Chapter 58

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 58

Chapter Title: Thirty Chests of Gold

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Far from sending it to Duke Claudio as the desperate minister had cried out, Umberto crumpled the finished letter and tossed it into the fireplace when no one was looking.

Having dealt with the letter, Umberto wore a relieved expression.

And then he calmly rejoined the scene.

"Delete it now!"

"What are you doing without tearing up the documents!"

"Freeze! Anyone who moves from now on will be considered an accomplice. Everyone, you're all being transferred to the palace!"

In the chaotic standoff between the royal knights and the people from Count Etienne's household, Umberto vanished without a sound.

Because Umberto had so casually destroyed the letter, news from the count's household reached the Regent Duke much later.

"Royal knights stormed in and took Interior Minister Etienne away!"

It was already after the royal knights had swept through the count's estate.

"What? What for?"

The Regent Duke's face flushed red upon learning the charges against the minister. Of all things, caught red-handed with toys?

"Damn it all, Etienne! If I let you play your favorite games, you should've cleaned up properly afterward!"

Crash! A decorative item the Regent Duke hurled shattered.

If he were in front of him, grinding him to dust wouldn't have been enough.

However, this incident wasn't entirely the minister's blunder.

"When investigating the minister's slush funds, they found traces leading to the Black Eye Merchant Guild. Continuing the probe uncovered the child trafficking too. We should've stopped it from the start when we knew..."

"Damn it all!"

Realizing they could have easily covered it up if they hadn't ignored it due to pointless rivalry with the minister, the Regent Duke's head throbbed.

"This isn't the time for us to fight among ourselves. We need to see the minister first. Where was he taken?"

"The situation looks bad. He was immediately transferred and isolated. Even we can't get close easily. Prime Minister Sise seems to have prepared thoroughly this time."

Samon reported. He too had sent subordinates the moment he heard and checked the details.

Each charge hanging around the minister's neck was gravely heavy.

"Violation of military law, of all things. Sise, that bastard's playing dirty!"

Even the first two charges could be brushed off as his quirks, but selling to foreign countries could be seen as treason against the royals.

They were even preparing real treason. Planning to secretly raise rebels to attack the capital.

"Sise is combing through the minister's residence and continuing the investigation. Father, the tail of our grand undertaking won't be caught, will it?"

"For now, since they've all scattered and gone into hiding, they'll stay put until we make contact."

But dragging it out wouldn't help. They needed to extract the minister from prison as quickly as possible.

"What's the situation in the palace?"

"Pinatelli, that woman purged everyone, so I have hardly any contacts left inside. The minister's side seems panicked and at a loss too."

The Regent Duke scowled. Deep, indelible wrinkles formed between his brows.

"Sise, that cunning fox, won't miss this chance. What do we do..."

At that moment, Samon slyly lifted the corner of his mouth.

"But we have Medea on our side, don't we?"

The butterfly effect of Sise drawing his sword was enormous.

In wartime, where even scraps of information could decide victory or defeat, the crime of extracting dozens of palace insiders was an exceedingly grave offense.

On a large scale, the minister himself; on a smaller scale, the officials, nobles, and merchants who aided or turned a blind eye—all were hauled in one after another.

Naturally, most of them belonged to Duke Claudio's faction.

As Etienne's fate flickered like a candle in the wind, Duke Claudio sought the savior he had always relied upon.

"Your Highness, Duke Claudio is here."

"Medea! This is terrible!"

Claudio wiped away tears with exaggerated tone, embellishing the situation.

In summary, Interior Minister Etienne was innocent, trapped in a vicious plot to slander him.

All his crimes were fabrications, he claimed.

"Here, stamp your seal. That's the only way to help the poor, righteous souls. Your seal will be the perfect salvation."

Oh, Uncle.

Medea had once truly admired him.

She had believed those flowery words were a creed, a truth.

But now, returned from a turbulent previous life, she could see through the essence of her uncle—no, the Regent Duke.

'Claudio's just a loudmouth fool.'

Medea looked down indifferently at the stiff paper he held out.

"What is this?"

"It's to pardon the innocent. They're Baldinans too. As a princess, will you abandon your people? That's not what a royal proxy does. In Peleus's stead, you must show mercy—"

"Uncle. I don't understand complicated things like slush funds or military law violations. But I learned something this time."

Medea cut him off and covered the paper he offered.

"Former Head Maid Quizin, Interior Minister Etienne, even the maids who cared for me my whole life—they all lined their own pockets. And I, who helped and saved them, have nothing left."

Medea waved the hand wearing her seal ring in front of Claudio.

"As you say, Uncle, I can do anything with this seal. To think you'd try to take this precious, powerful strength without offering a single price... Ha! How laughable have I seemed all this time?"

She turned away coldly.

"Go back, Uncle. If they want their positions back through you, tell them this: Medea will no longer dispense cheap pity or mercy."

"Me—Medea? What do you...?"

The Regent Duke had prepared various repertoires to persuade her, but this was beyond his wildest dreams.

They said she'd been strange since the fall, but had she truly gone mad?

Barely hiding his fluster, he asked,

"Wh-what do you mean, how much?"

"Who knows. How could one who offers aid put a price on such a secret request? That's for the beggar to decide."

With that, Medea casually stroked the jewelry box beside the table.

"These days, they say even gold bars are kept in chests like this..."

It was a direct demand for gold in chests. The Regent Duke was dumbfounded.

"...Then how many chests...?"

Instead of answering, Medea picked up the pen on the table.

Seeing the number, the Regent Duke gasped and shot to his feet.

"Thirty chests is too much...!"

'That stupid girl, greedy to her core—!'

But to resolve this, Medea's power was essential.

The Regent Duke suppressed his rising fury and forced an awkward smile.

"Ahem, I understand, but those who've had their assets confiscated—I'm not sure how much they can gather. Don't expect too much."

"Ahaha."

Medea snorted.

If not for the innocent freshness in her laughter bursting from shapely lips, Claudio would have thought his niece was openly mocking him.

"Uncle, their wealth is all mine—no, Baldina's money. If my brother returns, Etienne won't just keep his seat; his head will roll. And I'm, willingly, offering to cover it up. Why would any amount be too much?"

She pronounced the last sentence, breaking it word by word.

"......"

"But thirty chests are too many. Even for a noble minister as wealthy as he—"

"Ha, Uncle. Do I need to show you the evidence myself? Exactly how much he's embezzled?"

"......"

Abandoning persuasion, the Regent Duke tried to at least lower the bribe amount, but even that failed.

Where had the gentle, kind princess gone? It felt like facing a ruthless moneylender.

'She wasn't like this before... Could it be because of Quizin?'

She'd been forced to sell her own jewels for lack of money, so it was understandable she'd be furious.

"A-alright. That much... Your Highness."

Cursing the dead Quizin inwardly, the Regent Duke nodded.

Medea, as if she'd never been cold, smiled and patted his arm affectionately.

"Uncle, since it's come to this, squeeze every last bit from Etienne. You're on my side, right?"

In the end, Duke Claudio returned empty-handed.