Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Translation: godsn
Soon, he let out a hearty laugh, as if he had figured something out.
"Someone must have been spouting nonsense to Your Highness. Was it Siseo? You know how young folks can be more old-fashioned than octogenarians. That man's been frothing at the mouth to find fault between Your Highness and me—"
"Minister."
Medeia raised her hand calmly.
As if to say there was no need to hear any more pointless words, she decisively cut him off.
"I was the one who asked the question."
"......"
The minister's face, which had been brimming with amusement, gradually lost its smile.
The alcohol-induced boldness had long since faded from the young princess who so insolently interrupted him.
"Your Highness, I handle all the difficult and complicated matters. There's no need for you to worry."
His sly eyes, peering through his drooping lids, gleamed like those of a venomous toad.
"All you need to do is enjoy yourself day by day. Read books with your ladies-in-waiting, paint pictures, attend evening banquets like this—just as you always have."
"Is that your answer?"
Medeia's lips curled slightly.
His words pretended to serve her, but in truth, they were nothing but insolent disregard for the princess.
"Yes. There's absolutely no need for concern. Everything is proceeding naturally, just as it should."
"Then by tomorrow, bring me the budget report for tonight's banquet. If everything proceeded as it should, as you claim, then there should be no issues."
The minister's lips stiffened.
He had endured the princess's insolent behavior thus far, treating her like a mere child—and now she dared to make demands?
"If there's no issue, why bother looking? It's just tedious number-crunching."
"Wouldn't even Siseo be curious? How this grand banquet, which neither you nor I approved, came to be held in this palace—and the reason behind it."
The hand holding the champagne glass froze mid-air.
His bloodshot eyes, burning with anger, darted around the banquet hall.
Once he spotted a suitable place, a smile returned to his face.
He needed to put this arrogant princess in her place—somewhere out of sight.
"Might we... move somewhere more private to speak?"
"Of course."
Etienne guided the princess to a small room at the far end of the banquet hall.
Thud. The door closed.
Etienne's attendant took his glass and shut the door behind them. Now, only Medeia and the minister remained in the room.
Huuu.
Etienne loosened the cravat around his thick neck and exhaled slowly.
He seemed quite furious.
"Will you give me an answer now? If not, I could always ask your grandmother."
Running a hand through his hair, Etienne stepped closer to Medeia.
"Oh, Your Highness. Do you truly not know the answer?"
His beady eyes bore down on the princess like a hunter intimidating his prey, radiating menace.
"In this vast royal palace, who truly stands by your side? Siseo? The Queen Dowager? If I so much as lift a finger, do you think your nights will remain peaceful?"
His voice dripped with mockery.
"Your Highness is surrounded only by hired hands. The nobility despises your bloodline. If you were ever attacked, who would genuinely step forward to protect you?"
"......"
"So. Don't act recklessly. Even beasts know better than to walk the path to their own death."
A blatant threat. Intimidation. A sinister voice.
The sight of an old man threatening a girl much younger than himself was truly something one wouldn't pay to see.
After setting down the cup she had been holding onto the railing, Medeia crossed her arms with a faint smile.
Sorry, but thanks to my war-torn past life, your threats are nothing but gutter-tier.
"We'll see about that. But did you know? Cuisine said the exact same thing."
"......"
"Power is as fickle as flipping a palm. Your position could vanish overnight. Just like the Head Maid's."
At the princess's provocation, Etienne couldn't hold back and glared at her.
How dare she compare me—the Minister of the Imperial Household—to that foolish Head Maid who stupidly lunged at her and vanished like dew long ago?
Does she really think my power is on the same level as that worthless woman's?
"Hmph. Am I the same as that wench? Do you truly believe you can last in this royal palace without my help? It seems idiocy must be witnessed firsthand to be believed."
"Is that so? I'll be sure to remember your wise counsel."
"Yes. I sincerely hope you keep it firmly in mind."
At his desperate retort, the princess smiled faintly.
But what a shame—there was still a second foot to step on the toad's poison.
"Speaking of which, Cuisine said something strange to me before she died."
The minister flinched but feigned indifference as he asked,
"What could that shameless wretch have possibly said? Not that it matters."
"She said there's a maggot in the palace even filthier and more foul-smelling than her, and that only by catching it could the royal palace function properly."
"......"
"And apparently, this maggot—with its hideous appearance—was so incompetent at its nightly duties that it couldn't even mate properly and was practically weeded out of the gene pool?"
His thick hands trembled violently as he struggled to contain his rage.
"And so, to salvage its shattered pride, it torments weak and young prey—Minister, are you alright? Your face is red."
Medeia paused, casting him a look of feigned concern.
"The—the room... It must be the heat. Please, continue."
The minister forced a smile, but the flesh beneath his chin quivered uncontrollably.
I should have slaughtered that Cuisine bitch before she died.
Who would've thought she'd spew such nonsense behind his back?
Just then, his eyes landed on the cup beside him. Without another thought, he snatched it up and gulped down its contents.
As the cold drink slid down his throat, the burning fury inside him seemed to subside slightly.
"But honestly, I'm at a loss. Since you've been in the palace for so long, Minister, do you have any idea who Cuisine might have been referring to?"
"Well... I'm not sure either, but..."
He dragged out his words, his gaze fixed on the princess standing before him.
This wench... What does she know to be spouting such things?
Her eyes were so clear, devoid of any murkiness, that Etienne couldn't tell just how much she truly knew.
"I'll be sure to remember Your Highness's words and look into it. Managing the palace is, after all, part of my divine duty."
"Of course, I trust no one but you, Minister."
Medeia smiled warmly in response.
"Then, if you'll excuse me..."
The minister fled the room as if escaping, his strides long and hurried as he left the banquet hall. With every step, it looked as if steam was rising from his head.
Only when he reached a small, empty room in the corridor did he finally unleash his belated fury.
"Damn it allllll!"
Crash—!
"If only she weren't royalty, she'd be bite-sized—! How dare she run her mouth like that! What, is she some kind of maggot? A maggot?!"
The fuming Minister snatched the wine bottle from the hands of his trailing attendant and downed it in one gulp.
"It's lukewarm! You brainless whelp! You imbecile! Can't even get the temperature right?!"
A torrent of baseless rage poured out.
"My apologies, Master. Please forgive me."
Panting heavily, the Minister upturned the bottle into his mouth as if blowing a trumpet.
Gulp, gulp— Only when the pungent alcohol seared down his throat did the rising heat within him seem to subside slightly.
Meanwhile, Umberto—who had collapsed weakly from Etienne's kick—began clearing the wreckage his master left behind while recalling the message he'd received days prior.
When the time comes, place the toad on the market board.
'Market board? And when exactly is "the time"?'
He'd sent another note asking for clarification, but all contact had been cut off since then.
Only now did Umberto realize that "the time" the note mentioned was today.
A small medicine bottle jingled in his pocket. The note had also instructed him to mix this into wine and have Etienne drink it during the banquet.
The bottle contained ingredients that would maximize the effects of the incense.
Unaware of this, Umberto had faithfully carried out the note's orders.
'So "market board" must mean this banquet hall, where everyone can see...'
He stole a glance at the Minister, who was guzzling wine like a madman.
'Even though he usually restrained his vulgar nature in public...'
After meeting the Princess today, he seemed completely drunk, to the point of forgetting where he even was.
'Is this the incense's doing?'
In all the years Umberto had served by his side, the Minister had never succumbed to such provocations.
Whoever was behind this unnamed note truly intended to bring Etienne to his knees.
'If he makes a spectacle of himself in front of all these people...'
It would be social annihilation. His reputation—everything—would be shattered.
"What are you standing around for?! The wine's all gone! Hurry up and fetch more, you wretch!"
The Minister hurled a stone statue at him.
Why bother worrying for this bastard? Umberto decided to stop sparing any thought for his master.
"Yes. Of course, Master. I shall descend to the kitchens at once and bring back chilled wine and sweet delicacies."
Bowing deeply until the very moment he exited, Umberto deliberately left the door slightly ajar—not properly closed.
So the toad could be released at any time.
Walking down the frigid corridor, he couldn't quite suppress a faint sense of anticipation.
How many vile, infuriating things had he endured while serving at this depraved man's side?
He'd often wondered how much longer he'd have to put up with this—apparently, it was all for today.
"Haa."
As the Princess departed, a hidden spectator perched on a tree outside the banquet hall finally exhaled, having observed the entire spectacle.
"Is that her usual personality? Valdina's Princess has no fear at all. How does someone so small not shrink back even once?"
"......"
"Honestly, Valdina's discipline is a complete mess. Between the Regent and the Minister, all they think about is how to exploit the Princess—"
"Shh."
As Gallo rattled on without pause, Cesare raised a finger to his lips, silencing him.