8 - The Crown I Will Take From You
Episode 8
Mariu’s shoulders shook, and red threads fluttered and scattered.
“Neril?”
No, what she thought were threads were her own severed hair.
The glossy red hair that Mariu cherished and nurtured like her own life was messily scattered on the floor.
“Kyaaak! What are you doing!”
“Next is your neck.”
Neril, holding the sword, warned in a low voice.
“Are you crazy? Are you out of your-!”
The laid-down blade was immediately raised.
The coldness of the metal touching her neck. The stinging pain as her flesh was cut.
Neril lowered her head. She whispered into Mariu’s ear, so only she could hear.
“If you lay a hand on Her Highness without permission, I will break all your fingers.”
“You, you.”
Mariu bit her lip. She never thought that Neril, who was always as dumb as a rock, could feel so threatening.
Her inorganic eyes, as if she had killed someone before, were chilling.
Mariu trembled and took a step back.
\ \ \
“Neril, you’re not resting more.”
“This much is fine.”
Neril was no awkwardness even with the sword in her left hand instead of her right hand, which was wrapped in bandages.
Medeia scanned Neril’s entire body.
‘Strong.’
Medeia had seen many strong people while on expeditions. She couldn’t become like them, but at least she had sharpened her eye.
Neril had no openings. Even though she couldn’t use one arm right now.
‘If she’s like this now, what would she be like when her arm is fully functional?’
She seemed capable of going head-to-head with a Kazen 7-Star Knight at least.
‘Peleus, so that’s why Brother sent me this child.’
She, who had mumbled something in Mariu’s ear, returned with an unwavering gait.
“What did you say to make her face so pale?”
“I told her to work hard…”
“Is that so?”
Whatever it was, Mariu was just a nuisance to Medeia.
She had no intention of keeping someone who had stabbed her in the back by her side.
“You will attend to me from today. You there, take care of my dress.”
“R-really?”
The Maids’ voices were filled with exclamations.
Attending to the Princess was a job with many perks.
‘I don’t know why, but Mariu has been pushed out, so now we have a chance to get a piece of the pie!’
The Maids couldn’t hide their joy at the sudden change in the situation.
They bowed deeply, following Medeia closely while flattering her to the fullest extent, and gossiped about how ungrateful Mariu was.
“By the way, Your Highness. The Royal Palace felt a bit strange today.”
Then, one Maid cautiously brought up the topic with a troubled face.
“I went to get supplies, and even though there was a mountain of dry firewood next to it, they gave us other firewood? And all of it was damp and moldy!”
“That’s right, Your Highness. They even told us to carry it ourselves.”
“And they said that ordinary maids aren’t allowed to enter our Royal Palace.”
If there were no maids in charge of the basic management of the Royal Palace, all the menial tasks would fall to the Maids.
“It seems the Head Maid is trying to retaliate for being scolded yesterday.”
Medeia nodded as if she understood.
“Oh my, then… is that, is it true? That Your Highness used a Switch on Mrs. Cuisine…”
Overnight, yesterday’s incident had spread throughout the Royal Palace, but the Maids of the Royal Palace couldn’t believe it.
But in the midst of their doubts, the Princess personally confirmed it.
They looked back and forth between Medeia and Neril, who was standing next to her. They recalled the Princess supporting the injured Neril yesterday.
“So, it’s really because of Neril…”
That she had a falling out with the Head Maid!
The Maids were startled, but at the same time, they thought the Princess was very foolish. Did the Princess even know who she was turning into an enemy for the sake of a mere Maid?
Their thoughts were interrupted by the Princess’s next words.
“It’s my Royal Palace and my people. It would have been the same if it were any of you, not just Neril. No one can touch my people without my permission.”
The Maids were flustered by Medeia’s resolute words.
“Perhaps Your Highness… what are you planning to do? We’re curious…”
Medeia casually thought as she watched the Maids rolling their eyes and asking questions.
‘It’s not you who’s curious, it’s your master.’
It seemed they had received some kind of hint to gauge the situation. The eyes waiting for an answer sparkled.
“I can’t submit to the Head Maid right now.”
Click. Medeia opened a drawer and took out a handful of jewels.
“The Head Maid is so full of poison, so you must be having a hard time for the time being. I’m sorry.”
She gave a pair of sparkling ruby earrings to the Maid in charge of attending to her, and a gold bracelet to the one in charge of managing her dresses.
She also gave each of the other children one of the large items in the dresser.
The Maids’ eyes widened.
The Princess was giving away her jewels wholesale to comfort them.
Even if she didn’t know the market price, how could she be so ignorant?
Or, does she cherish us that much?
The heavy jewels and kind words shook them.
“If you don’t endure now, the Head Maid will think she can save or kill you whenever she wants.”
Without knowing that the Princess’s eyes were colder than ever.
“Although I’m a powerless master, I don’t want to see you being treated the same way.”
A white hand was placed on top of the Maids’ hands, which were tightly holding the jewels. It was a little cold, but small and soft.
“I’ll ask my uncle to mediate when I see the time. Please bear with it until then for the sake of this incompetent master.”
The calm tone and lowered eyelashes revealed her misery.
“No, Your Highness. We know your heart to protect us, so how can we resent you?”
“We will do our best to endure whatever the Head Maid tries to harass us with and serve Your Highness. Just trust us.”
The Maids’ eyes welled up with tears, and they all spoke in unison.
The feel of the generous jewels in their hands made them even more loyal.
\ \ \
“They’re all like bats. You gave them too much.”
After the Maids, who had become much more polite, greeted her and left, Neril complained discontentedly.
This place was full of the lackeys of those who were trying to monitor the Princess’s movements.
No one deserved to receive the Princess’s sincerity.
“They’re all eagerly carrying news of Your Highness outside, but you’re giving them rewards instead.”
“That’s right. You’re the only one of my Maids I can trust, Neril.”
Even though the drawer containing the jewels was empty, Medeia was calm.
“So I have to get rid of them.”
“Yes?”
Medeia only raised the corners of her lips slightly at Neril’s bewildered expression.
Most of the jewels she had given to the Maids were gifts from Duke Claudio and his wife.
The jewels gifted by her uncle and his wife were expensive and the size of the gems was impressively large.
On the surface, it seemed that the Duke and his wife cherished their niece very much.
But if you looked closely, the craftsmanship was crude and the gems were too focused on, giving off the feeling of a nouveau riche flaunting their wealth.
They were items that those who knew jewels would feel were vulgar, making them doubt the owner’s taste.
‘She wore those things proudly and went to official events…’
There was a reason why nobles and diplomatic envoys had ignored Medeia.
“They’ll try to sell them off as soon as they leave the Royal Palace.”
“Oh, that’s what I want.”
The jewels that Medeia had given to the Maids were nothing more than a megaphone to the world.
Someone would remember the gifts that the Regent Duke and his wife had given to Medeia with such a loud fuss.
If those jewels were released into the market, people would now become curious.
Why did a Princess of a country have to comfort her Maids by giving away her valuables?
How far could her uncle block the mouths of the people?
“This much is a cheap price to pay for borrowing their hands.”
Medeia patted Neril’s shoulder without expression.
\ \ *
“You’ll regret it.”
The Head Maid didn’t make empty promises.
She sprinkled sand grains in the food and sent in bedding with scents that attracted various pests.
She tried everything else that could make the day of a young and precious lady difficult.
All visits to the Royal Palace were also rejected at the Head Maid’s discretion.
Guests were already rare, but when even the people who came and went for work were all blocked, the Royal Palace quickly became desolate like an abandoned house.
The Head Maid intended to completely isolate Medeia in this vast Royal Palace.
‘I told Catherine not to look for the Princess for the time being either.’
She should think carefully about what the price of recklessly running wild is.
‘Medeia, you touched the sleeping lion’s nose hair.’
The Head Maid shuddered with satisfaction, thrilled that her revenge had succeeded.
But if there was one thing she never dreamed of,
“Ugh, how long is this going to go on? Hey, throw this away. It’s from outside.”
“Isn’t this too old-fashioned? A hatpin, what era is this?”
Most of her malicious gifts never even reached Medeia.
