Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Translation: godsn
"If the teacher isn't suitable, you can simply replace them."
As if to say that was enough of that topic, the Queen Dowager signaled to Madam Pinatelli with her eyes.
"Speaking of which, Medeia. For the only princess of this nation, your appearance is far too modest."
A plain dress. The only accessory was a small pearl necklace.
Medeia's attire, from head to toe, stood in stark contrast to Virna's meticulously coordinated outfit, drawing even more attention from the Queen Dowager.
'She can't go around like that when she's a princess. Unlike Virna, Medeia doesn't have a mother to look after her... I suppose I'll have to take care of it myself.'
Taking that as her cue, Madam Pinatelli approached and opened a large velvet box.
A dazzling array of jewelry wrapped in purple velvet was revealed.
'That's Grandmother's jewelry box!'
Virna, who had been sneaking glances from the side, widened her eyes in shock. These were pieces she could only glimpse during state ceremonies if she was lucky.
"Medeia, choose one that catches your eye. This old woman will give it to you as a gift."
It was an indirect apology for past events.
Medeia quietly observed the Queen Dowager, as if trying to gauge her intentions.
The Queen Dowager felt as though she'd been struck when she saw her granddaughter scrutinizing her reaction rather than showing any delight at the offered gift.
'Have I been so harsh that this child would act this wary around me?'
"Don't worry, just pick one."
Only after deliberately adding those words did Medeia finally nod.
"Thank you, Grandmother."
Her careful examination of the jewelry box was as cautious as a kitten's.
Virna was furious.
The jewelry box the Queen Dowager had opened even contained the coronation tiara and necklace she had once begged to wear when she got married.
'Why is she giving such precious things to someone like Medeia!'
Every time Medeia's eyes lingered on a piece of jewelry, Virna grew more impatient, as if her own possessions were being stolen.
She truly didn't want to give even the tiniest pearl to Medeia.
What if that gloomy creature took the best piece first?
"Sister, if you can't find anything you like, I'll choose first."
In the end, Virna couldn't hold back. She pushed Medeia aside and quickly took the spot in front of the jewelry box.
As if Medeia might snatch it away, she grabbed a large necklace.
"Grandmother, I like this sapphire necklace! Don't you think it would match my eye color perfectly?"
At that moment, the Queen Dowager's eyebrows twitched.
"How dare you!"
"G-Grandmother...?"
Virna's eyes widened in shock.
Her grandmother, who had never once raised her voice in her entire life, was suddenly scolding her?
"I never said this gift was for you. It's not your turn yet, and where did you learn such insolence as to lay hands on a princess without permission?"
"B-but Sister wasn't choosing... I was just..."
Her lips pouted, and her bewildered eyes were filled with indignation.
"'Sister'? You must address Her Highness properly! Virna Robin Claudio!"
Thud! The Queen Dowager slammed the table.
'When Medeia entered earlier, Virna didn't even greet her—she just kept lying across my lap.'
Like a master receiving respect from her subordinates.
"Do you think your surname is Valdina just because you're in this palace? Before being family, Medeia is your mistress whom you must serve."
"G-Grandmother...!"
"How long did you plan to act so recklessly? Do you Claudios not know the etiquette of serving your sovereign?"
The icy reprimand pierced her chest like a dagger.
Virna had never imagined that her doting grandmother would rebuke her—let alone point out the disparity in their statuses.
"Apologize at once. Show proper respect to the Princess."
At the Queen Dowager's words, Virna bit her lip. Her eyes welled up with tears, brimming with rage.
Being scolded in front of Medeia was humiliating enough, but now she had to apologize to that girl?
And with full courtesy?
'What exactly did I do wrong?'
She was, after all, the daughter of a royal prince and a noblewoman.
Her blood was far nobler than that half-bred girl whose mother was just a mere dancer.
"How could you do this to me, Grandmother? This is too cruel!"
Virna ran out in a huff, resentment burning in her eyes toward the Queen Dowager.
"That... that insolent child. Tsk."
The Queen Dowager clicked her tongue in disapproval before turning back to Medeia.
"Your Highness. Shall I have someone bring back Duke Claudio's daughter?"
Madame Pinatelli asked with concern.
"Leave her be. It's high time she learned the difference in our stations. How long must we indulge her temper?"
The Queen Dowager grumbled.
Though she no longer doted on Claudio's family as before after the incident at the palace, the fact that she didn't order Virna dragged back for punishment showed lingering affection.
Medeia, who had been quietly observing the Queen Dowager, finally spoke.
"Grandmother, please try to understand Virna. We've shared everything since childhood."
"Hmm?"
"What I had, Virna also had. What Virna lacked, I too went without. So your words must have come as quite a shock to her."
'What Virna lacked, Medeia also went without?'
The Queen Dowager paused, her brow furrowing before she replied firmly.
"What happened in childhood no longer matters. You are the Princess now. Your paths must diverge."
Medeia asked calmly,
"Grandmother. Virna has spent more time in the royal palace than at the ducal estate. If you tell a dog raised among wolves that it's not a wolf, would the dog understand?"
"......"
"And would other animals see that dog, born and raised among wolves, as just a dog?"
The Queen Dowager fell silent.
She seemed lost in deep thought for a long moment.
Having cast this weighty dilemma upon her grandmother, Medeia turned her attention leisurely to examining the jewels.
"Grandmother, may I choose this one?"
Medeia picked up a purple fan placed at the edge of the jewelry box.
"A fan? Isn't that too plain? Why not choose something more valuable?"
"I like this one."
Medeia ran her fingers along the fan's cold handle.
'Damascus steel.'
Damascus steel was strong enough to cleave stone yet flexible enough not to break, making it an excellent material for weapons.
'Perfect timing—I needed a weapon.'
It seemed just right for carrying around and using for self-defense when needed.
"Very well, if that's your choice."
After expressing her gratitude to the Queen Dowager, Medeia left with the fan.
"...That child is right. We shouldn't have brought them into our fold from the beginning. Neither Virna nor Joaquin."
The Queen Dowager heaved a deep sigh.
'Is Virna truly the only one who's forgotten her place?'
Her granddaughter's words had struck a chord of caution within her.
Her wrinkled hand tapped impatiently against the table.
"Your Highness..."
Madame Pinatelli studied the Queen Dowager's face, now devoid of any trace of cheer.
"I must send word to Margrave Monte's nephew. Tell him to return to the royal castle at once."
That night, a carriage bearing the Queen Dowager's letter to the royal relative departed the royal castle.
The Ducal Estate of Claudio.
"Virna? What's wrong? Stop crying and tell me what happened."
When her daughter returned to the estate sobbing uncontrollably, Catherine arched her delicate eyebrows in concern.
She'd sent Virna to the palace alone today since she couldn't accompany her, and now wondered what could have possibly happened.
But as Virna poured out her story, Catherine's expression hardened.
"How could you storm out like that? Do you think your grandmother will keep indulging your tantrums right before her eyes, no matter how much she dotes on you?"
She scolded her immature daughter.
"And what did I tell you? Never give people reason to criticize your behavior."
Of all times, to throw a tantrum before the Queen Dowager during this precarious period.
"Do you really think this is the time to act however you please? Where is your sense?"
The fact that no word had come from the palace even after Virna's outburst spoke volumes about how the Queen Dowager's feelings had changed.
"And now there's Medeia too. You're no longer the only granddaughter in your grandmother's eyes."
Rather than making herself endearing, she'd only accumulated misdeeds. All Catherine's efforts—wearing out her feet traveling back and forth to the palace to win back her mother-in-law's favor—had come to nothing.
Forgetting all decorum, Catherine nearly struck her daughter in frustration.