The Prince Regent's carriage left for the royal palace early in the morning and returned only after sunset.
"Father, are you here? Please give me the life preserver. I'll go straight to the re-injury."
Samon had no doubt that Medea would put her stamp on the case to save the minister.
"Father...?"
When he saw his father hesitating, he asked with a puzzled expression.
"Did she say no?"
"No, that's not It..."
"Sure?"
Samon could not bear it anymore and took the scroll from his father and opened it.
Sigh-!
The area below where the King's seal should be was left blank.
"She asked for a bribe."
The Prince Regent's voice rang in Samon's bewildered ears.
"A bribe? That idiot?"
"Yes. That idiot. She asked me to fill thirty chests with gold."
"Thirty?"
Samon asked back in disbelief.
"Is Medea crazy?"
"She must have suddenly become greedy while watching Cuisine. Then, in the new luxurious life she experienced, she even forgot about her own worth."
"..."
Samon touched his chin.
Medea was stupid. She was weak in emotions and therefore foolish. But she wasn't greedy. It wasn't even about money.
What has changed? It's not like Medea.
Why suddenly? Why now...
As Samon was lost in thought, Claudio tapped his son on the shoulder.
"Anyway, it's not a bad thing for us. If she moves with money, doesn't that mean that all she needs is money?"
Etienne's crime was too dangerous because It was intertwined with military law.
No one from the Regent faction was in a hurry to come forward, fearing that their own sins would also be revealed if they tried to help him.
Unless someone is as foolish as a Princess, no one would jump in to save the minister without thinking about it.
So, Medea's request had to be met somehow.
"The problem is how to provide thirty chests."
Filling thirty chests with gold bars was a task that even the Regent could not handle alone.
"Excluding the slush funds to be sent to the rebels and Ossoff, the maximum amount of free money our family can currently borrow is about five chests."
"Is that all you can do?"
The Prince Regent frowned. It was much less than he expected.
"Yes. Military funds to be sent to the rebels were also sent late due to the deadline. Besides, we don't have much free money to repay the cost of this banquet."
Shit. The Prince Regent bit his lip.
If he looks at the rebels and the banquet, aren't they all because of Medea?
His teeth gritted at the thought of having to give the money back to the person who had cut off the money that was overflowing like a flower pot.
"Father, we can't bear the entire burden of saving the Minister. The minister himself and his subordinates must know."
Samon did the math.
"Anyway, it won't be an impossible amount if you scrape it together from here and there."
"I get it. I will tell that to the minister."
Claudio left to contact the minister, who was eagerly waiting for news of the rescue.
***
The Princess's palace.
"But, Your Highness. If Duke Claudio really comes with thirty chests filled with gold coins, will you release the minister?"
After Duke Claudio left, Saya asked. She couldn't understand.
Why should our Royal Highness save Etienne, who is as evil as a pig?
No matter how illiterate she was in politics, she could have predicted that the repercussions would be enormous.
The people who are gleefully criticizing Etienne now will also treat the Princess as the same person.
Saya hoped that the good owner would not fall for the Duke's dark intentions in asking his young niece, who was his own blood, to clean up after such a dirty bastard.
"No way."
"But why did you say that?"
Medea raised the corners of her mouth.
"My uncle must be busy preparing thirty chests to keep the Minister alive for the time being."
Therefore, the Prince Regent demanded a level of bribe that he could not afford alone.
As he rushes back and forth to prepare tight funds, he will naturally have less and less time to carefully look after the minister who will be in prison.
Now, the Minister will not be able to run away anywhere.
"If it's out of sight, it's out of the mind."
But will the Minister, who is alone in prison, recognize the efforts of the Regent, who runs here and there to save him?
Rather, given his shady nature, wouldn't he suspect that The Duke plotting something else while he's away?
"Neril, tell Sissair to stop by the prison."
The time has come to plant a spark of doubt.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Medea planned to test how long the trust between the minister and the regent, which had been stronger than ever in her last life, could endure.
"Your Highness, Umberto is waiting. I will serve you when Your Highness is ready."
Medea nodded.
***
"Umm..."
Umberto came to his senses and groaned.
'Where am I?'
When he tried to move his body, he was wrapped around a strong rope and couldn't move.
'What happened? Who caught me?'
Umberto searched for memories.
He succeeded in escaping from Count Etienne's residence, which was turned upside down as the royal knights attacked, without raising a word.
'I was just about to move to the headquarters' rendezvous point. At that time...'
Bang.
The dull pain he felt in the back of his head was his last memory.
Umberto can't believe he missed the sign. Damn it, it was so exhilarating to see that little pig being dragged away that he let his guard down for a moment.
Umberto bit his lip as he realized he had been attacked by someone.
It's not that he didn't expect a day like this to come while living in disguise. But he didn't know it would be at this moment.
Step. Step
He heard footsteps.
Eventually, the tightly closed door opened. Umberto straightened his back.
'Two people. One has a heavy sound. Is it a knight? The other one is the sound of clothes being dragged? A woman?'
Drur.
With the sound of a chair being dragged, one of the two people sat down. No one spoke first.
'Damn, I can only infer it from sound.'
The bag over his head had tight gaps, making his vision unclear.
He can only guess that a person is sitting through the vague impression behind the rough surface.
"Ugh!"
In an instant, the bag attached to his head came off.
Umberto frowned as the light stung his eyes painfully.
After some time passed and his eyes gradually adjusted to the light, he was able to clearly see the person sitting in front of him.
A silver-haired girl in a black dress stared at Umberto.
Skin so clear and white as to be pale. Bright green eyes, a solid jawline. Somehow it looked familiar.
Umberto had seen this girl very recently.
Where?
Before he could even ask the question in his head, his eyes grew as big as a flower lantern.
"Pr, Princess...?"
"It's been a while, Umberto."
The Princess put down her fan and greeted him. The tone of voice was quite friendly as if speaking to one of her close associates.
"Do you know me?"
'It's been a while? Did I meet the Princess of Valdina?'
They had already decided that there were no useful targets among the royal family of Valdina and sent him to Minister Etienne's side.
"The Queen Mother has been secluded for a long time, so it is not only difficult to put in the spy, but she has retreated to the back room, so there is not much benefit even if she puts in the money with difficulty.
Regent Claudio has already joined hands with the high-ranking officials of Katzen. If you approach without knowing who is behind it, there is a risk that our organization will be exposed. And the Princess of Valdina.
"It's not even worth adding spy."
The dull Princess, whose presence could not have any influence on the political affairs, was not even an object of their consideration.
'Their judgment has never been wrong.'
However, as if mocking that judgment, the idiot Princess of Valdina was now greeting him right in front of him.
She had a comfortable and friendly look as if she were seeing an old friend.
"I... Do you know?"
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