# Chapter 110
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The hall of the Baldina Royal Palace.
An unprecedentedly long line stretched out in front of the white marble building.
They were all commoners gathered to see Medeia.
The news that the Princess, who had protected this country against Kazen, had disappeared while being chased by a pack of wolves had caused them immense sorrow and anxiety.
However, not long ago, she had returned safely to the Royal Capital.
Filled with gratitude and overwhelming emotion, they had plucked up the courage to cross into the high palace and visit this hall today.
From dried herbs prepared after hearing rumors of her injuries at the hunting grounds to wrapping cloths meticulously embroidered with prayers for her safe return, they willingly brought gifts wishing for Her Highness’s safety and health.
“Next, come forward!”
Inside the hall, a woman in shabby clothes wearing an apron stood hesitantly on the red carpet.
When her turn came, the woman walked forward nervously. She carefully set down the wooden basket she had been holding in her arms.
“P-Princess Her Highness, I heard you ordered relief supplies to be distributed starting from the outskirts of District 4. Thanks to you, my children did not have to go hungry.”
The woman bowed deeply in gratitude and proferred the wooden basket.
“I am sorry I have nothing worthy to give Your Highness due to my meager circumstances... but I felt I simply couldn't stay still...”
When the cloth covering the basket was lifted, chicks with soft downy feathers poked out their tiny beaks.
Medeia looked back and forth between the woman’s appearance and the chicks.
Chicks were not particularly expensive livestock.
However, for the struggling commoners, they were precious assets that would soon grow into chickens to be used for food or to earn money.
Seeing that there were only three of them, one could guess how much sacrifice this gesture had cost her.
“The chicks are truly adorable. However, if I take them like this, I fear they might become a snack for the cat I keep in the palace. What should I do...”
Medeia pretended to ponder for a moment before clapping her hands together.
“How about this? This basket is very finely made. I shall consider your heart received through this basket. Please take the chicks back and raise them into chickens for me.”
When Medeia signaled to Neril, she quickly took only the basket and returned the chicks in a sturdy wooden box.
“Thank you. Your Highness is... truly the light of Baldina.”
The woman’s face was soaked with emotion.
She realized that the Princess was saving her face in front of others while simultaneously looking out for her circumstances.
Medeia warmly met each of the citizens who sought her out in the hall, inquiring about their hardships.
“T-Thank you, Your Highness. And I am sorry, Your Highness...”
The citizens felt both moved and guilty that the only Princess of this country would personally bow her head to meet them at eye level.
Despite the stigma of sucking the blood of the people, the young Princess had not hesitated to risk her life to open a path for their survival.
She had even been threatened by her wicked uncle.
The pathetic fate of the young Princess, who never had a peaceful day, also tugged at their heartstrings.
“Your Highness, you must never fall to a man like the Regent Duke!”
“O Goddess, please protect Princess Her Highness from the clutches of those pig-like villains!”
Their speech was crude, and their gifts were modest.
But as if she understood their hearts had given their best, the Princess nodded with a smile.
Moved by her generous nature, they praised the Princess even more and raised their voices in condemnation toward the Regent Duke.
‘To think the day would come when my position and my uncle’s would be swapped. How amusing.’
The green eyes of Medeia, who had not lost her smile until every citizen who came for an audience had left, took on a chilling light.
From the moment she returned, the people's perception of the Princess had changed.
Now, wherever one went in the Royal Capital, one could hear praises for Medeia and shouts denouncing the Regent Duke.
‘Can my uncle endure this change?’
Medeia recalled the sight of the Regent Duke yielding to the Queen Dowager’s command to flog Samon on the day she returned.
More precisely, she remembered his fists trembling as he hid them beneath his sleeves.
‘He’s not the type of person to just take it. He will likely try to flip the board.’
So that he could make Medeia the villainess again and himself the hero once more.
However, with his impoverished imagination, he would only be able to find one solution.
‘It will likely be...’
Just then, brilliantly blooming flowers filled Medeia’s vision.
A fragrant floral scent tickled the tip of her nose.
The soft and beautiful pink roses were so vibrant they almost hurt the eyes.
“Princess.”
The voice of the last remaining guest echoed in Medeia’s ears.
Iason was standing on the red carpet, smiling while holding a magnificent bouquet.
“May I also request an audience?”
A handsome appearance, a rich voice, and sophisticated elegance.
He was the image of a perfect royal, in whom it was difficult to find even a single speck of flaw.
“...What brings the Grand Duke here?”
“I heard I could see the Princess if I came here, so I took the liberty of visiting. Since everyone was offering sincere gifts, I felt I couldn't come empty-handed...”
Iason gave a bashful smile as he lightly brushed his bangs.
The sight of the handsome man looking shy while holding a bouquet made the surrounding maids unable to take their eyes off him.
Iason took another step closer to Medeia.
“I hope they are to your liking.”
He spoke humbly, but Medeia, who had lived her entire past life with him, recognized that he was brimming with confidence.
“Neril.”
At Medeia’s gesture, Neril stepped forward, took the bouquet on her behalf, and stepped back.
Iason’s picture-perfect expression stiffened slightly.
It was because he hadn't expected her not to even touch the flowers he gifted.
“I am so glad you are safe. I was truly worried.”
However, Iason soon regained his composure.
“On the day the Princess disappeared, I cannot tell you how much I regretted it. If I had been a little more careful, you wouldn't have had to go through such hardship...”
A voice soaked in sorrow and sincere concern reflected in his eyes.
The Iason of her past life was like this too.
It was a kindness that seemed to quench the thirst of a Medeia starved for affection.
Back then, she had lost her mind because she craved this. Foolishly, pathetically.
“Why would the Castulo Grand Duke feel that way?”
Medeia’s voice as she asked back was quite soft. Iason thought he had found an opening to penetrate the Princess’s heart.
‘She’s been hurt by the fact that the Regent Duke, whom she trusted, tried to kill her.’
“Princess, I understand. We are very much alike. I, too, have been betrayed by the family I trusted most.”
Even as he spoke words to comfort the Princess, joy welled up deep within Iason’s chest instead.
He was delighted by the fact that he shared something in common with the beautiful girl before him.
“Medeia, please call me Iason. We can become friends who understand each other’s pain.”
As if drawn by something, Iason took another step closer.
“...Castulo Grand Duke, I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about.”
Far from being moved, a cold voice descended upon Iason like ice water.
A look of bewilderment was evident on the Princess’s face.
The indifferent gaze that seemed to ask *'What does that have to do with me?'* felt like it was scratching Iason’s heart.
“It is your freedom to seek friends as if you are giving charity, Grand Duke.”
After a brief pause that seemed to cut the air, a low voice followed.
“My brother—the family I trust most and King His Majesty of Baldina—has never once betrayed me.”
The Princess gave a slight smile.
“He is not an incompetent man full of ambition without ability, nor a hypocrite who leeches off others, nor a beast who harms his own kin.”
Was the vivid emotion flashing through those beautiful eyes hatred, or mockery?
It passed so instantly that Iason could not be certain.
“Therefore, please do not lump me in with your kind by saying you understand me.”
Having finished her piece, the Princess left the spot immediately.
“...”
Left alone, Iason’s fingertips trembled.
Even though the words were clearly not aimed at him, every single word from the Princess felt as painful as if his cheeks and back had been whipped mercilessly.
“Ugh...”
Suddenly, Iason clutched his chest and staggered at a sharp pain felt near his heart.
The pain of unknown origin did not subside for a long while, as if its only purpose was to make him suffer.