"It is quite a coincidence that those here present are also among them. Larc Etienne, Afrius Edein, Salier Paken, Aksim Lazoma—"
The reading of the signed pledge did not end.
The faces of those whose names were called turned as pale as if they had been struck by ice.
'Why is that here!'
'How did the signed pledge end up in the Princess's hands!'
They had no idea why the signed pledge, which should have been burned and gone, was out in the open here.
The crowd stirred.
The vivid crest of the Claudio Duke Family stamped upon the signed pledge was clearly visible to their eyes as well.
There was no treason more manifest than this.
"Medeia, you..."
The Regent Duke, pale as a sheet, stared at Medeia in disbelief.
The niece before his eyes was utterly unfamiliar.
The signed pledge in her hand, the chilling voice denouncing the crimes of him and his faction, and her indifferent expression.
In truth, there was not a trace of the foolish niece, Medeia, whom he thought he knew.
"You, you... surely you haven't been hiding your true self like a rat all this time? You were deceiving me?"
"Deceiving you? Those are not words for an uncle who has hidden his treason to say to me."
Samon, trembling violently, glared back and forth between Medeia and the signed pledge in her hand as he shouted.
"This is your doing! You were the one thwarting our family all along!"
Only then did Samon's mind become clear, as if a veil had been lifted.
The downfall of Lady Pinatelli and Etienne, the duel and relief work with the envoy group, the hunting competition, and even the rebellion.
He realized that Medeia had been present at every single moment the Claudio Duke Family's plans went awry.
Samon ground his teeth.
He should not have ignored his surging intuition, nor should he have looked down on the Princess as a stupid and dull-witted idiot.
If he had known she was wearing that thick mask and toying with his family all this time...
"Hoakin, I hoped it was merely an old woman's anxiety... but you truly sought to grasp what you should not covet."
The Queen Dowager, pushing aside and swallowing the despair and sorrow tearing at her heart, now gazed at him not as a son, but as a complete enemy.
"Imprison them all. Everyone on this signed pledge, including the Regent Duke. It is the charge of internal rebellion."
"Mother!"
"Do not call me that. I have never had a traitor for a son!"
The Queen Dowager's roar sounded almost painful.
"Claudio, you hypocrite! You fraud! You incited a rebellion and then claimed to have come to save Baldina?"
"Regent? Ha! Does a wicked man who would ruin the country possess such a qualification?"
The enraged ministers and citizens pushed the Duke's family further into a corner. The nobles of his faction who had participated in the signed pledge were flustered, not knowing what to do.
'How, how did it turn out like this!'
The Regent Duke's expression twisted.
No further excuses were possible. Now that the signed pledge had appeared, there was no retreat.
His grand ambition, which had sought to soar to the ends of the sky, had plummeted and been completely exposed before the world.
Like the wings of Icarus melting away, the reputation he had built up his entire life was crumbling. So was his throne.
'I cannot fall like this. Not I, Hoakin Claudio!'
Realizing he was driven into a corner, the Regent Duke transformed into a demonic face. Strength entered the hand of the man as he readjusted his grip on his sword.
"Agh, Queen Dowager Her Highness!"
In an instant, Lady Pinatelli's scream was heard.
The Regent Duke kicked the lady aside and pressed his sword against the Queen Dowager's neck.
Since no one expected him to threaten his own mother no matter how cornered he was, the Queen Dowager was overpowered in a single moment.
"Since Mother has turned her back on me, this son has no other choice."
With that as the lead, the knights of the Claudio Duke Family overpowered the Queen Dowager's guards and the soldiers.
Simultaneously, the Regent Duke's private soldiers, who had been hiding, appeared and aimed at the backs of the people.
"Regent Duke! What is the meaning of this?!"
"Hoakin, you truly... wearing a human skin, how could you..."
The Queen Dowager could not believe the fact that her own son was aiming a sword at her neck.
Her vision blurred. If she hadn't been barely holding onto her consciousness, she would have fainted already.
However, the Regent Duke paid no mind to his suffering mother.
His bloodshot eyes glared at the assembly as he barked at his own faction.
"What are you all doing! Do you plan to let it end like this?"
The nobles of the Regent Duke's faction, snapping to their senses, raised their swords and threatened those around them.
"If you move even one step further, I shall slit your throats. Stay as still as a dead mouse."
"You scoundrels...!"
Border Duke Monte tried to spring from his spot but was blocked by the Regent Duke's knights.
"If you lift a single finger, not only the Queen Dowager, but all of you shall die here."
The Regent Duke spoke, pressing the sharp blade against his mother's neck.
"Do you think it will end just because those Rebels over there disappear? My private soldiers are standing by everywhere. With one gesture from me, this Royal Capital will be reduced to ashes."
Indeed, what did it matter if he wore the mask of a hero?
As long as he sat on the throne, that process could be covered up and suppressed as much as he liked.
Why should he give up? Why should he fall here?
The sky was so clear, and his ambition was still as brilliant as ever. He could not let it fade away without even emitting its light.
'If it won't come to me, I'll just grab it!'
The Regent Duke pulled a scroll from his chest and threw it to Medeia.
"Affix your seal, Medeia."
"What is this?"
Medeia remained calm even amidst the blue blades.
"Your nature is truly insidious, to ask for an answer you've already guessed."
Abominable thing. Just thinking about being deceived by that clear face made his blood boil.
The Regent Duke ground his teeth.
"It is an act of abdication, handing over the throne of Baldina to me, Hoakin Claudio. You are requesting my help because a national crisis has struck the Royal Capital due to the Rebels."
According to the original plan, it was the document he intended to make her sign after rescuing the kidnapped Medeia from the Rebels.
"No, Medeia. You must not yield to this man's threat. I don't have long to live anyway!"
The Queen Dowager screamed.
Even if it were forced, if Hoakin ascended to the position of King through that act of abdication, where would all that resentment go?
He intended to make Medeia receive all the public outcry for his treason. She shuddered at her son's petty scheme.
"Mother, please...!"
The Regent Duke ground his teeth, threatening his mother.
"Keep your mouth shut. Can you not see that I am... enduring?"
The Regent Duke's patience had now run out. He had no intention of hesitating any longer.
"Now, Medeia. Take out your seal."
The moment Medeia stamped the act as the King's proxy, she would become the Regent Duke's accomplice.
Even if Peleus returned later and tried to reclaim the throne, he would have to punish Medeia as well.
She would have to ascend the execution platform as a collaborator in treason alongside him; would that fellow, who dotes on his younger sister, truly be able to do that?
'Absolutely not. As long as Medeia is alive, his leash is eternally in my hands.'
Medeia nonchalantly bent down and picked up the scroll.
Not a single trace of bewilderment could be read from her indifferent face. She merely uttered a single sentence calmly.
"You've finally revealed your true colors, Uncle. It has been a futile time. Only now do I recognize your real face."
"Shut up and just stamp it already!"
The Regent Duke roared.
He found the face of that girl, who still didn't even blink an eye, utterly loathsome.
Samon wiped away his pale complexion and walked up to Medeia.
He knelt down and spread the act of abdication, pretending to be a kind brother.
If this girl had feigned being a fool, he could put on as much of a facade as he wanted.
"Medeia, in truth, all we need is your hand with the seal. If you keep being stubborn like this, we'll have no choice but to cut off your hand and take it."
He spoke as if to soothe her, but the content was atrocious.
"We are one family; let us not call for each other's blood. Aren't you worried about how much Peleus's heart will ache when he sees your hand?"
Medeia slightly lifted the corners of her mouth.
"Samon, do you have the leisure to worry about me? Rather than that, shouldn't your sister, abandoned alone over there, come first?"
And she looked down into Samon's petty eyes.
"Why are you still remaining here instead of saving the poor Birna?"
