Chapter 64

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 64

Chapter Title: The Crown I'll Take From You

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"Intruder! Check the prisoners!"

"Security's been breached!"

The hurried footsteps of guards arriving late echoed closely behind.

"Tch."

With that, the rope strangling his neck loosened with a slither. The assassin kicked off the prison wall and leaped into the darkness, vanishing.

"Gahk—!"

The barely freed minister gasped for air roughly.

His eyes, having brushed death's doorstep and returned, were bloodshot.

The relief of being alive lasted only a moment before overwhelming resentment surged through him. He pounded his fists against the floor repeatedly.

His inflamed red eyes looked as if they were shedding bloody tears.

"Clauuuudiooo!"

In the dim dungeon, his furious roar echoed like a curse.

The next day.

Count Etienne ground his teeth, not even glancing at the rough bread covered in dust and grime.

He had begged the guards distributing lunch, handing over every gold nugget he had, just to summon one of the princess's maids.

"Her Highness says she won't see you. She said pretending to fall for it once is enough—pass that along."

"Just once more, please say I beg to see her just one more time. Tell her I know the duke's ugliest secret, that I absolutely won't disappoint her. Come on? Just once! Hurry!"

And that very evening, the princess came to see the minister.

"Your Highness!"

Etienne was scarcely in his right mind.

With a gaunt appearance unlike anything in his entire life, he greeted Medea as if she were his savior.

His bloodshot eyes showed he hadn't slept a wink all night.

"Minister, you look a fright."

The princess glanced down at him coolly and said as much.

He was speechless. This prison was hell. It offered him no comforts whatsoever.

For an old man like him, grown soft over the years, it was brutal.

'Those godforsaken bastards!'

The minister cursed inwardly while nodding vigorously.

"So, you were ranting some strange nonsense about my uncle."

The princess cut straight to the point, clearly with no intention of lingering.

"Yes, Your Highness. You must know the ugly truth Duke Claudio is hiding. That's why I, Etienne, have presumptuously begged to see you again."

"An ugly truth? My uncle's?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Until now, the duke's power has been so overwhelming that no one dared speak up."

"......"

"But I am a loyal servant who eats Baldina's salt, devoted solely to Baldina! I resolved to reveal the truth!"

Spewing the words like blood, the minister prostrated himself and slyly lifted his head to gauge the princess's reaction.

"Your Highness, protect me. Keep the duke from killing me—if you just safeguard my life, I will tell you the truth about Duke Claudio, whom you trust."

The princess's face remained impassive. Etienne grew anxious.

"If more time passes, it might be too late."

"......Very well. I'll accept."

The princess gave her assent.

"Th-then first, assign me guards..."

"You've lost my trust. If I can't believe you, I'll just go."

The princess turned coldly to leave.

Etienne snapped to attention. If she left now, he was truly as good as dead!

"No, no! Of course Your Highness can't trust me after what I've done. Of course not, absolutely."

He nodded frantically, desperately rationalizing Medea's attitude.

"Show your hand first."

"But—"

He couldn't spill everything before confirmation. As Etienne hesitated, Medea's eyes grew icy.

"Seems you're mistaken. I decide, Etienne. Not you."

Gulp. Etienne swallowed hard.

There was nowhere left to run.

The princess was his last lifeline.

Danger lurked even tonight; he had no time to haggle.

"......After I took charge of the Interior Ministry, many came to me."

He finally spoke.

"Some wanted positions, others wealth. I confess... I forgot the gravity of my office and pursued personal gain."

"......"

"They were all the duke's people, funneling the palace's interests to the Claudio House. Not just one or two. The duke's influence permeates the entire palace."

Medea didn't look surprised; she scoffed.

"That's it? Hardly news. It's not as if I'm surrounded by my uncle's people for the first time."

"No! Please hear just a bit more, Your Highness. The truly important part comes now."

The princess seemed ready to leave at any moment, making him desperate.

He forgot his initial caution.

"The duke's greed—and that of his followers—didn't stop at using you to amass power and wealth. Those scoundrels dismissed His young Majesty's valor as child's play and ultimately harbored thoughts they never should have."

"What thoughts? Be precise."

The princess tolerated no extraneous words from Etienne.

Etienne glanced around nervously.

It felt like one of Duke Claudio's assassins could leap from the shadows and throttle him again any second.

Gulp. Swallowing, Etienne answered.

"Treason."

Treason.

In that instant, the dungeon air grew chillingly colder.

"They resolved to overthrow Baldina in rebellion and depose His Majesty. And I have the pledge document plotting that rebellion."

The traitors' pledge.

Silence fell. The princess said nothing.

Given the gravity of the matter, Etienne bit his lip and endured the quiet.

"How can I......"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"......trust that? Etienne, this time you're conspiring with my uncle to trap me. Even the worms crawling here know you're his closest friend and ally."

The princess shot back coldly.

"Your name's probably on that pledge too. Now you pretend otherwise and expect me to believe your self-confession?"

"No! You've got it wrong! He's not my friend! The duke is trying to eliminate me!"

Forgetting his dignity, Etienne knelt and clung to the princess like a foolish girl he had once scorned—as if that banquet pressure was from another life. He was astonishingly servile.

"To silence me before the pledge's existence is exposed. How can I call a man who discards me the moment I'm in danger a friend? Here, I've finally realized it. We cannot let that ungrateful traitor Claudio go unpunished."

Even now, the minister didn't stop defending himself.

But he could never dream of it.

The duke had no intention of eliminating him and was currently struggling outside the prison to rescue him.

Medea lifted the corner of her mouth.

"I can't fully believe you yet. Wait. I need time to verify if it's true."

"Wh-what about me then......!"

Etienne's face paled.

"Save me, Your Highness. Next time, you might meet me as a corpse."

"Don't worry. I'll replace all the guards. With swordsmen on watch, no assassin will infiltrate easily."

Medea replied calmly, as if it were no concern at all.

She didn't forget to offer him reassurance in a slightly gentler tone.

"How anxious you've been. Your complexion is awful. I told Saya to ensure your comfort, but it seems she fell short."

Etienne's jowls, gaunt yet still prominent, quivered.

Her words felt so warm that the minister nearly grabbed the granddaughter-aged princess and burst into tears.

"My life hangs by Your Highness's mercy. Please, save this wretched body."

"That's why I need to confirm it quickly. Tell me."

Medea leaned in closer. Green light gleamed in her eyes.

"Where exactly is that pledge document?"