96 - The Crown I Will Take From You
Episode 96
“Both the 4th Princess and the Grand Duke are the type to blame others for their failures. You should take extra care of yourself.”
Medeia stared intently at Achares, who had left her with an unexpected warning.
He was a man hiding as many secrets as she was.
Each time, his bizarre appearances disrupted Medeia’s plans.
Yet, regardless of the process, it was true that the outcome had ultimately benefited her.
“Achares.”
If that was the case, then it was only right for her to offer a warning in return.
“Grand Duke Castulo is not a good pawn for Facade. Stay away from him.”
Though his face was as expressionless as usual, Cesare sensed something different.
It was the first time the Princess had spoken to him so directly. A glint of interest appeared in Cesare’s eyes.
“Won’t you tell me the reason?”
His gleaming golden eyes seemed to probe deep into Medeia’s innermost thoughts.
“My trivial advice ends here.”
“Castulo……”
A soft scoff escaped his well-shaped lips as he repeated Medeia’s words.
Though it carried clear mockery, the target didn’t seem to be Medeia.
“How could a worthless scoundrel who swindles with a blade ever catch the eye of such a distinguished person?”
Bending like sliding moonlight, he pressed his lips to the tip of a rose petal on the table.
It resembled both a gesture of reverence and seduction.
“Unless it’s a lady as benevolent and gentle as the Princess, they wouldn’t even treat me as a person.”
No, he was teasing Medeia. She frowned faintly.
Despite his scathing self-deprecation, his attitude was utterly arrogant, making it hard to take seriously.
Rather, the gap between his words and demeanor clearly revealed that someone like Iason wasn’t even worth his notice.
‘That’s a relief.’
Medeia thought indifferently as she watched Cesare, glowing white under the moonlight.
If he had joined hands with Iason, she would have had to eliminate him by any means necessary.
\ \ *
In the deep night of the Baldina Royal Palace.
A slender, panther-like shadow fell beneath the moonlight.
“My lord, Jared is throwing a fit.”
Alpha reported.
“He sent an order to Kazen to gather the elites from his territory. It seems he intends to retaliate. What should we do?”
He held out a small, crumpled piece of parchment. It was the usual means of communication from the front lines.
Cesare turned and looked toward the Royal Palace.
The cream-colored palace emitted a calm light, much like its owner, even in the darkness, but to his eyes, it hardly seemed sturdy.
He could easily spot the sparse guards and blind spots that seemed ripe for breaching.
A displeased glint appeared in Cesare’s handsome eyes. A stray dog, even after leaving home, still dirties the mud.
“Kill them all the moment they set foot in this country and send them to Jared.”
“Yes, my lord.”
As Cesare walked past the bowing Alpha, he paused.
“Stamp them with Facade’s emblem.”
He needed to send a warning to that red-headed Jared. To tell him not to flaunt that unpleasant face so recklessly.
“……Yes, my lord.”
Alpha hesitated briefly before obeying.
In the Empire, the First Prince had clipped Jared’s wings as he tried to soar, and here in Baldina, Facade’s mercenary had buried his future in the mud.
It was almost pitiable that Jared had no idea, even in his dreams, that both times, it was the same person.
Cesare gave a slight nod, then turned to Zeta.
“You protect the Princess.”
“Yes, my lord.”
They vanished back into the darkness.
“You can come out now, Ciseo.”
“…….”
“Since when did you enjoy playing hide-and-seek?”
From behind the corner wall, Ciseo stepped out.
“I saw you leaving the Royal Palace.”
The monocle perched on his nose reflected his inner turmoil with its opaque hue.
“What business could Facade possibly have with Her Highness? I thought we had finished coordinating Baldina’s affairs?”
His voice was colder than ever before.
Before being a friend, as Baldina’s Prime Minister and as a man, his guard was up.
“It’s between the Princess and me. You don’t need to know.”
“…….”
Silence flowed between them.
Realizing he would get no further answer from him, Ciseo asked with a hardened expression.
“What exactly are you thinking?”
Cesare shrugged.
“Be clear with your subject.”
“I’m asking why you, so unlike yourself, are lurking around Her Highness Medeia.”
“…….”
“It was your Facade that attacked the Rasai Tribe’s transport route, wasn’t it?”
Ciseo knew Cesare. The man who had remained consistently cold and detached in the Tower of the White Night.
He was not the type to extend a hand or show favor for someone’s sake. There had never been a single time he moved without a purpose.
So, for him to volunteer as the Princess’s ally meant Cesare had another motive in mind.
“I thought you weren’t as bad as the Empire. No, I believed you wouldn’t exploit the friendship we shared, but it seems I was mistaken.”
Ciseo struggled to suppress the emotions welling up inside him.
“Please withdraw Facade and leave.”
“Aha. So now that the relief is resolved, you have no further use for me? Are all Baldinans this indifferent by nature?”
Ciseo ignored his question and continued.
“Do not approach Her Highness any further. If you knew what kind of danger you created that day.”
“If it weren’t for me, who could have made Jared kneel and shut the 4th Princess’s foolish mouth?”
Cesare let out a derisive laugh. His confidence, free of even a hint of doubt, was as natural as the clothes he wore.
“You? The Princess’s knight? Or the aged former generals of old Baldina?”
“…….”
“And Ciseo. You seem to be mistaken, but this country you’re so loyal to is not a good pawn for me.”
Despite his languid tone, the content was scathing.
“Pathetically weak national power. Citizens filled with unyielding conviction. You know as well as I do that as an invader, there’s no reason to choose such a troublesome land.”
Ciseo stared intently at Cesare.
If he wasn’t targeting Baldina? Then there was only one reason left.
“I was then, and I am now, the best pawn she can hold. For you to tell me to step away—don’t you think that’s a bit presumptuous?”
A faint flicker of irritation ignited in his golden eyes.
“Ciseo, you don’t know the Princess. In all of Baldina, I’m likely the only one who can fully grasp her perspective.”
“Cesare, you—”
“So, save your unnecessary worries. She and I are merely in a transactional relationship where both have something to gain.”
Cesare’s expression, as if even explaining was a bother, left Ciseo momentarily speechless. He felt like an impudent intruder who had crossed a line.
“Ask the Princess yourself if you must.”
Without waiting for a reply, Cesare vanished back into the darkness.
“…….”
Ciseo removed his monocle and rubbed his weary face.
“Protect the Princess.”
The order Cesare had given his shadows was clearly not a lie.
It wasn’t hard to guess that his arrangement was to prevent Jared, who had lost today’s duel, from venting his frustration.
Yet, even though he understood logically that the one making the arrangement was Cesare and the subject was the Princess, his heart couldn’t quite accept it.
Though he should have been relieved to confirm that the friend he trusted wasn’t targeting his country, Ciseo’s expression remained dark.
On his way back to his office, Ciseo fidgeted with his pocket.
Inside was medicine for treating wounds.
In truth, worried about Medeia, who had been injured in the fight with the Princess, he had headed to the Royal Palace as soon as he finished organizing the pledge, only to find Cesare there.
‘What was I even thinking?’
Ciseo promptly turned around again.
When he entered his office, he paused. The Princess’s Maid, Neril, was waiting for him.
“Her Highness summons you.”