Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Translation: godsn
The Administrative Palace of Valdina.
"Lord Siseo, the Duchess Claudio entered the palace again yesterday."
At his aide's report, Siseo pressed his tired eyes firmly.
"The crocodile is eyeing its prey."
Recently, under the Queen Dowager's orders, several privileges of the Duke Claudio's household had been revoked. The Duchess must have been planning to coax the Princess into restoring those privileges.
'How long must we keep dancing to their tune?'
Siseo sighed as he rose from his seat.
"I must go to the Princess's palace. Prepare the carriage."
The aide hesitated.
"What are you doing?"
"Well... she's already here."
"Who is?"
"Her Highness the Princess is waiting for you."
Siseo raised an eyebrow.
It was extremely rare for the Princess to seek him out personally.
Only after discovering the Princess actually sitting in his own office did Siseo believe his aide's words.
"Your Highness."
"Lord Siseo."
Her silver hair, like shards of shattered moonlight, caught his eye first.
Then her round, deer-like eyes, the uncharacteristically strong gaze, the slightly lifted chin, and the small, stubbornly pursed lips tinged with red.
'I've heard rumors that the Princess has changed a lot lately.'
Relieved that she still looked like the familiar figure he knew, he nonetheless let out an inexplicable sigh.
"What brings you here? If it's regarding the Duke Claudio's household, I'd rather pretend I didn't hear it."
"Are you not even going to offer me a cup of tea?"
Medeia asked calmly. She understood his cold demeanor—he wasn't welcoming her.
'I was the same way.'
Medeia did not like Siseo. No, she disliked him.
Before leaving the royal castle, her brother Pelleus had entrusted Valdina's royal seal to Medeia and the governance of the kingdom to Siseo, the prime minister.
The intention was for final approvals to go through Medeia while detailed administration was handled by Siseo to streamline paperwork, but in reality, the exact opposite had occurred.
Siseo opposed Medeia's decisions at every turn.
"As you know, Medeia, your status... isn't entirely legitimate. So Siseo is showing that he can't accept you."
"That's right, sister. Unlike us who cherish you, he doesn't want to acknowledge your very existence."
With skillful instigation added to the mix, the one-sided misunderstanding only grew more entrenched.
She believed that despite being a direct descendant of Valdina, she was being disregarded.
Ultimately, when Medeia bypassed Siseo and stamped documents without authorization, their relationship reached a breaking point.
"...Bring some tea."
"Yes, my lord."
For a moment, Siseo observed the Princess with a bitter taste in his mouth.
From head to toe, she was still the immature Princess he knew. Yet something was different.
Her posture, sitting as regally as if she owned the room, flowed as naturally as water.
Her serene expression showed not even a ripple of disturbance, making her intentions utterly unreadable.
A maid quietly entered and brewed the tea.
Drip, drip—as the teapot poured, no words were exchanged.
The Princess, holding her teacup, paused briefly.
Then, after merely smelling the aroma, she set the cup down. Siseo frowned.
"Your Highness was the one who requested tea. If you have no intention of drinking it, I'd appreciate it if you left now. My apologies, but I have pressing matters to attend to."
"......"
Under her unwavering gaze, Siseo felt a surge of irritation.
It was unbecoming, but he couldn't help it.
With those innocent-looking eyes, the Princess had always driven a rusty blade into them with the worst possible choices.
"What is it this time? Did the Duke Claudio's household ask for something?"
It was exhausting. A deep sense of regret clouded his monocle.
"Haah, Your Highness. Even beasts know which side they're on. Do you understand how a single word or action of yours could affect His Majesty?"
"......"
"There are those who covet His Majesty's empty seat—no, Valdina itself. Do you know who stands behind the Regent—"
"I know. That the Kazen Empire stands behind our uncle."
The princess spoke for the first time.
"What you're most concerned about right now is my uncle running rampant under the Empire's protection, isn't it?"
Siseo froze.
"You... knew? Then even knowing that, you still...?"
"Siseo, is that why you chose Facade?"
Medeia abruptly posed the question.
"To bring in a wolf while simultaneously dealing with a lion? Well then, I have something I'm curious about too."
His momentary surprise at the princess reading his intentions was quickly overtaken by her pressing question.
"What will you do if the wolf refuses to leave after driving out the lion?"
"...Given the current absence of His Majesty, what other method do we have to suppress the Regent?"
Siseo replied with a stifled feeling, as if his limbs were bound.
He hadn't been entirely unaware of the princess's point either. But to avoid the worst outcome, he had to choose the lesser evil.
"Moreover, I know the leader of Facade personally. He has no designs on Valdina."
"You'd trust an arms dealer from the Abyss, whom even the Kazen Empire views warily? That's unlike you."
Neither statement was the coldly rational remark one would expect from a seasoned chancellor.
'Yes, you were more sentimental than I thought. That's why I left you be too.'
In truth, Medeia was no match for the politically experienced Siseo.
He could have easily seized Medeia's royal seal and rendered her a powerless puppet.
'Yet you treated me as an equal, even if it meant clashing with me at every turn.'
At the very least, he preserved her minimal dignity as a princess.
'Yes, stay exactly as you are.'
Siseo was one of the few remaining loyalists in Valdina. Neither he nor Pelleus needed to change.
Medeia would shoulder even the risks arising from their vulnerabilities.
"Unlike me, you say... Ha, since when has Your Highness been so astute?"
Siseo asked sharply.
"Then enlighten me, how should we resolve this crisis?"
"...What we need most is to regain control of the Inner Palace."
When an answer he hadn't even hoped for came flying back, Siseo silently caught his breath.
"You're... well-informed indeed."
The words carried a sarcastic edge—as if to say, if you knew all along, why act like this?
Instead of storming out arrogantly as usual, the princess countered with a question of her own.
"Siseo, wouldn't it be better to sever the enemy's arm rather than arm ourselves with new weapons?"
"What did you just—"
"When the Royal Head Maid changed from Cuisine to Pinatelli, my uncle lost his left arm."
She spoke with casual ease, as if she hadn't been the one to turn the palace upside down days ago.
"Once we remove the minister from my uncle's side too, your work will become much easier."
"......"
It took Siseo a moment to fully grasp Medeia's meaning.
He suddenly realized that the series of incidents following Medeia's fall had precisely excised one individual before concluding.
"Don't tell me... Your Highness was behind the former Head Maid's dismissal?"
Medeia responded only with a faint smile.
"And when the Queen Dowager expelled Duke Claudio and summoned Margrave Montega—"
"Chancellor. You already know the answer. Let's dispense with these tedious confirmations."
A shiver ran down Siseo's spine.
Had the princess collapsing with fever after five days guarding the chapel not been accidental?
Had the Queen Dowager's change in stance and the replacement of the Royal Head Maid with Madam Pinatelli all been part of her design?
Can a person change so completely?
"Have you been hiding this all along... or have you changed?"
"Who knows? Let's say I came to my senses. After brushing with death, the world turns upside down, doesn't it?"
"......"
A momentary chill struck Siseo's mind.
Could these really be the actions of a mere seventeen-year-old girl who'd had an awakening?
A dull puppet gives headaches, but the puppeteer pulling its strings is far more dangerous.
'If her schemes were directed at His Majesty, could our lord handle it?'
Moreover, Pelleus was astonishingly soft when it came to his younger sister. If Medeia truly aimed for him, he'd knowingly offer his chest to her blade.
'Why has the princess suddenly... changed tactics?'
His sharp eyes narrowed as if gauging Medeia's intentions.