44 - The Crown I Will Take from You
44
She would pinch Saya's cheeks, saying how cute she was, and feed her snacks, asking if she had ever tried them before.
As Saya's story of how she came to follow the Princess became known, the intense gatekeeping noticeably began to disappear.
With her small and nimble frame, and her willingness to take on difficult tasks, Saya quickly settled into the Royal Palace.
"Your Highness, is it alright to let Saya speak so freely?"
Neril worried that she might give those watching her an excuse to act.
"It's fine. She's a clever child."
Saya would always come to Medeia first.
"Your Highness, would it be alright if I spoke this way?"
Not only did she seek permission in advance and coordinate her words, but she also quickly grasped Medeia's inner thoughts and acted accordingly.
"Medeia, Sister! You promised to go to Lady Claudio's tea party with me today, eek, what?!"
"Oh my, what should I do, I'm so sorry, Lady. Waaah, I'm still so clumsy..."
She even used her ignorance as an excuse to reject Birna, who came to bother her unnecessarily.
"It seems Your Highness dislikes Birna. Have I misjudged the situation?"
"Saya, you should say Lady Claudio. I taught you the proper etiquette."
"I'm sorry, Neril. But, Birna calls our Highness 'Sister,' where did that etiquette come from?"
Even Neril couldn't help but laugh at her light yet bold remark.
Rumors that Lady Claudio was as ignorant of etiquette as a street urchin who had just entered the palace spread far and wide.
"Your Highness, I know you didn't avoid the Dagger that day, even though you could have. I will never forget the grace of saving my life."
She had lived alone in the slums for nearly three years.
Unconditional protection that she couldn't even expect from her own brother. Saya would never forget the small, fragile back that had stood in front of her without hesitation, protecting her.
'How can I be of help to our Highness?'
Thus, she constantly pondered and sought to be of assistance to Medeia.
Having grasped the situation in the Royal Palace, Saya soon became friendly with the Maids of other palaces as well.
"I heard you saved a pitiful child. Well done. A Princess must know how to care for her people."
Medeia was a little surprised when even the Queen Dowager mentioned Saya, wondering how she had managed to make such an impression.
After that, no one mentioned Saya's status.
Medeia gained a positive reputation as a generous and warm Princess.
It was clear that Teo's brilliance, which he had possessed as the leader of the rebels in the previous life, had been passed down to his twin sister as well.
"By the way, Your Highness. On the day you brought Saya here, before entering the palace, I had Tom look for that strange old woman one more time."
When Medeia said nothing, Neril continued.
"It turns out that Facade's mercenaries were also in that area that day."
"Facade?"
Medeia raised her head.
"Yes. Tom said he tried to find out what they were there for, but they were so sharp that he was discovered and chased away."
"......"
"However, it seems that a high-ranking official from Facade came, completely blocking off the street, and only disappeared after some time had passed."
Medeia frowned.
What business did a continental arms dealer have in the slums of this small kingdom?
In the previous life, Facade had never surfaced. In other words, it was a new variable in this life.
'As Ciseo said, they may be helpful in suppressing the Empire, but I need to find an excuse to get rid of them afterward.'
"I understand for now. Did you find the old woman?"
Neril shook her head.
"But Your Highness, about the strange things that old woman said that day. Do you believe them?"
"What? That my future is full of chaos?"
Medeia asked teasingly, and Neril, flustered, looked like she was about to cry.
"No, Your Highness's future will be brighter than the sun. I just thought that the Tears of Dawn... might somehow be of help to you..."
"......"
"Didn't the old woman say so? That you are the only one who can find it."
"The blood of the continent's wisest man and the one who conveys the Goddess's will flows in the Lady's body."
"Well. It doesn't seem to fit. My father was certainly wise, but it's too much of a leap to say he was the wisest in the continent-"
Medeia paused.
The wisest man in the continent.
The Sage.
And Baldina, the country guarded by the Philosopher's Stone.
Perhaps, the reason Baldina was able to possess the Philosopher's Stone, surpassing the continental powers, was because its owner was an ancestor of Baldina?
"Your Highness...?"
"Wait, I have somewhere to go."
With a thought flashing through her mind, Medeia rose to her feet.
\ \ *
Medeia's shadow fell over the stone wall.
A chilly air greeted her.
The Philosopher's Stone was still emitting a blue light on the central altar.
"The blood of the continent's wisest man and the one who conveys the Goddess's will flows in the Lady's body."
Even if the former was the Sage, the latter was still shrouded in mystery. The one who conveys the Goddess's will?
Medeia's mother was a dancer. Her mother's country had already been destroyed long ago, and she had wandered around after losing her country.
So, she was far from the Goddess.
With a slightly bewildered heart, Medeia reached out her hand.
"Ancestor of Baldina."
A familiar coldness wrapped around her fingertips.
She muttered, embracing the Philosopher's Stone with both hands.
"Please tell me. Is there anything you want to tell me? What should I do-"
Then, she paused, a stinging pain rising in her fingertips.
It seemed that there was a sharp, unground part on the bottom of the stone.
A hairline scratch had formed on her fingertip.
Soon, when a drop of blood that sprang from her index finger fell onto the stone. An amazing thing happened.
The stone split in half with a crack, and a vast, pure white light burst out.
"......"
Having witnessed many bizarre sights while on expeditions, Medeia was barely able to maintain her composure.
If it had been someone else, they would have fainted at this miraculous event.
The light that filled the room slowly subsided.
Medeia blinked her dazed eyes and properly examined the interior.
Inside the Philosopher's Stone, which had been split in half, was a small cylinder the size of a finger.
Thud. When Medeia picked up the cylinder, the Philosopher's Stone closed again.
The split seam was filled in without a trace, as if nothing had happened, returning to its original, complete form.
If it weren't for the wound left on her hand, she might have thought she had just had a dream.
Medeia examined the cylinder.
On the upper part of the cylinder was a Goddess statue, and on the lower part was a water droplet pattern.
"Tears of... Dawn?"
As if in response to Medeia's murmur, the silver liquid inside the cylinder sloshed.
