Chapter 80

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 80

Chapter Title: The Crown I'll Take from You

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Yeah. My hunch was right. My close friend wasn't listening to a word I said.

While Terence let out a sigh, Zeta replied.

"No. As far as we know, the princess has never once left Baldina since she was born. The Grand Duke is making his first trip here as well."

Right, that's it.... Cezare's fingers slowly drummed on the table.

As his subordinate had said, there was no way those two knew each other.

Jason had even gone so far as to ask Medea's name, like some savage beast struck by love at first sight.

And the princess...

"I hate it. I'm not going back."

When he laid the unconscious Medea down, a faint murmur reached his ears.

Her eyes remained tightly shut, her limbs flailing as if desperate to escape a nightmare.

"Calm down, princess. Can you hear me?"

The murmur slipping from her twitching lips was far too weak. Cezare had to pin down the struggling princess's shoulders.

"I won't be fooled again. Jason, never again...!"

Even pressing his ear close to her mouth left him baffled. But one thing was crystal clear.

Jason. The name that had slipped from the princess's lips was unmistakably Jason.

"You thought they knew each other, huh."

The index finger drumming on the table stopped, slowly tracing a circle along the wood grain.

"Well, the reaction was a little strange, wasn't it? The guy who never so much as blinked no matter what happened."

Garo tilted his head as well. But Terence's expression remained as indifferent as ever.

"They must have recognized them as the Kazen delegation. With the delegation set to arrive soon, they could've been startled to see them strutting so boldly through Baldina's streets. It's entirely possible."

"Hmm, I suppose. For a princess in dire need of aid, it might've been a major concern."

No. It wasn't something that simple.

Cezare recalled that small face trembling like an aspen leaf.

After crossing paths with Jason, those emerald eyes filled with desperate pleading, like a young beast backed into a corner.

He alone had spotted the shock and anxiety brimming within them.

Even Jason himself had seemed puzzled, unaware of the reason.

At that moment, Zeta delivered more news.

"And, Your Highness. The Fourth Princess's escorts are searching for the princess. It looks like they're after revenge for what happened earlier. What should we do, Your Highness?"

In truth, it had nothing to do with Facade, but Zeta remained faithful to his lord's command to report everything concerning the princess.

"Send them back one piece at a time."

Don't kill them—just lop off an arm or a leg and send it back, so they could return alive to the Fourth Princess.

"Boss, why poke the hornet's nest?"

"I'm merely offering a bit of brotherly guidance."

Garo and Terence exchanged a brief glance.

Brotherly guidance? If he hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have batted an eye whether the Fourth Princess lived or died.

"Always such a rotten personality..."

Garo muttered under his breath.

Baldina Royal Palace.

"Your Highness, please wake up."

Medea opened her eyes at the gentle shaking of her shoulders.

"You just wouldn't wake up."

Neril gazed at her with eyes full of concern.

Last night, the princess had stared silently out the carriage window at the receding white mansion, seemingly lost in thought.

Neril had wanted to ask what was wrong but held back. There were days when silence offered more comfort than words.

"Your Highness, are you all right?"

Medea felt reassured by the face brimming with respect and affection.

"...I had a dream."

Yes, it wasn't real.

This was her reality now. The second chance bestowed by the gods had not yet slipped away.

"I didn't sleep well last night."

"What kind of dream left you so pale?"

Her back was damp with cold sweat.

Memories of her past life flashing past.

The vivid malice lurking sharply just beneath the surface of sleep.

"It was a nightmare."

One she would never return to or relive.

Just a nightmare from one midnight.

"You've been overdoing it lately, so no wonder. But Your Highness, it was only a dream. Please don't fret."

"Right. It was just a dream."

Medea echoed Neril's words mechanically.

"I'll fetch some hot water. The air's still chilly, so stay put."

In the spot Neril had vacated, Medea lifted her head. Dawn was breaking beyond the window.

The Kazen delegation would arrive soon.

And he would come.

"It's okay. It won't happen again."

Medea murmured to herself.

Her faint chant spreading over the chill dawn air sounded both eerie and heartrending.

"This time will be different."

Veins bulged on the back of her hand, clenched tightly around the sheet in silence.

Baldina Royal Palace.

Beneath a clear sky, the sunlight poured down more harshly than ever.

Baldina's nobles blinked against the stinging glare, gathering in small clusters at the palace entrance.

To welcome the imperial delegation entering the grounds.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't wait out here personally like this, but the imperial delegation had specified this exact time.

As if Baldinans were meant to endure such torment until they deigned to appear.

"Your Highness, thank goodness for the veil. The sun's brutal today."

"Yeah."

Medea was the only royalty on hand to greet the delegation. Sise stood behind her, rubbing his weary eyes.

The Queen Dowager, who bristled at the mere sight of Kazens, had barricaded herself in the Dowager Palace early on. A blessing, really.

Had she learned of this veiled insolence, she would've erupted and chased the delegation away on the spot.

"They're coming."

In the distance, the Kazen imperial carriage passed through the palace gates.

"Ahem! Ahem!"

The Regent Duke hurriedly positioned himself at the front of the crowd.

The opulent robe he wore, embroidered with gold thread, glittered dazzlingly in the sunlight.

The Baldina ministers murmured at the sight of the Regent Duke's extravagant attire.

"Your Highness, isn't gold thread reserved for His Majesty alone? Does the Regent Duke fancy himself the king?"

"Shh."

Medea cautioned Saya.

'The moon wanes when full.'

Even without her voicing it, the ranks of those irked by him were growing.

Soon, the rattling carriage wheels came to a halt.

The grand carriage door swung open, and the first to step onto the black carpet was Countess Kensington.

Escorted by her, the imperial princess alighted.

"Her Highness Angelique Graham Kazen of the Kazen Empire."

"Welcome, Your Highness the Imperial Princess."

The Regent Duke spread his arms wide to greet the delegation, mimicking the palace's true master.

But the Fourth Princess Angelique didn't take a single step before craning her neck to survey the sky overhead, then remarked,

"Oh dear... So this is Baldina's royal palace?"

The Kazens snorted in agreement at her words, raking their eyes over the palace with undisguised scorn.

"It's so tiny! Way too cramped!"

The princess's "whisper" was loud enough for everyone present to hear.

'If a mere child of an imperial princess dares act like this, how utterly they must despise our Baldina!'

The Baldinans swallowed their fury inside.

Countess Kensington stifled a sigh. With this immature princess botching the delegation's entrance, damage control would be an uphill battle.

'This visit's going to be a rough ride.'

As tensions between the two nations chilled further, a savior emerged.

"Baldina's royal palace exudes profound elegance."

It was Jason, stepping down from the carriage behind.

"Is it not the noble fruit of the lofty pride and valor nurtured on this sage-protected land?"