9 - The Crown I Will Take From You
Episode 9
"I'm glad I smuggled the earrings out before the Royal Palace was sealed off.”
“How much did you get?”
“500,000 gold. I was going to ask for more, but I settled for this much because it was urgent.”
“Hieeek!”
“Isn't it amazing? If I had a few more, I could pay off my debt and quit this job.”
Greedy eyes sparkled.
The Head Maid's Spies were ordered to torment the Princess harshly, but,
'If we don't get caught, no one will know, right? The Head Maid never comes to the Royal Palace anyway.'
Like well-trained dogs, they were soon bound to the jewels the Princess threw them, blocking the malicious gifts heading to Medeia at their level.
Meanwhile, the other Maids' situations were similar.
“You guys, start wrapping things up. It seems like word is starting to spread outside the palace little by little, so this will be over soon.”
“Did you make sure we weren't caught? The Head Maid will try to eat us alive if she finds out.”
“Don't worry. I'm not doing anything that would get me killed, and it's not like I've only been doing this for a day or two.”
Time passed, and the news they had diligently carried out spread like wildfire.
“Did you hear? The Head Maid is sending rotten food to the Princess?”
“They say she hid needles in her bedding and sent it!”
The Head Maid was shocked.
“Where is that rumor coming from!”
“From the Royal Castle. It seems to be circulating only among the nobles for now.”
It was handled discreetly. There was nothing she hadn't touched, nothing she had handled carelessly.
But for some reason, everything was being exposed and talked about.
“Rotten food? Needles?! What nonsense, I never sent anything like that!”
They were even adding their own embellishments.
Everyone knew that the Princess was being mistreated in the Royal Castle, but it was another matter for specific and cruel harassment to spread outside.
This was a matter directly related to the Royal Castle's honor.
The Royal Palace didn't only have the Head Maid's Spies.
They spread the news as secretly as usual, and more actively than usual.
“What? The Head Maid? Whether it's true or not, it's worth poking at!”
Among them were the Head Maid's competitors, and,
“Oh, dear. I heard the Princess is really suffering?”
There was also Gallo.
“Did you have nothing better to do? You just had to put it in.”
Ignoring Cesare's cold glare, Gallo fluttered the parchment filled with tiny letters.
His handsome eyebrows drooped into an eight shape.
“The Head Maid is as harsh with her hands as our Western Mistress? Poor Princess, she's enduring by giving the maids the jewels the Regent Duke gifted her. How pitiful.”
“Giving away jewels?”
Cesare, who had been looking down at the chessboard without interest, asked back.
“Yeah. The Black Sapphire and Tears of the Lamb... Anyway, she didn't even begrudge those expensive things and readily gave them away. The maids happily accepted them.”
“……”
“Is she naive, or just stupid? Did she think she could hold onto the maids with that?”
His long hand picked up a white pawn.
“What if she's not trying to hold onto them?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
One space. The pawn advanced and reached the last row.
“Promotion. To a Queen.”
The pawn is the weakest and most insignificant piece in chess, but when it reaches the last row, it can be changed into any piece.
“Oh, Boss. You're taking my bishop here!”
However, what it will change into and what it will capture will only be known when it reaches the end.
A flash of intense interest appeared in Cesare's eyes and then disappeared.
\ \ *
An unexpected commotion arose in the Royal Palace.
“Let go! Where are you taking me!”
The Head Maid's people burst in and dragged out the Princess's Maids indiscriminately.
“Why, why are you doing this, all of a sudden!”
“You are no longer affiliated with the Royal Palace as of today. Therefore, you can no longer stay here.”
Without even having time to pack a bag, Medeia's Maids were dragged away.
“How dare you, as servants, torment our Princess, you must not value your lives.”
The Head Maid's subordinate, who was at the front, sternly rebuked.
“What?”
The Princess's Maids' eyes widened.
“The kitchen, laundry room, and costume room have all confessed. You conspired to torment Her Highness and blamed it on the Head Maid!”
The Head Maid, who had been watching the deteriorating situation, intended to remove Medeia's hands and feet while also erasing the infamy that had spread in the Royal Castle.
This was because she had learned that the Royal Palace's Maids, who were also taking scraps from her, had been recklessly running their mouths.
“What are you talking about! It's a lie! The Head Maid, you guys did it!”
“Do you intend to deny it when there's evidence? Take these people away quickly!”
The Head Maid's subordinate whispered in one Maid's ear.
“When you were freely running your mouths, you should have thought about what the consequences would be.”
The Maid's face turned pale.
'How could I have been caught so quickly...! I was so careful!'
Perhaps they were too excited about the wealth they had suddenly acquired, they overlooked the Head Maid's connections and power within the palace.
The Maid, who sensed despair, sought a way out.
“Your Highness! Help us! The Head Maid is trying to take us away!”
Even as they were being dragged away, they shouted loudly.
“Just try to lay a finger on us. Do you think our Princess will just stand by?”
They firmly believed.
Even if they turned a blind eye to the Princess, the Princess was kind and gentle, so she would definitely try to save them.
Just like she had saved Neril.
“Your Highness! It's the Head Maid! The Head Maid is-!”
“Shut them up!”
Rough arms grabbed them roughly, and the commotion quickly subsided.
“What's going on?”
At that moment, the Princess appeared. It was after all of her Maids had been dragged away. The timing was a bit unfortunate.
'She must have been scared, seeing her come out now.'
Even so, the Head Maid's subordinates were a little nervous.
“Your Highness, how much have you suffered in the meantime.”
“……”
“Those impudent wenches have been sowing discord between the Head Maid and Your Highness all this time. The discerning Head Maid learned of this fact and sent us to rectify the situation, albeit belatedly.”
The prepared words flowed naturally.
The subordinate's eyes were triumphant, as if asking what Medeia could do once her hands and feet were cut off.
“The crime of insulting royalty is absolutely not light, so you will all atone with death.”
“……”
“And we have brought new Maids. They are young and untainted children who have just entered the palace, so they will faithfully serve only Your Highness without any other intentions. You, greet Her Highness.”
The subordinate brought the children they had brought forward. Then, they waited for the Princess's reaction.
The Royal Palace was completely empty, with all those who had been by her side dragged away.
Except for Neril, who was still bedridden, there were no longer any allies of the Princess here.
Even if she managed to bring Neril, she wouldn't be able to get all of them out.
The Head Maid's judgment was correct.
“Is that so?”
However, unexpectedly, the Princess was smiling.
“That's a relief. The Head Maid's eye for talent is trustworthy.”
Medeia turned to face the new Maids.
“You all, take a good look. This is the end for those who are disloyal to their master.”
Her voice, as cold as frost, was fierce.
“If you go back and forth like bats, you'll be dragged away and killed like dogs. Do you understand?”
The eyes of the new children passed over the Princess and turned to the floor.
The traces of the Royal Palace's Maids struggling as they were dragged out earlier were stretched out on the ground. There were also some scattered drops of blood.
The new Maids nodded with fearful eyes.
One master.
Only death for betrayal, not loyalty.
The Head Maid had not been able to thoroughly win over the new Maids because the Royal Palace's Maids had all been dismissed and urgently replaced.
Therefore, Medeia's strict order was engraved more strongly than ever in the minds of the newly admitted rookies.
“Please convey my gratitude to the Head Maid. Thanks to her, I have less work to do.”
“Yes?”
The subordinate blinked in a daze.
“You, follow me. Let's go inside.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Medeia took the new Maids and went inside.
“Oh no, I've been tricked!”
The Head Maid felt like she was going to faint when she heard the report from the subordinate who had returned in bewilderment.
“That little bitch used me to get rid of all the surveillance attached to her!”
She even framed the Maids with her infamy and eliminated them.
They would think that the Head Maid had other intentions and had removed her spies.
She had only created unnecessary enemies.
If she had thought a little more, she could have known, but she was blinded by a moment of anger.
“Aaaargh. Medeia, I'll just-!”
“Head Maid, calm down!”
Crash!
The sound of shattering and sweeping away continued until dusk.
