Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Translation: godsn
Princess Valdina's palace.
"Your Highness, the Fourth Imperial Princess, what is the meaning of this commotion?"
The tranquil palace suddenly erupted into chaos.
The Fourth Imperial Princess had forcibly pushed past the knights and strode inside.
Medeia raised one arm to stop Neril and Zeta from drawing their swords.
"Good morning, Fourth Imperial Princess."
She greeted her with undisturbed composure, her eyes showing no surprise.
"The people of Kazen truly live up to their reputation for boldness and recklessness."
At the softly delivered taunt, the Fourth Imperial Princess bit her lip, struggling to contain her agitation.
'What on earth is she thinking?'
After the missing Princess of Valdina returned safely from the hunting grounds, all suspicion and blame had turned toward Duke Claudio's household, much to the Fourth Imperial Princess's relief.
'Good. Since they're only going after Claudio, it seems they don't know about my involvement. What a relief.'
But her peace of mind was short-lived.
"What should we do, Your Highness? The Princess of Valdina has uncovered everything. She's taken evidence proving that Your Highness orchestrated the incident."
"Whaaat?"
Not only had the laborers she'd ordered to release the wolf pack been exposed, but the letters containing her commands had also fallen into the Princess's hands.
Angelique let out a shriek.
"You said all the evidence was destroyed, you fools! What the hell were you doing?!"
But this wasn't solely the fault of her subordinates.
Unbeknownst to the Fourth Imperial Princess, Iason Castulo had played a treacherous hand in this.
He had secretly preserved some of the evidence, intending to use it later as leverage against the Fourth Imperial Princess.
And that evidence had been reclaimed by Medeia.
In the tangled web where each sought to strangle the other, Medeia held the final thread.
"Aaah! How did that end up in the Princess's hands?! How?! Why?!"
The Fourth Imperial Princess's face flushed with rage. With undeniable proof in hand, she couldn't even deny it.
Now that the Princess herself had discovered everything, it was all over.
Yet as days passed—one, two, several—nothing happened.
The Princess didn't come for her, didn't expose Angelique's crimes, didn't demand accountability from the Empire.
'Medeia, what are you scheming now? How is she going to trap me this time?'
The Fourth Imperial Princess couldn't suppress her unease. After all, the Princess of Valdina had a track record, didn't she?
Having already fallen for her provocations once and lost double the tribute, the Fourth Imperial Princess couldn't bring herself to relax.
'Fine. Rather than waiting anxiously for that bitch to strike...'
She decided it would be better to take the initiative. Unable to hold back any longer, she barged in.
"...Princess, I wish to speak with you privately."
As if she had stormed in breathing fire just moments ago, the Imperial Princess now forced her voice into a low, composed tone.
Yet her restless eyes swept over Medeia.
Medeia responded with a gentle smile.
"By all means."
In the Princess's reception room, a small tea time for just the two of them began.
The Fourth Imperial Princess maintained a dignified expression as she watched the maid pour the tea.
But beneath her dress, her legs trembled incessantly, and her hands fidgeted, clutching and releasing the fabric of her skirt over and over.
A faint ripple disturbed the surface of the tea in the cup on the table.
"What exactly are you planning?"
The moment the maid finished serving and left, the Fourth Imperial Princess hissed through clenched teeth.
Though only she and Medeia were in the room, she still seemed terrified of being overheard.
"Imperial Princess, what do you mean?"
"You took the remaining evidence, didn't you? Why haven't you said anything, even though you know? Is driving people insane your hobby?"
The Fourth Imperial Princess had no time to gauge Medeia's feigned ignorance before her suppressed rage erupted.
"Huh? I said, what the hell are you thinking?!"
Her sharp voice sounded almost like a stifled scream.
"......"
Medeia's gaze swept over the princess's bloodshot eyes, her lips bitten ragged, and her roughened complexion.
It seemed the Fourth Princess—who usually appeared immaculately groomed—had been so consumed with anxiety that she'd neglected her appearance entirely.
"The matter will be resolved sooner than expected."
Medeia answered as if administering medicine.
"At this very moment, I was about to discuss the issue with Sir Siseo. How fortunate that the person in question has come to me herself."
The Fourth Princess froze. No—this wasn't how things were supposed to go.
She had at least believed there was still room for negotiation with Medeia.
That scheming girl wouldn't have kept silent all this time if she didn't have her own demands.
"R-really? You're seriously going through with this? The relationship between Kazen and Valdina will be ruined because of you! Do you really think you can handle the consequences?"
"Well now. The one who'll bear those consequences won't be me, but Your Highness. I'm just an ignorant victim, after all."
Struck by Medeia's quiet retort, the princess bit her lip before crossing her arms.
"Princess, you claimed to have lost your memory after falling off a cliff—yet you've been diligently gathering evidence, I see. So your amnesia was a lie too?"
It was a veiled threat—what would happen if it came to light that the returned princess had faked her memory loss? Medeia gave a faint smile.
"Fourth Princess, I doubt you came all this way to quibble over trivial rights and wrongs."
With perfect composure, Medeia placed the evidence on the table.
Witness testimonies and personal details confirming the princess had brought in the wolf pack.
The princess gnawed at her lip.
"Tch... Ha! As if my beloved father would cast me aside even if this came out! You'd just be turning the entire Empire against yourself!"
She jutted her chin defiantly, her face brimming with stubborn pride.
She's mistaken who holds the leash.
Medeia smiled sweetly as she watched the princess scoff with a strangely curled lip.
"Oh, but Empress Seo—the Third Prince's mother—would know far better than I how to utilize this, wouldn't she?"
Instantly, the Fourth Princess turned as pale as if doused in ice water.
Since the First Prince—once the undisputed powerhouse—had become terminally ill, the Third Prince had been distinguishing himself in the fierce competition for succession.
He and the Fourth Princess were rivals constantly aiming for each other's backs.
Though she currently enjoyed the Kazen Emperor's greatest favor, her position was far from secure.
If she didn't remain vigilant against her siblings who watched her like hawks, she could be toppled in an instant.
"Do you truly believe Empress Seo only has this one weakness of yours? We'll have to see whether this evidence becomes the final move that drags down even your maternal grandfather, the East Marquis."
"...You—!"
"Coincidentally, didn't you involve your grandfather in this relief effort too, Fourth Princess? The justification would be more than sufficient."
The princess trembled violently at the gently delivered threat. The princess's mocking tone cut her to the bone.
"Princess, don't underestimate this visit to Valdina. Even without the First Prince, we must demonstrate that the Empire's influence remains strong. You must secure His Majesty's true favor. Do you understand your mother's words?"
The advice given by her mother, the East Imperial Consort, before departing for Valdina resurfaced in her mind.
The true source of Fourth Princess Angelique's power lay with the East Marquis standing behind her.
If the East Marquis were to fall, even with the Emperor's favor, it would be impossible for the Fourth Imperial Princess to claim the throne.
Angelique had no time to marvel at how this princess of a small kingdom could read the power struggles within the current Kazen imperial court as if they were laid bare in the palm of her hand.
She was too busy scrambling to calculate the odds with her crumbling composure.
"What do you want?"
Her nerves snapped. The Fourth Princess screamed hysterically.
"Tell me. I'll give you whatever you ask for!"
"Your Highness."
Medeia's soothing voice descended upon the Fourth Princess like a balm.
"What if I were to provide you with a solution to overcome this predicament?"
"...A solution?"
The Fourth Princess turned her sharp-eyed gaze toward her.
"You are a benefactor who has fed and sustained the people of our Valdina. If our mutual interests align, then I would have no need to make unnecessary contact with the Empress Seo, who lacks even a blade's edge of leverage over me."
"......"
"You cannot hide evidence that has already surfaced. Someone must bear the guilt for releasing wolves into Valdina's hunting grounds and targeting me."
In Medeia's emerald eyes, the reflection of the Fourth Princess resembled a beast lured by bait, blindly walking into the hunter's trap set just within reach.
"But that someone doesn't necessarily have to be you, Your Highness. You are not the only one in Kazen's diplomatic mission."
The Fourth Princess's eyes flashed.
Her pupils, filled with a distorted selfishness that would discard anything if it meant evading blame, gleamed darkly.
Pretending not to notice, Medeia continued speaking, offering her an escape route.
"My knight, who was investigating this evidence, discovered something. Grand Duke Castulo knew you had transported the wolf pack into the hunting grounds—yet he deliberately turned a blind eye."
"What?"
'So he knew this would happen and just let it be?'
After allowing enough time for the Fourth Princess to absorb the shock, Medeia cast her bait once more.
"I hear Count Laju of your diplomatic mission is so close to the Regent that he lodges at his residence. And, as you know, Count Laju is—"
"Iason's man. And yet, he had the audacity to flatter me to my face."
The furious Fourth Princess cut Medeia off as she answered.
She recalled the night Samon had seduced her.
Since that day, she had grown so close to Samon that she even turned a blind eye to him freely entering and leaving her chambers.
'That bastard was the one who urged me to hold this hunting competition. Samon, that rat-faced bastard. He was in cahoots with Iason, tricking me all along.'
Had Samon heard this, he would have jumped up in outrage at such baseless speculation. Unfortunately, he was currently groaning in pain from his caning, laid up in the ducal residence.
The evidence Medeia presented to the Fourth Princess was utterly convincing. Pieced together, it conveyed one clear message.
"That bastard Iason—he dares to step on me and use me?"
The Fourth Princess's eyes widened before narrowing again.
She had discerned Iason's true intentions from the clues the princess had laid out.
Her delicate face twisted with surging fury.
She had always mocked her meek and cautious cousin.
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the man who had kept his head bowed all this time was actually scheming behind her back, eyeing the throne.
"And what do you gain from telling me this, Princess?"
Biting her lip and swallowing her rage, the Fourth Princess soon fixed Medeia with a suspicious glare.
"Sardegna Island."
"......"
"That will suffice as repayment for my goodwill."