauge the situation first."

To avoid fueling the rumors further, House Claudio shut its doors, rejecting all visitors.

"Aaaargh!"

Lady Birna Claudio pounded her pillow, screaming in rage.

"Huff... huff..."

Her cheeks flushed beet red. Nostrils flaring, eyes mad with nothing but desire.

Whatever the minister had ingested, Birna could easily guess.

The problem was why he of all people...

The wine Medea was supposed to drink—why did that piglet guzzle it!

Had his gluttony led him to snatch and chug the princess's portion?

And the mad minister had charged like a water buffalo, dragging her into it too.

Everyone had seen the comical spectacle of her tangled with him, sliding across the banquet hall floor.

Drenched head to toe in squelching cake and sticky champagne, her dress ruined—a pathetic sight.

"I'll kill them all!"

She was losing her mind.

"Birna! Don't worry, dear. Mother's here. I'll handle everything."

Duchess Catherine Claudio pulled her blanketed daughter into a hug, soothing her.

She sighed inwardly—if only she'd changed as I said—but her heart ached at her tear-streaked cheeks.

"How? Everyone saw my dress, , in that wretched state—! How will I ever marry? No one will propose now."

Birna wailed.

"It's all Medea's fault. That wench ruined everything."

Catherine's teeth ground together.

She too was pure Claudio stock, selfish to the bone.

If only Medea had meekly worn that dress...

Her daughter had taken the humiliation meant for Medea. Yet Medea hadn't apologized—hadn't even inquired after Birna.

Using my daughter to play the lofty princess and hoard all the praise?

A chill swept over Catherine's refined features.