Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Translation: godsn
"It's a good thing we managed to smuggle out the earrings before the princess's palace was locked down."
"How much did you get?"
"500,000 gold. I tried to ask for more, but we had to settle for this amount in a hurry."
"Whaaat?!"
"No joke! If we had just a few more of these, we could pay off our debts and quit this job for good."
Their eyes glittered with greed.
The Head Maid's spies had been ordered to torment the princess mercilessly, but—
'As long as we don't get caught, who's to know? It's not like the Head Maid ever visits the princess's palace anyway.'
Like well-trained dogs, they had become ensnared by the jewels Medeia tossed their way, quietly intercepting the malicious gifts meant for her at their own level.
Meanwhile, the situation was similar among the other maids.
"Start wrapping things up, you lot. Word's starting to spread outside the palace, so this gig will be over soon."
"You made sure no one found out, right? The Head Maid would skin us alive if she knew."
"Relax. I'm not new to this. I don't do things that'll get me killed."
As time passed, the rumors they had diligently spread began to circulate beyond the palace walls.
"Did you hear? They say the Head Maid sends spoiled food to the princess!"
"I heard she hides needles in the bedding!"
The Head Maid was stunned.
"Where on earth did such rumors come from?!"
"From the royal castle, my lady. For now, it's only circulating quietly among the nobles."
She had handled everything meticulously. There were no loose ends where her hand hadn't reached.
Yet somehow, every detail was being exposed and passed around on people's tongues.
"Spoiled food? Needles?! What nonsense—I never sent such things!"
And to make matters worse, the rumors kept growing wilder with each retelling.
While everyone knew the princess was being neglected in the royal palace, the spread of specific, cruel mistreatment was an entirely different matter.
This was an issue directly tied to the palace's honor.
The princess's palace wasn't only populated by the Head Maid's spies.
They, along with others, spread the news as discreetly as usual—only now, more actively.
"What? The Head Maid? Whether it's true or not, this is worth poking at!"
Among them were the Head Maid's rivals.
"Oh dear, how awful. They say the princess is suffering terribly?"
Gallo was also among them.
"Had nothing better to do, did you? You actually managed to slip it in."
Ignoring Cesare's icy glare, Gallo fluttered a scrap of parchment covered in tiny writing, his handsome eyebrows arching mischievously.
"The Head Maid's methods are as ruthless as our western lady's, eh? Poor princess, holding on while handing over even the gems the Regent gave her to the maids. Pitiful, really."
"She gave away her jewels?"
Cesare, who had been disinterestedly studying the chessboard, looked up.
"Yeah. The black sapphire, the sheep's tears... you know, those ridiculously expensive ones. Didn't even hesitate, just handed them right over. The maids were thrilled."
"......"
"Is she naive or just stupid? Did she really think that would be enough to keep the maids in line?"
His outstretched hand picked up a white pawn.
"What if she wasn't trying to control them?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
One square. The pawn advanced, reaching the final row.
"Promotion. To a queen."
In chess, the pawn is the weakest and most insignificant piece—but once it reaches the last row, it can transform into any piece.
"Whoa, boss! You're taking my bishop here?!"
Yet what it becomes and what it captures can only be known once it reaches the end.
For a fleeting moment, intense interest flashed in Cesare's eyes before vanishing.
An unexpected commotion erupted in the princess's palace.
"Let go! Where are you taking me?!"
The Head Maid's people stormed in, roughly dragging out the princess's maids.
"Why—why are you doing this all of a sudden?!"
"As of today, you are no longer part of the princess's household. Therefore, you cannot remain here any longer."
Without even time to gather their belongings, Medeia's maids were hauled away.
"How dare you lowly servants torment Her Highness the Princess? You must have a death wish."
The Head Maid's subordinate at the forefront scolded them harshly.
"What?"
The princess's maids' eyes widened like lanterns.
"The kitchen, laundry, and wardrobe staff have all confessed. You conspired to torment Her Highness, then tried to pin the blame on the Head Maid!"
Watching the situation deteriorate, the Head Maid intended to not only remove Medeia's hands and feet but also erase the disgrace that had spread throughout the Royal Castle.
For she had learned that the maids of the princess's palace—who even took scraps from her—had been wagging their tongues carelessly.
"What are you talking about? That's a lie! It was the Head Maid—it was you people who did it!"
"You dare deny it when we have proof? Drag them away at once!"
One of the Head Maid's subordinates whispered low into a maid's ear.
"You should've considered the consequences before flapping your mouths so freely."
The maid's face turned deathly pale.
'To be caught this quickly...! We were so careful!'
Perhaps they had grown too giddy with the sudden wealth they had grasped—they had underestimated the Head Maid's connections and power within the palace.
Sensing despair, the maid sought a way to survive.
"Your Highness! Help us! The Head Maid is trying to drag us away!"
Even as they were being hauled off, they shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Just lay a single finger on us. Do you think Her Highness will stand idly by?"
They clung to their firm belief.
Even if they had turned their backs on the princess, she was kind-hearted and gentle—she would surely try to save them.
Just as she had saved Neril.
"Your Highness! It's the Head Maid! The Head Maid is—!"
"Shut their mouths!"
Strong arms roughly seized and dragged them away, and the commotion died down in an instant.
"What is going on here?"
Then, the princess appeared. Only after all her maids had been taken away. The timing was just a little too convenient.
'She must've been scared. Look at her showing up now.'
Even so, the Head Maid's subordinates grew slightly tense.
"Your Highness, how much you must have suffered all this time."
"......"
"Those insolent wenches have been sowing discord between the Head Maid and Your Highness. The wise Head Maid learned of this and, though belatedly, sent us to rectify the situation."
Their prepared words flowed smoothly, as natural as water.
The subordinate's eyes gleamed with triumph, as if to say, What could Medeia possibly do once her hands and feet are cut off?
"The crime of insulting royalty is no light matter. They will all atone for it with their deaths."
"......"
"And we have brought new maids for you. They are young girls who have just entered the palace, untainted and pure. They will serve Your Highness faithfully, with no ulterior motives. You there, greet Her Highness."
The subordinate pushed the new girls forward, then waited for the princess's reaction.
The Royal Palace, now emptied as all those around her had been dragged away.
Save for Neril, who still lay bedridden, there was no one left here on the princess's side.
Even if they had managed to bring Neril back, they wouldn't have been able to retrieve all the others.
The Head Maid's judgment had been correct.
"Is that so?"
Yet, unexpectedly, the princess was smiling.
"What a relief. If it's the Head Maid's discernment, it must be trustworthy."
Medeia turned toward the new maids.
"You there, watch closely. This is the end that awaits those who betray their master."
Her voice was sharp as a frost-laden wind.
"If you flutter about like bats, you'll be dragged away like dogs and die. Understood?"
The eyes of the new maids slid past the princess, down to the floor.
The marks of the princess's maids struggling as they were dragged away stretched long across the ground. Here and there, droplets of blood were visible.
The new maids nodded fearfully.
There was only one master.
Betrayal, not loyalty, meant only death.
Since all the maids of the princess's palace had been removed and hastily replaced, the Head Maid hadn't had time to thoroughly win over the new ones.
Thus, Medeia's stern decree was etched into the minds of the freshly recruited maids more deeply than ever before.
"Give my thanks to the Head Maid. Thanks to her, I've been spared the trouble."
"Huh?"
The subordinate blinked in bewilderment.
"You, follow me. Let's go inside."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
With that, Medeia led the new maids inside.
"Damn it, we've been tricked!"
The Head Maid looked ready to faint upon hearing the dazed subordinate's report.
"That wench used me to rid herself of all the spies I planted around her!"
Not only that—she had pinned her own disgrace on the maids and eliminated them.
Their backers would assume the Head Maid had removed her pawns for some ulterior motive.
All she had done was make unnecessary enemies.
Had she thought just a little longer, she would've realized—but blinded by momentary rage, she had failed.
"Aaaagh! Medeia, that damned wench—!"
"Head Maid, please calm down!"
Crash! Bang!
The sounds of things being thrown and shattered continued until dusk.