25 - The Crown I Will Take From You
25
“Your Highness, I understand how you feel, but this isn’t the time to be stubborn. Please, for your aunt’s sake…”
Duchess Claudio’s attempts to persuade the Princess to avoid the Queen Dowager’s scolding were almost pitiful.
Medeia remained standing tall.
Like a rock standing firm against a raging tidal wave, her expression was calm.
This was impossible. The enraged Queen Dowager rolled up her sleeves.
“Are you ignoring me because I’m an old woman in the back chambers? Are you saying you don’t need to care about my opinion because you have the Seal? You’re doing whatever you want!”
“……”
“You wicked thing! You use your heart to devour everyone around you! Are you trying to send me away like you did my son!”
The Queen Dowager couldn’t contain her anger.
It seemed that Medeia was the source of all the misfortune happening here.
“Why don’t you answer me!”
If it had been Medeia from her past life, she would have been deeply hurt by her grandmother’s attitude.
She would have lowered her head, pressed her lips tightly, and shed tears.
But Medeia swallowed a cold laugh. She didn’t care how much the Queen Dowager hated her.
‘The deeper the hatred, the better.’
The more the Queen Dowager hated her, the greater the repercussions would be when she learned of her son, the Regent Duke’s, ambitions.
After all, her only family was her brother, Peleus.
The fragile child who was hurt by such harsh words was dead. All that remained here was a madwoman obsessed with revenge.
‘The Queen Dowager is the only one in this palace who can suppress the Regent Duke right now.’
Starting today, the Queen Dowager’s indiscriminate hatred towards her must disappear.
‘I have to protect the Seal and make the Queen Dowager want to protect me.’
Medeia replied.
“I cannot give you the answer you desire, Grandmother. I cannot answer.”
“Are you defying me now? Are you saying you won’t hand over the Seal?”
The Queen Dowager was furious. People held their breath at her anger, not daring to step forward.
The indiscriminate accusations against Medeia grew stronger.
Ciseo frowned.
Princess Medeia, the Regent Duke’s puppet, was foolishly always a weakness for her lord, Peleus.
His reason told him that it would be more helpful to maintain the current royal authority if the Princess lost the Seal and stepped down from her position.
“Queen Dowager, I implore you to reconsider the timing of this matter, as it is not a light one.”
Nevertheless, he gave her another chance to protect the Seal.
He hated to stand by and watch as a young girl was subjected to unilateral abuse.
He couldn’t turn a blind eye to the Princess, knowing that if she lost the Seal, no one would try to protect her.
“Ahem. Ahem!”
The torrent of abuse stopped for a moment. The Queen Dowager cleared her throat.
Perhaps realizing she had made a spectacle of herself, her flushed cheeks trembled slightly.
Then, Medeia’s voice rang out.
“Privately, he is my brother, but officially, the Seal was directly granted to me by His Majesty the King, the supreme ruler of this nation. Even if you punish me, Grandmother, you have no authority to take away the Seal.”
“What?”
She was about to explode in anger at the impudent retort that reignited the flames.
“If a relative doubts and tries to overturn the orders of the supreme ruler, who else will follow the King’s words? Please consider this once more as an elder of the royal family.”
The Queen Dowager’s mind snapped back to attention.
She hated the granddaughter who had taken her eldest son’s life, but she cherished her only grandson, Peleus, very much.
The Minister and Duchess Claudio were also present.
Privately, they were the King’s friends and family, but ultimately, they were courtiers who had to be under Peleus’s rule.
Clearly, if she forcibly took Medeia’s Seal, it would be tantamount to disregarding the authority of her grandson, the King.
‘Foolish people might use this as an excuse to plot something foolish.’
The Queen Dowager swallowed her seething breath.
The logic was correct, but the shame of being pointed out by her despised granddaughter was undeniable.
The Queen Dowager glared at her audacious granddaughter, who stood there resolutely.
A sharp silence flowed, making it impossible to swallow even a single breath carelessly.
The Queen Dowager, clearing her throat, spoke.
“There is nothing wrong with what you say. I have no authority to take the Seal from you.”
Then.
“But as your grandmother, I can certainly punish you, since you said it yourself.”
“……”
“Medeia, kneel in front of the chapel and offer a prayer of repentance. Until the Goddess gives you a Revelation that she forgives you.”
People couldn’t believe their ears.
Until the Goddess gives a Revelation?
Even the most respected high priests of the Holy Kingdom rarely received a Revelation in their lifetime.
It wasn’t for nothing that the Goddess’s Revelation was called a miracle.
“Until she realizes what she has done wrong, no one is to give this child a single drop of water. Do you all understand?”
The Queen Dowager’s words simply meant that she would punish her granddaughter indefinitely until her anger subsided.
“Queen Dowager-”
“Leave, Ciseo. This is a matter for the Inner Palace. Interference will not be tolerated.”
The Queen Dowager shook her head.
“It would be best for you to return now. What are you all doing? Escort the Duke out.”
In the end, Ciseo had to leave, surrounded by sturdy Maids.
As he passed by Medeia, who stood stiffly like a wooden statue, their eyes met for a fleeting moment.
There was no wavering in the Princess’s green eyes.
Leaving the Grand Royal Dowager Palace, Ciseo looked up at the sky.
“Lord, how close are you to victory? You must prevail quickly.”
He took off his monocle and rubbed his dry eyes. Deep fatigue settled over his weary face.
\ \ *
The door opened briefly as Ciseo left.
Neril quickly ran to the Queen Dowager.
Unable to gain permission to enter and lingering outside the door, she had heard everything inside.
The Head Maid’s schemes had all collapsed, and in the end, the Queen Dowager had given Medeia the punishment just now.
‘Does the Queen Dowager expect a miracle?’
At this rate, the Princess would have to suffer the Queen Dowager’s tyranny indefinitely.
Her body moved before her mind could catch up.
As the Queen Dowager’s guards tried to stop her, Neril was already kneeling before the Queen Dowager, bowing her head to the ground.
“The Princess is still not fully recovered from her recent fall from a horse. She will not be able to endure the punishment. I will take her place.”
“Who are you?”
The Queen Dowager asked in an unpleasant voice. Neril frantically repeated the same words.
“You may impose a severe punishment, a harsh punishment. So please, punish me instead.”
“She is the Princess’s Maid.”
Pinatelli whispered. Neril knelt once more and pleaded.
“Your Highness, please reconsider the safety of your own granddaughter.”
Mentioning the bond of blood made the Queen Dowager’s face harden in an instant.
“How dare a mere Maid speak so presumptuously. Pinatelli, drag her out.”
“Step aside, Neril.”
Medeia walked forward and stood in front of Neril.
“I have disturbed my grandmother with childish words, so I will gladly accept the punishment she has given me.”
There was no sign that she feared or was even aware of the Queen Dowager’s punishment. On the contrary, it felt as if her pride was being trampled on.
“Ha.”
The Queen Dowager let out a hollow laugh.
Was this child only doing things that she hated because she hated her so much?
“Very well. Then go to the chapel right now.”
“Yes.”
Medeia bowed and left the room.
“Mother… please lessen the severity of the punishment. The Princess is still young, what if she harms her body?”
Catherine spoke a beat too late.
Now that Medeia had gone to receive her punishment, the situation had truly become uncontrollable.
They didn’t want the Princess to fall ill either.
‘We still need Medeia.’
Until the King returned, they needed a scapegoat to bear all the criticism and blame.
“Enough. Do you think I’m a joke now too?”
“I just…”
“If you have the energy for that, manage your own affairs properly!”
The Queen Dowager shouted and left the room.
“Mom, just let Medeia suffer a little. Why did you have to step in and get scolded?”
Birna, who had followed Catherine, rebuked her as Catherine froze.
“Be quiet.”
“It was the same earlier. Didn’t you see that half-wit standing there like a wooden log, ignoring everything you said?”
Birna grumbled.
They were still in the Grand Royal Dowager Palace. Her immature daughter was too careless.
“I said be quiet!”
“I didn’t say that much…”
Birna pouted, but Catherine was too busy racking her brains to comfort her daughter.
It seemed that Mariu’s accusation about the connection between the Head Maid and the Regent Duke had been glossed over in the chaotic situation.
‘The problem is…’
She could understand Mrs. Cuisine trying to slander Medeia with false evidence. But the targets were Minister Etienne and the Princess?
‘Did Cuisine do it alone? Or did Cuisine and the Minister do it together?’
Did that mean the Minister had other intentions?
Moreover.
‘Who put the false evidence in Mariu’s luggage? Who helped Medeia?’
If Medeia had an ally they hadn’t identified, it was an even more serious problem.
Catherine utterly despised her foolish and dull niece, so she didn’t even dream that all of this had been orchestrated by Medeia.
‘Why did Medeia suddenly defy the Queen Dowager like that, and why is the Queen Dowager making such absurd demands…?’
The continuous unexpected situations were making Catherine very perplexed.
‘Why is this happening…? How is this even unfolding?’
