Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Translation: godsn
He could see her swaying weakly, barely managing to stay upright by propping her arms against the floor.
'Even a newborn foal would have more strength than that.'
Unlike her sharp mind, her body was utterly useless. A look of pity flickered across his golden eyes.
To be reduced to such a state in just three days—had this been the battlefield, she would have already been dead, rotting in a pile of corpses.
Just then, something caught his eye near the chapel fence.
A hulking figure, like a wild boar, was waddling unsteadily forward.
Thanks to his trained senses, Cesare could hear their conversation clearly.
"You must not approach her."
"Tch. Just for a moment, I said!"
"Minister! How dare you act so rudely?"
While the attendants dealt with the maids trying to block his way, the Princess was left completely exposed.
Despite his massive frame, the man moved with unexpected agility, closing the distance quickly.
The Princess remained motionless, as if she couldn't hear anything.
"Snort~"
The moment he spotted her, the man let out a loud, excited breath.
For some reason, Cesare felt an intense wave of disgust.
Under his outstretched index finger, a couple of small pebbles from the potted plant by the window vanished.
"Argh!"
The hulking figure shrieked as his calf was struck.
The force was like a boulder rolling downhill—his knees buckled, and he collapsed.
"Minister, are you all right?!"
"An ambush! Someone's trying to assassinate me!"
While the man flailed in panic, his attendants were left bewildered, finding no trace of an actual attack.
"......"
"What's going on?"
Hearing the commotion, Siseo rose from his seat.
The remaining pebble under Cesare's hand rolled back into the pot with a soft tock.
"Nothing."
Cesare turned away, his face settling back into its usual bored expression.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
By the time the three of them left, a fierce rain was pouring down.
Siseo had already departed due to urgent battlefield reports, and the other two were about to leave the palace.
"Did the heavens crack open? It's coming down like a waterfall."
Gallo grumbled under his breath.
"Boss, wait here. I'll bring the carriage."
"Forget it. Let's go together."
"No, you stay. I'll be right back."
Afraid Cesare might follow, Gallo vanished into the rain in an instant.
Even Gallo, who never stopped running his mouth no matter how many daggers were thrown his way, occasionally treated Cesare like the First Prince he once was.
As if even a single raindrop was too much for someone destined for the imperial throne.
Even though that throne might never be his again.
"......"
A bitter taste rose in his throat.
Ignoring Gallo's warning, Cesare walked alone into the rain.
He didn't bother removing the umbrella Gallo had shoved between his arms.
Patter, patter. The sound of rain drowned out the world.
Then, his footsteps halted.
Behind his silver mask, golden eyes caught sight of a figure kneeling beneath a statue.
The relentless downpour drenched the girl from head to toe.
Pale—no, gaunt—her face was streaked with endless rivulets of rainwater.
Though swaying, the Princess refused to collapse. The veins on the back of her hands, pressed against the ground, stood out sharply.
Her clenched teeth had split open, blood welling up.
Soon, the droplets mixed with the rain, turning pink before falling onto the white stone below.
Thanks to Gallo's incessant chatter, Cesare had come to know quite a bit about this little Princess.
"Cesare. Are you truly of my blood?"
Surrounded by enemies, even betrayed by her own blood—her tragic fate felt eerily familiar.
"I won't lose. I will survive."
Overlapping the image of the girl standing alone was someone else's faded memory.
"Hah!"
The Princess's arm, braced against the stone, suddenly gave way.
As her body lurched forward, Cesare took an unconscious step toward her—ridiculously, without even realizing it himself.
He saw her grit her teeth.
Summoning all her strength into her arms, she pushed herself up. The bulging veins screamed defiance—she would not fall.
Then, the Princess raised her head.
Her wet eyes spotted Madam Pinatelli standing behind the chapel before she bowed her head again.
Cesare took a step back. He had seen the smile on the Princess's lips.
"What an amusing performance."
A belated laugh escaped him.
Even I, who had caught on to the Princess's scheme, was drawn in—how much more so for others?
Cesare had no choice but to admit that the Princess had a certain talent for evoking people's sympathy.
Medeia had no idea someone was laughing at her.
She was too busy mustering every last ounce of strength to keep her consciousness from slipping away in the relentless downpour.
Not yet. Not yet. Hold on a little longer.
At some point, the world fell silent.
The pounding rain against her ears had stopped. Startled, Medeia lifted her head.
What blocked the torrential rain was a large black umbrella placed before her.
......Who?
She glanced around.
But in the empty courtyard of the chapel, she could find no one.
The Queen Mother's Palace.
The Queen Mother's expression darkened as she listened to Madam Pinatelli's report.
"Who does she take after to be so ruthless?"
One thing was certain—she didn't get it from her father.
"What in the world is she so stubbornly holding out for? Causing all this trouble for nothing."
The Queen Mother shuddered in distaste.
Madam Pinatelli gently wiped the Queen Mother's hands with a warm, damp cloth as she spoke.
"Your Majesty, do you remember the maid who once offered to take the Princess's punishment in her stead?"
"That insolent wretch who dared interfere?"
"Yes. That maid, Neril, was the reason Your Majesty clashed with the Head Maid. The Head Maid nearly killed the girl, which angered Your Majesty enough to personally administer the flogging."
The Queen Mother frowned.
"Tch. What kind of princess stoops to such petty battles with her subordinates?"
"But Your Majesty, it turns out that girl was once a member of the Late King's Royal Guard."
Pretending not to notice the wrinkled hand pausing as it adjusted a ring, Madam Pinatelli continued softly.
"To Her Highness the Princess, that maid may be the last remaining trace of the Late King. If I may speculate, perhaps she endures all this not to defy Your Majesty, but to protect that girl."
She added that the Princess had also forbidden Neril from leaving the Princess's quarters.
"So no one can easily lay a hand on her. The memories of the Late King are like a dragon's reverse scale to Her Highness—she cannot afford to back down."
"......."
The Queen Mother fell silent for a long while.
Her eldest son, gone in an instant, was like a nail lodged permanently in her heart.
Pulling it out hurt, but leaving it in ached just as much.
That was why she resented her granddaughter all the more...
"Hmph. Johann was this nation's sovereign. And all he left behind is some lowly maid? That doesn't make sense."
Her tone was still sharp, but noticeably softer than before.
"That may be so for Your Majesty. But you know how it is for Her Highness the Princess. She has nowhere else to turn."
Even before taking the Princess's hand, Madam Pinatelli had felt for her.
Perhaps because she too had experienced the world's cruelty firsthand when her family fell and she was left a destitute orphan.
"I also wandered for a long time after my husband passed. But at least I had my Holy Seal then, and I had Your Majesty."
"......."
"Her Highness the Princess was not so fortunate. How could I possibly fathom what it was like for her—losing both parents, her entire world, overnight at such a young age?"
"Are you blaming me now?"
The Queen Mother glared at her as she asked, but the anger had drained from her voice.
"Of course not. But Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, might I say one more thing?"
Madam Pinatelli spoke cautiously, her expression solemn. The Queen Mother nodded.
"Don't you find it strange how relentlessly the Head Maid has been scheming against Her Highness the Princess? It seems like more than just a grudge over the flogging..."
"......."
"I suspect there may be another reason she's so determined to bring the Princess down."
"...Now that you mention it, it was odd from the start—her coming to me claiming it was for Medeia's sake. Even though she was supposedly close friends with Catherine."
With her immediate hatred and anger subsiding, the Queen Mother grew suspicious of the Head Maid's motives—why stir up such a fuss by seeking her out?
"So... knowing full well it might displease you, I took the liberty of acting first. I will gladly accept Your Majesty's reprimand."
Madam Pinatelli bowed deeply in apology as she presented a bundle of documents.
Moments later.
"That damned Cuisine!"
The table in the Queen Mother's Palace shook violently.