Chapter 60

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 60

Chapter Title: The Crown I'll Steal from You

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60

Umberto feigned ignorance as he asked.

His face brimmed with grievance and utter bewilderment, as if he had no clue why he was there.

A flicker of amusement crossed Medea's features.

He dropped to his knees at once and pleaded like a devoted servant.

"Your Highness, please save our master. The royal knights suddenly burst in and dragged him away!"

"Master? Why your master? Has something already happened to Count Kensington?"

"……!"

Umberto froze at the princess's concerned question.

"What are you talking about? My only master is Minister Etienne."

In the blink of an eye, he regained his composure as if nothing had happened, the shocking tremor in his eyes vanishing just as quickly.

But the ragged breath he couldn't quite hide had leaked out long ago.

"Don't be so frightened. Umberto carried out the last order perfectly, so everything went smoothly."

Her tone was gentle, almost praising.

"Order? I've never received any such—"

At that moment, a small scrap of paper was slid before Umberto.

The familiar size, color, shape of the parchment, and the crisp handwriting upon it...

He knew them all too well.

"That day, you brought the minister out onto the floor."

It matched exactly the secret notes he'd received before.

"Th-that can't be..."

Umberto looked up at the princess in disbelief.

Recent events flashed before his eyes.

The one who had laced Etienne's incense to knock him out, incited chaos at the banquet hall, and sown discord to drive a wedge between him and the Claudio Ducal House...

Was that mastermind the princess herself?

Wasn't she the ally of Regent Duke Claudio? And the Interior Minister was the duke's right-hand man?

Confusion whirled in his mind.

"Wow, Princess—you framed the minister? Why?"

The words slipped out before he could stop them. In the next instant, the edge of a blade pressed against his throat.

"Insolent fool!"

It was the maid who had been glaring daggers at him from the princess's side.

Her draw was so swift and precise, she could easily pass for a knight.

"Neril. Umberto helped me with all his heart, so go easy on him."

At Medea's glance, the maid finally withdrew her sword.

'Helped? I had no choice—you blackmailed me with our comrades' lives!'

Umberto nearly spat back, but the sight of the knight standing behind the princess made him clench his fists instead.

"Umberto, that's not the real question burning in your mind, is it? Aren't you wondering how I know who you are... or how much I know?"

Her words struck him right in the core.

"Or perhaps, first and foremost, whether I even plan to let you live."

Umberto flinched.

Her calm voice now sounded utterly ruthless and terrifying, now that he knew what she truly was.

'This princess... how many people has she deceived?'

No one knew.

Not even that the sudden downfall of a power broker who could topple empires had begun with this young princess.

Chills crept over his skin.

Beyond the shock, harsh reality confronted him.

"I won't beg for my life like a coward."

He was a spy from Baldina, peddling its secrets to a foreign power. And before him stood Baldina's own princess. There was no way he'd leave this place alive.

He bit his lip. His voice rang with resolve.

"I die for my country, and you, Princess, slay me for yours. I hold no grudges. But if I have one regret..."

He fixed Medea with a wary stare.

"Princess, my eternal lament is that I can't warn my master of your true nature."

Medea lifted the corner of her mouth.

"Warn him? Umberto, if I hadn't sought you out first, would you have ever even recognized me?"

Her prim lips curved in mockery, her smile as perfectly painted as ever.

"……."

Umberto's face flushed red, but he had no retort.

He couldn't deny it—the princess's words that he lacked even the wits to uncover the culprit.

He hadn't suspected the notes' sender in the slightest, let alone dreamed it could be her.

"Then why reveal yourself to me now?"

"Letting you go is my act of mercy. So commit it to memory and deliver the message to your master."

Medea held out a small, perfectly sealed letter.

A brief silence hung in the air.

"...And what if I silence you right here?"

Killing intent flickered in Umberto's eyes. His hand balled into a tight fist.

Without his bonds, it would surely grip a dagger.

Kensington wouldn't dispatch just anyone to enemy soil. His skills as an assassin were no doubt exceptional.

His resolve was clear: he might not escape alive, but he could take Medea with him.

"Is that so? Think you can handle the consequences?"

"……."

"Your master, perhaps. But what about your master's master? The throat in your grasp might not be mine—it could be theirs."

Umberto's face drained of color, as if doused in ice water.

This princess knew of the Red Fox Group's tendrils spreading across the continent.

If she had concealed her true face all this time, just as he had his disguise...

'She wouldn't expose herself without preparations in place.'

This was a trap. The moment he struck her down, Baldina and Kazen would be beyond reconciliation.

His path was obvious.

'This girl—this princess of Baldina—is beyond my league.'

It exceeded his abilities. He would deliver her letter to the leader and let them decide the rest.

Decision made, Umberto slowly drew back.

"As you command."

"A pleasure."

Medea smiled faintly, as if pleased with his choice.

Unable to even meet her subtle smile gleaming in the sunlight, Umberto simply lowered his gaze.

The underground prison cell holding the minister.

"Prime Minister."

Sise dismissed the guards and stepped alone into the dank chamber, reeking of mildew.

Thud. Thud. His footsteps echoed softly against the moss-covered stone.

When he halted, Etienne looked up.

"Sise, you damned cur."

Spotting Sise beyond the bars, his face twisted in fury.

"You think you'll get away unscathed after tossing me in here?"

Thud—his hefty frame slammed into the thick bars, the murderous echo filling the cell.

"Yes, my life and position remain quite secure for now. You, however, Minister... you've seen better days. Quite the change in your looks."

Sise's expression stayed serene amid the threats, his voice leisurely.

"You filthy worm! What gives you the right to treat a pillar of this nation like this!"

"I'm not the one who pinned a false crime on you, so I truly can't fathom your rage, Minister."

"You son of a—!"

Noting the minister's still-plump cheeks, Sise curled his lip.

He recalled the message from the princess before coming here.

He had worried that the Regent Duke summoning her meant a return to playing puppet.

Yet she had promised to pardon the minister if he filled thirty crates for the duke.

Sise finally grasped the full picture of her scheme.

'Her Highness is buying time to keep those two apart.'

Swallowing his inward admiration, Sise spoke.

"Make the most of your final days before the execution block. I'll lend whatever aid I can."

"Shut your mouth!"

The Etienne of old wouldn't have risen to Sise's bait so easily, but as a condemned prisoner, things were different now.

"Duke Claudio won't stand for this! The moment I walk out, I'll rip you to shreds and feed you to the dogs!"

Fury blazed across his pudgy features.

"Will he now?"

Sise's counter gave that rage pause.

His smile carried a wealth of hidden meaning.

What new scheme was this young upstart hatching?

Etienne glared at him.