Part 2, Chapter 2
Part 2, Chapter 2
Translation: godsn
"Enough with the formalities."
With a light wave of her pale hand, Medeia motioned for Kensington to rise.
The princess looking down at Kensington exuded an unshakable dignity. For a moment, one might have mistaken the chair she sat upon not for a royal parlor but for a throne itself.
Her gaze—so clean and direct it bordered on arrogance—shone brightly. Her moonlight-silver hair and exquisite features radiated the subtle nobility unique to royalty.
"You've returned safely, I see."
Yet her slightly curved emerald eyes held warmth and welcome for Kensington.
The delicate features that still retained a youthful softness even revealed a fawn-like vulnerability at times.
"Yes, I hope you've been well during my absence."
Kensington allowed a smile to surface.
She knew full well how this princess—using that serene demeanor as a shield—could ruthlessly slit her enemies' throats. Yet every time she saw her, an absurd sense of pity welled up uncontrollably.
If even she, the battle-hardened head of intelligence who'd seen it all, occasionally found herself swayed by this woman—
'I wonder just how much our future enemies will be shaken when they face our liege.'
"Once Valdina concludes its imperial proclamation ceremony, active containment efforts will begin from nations across the continent," Kensington continued.
"Among them, Kazen and the Holy Kingdom will be foremost. Kazen especially will be worse—they won't even maintain the pretense of brotherly courtesy anymore."
Kensington had once been a high-ranking Kazen noble and right hand to Perdiccas II. No one understood better than her how petty the empire could become.
The princess nodded in agreement.
"We're still slightly outmatched facing Kazen directly."
"Yet simultaneously, Valdina is the only nation that's developed enough to warrant Kazen's wariness. Soon there will be two empires on this continent."
In some ways, it was profoundly moving.
A marginalized minor nation on the fringes of the continent had developed so fiercely that it now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Kazen as an empire.
Kensington imagined how this news must have tortured her former master, the Emperor of Kazen.
'His study furnishings probably didn't survive intact.'
Perhaps he'd even tried to carve out several hearts with his golden cane in uncontrollable fury.
The mental image sent an irrepressible thrill surging from her deepest core.
Though she'd thought she'd left everything behind when departing Kazen, it seemed she too remained an ordinary mortal unable to let go of petty grudges.
"The Emperor is assembling a diplomatic mission for the proclamation ceremony. Originally, he planned to send the Third Prince born of Empress Seo, but the First Prince exercised senatorial veto rights to block the delegation's formation."
"......"
Medeia listened silently to Kensington's report.
There had been massive changes in the Kazen imperial household during this time.
Three years prior, the First Prince Cesare—who'd received a terminal diagnosis—had miraculously revived.
And the entire political landscape had overturned.
The resurrected prince returned in perfect health as if all suspicions and rumors surrounding him had been lies all along.
Just as he'd been in his prime—decapitating enemy generals and chilling the hearts of allies.
Then he turned his blade toward those who'd only awaited his death.
All who'd mocked the First Prince's illness and oppressed his faction paid the price.
Not even his father Perdiccas II—who'd tried to sever his son's limbs and swallow his power before his last breath faded—was exempt.
The first casualties were the powerful "Observer" faction supporting the Emperor—all meeting mysterious deaths as if paying for coveting what they shouldn't have.
This tragedy occurred shortly after the First Prince's return.
"Cesare! That bastard's doing! He's taking revenge on me for coveting his territories—Romagna and Alphanon! That insolent wretch challenging his own father!"
The Emperor raged uncontrollably, but no evidence existed.
The Senate too sided with Cesare—whether from growing aversion to the increasingly deranged Emperor or fear of the First Prince remained unclear.
Everyone suspected. That the First Prince was behind the coordinated assassinations of the Observers.
His track record of cruelly and cleverly eliminating political opponents was well established.
Yet no one could accuse him. Cesare's blade knew no hesitation, and few were brave enough to speak before the raining heads.
The sight of officials who feared the First Prince more than Emperor Perdiccas II himself trampled upon the imperial dignity.
"Cesare! Have you forgotten that I have yet to name an heir?"
The Emperor attempted to suppress the First Prince as he had in the past, using the still-vacant position of Crown Prince as leverage.
"How could I forget? Should Your Majesty find yourself unable to make a selection, I shall gladly narrow down the options for you."
But the First Prince mocked his father while simultaneously toppling his siblings one by one.
Starting with the Fourth Imperial Princess, then the Sixth Imperial Princess, followed by the Seventh and Eighth Princes—they all fell in succession.
In the end, only the Third Prince remained standing, and even he barely held on by relying on his mother Empress Seo's influence.
"How does this suit you, Father? Your choices have now become far more manageable, haven't they?"
After rising from his sickbed, the Emperor began to genuinely regard his eldest son—who had cast aside even the pretense of obedience—with wariness.
From that moment onward, their father-son relationship rapidly spiraled toward ruin.
Perdiccas II now treated the First Prince not as a son, but as a traitor coveting his throne.
The First Prince, in turn, obstructed his father at every turn while flaunting his own influence.
The upcoming proclamation ceremony for Valdina was no exception.
"The Emperor will likely send a high-ranking official who can stir up trouble at Valdina's proclamation ceremony and return unscathed."
The battle between the Kazen father and son, with neither yielding an inch, remained ongoing.
"However, the First Prince faction won't remain idle either. They'll dispatch someone capable of suppressing the Emperor's envoy. Currently, Marquis Reniar is the most likely candidate we've heard of."
Marquis Reniar was a central figure who served as the backbone of the First Prince faction.
Kensington let out a small sigh, as if reassured.
"Then even if the Emperor's envoy causes a scene, they should be kept in check."
Marquis Reniar was one of only three meritorious subjects of the Empire who supported the First Prince faction, and the father of the late empress.
For such a reclusive figure to travel all the way to Valdina could only mean one thing—the First Prince had given explicit orders.
"Regardless, this works in our favor. The more the First Prince opposes the Emperor, the more Valdina stands to gain."
"......"
"Though I can't fathom why the First Prince is being so excessively favorable toward Valdina, so we shouldn't celebrate just yet."
Kensington frowned, visibly troubled.
"Even during the recent pirate purge near the strait, the First Prince supplied weapons through Facade. And when trading mithril, we managed to evade Kazen's surveillance thanks to the First Prince's connections."
"......"
"He's a member of Kazen's imperial family, yet he provides resources without hesitation—almost as if we're allies."
"Allies? It's merely a convergence of interests."
Medeia shrugged, but Kensington still wore an expression demanding answers.
'Convergence of interests... Your Highness, the First Prince isn't the type to engage in such petty favors.'
As a Kazen noble, she had witnessed the First Prince firsthand.
'A man with what seems like blue blood running through his veins.'
Wasn't he the same ruthless cold-blooded killer who had mercilessly cut down even those who raised and supported him?
Kensington couldn't shake her unease—what possible motive could such a man have for extending such goodwill to a rival nation, especially Valdina, which was biting at Kazen's heels?
"My liege, you must exercise extreme caution. The First Prince is no mere jackal. Let your guard down, and he'll sink his teeth into your throat."
Medeia merely smirked in response.
Kensington didn't know. She didn't know that three years ago, the Tears of Dawn sent by Medeia had saved the terminally ill First Prince.
Nor did she know that the subtle favors he now extended were repayment for those very tears.
Just as Medeia had intended, the First Prince was tearing through the Kazen imperial court like a whirlwind—so fiercely that no matter how desperately Iason struggled, he couldn't reclaim his former standing.
So thoroughly that even the Emperor spent three full years locked in conflict with his son, leaving him no room to spare even a glance toward Valdina.
And that was precisely as far as Medeia had ever wanted it to go.
"Indeed, ours is a relationship with a clearly defined conclusion. Kensington, I'm well aware—spare yourself the worry."
Medeia hadn't forgotten. Valdina was a rising power sharply threatening Kazen, while the First Prince remained unequivocally a man of the Kazen imperial family.
Ultimately, this friendly relationship could only last so long.
Then, hurried footsteps echoed outside. The door burst open as Neril rushed in.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has returned!"