88 - The Crown I Will Take from You
Episode 88
The smiles instantly vanished from the faces of the Baldinians who had been feeling relieved. The Queen Dowager also stood up abruptly again.
“Ha, daring to cross swords with me?”
The Kazen royals, fiercely vying for the succession, all received rigorous martial arts training.
The Fourth Princess, while not as legendary a swordsman as the First Prince, was also a skilled practitioner with considerable swordsmanship.
On the other hand, the Princess of Baldina…
“Daring to claim you can beat me when you even fell off a horse?”
The Fourth Princess mocked, having heard the rumors about Medeia that had spread even to the Empire.
“I dare not hope to win against the Fourth Princess. But as a child, if I cannot even draw my sword against someone who has tarnished my father’s honor,”
Emotionless green eyes stared at the Fourth Princess.
“What good am I in this position?”
The Princess was taken aback.
She was already considering whether to forgive the blatant words that had trampled on both her father's and her own dignity, but a duel?
Charging in like this, was that half-wit clueless or just unintelligent?
Then, a calm voice echoed.
“I have wagered my life. What will the Fourth Princess wager to avenge her father’s honor?”
The Fourth Princess bit her teeth tightly.
They had each traded insults towards each other's fathers.
With Medeia acting like this, if she remained silent, she would be seen as an unfilial child who didn't care whether her father was insulted or not.
“Ha! I accept the challenge.”
The Fourth Princess gritted her teeth and regained her composure.
She took a breath and asked elegantly, as if she had never raised her voice. She even changed her arrogant tone.
“Princess, this is a duel between the princesses of two nations, so we can’t just do it without wagering anything. How about we set some conditions for the bet?”
At that moment, a brilliant idea flashed through the Fourth Princess’s mind.
‘You’ve cornered me, so you’ll have to pay the price.’
“If you win, I will provide Kazen’s relief supplies without any conditions. But if you lose,”
A sinister cruelty flickered across the Fourth Princess’s face.
“If I win, the aid will be off the table.”
The banquet hall buzzed instantly. Gasps could be heard from all around.
“What do you say? Princess, do you still want to avenge your father’s honor?”
The Fourth Princess asked with a smirk.
If the Princess refused the duel, she would mock her for being scared now, and if she accepted, she would naturally win, providing a legitimate excuse to refuse aid.
Either way, Medeia would suffer a great loss.
‘Even I think it’s a brilliant move.’
The Fourth Princess was so pleased with her wit that she didn’t notice Medeia’s eyes briefly scanning her.
‘I knew you’d take the bait.’
The Fourth Princess Angelique was hot-tempered and had a strong sense of pride.
That’s why she always fell for Medeia’s schemes and suffered in her past life.
‘Angelique, things won’t go as easily as you think.’
“Neril, prepare my sword.”
A calm voice echoed.
“Your Highness!”
“Medeia!”
It was the Baldinians around her who were more surprised.
Mrs. Pinatelli was so shocked that she almost fell off her chair and hurriedly supported the Queen Dowager, and Ciseo unknowingly gripped his glass tightly.
The Regent Duke and his wife were speechless at the sudden, unexpected situation.
Birna furrowed her brow and wore a terrified expression, but she couldn’t hide the fierce joy in her eyes. How wonderful it would be if the Fourth Princess’s sword ‘accidentally’ stabbed Medeia.
Only one person, Medeia herself, was calm.
No fear or panic could be read in her clear, shining eyes.
Rather, her unwavering and firm stance contrasted with the arrogant Fourth Princess, exuding a righteous spirit like a martyr standing against a great injustice.
“Ha, you’re really going to do it? Fine, but remember this. There’s no use crying and begging to back out later.”
The Fourth Princess was irritated by Medeia’s calm reaction.
Alright, let’s see how long you can keep up that act. It was when she raised her chin triumphantly.
“However, I am concerned that the Fourth Princess might retract her conditions.”
“Angelique Graham Kazen, I guarantee it in my name! Do you not trust the daughter of the Emperor?”
The Fourth Princess retorted sharply.
“Years ago, our people who left Baldina to protect the Empire’s dikes would not have foreseen it either. That Kazen, a powerful force on the continent, would not easily provide the promised aid as time passed.”
Today, the aid promised by Kazen was not merely charity. It was a just reward earned through the sacrifices of the Baldinians.
The Kazen people, feeling ashamed at the Princess’s pointed remark, could not bring themselves to refute her words.
“Unless the Fourth Princess gives me assurance that she will keep her promise, I cannot agree.”
Medeia said, looking at Ciseo.
Ciseo, reading the Princess’s intentions, moved quickly.
“Your Highness.”
He presented a quickly drafted golden scroll to Medeia, who unfolded it for everyone to see.
“It contains the conditions of the duel’s wager that you just mentioned. Your Highness, you can still back out now. Once our Seals are stamped on the words that have come out of our mouths, they can no longer be dismissed as childish pranks.”
As if she had been humoring her all along, the Princess was calm and mature.
The Fourth Princess’s face turned red and blue.
Was that little brat mocking her for not being able to take back the words she had spoken?
“Ha! That’s all the assurance I need! Bring me my Seal!”
The Fourth Princess shouted irritably.
Kensington hurriedly grabbed the Princess and whispered.
“Your Highness, please reconsider. This is not something to act on hastily.”
“Get out of my way. I am the head of this delegation, not you!”
“Your Highness, you mustn’t. Please reconsider.”
“I said, get out of my way-!”
Then, Kensington paused.
It was because the large ring on the Princess’s hand, which she had impatiently brushed off his hand, scratched Kensington’s cheek.
“So, why are you being so annoying……”
The Fourth Princess seemed a little flustered by the wound, but she soon brushed it off, thinking of the eyes around her.
Then, she strode forward and coolly stamped her Seal on the guarantee of the duel’s wager.
The Kazen delegation was surprised by the Fourth Princess’s unilateral action.
But with even Count Kensington unable to stop the Princess, there was no one who would step forward and face her wrath.
Besides, the conditions were harsh, but the duel itself was not a big deal.
The Fourth Princess had a record of defeating even the Empire’s Four Star Knights.
Winning against a half-baked Princess who had been cooped up in the palace would be a piece of cake, so why bother stepping in and pouring cold water on it?
‘I needed a good excuse to refuse aid, and the Princess has shown remarkable wit.’
“See, Count. Why did you have to poke a burning volcano?”
Some nodded in satisfaction, while others criticized Kensington for being overly concerned, subtly blaming her.
“Count, here, wipe it off.”
Iason, never one to miss an opportunity to gain favor with Kensington, approached.
“Grand Duke, please stop the Fourth Princess. This concerns Kazen’s national interests, and if something unexpected happens, the Fourth Princess could be in trouble.”
Grand Duke Castulo was always thoughtful and insightful, so he would realize the gravity of the situation and not stand idly by. How naive.
“Haha, Count, you know that Angelique doesn’t listen to me at all. It’s no use.”
However, contrary to Kensington’s expectations, Iason was only comforting her. With a troubled expression, as if he was at a loss.
“Don’t worry too much. Even if something happens, I will ‘help’ Angelique and resolve it safely.”
“……”
“Count?”
Kensington silently pressed the handkerchief to his cheek.
‘Helping is just a way to take away the Fourth Princess’s authority. Castulo, you’ve been hiding your ambition well.’
It was because he had discovered a trace of Iason’s ambition that he had failed to hide completely.
‘Even the Grand Duke, who had been silent all along, is showing his teeth now that the First Prince has fallen.’
The delegation was just a facade for a fierce power struggle beneath the surface.
‘I mustn’t get swept up in the chaotic situation. I am only here for Kazen’s national interests.’
That’s what she thought, but the stinging pain on her cheek awakened her.
‘Does His Majesty remember Kensington?’
She, who had always been silently loyal, offering her unwavering devotion, had never felt so doubtful as she did today…….
‘The Princess of Baldina.’
Perhaps it was because of that little girl.