Chapter 72

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 72

Chapter Title: The Crown I'll Take from You

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"Of course they'll all be terrified. That's precisely why we must be even more ruthless. We have to uproot any seeds of betrayal from the start. After the minister is thrown in prison, won't there be those who doubt whether this grand endeavor can succeed? Can you be absolutely certain there won't be any who waver?"

The Regent Duke fell silent.

In truth, he had been harboring the same worries.

"And what do you mean by saying we were attacked by assassins? Don't tell me there's someone else who knows the location of the pledge document?"

"There were others who targeted our estate."

Samon continued cautiously, glancing at his father's expression.

"According to reports, they were the elite of the elites. We captured one who was still breathing and interrogated him—he was from the Empire."

"The Empire? Who in Kazen could it be?"

"That... he took his own life before we could finish the interrogation, so we couldn't find out. I'm sorry."

An elite who would commit suicide meant someone of considerable standing in the Empire. Why would the Empire get involved?

The Regent Duke simply couldn't comprehend it.

Seeing the bewilderment on his father's face, Samon quickly added,

"Someone in Baldina must be trying to exploit our weakness with the pledge document. We're cooperating with Emperor Kazen while also keeping ties with Grand Duke Jason, aren't we? There's no law saying others can't do the same."

Besides, until recently, the Regent Duke and the minister had been at each other's throats over the banquet affair.

"It's entirely possible the minister was planning to betray us completely."

Samon's face grew grave.

"Father, you must decide. It's time to deal with the minister. We have to move first if we want to survive. Before they approach Etienne and extract more information, we need to shut him up for good."

The Regent Duke pressed his throbbing temple.

The thought of eliminating Etienne, his greatest ally, with his own hands felt like carving flesh from his own body—agonizing and heartbreaking.

But in this completely blocked situation, there were no other options.

He raised his head. His gaze caught on the faded shield emblem hanging on the wall—the crest of the Claudio Ducal House.

"Joaquin, you shall be your brother's shield and steadfastly protect this nation. With sons as reliable as you two, your father can die without regrets."

He recalled his father's words from his youth, when he had been hastily expelled from the palace upon his brother's ascension.

He bit his lip as if chewing on it.

'No, Father. I will not remain merely a shield.'

The Claudio Duke's expression hardened with resolve.

"Very well. Do it."

That night, a man in black slipped out through the back gate of the ducal estate.

Baldina's special prison.

Heavy footsteps echoed on the damp stone floor. The dozing minister jolted awake at a faint prick of pain.

"Hngh—!"

A gleaming blade hovered at his throat.

"Lark Etienne. To dare betray your master."

"W-what are you talking about?"

Etienne broke out in a cold sweat, scanning his surroundings.

'Where are the guards? The escorts? Why is no one here?!'

"Claudio! You're trying to kill me again, aren't you?! You vile bastards, still scheming to silence me!"

The assassin sneered at his bizarre outburst.

"Gone senile in your old age? You hid so well we barely knew you were here."

"N-no way... no one could approach me?"

The minister pondered deeply, then his mouth gaped wide open.

'Damn it, I fell for the princess's trap.'

But it was far too late.

By the time Etienne realized everything, the blade had long since pierced his throat.

"Extra! Extra!"

Newsboys dashed through the streets.

A bold red headline blared over Etienne's pudgy face on the front page.

[Lark Etienne Dead in Prison!]

"Is it real? For real?"

"That so-called minister devoured bribes like they were endless, then toyed with children and sold them off to foreign lands? Scum like that never stops at just one crime!"

"Good riddance, you bastard. Ptooey!"

The minister was dead.

As a criminal awaiting execution for violating military law, there was no funeral—his body was simply tossed unceremoniously beneath the city walls.

Whenever people saw the name Etienne, they spat and cursed him.

For a man who had lived his entire life with the pride of a high noble, it was an utterly pathetic and miserable end.

His assets were confiscated, his title revoked.

Count Etienne's house crumbled pitifully without its head, but there was no one left to mourn it.

Yet some still harbored doubts about his sudden death.

"Died of a chronic illness? Nonsense! How long had he even been imprisoned? For someone as healthy as Etienne to fall ill so quickly?"

Coincidentally, the bad news that struck Count Etienne's house right before his death only fueled the suspicions.

A one-sided slaughter bordering on massacre.

The excessively brutal aftermath left people clicking their tongues.

"But the minister was the duke's right-hand man in name and truth. After all those years together, to discard him in an instant..."

"Hah, you didn't know that's the kind of man we serve?"

Members of the Regent Duke's faction felt a crushing pressure in their chests.

"It's to make an example of the minister. To show what happens if anyone dares step off his ship on their own."

"......"

As Samon intended, the minister's downfall demonstrated exactly what the Regent Duke demanded.

Absolute loyalty and flawless execution.

It was a stern warning that not even a hint of discord could be tolerated—that perfection was required in all things.

The nobles said nothing, but each harbored their own thoughts.

Some might have reaffirmed their loyalty upon witnessing the minister's fate.

But human nature always leans more toward the desire for freedom than suppression.

Doubts began to sprout in the hearts of those trembling in fear.

'If I end up in that situation, won't I meet the same end as the minister?'

'If I might be abandoned at any moment, wouldn't it be better to turn first?'

In this life, cracks of distrust and suspicion seeped into the once-solid bonds of the rebels.

Princess Palace.

Medea rose from her knees in pious prayer before a sacred painting of the goddess.

On the long altar beneath it sat dozens of palm-sized baby angel statues and tiny candles arranged in a row.

"Forgive me. I know you harbor resentment toward me. May you at least find peace now, even if belatedly."

It was a small memorial rite for the souls of the children sacrificed to Etienne.

Finishing her prayer, Medea carefully placed each angel statue into a small coffin.

They were Baldina's children. Thus, she too could not be free.

'I promise. I won't let this happen again.'

With this, both arms of Claudio that had gripped the Baldina palace were severed.

One arm even cut off by his own hand—how furious he must be inside.

"Unlike you, Uncle, you acted rashly. Leaving capable subordinates to entrust everything to a foolish son has led to this mess."

Her calm voice belied a ruthless assessment.

Medea, who had buried the children's coffins in the sunniest spot in the Princess Palace, turned away with the unyielding strength of an ancient tree unmoved by storm or gale.

Erasing her sorrow and returning to her usual demeanor, Medea summoned Saya and commanded,

"The secret funds Etienne gave us last time. Bring them."

The slush funds secretly siphoned from the now-dead Etienne amounted to several times the fortune Medea had once offered to establish an orphanage.

If he knew the princess who had deceived and driven him to death had stripped him bare of his remaining wealth, Etienne would vomit blood even in the afterlife.

"If that venomous toad knew we'd seized this fortune, he'd be shaking with rage down below."

Saya giggled.

Neril silenced Saya and said,

"With the head maid and now the minister down, the Regent Duke can't wield the same influence as before."

"It's too early for that. The imperial delegation from Kazen will arrive soon."

Medea replied matter-of-factly.