73 - The Crown I Will Take From You
73
As Regent Duke, he will try to regain power by relying on the strength of the Kazen Empire.
But will the Imperial delegation really move as he expects?
"Uncle will move more hastily to regain his lost control. It's good for us."
Medeia quietly tapped the table. On the table, the Red Fox badge was neatly placed.
"Do you think Count Kensington will really come to Baldina after seeing the letter Umberto delivered?"
"He will come."
Medeia answered calmly.
"Her intelligence network, to which she dedicated her entire life, has been breached, so she won't just sit still. She'll want to see and confirm it with her own eyes."
Whether to eliminate the Princess or use her.
But Count Kensington wouldn't know.
From the moment she stepped into Baldina, she was already caught in Medeia's trap.
"Your Highness, then how will you use this money?"
Saya, her eyes sparkling, asked, tapping the Minister's slush fund.
"I'll support Peleus."
Now was the right time, as Etienne's death was causing confusion among the Regent Duke's faction.
The Regent Duke would also be busy trying to hold onto his wavering power.
However, the question was through whom and how to deliver it effectively...
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a Maid knocked on the bedroom door.
Saya, who had gone outside, came in, struggling with a flower basket as big as herself.
"Your Highness, a gift has arrived. The sender is Facade."
"Facade?"
The Maids who followed behind also placed gift boxes one by one. The fresh scent of flowers filled the room.
"What is all this?"
Neril was the first to check the gifts with a wary attitude.
"Why would Facade send this to Your Highness?"
"..."
Medeia's expression became blank, as if she had an idea.
"Your Highness, look, a Dagger came with it..."
The Dagger wrapped in velvet was small and light. A subtle glow of silver emanated from it.
In the middle of the handle, a ruby as vivid as blood was embedded.
Neril picked up the silver Dagger with an unbelievable face.
"Your Highness, it's Mithril."
"Surely Facade isn't challenging Your Highness to a duel, is he?"
"Saya, how could that be?"
"But then why would he send such a hideous thing to our beautiful Your Highness..."
Neril and Saya exchanged glances.
There was no change in Medeia's expression.
"It would be troubling if you treat me like the Regent Duke, Princess."
Medeia seemed to know who had sent this.
She was reminded of the Dagger that had wounded his shoulder that day.
He sent this as if to mock her, saying that such a shabby weapon was not enough.
"And this is holy water from the temple."
Neril picked up a bottle filled with blue liquid.
"Did he send it knowing about Your Highness's wound?"
Medeia looked down at the faint pink scar remaining on her hand.
Holy water is also used as a powerful remedy that can even make scars disappear.
It seems he really hasn't forgotten anything about that day.
"Send everything back except the holy water."
"All the flowers and gifts?"
"Yes, and tell him that I want to see him in secret."
The corners of her lips drew a faint curve.
A streak of heat flared up in her green eyes, but no one saw it.
\ \ \
Persepolis, the capital of the Kazen Empire.
"What? Who did you say? The Princess of Baldina?"
Count Kensington asked again.
Strands of orange hair fluttered wildly, as if to show the owner's confusion.
"She even knows Osof? That can't be. This is impossible."
Kensington was very careful in building the lines of the Red Fox Troop scattered throughout the continent.
She chose people who had no connection with Kazen in any way, and among the people of Baldina, she selected orphans or foreign-born people with no ties and sent them to Baldina after laundering their identities several times.
Umberto was also a capable subordinate whom she had carefully selected.
"I think so too... Anyway, the Princess told Danju to deliver this."
The letter Umberto handed over contained a sentence written in neat handwriting.
To Kensington. Your eyes, which overlook the continent, are wider than the sky, and your loyalty to the country is deeper than the sea, so I cannot help but admire you. However, human will and Divine Physician's grace do not last forever, so I hope you know prudence and retreat.
M. de Baldina.
The content of the letter seemed to elevate her, but in reality, it was mocking Kensington and the Empire's arrogance, comparing them to Divine Physician who rampaged across the continent.
"No way. How did she find out? There were no traces in Baldina that could detect a Spy."
Kensington, his face flushed with shame, crumpled the letter.
"The Princess just let you go? Even knowing that you are a Spy of Kazen?"
"I... I thought it was strange too. I was prepared to die, but perhaps the Princess's purpose from the beginning was to depose the Minister."
Umberto explained in detail all the processes from the note that approached him to how Minister Etienne was caught in the Princess's trap.
The more he listened, the more dumbfounded he became.
Wasn't the Princess of Baldina a conceited and foolish person full of inferiority due to her half-blooded status?
Her reputation in the world was clearly different from Umberto's report.
"What kind of person is she to hide such deep schemes at that age?"
Kensington paused while speaking.
There was also a terrifying human being in this Kazen Empire who was not proportional to his age.
Considering the First Prince, who unified all the tribes at the age of sixteen and won the continental war, nothing is impossible.
"I didn't know there was a genius like Cesare in Baldina too."
Kensington wiped his dry face.
"I have to go to Baldina."
"Are you going directly, Danju? It's dangerous. If you give me the answer to the letter, I will return to Baldina and deliver it."
"Nonsense!"
Kensington shouted, losing his composure.
"How can I wait here leisurely when the Empire's connections, to which I have dedicated my entire life, may be exposed?"
Count Kensington could not rest assured.
Rather, he could not hide his anxiety that there were no demands written in the letter.
Perhaps, he would be like that until he met the Princess and saw what kind of person she was.
\ \ \
At noon, when the sunlight was lengthening, Medeia visited the Grand Royal Dowager Palace early at the Queen Dowager's call.
On her way back to the palace after finishing the conversation, she ran into Catherine walking from the opposite side.
"Aunt."
Medeia exuded the subtle dignity of royalty.
The light green dress delicately embroidered with silver thread suited her white and transparent skin as if it were tailored for her.
Is this what it means that position makes a person? Catherine's stomach twisted as she looked at Medeia.
She could no longer find the anxious and uneasy half-blooded figure in her, who was being taken care of by the Queen Dowager and receiving the treatment of a Princess.
"Your Highness, Princess, have you been well?"
Catherine, hiding the unpleasant feeling of raising her head, greeted her with a soft expression.
"What brings Aunt to the palace, ah. You've come to see Grandmother."
Medeia nodded as if she understood.
It was a bonus to droop her eyebrows as if she was sorry.
After it was revealed that the Regent Duke's couple was pressuring Medeia over Etienne's matter, the Queen Dowager had not yet resolved her anger.
So, Catherine was going back and forth between the royal palace until her feet were swollen to beg for her forgiveness.
"Oh dear, Aunt. Your face doesn't look good. Grandmother should change her mind soon."
'It's all because of you!'
Catherine barely suppressed the urge to grab her innocent face and scream.
"By the way, how is Birna doing? I was so worried when she suddenly left for the convent."
"...Yes. She's adapting well. She's become mature, and even there, she prays every day for Your Highness and our Baldina."
"Really? That's a relief."
Medeia clapped her hands innocently and rejoiced.
"It seems that convent life suits Birna well. I would have been heartbroken if Birna was having a hard time, and I was wondering if I should speak to Grandmother, risking her anger. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that since she's doing well."
Catherine gripped her dress tightly. Clear wrinkles formed on the soft silk.
