Chapter 112
* * *
Baldina Princess Palace.
“4th Imperial Princess, what is the meaning of this rudeness?”
The peaceful palace suddenly became rowdy.
The 4th Imperial Princess pushed past the knights recklessly and walked inside.
Medeia raised one arm to stop Neril and Zeta from drawing their swords.
“Good morning, 4th Imperial Princess.”
Then, she offered a casual greeting with eyes that showed no surprise.
“Kazen people are indeed as brave and unstoppable as their reputation suggests.”
At the soft mockery, the 4th Imperial Princess bit her lip, trying to suppress her anxiety.
‘What on earth is she thinking?’
After the Princess of Baldina, who had gone missing at the hunting grounds, returned safely and all suspicion and blame turned toward the Claudio Duke Family, the 4th Imperial Princess had felt relieved.
‘Good. Seeing as they’re only catching Claudio, she must not know that I had a hand in it. Thank goodness.’
But that peace of mind was short-lived.
“What shall we do, 4th Imperial Princess? The Princess of Baldina has discovered the whole story. She took the evidence proving that Your Highness orchestrated the matter.”
“What?”
She was told that the workers who brought the wolf pack and even the letters giving the orders had been seized by the Princess.
Angelique was aghast.
“You said you got rid of all the evidence! You idiot! What exactly have you been doing!”
However, this was not solely her subordinate's fault.
Though the 4th Imperial Princess didn't know it, Iason’s schemes had been added to the mix.
Iason had secretly intercepted and left behind evidence to use as leverage against the 4th Imperial Princess later.
And Medeia had reclaimed that evidence.
In the complex tangle of threads where everyone sought to strangle each other, the winner holding the end of the final thread was Medeia.
“Argh! Why did that fall into the Princess’s hands! How! Why exactly!”
The 4th Imperial Princess was livid. Since there was undeniable evidence, she couldn't even deny it.
Since the Princess herself had caught her, it was the end.
However, one day, two days, then several days passed, and nothing happened.
The Princess did not seek her out, nor did she denounce Angelique’s crime, nor did she hold the Empire accountable.
‘Medeia, what exactly are you thinking? How are you going to snare me this time?’
The 4th Imperial Princess couldn't stand the anxiety. The Princess of Baldina already had a track record.
Having fallen for her provocation and being robbed of twice the relief supplies with her eyes wide open, the 4th Imperial Princess could not be at peace.
‘Fine, rather than being anxious not knowing when that girl will attack me...’
Thinking it was better to strike first, she couldn't hold back and had pushed her way in first.
“...Princess, I would like a private audience with you.”
As if she hadn't just come charging in snorting with rage, the Princess lowered her voice, trying to appear calm.
Meanwhile, her frantic eyes scanned Medeia up and down.
Medeia responded with a soft smile.
“By all means.”
In the Princess’s reception room, a small tea time for just the two of them was held.
The 4th Imperial Princess watched the maid serve the tea with a relatively composed face.
However, her feet beneath her dress were trembling uncontrollably, and her hands couldn't stay still, repeatedly clutching and releasing the fabric of her dress.
A fine ripple formed in the tea within the cup on the table.
“What exactly are you thinking?”
As soon as the maid pouring the tea left, the 4th Imperial Princess whispered lowly through gritted teeth.
Even though there were only her and Medeia in the room, she looked fearful that someone might hear her.
“Princess, what do you mean?”
“I heard you even took the remaining evidence, so why aren't you saying anything when you know? Is driving people crazy your hobby?”
Without the leisure to observe Medeia, who was feigning ignorance, the 4th Imperial Princess exploded with the anger she had been suppressing.
“Huh? I’m asking what you’re thinking!”
The sharp voice sounded almost like a stifled scream.
“...”
Medeia scanned her bloodshot eyes, her lips messy from being bitten, and her roughened skin.
Unlike the 4th Imperial Princess who always appeared glamorous, she seemed to have been so anxious that she couldn't even pay attention to her appearance.
“Things will be settled faster than expected.”
Medeia answered as if teasing her.
“I was just about to discuss that matter with Sir Siseo. It’s fortunate that the party involved has come to me.”
The 4th Imperial Princess flinched. No, it shouldn't go like this.
She thought that there was at least still room for negotiation with Medeia.
If that girl didn't want something else, there was no way she would have kept her mouth shut until now.
“Are you—are you really going to do that? The relationship between Kazen and Baldina will spiral into catastrophe because of you. I suppose you’re confident you can handle it?”
“Well. The one handling that won't be me, but you, Princess. I am just an innocent victim who knew nothing.”
Biting her lip after being stung by Medeia’s quiet point, the Princess soon crossed her arms.
“Princess, you said you couldn't remember anything after falling from the cliff, yet you went around finding evidence just fine. Your memory loss was a lie, wasn't it?”
It was a subtle threat, asking what she would do if it was revealed that the returned Princess’s memory loss was a lie. Medeia smiled brightly.
“4th Imperial Princess, I’m sure you didn't come all the way here to argue over idle rights and wrongs.”
Medeia calmly placed the evidence on the table.
It was the testimony that the 4th Imperial Princess had brought the wolf pack and the personal details of the witnesses.
She bit her lip.
“Kuh... Ha, do you think my Imperial Father, who dotes on me, would cast me out just because this is revealed! Then you’ll be turning the entire Empire into an enemy!”
Her face, tilted up as if she weren't afraid, was filled with stubbornness.
‘You’re mistaken about who holds the leash.’
Seeing the Princess snickering with a strange lift of her lips, Medeia gave a thin smile.
“Oh, if it were the Eastern Empress, the mother of the 3rd Prince, she would know how to utilize this even better than I.”
Instantly, the 4th Imperial Princess’s complexion turned pale as if she had been hit with ice water.
Since the 1st Prince, who was the absolute strongest, became a terminally ill patient, the 3rd Prince had been distinguishing himself in the fierce competition for the throne.
He was also a rival who aimed for the 4th Imperial Princess’s back.
Although she currently received the most favor from the Kazen Emperor, her position could not be called perfectly secure.
If she wasn't careful of her siblings who were constantly watching for an opening, being pushed aside would happen in an instant.
“Do you think this is the only weakness of the 4th Imperial Princess in the hands of the Eastern Empress? I’ll have to wait and see if adding this evidence becomes the move that can even drag down your maternal grandfather, the Eastern Count.”
“...You—!”
“Coincidentally, didn't the 4th Imperial Princess even involve her maternal grandfather in this relief work? The justification will be sufficient.”
The 4th Imperial Princess trembled at the politely delivered threat. The mockery pouring from the Princess was painfully sharp.
‘Princess, do not take this trip to Baldina lightly. Even without the 1st Prince, you must show that the Empire’s influence remains unchanged. You must win His Majesty’s true heart. Do you understand your mother’s words?’
The advice her mother, the Eastern Empress, had given before she came to Baldina flashed through her mind.
4th Imperial Princess Angelique’s true power came from the Eastern Count behind her.
If the Eastern Count fell, no matter how much she was loved by the Emperor, it would be impossible for the 4th Imperial Princess to attain the throne.
Angelique didn't even have time to be surprised by how this Princess of a small nation was looking into the power struggles of the current Kazen imperial family as if it were in the palm of her hand.
She was too busy calculating with her failing brain.
“What do you want?”
Her nerves snapped. The 4th Imperial Princess shouted spasmodically.
“Tell me. I’ll give you whatever you want!”
“Princess.”
Medeia’s soft voice descended as if to soothe the 4th Imperial Princess.
“What if I told you a solution to overcome this crisis?”
“...A solution?”
The 4th Imperial Princess turned her head with sharp eyes.
“Since you are a thankful connection who fed the people of our Baldina, if our mutual interests align well, I wouldn't need to contact the Eastern Empress, whom I don't even know.”
“...”
“We can't hide the evidence that has already been revealed. Someone must bear the guilt of releasing wolves in this Baldina hunting ground and targeting me.”
The image of the 4th Imperial Princess reflected in Medeia’s green eyes looked like a beast walking right into a hunter’s trap, lured by bait.
“However, that someone doesn't necessarily have to be you, the 4th Imperial Princess. You aren't the only one in the Kazen envoy group.”
The 4th Imperial Princess’s eyes flashed.
Her eyes, filled with a twisted selfishness that thought nothing else mattered as long as she could escape blame, glowed with a dark light.
Medeia continued, feigning ignorance and offering her an escape route.
“My knight, who was investigating this evidence, found out one thing: the Castulo Grand Duke knew you had brought the wolf pack to the hunting grounds but turned a blind eye.”
“What?”
‘So he just let it be, even though he knew things would turn out like this?’
After enough time passed for the 4th Imperial Princess to absorb the shock, Medeia threw the bait once more.
“I heard that the envoy Raju Count is so close to the Regent Duke that he stays at the Duke’s house. And, as you know, Raju Count is—”
“He’s Iason’s man. In spite of that, he flatters me to my face to get on my good side.”
The angry 4th Imperial Princess answered, cutting Medeia off.
She recalled the night Samon had seduced her.
After that day, the 4th Imperial Princess had kept Samon close enough to overlook him freely entering and leaving her bedroom.
‘The one who urged me to hold the hunting competition was also that fellow. Samon, you rat-like bastard. You were working with Iason and deceiving me.’
If Samon had heard it, he would have jumped up and down at what a ridiculous speculation it was, but unfortunately, he was currently lying in the Duke’s house, groaning from the flogging.
The materials Medeia presented to the 4th Imperial Princess were very plausible. When put together, they implied exactly one message.
“Iason, that damn bastard dares to try and use me as a stepping stone?”
The 4th Imperial Princess’s eyes widened, then narrowed again.
It was because she had realized Iason’s intentions within the clues the Princess offered.
Rage surged across the Princess’s fine face.
She was the one who had always mocked her weak and cautious cousin.
She never dreamed that he, who had been keeping a low profile all this time, was actually sneakily aiming for the throne behind her back.
“What is the price you get, Princess, for telling me this?”
The 4th Imperial Princess, who had been biting her lip and swallowing her rage, soon stared at Medeia with suspicious eyes.
“Sardegna Island.”
“...”
“That will be enough as an answer to the favor I’ve offered.”