Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Translation: godsn
She pinched Saya's cheeks, calling her cute, and even fed her sweets, asking if she'd ever tried them before.
Once it became known how Saya had come to serve the Princess, the initial hostility toward her noticeably began to fade.
Small in stature yet quick on her feet, and always the first to take on difficult tasks, Saya quickly carved out her place in the Princess's palace.
"Your Highness, is it really alright to let Saya speak so freely?"
Neril worried that it might give those watching her an opening to exploit.
"It's fine. She's a clever girl."
Saya had sought out Medeia first.
"Your Highness, may I speak to you like this? Would that be alright?"
Of course, she had already obtained permission beforehand, carefully reading Medeia's intentions and moving swiftly to align herself accordingly.
"Medeia! You promised to go to the tea party with me today—ah! What the—?!"
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, my lady! Sniff... I'm still so clumsy..."
There had even been times when she used her ignorance as an excuse to turn away Virna, who would come uninvited to pester them.
"Your Highness seems to dislike Lady Virna. Did I misunderstand?"
"Saya, you should address her as Lady Virna of Duke Claudio's household. I taught you the proper etiquette, didn't I?"
"My apologies, Dame Neril. But Lady Virna addresses our Princess by name. Where does that etiquette come from?"
At her lighthearted yet brazen remark, even Neril couldn't help but laugh.
Soon enough, rumors spread that Duke Claudio's daughter was just as ignorant of etiquette as the street urchin who had recently entered the palace.
"Your Highness, I know you didn't dodge that dagger for my sake. But I will never forget the kindness of saving my life."
She had lived alone in the slums for nearly three years.
Unconditional protection—something she couldn't even rely on from her own brother. That small, fragile back that had shielded her without hesitation—Saya would never forget it for the rest of her life.
'How can I be of help to Her Highness?'
Thus, she constantly pondered how she could be of use to Medeia.
Once she grasped the workings of the royal palace, Saya soon befriended the maids from other palaces as well.
"I heard you saved a poor child. Well done. A Princess must know how to care for her people."
Somehow, she had even managed to leave an impression on the Queen Dowager. When the Queen Dowager brought up Saya's name, Medeia couldn't help but be slightly surprised.
After that, no one dared to bring up Saya's background again.
The positive reputation of Medeia as a generous and warm-hearted Princess only grew.
The sharp intellect that Theo, the leader of the rebel army in her past life, had possessed was clearly inherited by his twin sister as well.
"But, Your Highness. About the day you brought Saya here—before entering the palace, you told Tom to look for that strange old woman again."
When Medeia remained silent, Neril continued.
"But it seems that on that day, besides us, Facade's mercenaries were also seen in that district."
"Facade?"
Medeia lifted her head.
"Yes. According to Tom, he tried to find out why they were there, but their senses were so sharp that he was caught midway and ended up being chased away."
"......."
"However, it seems a high-ranking figure from Facade was present. They completely locked down the area, and it wasn't until some time had passed that they finally left."
Medeia frowned.
What business would a continental arms dealer have in the slums of this small kingdom?
In her past life, Facade had never surfaced. Meaning, he was a new variable in this lifetime.
'As Siseo said, he'll be useful in pressuring the Empire, but I'll need to find a pretext to send him away afterward.'
"Understood for now. Did they find that old woman?"
Neril shook her head.
"But, Your Highness, about that strange remark the old man made that day... Do you believe it?"
"What? That my future is filled with chaos?"
When Medeia teased in return, Neril flustered and made a pained face.
"N-No, Your Highness's future will be brighter than the sun! It's just... that 'tear of the dawn'... I thought it might somehow be of help to Your Highness..."
"......"
"Didn't the old man say it? That you're the only one who can find it."
"In the young lady's veins flows the blood of one who was once the wisest on the continent, and of one who conveys the will of the goddess."
"Hmm. The conditions don't seem to match, though. My father was certainly wise, but to call him the wisest on the continent feels like too much of a—"
Medeia froze.
One who was once the wisest on the continent.
A sage.
And the nation protected by the Philosopher's Stone—Valdina.
Could it be that Valdina possessed the Philosopher's Stone, surpassing even the great powers of the continent, because its original owner was an ancestor of Valdina?
"Your Highness...?"
"I have somewhere to go for a moment."
A thought flickered through her mind, and Medeia rose smoothly.
Medeia's shadow fell upon the stone wall.
A chill breeze greeted her.
The Philosopher's Stone still emitted its eerie blue light atop the central altar.
"In the young lady's veins flows the blood of one who was once the wisest on the continent, and of one who conveys the will of the goddess."
Even if the former referred to the sage, the latter remained shrouded in mystery. One who conveys the will of the goddess?
Medeia's mother was a former dancer. Her mother's homeland had long since fallen, leaving her to wander without a country.
So, she was far removed from any goddess.
With a faint sense of helplessness, Medeia reached out her hand.
"Ancestor of Valdina."
A familiar coldness tingled at her fingertips.
Cradling the Philosopher's Stone in both hands, she murmured,
"Tell me. Is there something you wish to convey to me? What must I do—"
She flinched as a sharp pain pricked her fingertip.
It seemed there was a jagged edge at the base of the stone that hadn't been fully smoothed.
A thin cut had formed on her fingertip.
Then, when a single drop of blood welled up and fell onto the stone, something astonishing happened.
The stone split in two with a crack, and a vast, blinding white light erupted forth.
"......"
Having witnessed countless strange sights during her campaigns, Medeia barely managed to maintain her composure.
Had it been anyone else, they would have fainted at this miraculous sight.
The light filling the chamber gradually dimmed.
Blinking her stinging eyes, Medeia peered inside.
Within the split Philosopher's Stone lay a tiny cylinder, no larger than a finger.
Thud. As soon as she picked up the cylinder, the Philosopher's Stone closed again.
The fissure sealed without a trace, as if nothing had happened, returning to its pristine form.
Had it not been for the lingering wound on her hand, she might have thought it all a fleeting dream.
Medeia examined the cylinder.
At its top was engraved the figure of a goddess, and at its base, a droplet-shaped pattern.
"The... Falling Tears?"
As if answering her whisper, the silvery liquid inside the cylinder rippled.